More Than Words: Acts of Kindness: Whispers of the HeartIt's Not About the DressThe Princess Shoes

by Brenda Jackson

  She steered her runaway thoughts back to Ted. They hadn’t resolved to have children, but hadn’t ruled it out, either. Both of them were just so busy in their careers, they had decided to postpone the matter until later, when they’d settled into married life. In retrospect, Chloe realized the decision had been somewhat clinical. Why didn’t looking at Ted make her think of freckle-faced children?

  She arranged her face in a smile, but troubling thoughts pecked at her as she and Andy finished passing out the toys. To his credit, he didn’t ask her any more about the sudden tears, didn’t tease her again about her impending wedding. When they returned to the warehouse, he was friendly, but seemed more cautious around her.

  “Thanks for asking me to go with you,” she ventured.

  “Thank you for going.”

  “I...enjoyed it.” Despite the turmoil that the experience had stirred up, it was humbling to be reminded that in a country where most people had what they wanted, there were so many who needed a helping hand or simply a kind gesture. Those children at the community center were a far cry from the ones for whom she planned elaborate birthday parties, kids who were raised to expect entertainment and celebrity guests and even live animals. It seemed so excessive, so wasteful.

  Like her own wedding?

  “Are you sticking around?” Andy asked.

  Chloe checked her watch. She needed time to look for her ring before Ted arrived to pick her up for dinner. “No, I need to go.”

  “Okay. Well, have fun at your brunch tomorrow,” he said, his voice and eyes sincere.

  “Thanks,” she murmured, surprised that he’d remembered.

  “See you later.” He gave her a little salute and walked through the busy warehouse.

  Chloe drove home, feeling restless and bewildered by her reaction to Andy and to the other folks at the community center. It felt good helping people, making them smile—without getting paid for it. Andy’s easygoing attitude made him a perfect fit for his truck-driving job. She wondered about his background, but then reminded herself that Andy Shearer’s upbringing was none of her concern. She had so many other things on her plate to deal with.

  At her apartment, she stood in the doorway of her bedroom and set her jaw. Her engagement ring had to be in this room somewhere. She began to systematically check every square inch, moving clutter and shifting furniture, covering the same ground she’d covered before, with the same result. As the time for her date with Ted drew closer, her anxiety ratcheted higher. When the doorbell rang, her mind whirled for a solution.

  From a drawer she removed a flexible cast that fit like a fingerless glove. She’d needed it the time she’d sprained her wrist. Now she slid it onto her left hand and went to answer the door, worried that she might feel different about Ted in the wake of her unwelcome attraction to Andy.

  But when she swung open the door and Ted stood there holding a dozen roses, her heart grew buoyant once again.

  This thing with Andy was as fleeting as her stint with Windfall. She had a wedding dress to find.

  CHAPTER

  SIX

  “CHLOE, I KNOW it’s a lot to ask,” Terri said Monday morning, “but our annual golf tournament, our biggest fund-raiser of the year, is coming up later this week, and I wondered if you would mind helping there versus here in the office.”

  Chloe hesitated. She needed to be near the warehouse, looking for her dress, not off-site working a golf tournament. But Terri had been so kind, and Chloe had begun to feel worse about her deception....

  “When is it?”

  “Friday. But you wouldn’t have to be there all day. Morning, afternoon, any time that you have.”

  “I have an event that morning, but I could get there for the afternoon. What would I be doing?”

  “Directing people, taking tickets, that kind of thing.” Terri smiled. “It’s more fun than hanging out here in the office.”

  “Okay, sure,” she said, nodding. “I wouldn’t mind doing something different.” Besides, she intended to find her dress between now and then anyway. “As a matter of fact, I was wondering if I could help out in the warehouse this week, just for a change of pace.”

  Terri shrugged. “I don’t mind, but it might not be good for your hand.”

  Chloe guiltily rubbed the elastic cast she was still wearing. “It’ll be fine.”

  The weekend with Ted and yesterday’s shower brunch had been a success, reminding her of all the reasons she was marrying him, all the reasons she was planning a big ceremony. People liked to celebrate important moments in their lives with extravagant parties—there was no crime in that. Andy himself had said it must be nice to make people happy, and it was. So she was looking forward to her supersize wedding; that didn’t make her a bad person. But she was less than two weeks from getting married, and still missing a wedding gown. She seriously needed to get out into the warehouse and start poking around.

  “I’m sure they could use an extra hand out there today,” Terri said, “since a lot of volunteers are already at the golf tournament site, getting things ready.” The telephone rang and she reached for it. “The receipts can wait,” Terri added, eyeing the stack of paper in front of Chloe. “Anyone can tell you where to pitch in.”

  Chloe nodded and headed for the warehouse, nervously glancing around for Andy. To her relief, he was nowhere in sight. She asked more assistants about a wedding-dress shipment, but they shook their heads. One admitted that it was impossible to remember everything that came in. She noticed that assistants spotted each other off, changing stations as necessary, and some of them worked only part-time, so they wouldn’t have knowledge of every incoming shipment. She walked quickly up and down the aisles, scanning for a glimpse of white, feeling a little desperate.

  “I could use a hand over here,” someone yelled, and Chloe turned to help. An enormous box of travel-size toiletries donated by a hotel sat on a pallet. A sturdy woman gestured to the box. “A shelter is receiving an influx of refugees this afternoon and they need sets of toiletries individually bagged to pass out.”

  “How many?” Chloe asked.

  “As many as we can give them.”

  Chloe reached for a bag and began filling it with one of each kind of toiletry. Her two hours evaporated, but there was still so much more to be done that she stayed an extra hour. All the time she kept looking over her shoulder for Andy. It wasn’t as if she missed him or anything; she was just so accustomed to seeing him around. But he must have had pickups or deliveries to make.

  When she left to keep an appointment with a caterer to taste test sushi for an upcoming luncheon, she felt good about all the toiletries she’d bundled, but realized another morning had expired and she was no closer to finding her dress.

  And so it went all week. Every morning she began looking for her gown and was pulled away by something that needed immediate attention. By Friday she still had no dress and no engagement ring. At her apartment she had resorted to emptying her bedroom of everything she could move. Only the large pieces of furniture remained, and she was considering renting a metal detector.

  And strangely, she hadn’t seen Andy all week. She mentioned his absence to Terri in passing, but when the woman seemed interested in why she’d noticed, Chloe changed the subject.

  On the drive to the golf tournament Friday afternoon, she felt panic licking at her. She was getting married a week from tomorrow and she still hadn’t found her dress, not to mention her ring. So why was she wasting her time volunteering at a fund-raising event when she should be back at the warehouse, digging through mountains of sweaters? Tomorrow she had three birthday parties back-to-back, so going to Windfall over the weekend was out of the question.

  She sighed and came to a decision: on Monday she would come clean with Terri and ask for her help. And once she had her dress, she would leave with her tail between her legs.

  When she found Terri at the entrance to the golf course, she considered telling her the truth and getting it over with. Dread bi
llowed inside her.

  “Thank you for coming!” Terri said, giving her a hug that made the words she’d been contemplating stick in her throat. The woman’s cheeks were pink with sun and excitement. “The weather is perfect, lucky us. We need someone at the seventeenth tee to collect money for the hole-in-one contest. Are you up for it?”

  “Sure,” Chloe said, glad for the diversion. Monday would come soon enough. She didn’t want to do anything to spoil the mood or the day.

  Terri handed her a map and a blue sun visor imprinted with the Windfall logo, then pointed her in the right direction.

  It was a beautiful spring day, sunny with a nip in the air. The golf course itself was lovely and green, dotted with mature trees and manicured bushes. As she walked through the crowds, inhaling the sun-scented air, she began to relax. People had come out for a good cause and spirits were high. From the turnout she surmised that the event was well established, and although things looked to be running smoothly, the event planner in her made mental notes on small details that could be improved upon.

  Not that she would be around next year to offer input.

  She noted signs for corporate sponsors at each of the tees and silently vowed to patronize the companies whenever possible. When she approached the seventeenth tee, there were additional signs for the hole-in-one contest. On this par-three hole, golfers paid five dollars for the chance to hit their ball into the cup in one shot. If they made a hole-in-one, an electronics company called One World would give the winner ten thousand dollars on the spot.

  Chloe stepped up to another Windfall volunteer who was taking money and asked how she could help. It was a popular event, so she was instantly busy, handling cash and passing out forms. Less than an hour later a commotion arose on the tee, followed by cheers and high fives and backslapping.

  “Oh, my goodness,” said the woman Chloe was helping. “Somebody won!”

  The crowd buzzed with excitement as walkie-talkies emerged and greensmen appeared to be verifying the shot. When a thumbs-up was given, the gallery erupted again and the man who’d made the hole-in-one gave a victory dance. From the sidelines a tall man in a sport coat and slacks emerged, grinning and holding an oversize check for ten thousand dollars. Something about him...

  Chloe squinted. Andy?

  She continued clapping and leaned over to the other volunteer. “Is that Andy Shearer?”

  The woman nodded. “He owns One World Electronics. He’s one of Windfall’s biggest supporters. Rich, handsome and good-hearted.... I’d like to know what a girl would have to do to catch his eye.”

  Wonder curled through Chloe’s chest. So Andy was the owner of a hugely successful company and he moonlighted as a truck driver for Windfall in his free time? He’d never even hinted that he was more than he appeared.

  But then again, she’d never asked.

  She was still clapping when Andy looked up and caught her gaze. He seemed surprised to see her, then gave her a nod and turned back to shake the hand of the winner and to pose for photographs.

  Chloe tried not to watch him, tried to get her mind back on the task at hand. In the wake of a winner, players flooded to the tee to take their chance at the big money. Chloe took cash and handed out forms as fast as she could. Yet she was aware of Andy walking around the tee, giving encouraging pats, gesturing to other oversize checks waiting in the wings to be passed out to future winners.

  And then he was making his way toward her.

  Her heart beat wildly as he approached. She took money from the last people in her line and thanked them. The sight of Andy in business attire restricted her breathing, and the smile she was preparing felt shaky when he stopped in front of her.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said.

  “You’re full of surprises yourself,” she said, gesturing to his clothing.

  He grinned. “I would’ve told you about One World sooner if I thought it would’ve made a difference.”

  Chloe squirmed. It wouldn’t have...would it? Was she that materialistic? “How did you begin driving a truck for Windfall?”

  He shrugged those big shoulders. “There was a time when I drove my own delivery truck for my business. Once my company reached a certain level of success, I felt strongly about giving back to the community. When I heard that Windfall needed trucks, I gave them one and volunteered to drive it in my spare time. Then it just became a habit.”

  “I’m impressed,” she said, and meant it.

  His blue eyes danced. “Enough to let me buy you a hot dog?”

  Chloe hesitated, tempted.

  “It’s for a good cause,” he cajoled.

  She smiled and relented, telling herself it was only a concession snack, not a date.

  But the hot dog lunch turned into a relaxed afternoon of strolling around the golf course, cheering on the players and pitching in wherever they were needed. Chloe asked about his business and he shared a few highlights, although she sensed he was holding back, uncomfortable with what might seem like bragging. She felt drawn to him, like those children at the community center who recognized warmth and sincerity. It was a goodness that she wanted for herself, yet she didn’t think her heart was that big. When she thought of why she had volunteered for Windfall, she burned with shame.

  Dusk was settling in when he walked her back to her van. Apprehensive about her burgeoning attraction to this man, Chloe pulled out her keys, ready to vault into the driver’s seat.

  “Did you hurt your hand?” he asked, pointing to the flexible cast.

  “Er, it’s just a sprain.” What was another lie?

  He nodded, his eyes alight with amusement. “If I were your fiancé, I might be nervous if you weren’t wearing your ring—what? A week before the wedding.”

  “A week from tomorrow.” Chloe fidgeted and looked away. “It’s not what you think.”

  He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face until she met his gaze. “I think I’d like to kiss you right now,” he said.

  Chloe labored to breathe as his lips closed in on hers. “I don’t... I shouldn’t...”

  But she did. She opened her mouth to meet his and moaned softly as they came together. His tongue gently probed hers and she responded in kind as thrilling sensations flooded her body. She wanted the fervent kiss to go on and on, but when his hand brushed her lower back, reason returned with a crash.

  Chloe pulled away abruptly, covering her mouth. “I can’t do this.”

  “You can if you want to,” he said, his eyes hooded. “Chloe, I feel something between us... Something special.”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m not the person you think I am.”

  “You’re beautiful and smart and kind—”

  “I’m not kind,” she blurted, flailing her arms. “The only reason I volunteered at Windfall was to find my lost wedding gown.”

  He frowned. “What?”

  “My fiancé...called off the wedding and I returned my wedding gown to the bridal shop. Then we got back together and when I went to get the dress—”

  “It had been donated to Windfall,” he said, his voice thick.

  She nodded miserably.

  “The bridal shop on Queen Street?”

  She nodded again.

  One side of his mouth quirked back in a wry smile. “I made that pickup myself.” He looked up as if searching for answers, then back to her. “So you went undercover as a volunteer just to find this dress?”

  “I was desperate.”

  “It must be some dress.”

  “It’s the wedding gown I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl. I have to get it back.”

  “It’s that important to you?” He gave a little laugh and jammed his hands on his hips. “This one beats everything I’ve ever heard or seen.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t think anyone would get hurt.”

  Andy pressed his lips together as if he sorely regretted the kiss. “Don’t worry. The rest of us will be fine, Chloe.�
�� Then he turned and strode away from her.

  Chloe blinked back tears. It was a horrible realization for a person to learn the depths of her own selfishness. And worse—she didn’t think she could change.

  CHAPTER

  SEVEN

  CHLOE COULDN’T REMEMBER a more wretched weekend. How ironic that of all the Windfall drivers, Andy had been the person to collect her dress...on the day she’d noticed him in traffic with the flat tire.

  The look on his face when she’d told him the truth about the gown haunted her, and the words he’d said kept playing in her head.

  The rest of us will be fine, Chloe.

  In other words, of everyone affected by her selfish actions, she was the person who would suffer the most.

  And the kiss...

  The kiss that they’d shared had been burned into her brain and onto her lips. Forgotten nuances came to her at unguarded moments—the woodsy scent of his aftershave in her lungs, the scrape of his five-o’clock shadow against her cheek, the slide of his tongue over hers.

  And to make the weekend exponentially worse, a thorough search of her bedroom had not turned up her engagement ring. She’d spent hours on her knees, combing through the carpet, searching her bed linens, the floor vents, even the hem of her curtains. She knew that Ted had the ring insured, but she dreaded telling him that she’d lost a ring that had cost more than her van. In her bedroom. It didn’t make sense, which only made her more crazy.

  And when she woke up Monday morning, she conceded glumly that time was running out on both the ring and the dress.

  She drove to Windfall with a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Terri was a wonderful person who had shown her nothing but kindness, and deserved to hear the truth from her, even if Andy had already informed her of Chloe’s deception.

  When she arrived, she remembered the trepidation she’d felt that first morning, how she had convinced herself that donating her time to the organization somehow made up for the fact that she was volunteering under false pretenses.