by Cheryl Wyatt
“Sounds like Miss Evie. Don’t fuss with the coffee. I wanted to take you and Reece to breakfast here at the B and B.”
“They have omelets?”
“Dozen different kinds. All of them to die for.”
“Eggs cooked in bacon grease?” She arched a brow.
He arched back. “If you ask.”
Amelia walked toward the first bedroom. “Reece, where’d you go? Ben’s here.”
She emerged. Amelia and Ben laughed. She already had on her princess tiara and the rhinestone movie-star sunglasses he’d bought her. Strings trailed her shoes when she walked.
“Heads up, princess. Don’t trip.”
“Can you help me tie them?” She plopped at Ben’s feet and extended her legs.
“Sure.” Ben knelt and took the shoestrings in his hand. “How are you today?”
“Fine. And I cannot possibility tie my own shoes, ya know.”
Ben chuckled, probably at her misuse of the word. “That right?”
Reece nodded. “Yup. Because princesses don’t have to tie their own shoes if they don’t want to.”
Amelia elevated her voice. “Uh, excuse me, little princess. Queen Diva decrees you must learn to tie your shoes.”
“Your mother’s right. If you don’t practice, you’ll never get it down,” Ben said to Reece.
Sitting to put her socks on, Amelia faced Ben. “She’s used to shoes with Velcro. I admit I’m not adept with teaching how to tie shoes. Plus I’m left-handed and she’s not.”
“I noticed that about you.” Ben looked up and absorbed Amelia’s gaze long enough for her cheeks to start boiling.
“I—I’ll just get my purse.” She stood, scurried into her room. Then remembered. She smacked her forehead and laughed.
Her purse wasn’t on the dresser but in the front closet by the door. Stalling, she sat on her bed and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Wished she had some makeup to put on.
Makeup had been among the first nonessentials to go when things got tough financially. Amelia remembered a time when she wouldn’t dare leave the house without lipstick or blush.
Tiptoeing to the bathroom, she scrunched curls in her hair and unplugged the hair dryer. She reentered the living room and slid past Ben, hoping he wouldn’t notice her pulling her purse from the closet.
Strap slung over her shoulder, she turned. Frozen a moment in time, her eyes and heart caught in a wondrous web of watching Ben interact with Reece. A flash of her own dad teaching her to tie shoes at Reece’s age backed Amelia into a bar stool. She sat.
Ben’s large hands guided Reece’s small ones in crossing two strings and curving one over the other and looping it through the hole. “Now, pull this tight and the bunny’s mouth closes.”
Reece giggled as their conjoined hands tugged strings taut.
Ben pressed Reece’s finger over the tiny knot, preventing strings from loosening. “Next, hold your finger over the button nose. Then make a lop-ear with this big loop. Then make the second bunny ear and bend it so the bunny runs through the burrow hole. The other chases it around and pull tight.”
With slightly uncoordinated movements, Reece followed his instructions until a disheveled bow formed. “I did it, Mommy!” Reece surged to her feet and pranced over. Her lifted shoe proudly displayed a delightfully crooked bow that matched Ben’s grin as he met and captured Amelia’s gaze over Reece’s head.
“You did!” Amelia agreed with her daughter.
Why did it twist and loop her insides out just like that bow to have him look at her that way? Not to mention how his interaction with Reece resurrected Amelia’s dreams for her daughter to have a dad who cared. She wanted it for Reece even more than she wanted it for herself.
Just shy of fawning over Ben, she broke the gaze but knew he didn’t. Heat from it dried her throat. Not sensual, but one that bored as if searching for something.
What?
Confirmation of a connection?
Evidence of attraction?
Invitation for progression?
All of the above.
Amelia’s mind raced to regain where they were before the serendipitous exchange.
She rumpled the top of Reece’s hair and bent to study her shoestring bow. “It’s perfect!” she fibbed. “Are we ready to go? Mommy is actually hungry this morning.”
Ben opened his mouth then shut it. Amelia laughed.
“What?”
“I could tell you started to say something then stopped.”
His only answer was a grin.
“Smart man. Had you brought up my food faux pas again, I might have had to leave your body for the trail buzzards.”
He moved past her.
She enjoyed the scent of his woodsy, manly cologne. More than she should for someone who’d supposedly harbored caution from the wind.
Reece dived at him. “Thank you, Mr. Ben, for teaching me how to tie my shoes.” She squeezed his knees.
“No problem, princess. Where’s Bearby?”
“Right here.” Reece turned a half circle and wiggled her backpack. Bearby’s nose peeked above the opening.
Ben motioned toward the door. “All-righty then. Let’s hasta lapasta.”
Reece giggled. “La vista, silly. Mr. Ben, why do your eyes look like posh trophies?”
“Apostrophes,” Amelia amended, cheeks burning. “He’s Asian, sweetie.”
“Part Asian,” Ben corrected. “My mother’s Taiwanese and my father’s Caucasian.”
They walked around the building and entered the dining hall.
“Mommy, I miss Shasta.” Reece’s smile waned.
Ben looked at Amelia as they entered the buffet line.
She drew a breath. “My parents have a dog. He’s part Husky. He used to be mine. Ours.” She cleared the lump from her throat. She could barely afford food for her daughter. It would have been utterly irrational to keep the dog.
“Reece was so upset when I told her we’d have to give him away, so my parents took him in.” Amelia laughed. “My dad hates dogs, and Shasta jumps in Dad’s lap every chance he gets.” She blinked back tears and distracted herself by filling her and Reece’s plates. “We moved back in with them when things got hard. But then Dad and I clashed even worse. I couldn’t afford to bring the dog.”
“Even though things are strained with your parents, you miss them, don’t you?” Ben said as they settled into a booth.
She’d been doing great holding her emotions at bay until those words left Ben’s lips, and the softness with which he spoke. She finally figured out why she equated his voice with velvet. Words came out plush and thick with the most considerate layer of kindness she’d ever encountered in another human voice.
Realizing Ben still waited for an answer, she drew a sustaining breath. “Yes. Because, though they’re not perfect, they’re mine. They’re all I have.” Her voice strained. She eyed the drink menu. Didn’t see a word. All she could see in that moment was what she’d lost. What one wrong choice had cost.
She missed her dog. She missed her mom. She even missed her cantankerous dad.
At least she still had Reece. And she meant to keep it so. If Ben had been placed in her life for no other reason than to teach her that her parents were the ones making wrong choices, it was worth it. Still, she hoped it could mean more.
“I wish you could come meet my puppy, Ben. But Grandpa would run you clean out of the yard,” Reece said, after the hostess filled their drink orders.
Ben’s eyebrows lifted. Amelia’s face flamed. “Reece!” Amelia shook her head sternly. “Not polite.”
Amelia wanted to melt into the woodwork. She also wanted to go clobber some sense into her dad. It was no secret to Amelia that he was prejudiced against Asians and so staunchly against interracial relationships that he’d threatened all her life that if she got into one he’d disown her.
Sipping, Ben studied her above his glass. She felt he deserved an explanation.
“My father can be c
ruel to people who are different.”
“Meaning he’s racist?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Amelia said.
“Then what would you say?” Kindness never left Ben’s face or tone. He leaned forward.
Amelia drew a slow breath and stared into Ben’s eyes. “No one else in my family agrees with my dad, nor do we share his opinion. Ever since he came back from Vietnam, my mother says he’s disliked people of Asian descent.”
Ben’s expression didn’t fluctuate. Amelia expected him to get defensive or angry. But he nodded evenly like he understood.
How? When she didn’t understand herself how he could feel that way? Maybe the war traumatized him somehow. Amelia didn’t know. But she hoped God would work it out. God. She had been thinking about Him more and more.
To her surprise Ben’s face broke out into a witty grin. “Guess that means you’ll have a hard time taking me home to meet the parents, huh?”
Amelia’s throat constricted because it just now dawned on her. She’d never be able to take Ben to meet her parents’. Ever. And if Ben was insinuating he wanted a relationship with her, she may indeed have to choose between Ben or her parents. Because if things got serious with Ben, things would seriously implode with her dad.
“What are his views on interracial relationships?”
Gulp. “Not good.”
“Ouch.” Ben studied her. “That could be a problem.” His gaze intensified.
“Excuse me. I—I need to visit the restroom.” She fled there, wondering what on earth he meant by that.
He couldn’t possibly mean the two of them. Could he?
And if he meant what she thought, then she had every reason to reel over the repercussions. If Ben was in the picture romantically, there’d be no father-daughter restoration. Period.
Ben had a point. Not until this moment did she consider the future conflict that would await them if their friendship continued to blossom into something deeper. A part of her still couldn’t wrap her mind around Ben being interested in her. Yet another part could hardly deny it. After all, she knew she’d make a good wife someday. She just didn’t know if a decent guy would ever give her the chance.
Maybe one was.
The very possibility made her breathless with delirium.
Hard to imagine how such a deep bond had formed in so little time. But they’d been nearly inseparable since her car wreck. And here she was giving Nissa advice. Yet Ben was worlds apart from Nissa’s fiancé.
If Ben fell for Amelia while seeing her at her worst, then he was definitely keeper material. She certainly wasn’t brave enough to bring up the subject first.
As she returned from the restroom, a sign on the French doors caught her eye.
Kitchen Help Wanted.
Kitchen help. If she got the job, she wouldn’t have to drive or spend gas money. That sounded perfect! Excitement welled up in her like she hadn’t experienced since before leaving North Carolina. She rushed to the counter. Hope soared.
“May I have an employment application?”
“Sure.” The man handed her a form. “Questions?”
“What kind of kitchen help do you need?”
“Dishwasher. The one we have leaves for college in the fall.”
Thank goodness they didn’t need a cook. Amelia wasn’t stellar in the culinary department. “Do school buses run by here?”
“Yes, matter of fact they do.” The man handed her an envelope addressed to the Bed and Breakfast. “If you’re unable to return it in person this week, mail it back in the envelope. We’ll phone you for an interview next month if interested.”
Next month! That was too long. Maybe they’d move it up.
“Thank you.” Amelia slipped the packet inside her purse and headed back to the table.
“Ben, would you mind if Reece and I rode with you to town? I’d like to check on my car then put in applications.”
“Sure. I have an hour before I need to be at the Drop Zone. We can snag a local paper. I’ll show you around town before dropping you off.”
“Mind if I give them your cell number until I get a phone?”
“Sure. In fact, keep the phone until you get your own.”
“Thank you. The garage is in the middle of the business district, right?”
He nodded and wiped his mouth. “It sits on the main road that runs through Refuge, which is aptly named Verbose Street because people gather at shops and cafés all up and down it to talk. Everything’s within walking distance. Police station sits across the street and lots of people commute by foot around town. It sits miles from the shady area of town. You and Reece should be safe.”
“I hope the car’s ready soon, so I can tell potential employers I’ll have no trouble with transportation to work,” Amelia said, as Ben pulled up to Eagle’s Nest after showing them around town.
“Gus Johnson works fast. After my mandatory meetings, I’ll find you and we’ll grab dinner. So be thinking about where you and Reece want to eat.” Ben opened the door for them.
“I’d like to try those curly fries as long as your leg.”
“Then back to the B and B it is. See you later.” He drove off.
Water bottles and a tiara in tow, Amelia and Reece walked around Refuge for hours. Amelia kept track on paper, but lost mental count of how many jobs she applied for. Her mind drifted back to the Bed and Breakfast position. Of all the places she’d applied, that would be her dream job. But since when did she ever get her first choice?
Pray, then trust and believe. Amelia could almost hear Glorietta’s favorite five words as if she were right here whispering them in her ear.
Pray, then trust and believe.
Okay, fine. Here goes.
Amelia knelt beside Reece. “You want to pray with Mommy about a job?”
Reece nodded. Amelia took hold of her hand. “God, it’s been too long since we’ve talked. I am thankful for everything you’ve done.” Like when you protected me from losing Reece after the assault. “As you probably know, I’m really in need of a job. And, we’d really like to live in Refuge.” That B and B position seems so perfect. And-and I wondered if I could have it. “Amen.”
There. She prayed. “Oh, I forgot, please help me to trust and believe. Amen.”
“Mommy, you forgot to say ‘in Jesus’ name’!”
Amelia smiled. “I left the most important part out, huh? Wanna say it with me?”
Reece nodded. “Please give Mommy a job so Shasta can come live with us again. Bearby misses him even though Shasta chewed his ears off and Mommy had to sew on new ones. In Jesus’ name.”
Amelia blinked back tears and quelled laughter. “In Jesus’ name,” she whispered. “Amen.”
Exhausted of heat and possibilities, she headed to Eagle’s Nest to check on her car and wait for Ben. This time, unlike that day at the hospital, she knew in her heart he’d show.
But would God come through for her, too?
Chapter Fifteen
“I mighta been wrong.”
Rattle noises clanked from Amelia’s car when Gus Johnson, the mechanic, cranked the starter. She’d hoped to be able to drive it today, since the body work was done.
She trailed him to the front. “What do you mean?”
“She’s worse than I thought. Motorwise, anyhow.”
“How bad?” She stared beneath the open hood into a confounding maze of coils, tubes, metal and rubber.
“I’m afraid she’s on her last leg. I’m doin’ all I can to fix her but truth is, she needs a new engine. I’ve used as many donated parts as I can. So I won’t have to charge you except for labor, which won’t be nothing since my clock fell off the wall and busted my addin’ machine.”
“Donated parts?”
“Yes’m. Folks been coming by all week, dropping off new and used parts, in hopes I can use them on your car.” He pointed to a small mountain of parts accumulated in the corner.
“That pile is big enough one could don a pair of de
nted bumpers and ski down it, huh?”
“Yeah. Or a car hood and sled down it. Who told people?”
“Can’t tell. Sworn to secrecy.”
Had to be Ben. Or maybe Miss Evie. Then again, could have been Glorietta. Or Nurse Bailey, or Officer Stallings. Or even a tag team of Doctors Callahan and Riviera. According to Miss Evie, they’d all been calling to check on her well-being this week, which she’d spent applying for jobs and getting acquainted with Refuge…and Ben. Everyone seemed concerned for her and Reece’s well-being…except her own parents.
Amelia wanted to cry. “Does anyone in Refuge not know about my fender bender? The entire town has a kindness conspiracy. Including you. There’s no way I’m not paying for the repairs.”
A toothless grin answered her. “This community, we’re an Acts Chapter Two kinda town. On the matter of payment, my office could use a good cleanin’. For havin’ a little one, your car’s about as pristine as I’ve ever seen. Plus, I know those caricatures you drawed me took a chunk of your time. Everybody’s been asking about them. I saw you drawed Miss Evie one too.”
She’d drawn one for Glorietta and the ambulance crew who came to her aid, and also the police officers who’d helped her. “It’s my way of showing thanks.”
“Well, let me know how much you want for ’em. Because everbody that walks by here asks. You got business cards?”
“No. But they can call Ben’s number for a quote. And I’d love to clean your office. What all can I do?”
“Whatever you got time for. Mainly, carpets could use a good vacuumin’ and windows a shine. Supplies are in the closet by the bathroom.” He stooped back under her hood.
“That’s it?”
He adjusted his oil-covered cap. “If you still have git-upn-go after tacklin’ that, feel free to straighten my desk. Organization isn’t my strong suit, and I’m pert-near tired of scooping papers around to find my phone when she rings. Think you can handle all that?”
“And more. You have a filing system in place?”
He grinned. “Can’t say as I do. But you look like you’re rarin’ and ready to go. So I gotta feelin’ I’m about to acquire the aforementioned filing system.”