Pushing aside the feelings that came from that thought, Victoria turned away from the mirror and made use of the facilities since she didn’t relish having to go the public washrooms at the theater. Once she was all done in the bathroom, she returned to the living room to find Trent standing at the big bay window gazing out at the street.
“Ready to go?” she asked as she picked up her purse from the coffee table.
Trent turned from the window and smiled, his whole face lighting up. Her heart skipped a beat. When his easy and frequent smiles were directed specifically at her, she had a hard time not reacting. They almost made her reconsider her decision to keep her distance from him romantically.
Though her phone still didn’t have much of a charge, she went ahead and slipped it into her purse before heading for the door. He followed her out of the house and then went to his car while she locked up. As she approached the shiny vehicle sitting in her driveway, Victoria hoped that she’d be able to get in with little hassle. She was grateful that, for whatever reason, Trent had chosen not to drive a big truck.
He opened the door for her as she approached. “Will you be able to get in?”
She probably could but rather than take the chance, Victoria dug her keys from her purse and pressed the fob to open the trunk of her car. “I’ll just get the stool I keep in my trunk.”
“I’ll do it.”
As she watched Trent lift the stool from the trunk, Victoria was grateful he hadn’t offered to pick her up and put her on the seat. So far, they’d had no physical contact that went further than what she had with her other male friends. Him picking her up would have moved them into an area she wasn’t sure she’d be comfortable with.
“Here you go.” Trent placed the stool on the driveway between the door and the vehicle.
She was able to climb the steps of the stool and settle herself on the seat with little effort. “Thank you. Sorry for the hassle.”
“Wasn’t a problem, babe.” He flashed her a quick smile that crinkled the skin at the corners of his eyes, then shut the door for her.
She heard the door behind her open and then close and assumed he’d put the stool in since they were going to need it again. It took her a couple of tries to get the seatbelt fastened correctly because her hands weren’t quite steady, and she wasn’t sure why. He’d promised not to flirt, but for some reason she was more nervous than ever around him. Taking her own car would definitely have been the better idea, but the thought of driving with the way her hip had been aching had not been appealing. However, she wasn’t sure that her current predicament was actually the lesser of two evils.
“So when you guys go to the movies en mass, what sort of flick do you usually end up seeing? Given that you girls outnumber us guys, I’m not holding out much hope for the latest action adventure.”
Victoria chuckled. “Actually, that’s where you’d be wrong. Brooke and I tend to side with Eric when it comes to the type of movie we want to watch. Staci and Alicia try for the chick flick or romantic comedy movies, but we usually end up with something more sci-fi or action oriented. Of course, Staci has a little more sway over Eric these days.”
“What about Lucas?” Trent asked as he pulled out onto the main road in the direction of the shopping mall where the theater was located.
“Haven’t gone to too many movies with him yet, but from what I’m seen, as long as Brooke’s happy, so is he.”
“Smart man,” Trent observed. “So basically it could go either way tonight.”
“You might be the tie breaker,” Victoria told him.
He slowed to a stop at a red light. “And if I decide I’m in the romantic comedy mood?”
Victoria laughed. “Well, I hope the meal I just prepared you turns sour in your stomach, and you have to spend the whole time in the bathroom.”
Trent grinned at her. “Action adventure it is.”
Victoria’s phone chirped, and she dug it out of her purse to look at the display. “Eric says they’re already there.” The phone went again. “And he’s giving us two choices for movies.”
“Well, toss my vote in with whatever you want to see.” The vehicle surged forward as the light turned green. “Unless you’re pulling my leg about what movies you actually do like to see.”
“Not to worry. Neither movie is a chick flick or a romance.” She told him the titles, and they discussed what they’d heard about each film for the rest of the drive. Once they pulled up in front of the theater, they’d agreed on the movie they would be voting to see.
“Do you want me to let you off at the door?” Trent asked.
Victoria hesitated but then shook her head. “I’m fine to walk.”
He found a spot that was relatively close, so once she used the stool to get out of the Jeep, they didn’t have to walk too far. As usual, Victoria was aware of the looks she got as they made their way to the stairs that led up to the theater doors. She didn’t mind the curious stares of children who didn’t seem to know what to make of someone who was their size but looked like an adult. She was less forgiving of adults who were rude enough to openly stare or make comments like she was deaf instead of just short.
Trent opened one of the glass doors and held it for her.
“Thank you,” she said as she walked past him.
Almost immediately, she spotted Eric and Staci where they stood together off to the side. Her sister-in-law was leaning against Eric as his hand rubbed up and down her back. Victoria felt an unusual rush of jealousy as she watched them. Though Staci was beautiful with her long blonde hair and fine features, Victoria knew that her brother’s love and adoration of his wife had little to do with how she looked. They made a striking couple where they stood, drawing the gazes of people passing them by. Kind of like with her and Trent, except in Eric and Staci’s case it was because of the attractive picture they made, not like the odd one Victoria and Trent presented.
Staci straightened as they neared and smiled. “Glad you could make it, Tori.”
“Thanks. I’m surprised you guys decided to spend your kid-free evening with us.”
“Well, we won’t be with you all night,” Eric said with a grin.
Before either she or Trent could reply, Alicia joined them followed a few minutes later by Brooke and Lucas. As Victoria watched her sister walk toward them hand in hand with Lucas, she was still amazed that any man had managed to break through the wall around Brooke’s heart. She was grateful that not only had Lucas brought love to Brooke’s life, he’d brought a softening to her heart that had helped to heal the hurts that had lasted far too long within their family.
As she watched Brooke smile with affection at Eric and Staci, Victoria felt a shaft of pain at the reminder that even though they were sisters, they still weren’t that close. What Brooke hadn’t known—and never would—was that some of what she’d shared after making things right with her dad had hurt Victoria deeply. She had listened with a growing ache in her heart as Brooke had talked about how much she’d hurt when they’d had to leave the two orphan children they’d been fostering in Africa. Victoria’s pain had come from knowing that Brooke had cared more about those two baby girls than she had her own sister. For whatever reason, Brooke hadn’t attached to her the way she had to those babies.
Victoria had clear memories of being not more than three or four years old and having eleven-year-old Brooke brush her aside when she’d ask her for help or want to play with her. More often than not it had been teenage Eric who had silently helped her, but even he hadn’t taken the time to play with her. And then he’d left.
Victoria pressed a hand to her chest as pain gripped her heart. Even now, she felt closer to Alicia than she did to Brooke. She dipped her head at the sting of tears. For whatever reason, her emotions were way too close to the surface tonight.
“You okay, Tori?”
The irony that it was Brooke who asked the question didn’t escape Victoria. Pasting a smile on her face, she looked at her older sister
and said, “Yep. So, what movie are we going to watch?”
There wasn’t too much debate about the movie, and soon they’d all gotten tickets and the snacks they wanted.
As they walked toward the theater where the movie was being shown, Victoria began to wish she’d turned down the invitation. She just wasn’t in the mood. Her emotions were in a bit of a mess, and not just because of her thoughts about Brooke. The whole computer situation had frustrated her, too. And then there was Trent.
Exposure to him in small doses—always with others around—had made it easy to brush aside his flirtations, but the one-on-one time had begun to change things for her. She had known that it would. That had been one of the main reasons she’d waited as long as she had to call him for help.
Unfortunately, it appeared that while spending time with Trent had Victoria reconsidering her feelings about them dating, it had had the opposite effect on him.
“So, that was a bit unexpected,” Eric commented as he fell into step beside Trent. “Hearing you were at Tori’s.”
“Yeah. I was surprised when her number popped up on my phone earlier, but it was just because she needed help with her computer. Pretty sure she wouldn’t have called me otherwise.” He paused as they approached the theater. “I’ll be there in a second. Save me a seat on the end.”
Eric shot him a look but didn’t argue as Staci pulled him toward the door. Trent hoped he would just think he needed to use the washroom or wanted more snacks. Trent didn’t need either, but he did need to make sure that he was true to what he’d said to Victoria in order to get her to agree to come. No doubt because they’d arrived together, people would assume they wanted to sit next to each other. That would be way too much like a date for her. So he’d wait until they were all seated, and hopefully give Victoria time to maneuver things so there wasn’t an empty seat next to her.
He moved in the direction of the washrooms just in case any of the group came back out. Feeling a little dumb, he walked into the bathroom, then turned around and walked back out. The things he did for Victoria. Truthfully, he would have been happy if they’d arranged it so he’d ended up seated next to her. However, he had a feeling that she would have been even more unhappy than usual with him if that had happened.
Walking slowly, he made his way back to the theater and stepped into the dimly lit interior. He paused for a moment to let his eyes adjust and then looked for the group. When he found them, he saw that his own maneuvering had worked. From what he could tell, Victoria was seated between Brooke and Alicia and there was an empty seat on the aisle beside Staci.
He sank down into the seat, setting his drink in the cup holder.
Staci smiled at him and leaned closer to ask, “Did you want to sit with Victoria?”
Trent shook his head. “I promised her this wouldn’t be like a date, so it’s better I don’t.”
“Ah. When Eric said you were over at her place I thought maybe…”
“No. Nothing like that. Believe me, I was the last person she wanted to call, but she needed my computer expertise.” Trent stretched out his legs and relaxed back into the seat. “She did cook me supper, and I’m still alive so that’s a positive thing.”
Staci snickered. “I sincerely doubt she’d poison you.”
“Well, at least not before her computer is fixed, but I told her I’d behave tonight so hopefully that will get me some brownie points.” Trent sighed. “Would love to know her objection to dating me, but then again…maybe not.”
Staci reached out and laid her hand on his arm. “You’re a good man, Trent. If it’s God’s will, it will fall into place. I’ll continue to pray for wisdom for both of you.”
“Thanks.” Trent covered her hand with his.
Eric leaned forward and said, “You flirting with my wife, Hause?”
“What? You mean because I’m holding her hand?” Trent laughed as Staci slid her hand from beneath his. “You know I’d never do that, dude. Plus, no one else in this whole wide world is even half the man you are. At least in her eyes.”
Staci smiled as she lifted her hand and laid it on the side of her husband’s face, stroking his cheek with her thumb. The absolute devotion in Eric’s gaze as he turned his attention to her caused a tendril of jealousy to wind through Trent.
Thankfully, the theater’s lights dimmed completely and the previews started. He laced his hands across his stomach and kept his gaze straight ahead. The movie wasn’t bad, but it didn’t quite capture his total attention. Too many times he found himself wondering if he should just come right out and ask Victoria what her objections were.
But he was afraid if he pushed too hard, she’d just shut him down altogether. Maybe if she realized that he was more than just jokes and lighthearted conversation, she might be willing to give him a shot. But in order for her to see that, they needed to spend time together. This computer situation was a good place to start.
Trent just really didn’t want to hear that she wasn’t interested in him because he was an average-size guy. There was nothing he could do about that. But he was more than his height, just like she was.
When the movie ended, Trent was the first to get up. He stretched and let some people go up the aisle before stepping out and heading toward the exit. Once out of the theater, he moved to the side to wait for others.
They gradually straggled out with the rest of the moviegoers. Trent didn’t miss that like Eric and Staci, Lucas and Brooke were looking all lovey-dovey. He wondered how long it would be before there was another McKinley wedding. In fact, he was somewhat surprised that there hadn’t already been an engagement announcement.
Alicia and Victoria were the last ones to come out of the theater. As the group moved toward the exit of the building, Trent was careful to hang around Eric.
“So how bad is the computer?” Eric asked as they stepped out into the warm evening air.
“I’m getting her a new one. That one she has is giving her error messages and making a horrible racket. It’s definitely time for an upgrade.”
Eric shot a look to where Victoria stood talking with Alicia. “Listen, whatever the cost is, tell her it’s half. I’ll cover the rest.”
Trent raised his eyebrows. “I’ll be building the system so it shouldn’t be too expensive. I was only going to charge her for some of the parts anyway.”
Eric grinned. “Well, between the two of us we should be able to keep it low cost for her. Just don’t let her know. Get her what she needs.”
“I will. No worries there. It would be a personal affront to my computer abilities to get her anything but the best.”
“We’re going to head off,” Brooke announced. “Thanks for the invite, Eric.”
Lucas kept his arm around Brooke as they said goodbye and then walked toward their car.
“You need a ride home, Tori?” Alicia asked as she pulled her keys from her pocket. “I might be convinced to make a detour to Dairy Queen.”
“Tempting, but Trent left his laptop at my place so he’s giving me a ride home. Plus, we already had dessert. That’s got to be my limit for tonight.”
Alicia looked from Victoria to Trent then to Eric and Staci and smiled. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“We plan to,” Eric said with a grin. “And I think it will likely include a stop at the aforementioned Dairy Queen.”
“See you guys,” Staci called out as Eric took her by the hand and pulled her from the group.
Alicia bent to give Victoria a hug. Apparently, she said something while doing so because Victoria nodded and smiled when her sister straightened.
“I’ll give you a call sometime this weekend,” Alicia said with a wave as she headed toward the parking lot.
After doing his best to keep his distance all evening for her sake, Trent finally moved to Victoria’s side. “You ready to head home?”
She nodded. “That was fun, but I’m tired.”
Just as she stepped away from him, Trent’s phone vibrated on his h
ip. He paused to check the screen and looked up in time to see a group of teenage boys walk by Victoria.
One of them bumped into her causing her to grab the metal railing on the stairs to keep from falling. Then, with a smirk clear on his face, the kid said, “Oh. Sorry. Didn’t see you down there.”
In two large strides, Trent was at Victoria’s side. He glared at the group of young men. “That didn’t sound quite as sincere as it should have.”
“Trent.” He felt a touch on his arm and looked down to see Victoria’s hand there. She shook her head. “Don’t.”
CHAPTER FOUR
DON’T?” Anger swirled through Trent as his gaze went back the group of boys. “They’re lucky all I’m doing is requesting a more sincere apology for their assault on you.”
The boys laughed, and the one who’d bumped into Victoria scoffed. “Assault?”
“You intentionally bumped into her.” Trent braced his legs and put his hands on his hips.
The offender took a step toward them and sneered at Trent. “Says who?”
When the teenager took another step in Victoria’s direction, Trent reacted. Before the kid could even blink, Trent had covered the distance between them and had the kid’s arm twisted up behind his back. They were the same height, but clearly Trent outweighed and outmuscled the kid.
“Says me,” Trent growled in his ear. “You give the lady a more convincing apology and then you leave. You really, really don’t want to mess with her—or me—any further.”
The kid glanced at his friends who were now backing away, their eyes wide. Obviously recognizing that he was going to get no further support from that direction, his head dipped forward. “Sorry.”
Trent gave him a shake. “I kinda doubt she heard that. How about you look her in the eye and say it again?”
The kid lifted his head slightly and looked in Tori’s direction. “Sorry.”
Trent’s gaze met Victoria’s, and she nodded.
He spun the kid around so he could look at him. “You need to spend some time thinking about what it is about you that makes picking on people who are smaller or weaker than you a pleasurable thing. Because in my book that makes you nothing more than a pathetic coward. Now get lost. All of you.”
When There is Love: A Christian Romance (The McKinleys Book 3) Page 3