Plan

by Lyle, Linda;

  “Us? Why does she want us to give her a proposal?” Randy asked.

  “I don’t know. She just came and announced it a few minutes ago. She didn’t give me an opportunity to ask any questions. Besides, I was too stunned to ask. She said she was a member of the historical society.”

  “That’s right! Ms. Stanford.” Randy replied, shaking his head. “She was one of the people I talked to about the Center. At the time, she didn’t seem particularly interested.”

  “Well, something has gotten her interest, and we don’t have any time to lose. Will you help me?” Rachel asked. He looked into her pleading eyes and knew there was only one answer.

  “Of course I will. We’ll get on it right after my last class. We can work on it at my place.”

  “Great. I’ll meet you here after class.” Her smile lit up the room. She squeezed his arm. “Thank you.” Then she jumped up and sprinted back down the hall.

  He knew he should stay away from her, but he couldn’t say no to her. She needed him right now, and that was reason enough. In a few weeks, the university would be making its final decisions regarding the satellite school. After that, all he would have of Rachel would be memories.

  Time seemed to move slowly for Randy the rest of the day. Finally, class was over and he could get back to Rachel. He found her pacing in front of his office like a caged cat.

  “I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re ready to go.” He expected a smile or a laugh, but not a look of pure panic. “Hey, it’s going to be all right.” Randy took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “We can do this. But if we don’t, we’re just back to where we were yesterday.”

  When she only shrugged, he opened his office and drew her inside and closed the door. With one smooth move he pulled her into his arms, nestling her head against his shoulder. He stroked her hair gently with one hand, and held her firmly with the other. It felt so right to hold her. She snuggled against him and buried her head deeper into his shoulder. He held on for a few moments, wanting to ease her fears. How could something feel so right and be wrong?

  She pulled back and looked up at him with those eyes. He felt like he was being sucked under. Before he could think about it, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. When she responded, he kissed her thoroughly. He wasn’t sure how long they stood embracing, but a sudden knock sent them to separate corners. Gathering his senses about him, he took care of the student waiting outside, and then motioned for Rachel to follow.

  “Let’s go. We have a lot of work to do.”

  ❧

  In her own car, Rachel followed Randy’s sedan into the driveway. All the way over she had replayed the scene in his office. She shivered with pleasure. He hadn’t been all hands and groping. It had been romantic and sweet. She was surprised at the way she had responded. She had never felt that way before. His touch had left her breathless and weak-kneed. She hugged herself as she waited for Randy to open the door. He held the door for her, but he seemed to be standing as far away from her as possible. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she walked past into the foyer.

  “Why don’t we work at the kitchen table? It’s probably the only flat, clean surface in the house.” She thought perhaps he was joking, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He pulled out a chair for her and then moved to the opposite side of the table.

  “How should we start this?” Rachel asked. She threw her hands up in the air and scrunched her shoulders in puzzlement.

  “Why don’t we start with dinner? I’ll call in our order. The usual?” he asked.

  She nodded her head in agreement. Watching the way he jumped up and went into the other room, it seemed as if he couldn’t wait to get away from her. What was wrong with him? She heard the phone ring before he called the restaurant. It was obviously a student with a problem. Not many teachers took the time to talk with students at home. Figuring he would be busy for several minutes and too fidgety to sit still, she decided to see how the bedroom was coming. He found her there a few minutes later.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  She looked around at the half-finished room. Rolls of the wallpaper she had picked out were stacked neatly in the corner. He had finished two of the four walls.

  “I like it. It’s going to look really good when you add the drapes and furniture.” She waved her hand at the room, void of any furniture, except the rickety card table and two sawhorses. He laughed, but didn’t reply. She couldn’t take this anymore.

  “Randy, what’s wrong?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean ever since our kiss this afternoon you’ve been acting funny, like you don’t want to be around me. I don’t understand.” He colored at the mention of their touch.

  “This afternoon was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that and I apologize.”

  An apology was the last thing she wanted, but she held her tongue. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. “Oh.” That was all she could get out. It sounded so lame. She tried again. “I guess you’re right. We are colleagues.”

  “Right,” he said too quickly. “We should keep our relationship professional, but friendly. Speaking of work, we’d better get to it.”

  She followed him downstairs to the kitchen, and they began discussing the details of the renovations that needed to be made to the Center. Randy made a list of materials they would need as they went.

  “I guess that the biggest thing is the roof, especially where the tree went through my classroom. I noticed that they had removed the tree and pulled up the stump. The inside and outside stairs need to be repaired. A good coat of paint would be nice, and the floors need stripping.”

  “Hold on. You’re going too fast.” He scribbled a few things down on paper with his right hand while he held his left hand up like a stop sign. He lowered it and said, “Okay. Go ahead.”

  She went on with her wish list of the things she wanted to see done to the Center, and Randy continued to scribble for a few minutes, and then pulled out a clean sheet of paper. He organized the repairs to be made in order of importance, and on another sheet he listed the materials necessary.

  “That should do it. We can type it up at school tomorrow. That was the easy part. Now you’ve got to decide what you want to use the Center for.”

  “What do you mean me? What about us?” She looked up in surprise.

  “I mean that the Center is yours, not mine. I won’t be here. Remember?” She was relieved from having to answer by the ringing of the doorbell. “Saved by the bell. Again.” He went to the door to get the food.

  She remained at the kitchen table, a wave of nausea flowing through her. He was really going to leave. The kiss this afternoon meant nothing to him. He was still leaving her. It stunned her how much it hurt to think of him leaving. Just when she realized what a wonderful man he was, he was moving out of her life. She struggled to gain her composure when she heard his steps in the hall.

  “Here we are. Lasagna for two.”

  He placed the food out on the table and they ate in silence. Randy tried once or twice to talk of school or the weather, but she couldn’t get words past that lump in her throat. She put her fork down a few minutes later, and pushed the half-eaten plate away.

  “I’ve had enough.”

  “You’ve barely touched it. Are you all right?” The concern in his eyes was almost her undoing, but she swallowed down the tears.

  “I’m just not hungry tonight. I had a big lunch.” It was a lie, but it was better than telling the truth. She wasn’t hungry because the only man she had ever loved was about to walk out of her life. “Let’s get back to work.”

  Randy took the plates to the kitchen sink and wiped off the table. Sitting down at the table, he pushed the notepad across the table to her.

  “This part is all yours.”

  She looked at the blank page and thought of the Center and her students. If Randy was going to leave, the only thing she had left was the Center. It was a pla
ce she could do something that meant more than just earn a paycheck. She thought of all her students and all the kids that played there in the afternoons.

  “Well, first, I would want to restart the conversational English classes, and the after school program for children.” She wrote that down on the paper.

  “What else?” he prodded. “Isn’t there something you would like to see them do that they’re not doing now?”

  “Yeah. GED and adult education classes.” She added it to the list. One idea sparked another until there was a page full of ideas. When she put her pen down, he added the renovation lists to her sheet and handed them to her.

  “You type better than I do.” He smiled and patted her hand. “You did a good job, now you can relax.” He looked at the clock and frowned. “It’s late. Maybe I should follow you home.”

  “No. I’m fine,” Rachel protested. “It’s not that late.” Gathering up the papers, she moved toward the front door. “I’ll do these first thing in the morning and leave a copy in your office for you to proof.”

  “Sure. That’ll be great.”

  “Bye.” She fled. He called a soft goodbye from the porch, but she was intent on escape. She backed the car out of the driveway and headed for home without looking back. The tears were already beginning to fall, and she didn’t want him to see her cry. Pity was the last thing she needed.

  seventeen

  Rachel rushed to the university computer lab and found the first PC in sight. She only had ten minutes to type up the proposal before class. She had cut the alarm off in her sleep the night before and had awakened to sun streaming through the window, which was not good. Looking down at her jeans and oversized sweater, she frowned. Everything in her closet had been wrinkled or was dirty. Her hair had not cooperated, so it was pulled back into a bow at the base of her neck. She typed with a fury, groaning at every mistake. She finished and sent it to the printer, but there were two students ahead of her who were finishing up their term papers, just in time for class. She tapped her foot until her ankle started to ache. Finally, the printer spit it out. She glanced over it, saved the file to a disk, and headed for Randy’s office. She was going to be a few minutes late, but the students would get over it. Half of them never showed up on time anyway. Randy’s office was locked so she slid the proposal under his door with a sigh and went to class.

  She fumbled through her classes, anxious to get back with Randy. It wasn’t because of the proposal, she admitted to herself, but because she wanted to see him again. She wanted to see if he really meant what he said last night about leaving, or if he was only trying to protect himself. More than anything, she wanted to see that look in his eyes again. The one that said he wanted her. She stopped by his office between every class, but missed him every time. Deep inside, she knew he was hiding from her. She finally saw him at the lunch break.

  “Randy,” she called. Rachel jogged down the hall to where he stood with one hand on the door. “I’ve been trying to catch you all morning.” She paused for a breath. “Did you read over the proposal?”

  “It looks fine.” He didn’t say anything more, and Rachel knew he was sticking to his plan. He wouldn’t even look her in the eye. “Look, I’ve got to go now. I’m meeting someone for lunch.”

  “Oh, sure. I understand.” She felt a pain in her chest, a tightness, like someone was trying to squeeze the life out of her. “You are still going with me to meet Ms. Stanford tonight, aren’t you?” He looked up then.

  “Of course. I told you I would.” He seemed almost hurt by the accusation in her voice. “I’ll come by your house about six, and we can ride over together.”

  “Great. I’ll see you at six, then.” He nodded and disappeared through the door. She wondered who he was meeting for lunch. Maybe that person was the reason he didn’t want to continue what happened last night. Maybe that was why he wanted to move. Possibilities flew around in her head until she was dizzy. It could be anything, and these mind games were getting her nowhere. She repositioned her bag and followed him out the door. She had to eat something, or she would never make it through her last class. She made her way across the quad to The Magnolia.

  Rachel didn’t see them until she had picked up her order and was looking for a table. Randy was sitting at their table with a knockout. She was tall and willowy, making Rachel feel suddenly awkward and ugly in her jeans and sweater. The woman was wearing a tailored suit and French heels in the latest style. Randy was leaning across the table, following her every word. She had been right—he was seeing someone else. Kissing Rachel had just been a passing whim, an emotional moment. Why would he want Rachel, when he could have this blond beauty?

  Her stomach tightened, and all desire for food left. She made her way to a table half-hidden by a fake tree and forced herself to eat. She had barely forced down two bites when Jane Coefield, secretary to the Dean of the English Department, slid into the chair opposite her.

  “Hey, Rachel. Is this chair free?” She settled in without waiting for Rachel to answer. Looking around, Rachel noticed that most of the tables were full, so she could hardly ask to be left alone.

  “Sure, Jane.”

  “Did you see that woman with Dr. Harris? She’s something else, isn’t she?” Jane scowled at the woman’s back. “She’s been with Dr. Harris all afternoon, hanging on him like a long-lost love. Her name’s Kathryn Dawson and from what I overheard, she’s from Dothan where they’re talking about building the satellite school.”

  Jane prattled on, but Rachel didn’t hear anymore. Her worst dreams were coming true. Kathryn was the reason he was so intent on moving. The food in Rachel’s stomach turned to stone, but she forced the remaining few bites down her throat. She made all the right replies to Jane’s remarks and left as fast as she could.

  ❧

  Randy listened to Kathryn rave on and on about her plans for him once he moved to Dothan to work at the new satellite school. She always had been a take-charge person. Even when they were little, she had tried to run the house and tell him what to do. Although he was older by two years, she thought she had to take care of him.

  “Randy, dear, are you listening to me?” She tapped her nails on the table in front of him.

  “Of course I am, sister dear. I was just thinking about when you were a little girl. Now look at you, all grown up and running your own business.” She smiled up at him.

  “That’s more like it.” Kathryn leaned back in her chair and eyed him critically. “What’s wrong?” Randy twisted in his seat, but refused to meet her gaze.

  “What do you mean? Everything’s great. After this semester, I’ll probably be starting a great new job and be living down the road from you and Michael. What else could I ask for?”

  “I can tell something is wrong. You can’t hide anything from me, brother dear, so spill it,” Kathryn drawled, tapping the table for emphasis.

  “Like I said before, everything’s fine.”

  “Don’t give me that, Randy. I’ve seen this look before, but I’ve never seen it this bad.” Kathryn took a sip of her iced tea and watched him over the rim. She waited for him to answer.

  “I’m just worried about a friend, that’s all.”

  “Is this a girl-kind-of-friend?” Kathryn asked slyly.

  “Never mind,” Randy replied.

  “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” Kathryn complained.

  They spent the rest of the meal in quiet. Kathryn was pouting. Sometimes she didn’t know when to let things drop. He tried to make small talk about the view and the food, but his mind wandered back to last night. Rachel had been responsive to his touch. There was still a chance that she didn’t really love that guy. God would just have to work things out, and if she decided to stay with the jerk, then so be it. Then he would take the job and start fresh somewhere else. With the decision made, he felt a load fall from his shoulders. He stood up and gave Kathryn a hug.

  “You’re something else.”

  “I
know.” She gave him a crooked smile. She kissed him gently on the cheek. “Maybe someday you’ll tell me what’s bothering you.” They parted company at the door, leaving Randy alone with his thoughts. He would just have to give it to God and let Him handle it.

  eighteen

  Rachel spent the rest of the afternoon in a mental fog of doubt, worry, and pure jealousy. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t get the image of Randy and that woman out of his mind. How could she compete with that blond goddess? She pulled into her apartment’s parking lot, but couldn’t remember any of the drive home. By five-thirty she was a knot of nerves. Randy arrived precisely at six o’clock, not too early and not too late. With one hand on the doorknob, she tried for a deep breath, but only managed a shaky gasp. “Pull yourself together, girl,” she muttered aloud. The doorbell rang again, and she jumped, jerking the door open. Randy stared in startled surprise.

  “Are you all right?” he asked. He looked handsome in a collarless dress shirt and sports jacket. The navy blue brought out his brown eyes.

  “Fine. The bell just startled me.” She tried to laugh it off, but she could feel him watching her.

  “Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be. Did the proposal look okay?” Rachel asked. He opened the briefcase at his side. The case looked new and expensive. Rachel couldn’t remember seeing it before. “Is that a new briefcase?”

  “Yes, it is. Kathryn gave it to me.”

  “Oh.” She couldn’t think of anything to say. The mere mention of Kathryn’s name had sent a flush of heat to her cheeks. “It’s very nice.”

  “Yes, it is,” he mumbled as he searched through the papers. Finally, he pulled out three bound copies of the report. She hadn’t even thought of that. He gave one copy to Rachel. “Here’s your copy. You can look it over on the way to Ms. Stanford’s house.”

  “First, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Rachel took a deep breath and gathered her courage. “I realized the other day that I had failed in my duty as a friend and as a Christian.” She paused for a moment.