by Amanda Tru
Elise’s heart immediately shot off in a hundred meter dash. She looked up at him, trying to find any trace of sarcasm. But before she could make a complete assessment, Macy and Jake were saying goodbye, eager to be on their way.
With one last hug for her grandma, Macy was soon out the door. Suddenly, she paused on the steps, turned, and ran back to Elise, enfolding her in a quick, fierce hug. “Please tell my mom ‘thank you,’” she whispered.
This time, Elise was the one struggling to hold in the tears as she watched Cinderella ride away in Jake’s little blue Toyota pickup truck.
Chapter 10
Ryan spoke quietly. “What happens when Macy figures out you bribed your cousin to take her to the dance? Won’t she be hurt?”
They were sitting in a booth at a diner. After gathering her supplies and leaving Macy’s house, Elise had driven here. Having not taken time for lunch, she was really hungry. But if Ryan was going to play twenty questions, she didn’t know if she would be able to eat.
“I didn’t bribe Jake,” she explained. “Yes, he agreed to do it as a favor to me. But he’ll like Macy. I did my homework on her. She’s a nice girl who makes good grades. Though she and her siblings have had a rough few years, they’re going to church now with their grandma, and I have a feeling their mother will soon come home changed for the better.”
“Macy has siblings?”
“Yes. Her older brother was at work, and I think her younger sister was at a school basketball game. I wish I could have done more for the others. I know they’ve all got to be hurting with having such a difficult past and their mom being in prison. Somehow helping Macy doesn’t seem enough.”
“I don’t think Macy and her mom feel that way at all. From what I saw, you did a very special thing for them today.”
Elise looked into Ryan’s eyes, trying to find the sarcasm or reproof she knew should be there. But she found none. She only saw honesty and could it be . . . admiration?
Did he actually admire her? Did he agree with her actions? Had she won him over?
Before she had time to search out the answers to her questions, they were interrupted with the arrival of their food. Elise had ordered tonight’s special of grilled lemon rosemary chicken with rice and steamed vegetables. Ryan had ordered the chicken fried steak. One of the reasons Elise liked this diner was that they had rather a wide variety of unique, but delicious, meals on their menu. Elise felt they did a good job of having upscale food at a casual price and atmosphere.
They ate in silence for a few moments, but soon Ryan took up where he left off in twenty questions.
“So do you do this kind of thing often? I mean, is this the first time you’ve done something like you did for Tricia and Macy?”
“Yes and no,” Elise said, contemplating his question. “I haven’t done anything exactly like this before, but I have done other small favors for inmates involved in our church’s ministry. I’ve sent flowers for Mother’s Day—that sort of thing. Usually in the Spring I have a lot of fun working with a charity that helps underprivileged teenage girls get dresses and makeovers for Prom. It’s like I get to be a fairy godmother for that one too. But I guess this is the first time I’ve ever combined the prison ministry with a Cupid scenario.”
Elise looked at Ryan and grimaced. “That sounds really bad, doesn’t it?”
Ryan grinned and shrugged. “You don’t normally mix matchmaking with convicts, but I must admit, this time it seemed surprisingly successful. Now will you follow up with Macy and Jake? I know you said before that you leave people on their own after your initial help.”
“I’ll take the pictures to the prison to show Tricia. And I’ll ask Jake about it, but I won’t interfere anymore in his relationship with Macy. If Tricia or Macy needs help with something else, I’ll do what I can. This isn’t really a typical Cupid scenario. But I guess every match I make is unique in some way. If there wasn’t something special about each case, I wouldn’t bother trying to help.”
Pausing, she once again forced herself to make eye contact with Ryan. She usually made a point to always look people in the eye. But with Ryan, she seemed to find herself fearful of what she might find there. “Thank you, Ryan. I just left you downstairs at Macy’s house without an explanation. You had to wait quite a while until I had her ready to go.”
“I didn’t mind. I talked to Macy’s grandma, and then when Jake arrived, I talked to him. I wasn’t bored. Macy’s grandma is a sweetheart, and Jake is a great kid. I enjoyed talking to him. He’s apparently very versed on sports of any kind . . .”
Elise smiled and nodded in the right places, but her attention had just been diverted. Others might only see the bustle of the busy restaurant. The décor was in the style of a classic diner, complete with red vinyl booths and a black and white highly-glossed tile floor. Though not dressed in uniforms, the waiters and waitresses did wear white shirts and black bottoms along with traditional little white aprons. Most people probably wouldn’t have even noticed the petite elderly lady who had just entered the restaurant. Looking around, the woman walked across the floor to take a seat alone in a corner booth. But Elise saw the lady, saw her red dress graced with a gold brooch at the neck, heard her high heels click faintly on the tile as she walked, saw her perfectly coifed hair that was probably loaded with half a can of hairspray, and saw her eyes scan the room and light up as they came in contact with the barstools at the counter.
As the lady slid into the booth, Elise glanced over in the direction of one particular barstool. And then she knew for sure.
Like background music, she could still hear Ryan droning on, but the words weren’t processing. “. . . said he was looking to major in science and possibly discover how to create a food source out of rocks little green aliens left when they came to visit the Smurfs.”
Ryan paused. “Elise . . . Elise, did you even hear a word of what I just said.”
Elise’s eyes flashed back to Ryan. “Oh, yes . . . Macy’s grandma. Jake. Sports. Smurfs . . . Smurfs? Wait a minute, maybe I wasn’t listening as closely as I should! I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
Now Elise’s attention was fully on Ryan. She was mortified, and she knew her pink cheeks did nothing to hide her guilt.
“How about you just tell me why we’re really here, Elise? I saw your eyes doing reconnaissance. Who were you looking at? Another victim? You have another match planned, don’t you?”
“No. I mean, yes. I mean . . .” She winced. There was no way Ryan was going to like this.
“Are you always so deceptive? Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I didn’t know! At least, not for sure.”
She shut her eyes briefly, breathing a quick prayer. This was going to cost her. If she went through with this, she would surely lose all the points she may have earned with Ryan.
Then, as if in answer to her prayer, a sudden assurance filled her. She knew what she had to do.
“I come to this diner a lot,” she explained calmly. “I’ve been watching some of the other regulars for a long time. There’s an elderly lady behind you in the corner. Her name is Stella.”
Ryan discreetly stole a glance behind him.
“Sitting at the counter on one of the barstools is an elderly man with a plaid shirt on. His name is George.
She watched Ryan glance over at the counter and nod.
“George and Stella are both widowed and lonely. They’ve been smiling at each other and exchanging pleasantries for months. But, since they’ve both been out of the dating game for about fifty years, I don’t think either one knows how to make the first move. If you look carefully, Stella has put herself in the perfect position to discreetly watch George, and George has angled himself to watch Stella. They do this every time. And it’s really cute and funny to see how they catch each other stealing glances, and then they look away as if it never happened.”
“So you’ve been planning to set them up.” Ryan filled in.
“I’ve thought
about it. I’ve prayed about it. I thought they might be here tonight, but I wasn’t sure. That’s why I didn’t mention it sooner. I haven’t felt like it was the right time. But when I saw each of them walk in tonight, I knew they both were ready.”
“How did you know?”
“They’re both dressed up in their best for Valentine’s Day. Stella is wearing a red dress complete with high heels. George is wearing a nice shirt he obviously took time to iron. You should have seen the look of longing they sent each other without the other one noticing. I can tell that they’re each hoping that the other will do something to show an interest.”
“You’re sure? What if you’re wrong and they’re dressed up for a special church service or even a funeral? What if they secretly hate each other or aren’t ready to have a relationship with anyone?”
“I’m not wrong. I haven’t really been a passive observer for this one. I’ve talked to both Stella and George on numerous occasions. They’re good friends to me. I think they kind of look on me as a granddaughter. They would have already come over to say ‘hi’ except you’re here with me. By their smiles and curious looks our direction, I can tell they think we’re on a date and don’t want to interrupt.”
“So let’s suppose you’re right about their mutual attraction? What are you going to do about it? What’s your plan to match Stella and George?”
Elise felt worry sneaking back into her mind, creasing her brow. This one act could ensure her guilty verdict from Ryan and result in the maximum sentence. Yet she had to be true both to herself and to Ryan. She couldn’t let George and Stella experience another lonely Valentine’s Day, especially not when she had the power to help change it.
Chapter 11
Elise didn’t answer Ryan. Instead, she caught the eye of Amber, one of the waitresses passing by, and signaled her over.
“Hi, Elise, did you need something?” Amber asked.
“Amber, could you do me a favor? I’d like to pay for Stella’s dinner tonight, but I don’t want her knowing it was me.”
“That’s sweet of . . .” Amber started to say, but then stopped as understanding suddenly dawned on her face. Her eyes began to sparkle. “Oh, I get it! Do you want me to pretend it’s from somebody else?” With a subtle wink, Amber made it clear that she knew exactly what Elise was up to. After all, it wasn’t a secret that Stella and George were fond of each other. They had been providing reality entertainment for the diner staff for months.
“No, I don’t want you to lie. Don’t tell her who it is at all. Just let her believe what she wants.”
“Should I wait to tell her when she gets her check?”
“No, just mention it when her food arrives. I think Susie is taking her order right now. But, knowing Stella, it’ll probably just be her usual order of meatloaf.”
“Got it. We should have done this months ago!” And with that excited whisper, Amber hurried off to the kitchen.
Elise didn’t need to be told that Ryan disapproved. The scowl on his face said it all.
“Won’t it be obvious to Stella when Amber tells her someone paid for her meal?” he asked impatiently. “She was just here talking to you, and she hasn’t talked to George at all.”
“Amber is smart. She’ll cover her tracks. She’s probably getting the entire staff on board right now. Watching those two dance around each other for months has been driving them all crazy. My only concern is that they may be a little too eager with their assignment. Let’s just wait and see what happens. You can criticize me later.”
Ryan’s only response was something that sounded halfway between a snort and a grunt.
Elise ignored him.
Fortunately, they didn’t have long to wait. The waitress named Susie came out from the back and refilled George’s water glass. Though they couldn’t hear the words, the smiling waitress conversed with him a few moments before returning to the kitchen area. Ryan kept glancing at his watch. His impatience was setting her nerves more on edge than they already were.
Please, Lord. Let this work out!
Though Elise knew her pride was at stake, she also knew there was more riding on this outcome. The success of this match in no way guaranteed Ryan’s approval. But if it failed, it did pretty much guarantee that Ryan would think the worst of her and probably go through with sharing her secret and ruining her reputation. But even harder to take than that result would be the knowledge that she had been wrong and she never should have interfered in the love lives of others. She had prayed about George and Stella, and if she was wrong this time in her interpretation of God’s direction, then her entire paradigm unraveled. She could no longer say she’d been right about any of the others either. In short, her past, present, and future all depended on Stella and George.
Susie came back through the swinging kitchen doors carrying a plate and a basket of rolls. Amber came through the doors behind Susie but made no move to follow the other waitress as she headed toward Stella’s table.
Good girl, Amber! Elise thought, realizing Amber had undoubtedly enlisted Susie’s help to throw off any suspicion.
Ryan suddenly stood from his position across the table from Elise. Elise looked up in confusion as he stepped forward and slid onto the bench right beside her. His sudden nearness made her heart trip over itself and she couldn’t get her tongue untangled to ask what on earth he was doing.
“If you’re going to make me sit through this, I at least need to be in a position to watch the silent movie,” Ryan whispered defensively. “I don’t have eyes in back of my head to watch Stella from across the table.”
Elise’s relief was short-lived, for Ryan immediately slid his arm behind her shoulders and pulled her body even closer to his.
Elise looked at him in alarm.
“What?” he asked innocently, though his eyes clearly danced mischievously. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear. “I thought you wanted to avoid suspicion. I have to appear to have a reason for coming to this side of the table. What better reason than to look as if I have romantic intentions toward you. After all, you are Cupid and it is Valentine’s Day.”
Elise somehow got the distinct impression that Ryan was deliberately taunting her and enjoying every second of it. Was this some kind of sweet revenge for him?
Susie had already placed Stella’s meal on the table and was talking to her. So instead of some brilliantly-fashioned retort to Ryan’s behavior, Elise opted for the simple finger to the mouth with an accompanying, “Shhh.”
Though they couldn’t hear Susie’s words, they saw the instant Stella understood the news. The pleased, shy smile couldn’t be hidden and the delicate blush creeping into her cheeks couldn’t be denied. As if watching a well-acted pantomime, not a word was audible, yet the events perfectly apparent. Elise watched as Susie shook her head in a negative motion, but then seemed to take what appeared to be an involuntary glance over her shoulder at George. Stella’s blush grew even more rosy. As Susie smiled and turned to leave, Elise was sure she saw the waitress shoot a wink back at Stella. Walking back to the kitchen, Susie took the time to smile and say a few words to George while also directing a few pointed looks back Stella’s direction.
“Well, that was an Oscar-worthy performance,” Ryan said dryly.
“Susie should be an actress,” Elise agreed, trying to hold in her laughter. That had been beautifully played. Although she was sure Susie had in no way lied about who was paying for Stella’s meal, she had also obviously given the impression that it was George.
“And I’m sure you’re ready to put your disclaimer all over that,” Ryan said. “You weren’t the one who deceived that poor woman. You can’t help what other people choose to do.”
“No, I’ll take full responsibility for Susie’s ‘deception,’ Elise replied. “Though I didn’t give specific instructions, she did exactly what I wanted her too. I just didn’t realize she would be that good in the message delivery.”
Ryan started to say something, but Elise cut him of
f. “Before you start criticizing me, you should stop your own deception and go back on your side of the table. I never asked you to pretend to be interested in me romantically. Couldn’t you say that you were deceiving everyone in the diner?”
Ryan didn’t move a centimeter away from her. He stayed in the exact same position with his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Instead he leaned over, his warm breath once again tickling her ear. “Who said I was pretending?”
Chapter 12
Elise met Ryan’s hazel eyes and suddenly had difficulty swallowing. Every nerve in her body felt like it had been lit with an electric charge. She couldn’t read the emotions she found in Ryan’s gaze. Was he teasing?
She didn’t understand him. One minute he was throwing stones at her character the next he was actually . . . flirting with her?
Elise tried to find her voice. But it was as if she suddenly couldn’t remember how to speak. Ryan was returning her gaze with an assessing look himself, as if he was trying to gauge her response to his words.
Before Elise could wade through her emotions to make sense of anything, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Stella had just walked by their table. With a surge of excitement, Elise saw that the elderly lady was heading directly toward George. Seeing the direction of her attention, Ryan turned to watch Stella’s progress as well.
Looking around the diner, Elise had to work to control her laughter as she realized she and Ryan weren’t the only spectators. As Stella neared George, it seemed as if all sounds and movement in the diner paused. Waitresses stopped in their duties, customers silenced their conversations, and Elise was sure she could see Amber and the cook peeping through the slats in the door to the kitchen.
George turned to Stella, sliding off the barstool and standing to his feet as she shyly approached him. Everyone in the diner seemed to be collectively holding their breath.
Straining her ears in the sudden quiet, Elise could hear Stella speak. “It seems rather silly that we’re both dining alone. Won’t you bring your plate over and join me, George?”