Her Valentine Hero

by Gail Gaymer Martin

  He shushed her. “I’m here for you because that’s where I want to be.”

  His words washed over her as Rainie’s comments floated beside them. “I’ve never seen Jon so happy. You bring out the best in him.”

  But was she the best for Jonny? A shiver ran down her spine. She wanted to be, but did Jonny love her? The question had stayed in her mind after talking with Rainie. Jonny, the boy, had faded from her memory. The living, breathing specimen that she looked at now had taken over her mind and heart. But she’d nearly driven him away with her constant reminder of the past.

  Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

  “Don’t try to fool me.”

  Jonny’s voice cut through her mental acrobatics.

  “Those thoughts are worth millions.”

  “You’re right.” She managed a smile while her emotions see-sawed. But more and more, Jonny made her feel good, and she was learning to accept this.

  Turning her eyes toward the TV offered her an escape from Jonny’s gaze, and that would be the only way she wouldn’t fall apart between worries about her dad and her amazing feelings for him.

  He lowered his arm between her and the chair, his fingers brushing her arm, his touch as gentle as grass bending in a breeze. They both quieted, she in her own thoughts and an occasional distraction from the TV. Time ticked away, and the longer she waited the more tense she became.

  Jonny drew her closer, and she responded by resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. When Jonny shifted, her eyes opened, and she realized she’d drifted to sleep, a defense against the tension that wrought her.

  “I think the doctor’s at the door.”

  She looked up as he gazed her way and beckoned. “Jon.” She rose and grasped his hand. “Come with me.”

  Though he hesitated, his face touched by surprise, he did as she asked and followed her to the doorway as the doctor stepped into the hallway.

  “Was it a heart attack? How is he?” The words shot from her mouth before she’d given him time to speak.

  The physician grinned. “His heart looks stable. No changes. Nothing to worry about there, but he does have a serious problem with GERD. He has—”

  “GERD?” Her eyes searched his.

  “It’s gastroesophageal reflux disease, and it’s aggravated by your father’s hiatal hernia.”

  “Hernia? I didn’t know.” Her head spun with health issues she hadn’t anticipated.

  “Apparently he didn’t, either.” The surgeon gave her a tender smile. “Let’s go into the conference room while I explain what we’ll do.” He motioned to her to follow.

  She grasped Jon’s hand and pulled him along to catch up with the doctor.

  “We’re starting your father on some medication to soothe the acid reflux, and then he can go home. I’ll give you scripts for the medication he’ll need to take daily and some tips on keeping him healthy.”

  Her pulse skipped. “He can come home?”

  A grin grew on his face. “He can, and he certainly let me know that’s what he wanted.”

  If he hadn’t grinned, she would have sunk through the ground. “Daddy speaks his mind.”

  “I noticed.”

  Jon squeezed her hand as her worries melted. Her dad would be okay. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She looked at Jon and saw relief on his face as well. She could tell he felt as she did—grateful.

  * * *

  Jon knew something had changed with Neely, but he wasn’t certain what it was. First she’d called him Jon. That was a first, and though he loved the idea that she realized he was no longer a kid, the name sounded odd coming from her. Although sometimes in the past, she let down her guard and related to him as if they were more than friends, other times she seemed to flinch when he touched her. He’d learned to not take her reaction to mean she disliked him but that touching her stepped beyond the line of their relationship. Today gave him hope. Jon. He’d get used to it.

  As the snow fell, drifting into crystal piles against the pharmacy’s brick, he waited in the car with Fred, who’d fallen asleep in the backseat, while Neely ran in to pick up her father’s script that would control his excessive stomach acid. The physician had explained what happened to cause the problem. Avoiding alcohol and smoking didn’t affect Fred since he didn’t touch either, but eating large meals and eating before bedtime was a problem. Fred liked food. And he didn’t like to be told what he should eat. Now Neely had a new problem. The image brought on a grin, and he could almost hear Fred’s barbs and picture her frustration.

  Neely appeared in the doorway and slipped into the car, an RX logo on the white paper bag she carried. She glanced into the backseat before she spoke. “Now, to get him to take these capsules daily and to follow the other suggestions.” She released a sigh and shook her head. “I love challenges.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Maybe the resistance won’t be as bad as you think.” He checked the review mirror to make sure Fred was still sleeping. “He didn’t enjoy the feeling he had from the heartburn. The pain is awful, I’ve heard. That should encourage him. But give him a chance to follow the doctor’s orders before getting after him.”

  “Getting after him? I don’t do that.” She drew back. “My dad—”

  “Listen to the man, Neely.”

  She twisted and as she did, he saw her father gazing at her with one eye open. “See if I can follow the doctor’s suggestions before you have a tizzy. And you do get after me.”

  “Daddy, I—”

  He leaned forward and grasped the seat back. “Be honest, Jon. Does she?”

  Jon grinned at her and gave a shrug. “Yes, sometimes.”

  “There. This nice intelligent young man knows the truth.”

  Though Neely appeared cornered, she shook her head and didn’t try to rebut the accusation. Her orders for her dad were out of love. He knew that. And her concern flavored much of what she did. He saw it in her face and her actions.

  She remained quiet for a few minutes, and he avoided starting any new topic before he was assured she wasn’t angry at him. When she shifted toward him, tension had faded from her face, and she sent him a weary smile. “I want to get dad a new pillow, a firm one to put under the one he loves. That will boost him up. The doctor said it reduces heartburn by allowing gravity to repress the acid reflux. They have wedges for that purpose, too.”

  He closed his mouth realizing no other topic would be possible until he got her home and her father settled. Focusing on traffic, he listened to his mind play her voice over in his head. Jon. Jon. He’d longed to hear her call him Jon for so long, and now, he asked himself why.

  * * *

  Neely stood in her bedroom, getting a grip on herself. The long day had worn her out. She felt transparent, and she struggled with what had happened between her and Jon. She sucked in air. She’d called him Jon. The name had slipped from her, and the look on his face set her reeling.

  She had no idea what he thought, and Neely didn’t want to talk about it because she had nothing to say. They’d been quiet in the car after her father had awakened, and grateful for the distraction, she let his presence put a barrier between her and Jon’s conversation. His eyes flashed a warning that he wanted to know what caused the change. She could not tell him without letting him know how she felt.

  She’d realized, finally, that his feelings for her had grown—really grown to more than a childish fixation. If she faced the truth, his kiss had told her the same thing, but she’d wanted to deny it. A woman four years older than a man felt awkward. Older men and younger women seemed acceptable, but the other way around caused different reactions. Cradle robber? Worse yet, a cougar. Is that what she was?

  Strangely, she didn’t feel the difference in age. Jon—Jonny—her heart zinged hearing the familiar nickname. Jon’s behavior balanced her own.
They enjoyed similar interests that were ageless. When she saw their reflection in a window or mirror, age lost its importance.

  She sank to the edge of her bed and slipped off her shoes, replacing them with her fuzzy slippers. Pressing the palms of her hands against the mattress edge, she hoisted her body upwards, feeling the weight of the fearful day. But God had blessed her dad and given her hope that he would live a long life if he took care of himself.

  The question that still clung in her mind hadn’t been answered. With that in mind, she bounded down the stairs and found him in the kitchen nosing in the refrigerator.

  “Hungry?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “What do you think?”

  She grinned. “Where’s Jon?”

  “Dying of starvation too.” He turned to face her and shrugged.

  The question nudged her again. “What did you eat for dinner yesterday, Dad?”

  “Leftovers.”

  She nodded and opened the refrigerator. The turkey breast she’d baked looked as if it hadn’t been touched since Thanksgiving. She eyed the container of mashed potatoes and it looked full. She spun around. “Daddy, what did you eat for dinner yesterday? Didn’t you have the turkey?”

  “Didn’t need it. I was too full.” He evaded her eyes.

  She closed the door and strode to his side and waited until he looked at her. “What did you eat then?”

  “What do you think?”

  Her patience skittered away. “This isn’t a guessing game. Dad?” She sensed Jon’s presence and glanced toward the doorway. He leaned against the jam. She turned again and focused on her father. “What did you eat?”

  “The stuffing.”

  She pictured the large casserole she’d made. She opened the refrigerator and it was gone. Unbelieving, she opened the dishwasher and saw the empty dish inside. She spun around. “You ate the rest of the sausage stuffing.”

  “It was your mother’s best recipe.” He grinned. “And you make it as good as she did.”

  His grin didn’t soften her frustration. “Do you realize how many of those ingredients are on the danger list for acid reflux? Grease from the sausage. The spices in the meat.” She gave Jon a pleading look. “No wonder you were sick. I’m surprised you didn’t burn a hole in your stomach.” She wanted to scream. Leave him alone for one evening, and look what he did.

  “He didn’t know he had a problem with GERD, Neely. He knows now.”

  Jon’s soft voice swept across the space.

  She eyed her father who gave Jon a smile. “Good answer, son.”

  “Hold on, Fred. I’m not excusing you. You’re an adult and know you should eat healthy foods. Did you have a salad? Vegetables?” He didn’t break eye contact with her dad.

  Neely’s focus shifted from her dad to Jon and back again.

  “I thought you were on my side.” Her dad pinned Jon with his gaze.

  Jon strutted across the room and lapped his arm over her dad’s shoulder. “Did I ever tell you that I learned where your daughter inherited her stubbornness?”

  Her head drew back. “Stubborn?”

  “Determination, I meant.” He gave her a sly grin.

  She couldn’t subdue her smile. In the processes of his comment, her father had forgotten the argument. “Jon, would you like to eat with us? Please?”

  “When you put it that way...but only if you let me help.” He strode deeper into the room and stood beside the counter.

  She put him to work on a salad while she rewarmed the two-day-old ham and potato leftovers minus the sausage stuffing. Her father slipped into a kitchen chair, watching them as a look of pleasure stole to his face. “You two look like a married couple.”

  They spun around at the same time, Jon and she each holding a knife. His head pivoted from one knife to the other, while they burst into laughter. The look on her father’s face was priceless. Before anymore was said, Ashley’s voice came from the living room, and she entered the kitchen with Joey in tow. Neely could barely find him bundled beneath the scarf, cap and gloves in which her sister had dressed him.

  “Hope I didn’t scare you.” Ashley set Joey on the floor, and he grasped a chair leg and pulled himself up. “Papa.” He grinned at her dad and waddled around the table, his arms extended. When he landed on grandpa’s lap, he scanned his surroundings and opened his arms again. Neely reached toward him, then realized his eyes were on Jon.

  “Hi, pal.” Jon scooped him up into his arms, and gave him a hug as Joey eyed the salad bowl and then turned to check out the ham.

  “Mama, I hungry.”

  Ashley shook her head. “He ate an hour ago.” She pulled out a chair, and sat across from their dad. “How did things go at the hospital?”

  While he told Ashley his side of the story, Neely glanced at Jon who had a grin on his face. They both shook their heads. Though he veered away from his guilt with the sausage stuffing, her father told her the details, and when he finished, she pulled the mashed potatoes from the microwave and popped in the ham.

  “Join us?” Neely shifted her eyes from her sister to the refrigerator.

  “No, Erik said he’d call about tomorrow. He wants to take Joey to the park to play in the snow.”

  Neely pulled out a dish of applesauce from the fridge and eased around. “That should be fun.” An opposing comment fought to escape but she squelched it. Erik would hang himself just as Jon had speculated.

  As she placed the food on the table, Ashley kissed their dad and scrambled to catch Joey who had headed into the hallway. She leaned back in and gave a wave. “Glad you’re doing fine, Dad. Take care of yourself.” She eyed Neely. “If you need me, call.”

  Neely nodded, thoughts flitting around the latest news. Erik had planned a day in the park with Joey in the snow. She really wanted to see that.

  Keeping her mouth closed, she settled at the table beside her dad and Jon, and folded her hands. When the sound of the front door closing signaled Ashley’s departure, she bowed her head and said the blessing. But part of the prayer she kept silent. Ashley needed protection, and the Lord had the power to do that.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Talk about determination, today Jon charged his purpose with it. He wanted to talk with Neely one way or the other. She’d missed church to stay home with her dad to watch what he ate. She’d promised not to make comments or give instructions unless necessary, but he questioned whether it was possible.

  He told her he’d drop by following the service, and he stepped out and grasped the church worship folder. Maybe the lessons would lift her. She needed inspiration. He could see that. Her worries about her father and other secret fears that hung over her had affected her behavior. He hoped today the sunshine would peek from behind her gloom.

  Instead of Neely, Fred answered the door. He gave his head a tilt toward the kitchen. “She’s talking with Ashley.” He closed the door and gave a shrug. “Something happened. She’s been on the phone for fifteen minutes with hardly a peep out of her except an occasional word or two.”

  Not wanting to interrupt, Jon sat with Fred and chatted about the weather and his health. Not much had happened since yesterday, although something must have happened with Ashley. Finally his curiosity won out, and he rose and wandered to the kitchen door. Erik’s name was the first comment he heard, and when he stepped in further, Neely looked at him over her shoulder and covered the mouthpiece. “He stood her up.” Following her whisper, she rolled her eyes. Although he wanted to grin, he didn’t. He mimed a rope around his neck, his head dangling to the side, and she gave him a thumbs-up.

  As he pivoted, thinking he’d heard enough, Neely ended the conversation so he stopped and turned back. “What happened?”

  “She waited and waited for Erik to get there. After an hour and no call, she took off Joey’s sno
w pants and jacket. He cried because she’d told him they would make a snowman. Now she’s upset too. I still hear her making excuses though. It’ll take more than this for her to learn the truth.” Her expression reflected her unhappiness for Joey more than the pleasure of Erik showing his true self.

  He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Want to take them to the park? I make a mean snowman.”

  She eyed him from head to toe. “You’d do that? You don’t have the right clothes.”

  “My boots are by the door, jacket on the closet doorknob, and I have scarf, hat and gloves in the car.” He tilted her chin upward. “I’m ready.”

  She gazed down at her jeans and grinned. “I’ll call Ashley. Let’s meet her at Geary Park. It’s close, and it even has swings and slides.”

  “And snow.”

  Her face brightened with her chuckle. She hurried back to the phone, and in moments, she darted up the stairs and soon came back down again wearing a warm sweater and boots. From the closet, she slipped on her blue down-filled jacket, wrapped a red-and-blue scarf around her neck, pulled on a knit cap in the same color and grasped red knitted gloves. He grinned at her color coordination even for playing in the snow.

  As they parked along the street by the park, Ashley’s sedan pulled up nearby. Neely jumped out and hurried to her sister while he grasped his scarf, cap and gloves. He locked the doors, and strode toward them.

  He grinned, seeing Joey so bundled up he could hardly stand. When the boy saw him, he waddled to his side, his arms open in an embrace. Jon swooped him up, hearing the boy giggle and squirm in the air. The sound caught his heart. One day he might be a father. A wife by his side and a son or daughter would complete him.

  A hand touched his arm, and he turned. Looking into Neely’s eyes, his chest constricted. She could complete him. Her gaze drew him in and he felt lost in her eyes. Ashley’s voice broke the spell as they turned in her direction.