“Dates, but not dropping by. Is that it?”
She looked confused. “I do like you to drop by. So does Dad.” Her gaze drifted to the flicker of the fireplace, and he noticed her rub her arms as if chilled. “But I’d like to have a real date. You invite me to go somewhere and tell me what time you’ll pick me up.”
His ribs pressed against his heart. “A real date, but I can still drop by.”
She nodded, a childlike look flooding her face as if she had a secret hiding place but couldn’t tell him where it was yet.
He closed his eyes, thanking God for the progress. He had a secret he couldn’t tell her yet, but one day he hoped he could say the words that he’d said over and over in his heart. He’d loved her forever.
Chapter Fourteen
Neely sat in her room after Jon brought her home, weighing what had happened. The long awaited discussion had risen as slowly as yeast in dough, but warmed by their recent kiss, it could no longer be contained. It swelled into the open. Their voices melded into one as they introduced the need to talk, not a new topic. During their times together, they had insinuated the need, and Jon had at least tried to open the door. She had closed it with a kick.
Jon’s patience with her humbled her. He’d put up with her wavering attitude, her drawing close and pulling back—not because she wanted to, but because she couldn’t control her anxiety. But they’d talked, and now the door had opened to stay until one of them closed it forever, or they met in the opening and removed the hinges.
Her limbs tingled with the realization of her commitment—excited but apprehensive. Questions filled her mind, and the one question—how she would explain her lack of chastity to Jon—raked through her over and over.
She needed validation, but again she didn’t want to drag Ashley into it. Too much tension had formed since she was dating Erik. She might see it as an attempt to make him jealous which was as far from the truth as she could get. Before Erik happened in Ashley’s life, she’d encouraged her to look at Jon with different eyes. But now her own eyes had cleared, and Ashley had been right. If her feelings for Jon wasn’t love, she didn’t know what was.
Faltering, she remembered that she’d once thought she loved Erik. Was love that fickle or were the amazing sensations and thoughts filling her now proof that she truly loved Jon?
Neely slipped on her pajamas and bathrobe and tiptoed down the stairs. The house had quieted, and she assumed her father had gone to bed. At the bottom, the light reflected from the living room, and she wandered in.
“Daddy?” She approached his chair, waiting for him to wake. Her stomach knotted when he didn’t move. “Daddy?’
He bolted upward, his eyes glazed with sleep. “What’s all the yelling?”
Laughter and tears mixed. “You scared me. I thought—”
He dropped the leg rest and shook his head. “That I’d died. Nope. Not yet. The good Lord still has work for me here.”
She settled on the edge of the sofa. “Work? What kind?”
“Female.” He grinned.
She studied his face, trying to make sense of his meaning.
“Don’t look dumbfounded.” He waved his hand toward her. “You and Ashley.”
“We’re fine, Daddy.” She realized he could take her comment wrong. “But I’m glad you’re still with us.”
“I’d like to see both you girls settled. You know what I mean?”
She could guess.
“Ashley needs a husband for that dear little Joey. A good husband who loves her and will care for her and their family. She’s been strong, but that’s not the way a young mother should live. Adam would want her to find someone to love her again.”
The romantic words washed over her. She’d never pictured her dad in that light. He and her mother obviously had two children, but other than that, she’d never seen a sign of closeness or affection. Her mother had cooked and cleaned. Her dad had worked and handled the yard and house maintenance. The bills and two children seemed all they had in common.
“I’d like that for Ashley, too.” But not Erik, and she suspected her father’s emphasis on good husband meant he longed for her to find someone else. “What do you want for me? A good job?”
He tilted his head, searching her face. “The same. A good husband, a family and lots of love.”
Tears sprang into her eyes, and she looked away before he noticed. She brushed them with the back of her hand. “Anyone in mind?”
He chuckled. “Oh, girl, you don’t have to ask that question. You already know the answer.”
“You think a lot of Jon, don’t you?”
“Love him like a son.”
Son. Two girls and her dad had never had a namesake or anyone to carry on the Andrews name. “What do you think of the two of us?”
“Makes me happy.” His gaze captured hers. “And it makes you happy. No denying it.”
“But what about the age?”
He drew back. “Age? Neely, you’re old enough to get married if that’s what bothers you.”
A laugh sputtered from her before she could contain it. “I meant our ages. I’m four years older than Jon.”
“Four whole years. Let’s see. When you’re seventy-five, he’ll be seventy-one.” He shook his head. “That is scandalous.”
Her chuckle returned. The way her dad said it made her concern sound stupid. Maybe it was.
“We’ve agreed to date.”
He studied her a moment, his face serious, and then he slapped his knee and broke into a guffaw. “My word. What have you been doing all this time?” He held up his finger, his laughter growing. “Babysitting?”
The situation tickled her until she cried. She reached her father’s chair, sat on the arm and leaned down to hug him. “Daddy, I love you.”
“I love you, too, my girl. You’ll work it out. It’s what the Lord wants. I sense it.”
Her pulse tripped. “You think so?”
“Positive. Jesus and I are good friends. He tells me everything.”
She rested her cheek against his, praising the Lord for a parent who was so filled with love and faith, it made her almost burst.
* * *
“Joey.” Neely turned around and listened. She’d agreed to babysit for a couple of hours while Ashley went Christmas shopping for Joey. She guessed Erik was involved. He’d do anything to convince Ashley he loved kids and solidify her forgiveness for missing their date.
Every time she talked with Ashley, Neely made it a point to avoid discussing anything about her relationship with Jon and no judgments at all about Erik. She kept her mouth closed.
She never considered watching Joey as a task. She loved the time spent with him, but she learned quickly a bright almost three-year-old was a handful.
“Joey?” She darted through the house and found him in the laundry room, trying on her boots.
“Go outside.” He poked his finger against the storm window where the snow drifted in large flakes.
The boots nearly swallowed him. “You need your own boots, sweetie.” She opened her arms and he rose, half wearing one of her furry Mukluks.
She knelt down and pulled her boots from his legs, helped him push on his own, and then reached for his snow jacket and maneuvered his arms into the sleeves. When she reached for the zipper, it slipped from her hand as he jerked away and beat against the door. “Doggie.”
She followed the direction of his finger and saw a black lab. “It’s a doggie, sweetie.” She turned him toward her again and slid the zipper upward.
Her phone jingled from a distance. She’d left it in the living room. She suspected it was Ashley wanting her to keep Joey a little longer. “Hang on, Joey.”
She bolted from the room before Ashley gave up and grasped her cell phone, but when she
checked the ID, the caller was Rainie. “I thought my sister was calling.” She relayed her reasoning.
Rainie agreed. “When Erik and Ty are together, I overhear some of his tales and shake my head. Ty tries to overlook his exaggerations and his preoccupation with conquering the woman he dates. I really don’t know why they’re friends, but I guess when Ty was first getting involved in his business, Erik jumped in with some financial support and led him to a great lawyer who’s been an attribute. Ty sees the good side of Erik that you don’t see and I question.”
The conversation veered from Erik and segued into Rainie’s purpose for calling. A wedding shower was in order, and she’d agreed to host it along with another friend so details needed to be workout. “How about this weekend? Maybe we could get together Saturday and make some decisions. See if Shana can make it. I think we can get a lot finished then.”
When they’d made plans, except to check with Shana, Neely hung up and realized she’d left Joey alone too long. When she reached the laundry room, it was empty. Her heart dropped. “Joey.”
She checked the kitchen, downstairs bathroom, guest bedroom, everywhere. “Joey.” Her voice sailed up the stairs with no response. “Joey! Please.” She closed her eyes, her lungs depleted of air. Gasping, she grabbed her jacket from the hall closet, slowed long enough to grasp her cell phone, and raced to the back door. When she opened the storm door, tiny boots imprinted the snow and at the bottom, dog paw prints bounded from one direction to another.
She covered her face, sending up a prayer. “Lord, I can’t believe I was that stupid.”
The flakes had grown larger and the footprints were nearly lost in the snow. She spotted a boot mark here and a dog print there, but once she reached the sidewalk, she stood, tears blurring her eyes. Finally she sighted the boots at the edge of the street and inches away car tires embedded in the new fallen snow.
Kidnapped. No. Please, Lord. No. “Joey!” Her voice pierced the air. Fingers shaking, she flipped open the cell phone and punched the speed dial. When she heard his voice, she sobbed. “Jon. I need you. Please help me find Joey.”
He didn’t wait for her to explain. His own panic evident, the call ended, and she followed the car tracks as far as she could, but the falling snow and heat from traffic turned the pristine flakes to mush. Her finger hovered over 9-1-1. That’s what she should do, but her mind raced to find a reasonable answer that didn’t include Joey being abducted. Calling the police meant— Common sense prevailed, and she hit the emergency numbers, sobbing her story to the dispatcher.
When she ended the call, the snow had lessened, and only a few flakes drifted from the sky, but the street left little evidence she could pinpoint. Not willing to give up, she strode down the curb and searched the ground for clues. Anything to help her know which way he’d gone. Which way the car had gone. As she scanned the distance, a vehicle moved down the street. A stranger? Police? Jon? When it neared, she recognized Jon’s SUV, and her pulse escalated, her throat trying to swallow the rising sobs.
Jon turned into her driveway, jumped out and ran to her side. “Did you call the police?”
She nodded, and as she explained what happened, his eyes searched the road. “Let’s walk.” He slipped his hand in hers. “Look for fresh tracks on driveways.”
That thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Jon’s hand left hers, and he pointed ahead. “Let me check.” He darted to the door and knocked. When a man answered, she saw Jon’s shoulders slump, and he turned her way and shook his head.
She tried to catch up with him, but he hurried on. Finally he turned and pointed as he bounded up the sidewalk, flew up the porch steps, and rang the bell.
Before she could reach the house, Jon came through the doorway waving one arm with Joey in the other. Her stifled sobs broke free as she ran to meet them.
“Joey, Auntie couldn’t find you.” She threw her arms around him. “Please, Joey, don’t ever—”
“You cry?” He touched her cheek, and the warmth of his hand followed her rivulet of tears.
She withdrew his finger and kissed it. “I thought you were lost. Please, don’t ever go outside alone. Your mama—”
“Doggie.” He swung his hand over her shoulder, and when she looked to where he pointed, she recognized the black lab wagging his tail in the doorway.
Jon slipped his arm around her. “Your neighbor had just called the police. She said he was beside the street with her lab, and she knew he was too young to be out alone so she took him inside to keep him from...” He nudged her.
When she looked up, a police car had pulled to the curb, and a young officer stepped onto the street. “You found him.”
She nodded. “I’m so sorry to have troubled you. My nephew—”
“Ma’am.” He shook his head. “That’s our job. I’m glad this one has a happy ending. Sometimes they don’t.”
Fighting more tears, she nodded. “I know. I’m grateful to my neighbor who did the right thing. I want to thank her.”
He gave her a gentle nod. “Next time, big guy, you wait until your mama can take you outside. Okay?”
Joey grinned. “Okay.” Then he swung back toward the neighbor’s door where the black lab still watched, wagging his tail. “Doggie.”
The officer gave her a wink. “Keep an eye on him.”
A ragged breath blasted from her chest. “Absolutely, and as you can see, I have a big job.”
He took a step backward, gave her a faint grin, and strode to the patrol car. As he pulled away, she handed Joey back to Jon. “I want to thank the lady, and Jon, thank you, too. You’re the first person I thought to call. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Her heart rose to her throat, gazing into his clear blue eyes. As she turned, the reality of her words struck her. Truly, what would she do without him?
* * *
Jon leaned against the chair back and hit his cell phone speed dial. A grin stretched his cheeks, and he couldn’t stop the silly expression. Neely asked for a real date, and tonight he was taking her up on her offer. Helping her find Joey had opened the door for a non-planned visit. Only now could he be lighthearted about the event that had frightened him more than he wanted to face.
He couldn’t imagine being a father and realizing his toddler was missing from the house or the yard. When he heard Neely’s frantic call for help, panic had raced through him. Relief had rendered him useless when he found the boy. Tears filled his eyes, and it had been years since he’d cried. He never wanted to experience anything like that again, and he thanked the Lord it had a happy ending.
Afterward they talked about the scare and agreed when dealing with a precocious toddler, an adult should never walk away. They’d learned their lesson, and Ashley forgave her since Joey had done the same to her.
Four jingles. Neely usually answered on the first couple of rings, and he lifted his finger to end the call, then heard her hello. “Hi. This is Jon.”
She chuckled. “I know. Your number and photo came up on the screen.”
He knew that too, but how did a guy open a conversation to ask a girl on a date? It had been so long. “This is sort of last minute, but I noticed a folk rock program at AJ’s Music Café tonight, and I thought it might be fun.”
Silence.
Hmm? “Would you like to go with me?”
She snickered through the telephone. “This is a date.”
“Right.”
“What time?”
He shook his head, loving the going-out part but hating the game. “The music starts at eight. I’ll pick you up at seven forty-five.”
“Want to come earlier?”
His head flopped forward, swinging from side to side. He felt like a teenager.
“I made Dad’s favorite poppy-seed cake, and I think you’d like it. Plus Dad likes to talk with you.”
“Cake and your dad. Can’t go wrong with that.” He smacked his palm against the side of his head. The conversation sounded forced. He liked the old way. If Neely wanted to date him, that’s what they’d do. “How about seven?”
She agreed, and he hung up, tossing his head against the chair back and closing his eyes. A date meant they had to go somewhere. He liked sitting around talking, making hot chocolate and laughing at the crazy things in their day. It had nothing to do with spending money. He never considered himself cheap, but going out for the sake of going out seemed...weird. That’s the only word he could think of.
Between dinner and watching the news on TV, he got through the late afternoon and early evening. He stood at his closet weighing decisions between slacks and a V-neck sweater over a sport shirt, khakis and a knit shirt or going even more casual in jeans and a sweater. He had no idea what Neely thought was appropriate attire for a date, but to be safe, he chose the khakis. Sort of middle ground.
His meal set like a ten-pound weight on his stomach. He loved the naturalness of his relationship with Neely—like two people who’d been married a few years, still loved to explore their relationship, but wallowed in the comfort of a dear friendship. Too bad romancing had to lose the positive qualities of friendship.
The question hung on his mind as he dressed and did a final check in the mirror. He paused. Maybe it didn’t have to. All he needed was to call and invite her to spend the evening at his house. Sometimes she’d invite him there. Once the invitation was accepted, he could forget the date aspect... Maybe not forget exactly. Flowers once in a while, a card on her desk at work, things women enjoyed. Even men liked surprises. Nothing wrong with that.
His buoyant exit from the house calmed him. If he could calm himself—be natural, don’t think date—then everything could remain the same. He hoped.
When he pulled into Neely’s driveway, he sat a moment, reviewing what he’d thought before he left. He’d always been confident once he’d matured. He grasped reality and bounded up the sidewalk, noting that someone had shoveled snow for them. He hoped it wasn’t Fred. That was not part of his approved activities.
Her Valentine Hero Page 16