by Sally John
“It is. And you’ll still be close enough to easily visit the city. Do you have family there?”
“No, I’m a widower, as is Rand. No children. Siblings scattered.”
Adele’s heart went out to him, and she blinked back more tears. “Oh my. Do you have a place to live?”
“I just moved into an apartment in Valley Oaks. There wasn’t anything in Twin Prairie.” The nursing facility was located halfway between the two small towns. “I hope we can get him settled here.”
“I’m sure we can, if you think he’ll like it. He’ll have all the medical attention he needs. It’s closer than Rockville to Valley Oaks, and quieter.” She stood. “Let me show you around, and then we can talk about finances.”
“All right.”
She squeezed past him, and he followed her out the door. It was moments like these she wanted to shut out the world and fall to her knees, asking God to change things. What a year this man was facing! And to think of the losses he’d already experienced! She stopped and faced him. “Mr.— or is it Dr. Logan?”
He gave her a half smile. “Why don’t you just call me Graham?”
“Graham.” Her voiced cracked. “I’m so sorry.”
He stared down at her for a moment, a somber expression on his face. “I am too.”
She was prettier than he imagined a Midwestern director of a nursing home in the middle of nowhere would be. And genuinely empathetic. And curiously childlike for a woman her age with such responsibility.
Graham followed Adele down a hall, trying to ignore the scent he wished was not about to become familiar. She greeted patients right and left by name, touching each one shuffling along or hunched over in a wheelchair. Jesus in a leper colony.
She glanced up at him. “I live in Valley Oaks too. I’d give you a tour there, but you won’t really need one. Everything you want is within about a two-block radius. Unless you want a shopping center or a giant supermarket.”
Her clothing appeared as if she’d shut her eyes and reached into the closet. But she carried it off somehow. The red sweater dress hung to her ankles, which were covered with what looked like thick white gym socks. She wore brown suede clogs. A wide belt encircled her waist; above that was a wildly colorful vest and a long necklace of beads. Her chin-length hair was curly and blonde, the shade a mature darkening of a towhead. It bounced whenever she moved her head.
They strolled through more of the building. Valentine decorations hung everywhere. She stopped at an exit door. “The gardens are lovely. Not this time of year of course.” She smiled softly, her forehead pressed against the cold glass. “But he’ll see the crocuses. They come up even if there’s snow.”
It wasn’t fair. Life…was…not…fair.
They arrived back at her tiny office and sat down again. She explained finances and paperwork to him. He reached under his sweater to his shirt pocket, removed a pair of half reading glasses, and slid them on.
“Now you look like a professor,” she said. “The parents of our Valley Oaks pharmacist teach at Northwestern. Do you know the Neumans? I can’t remember their first names. Or what he teaches. She’s a librarian. Chinese.”
“Uh, yeah, I think I know who she is. It’s a big place. Shall I write you a check now? He won’t be needing state aid.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll have the accounting office prepare things. What’s his name?”
“Rand. Rand Jennings.”
She wrote it down. “You’re welcome to move him in tomorrow, but I understand that may not be possible. And that’s not a problem.”
“He’s anxious to get settled. We can be here a week from Friday. Will that afternoon work?”
“That’ll work just fine.” Her ever-present dimples deepened. “I’ll be here. You can take this packet with you. It explains what you’ll want to bring.”
“Thank you.” He stood, accepted the thick envelope, and shook her hand. She had a strong hand, as if she did more than touch the sick. “See you next week.”
“Take care. Do you have a coat?”
“In the car. Goodbye.” He walked out the door and started down the hall.
“Graham.”
He turned to see her, hand on the doorjamb, arm stretched full length as she leaned out into the hallway.
“We’ll take really good care of you and Mr. Jennings. You can trust me on that.”
He nodded and continued on his way.
Fox Meadow Care Center and Adele Chandler were so much more than he had bargained for.
Adele threw the red dress on the bed and reached into her closet for another. Ten minutes and counting. She heard Chelsea and Kate’s voices in her daughter’s room next to hers.
“Help, you two!” she called out.
They came in.
“Oh, Mom!”
Kate asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chelsea plopped on the bed and planted her elbows into the ivory chenille spread. “She doesn’t know what to wear.”
“Oh. Well, it’s Valentine’s Day. That red dress you had on seems a good choice for dinner.”
Adele exchanged a look with Chelsea, who explained, “Will is finicky.”
“Chels.”
“Do you have a better word for it?”
“He’s…particular. He’s the administrator at the Rockville Hospital. His job is sociable and it fits him. I mean, he looks good in suits. He prefers formal as opposed to my usual mishmash.”
“Mom, I don’t know why you want to change for him.”
“Because I like him a lot.” She sat down beside her daughter. “What does it hurt if I dress now and then to please him?”
Kate pointed at the closet and asked, “Mind if I look?”
“Help yourself. And Will’s kind and fun and handsome. Whoa! Speaking of handsome. This guy walked into my office today. He’s moving an elderly man into the home, a close friend. I’m glad we have space for him. I guess he doesn’t have long—”
“Mom, you’re getting off track.”
“Oh. What was I— Oh, yeah. Handsome. I felt like an ogling teenager. I got all tongue-tied and spilled my coffee.”
Chelsea giggled. “I cannot believe this is my mother speaking. Your toes never curl when you talk about a guy. Not even about Will! And he’s good-looking, if you like the uppity version—”
“My toes aren’t curling.”
“Mom, don’t take it literally. So what’d he look like?”
“Kind of longish hair the color of pewter, but he wasn’t old. Blue, blue eyes. Good build.”
“This is too weird. I don’t want to hear anymore!”
Adele fell back on the bed, laughing. “I have to listen to you all the time! See how ridiculous it sounds?”
Kate interrupted, holding out a dress. “Adele, how’s this? It’s black, dressy, simple.”
“That’s perfect. I forgot about that one. It’s my fundraising outfit.” She took it from her. “Thanks. Oh, there’s the doorbell. Chels, let him in? I need two minutes. Three max.”
Chelsea scooted out the door and called, “Don’t forget to comb your hair!” A moment later her feet thumped down the staircase.
“So where’s he taking you?” Kate sat on the bed.
“It’s a surprise. Someplace special in Rockville.”
“He drives all the way here from his home in Rockville, back again for dinner, here again to bring you home, and back home again. And this is the fourth time since I’ve been here. Sounds like love to me.”
Adele paused, her hand on the back zipper. Love? She dropped her arms to her sides. “Kate, I haven’t thought about that kind of love in eighteen years. I’ve been too busy. I mean, he’s a great guy, and we’ve been dating kind of steadily for about six months. But…love! What a scary thought!”
“Well, you know the test. Are your toes curling?”
Adele laughed.
Five
Will Epstein looked very good indeed in a suit, a fact that always caught Adele by surprise
. Until she had met him, men who looked good in suits did not even register on her radar screen. He was tall with boyish good looks mingled with a smooth, Wall Street executive image. As usual, heads had turned as they walked through the restaurant.
She reached now across the small candlelit table and brushed a blonde hair from his padded, pin-striped shoulder. She’d already cried, before dinner, in his car, in the parking lot.
He gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Feeling better?”
She nodded, but knew that could change in the blink of an eye. At home she’d checked the calendar and figured it was that week. Unfortunately, before recognizing the symptoms of emotional fireworks, she’d devoured most of the chocolate in and around her desk. She really should not have ordered the triple chocolate cake for dessert. Chocolate amplified everything, causing excessive tears and unsteady hands that knocked over coffee mugs.
“Will, I have something for you.” She picked up the red gift bag at her feet and handed it to him. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
He smiled the smile that crinkled his hazel eyes. “I was wondering when I’d get to open this. What is it?” He removed the tissue paper and lifted out a large, glossy black coffee mug. “You made it! It’s beautiful. I like the scrolls on the handle. Hey, it’s big enough for lattes. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It’s your official executive mug. For the office.”
“It reminds me of when we met.”
“At the hospital charity thing.”
“At the silent auction table.”
“You bid on my set of casserole dishes.”
“The ones you wanted for yourself.”
She grimaced. “But I couldn’t outbid you.”
“You pushed me to my limit.”
“They were nice.”
“Still are.”
She knew the dishes graced his cupboard shelves and he used them often.
He smiled softly. “You should have inscribed them ‘Designed for Adele Chandler’ rather than ‘Designs by Addie.’ Whoever she is.”
Addie was a childhood name, the one she always signed on her artwork, a habit begun with coloring book pages.
“Well, Addie-Adele, I have a little something for you.” He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in red foil topped with a petite gold bow.
With some trepidation, she accepted the gift. Oh, Lord, please let it be earrings! Not an engagement ring! Kate’s words replayed in her mind…It must be love. No, it couldn’t be love. They’d never talked about love.
She opened the box and saw…a ring. A none-too-small sparkling amethyst set in gold filigree. “Oh, Will. It’s so beautiful.”
“It reminded me of when we met. You were wearing a wild purple outfit.”
“This is too much. I can’t accept—”
“Sure you can. I’m not proposing. It’s simply a token of how much I care about you.” His eyes were warm, full of compassion.
“Will, you pay child support, two home mortgages—”
“It was a tremendous sale. Adele, after my marriage fell apart, I didn’t think I could ever let another woman into my heart. But you’re there. God is real. Please accept this gift. And please don’t look so scared.”
She gave him a small smile. “We’re both so busy, but I don’t know what I’d do without our times together. You’ve added a whole new dimension to my life. I care very much about you. But I haven’t considered a—a permanent relationship.”
“The ring doesn’t commit you to anything. You’re free to continue dating as many guys as in the past.”
She laughed. There had been exactly two other men she’d dated since Chelsea’s birth, and they were ancient history. She met his gaze. Did he mean it? Since they’d met, he had been an undemanding companion who was simply sharing the present moment of life with her. He was a good friend who was treating her like a princess tonight.
Adele slipped the ring onto her right hand. “It fits! Oh, Will, you’re too generous. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Here comes your chocolate.”
Her good intentions to skip it slithered away. Why not indulge? It was Valentine’s Day. And besides, she knew she wasn’t going to sleep well tonight anyway. Princess treatment was having an unsettling effect on her.
“Adele?”
She jumped at Kate’s loud voice, and the bowl she was shaping on the electric potter’s wheel instantly gained a 45-degree angle.
“I’m sorry!”
“Whew.” Adele turned off the humming wheel and straightened her back on the stool. “I was somewhere else.”
“I know the house rule is that you’re not to be disturbed down here, but it’s two in the morning.” She wrapped her robe around herself and sat midpoint on the stairway. As usual, she wore her glasses. Her straight red hair hung almost to her shoulders.
“Did I wake you?” Adele had placed her two wheels somewhere in the proximity of under the kitchen. Kate slept on the first floor not far from it.
“I was awake. Are you all right?”
Adele laughed and brushed her hair back with her forearm, her wet hands dripping. “No. Chocolate, PMS, Will, an amethyst ring. Oh my goodness! I’ve still got it on!” It was caked with wet clay. She wiped her hands on her jeans, hurried over to the sink, and carefully washed her fingers.
“Sounds like a rough night.”
Adele joined her on the steps. “Will gave this to me at dinner.”
Kate inspected the ring on her finger. “It’s beautiful. An engagement ring?”
“Good heavens, no! But still, it’s making me uncomfortable. I mean, I like him a lot, but…”
“But what?”
“He’s always been kind, but this is so extravagant. Now I feel like a princess. A queen!” She sighed.
“And?”
“I like it. But I don’t want to like it!” A strangled giggle escaped her throat. “I’ve been so independent for such a long time. This is cutting into that something awful.”
“Do you love him?”
“Probably, in a way. You know, Kate, I really don’t know if I’ve ever been in love.”
“What about Chelsea’s father?”
“He doesn’t count. I was only nineteen and rebelling against my uptight parents. We met in Venice. We both had dropped out of college, both had enough money to bum around Europe. We traveled together. I had no morals, Kate. After a few months we went our separate ways. And then I found out I was pregnant. I came home. My dad disowned me on the spot.”
“Disowned? That’s an old-fashioned word.”
“Not for R.J. Chandler. He refused to help in any way, shape, or form. In his eyes I had betrayed him. He burned his will in front of me.”
“Adele. That’s awful! What kind of man could do that?”
“An enormously successful one. His work in arbitrage consumed him. He treated me like a disposable asset. The worst of it was his lack of compassion. I don’t think he loved me. But God brought me through. I kept in touch with my mother until she died about twelve years ago. He never did have a change of heart.”
“How did you end up here?”
“I was on a Greyhound bus, heading from Baltimore to San Francisco. A snowstorm hit, and we were forced to stop in Valley Oaks. The community rallied around us, and people transported us over to the church. The next thing I knew, Naomi Sommers was tucking me into bed in this house.”
“You’re kidding. Have I met Naomi?”
“Not yet. She lived here with her daughter, Julie, who at that time was just a little girl. One thing led to another. The long and short of it is, she loved me to Jesus. Fed me, clothed me, took me to church, found me a doctor, helped me get my first job at the nursing home and then an apartment. I bought the house from her about seven years ago.”
“That’s quite a story.”
“And off the record. Valley Oaks already knows what it needs to know of it.”
Kate smiled. “You never heard fro
m your dad? Or found Chelsea’s dad?”
“Nope. I learned to forgive R.J. That took some doing. Only by my heavenly Father’s power. And Naomi’s mentoring. Actually, she had a similar experience as an unwed mother. The daughter of the original owner of this house, a widow, helped her when she was a pregnant teen.”
“Isn’t it wonderful to see how God’s hand works through a string of people like that?”
“Amen. Thanks for listening, Kate. I think I’ve calmed down now.” She stood. “I’ll put away my clay and head to bed. By the way, what are you doing up?”
“Reviewing all the decisions that led me to the Valley Oaks Times. Telling myself that God does not make mistakes.”
“Aww, Kate, I bet you knew that before you moved here.”
She stood and yawned. “I thought I did, but I guess I needed another reminder. Thanks.”
Six
Kate depressed the clutch, breathed a prayer that frosted the early morning air, pumped the gas pedal, and turned the key in the ignition.
“Come on, Helen,” she coaxed the car as if it were a racehorse on the home stretch. After two tries it chugged awake once more. “Thank You, Lord.”
The cell phone on the seat beside her played its tune.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Kate. Tanner.”
“Hi.” She grinned. Since their dinner last week, their paths had crossed a few times. He was a regular fixture at high school events and had sought her out at boys basketball games and a band concert. She enjoyed his company.
“How are things?”
“Not bad. It looks like Helen’s going to get me to work again.”
“Helen? Helen Thomas? You actually know the woman?”
“My car.”
“You named your car after Helen Thomas.” It was a matter-of-fact statement spoken with a trace of disbelief.
“Tell me you never named a car.”