Rescuing Vanessa (A Little Bit of Coffee, Flowers, and Romance)

by Christina Li

  “I believe she worked as a sketch artist for the police department,” Grandpa said. “Then, I lost track.” Facing his wife, he asked, “Do you remember, Love?”

  Grandma paused to think. “Yes, poor thing. She was promised a full time position, but with the economy, they just couldn’t afford to keep her. Now, she works with children teaching art at the community center part time and does office work for Will and Jesse in their private detective business.”

  “Wow. That’s too bad about the police department job, though. I’m glad she’s still doing her art and she was always wonderful with children. I’ll have to touch base with her on Sunday.” Vanessa was looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. Especially the Givens. They were a very close family and were always warm and inviting and made her feel included when she was around them.

  “I’m sure she’d like that a lot,” said her grandmother. “Well, I’ve got to get over to the office and do some accounting for your grandfather.

  “Hmm. I need to get going as well. I’ve got several orders to roast and get ready to ship out,” Grandpa said. “Love you, Vanessa-Girl.”

  She smiled and waved as she helped herself to another pancake and loaded it with strawberries. “Please don’t do dishes, Grandma. I’ll clean up.”

  Her grandmother gave her a tired smile as she set back down the dish rag she had been holding. “I certainly do appreciate it. I’ve got a lot of errands to run today, but please don’t think you have to work to stay here. I want to take care of you.”

  “I love you, Grandma.” Vanessa stood and hugged her.

  “I’ve got the keys,” said Grandpa coming back into the kitchen. “Do you have the travel mug?”

  “Oh!” Grandma filled the mug with coffee and a dash of cream and grabbed a jacket before following her husband out the door. “Love you, Darling!”

  Though the house was quiet after everyone had gone, Vanessa didn’t feel at all lonely. Love permeated the walls. It was so good to be home.

  ***

  The morning sped by for Daniel. He loved teaching. The moment he walked into the large lecture hall, heard the murmur of a room full of students, and gripped the wooden podium with authority and ardor as he spoke, he felt alive. Sharing his passion with eager students was his calling.

  After the death of his wife, he had fallen into a deep depression. Rather than going to the Lord with his pain, he had created a hard shell around himself so that he couldn’t feel anything. He let his colleagues and his students down.

  He still regretted that time. Most people were understanding, but he had been so angry. He pushed everyone away, including the Lord. He lashed out and took his grief and anger out on everyone around him. It was a miracle the college kept him.

  It was his pastor who finally broke through. The man gently but firmly refused to leave him alone. It was that stubborn love and patience that enabled Daniel to talk about what had happened, and in the end empowered him to initiate the healing process. Unfortunately, everywhere he went he saw her. There were so many memories. Every day he passed her favorite restaurant, her preferred stores, her chosen bakery. She was everywhere.

  Taking the job in America or ‘across the pond’ was the best decision he could have made. He was thankful every day for his life here.

  He glanced at the clock on his office wall and jumped up. If he didn’t hurry, he’d be late.

  The Coffee House was one of his favorite places to eat, probably because it was so convenient to the college. When someone suggested the place to him, he doubted the coffee could even come close to what he had grown accustomed to in the Bennett home. After his first rich, complex, perfectly smooth, but robust mug of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett’s coffee, he was sure he was spoiled for life and would never be able to find such in a commercial shop, but Mrs. Givens happened to use their roast. He could have great coffee all day long if he liked. Even though Daniel practically lived on coffee, he was still British at heart and required his daily afternoon tea.

  When Daniel’s cousin Guinevere married Jesse Givens, Mrs. Givens’ son, she decided to add a few British dishes to the menu. He became a regular when he learned she served proper British scones, with strawberry jam and clotted cream. Usually, he went there at least once a day for afternoon tea with scones and, of course, a large coffee to go. It was rather silly, but he enjoyed the ritual.

  Today, a nice cup of tea would be especially welcome. Fall weather in Chicagoland was somewhat unpredictable. It was nearing the end of October and though the morning promised sunny skies, clouds soon took over and poured out a cold drizzle. Also, a sarny (British for American sandwich) would carry him through until tea time.

  In spite of his running late, Daniel arrived at the Coffee House first. Mrs. Givens greeted him warmly as he came through the door. He loved the rich scents and aura of the place. Yet, it wasn’t solely due to the splendid cuisine and coffee and tea served. There was an atmosphere of peace here. Mrs. Givens’ Coffee House was as much ministry as business. Often times, he had seen Mrs. Givens herself counseling, doing a Bible study, or praying with a college student. There was a reason this place was so popular.

  He was surprised that none of Mrs. Givens’ adult offspring were around. They usually ate there on their lunch breaks depending on their work schedules. He had joined their party many times and enjoyed the company.

  “I just baked some fresh scones. Would you like some?” Mrs. Givens asked as he stood at the counter.

  “I would love that. Perhaps I could have tea time early today. Might I have a tuna on wheat as well?”

  “Certainly.” She went to put together his order for him, but an assistant beat her to it. Mrs. Givens smiled and leaning over the counter, whispered, “I think she likes you.”

  Daniel’s face heated and he rolled his eyes. “She’s a bit young, don’t you think?”

  Mrs. Givens laughed. Her assistant came back and handed him his sandwich. “I’ll bring your tea to your table when it’s ready,” she said, her voice low and shy giving him a quick and inviting glance before looking away.

  Daniel thanked her and, not wanting to encourage the poor girl in any way, put his complete focus on Mrs. Givens. “Where is everyone?”

  “Hmm. Let’s see.” She tidied up the counter as she talked. “Jesse had a meeting downtown. Guinevere went with him to do some shopping. Sam had a rush order and Violet wanted to watch.” Daniel and Mrs. Givens both shuddered a bit at that. Sam was a medical examiner and his work was somewhat gruesome. Violet, his wife, wrote mysteries and used his cases for her research. “And, Will got called in on a case. I know he’s not really mine, but he may as well be.” She laughed at that. Ever since Will was a little boy, he was like a third son to her, practically growing up in her household. “And Ivy went along to add an extra pair of eyes.”

  “How do you keep track?” Daniel was amazed.

  “It’s a mom thing.” She handed him his cup and he paid for his meal.

  “Here is a little extra to pay for Miss Vanessa Bennett. She’s having lunch with me today.” Even as he kept his voice casual, he felt the heat start to rise in his neck and creep into his face. Oh, how he hoped it didn’t show. By the expression on Mrs. Givens’ face, it surely did.

  Before he could add anything else, Vanessa walked in. Daniel caught his breath at the sight of her, and couldn’t help but feel a slight exhilaration at the conversation that was about to occur.

  Chapter 5

  Vanessa had been momentarily distracted before coming in. Mrs. Givens’ son Jesse and his friend Will Steel had their detective agency offices right next door. What an exciting life they must lead, not that she wanted anything like that for herself. She was glad her life from here on out was going to basically be boring.

  As she walked through the door into Mrs. Givens’ Coffee House, the older woman’s welcoming smile effectively banished her nervousness.

  “Vanessa Bennett, is that you? It’s been so long.” She came out from behind the
counter and gave Vanessa a big hug. Daniel stood there awkwardly, not sure exactly what to do. Then, looking for a place to sit, he ended up at a booth somewhat across the room because of the lunch hour rush.

  “Yes, Mrs. Givens, it’s me.” Vanessa’s heart felt warm and full with Mrs. Givens’ kind welcome. Once again, it was confirmation that she was right in coming home. She felt so unworthy. The other woman’s embrace had almost brought tears to her eyes. But, what would people think of her if they knew?

  “How long are you staying? Do we get to keep you for a while?”

  “Well, I’ve quit my job and I’m moving back here. I’m staying with my grandparents until I find a place.”

  “Hmm. I might be able to help you there. I have an apartment upstairs available now that Guinevere moved out after the wedding and they decided to live in Jesse’s apartment. I could show it to you later if you’d like.”

  “Thanks so much, Mrs. Givens. I would love to see it, maybe later this afternoon? I’m having lunch with Professor Daniel Greyson. I saw you two talking. Do you know him?”

  “Yes. He goes to our church and helps out with the youth.”

  “Oh. I guess he’s pretty busy then.” She regarded the room and tried to find him. Mrs. Givens’ decor was both classy and inviting. The walls were off white with a cream hue and had several large coffee themed prints. Booths the color of dark chocolate brown lined the walls and tables for two and four were interspersed throughout. Along the center back wall was an enormous fireplace.

  “Yes, he is quite busy, but he seems to always make time for tea. He’s sitting over in that booth I believe.” Not much escaped Mrs. Givens. “Do you still like vanilla latte?” she asked.

  Shocked and very touched, she knew why she enjoyed the Givens’ family so much. “You remembered.”

  Mrs. Givens went back behind the counter, prepared it for her just the way she liked it, with a touch of whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon, and handed it to her. “What else?”

  The large menu on the back wall with easy to read natural colored scripts blended well with the rest of the décor and was home to a surprising selection of sandwiches. She asked for a tuna on wheat, which for some reason seemed to give Mrs. Givens a broad smile and nod of approval.

  “Would you also like to try my cream scones? I’ve just baked a batch and we serve them with strawberry jam and clotted cream.”

  “Uh, sure.” Clotted cream?

  “My British daughter-in-law gave me the recipe and it’s been a hit with all my customers.”

  “Oh.” Well, that explains it. “I bet Daniel likes them too.” How easily his named rolled out of her mouth. What was it about him that was so intriguing?

  As Mrs. Givens prepared her sandwich, she said, “Hardly a day goes by where he doesn’t come in and have some. I think he’s addicted. I like to rib him about being OCD at times.” They exchanged knowing glances and laughed. Then, she glanced up at the clock on the wall. Handing over her tuna on wheat, she said, “You’d better go on and sit with him. A waitress will bring some tea and your scones in a moment or two.”

  “Thank you. How much do I owe?”

  “Nothing. It’s already been taken care of by Professor Greyson.”

  “Oh.” Was this a date? No way. You’re being silly, Vanessa-Girl. Surely, the last thing on Daniel’s mind is romance.

  Daniel was all nervous again. What had Mrs. Givens and Vanessa been laughing about? He wished he could pray his way out of this upcoming ‘date’, but so far the Lord seemed to be laughing at him too. It doesn’t have to be exactly a real date, merely two people getting together. Why couldn’t it have been Ivy? She was absolutely not interested in him at all and that made things so much easier. Although, to be honest, what made him think Vanessa might be interested in a guy like him? It wasn’t like Vanessa was throwing herself at him. Unless you count putting all her weight into her dreadful, deadly accurate swing. That Alum-Clad 12” Calphalon open stock cookware had left a mark! He fingered the back of his head discreetly.

  “Hello, Daniel. How are you?”

  Startled, he whipped his hand back down, pretending to have to scratch, and caught it on the end of the table, sending a throb of pain shooting from his fingertip up his forearm, which he pretended to not notice. How much damage could one girl cause him in a 24 hour period? With willful calm and a weak smile, he replied, “I’m fine, thanks.” Stiff upper lip, man.

  As she sat down, she asked, “Did you have a good morning teaching?”

  “Yes, thanks.” Such sparkling wit and conversation. She must think him an absolute moron.

  The waitress came over then and brought their scones and tea.

  “So, why did you want to meet with me?”

  Good. He liked a woman who got right to the point. He could respect that. However, it didn’t make it any easier on him at the moment. Absently, he poured himself a cup of tea and took a quick sip to fortify. It burnt his tongue and it took everything in him to keep from spitting it back into his cup. He swallowed, feeling the scalding liquid empty into his stomach and an odd warm sensation spread throughout his abdomen. Best to get this over as quickly as possible! Perhaps she would say ‘no’ and he would have fulfilled his obligation to the Lord. “Well,” he couldn’t seem to swallow suddenly. His esophagus felt quite raw and his tongue like it was being pricked by tiny little pins from the burning brew. Not to mention the dull throb in his finger which seemed to awaken a response from the lump on the back of his skull. “Well,” he tried again.

  He had a moment’s reprieve when the waitress came back to ask if they needed anything else. A few ice cubes would be nice.

  “Well,” he tried a third time after the waitress left.

  “Yes?” She didn’t seem to notice all the internal screaming that was going on. He prided himself at being quite stoic. Or did she?

  Was she laughing at him—again? “You see, I’ve got this Annual Archaeological Society dinner coming up and I need someone to join me for the evening.” It all came out in a rush, but at least it was intelligible—he hoped. There was a moment’s pause before the words he had just uttered sank in.

  “Are you asking me out on a date?” Her expression seemed to switch from giggling at him on the inside to one of genuine shock and surprise.

  “Well, that is, um…Well,” Why did he keep repeating that word?! The rest came out in one huge blurt. “I’m widowed you see, and while the ladies at church are very understanding and in general leave me alone, the ladies at the college, especially amongst the Archaeological Society aren’t so understanding. The rich ones are used to getting what they want. They don’t like taking ‘no’ for an answer and it would be so much easier if I already had someone with me. Really I was just hoping you could do this for me as a small favor. You were the first person that came to mind.”

  Was that disappointment Daniel saw in her face? “So, you want us to go as friends, but don’t make that too obvious. I should be somewhat insulted, you know.” He couldn’t quite tell in her expression what she was thinking. Was she genuinely insulted?

  He felt like a heel. He knew that wasn’t quite what the Lord had told him to do, but he wasn’t sure what to say without making things worse. “I’m sorry. I completely understand if you don’t want to go.”

  “Let me get this straight, I get a free meal with a handsome British gentleman, every woman in the room will envy me, and I have an excuse to go shopping for a new outfit. Sounds win/win to me.” Vanessa seemed to have regained some of her composure and she grinned at him. He enjoyed seeing her smile. This may turn out alright after all.

  Daniel blinked. Suddenly, he wasn’t quite sure what he was getting himself into. “Uh, yes, it is formal.”

  “Ooh, a very nice dress. I’ll have to get Grandma to take me shopping. She knows all the best places.”

  His eyes met hers for a split second making Daniel even more nervous. “This is a real date, but…” How on earth did he explain this?

&n
bsp; “Don’t worry. I understand. You want me to fend off some scary rich mums and their daughters, right?”

  He didn’t like her mimicking his accent, even though she did a halfway decent job of it. “Uh, well…”

  “So, when is it?” She seemed so vivacious, undaunted. She really was the perfect choice for the role he needed her to play for the evening.

  “Next Friday evening at seven o’clock.” Daniel was out of breath, as if he had gotten onto one of those amusement park roller coasters or gone on one of his mum’s marathon shopping trips. Mission accomplished. But Vanessa was not finished. Where did she get all of her energy?

  “Great, plenty of time for me to go shopping. So, do we have a table to ourselves or do we share with other potential patrons? I suppose I should do some research into your field of expertise. Don’t want to sound stupid do I?”

  Daniel had used up his social quota of words for the day and then some. He turned to his tuna to give him sustenance. It was safe and familiar, wouldn’t bite him, burn him, or knock him over the head.

  “You wouldn’t sound stupid. Uh, we share a large table with both patrons and other professors. I’ll be giving a brief power point presentation during the meal. Afterwards there will be coffee and deserts served and a small string quartet playing while people mill around.”

  Vanessa seemed quite impressed. “Sounds great. So, what is your expertise? What do you want the money for? Is it for your department or do you want something special, like a dig or something?”

  Okay then. This was something he could talk about all day. “Well, my expertise is in linguistic anthropology. I study languages and their development. My goal is to take some students this summer to a museum in Israel to study some manuscripts the Israeli government won’t allow out of the country. Unfortunately, funding is difficult to get right now. The students will pay a large portion of their own way, but that won’t cover everything. We need some help.”