Bring Me Flowers (Garden of Love 5)

by Melanie Wilber

  When she hung up, her eyes fell on her closed laptop sitting on her desk. After only a moment’s hesitation she sat down and woke the computer from sleep mode. She had told herself she would wait at least two days to check for any new email messages, but she couldn’t. Seeing she had three new messages, she held her breath waiting to see whom they were from. Her eyes fell on his name as soon as it appeared, and her heart leapt. Trevor had replied.

  Her palms were sweating and her heart began to race, much as it had last night when she had sent him a brief message. She hadn’t seen him in almost five years. In some ways it seemed like a lifetime ago that they had been sweethearts, in other ways like yesterday.

  With trembling fingers she moved the cursor to the highlighted message titled, RE: Guess Who? Taking a deep breath, she clicked the mouse and waited for the letter to appear, wondering if contacting him after all this time had been a good idea. She had tried not to get her hopes up about a favorable reply, but right now she found that difficult. In the last five years no one had come close to touching her heart the way Trevor had back in high school.

  Kendra let her eyes fall on the words when they appeared, picturing Trevor’s charming smile, short strawberry-blonde hair, and sparkling gray-blue eyes as she read:

  Kendra...Kendra...Kendra...Hey! How are you? Man it’s been forever since I talked to you. So great to hear your voice--so to speak. I’m glad you’ve been able to return to our home town. Perhaps I’ll get to do the same someday. I love the weather here in So. Cal but that’s about all.

  I suppose your sister told you about my teaching and coaching aspirations. I can see you now with that “I told you so” look. The story in a nutshell: I blew my knee out halfway through baseball season junior year. They did surgery and hoped I would be ready for my senior season, but it wasn’t meant to be. My dreams of a professional career are no longer--but I’m okay with it. At least I can say I gave it my all. And I’ve decided that teaching and inspiring others is what God had in store for me all along.

  Yes, this is the same Trevor Richardson you dated in high school. God’s been doing a lot of work on my heart--that is, turning it more toward Him. Isn’t it funny how we see ourselves as being so close to Him until He does something to bring us closer, and then we realize how far we still have to go--or does that only apply to hard-headed guys like me?

  Well, I suppose I have a lot more to tell you about what’s been going on in my life the last five years, but I don’t want to give you the whole enchilada at once. How about if we keep this going and catch up on the old and share the new whenever we feel like having one of our old time talks? (I don’t think our parents ever believed we were “just talking” for two hours, do you?) But we did, and I can’t say that I’ve had a more treasured friend, Kendra. I’ve missed your spunk and your smile and even that little pout that got me every time.

  With warm memories,

  Trevor

  She read the entire message again, laughing and smiling in the same places as the first time. His words left a warm feeling within her. She decided to send a reply before she lost her nerve to speak from her heart.

  Trevor...Trevor...Trevor...I’m very sorry to hear about your knee. I know I wasn’t very supportive of your decision to go to USC, but I never wanted you to get hurt. Please forgive me for being such a girl about the whole sports thing. I never understood how important it all was to you, and I deeply regret some of the things I said about chasing foolish dreams. I was just being selfish.

  Yes, it is good to be back in Eugene, especially being close to my family. Kevin and Kari and Kelli are all married and have given me nine nieces and nephews to spoil. Kristin and I are still single--although Kris has a good prospect at the moment--if she’ll have enough nerve to take the plunge after getting her heart broken last year (A story for another time).

  I’m doing my graduate work in counseling at U of O. It’s been okay, but certainly a different experience from my four years at a Christian college. I’ve had enough secular humanism shoved down my throat to make me gag up a pork chop--sorry for the mental picture but that’s honestly how I feel. I may look into transferring to Western Seminary in Portland next year. I don’t know why I thought the prestige of getting into U of O’s program with a full scholarship would outweigh the lack of Biblical emphasis I’d be getting. Without God, counseling is a joke--period.

  Well, I won’t throw the whole enchilada at you at once either. I like the idea of hearing from you more often. We were always very good about speaking our minds with each other, and I wouldn’t want anything less.

  Warmly,

  Kendra

  She hesitated to click “Send” but only for a moment. That was a safe letter. Friendly. Informative. Noncommittal. Reading over his letter one more time, the thought crossed her mind that he didn’t say anything about having a girlfriend, but that was no guarantee that he didn’t. She wondered how she would react if he did reveal someone special had captured his heart in a future letter. Shoving the thought aside for now, she sent her message, closed her mailbox, and opened the file of a paper she’d been working on and needed to finish up before tomorrow.

  For the next hour she refined her final draft, printing the six-page essay when she was satisfied. The clock told her it was time to head for church. Youth group started in fifteen minutes. Her older brother, Kevin, was the youth pastor, and she had been leading the girls’ Bible study for the last nine months since graduating from college and moving back to Eugene to attend graduate school.

  Halfway down the stairs she realized she’d forgotten her notes and went back to her apartment to grab them. She spotted them on the table and picked them up, sticking them inside her Bible and heading for the door. Arriving at the church at six o’clock on the dot, she entered the side door leading to the youth room and said hello to as many of the girls as she could before the youth praise band began leading the worship time. Two of their faithful attendees straggled in about ten minutes late and stepped past her into the row where she was sitting. Mary Beth Colson and Bradley Dunn were holding hands as usual. They were seniors and had been dating since last year when they had gone to the prom together. They both came from strong Christian families and were the model couple.

  Whenever Kendra saw them she always thought back to her own senior year and the fond memories she had of herself and Trevor together. They had been much the same. Hopelessly in love--innocent love. They had maintained their friendships with others as well, and much of their dating time had been spent in a group setting, but they’d had special alone-time too. Back then she never imagined she and Trevor would go their separate ways. She thought they would attend college together and possibly get married after they both graduated.

  She had never forgotten the day when Trevor announced he had accepted a scholarship to attend USC. He had talked about going there, as well as a half-dozen other schools in Washington, Oregon, and California, but she never honestly thought he’d go anywhere besides the University of Oregon.

  But USC was his dream school. The place he felt he had the best chance of turning a college baseball career into a professional one. Once he’d made up his mind, there had been no stopping him.

  He didn’t see why they couldn’t continue their relationship on a long-distance basis. He promised to write and call and said they’d see each other on holidays and at term breaks, but she didn’t want that. “Oregon or nothing” had been her ultimatum. He had chosen nothing. She had never regretted her words more.

  She had thought of Trevor often since the day they parted. She’d tried to let go and move on. Plenty of guys had asked her out, and a handful of them she had dated exclusively for a short time. To everyone else she supposed it looked as though she had gotten over her first love, but in her heart she knew she hadn’t.

  When she had decided to contact him a few days ago and began crafting her carefully chosen words, she’d tried to keep her hopes in check, preparing herself for the disappointment of no
reply. But now that she had heard from Trevor, her desire to rekindle their relationship felt like fire within the depths of her soul. She had never wanted anything more, but what if he didn’t feel the same? What if he didn’t respond again, or what if she discovered he had a girlfriend or that he was engaged? She didn’t know if she could face that reality--if she could handle the disappointment.

  After worship and the other large group activities, they broke into small groups for prayer and Bible study. Kendra had begun leading the high school girls in a new study last week on dealing with stress. She’d found the material convicting for herself, especially tonight.

  She asked one of the girls to read a passage in Matthew Six. Verse thirty-four spoke to her the most. “‘So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.’”

  For the rest of the evening she determined to put the negative possibilities out of her thoughts. Today she had heard from Trevor. Worrying about tomorrow or next week or next month wasn’t going to do anything but spoil her current joy.

  CHAPTER TWO

  On the way home from church, Kendra decided to stop at the grocery store. She needed some cat food, and she had a craving for some mint-chocolate-chip ice cream. She grabbed one tub for herself and another for Kristin as a peace-offering if she turned out to be mad at her about putting the note on Jacob’s car. She decided to stop by her sister’s tomorrow afternoon to see how things went if she didn’t hear from her before then.

  Grabbing a bag of cookies and a gallon of milk, she went to the express lane and laid her purchases on the belt. The gal in front of her had a package of diapers and baby formula. She glanced at the magazine rack while she waited for the young woman to pay. The bold letters on the cover of one of them jumped out at her: How To Get The Man You Want And Keep Him! She shoved the temptation aside to buy it, averting her eyes and reminding herself she didn’t need advice from the world to get Trevor.

  “I don’t have enough,” she heard the woman in front of her say. “I’m a dollar short.”

  Kendra watched as the clerk shrugged and waited for the gal to make her decision: The diapers or the formula? Kendra saw her frantically searching her purse for some loose change.

  Without hesitation Kendra opened her wallet and took out a dollar bill and offered it to her. “Here you go,” she said.

  The woman turned. Her large blue eyes held tears of gratitude. “Thank you,” she said.

  “You’re welcome,” she said, giving the young mother a friendly smile.

  The woman thanked her again before hurrying out the door. Kendra stepped forward to purchase her own items. She hadn’t noticed someone had gotten in line behind her until he spoke.

  “That was very kind of you.”

  She turned and saw a handsome face went with the deep voice. “It was only a dollar,” she shrugged.

  “Not for her.”

  “I’m sure you would have done the same.”

  “Beautiful, generous, and humble,” he said, giving her a crooked smile. “You’re not making this easy on me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Resisting the temptation to ask you out.”

  Kendra held back a smile and didn’t reply. Stepping forward to hand the money to the clerk, she waited to see if the stranger was serious or just flirting with her.

  She put her change in her wallet, grabbed the bag and the cat food, and left without looking back. He caught up with her outside.

  “So, is all that for the cat, or does he share?”

  Looking up at him, she thought he looked familiar. She wasn’t sure how to respond. Normally a witty remark would have found its way to her lips, but with her mind on Trevor she didn’t have any reason to flirt at the moment.

  “The ice cream and cookies are for my sister, I’ll share the rest with the cat.”

  “Is the cat yours or hers?”

  “Mine, but he lives with her right now because my apartment doesn’t allow pets.”

  “Sounds like your sister is as generous as you. Is she as beautiful too?”

  She smiled and knew she recognized him from somewhere, but where? She had only been back in Eugene since last summer, and she didn’t think she’d met him since then. She would have remembered those broad shoulders, dark hair, and warm, teasing smile.

  “Did you, by any chance, go to Willamette High School?”

  “I did,” he confirmed. “Did you?”

  “Yes. Were you a friend of Trevor’s?”

  “Trevor?”

  “Trevor Richardson. He played football and baseball.”

  “Oh, Trevor. Sure. He was a year behind me. Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Does he still live around here?”

  “He went to USC. He’s still there.”

  “Are you his girlfriend?”

  Kendra hesitated but then replied honestly. “We dated in high school, but now we’re just friends.”

  “I thought you looked familiar too, but I don’t remember your name.”

  “Kendra Swan. And you are?”

  “Jordan,” he replied, grasping her outstretched hand. “Jordan Grant.”

  “Well, Jordan. It was nice seeing you again.”

  She began walking toward her car. He followed her.

  “Can I take you to dinner some night this week?”

  If she had run into Jordan a week ago, she probably would have said yes. She had decided to stop accepting dates from complete strangers, but Jordan was an old acquaintance, sort of. Her hesitancy had more to do with Trevor than anything.

  “I’m pretty busy this week,” she replied. “Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll call you sometime.”

  “Okay,” he said, reaching for his wallet. He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. She took it from him and tucked the card into her coat pocket, then opened her door and ducked inside.

  “Have a nice night,” he said.

  “You too,” she replied.

  Kendra tried to put Jordan out of her head on the drive home. Yes, he was very good looking and seemed nice, but starting anything with him, even one date, seemed silly considering the hopes she had about Trevor at the moment She decided to wait and see if Trevor mentioned a girlfriend before going out with someone else.

  Listening to Kristin’s message when she checked her phone later, a satisfied smile spread across her face. She had wanted to give her sister a little push, and apparently it had worked. Calling her back, she let Kristin share as much or little as she wanted to.

  “I know you haven’t dated a lot, Kris, but take it from someone who has, guys like Jacob don’t come along every day. Any guy who’s willing to drive for more than an hour to and from a date is worth risking something for.”

  “I know,” Kristin replied. “He’s wonderful, but so was Brandon. I just need some time, that’s all.”

  Kendra told her about Trevor’s email, trying not to make a huge deal about it, but not downplaying her excitement either. Kristin knew her too well to do otherwise.

  “I think I’m going to Brandon’s wedding,” Kristin said when there was a lull in the conversation.

  “That’s great. I think you’ll be glad you did.”

  “Well, I’m not sure about that, but I feel like I should. Do you want to go shopping with me some night this week? I’d like to buy a new dress for the occasion. I might as well get something good out of this deal.”

  Kendra laughed. “That’s a good idea. You should. What night do you want to go?”

  “Any night but Thursday.”

  They attended the same Bible study on Thursday nights. Kendra flipped through her calendar to see what her week looked like. “The only night I’m busy is Friday. I’m baby-sitting for Kathleen.”

  “Kathleen Thomas?”

  “Yes.”

  “Seems like you’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

  “I know. She used to call me once in a while, but I’ve watched h
er girls at least once a week for the last month. Last week it was Tuesday and Friday.”

  “Do you think she’s seeing someone?”

  “She hasn’t said. I’m not sure where she goes. She only leaves her cell phone number.”

  “It’s hard to imagine her with anyone besides Jon.”

  “I know. It’s so sad. I never thought in a million years they would get divorced. They seemed so perfect for each other.”

  “Are they actually divorced or only separated?”

  “I don’t know. She doesn’t wear her ring anymore.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I think we’re letting our imaginations get carried away. She’s probably just taking an aerobics class or something.”

  “You’re right, we shouldn’t be starting any rumors. But I will say she certainly doesn’t dress like she’s going to the gym.”

  “Kendra,” Kristin warned.

  “Okay, I’ll stop. Don’t worry. I haven’t told anyone besides you.”

  Getting into bed about an hour later, Kendra pulled her comforter up to her chin and let out a content sigh. Who would have thought after all this time that Trevor could still make her feel this way? She thought about the first time they’d gone out. He had taken her to a concert, and they’d had a great time.

  She had known him her whole life, practically. His family went to a different church, but they had attended the same elementary, junior high, and high school. He’d always been on the short and skinny side up until their junior year. He had a huge growth spurt over the summer, and she didn’t even recognize him on the first day of school when he sat behind her during first period. His hair had gone from red to a much lighter strawberry blonde. His freckles had faded. And his shoulders had broadened, making him look more like the athlete he’d always had a heart for, but not always the body.