Secretly Yours: A Christian Valentine's Day Romance (Riverbend Romance Novella Book 1)

by Valerie Comer

  Reminded Lindsey of the song from the Sound of Music movie. Intriguing. A surprise was definitely one of her favorite things, too. Oh, wait, the music was really playing. She chuckled. “Good choice of soundtrack, Madison.”

  Her sister beamed. “I thought so. I’ve been home for over an hour, so I had lots of time to figure out how to give this to you.”

  Lindsey climbed the few steps to the main floor of the house. “So, are you going to hand it over or not?”

  Madison swept a bow, handing the package over. “Here you go, ma’am.”

  The paper crinkled in Lindsey’s hand. Something soft, not in a box. Her name was scrawled across the package with a black marker. Bold. What could it be? And from whom?

  “Open it already!” Madison rocked on the balls of her feet.

  Lindsey slipped the string off the package and parted the tape along the edge. She pulled the paper back until something pink and fuzzy was revealed. She lifted it up. A pair of cable-knit mittens? That was sweet, but where had they come from?

  A piece of paper drifted to the floor, and Madison pounced then unfolded it. Her eyes widened and she clutched the paper to her chest. “Oh, how romantic!”

  The drama team didn’t know what they were missing without her sister. Lindsey held her hand out until Madison relinquished the note.

  The paper appeared to be from a memo pad, pink with red hearts around the edges. She raised her eyebrows. Seriously?

  Dear Lindsey,

  Cold hands, warm heart.

  Secretly Yours.

  She turned it over. Nothing. No hint of the sender.

  “I bet it’s from Pastor Nick.”

  Lindsey dipped her head to glare at her sister. “I bet it isn’t.” Nick Harrison wasn’t a romantic kind of guy. Not the Nick she remembered, for sure. Get a girl’s hopes up, then dash them. Maybe it was him. Maybe he was doing it again.

  Chapter 3

  All bundled up, Lindsey left the restaurant into another cold, dark evening. If only Greg would put new tires on his old car, but he’d simply dismissed her concern saying she’d just forgotten how to drive. Being as he wasn’t completely wrong, she hadn’t pushed it. Still, it would be nice to drive to and from work… at least if Greg let her use the car. Yeah, wouldn’t happen anyway.

  A man in a fluffy down jacket and a knitted toque and scarf straightened from where he’d been leaning against the patio post. “Lindsey?”

  The panic disappeared as quickly as it had surged, replaced by wariness. Seriously. What was Nick doing here?

  “Can I give you a ride home?”

  Half an hour walking down slippery sidewalks, some not even shoveled, freezing to death. Three minutes in a warm car. Walking sounded good.

  He chuckled. “Promise I won’t bite.”

  A gust of wind blasted past the edge of the restaurant, whipping her coat and hair.

  She was being ridiculous. “Whatever.” Whoa. That had been rude. Lindsey took in a long breath and let it out slowly. “Thank you. But why are you here?”

  He held her arm as they descended the few steps to the parking area. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  The nerve. Lindsey pulled away. “I’ve already said no.”

  “Madison tells me she’s asked you to consider being the lead cook for the Valentine’s Day banquet.” He opened the passenger door of a compact black car.

  Lindsey closed her eyes for a second as she slid into the upholstered interior. He must think her a total idiot. Of course he wanted to talk about the banquet, not about taking her out. She waited until he’d rounded the car and buckled himself into the driver’s side. “Yes, she mentioned it. Did she over-step?”

  Nick turned the key in the ignition. “Not at all. We’d talked options at our last banquet committee meeting.” He grinned. “Your sister thinks a lot of you.”

  Yeah, and she seemed to think a lot of Nick, too. Plus determined to get them together.

  “I did talk to my boss. I was afraid he might see it as conflict of interest.” Maybe even hoped it.

  He shot her a sidelong glance as he backed out of the parking spot. “And?”

  She shrugged. “He wants to approve the menu, to be sure it represents the Water Wheel well. He’ll provide ingredients at cost to help with expenses.”

  “Oh, that’s awesome!”

  “Yeah. So, I guess we need to talk.”

  Nick’s grin widened as he turned north on River Way.

  Great. She narrowed her gaze at him. “About the banquet.”

  His smile didn’t dissipate. “Of course. What else?”

  Lindsey’s jaw tightened. “I’m not going out with you.”

  “So you said on the phone.”

  And he’d accepted it just like that? Then why did he keep grinning? He didn’t add up. She brushed her hair from her cheeks with a mittened hand.

  “Those look warm.”

  Nothing showed on his face but a passing interest in a pair of knitted mitts.

  “They are.” Should she poke a bit more? Why not? She held up both hands. “A gift from a secret admirer.”

  “No way.”

  “Yes way.” Wind blew snow across the front of the car. A good evening to have a ride instead of walking.

  “Well, congrats. I should’ve guessed there was someone in your life.”

  “A secret admirer, by definition, is someone I don’t know.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, you probably do know. A pretty woman like you… lots of men must be lined up for your attention.”

  “I’m back in Riverbend for Madison’s sake. Her father—” No. Nick didn’t need the family history.

  “Condolences on the loss of your mother. It’s been hard on your sister.”

  Of course, he already knew. He was Madison’s youth pastor. Too strange. “Thanks. Yes, it’s rough for her.”

  Rough for Lindsey, too, even though her mom had lingered in a coma for months after the accident. And Greg, who’d never been the most stable man, had been floundering ever since. Madison should have been able to count on her father, but it hadn’t happened.

  “When can we get together and talk about the menu?”

  Lindsey’s thoughts derailed. Why was she doing this again? To please her sister, right? To help give Madison the opportunity to go on a missions trip. Not so she could see Nick Harrison a dozen times between now and Valentine’s Day.

  Definitely not that.

  “Want to go for coffee and we can talk about it now?”

  She shook her head. Too much like a date. She didn’t want to be seen in public with him. People would get ideas. She became conscious of his gaze on the side of her face.

  “I’m sorry I make you so uncomfortable.”

  He’d noticed? That probably meant she was being rude, but she hated how unsettled he made her feel. It was disconcerting to think that she’d never gotten over her high-school crush. If she’d been comparing guys to Nick all these years, most of them should have come out ahead. He’d been such a jerk.

  He wasn’t one now. Probably. She should give him the benefit of the doubt.

  “Want to come in for a few minutes? I’m not sure if Greg’s home, but Madison’s there. We can make some preliminary plans.”

  “I’d love to.”

  Yeah, she’d just bet he would.

  ~*~

  Nick held the door for Lindsey as they entered her house. This was even better than he’d hoped. To be here when—

  “Linds! You’re home.” Madison skidded down the hallway and grabbed the banister above to keep from sliding past the steps. “Oh, hi, Pastor Nick.” Her eyes gleamed. “Guess what?”

  Nick helped Lindsey off with her coat and hung it on a vacant hook. He couldn’t help grinning as she tossed the fuzzy pink mittens into a basket.

  “What, Madison?”

  Lindsey sounded tired. Maybe his idea to ambush her after work hadn’t been the best. Well, he’d done it, and he was here now. Invited in, no less.

 
“You got another package today. See?” Madison held up a brown box.

  Lindsey glanced up, her cheeks flushing. Or maybe it was just the chill from the wind outside. “That’s nice. Madison, Nick is here to go over the menu for the banquet. Do you have any ideas of what you’d like?”

  “Open your gift first.”

  She shrugged as she ascended the steps. “It can wait.”

  “No, go for it,” Nick said, unable to help himself.

  She pivoted on the top step and stared him in the eyes, pretty much at his eye level. “Why?”

  Uh. “Don’t you want to see what’s in it?”

  “Come on, Lindsey.” Madison shook the box.

  “Fine. I’ll open it. Please put on water for tea, Madison.”

  “In a sec. I want to see.”

  Lindsey took the box, slit the tape, and opened it to reveal a small box of chocolates. She glanced at the pink paper on top then set both on a chair.

  Nick didn’t need to see the paper to know what it said.

  Dear Lindsey,

  You are as sweet as candy.

  Secretly Yours.

  “Ooh, chocolate!” Madison clutched her hands together. “Are those the ones with peanut butter? Those are your favorite.”

  Ah, something he’d have to keep in mind for another time. Unless that would give away his identity. Hmm.

  Lindsey turned to him, box extended. “Here, want a chocolate?”

  “Oh, I shouldn’t. Those are from your secret admirer.”

  She narrowed her gaze. “How do you know?”

  “Just a guess by the fact you didn’t know from whom. Besides, you told me you’d already gotten something from a secret admirer, so it seemed a safe guess.”

  “Ooh, is it you, Pastor Nick?” Madison batted her eyelashes.

  He laughed. “Go put the tea on, girl. Let’s sort out this menu.” He took a few steps toward the dining room table.

  Madison jumped in his path and poked him in the chest with her forefinger. “I bet it is you.”

  “Hey now, if I wanted to date your sister, I’d just come right out and ask her. No need for games.”

  “Unless she said no the first time.”

  Lindsey’s voice broke in. “The teakettle, Madison, if you will.”

  When Madison flounced back to the sink, Lindsey gave Nick a searching look. He must’ve passed the test because she grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the counter and took a seat at the table.

  “So, what do you have in mind for the banquet?”

  Chapter 4

  “Dude, the teens and I have totally got this covered.” Jared leaned forward and pressed both hands on Nick’s desk. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

  “I’m not worried, exactly…” Well, maybe he was. Nick hadn’t known the other guy more than a few months, but he was a drama major at the community college, and the presentation was for credit.

  “We’re doing a little fairytale mash-up. I ran the script past Pastor Davis on Monday, so it’s all good.”

  Nick narrowed his gaze. “Pastor Davis? He’s not the youth pastor. I am.”

  “You weren’t in your office. Loosen up, dude. The drama for the banquet is in good hands.” Jared pointed at himself with both thumbs. “That would be moi.”

  If the senior pastor had approved it, Nick supposed it would be okay. Jared still should have run it by him first. “How many kids are involved?”

  “Just six.” Jared held up both hands, forestalling Nick. “I didn’t want to leave you shorthanded for everything else. Some of them will be playing dual roles. We’ve got it covered.”

  Nick shuffled the papers on his desk until the top one showed the teens who’d pledged to raise funds for the missions trip. He pushed the sheet to Jared and offered him a pencil. “Who do you have tied up?”

  “Let’s see.” Jared marked off several names and slid it back to Nick.

  “Madison? You can’t have her. Her sister needs her in the kitchen.” Though if anyone were a born actor, it had to be Lindsey’s little sister.

  Jared shook his head. “No can do, sorry. She’s a natural, and the only girl in the group who can pull this off.”

  “Pull what off?”

  “The whole drama thing. Seriously, dude. I need her, or we may as well cancel the event.”

  “But—”

  Jared shook his head. “You can find someone else to plop food on plates, but I need my leading lady.”

  A trickle of alarm sifted through Nick. “She’s sixteen, Jared. Way too young for you.”

  The other guy laughed. “It’s all on the up and up, I promise. I see great talent. I’m not looking for an underage date.”

  “Okay. You had me worried there for a minute.”

  “No need.” Jared surged to his feet. “When you’re finalizing your program, give us twenty minutes. I’ll take care of everything else.”

  Had he somehow agreed to relinquish Madison? Well, he hadn’t exactly promised Lindsey to reserve her sister as sous chef. He could see Jared’s point, though. Of all the teens doing fundraising, Madison seemed to have the most dramatic talent.

  Nick stood and reached across his desk to shake Jared’s hand. “Okay. You’ve got it. But if you have any questions, and I mean even little ones, please ask. It’s my name on the line with the teens’ parents and the community, and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  “You cause me pain, dude. I know what is appropriate and what is not.” The younger guy grinned. “You’re looking for a play that will entertain the guests, honor God, and stay on theme. I’ve got it covered.”

  It wasn’t until the door had swung shut behind Jared that Nick realized the drama major had never even given him the name of the play.

  ~*~

  “I’d like to adapt the Glory Bowl salad recipe for the banquet,” Lindsey told her boss, Antonio.

  He swiveled his chair to look her over. “Oh? How so?”

  “Well, I’m looking for a lighter salad, not a small meal, so I thought I’d go with the mixed greens from Vitality, the hazelnuts, grated carrots and beets, and then the dressing.”

  Antonio nodded. “That works. What are you looking for in an entree?”

  Lindsey hesitated. “I was hoping for some guidance on that.”

  “What’s the budget? How many tickets?”

  “That’s the problem. Nick says we could get anywhere from fifty to a hundred people. And, of course, the more I charge per plate, the less the youth group makes for their fundraiser.”

  “Fundraisers.” Antonio shook his head. “Only for you, Lindsey. Only for you. The kind of dinner we are speaking of, with a bottle of the best Castle Rock red, would be easily one-hundred-fifty a couple.” He held up a hand. “Yes, we would be making good money on that, but we are a business, and we do our job well.”

  One fifty? Lindsey felt faint. “The wine won’t be an issue. It’s a church event.”

  “But it is a gourmet dinner. Of course there is to be wine.” He glared at her until he seemed to understand. “A raspberry soda, perhaps?”

  She nodded. “That sounds good. Is there anything we can do with lamb within the budget? Or do you have another suggestion?”

  “You cannot just get—” he kissed his fingers “—enough local lamb to feed one hundred people without months of advance notice.”

  Yeah, she’d been afraid of that. It had seemed a fair request on Nick’s part, but logistically… not so much.

  “Also, it is too expensive for a fundraiser unless you are the Ritz.” He peered at her over his glasses. “And you are not.”

  “Right, okay. It was only a question. What do you suggest?”

  “Perhaps a roulade.” He tapped his pen. “No. Again with the budget. Cacciatore, then.”

  Hmm. It would still be a flight of steps above the spaghetti dinners they’d put on as fundraisers back when she was in youth group. Memories of congealed pasta and bland meatballs drowned in cheap tomato sauce caused a s
hudder to run through her.

  “No?” Antonio eyed her. “I feel sure it is a good move for you. Ingredients we can get that do not cost the moon. The purpose is to please the guests and to make money, yes?”

  “Sorry, yes. I think cacciatore can work.” Easier to have her untrained staff help with that than a roulade, for sure. If only Madison hadn’t bailed on her in preference for the drama team. Should’ve been no surprise, but, whatever. “Perhaps we can borrow the pasta maker?”

  “Do you have enough sous chefs to pull that off, Lindsey? For you, I would say yes, but I am concerned you bite off too much.”

  “But it is to be a local meal...”

  Antonio waved a hand. “Indeed. This I understand. It is what we are all about here at the Water Wheel, yes? But there is a line of what is sensible and what is not.”

  Lindsey nodded. “I understand.” But there must be a way. She’d promised Nick and, for some reason, the look she was sure to see on his face when she delivered the final banquet meant more to her than it ought to, being as she didn’t care a speck about him. Less than a speck.

  “That is good, Lindsey. Write out your plan and leave it on my desk. Your banquet is only five weeks away now, and it is time to place some of the orders so ingredients arrive on time.”

  She knew when she’d been dismissed. “Thanks.” She backed out of Antonio’s office and nearly ran into one of the waitresses.

  The girl kept her platter from falling by the luckiest of moves.

  “Sorry,” murmured Lindsey. She needed to get her head back in the game, both for the remainder of today’s shift and for the upcoming banquet.

  “Earth to Lindsey.”

  She glanced up at Marc as she approached her workstation. “Hey.”

  “Don’t run Beatrix over.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Got a hot date with her tonight, and she’ll need her dancing shoes on.”