by JoAnn Durgin
“Why some observant woman hasn’t scooped you up yet is beyond the realm of my understanding. You’re not only a great brother, but you’re a prize catch. Just don’t let that compliment swell your handsome head.”
He could practically hear his sister’s smile through the phone. With the whole prize catch spiel, Allie’s voice had that telltale let’s get Sawyer fixed up with a nice woman singsong quality to it. She’d been doing that more and more lately. Time to nip that nonsense in the bud.
“Thanks.” He flipped the omelet and Swiss cheese oozed out the sides. Using one finger, he swiped a taste. Perfection. “Maybe I’m not willing to be caught. Ever think about that?”
“No,” Allie said. “It’s not that you’re not willing. You just haven’t been ready. It’s time, honey. Darcy’s been gone two years.”
“I’m well aware how long—”
“Let me speak, Sawyer.” Allie’s tone was firm. “You need to get back into circulation again so you can meet a sweet, gorgeous woman, get married, and give me and Matt some nieces and nephews. Our children need cousins.”
“Ah, the truth comes out. All you care about is my procreation to suit your own purposes.” He groaned. “I hope you understood my meaning there.”
“I’ve lived with you my entire life, so yeah. You’re adorably goofy and cute when you say the wrong thing or bungle your words. The right woman will appreciate that humbling quality.”
“I need to fall in love somewhere between the meet and greet and the maternity ward.”
“Aha!” Now Allie sounded triumphant. What had he said? Oh oh. He’d been down this road before. Still, he was curious, so he waited, knowing she had more to say.
“I got more out of you with that last exchange than you’ve given me since. . .well, you know. Not to sound insensitive, but I’m convinced there’s a woman for you somewhere in the greater Indy area. I’ll go so far as to say I know God has handpicked her especially for you. But you might not find her if you don’t create opportunities for yourself. Help the Lord out a little.”
“I meet new people all the time, Allie. I’ve got plenty of good friends, and my understanding of theology means the Almighty doesn’t need my help.”
“Fine. The Lord doesn’t need any help, but you do. I’m not talking about your guy friends, and I’m not talking about your job since most of your customers are out-of-towners. Find a local girl. Someone who’ll recognize the treasure in that humongous heart of yours when she meets you.”
“Oh? Got a name for me?” Why he said that, Sawyer had no idea. “Why Indy? Why not anywhere else in the world? Kansas City? Tallahassee? Omaha, anyone?”
Ava. A vision of the gorgeous dance instructor in a long black tutu came to mind.
When he heard Allie giggle, it made him smile.
“I don’t have all the answers. Far from it, but she’s out there. I can feel it in my bones. If it helps, I pray for you every day and I woke up the other day with a new peace about you.”
“Thanks for the mention, but in your bones? Seriously?”
“If nothing else, please keep an open mind and your eyes wide open.”
Time to change the subject. “Will do. I’m sure you know I’m not leaving the dance studio this afternoon until you call and assure me you’re on the way.” More than once, he’d dropped Sophia off at a lesson—piano or gymnastics—only to have Allie call and say she was running late, begging him to either stay or go back and pick up his niece. A by-product of his sister’s busy life, but he never minded. Allie always appreciated his help, and he did love her little girl and his nephews more than he could ever have imagined. Maybe one day he’d have one of his own.
You’ve got to have a date before you can think of anything more, old man.
“And that’s why I love you so much,” Allie said. “I’ll call you around 3:45. I should know by then whether or not I can swing by the studio. I fully intend to pick them up. Just so we’re clear.”
“As mud. Don’t worry about it if you get delayed. Glad to help. Listen, is there someplace nearby I can go while they’re at the lesson? I have my limits.” Listening to talk of grocery specials and potty training wasn’t his idea of a great way to spend part of his afternoon, although he’d do it. That thought would earn him a chauvinist label from Allie. Still, limits were limits.
“I think there’s a sporting goods store a couple of blocks away. Will that satisfy your daily testosterone quotient?”
“Sure does. Now you’re speaking my language. I can always use new gear for the business. Or for my personal use.” Sawyer slid the sizzling omelet onto his plate. Time to wrap up this conversation so he could dig in. Opening the refrigerator door, he pulled out a bowl of fresh fruit salad one of the ladies from church had given him after the potluck dinner on Sunday night. At least it’d been fresh on Sunday. Eyeing it, he didn’t see anything brown. Must still be good. He grabbed a can of tomato juice and a glass from the overhead cabinet and plopped onto his usual counter seat at the breakfast bar.
“You might even meet someone at the dance studio, Sawyer. You never know. Remember what I said, okay?”
“Good-bye, Allie. Love ya.” He disconnected the call before she could get in another word. He’d warned her about limits.
Twenty minutes later, with his stomach full and the dirty dishes washed, Sawyer checked the address of the dance studio Allie had messaged. Mentally noting the time, he headed into the bedroom to change from his sleep pants and T-shirt into running gear. The day was sunny but brisk with temperatures in the low 20s. Warm spring weather was his favorite, but that was at least a couple of months down the road. He appreciated the freshness in the air when it was cold with a hint of snow. Like this morning.
After changing, he tucked his cellphone into his sweatpants and the ear buds in his ears, ready to listen to some favorite Christian tunes while he exercised—a mix of upbeat contemporary Christian music for while he ran and old favorite hymns for his warm-up and cool-down. The physical release of running had helped him survive the toughest time of his life in the past couple of years.
He’d stayed away from the church for a few months after Darcy’s death. Then he was drawn back to it as the best place to be consoled and face his loss. The youth pastor, Chase Landers, had listened to him, counseled him, and gotten him involved with the men’s weekly Bible study. Whenever he could, he helped Chase out with sporting events for the youth group. He owed that guy so much, especially for helping him maintain his sanity when his world turned on its axis. Even when a few people thought he’d gone off the deep end by quitting his six-figure job to start up Mancini’s Pedicabs, Chase stood by him. By demonstrating his faith in him, Chase had earned a lifetime of loyalty.
As he ran, Sawyer chastised himself for his inane parting if the need arises comment to Ava. And he hadn’t been completely honest with Allie. What could he say? “By the way, I met the most beautiful girl in the world the other night. She might be the one to make me change my mind about dating again.” Yeah, that information would pretty much make Allie’s week. Maybe he should have said something so she’d lay off the teasing about his non-existent love life. His strong attraction to Ava was encouragement enough and gave him hope that he wasn’t a total hermit. But it didn’t mean he had to seek out Ava or try to date her. Not that he would mind.
You should have gotten Ava’s last name.
He’d mentally kicked himself for not asking her last name when he’d had the opportunity. Somehow, the timing hadn’t seemed right or appropriate. The pedicab ride to the Hanscom Building had been interesting and definitely the most memorable he’d ever pedaled. Alternately enthralling and sarcastic, Ava had captured him. In a good way.
Shaking his head, Sawyer ramped up the speed. Time to work out the kinks in his body, a body aging rapidly with every passing second. In some ways he’d always been a rebel-in-training. He’d once tested the limits in high school athletics and that idiocy landed him in the hospital with broken l
imbs and a bruised ego. Driven his first car too fast and earned the speeding tickets to prove it. Nothing bad—no juvenile delinquent record—but enough to earn him the kind of attention he didn’t need. And, along with it, the attention of girls. What was it about a bad boy reputation that attracted so many of them? He’d learned his limits there, too.
Darcy set him straight in that arena, but even when he’d dated in high school, he’d always been a one-woman man. Always treated a girl like a lady and with proper respect. He wanted kids, but increasingly he wondered if that would ever happen. A guy had to find a mate in order to sire offspring. Sure, he could adopt a few kids—maybe older ones, the ones easily passed over in favor of newborns or infants—but he’d prefer to try the traditional, old-fashioned method first.
You should find Ava and take her on a date.
“Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Rasping out that favorite verse and a few others as he ran, Sawyer focused on lengthening his stride and pounding the pavement to finish his ten-mile run. Same as every morning except Sundays on the streets of suburban Indianapolis near his condo.
Observing the day of rest and keeping it holy was something his dad ingrained in him since he was a kid. “Sawyer, treat the Lord with respect and He’ll respect you back.” Bob Mancini was a master at dispensing folksy, homespun wisdom. “Read the Good Book. It’s bread and butter for the soul. Fills you up and keeps you regular.”
Today wasn’t Sunday, but it was his day off from work. Time to catch up on laundry, make a trip to the grocery, and pay bills online. Plus, he needed to make the phone call he’d been putting off far too long. Some well-intentioned but misguided person—most likely Alcott Mancini Randall—had volunteered him as one of the bachelors up-for-bid at the upcoming Valentine’s Day charity auction. Which meant that he—a guy who hadn’t had a date in forever—would do his part, show up for the auction in a tuxedo, smile and charm the ladies so he’d get a lot of bids and bring in money for Peyton Manning’s Children’s Hospital.
Any cause that combined his love of sports and helping children with illnesses or special needs was well worth his attention and effort. To fulfill his obligation after the charity auction, he’d dutifully show up at the winning bidder’s home in a limousine and squire her to dinner at one of Indy’s fanciest restaurants. Might not be so bad. He’d approach the charity event like he did most everything else in life these days—with an open mind and a positive attitude.
Keep an open mind and your eyes wide open.
“I’ll do that, Allie.” He’d been lagging. Breaking into a wide grin, Sawyer picked up the pace and ran in the direction of his condo.
Chapter 5
~~♥~~
“Uncle Sawyer!” Scrambling into the back of the SUV, Sophia threw her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek before scooting across the seat to make room for her best friend Katie. “You need to shave. You’re all scruffy.”
“Nice to see you, too. Thanks for the tip.” Running a hand over his chin, Sawyer chuckled. Increasingly, his niece sounded like a little clone of Allie. Next she’d be telling him to get a haircut. He liked his hair longer, thankful he still had curls. His poor pal Charlie was already losing his hair and more than one guy in his Sunday school class had that telltale bald spot forming on the back of his head. If he cut his hair, it would lop off the curls. No way was he ready for that sacrifice yet. The girls used to like them.
Whoa. Where’d that thought come from?
“Hi, Mr. Mancini.”
“Hi ya, Katie.”
Hearing a shrill whistle, Sawyer lowered his window and waved at the crossing guard. “Thanks for all you do, Mervyna! Looking good!” He caught the smile behind the whistle in her mouth. She probably didn’t get the respect she deserved. The poor woman should get a medal for enduring that first name and helping to keep the kids safe all these years. She had to be at least six decades old, if not more. “Strap yourselves in, young ladies, and then we’re off.” Satisfied when he heard the clicks from two seatbelts, he carefully guided the SUV out of the carpool line.
He glanced at Katie in the rearview mirror. “What’s up with the Mr. Mancini stuff?”
Katie pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose with one finger. “Mom says never to call a man by his first name.”
“Unless they give you permission, which I do. It’s a good rule otherwise. Your mom’s very smart. Do I have your permission to address you as Miss Roenfelder?”
Katie giggled. “You do.”
“Where’s Mommy?” Whatever Sophia said next was muffled by the noise from a passing truck.
“She had a meeting. She’s hoping to come pick you up, but if not, you’re stuck with me.”
“Do you know where you’re going?”
“If your mom gave me the right directions, I do.” He patted the dashboard. “Plus I’ve got my trusty friend GPS right here.” Catching Sophia’s eye in the rearview mirror, he winked. Giving him a cute grin, she tugged a book from her backpack and the two girls—both with shoulder-length dark hair and plaid headbands that matched their uniforms—giggled over the book together.
Allie paid good money to send her oldest child to Christian school. He didn’t understand the expense although Matt made decent money in advertising and co-owned an agency downtown. Sawyer and Allie had grown up in the public school system and they’d turned out fine, although Allie might say that was debatable when it came to his grades.
Sometimes he wondered whether he’d send his own kids to public or private school. First things first, buddy. You need to find a nice girl and get married before educational choices come into play. What was with him? He’d already thought about having kids twice today. Strange. But kind of nice, too.
His conversation with Ava on Saturday night popped into his mind. Again. It was true what he’d told her: he and Darcy were too much alike. They’d been destined to be friends, not marriage partners, not lovers. What was it about Ava that made him reevaluate his past love life? Enough so that his emotional meanderings spilled over to a woman he’d never met before? That was the more intriguing question. Problem was, he had no answers.
Ten minutes later, after mentally rehashing every dumb and annoying thing he’d said to Ava, Sawyer opened a glass door marked Miss Carlisle’s Dance Studio and ushered the girls inside. Ducking beneath his arm, they scooted into the bustling lobby. Girls in pink and black leotards flitted…everywhere.
Ava was a dance instructor. That much he knew. If there was one dance studio, there were a hundred of them spread throughout Indianapolis and the city limits. Based on the fact that he knew where she lived, he could find out her identity. A person could find out anything online these days with an ease that was scary. He could also contact any one of his friends on staff at the Hyatt and ask them the name of the dancing school that’d held the dance recital at their hotel the weekend before. Maybe he could ask Sophia’s dance instructor. That seemed the best option. What it all boiled down to was that, like with most things, the fun of seeing her again—if it did happen—would be finding out how God orchestrated it all.
Be honest with yourself, Sawyer. One minute he wanted to see Ava again and the next he wasn’t sure. She was so beautiful, seemingly delicate and fragile on the outside, but he’d glimpsed an underlying strength. At the same time, she hadn’t acted uptight or snobbish. The kind of woman who wasn’t afraid to show she was exhausted, amused, or not overly fond of his talkative side. That last thought made him smile. For a guy who wasn’t actively seeking a woman to date, Ava had been on his mind constantly. Make that the past sixty-three hours or so, but who was counting?
Sawyer’s attention shifted as his charges scampered over to a pretty young blonde woman dressed in a black leotard and filmy black skirt holding a clipboard in one corner. Greeting Sophia and Katie by name, she dutifully checked off their names. Sophia pointed to him and Sawyer heard her tell the woman his name. He heard her instruc
t them to go change and then wait in the holding bin—make that the lobby—for their class to be called. A quick glance at his watch confirmed they’d arrived right on time. Allie would be proud.
Trying not to appear as awkward and out-of-place as he felt, Sawyer avoided eye contact with any of the females ranging from about six to mid-teens. The lobby seemed to be getting smaller by the minute. The temperature outside might be frigid, but it sure was plenty hot inside. Unzipping his down jacket, he fumbled to unfasten the top button of his shirt.
Allie owed him for this little adventure. A dance studio was no place for a grown man who wasn’t a husband or a father. He almost hugged Sophia when she came back out with Katie five minutes later. “Do you need me to keep your things while you’re in the class?”
“No. Katie and I share a cubby.”
What was a cubby? “Okay. I’ll hang around until you go in. Either your mom or I will be here to get you and Katie when you’re done.”
Hopping first on one foot and then the other, Sophia slipped into her pink ballet shoes. The woman with the clipboard called for their class to enter the studio. Shoving his hands down into the front pockets of his jeans, Sawyer rocked on his heels. He resisted the urge to whistle.
Aware the blonde woman glanced his way a couple of times, Sawyer gave her a polite nod as the group quieted and lined up outside the classroom. She hadn’t marched over to demand his name and the purpose of his visit, or to see his ID, so he figured he was okay. Allie told him she’d given the dancing school his name as an approved person for transporting Sophia. She’d also promised to have Katie’s mom call and do the same. So many details, but protecting children had to be given the highest priority, especially in today’s world run amuck with violence and crazies.
He’d wait only long enough to make sure Sophia and Katie marched into their class and then he’d take off in no time flat. Then he’d scout out the sporting goods store and wait for Allie’s call. Women weren’t the only ones privy to the gift of intuition, and his whispered that he’d be the one taking the girls home.