“What a day. I’m beat.”
The unexpected comment floated within Katy’s hearing, and she flinched, thinking the television must have drowned out the sound of Tammy’s car. She turned and raised her chin, determining this was the night that she would be more assertive. “Yeah, me, too. Housecleaning’s no breeze.”
“Uh-oh. Somebody’s in a rare mood. The kids acting up or what?”
Once she’d made her mental stand, her frustrations poured out. “I feel manipulated, Tammy. You asked me to help Tyler with his school project when you know I don’t watch television. And you can even replay the show.”
Tammy’s mouth gaped; then she composed her features. “I didn’t know you don’t watch TV. Anyway, I thought I’d get home too late. I knew I’d be beat.”
It was as if Katy had stepped out of her body and the words came from some other source. “Well, I’m tired, too. I’ve cleaned this entire house. And I’m constantly picking up after the children.”
“But this is your job. I pay you. And a high wage.”
She saw that some of Tyler’s attitude came straight from his mother.
“I’ve made more at other places.” Katy shocked herself with that remark and worked quickly to remove the angry glint from Tammy’s eyes. Responding in anger wasn’t God-honoring, even if it felt right. “I’m sorry. That remark was inappropriate. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for the work. But the nanny part is not working out. I told you from the start, it isn’t what I enjoy doing. You’ve got to find someone else. I won’t be picking the children up from school on Wednesday, either.” Katy crossed her arms and waited for Tammy’s explosion.
“Excuse me?” Tammy ground out with sarcasm. But Katy didn’t budge. Then Tammy softened her voice. “You can’t back out now. You agreed. I’m working long days so I can be home the other three afternoons.”
Dropping her arms, Katy reasoned, “You’ve always known that I’m a housekeeper, not a nanny. Your kids are great, but the job doesn’t suit me.” She took a step toward the coat closet. “I’m sorry. I quit.”
“Wait! You’re not quitting cleaning, too, are you?”
Katy froze. Bit her bottom lip thoughtfully, “Not if you still want me.”
“Of course I want you.”
If Katy wasn’t losing that part of the job, she’d been a fool not to stand up to the woman earlier. “Great. I’ll be here on Wednesday. To clean,” she clarified, lest Tammy think she was giving in again.
Tammy ran her hands through her hair. She glanced at the stairway and back. “Well, okay. I’ll figure something out.”
Katy felt a twinge of compassion for her employer, imagining the Realtor trying to show a house with two quarrelsome kids in tow. Or maybe she could handle it. Maybe they’d sit in some corner listening to their new iPods. She caught herself. It wasn’t her problem. These were Tammy’s children. She was a housekeeper, not a nanny. She needed to be strong, not cave in to her employer’s sympathy ploys. She straightened. “Great. We only got halfway through Tyler’s homework assignment. ’Night.”
Walking to the car, Katy felt like King David must have after his war victories. How she could whip that broom around now! Why her feet were barely hitting the pavement. No more babysitting, and she hadn’t even lost her cleaning job! She didn’t know how the money would come in until she found another job to replace her loss, but she’d gone nose to nose with an outsider and just shed one hundred pounds of chains. Thank You, Lord!
CHAPTER 21
The next day, Katy and Lil headed to the kitchen door, snatched their coats off the coatrack Jake had dropped by earlier in the week, and started outside toward the washroom. Katy was relating to Lil how she’d stood up to Tammy and gotten rid of her nanny job. Lil set her basket down to close the door behind them and froze.
“What’s this? There’s a red envelope taped to our door.”
Katy’s heart thumped. “A valentine?”
Lil tore it free from the door. “Yep. And your name’s on it.”
Katy dropped her clothes basket, too, and tore open the envelope. Her heart sank. “It’s from David.”
Lil raised her brow. “Guess he didn’t get the message.”
Katy opened the envelope of the store-bought card. It was blank inside, but he had handwritten: Thinking of you and that popcorn! Or maybe dessert? She bit her lip. When was the last time she had thought about him? She tucked the card inside her wash and picked up her basket. “I hate hurting him.”
“Hey, at least one of us got a valentine. That’s something, huh?”
“I guess.”
They started out for the washroom again, using the sidewalk that connected the doddy house to the workroom that they shared with the main house.
“About our earlier conversation, I’m glad you finally got rid of that nanny job. Don’t worry. Something will turn up.” Lil plunked her clothes basket on the cement floor, then rifled through it once, then a second time, more thoroughly. “I’m glad you stood up to Tammy. She’ll probably treat you with more respect now.”
Katy sorted her clothes, making neat piles. “We may be okay with it now, but it will catch up to us eventually. I’ve got to get a real job soon. Especially if Megan goes on a summer mission trip and doesn’t move in with us.”
Lil upended her basket until all its contents rained onto the floor, then garment by garment replaced each article with growing frustration as Katy watched with amusement. When that didn’t meet Lil’s satisfaction, she exhaled angrily and stared at the door as if her missing garment had sprouted legs.
Biting back a smile, Katy poured detergent in the washing machine and added her darks. Then she dangled Lil’s work skirt in the air. “This what you’re missing?”
Lil snatched it, casting her a dirty look that dared her to make some remark about it. They both knew that if Lil didn’t throw her stuff all over the closet, she wouldn’t lose things, or at least they wouldn’t end up in Katy’s dirty clothes basket instead of her own.
“Oops, wait a minute.” Lil dug into her skirt pocket and tucked her cell phone into the hollow of her neck. “Hello?” As she talked, she tossed her darks in with Katy’s and set the dial.
“Here,” Lil shoved the phone in front of Katy’s face as they made their way back to the house. “Jake wants to talk to you.”
Frowning, Katy held the phone to her ear. “Can you meet me at the new fellowship hall? I’ve got a quick question about the kitchen cabinets.”
“I can be there in an hour.”
The fellowship hall carried the tangy smell of new lumber and in its skeletal state was as much a war zone as a construction site. Voices from the other side of a two-by-six frame wall stuffed with shiny insulation rectangles warned Katy of the presence of workers.
“Okay, boss. See you tomorrow.”
“Don’t let that baby keep you up all night so that you come crawling in late again.”
“No sir. I’ll send the wife over instead.”
“Can she swing a hammer?”
“The question is, can I change a diaper?” the worker replied. “And the answer is no, I can’t.”
Jake’s good-natured laugh echoed through the nearly vacant building, the crew heading home for the day. As Katy waited for him, she gazed around the kitchen. The island location was chalked off on the floor. Wires protruded at regular intervals through the walls. A piece of sharp sheet metal lay at her feet.
When Jake stepped into the room, like always, his dark good looks caught her unawares. When would she get used to the way the short sleeves of his T accentuated his muscles? The way his tool belt slung low, emphasizing his trim waist. “Hi. Thanks for coming over.”
She jerked her gaze off him, stared at the kitchen wall, pretending the building drew her interest more than his presence. “It’s like this place went up overnight. Everyone will be amazed on Sunday.”
“The framing makes a big difference, but it’ll still be a while till it’s complete. Over here’s
the problem. He stepped around a stack of drywall. “We had planned on a countertop microwave, but actually we could fit one in the cabinetry right here beside the refrigerator. What do you think?”
She thought she shouldn’t be here, alone with him like this, if she wanted to continue to resist him. And surely she must. Shouldn’t she?
He tilted his head. Waited.
Oh! She studied the space he’d indicated and considered the options between less counter space or less cabinet space. “I think we should take it up off the counter if that works.” And yes, I want to resist him. This could easily have been handled over the phone. Knowing that he had invented a reason to see her, a shiver of delight traipsed up her spine. He stood so close that she could smell soap mixed with the leather from his tool bags. Or maybe I don’t want to resist.
“Listen, me and some of the guys have been shooting hoops over at Chad Penner’s barn.”
Chad was Jake’s lifelong friend, although Katy knew they hadn’t hung around much when he’d fallen away from the church. Chad had gone straight to work for his dad on their farm while Jake was at school. She frowned. Or maybe they had stayed in touch. What did it matter? Was she losing her mind? She tried to concentrate.
“Tomorrow night, they’re inviting their girlfriends to come watch. Afterward we’re going to roast hot dogs. Would you like to go with me?”
Yes and no. Both. But he wanted her to decide now. On the upside, she wouldn’t be babysitting. She did want to explore the possibility of a relationship since he’d explained everything. On the downside, she didn’t want to do it in front of an audience. “Who will be there?” she stalled.
Jake’s eyes darkened. “Not David, if you’re worried about him.”
“I’m not. I’m worried about you,” she snapped. She knew how to keep an argument going, these days. She didn’t know anything, though, about starting or ending relationships.
But her challenge was disregarded as he fixed his gaze on something beyond her. His hand went to his hammer, and he slowly eased it out of his holster. She sucked in her breath, her common sense telling her to be still. He slowly drew his arm back over his head. She closed her eyes. Then a second later, its clang caused her to shriek and open her eyes.
“Got it!”
Wheeling around, the tiny dead mouse caused another involuntary scream to slip out of her mouth, before she shivered and turned back to him. “Ew!”
He grinned and took her into his arms with a whisper. “Sorry about that. Don’t think the hostess committee would want him around, nibbling on the communion bread.”
“Ew!” she repeated. But she didn’t shrink back from his embrace. I can’t resist him. I don’t want to resist him.
The room was darkening. His voice was husky against her ear. “Give me another chance?”
She stepped away. Finally she replied, “Well, you were pretty tolerable on Saturday.”
But his touch wasn’t, it was deadly. Irresistible. As if he could read her mind, he took her hands and pulled her close again. But she bumped his tool bags and the sharp edge of a square dug into her hip bone. “Ouch.”
“Sorry.” He fiddled with the belt and dropped into onto the floor. He reached for her again, and his touch thrilled and completed her. The question was no longer applicable.
They entered an embrace that removed the last shred of debate. It was just the two of them, and a place of contentment she’d thought was gone forever. Longing for more, temporary as the fix might be, she looked into his face and saw his desire. It wasn’t a sexual one, but a soul’s longing, and she knew what he felt because she experienced it, too.
He dipped his head and his lips touched hers briefly, igniting a fire that flowed through her veins. When she didn’t resist, he kissed her again, more fully. It sizzled with a promise that she longed to give in to. How she wanted to trust this man. Her hands had moved up to his forearms, and she lightly pushed away, breathless.
“Will you?” he asked.
She ran her tongue over her lips then whispered. “It’s wrong to claim the prize before we’ve taken the journey, you know?”
He nodded, rubbing his thumbs against her palms. “You can trust me for the journey.”
“How?”
He studied her intently. “Are you talking about our kiss?” She nodded. “Then I won’t kiss you again.”
Biting her lower lip, she nodded. “Then I’ll go with you.”
“And I’ll do everything in my power to win you.”
She grinned. “But no kissing?” When they kissed, she couldn’t think rationally.
“Not until you ask. But you were supposed to say, ‘And I’ll do everything in my power to let you win me.’ ”
She arched a brow. “Well, that’s just not true.”
He sighed. “No, I suppose not. That’s all right. You’ll see. It will all be all right.”
Maybe. She changed the subject. “I quit my nanny job.”
“Ah,” he groaned. “Addison will miss you. Believe me, I know.”
She went on to confide her frustrations with Tammy, the television incident, and even voiced some of her confusion about her emotions over the whole ballet experience. He didn’t interrupt her with objections or give his opinions on dancing or television, but just replied, “It’s a lot to work through. The Christian walk hinges on our choices. I’ll pray for you.”
He’d changed. Wasn’t the teenager she once loved, but had become a man who prayed and who talked about his mistakes. A man willing to wait and woo. He was the same guy with new intrigue. When she started to leave, she felt his gaze on her back; she turned with a sly smile. “By the way, you’re real good with that hammer. That mouse didn’t stand a chance.” And neither do I.
Afterward, Katy’s heart thrilled over the exciting encounter so that when she pulled into the Millers’ driveway, she could hardly recall the drive home. But the sight of David’s shiny black car brought her out of her daydreams and sent a jolt of anxiety up her nerves. She needed to make it plain to David that she was going to entertain Jake’s pursuit. That they were dating again.
The sedan’s driver door opened, and David jumped out, tall and perfect as ever. He saw her at once and started toward her car. Tucking the inside of her cheek gently into her bite, she turned off the ignition and stepped outside to face him. “Thanks for the valentine.”
He nodded as if it embarrassed him and that he was sorry he’d left it. “Just home from work?”
“No. Church. Going over some stuff with Jake.” She carefully watched his reaction, wanting to let him down easy, knowing that was impossible. Once she attended the basketball game, news of her date with Jake would be all over church. Better to tell David in person. “We’re dating.”
There was an awkward silence. David tilted his head. “Guess his valentine was bigger than mine?”
She gave him a contrite smile. “Older.”
His eyes narrowed, and his mouth contorted into an uncharacteristic scowl. “So you’re going to give the jerk another chance?”
“I think he’s changed.”
He crossed his arms and glanced at the doddy house, his expression softening. “And you’re not going to invite me in for popcorn?”
“Maybe sometime when Lil’s home.” She hoped they could remain friends, especially since he was often visiting at Ivan’s, but that depended upon him.
Resignation dimmed his eyes. Then they took on a hateful glint. “Think I’ll pass on that offer. Popcorn’s irritating, the way it gets stuck in your teeth, you know? Don’t know what I ever saw in popcorn in the first place. Not when desserts are so plentiful. Think what I want is something real sweet, creamy, and rich. Something that melts in my mouth.” He turned abruptly and strode toward his brother’s house, leaving her face to turn hot as a stove’s burner.
CHAPTER 22
Jake’s feet left the ground, his body made a smooth arc as he soared upward, and then his arms suddenly smashed down, slamming the orange ball t
hrough the hoop. Some pigeons fluttered in the barn rafters, and Katy shot to her feet with a squeal, clapping just as she had for his previous four baskets.
As the players ran to the opposite end of the court, she settled back onto the bale of hay she shared with a slim blond girl named Mandy, who was Chad Penner’s girlfriend.
“He’s good,” Mandy commented, following Jake with her gaze. A twinge of pride warmed Katy. She glanced sideways. Mandy’s eyes followed Jake up and down the court. Or was she watching Chad, who was guarding him?
Jake and Chad had been best of friends yet always challenging each other. Naturally, Jake was a showstopper with his love to perform. Most likely, the show was part of his scheme to woo Katy, but he was also attracting the attention of all the other females inside the barn.
She hated the jealousy that erupted inside her, that desire to possess and control him, even quell him. She’d first felt it when he’d started falling away. She hadn’t been able to keep him then, so the familiar grinding in the pit of her stomach also carried a foreboding.
She should flee before he hurt her again. Only she had no place to go since Jake claimed he was here to stay, winning back the community. That made her a part of the spectacle, with everyone waiting to see if she would take him back, too. When Jake winked a roguish blackened eye at her, Katy wished she hadn’t allowed their fragile beginnings of a relationship to go public.
Mandy caught the flirtatious gesture. “Glad to see you two back together.”
“Excuse me?”
“You belong together.”
Thoughts shot through Katy’s mind: If he dumps me it will be even more humiliating this time. If I lose him, the pain will be even worse than it was before. What am I doing here? With the realization that she was a long way from trusting Jake again, she shrugged, “We’ll see.”
Plain City Bridesmaids Page 19