Plain City Bridesmaids

by Dianne Christner

  Megan sliced cold meatloaf, feeling miserable and wondering if Micah would make an appearance for supper. No routine had been established, and she noticed her mom casting nervous glances out the kitchen window, which was in a direct line with the cottage.

  “I hope he’s doing all right. I wonder how long it takes to get rid of hives?”

  Megan shrugged. Thankfully it’d never been a condition she’d experienced. She hadn’t told her parents about their altercation. “I imagine he’s sleeping it off.” Hopefully his foul mood, too.

  “If he doesn’t come in, I’ll send Bill out to him with a sandwich.”

  Megan doubted Micah needed food, doubted he wanted to see any of them about now, especially her. At least he hadn’t been required to preach that evening. She felt miserable for snapping at him. It was not like her, and she needed to apologize. Only the matter about the cat and the car still bothered her. If Micah didn’t tell Dad, she’d need to do it. It was her fault.

  The Weavers had just sat down to their meal when Micah tapped on the kitchen screen door.

  Mom shot out of her chair. “Oh, you don’t need to knock at mealtime. Just come in. I hoped you join us, but I didn’t want to bother you.”

  He took an empty seat and waited while Mom brought a fourth plate and set it in front of him. Micah dipped his head in silent prayer.

  When he was finished, Mom asked, “Are you feeling better?”

  “Some.” It was easy to see that the symptoms hadn’t completely vanished. Micah started to make a sandwich.

  Megan felt her face heat, not sure if she should apologize in front of her parents or hope for an opportunity in private.

  From the corner of her eye, Megan watched Micah fork out one of Mom’s homemade dill pickles and cut his sandwich in half. But instead of eating it, he placed his hands on his lap. He seemed to be struggling about the incident. “I need to apologize for some things that happened today.”

  “No, I do,” Megan quickly objected.

  She felt her parents’ surprised gazes darting between them.

  Micah gave her a smile. “Please, let me go first.”

  She nodded.

  “Bill. Anita. I’m sorry about my grandma’s cat. It was not part of our bargain. And today there was an incident. Well, two. She got into the shop and jumped up on the Nova. And later she messed up the flower bed.”

  Dad’s fork clattered to the table and his gaze went to the screen door. The color drained from Mom’s face, whether from the news of her flower bed or the scene that was playing out, Megan couldn’t tell.

  To Dad’s credit, he didn’t run out to the shop to check on his baby but remained to face the discussion. “It’s not my car. Usually the Novas out there belong to owners who trust me to keep their cars in mint condition.”

  “I understand that.”

  “It was my fault,” Megan blurted, unable to allow Micah to shoulder the blame. “I let the cat out of the cottage when I went after Micah’s pills. I shouldn’t have been out there in the first place. He asked me to get you, Dad. Instead I went myself. I didn’t think about how it would look to the church members.” She saw her dad’s shoulders sag.

  “Maybe I need to find an apartment someplace else. Is there anything in Plain City for cheap?” Micah asked, looking extremely sheepish. “I don’t suppose Barbara has an extra room? Maybe I could help her out?”

  “No!” Mom lifted her chin. “Everybody pitched in to fix up the Blue Cottage. It’s better not to stir things up. We will work this out on our own.” She turned her gaze to Dad. “Bill?”

  Dad clasped and kneaded his hands. He swallowed. “I appreciate your honesty. It’s no secret. I don’t like cats. We will all have to be more careful. We’re just getting started, and we’ve got three long months ahead of us. But I’m sure we’ll work this out.”

  Megan felt a rush of relief that Dad forgave them.

  “The congregation’s watching us,” Micah replied.

  Mom nodded. “My point, exactly.”

  “It was my fault. I went to Megan instead of coming directly to you, Bill. I could’ve gone home myself or carried pills in my car. The hives were unexpected.” Now he turned his gaze toward Megan. “When we talked earlier, I shouldn’t have put the blame on you. It’s just that I didn’t think you understood my situation. Being single, I have to be careful how I interact with women.” He shrugged. “But I shouldn’t have expected you to think about that. This is your home, and you’re used to having the run of the place.”

  Dad turned to Megan. “He’s right. Even though we all know that you and Micah are only friends, you can’t be going into his cottage.”

  “I understand. I’m sorry. But surely with time, everyone will figure out that we’re not interested in each other. That we’re only friends.”

  Micah nodded with clenched jaw. “I’ll get a litter box and try to keep Miss Purrty out of your flowers, Anita. I replanted the one she tore out, but I don’t know if it’ll survive.”

  Mom gave a nervous laugh. “How much damage can one cat do?” Dad quirked his eyebrow, and she quickly amended, “I mean in the yard? Now everybody, the food will get cold.”

  “It’s cold meatloaf, Mom.” Megan grinned.

  “Oh, right.” Mom was clearly flustered. Megan knew Mom wanted to be the perfect hostess for their important guest and felt uncomfortable caught between pleasing him or her husband.

  After the meal, Micah passed on dessert and excused himself, starting to his apartment. Megan jumped up and fled after him. “Wait, Micah. I know you don’t want to be alone with me, but I need to tell you I’m sorry I snapped at you. Everything you said was right.”

  Micah smiled. “I started it.”

  “Only because you were in pain, feeling miserable.”

  His expression saddened. “Today was a poor start. The entire congregation saw my weakness. I guess God wanted to humble me.”

  “You’re not weak at all.” Even at Rosedale, she’d seen his strength, his ability to persevere. “If God wanted to humble you, then He must have big plans for you.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. Good night, Megan.”

  She watched him turn and walk toward his cottage, wishing there was more that she could do to encourage him. But today, she’d hindered him. When she stepped into the kitchen, both her parents stared at her.

  “I just needed to apologize.”

  Dad reached out and took Megan’s hand. “I still don’t like the idea of having a cat in my shop, but I’m glad he came to us with the truth.”

  “The windows are open,” Mom reminded them. She whispered, “He had a rough day.”

  “We all did.” Megan squeezed her dad’s hand and released it, taking their plates to the kitchen sink.

  Megan watched a plane roll up to the hangar then brought her gaze from the glass window behind Chance and focused on their conversation.

  “Randy had a rough weekend. He got in a big fight with Tina.” Chance kept his voice low. “He came to my apartment, ready to leave her.”

  Megan was sorry to hear it. “What did you do?”

  “I persuaded him to give it another try. He texted me a little while ago that they’re going to book a cruise if I’ll stay longer.”

  This news brought Megan conflicting emotions. “Longer?”

  Chance laughed. “Don’t look so mortified. Yes, you’re stuck with me two extra weeks.”

  Two weeks wasn’t so long. “We’ll make do.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Paige said, stepping into view from somewhere behind Megan. “I swear, she’s the most positive person I know. But one of these days, her desk is going to sprout wings on it, the way you always perch here like it’s your personal cockpit.”

  Megan felt her face heat as Chance stood. “You’re right.” He leaned close to Paige’s ear, but Megan could hear his rebuff. “I don’t like being cooped up in there.”

  “Just two more weeks,” Paige said.

  “You keeping count
?” Chance appeared insulted.

  Paige shifted her files to her other arm. “It’s not hard. Every time I put invoices on your desk, I see those big red x’s, and the yellow highlighted square that is your last day.”

  Megan rubbed the side of her head with the end of her pencil then got it caught in her hair. Working to free it, she pointed out, “That yellow square has changed. He’s staying two extra weeks.”

  “You are?” Paige laid her files on Megan’s desk and moved to help her, then handed Megan back her pencil. “I guess we can carry him for two more weeks, right honey?”

  Rubbing the sore spot on her head, Megan nodded. “That’s just what I was saying when you walked up. We’ll make do.”

  Paige picked up her files and parceled them out. “One for you, honey, and two for you Mr. Campbell.” Then she strode back toward her desk.

  Chance tucked the files beneath his arm. “I love to irritate that woman.”

  “Love to irritate women, period,” Megan corrected, but then when he turned back and perched on her desk again, she wished she’d kept quiet and let him have the last word.

  “Speaking of, I’m taking the Cessna back to Indiana on Saturday. Want to go along?”

  Her heart raced. After the last trip and Chance’s report of actually getting involved with a rescue, she’d regretted missing it. She glanced at her desk. Interesting as the man was, she had a list of calls to make. She didn’t want to waste another half hour arguing about his question. “I’ll think about it. When do you need to know?”

  With surprise, he stood. “Thursday or Friday.”

  “Thanks for the offer.”

  With an expression much too hopeful, Chance smiled. “You’re welcome.” Finally he strode back to his office.

  Megan glanced out the huge glass windows, watched a plane gliding out toward the runway. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for. It wasn’t Ecuador or Djibouti, but it was going up in a plane, helping with MDS. She really wanted to go. But would Chance misinterpret her actions if she agreed?

  That afternoon when Megan pulled her Nova into the driveway, she noticed Micah sitting on the porch swing. Parking next to his Honda, she followed the shrubbery then clipped the corner of the lawn to the front sidewalk. She was already climbing the steps when she remembered she was not supposed to be hanging out alone with him. She hesitated.

  He waved her forward, as if he’d forgotten, too.

  Megan plopped her purse next to the screen door. “Hi.”

  Micah laid his Bible beside him on the swing. She wondered if it was intentional, to keep her from sitting beside him. She eyed it. “It’s kinda funny. I used to be the one fending you off, now you’re trying to keep your distance from me.”

  He looked stricken. “That’s not true.”

  She waved a hand, “It’s all right. Makes me kinda relieved. At least at home, I can drop my guard. Let you worry about that.”

  “Oh? But at work, it’s different?”

  “You’re perceptive.” At least he was perceptive when he didn’t play dumb, like he had back in college. Or when he’d muscled the cat in, despite the disapproval he felt from her dad.

  “Part of the job, I guess,” he said.

  “No, I think it’s a gift. Mom has it, too.”

  “So what’s going on at work?”

  “Oh, Chance asked me to fly with him on Saturday. He’s working with MDS, taking supplies to Indiana for victims of the recent tornado. Char Air does a lot of charity flights. And I’ve always wanted to go on some of these flights. I just don’t want to give him the wrong impression.”

  Micah ran a hand through his hair, started to say something, then refrained, his expression looking pained as if it was hard to remain silent.

  She glanced at the buckeye tree then at Micah’s Bible. “I told him I’d let him know at the end of the week.” She saw Micah’s jaw twitch. He probably didn’t realize he was tapping his leg. “Any advice, Brother Micah?”

  “You asking me as your preacher?”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s a good cause. MDS wouldn’t be able to keep going without volunteers.”

  She picked up his Bible, scooted in beside him, and dropped it on her lap, careful not to move his marker. She sank back against the swing’s back, allowing the slight movement to ease away the day’s stress. “Would you give me the same advice as a friend?”

  She heard him sigh. “I’d agree that you needed to be careful not to give him the wrong impression. All men are easily encouraged.”

  She fondled the soft leather cover. “As a preacher, you say yes, but as a friend, you say no? That leaves me without any clear direction.”

  The swing creaked, filling in the comfortable silence. She wondered if this was what it was like to have a brother. Heaven knew she needed another friend, what with Lil gone and Katy busy with her little family.

  “Some things you have to decide for yourself.”

  Her legs gave in to the soft swaying movement of the swing. “That’s exactly what Barbara told me.”

  “You talked to her about this?”

  “No. But I talked to her about Chance.”

  “I’d like to get to know her.”

  They fell into silence except for the rhythmic creaking. “I see you got rid of your hives.”

  “Yes. I went into the office today. Joy Ann says she needs a witness to count the offering. But I don’t think the preacher should see the checks. I’d rather not fall in a trap of judging people by their donations. I’m going to suggest that a treasurer assist her with that.”

  “Good idea. How often will you go to the office?”

  “Joy Ann says Brother Troyer went in every morning. I’ll try that. She only comes on Mondays and Fridays. She cleans house the other days. Joy Ann told me you’re friends.”

  “Yes, but not close friends. I think she’s trying to impress you.”

  He sighed. “I was afraid of that. Guess I better talk to your dad about not being at the office alone with her. I suppose it wasn’t an issue with Brother Troyer. But things are different these days.” He continued telling her about his day. “On my way home, I picked up a litter box. And when you pulled up, I was thinking about next week’s sermon topic.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  Megan patted his arm and rose. “How about something like ‘How to Hear God’s Voice’ or ‘How to Follow God’s Leading’?”

  He laughed. “You’ll have to make up your mind about the flight before Sunday’s sermon.”

  “True, but there’s always next week and next week’s problems.”

  “You’re right, Megan. There’s always that.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Do you know how to make hot dogs?”

  Megan looked up, her gaze following the aroma of french fries and the masculine voice that was hard to resist. She laughed at Chance’s serious expression. “Sure. That’s not hard. They’re not healthy, though.”

  He shoved a red fast-food container toward her. “Want one?”

  She looked at the fries. “No thanks.”

  “Hard to eat these without the hot dogs. In Ecuador, they have what’s called salchipapas, french fries with little hot dogs on top.”

  “Can’t you make hot dogs?”

  “I could if I had a grill. But I’m not staying in the States long enough to buy one.”

  “You can boil them in water.”

  “I tried microwaving one, but it blew up. The woes of being a bachelor.” He wagged his eyebrows at her.

  “Now that’s the way to charm a woman.” Megan mimicked his voice, “Come make me some hot dogs.”

  “Yeah? Nothing else is working. And it’s really too bad, because you would love Ecuador. It’s beautiful from its sky to its jungles. It has cliffs and waterfalls. And the weather is perfect. Always in the seventies, perpetual spring. I’m telling you, Megan, it’s the life. Sure beats asphalt and high-rises.”

  “
Plain City doesn’t have any high-rises. And I thought you said it rained a lot and the runways were gooey.”

  “But that’s what makes it the rain forest. Gorgeous.”

  “You miss it.”

  “Yes, but I’m going back. You, on the other hand, will miss out altogether unless you let me take you over.” He opened a ketchup packet and squirted it inside his cardboard container. “You should go before all your shots expire.”

  Megan smiled. “What kind of work would I do? I’m not a nurse.”

  “The hospitals need employees to keep records, too.”

  “Tell me about the hospital.”

  “There’s more than one. The Hospital Vozandeson is on the edge of the Amazon rain forest and has twenty-eight beds. They do surgery and treat snakebites and tropical diseases. Oh, and they deliver babies. There’re a couple of houses in Shell, mission hubs for missionaries, translators, supplies, pilots. I’m sure they need help running those places, too. I don’t suppose you’d want to get your pilot’s license?”

  “Hardly. What you just described, are these voluntary positions?”

  “Most. But not all. I’m telling you, once you visit, you’ll fall in love.”

  Megan smiled. Yes, she would. She’d already fallen in love with his irresistible smile. It was hard enough in a sterile chrome and glass office not to give in to his charms. What would it be like to be with him in his Garden of Eden?

  “But first, you should go with me on the MDS drop on Saturday. See what a safe pilot I am, build a little trust that I can deliver what I promise.” It was certainly tempting. He’d promised that if she claimed his friendship, he wouldn’t press her for more. But he hadn’t promised to protect her from her own feelings and desires.

  Just then Paige and Tate entered the office. “It’s nonstop lunch and break time with you two, isn’t it?” Paige plucked the last french fry out of Chance’s hand, stuck it in her mouth, then smacked her red lips. “Too much ketchup.”

  Chance shook his head, handed Megan the empty carton, and fell into step with Tate. “What’s the story on that cargo plane?”

  But Paige lingered at Megan’s desk. “The only thing that man understands is power. He respects it. That’s why I boss him around. Keeps him from bossing me around.”