Baby's Breath (Garden of Love 2)

by Melanie Wilber

  Josie and Tommy rode the bus across town to her brother’s neighborhood. If there was ever a time she missed having a car, this was it. Riding a bus to the hospital or anywhere in the downtown area of Portland didn’t bother her, but Patrick and Faith lived far enough away that catching the right bus at the right time sometimes didn’t mesh with her schedule. Her dad had offered to buy her a car many times, but she had always declined, not wanting to take advantage of his generosity. He had already paid for her to go to college and to nursing school. She didn’t want to take any more from him.

  The bus let them off in front of Safeway, and they went into the large supermarket to pick up a few groceries. Since Patrick and Faith never accepted money from her for watching Tommy, she showed her appreciation in other ways like restocking their refrigerator. She had to do something, considering all they did for her.

  “Josie Elise Matthews,” Faith scolded when she arrived carrying several filled grocery bags. “I hope you’re planning to take some of this home with you.”

  “Not a chance, Sis. It’s all for you,” she said, setting the bags on the counter. “And I’m making dinner.” Before Faith had a chance to protest further, Josie began unloading the contents and putting them away.

  “Good grief, did you buy the whole store?”

  “Who wants Popsicles?” Josie asked, ignoring her sister-in-law’s comment.

  “Me!” Three eager voices sounded in unison.

  “I want orange,” Lindsey said.

  “I want red,” Aleisha piped in. Josie noticed how tall her oldest niece was getting. She came up to her shoulder now.

  “How about you?” Josie asked Tommy, tousling his hair.

  “Grape,” he said, reaching into the box.

  Josie handed the girls their cool treats.

  “Okay, outside with those please,” Faith said.

  “Hey, what’s all this?” Patrick asked, coming in from outside. “Where did the Popsicles come from?” He began rummaging through the box and pulled out a red one for himself.

  “Your little sister is on a crusade to fill our cupboards,” Faith said, stashing the remaining Popsicles in the overflowing freezer.

  “Thanks, Sis,” Patrick said, giving her a sideways hug before stepping away.

  “They had these cute little scented candles on sale,” Josie said, holding one up and taking a whiff of the strawberry scent.

  Faith rolled her eyes but took the glass jar and sniffed the red wax.

  “Put it in the bathroom,” Josie said. “They work the best in a small space.”

  Josie made dinner for them all later, using some of the items she had picked up at the store. She enjoyed cooking and welcomed the chance to make a large portion and not have leftovers as she usually did when she cooked for herself and Tommy. Faith expressed her appreciation, and Josie was happy to give her a break from cooking for her busy family, especially when Faith said she was tired and not feeling well and went to lie down before she left.

  “I hope it wasn’t my lasagna,” Josie said to Patrick after they had all finished, adding the last plate to the dishwasher.

  “She’s been like this off and on the past week or two. We had to leave early from the restaurant last night.”

  A feeling of uneasiness swept through her. Josie couldn’t remember Faith ever being ill for more than a few days, ever since she had known her. Was something wrong?

  “I better get going if I’m going to catch the bus,” Josie said to Patrick but wished she had time to go check on Faith.

  She gave Tommy a hug and a kiss and instructed him to be good for his aunt and uncle. They always seemed glad to have him, and Josie knew he liked being here. On the ride back to the hospital she whispered a prayer for Faith and hoped nothing serious was wrong.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Carrying a blanket under one arm, Josie arrived at Lincoln Field the following afternoon and spotted Patrick near Tommy’s team. The sun felt warm on her bare arms and legs as she stepped onto the grass and weaved her way around other families sitting in lawn chairs and on the ground along the edge of the playing surface.

  “Hi,” she said, squinting into the sun. “Where’s Faith?”

  “She decided to stay home.”

  “Not feeling well?”

  Patrick nodded. “But the girls are here,” he said, pointing to a small blue concession stand at the end of the field. “They’re getting something to drink.”

  “I’m going to go tell Tommy I’m here,” she said, spreading out her blanket and then walking toward where he was warming up.

  “Mommy, look!” Tommy said when he noticed her coming. “I can do this!”

  Josie watched Tommy begin bouncing the soccer ball on his knee, managing to keep it from hitting the ground.

  “Wow! That’s great, honey.” She grabbed the ball. “Can I have a hug now?”

  She set the soccer ball on the ground, and Tommy fell into her arms. She squeezed him tight before releasing him and tossing him the ball. “You have fun out there, okay?”

  Josie left him to keep practicing his new skill and walked back to Patrick. Sitting down on her blanket, she extended her pale bare legs out in front of her. Patrick’s two daughters returned from the concession stand, carrying two large sodas in their small hands. One for their dad and the other for them to share.

  Aleisha was nine, and Lindsey had recently turned seven. Aleisha had Faith’s ash-blonde hair and often wore it in two long French braids, one on each side of her head, like today. Lindsey’s dark hair, however, matched her own. Many times over the years people had wondered if she was Josie’s daughter. Lindsey didn’t particularly look like either of her parents, but even Josie thought the resemblance between herself and her niece was uncanny.

  Tommy’s team played well, scoring four goals in the first half, while their opponents managed one. Josie cheered and beamed with pride when Tommy made one of those goals and when he came close to making others.

  When the game ended, the scoreboard read nine-to-four, in favor of Tommy’s team. Tommy had scored two more goals in the second half, and Josie took him to McDonald’s to celebrate. By the time they reached the apartment, they needed to change and get ready to go to church for the Sunday evening programs. Josie wanted to be on time and have a chance to talk to the girls in her group and get to know their names before the activity got underway.

  The church was located within easy walking distance from their apartment. Josie and Tommy entered the three-story building and headed for the fellowship hall located in the basement. When they reached the large room where the younger children gathered, Josie saw a familiar face sitting at the registration table.

  “Hello, Josie and Tommy,” Ellen Walker greeted them.

  Josie noticed her haircut right away. Her usual wavy bob had been replaced by a shorter style.

  “I like your hair!” Josie said, stopping in front of the long table. “When did you get that done?”

  Ellen reached to touch the back of her head. “Yesterday,” she said, with a hint of regret. “I’m not sure if I like it yet.”

  “I think you look great.”

  “Thanks. I decided to do away with that thirty-something style,” she laughed. “As much as I want to think of myself as being thirty for the rest of my life.”

  Josie knew Ellen had several grown children and guessed she must be about the same age as her mom. Josie had met her the first Sunday she had attended Central Emmanuel three years ago, and she had liked her right away. She supposed Ellen had that effect on everyone, although she couldn’t help thinking that Ellen seemed to go out of her way to make her feel welcome and accepted. As a single mom, she didn’t get that kind of treatment from everyone. Ellen had been the one to introduce her to Vivian when she had learned Josie was looking for a baby-sitter.

  “What are you doing sitting at the registration table?” Josie asked.

  “I’m waiting for one of the secretaries to arrive. She’s running late,” Ellen said.
“If we can get through tonight with that being our only glitch, I’ll be ecstatic.”

  Ellen turned her attention to Tommy. “Are you in first grade, now?”

  Tommy nodded.

  Ellen read the address and phone number written on the registration card from last year. She always treated Tommy special too. “Is that right?”

  Tommy nodded again.

  “Okay, then. You’re all set,” Ellen said, smiling and giving Tommy a wink. “You are on the red team this year. Your leader is over there by that big red banner on the wall.”

  Josie walked with him to where Ellen had indicated. Tommy met his leader, Mr. Davidson. She told Tommy she would see him in a couple of hours and walked back the way she had come in, making her way to the multipurpose room on the main floor which served as an auditorium on Sunday mornings and a gym for evenings like this.

  Checking in at the registration table, she received her packet and a preliminary list of the girls she would have in her group throughout the year. After glancing through the materials in the large manila envelope, she looked to the front again. BLUE TEAM GIRLS, was written in bold black letters in the top right-hand corner.

  Glancing around the room, she saw many familiar faces. Several people from the singles’ group worked with the youth on Sunday nights. She had made many good friends here in the last three years. Spotting her friend Lily across the room, she jogged over to say hello and gave her a hug.

  “I haven’t seen you since you got back,” she said to the newlywed. “How was Maui?”

  Lily smiled. “Absolutely heavenly.” Her face shone with a radiance matching the warmth of her light red hair. Josie supposed the glow was a result of being in the tropics and being a newly married woman.

  “Is Peter here?” she asked.

  “No, he’s working today,” she said. Her voice changed to one of concern. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m okay,” she said, not trying to hide her lingering feelings of sadness concerning Mark. “I miss him. Do you know how he’s doing?”

  “Peter talked to him a couple of days ago. He’s keeping busy, getting settled and everything. Peter didn’t mention anything else.”

  She took a deep breath, knowing Lily understood the difficulty of saying good-bye to someone she cared for. Lily had faced a similar decision earlier this year, but everything had turned out well when she and Peter started dating a few months later. Seeing Lily so happy gave her some measure of hope, but she couldn’t help but wonder if her own outcome would be a happy one.

  Walking to the blue team corner, Josie spotted a familiar profile standing about twenty feet away. She stopped and stared. Same tall build, same dark hair, same smile. He stood against the wall under a yellow banner, talking with a small group of boys. What is he doing here? Not knowing what else to do, she kept walking and acted like she hadn’t noticed him.

  What did I do that for? It’s not like I can avoid him all night. Well, this gives me some time. Time for what? Her head felt like the spin cycle of a washing machine. I need to sit down.

  None of her girls had arrived yet, and she crouched against the wall but craned her neck to see if she could see her neighbor from here. She could not.

  “Are you Josie?”

  Josie’s eyes snapped up to see a young woman with long brown hair and large green eyes looking down at her. I must look ridiculous, cowering against the wall like a scared rabbit.

  She scrambled to her feet. “Yes, I’m Josie.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Allison Kennedy,” she said shaking Josie’s outstretched hand. “They told me at the desk that I’d be working with you.”

  “Great! Nice to meet you, Allison.” Josie recognized her from the class she usually attended on Sunday mornings, but she didn’t think Allison had been attending for long.

  Josie tried her best to get to know Allison and the girls in her group during the next ten minutes, despite her mind being elsewhere. She learned Allison had lived in Brazil most of her life, explaining her beautiful bronze complexion. Her parents had been missionaries there since she was five, and she had moved to Portland this summer to continue her college education.

  “I came here with my sister when I was seventeen and went to Portland State for two years while she went to nursing school, but I didn’t know what I wanted to study and went back to Brazil. Now, four years later, here I am again.”

  “Did you like growing up in Brazil?”

  “Very much,” Allison said with longing. “I miss my family, but I have to find my own life here, I suppose. Although I do hope to return to Rio someday.”

  “Does your sister still live around here?”

  “She’s married now and lives in southeast Portland.”

  “Did she finish nursing school?”

  “Yes. She works at a pediatric clinic.”

  “I’m a nurse too,” Josie said.

  “What type of nursing do you do?”

  “Labor and delivery.”

  Allison’s green eyes widened. “You help deliver babies?”

  “Yes.” Josie smiled. Most people reacted the same way when she told them about her job. “I love it.”

  Josie knew she would enjoy working with Allison and hoped for the possibility of developing a friendship with her. She also tried to learn all of the girls’ names as they arrived. Her years as a nurse had trained her well in having to remember new faces, but she kept glancing to the other side of the room. Teenagers blocked her view, however, of the spot she had last seen her neighbor.

  When the game leader called for their attention and instructed them to gather in small groups around the gym, Josie felt animated, directing her girls to an open space. Looking for two of her seventh-graders who had somehow gotten separated from the rest of the group, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

  Josie whirled around.

  “Can I get you to help me explain the first game?”

  “Hi, Doug,” she said. Doug had led game-time last year, and she also knew him from the singles’ group. “Sure. What are we playing?”

  “Knots.”

  “No problem.”

  Doug called the group to attention with the aid of a wireless microphone, and Josie located her missing girls, directing them to the rest of their group. She heard her name being called out through the loudspeaker.

  Running out to the middle of the floor where other leaders had already gathered and hearing the cheers coming from her group, Josie turned around and gave them one of her best “hamming it up” smiles. Sunday nights she could act like a teenager again. She loved it.

  “Okay, these fine leaders are going to show you how to play, for those of you who don’t already know,” Doug’s voice boomed through the microphone. “First they will form a circle.”

  Josie turned back around and stepped into an open space.

  “Come on, you can make a better circle than that!” Doug boomed again. “I’m working with amateurs here!”

  Josie adjusted her position and spaced herself equally between those on either side of her, realizing they were both guys, very tall guys. Oh great! This game is harder with people of various heights. Come on Doug, you should--

  Her thoughts were cut short when she looked up to see the face of the one on her left.

  “Okay, that’s better,” Doug continued. “Now step forward and reach your right hand across the circle.”

  Josie extended her arm, smacking her hand into the arm of the guy on her left.

  “Josie!” Doug’s voice scolded. “Your other right!”

  Josie felt her face flush and her heart thumping in her chest. She avoided her neighbor’s eyes and extended her right hand this time.

  “Now, grab a hand from the opposite side of the circle,” Doug continued. “Josie, do you need any more help?”

  “No, I got it,” she said, taking a step forward and grasping the cool slender hand of the girl across from her.

  “Don’t worry,” Josie heard the deep voic
e say in her ear, sending shivers clear through her. “I’m new too.”

  Turning her head to the side and looking up, Josie met her neighbor’s gaze. She returned his smile and could smell his pleasing cologne once again.

  “I’m not new,” she said. “Just pathetic.”

  “I find that hard to believe, Josie.”

  More than you know, she inwardly groaned, and yet feeling her heart absolutely melt at the way he said her name.

  Their group began trying to untwist the human knot they had created, and their conversation ceased. Usually active in trying to figure out whose arm she needed to go under or over, Josie could have helped her team more, but her mind kept wandering.

  Being dragged away from her neighbor one moment and close enough to hear him breathing the next, her heart surged each time they touched. At one point he stood directly behind her, his warm chest pressed up against her shoulders. She could feel his heart beating and knew her own must have stopped.

  When they completed their task of unraveling themselves Josie walked back to her girls, realizing all the kids had already formed their own knots. She had no recollection of Doug giving them instructions to do so. Glancing at the clock, she knew their demonstration had taken longer than she thought.

  She stepped in to help Allison unravel their tightly-knit group and tried to snap out of her daze.

  “What’s his name?” Josie heard one of the girls ask.

  “Brandon,” another replied.

  Josie assumed they were talking about one of the boys nearby.

  “Which one?” she asked, looking to the adjacent cluster.

  Several of the girls giggled.

  “Seriously?” an eighth-grader named Samantha blurted, looking right at her.

  “What?” she laughed. “Who are you talking about?”

  All the girls laughed.

  Samantha replied. “The tall one you were standing right next to!”

  “Brandon,” another girl swooned.

  CHAPTER SIX

  By the time the youth pastor began teaching the message near the end of the evening, Josie confirmed that her neighbor’s name was, in fact, Brandon. Following the worship time, all of the team leaders had been called up front to share their names and a little about themselves.