Will rose from the fireplace and waited a moment to see if the kindling caught the flame. When he was satisfied, he moved to the sofa, mesmerized by the fire sparking inside the hearth.
“That looks nice,” Christine said, coming into the room. “Grandma decided to go to bed early. A couple of ladies from her circle are coming over to visit tomorrow.”
She stepped past him heading for a chair, but Will reached out and pulled her down beside him. “The view’s better from here.”
Christine gave him a curious glance, then watched the flames licking along the log and settled back.
Will hunkered down beside her. “I’m glad people are beginning to treat her as if she’s going to live. I know they mean well, but sometimes they only called or dropped off food, and they didn’t stay. She misses her normal relationship with them.”
“I know it’s been hard on her.”
“I suppose it has on you, too, missing your friends.” A questioning tone accentuated his voice.
Her head lifted from the cushion. “That’s funny.”
“What?”
Her expression shifted from awareness to surprise. “I don’t miss my friends, because I don’t have many.”
“You don’t?”
“Not really. My life has been so filled with work that I come home exhausted and don’t really socialize much.”
“You must do something. Even I hang around with a few people.”
“I have a good friend who moved when she got married, and I’m hoping to see her when I go to Detroit on Wednesday. I’ll call her and see if we can meet for lunch or dinner.”
“She’s married?”
“Yes, I was her maid of honor. She’s younger than I am, but we’ve been like sisters.”
The reference to her age caught him again, and he struggled to keep from reacting. He needed to talk with her about that, but he feared if she knew the truth, she’d not give them a chance. Chance? He had a fleeting chance as it was. The woman lived near Detroit. He lived three hundred miles away on an island. That situation could undo any chance in itself.
“You’re quiet,” she said, leaning her head back again.
He turned to her, watching the firelight dance across her face. The golden glow glinted in her hair, and her eyes sparkled even more brightly. “If you lived on the island, you’d have a good friend.”
Will cringed hearing his inane comment, like a lovesick puppy. He expected her to laugh, but she didn’t.
“I know. Grandma and I had a talk today about change. She thinks I’ve changed since I’ve come here.”
The urge to touch her hair tangled his thoughts. He fought the desire until he couldn’t control it any longer. He eased his finger upward and brushed a lock from her cheek. “You have. I’ve seen it, and I like it.”
She didn’t flinch as he swept the spun gold from her face. “You look worn-out.”
“It’s the trip. I hate leaving and dumping this on you and Linda. I’ll be back the next day, but it’s asking a lot.”
He motioned to his shoulder and drew her head toward it. Her gaze drifted to his hand, and as she shifted closer, he slid his arm around her shoulders. “I wouldn’t have volunteered if I hadn’t wanted to help. I love your grandmother.”
Christine lifted her head, and he wanted to kick himself for making a statement that caused her to shift away.
She looked at him closely. “I know you do, and that’s another thing I couldn’t understand. When I first met you, I thought you had an ulterior motive.”
“Ulterior motive?” She’d thrown him with the comment. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t understand a man being so accommodating to an elderly woman without wanting something.”
“Like what?”
“Like her money.”
“Her money? I didn’t know she had any money. That wouldn’t have entered my mind.” Now he’d straightened up and removed his arm from around her.
“You see, that was my bad attitude. I’m really sorry.”
She fell against the cushion, and Will took advantage of her upset to embrace her again and draw her closer. “I hope you know—”
“My grandmother was shocked that I’d even said it.”
“You told your grandmother?”
“She put me in my place. She talked about Christian love and compassion. That’s something I lack so much.”
He nestled his head against hers again. “Not anymore. You’re willing to fight your boss for time to spend with your grandmother. That’s not the action of someone who’s not caring. I see your love every day that you’re standing over her forcing her to do her therapy or encouraging her to work on the jigsaw.”
“And it feels good.” She turned toward him, her mouth so close to his he could feel her breath against his lips. “I’ve never imagined that helping someone could give me such a sense of purpose and—” she shrugged “—I don’t know, happiness, I guess.”
“It’s because it happens right here.” He lifted her hand and pressed it against his heart. “When things affect you here, instead of up there—” he used his free hand to motion to his head “—then it’s a special gift. It’s what God wants us to do, because we’re doing it for Him.”
A tender look moved to her face. “It’s that Christmas heart you talked about.” She snuggled closer, and he ran his finger over the soft flesh of her arm.
In the quiet, he listened to the snap of the log in the fireplace and watched the ash sprinkle down like glowing confetti.
“You’ll be back Thursday,” he said, breaking the silence.
“Probably around four in the afternoon. My meeting is in the morning, and I hope to leave after lunch.”
“If we can get someone to stay with Grandma Ella, would you like to help me pick out a Christmas tree?”
“So early?”
“My folks will be here Saturday afternoon, and—”
Christine shifted. “Yes, that’s a good idea. I forgot they were coming so soon. We want the house to look like Christmas.”
“Just a little one for my place,” he said.
“No, we’ll put one up here, too. They’ll come to dinner. You shouldn’t just take them to a restaurant or feed them a microwave frozen dinner.”
He chuckled. “I suppose you’re right.”
“We’ll make a holiday meal. This will be fun.”
He didn’t want to destroy her plans, but nothing was very much fun with his family—unless Christine could work a miracle on them, and even God hadn’t done that.
Christine stood at the car rental checking the time. She’d agreed to meet Ellene for lunch and a little shopping before she headed for the office. She decided to work on the project in the evening after most everyone had gone. The building would be quieter, and she wouldn’t be distracted by co-workers dropping in to find out how she’d fared on the island. Later she would visit her parents. She missed them.
“Here you go,” the clerk said, slipping her the paperwork. “Go through that door on the left, and they’ll direct you to your car.”
“Thanks,” Christine said, picking up her overnight bag and following the clerk’s directions.
Once she pulled away from Detroit Metro airport, she headed east on I-94. The pavement was dry with no signs of snow, but the barren trees and gray sky told her that winter was not far-off.
Traffic sped along on the highway, and she followed the signs and veered onto the Southfield Freeway merging with traffic. The familiar landmarks whipped past her window and left her feeling lonely. She pictured her grandmother doing her exercises—the laps they’d gotten to enjoy as they talked while pacing the familiar path through the house. Her grandmother seemed stronger every day.
And Will. His smile filled her mind and his silly humor that she’d grown to love. She knew he had problems, but he carried them well, not like the burdens she lugged around so often—her fears of falling short on her job, the competition that kept her awake at night—but for a short while, that had changed.
The freeway merged into a regular road, and she braked for the stoplight. She’d be on time, she noted, glancing at her watch. As she approached Ten Mile Road, the restaurant sign caught her eye—Wing Hong. She liked Chinese food and so did Ellene, and the restaurant wasn’t noisy like so many were at lunchtime.
She pulled into the parking lot and entered the restaurant lobby. When she looked into the dining area with its red-and-black Asian decor, she saw Ellene’s bright smile. She waved, and Christine hurried forward, her arms open.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said, grasping her friend to her chest. “I hope you didn’t wait long.”
“I was just seated,” she said, holding Christine back and eyeing her from all directions. “What’s up with you? You look better than I’ve seen you in so long. Something must agree with you up there.”
Christine shrugged. “It’s been a battle, but I’m surviving.” She pulled off her coat, threw it on the bench and slipped into the booth.
“If it were a battle, you’ve come out the victor. You have the brightest glow, Christine, even more than when we spent an hour at the gym. I’m telling you, it must be the fresh air.”
Christine laughed. “Can you picture me driving a snowmobile?”
Ellene shook her head. “You’re kidding. Is that your only transportation?”
“Now with the snow. I didn’t know what I was doing until Will gave me a lesson. I was so determined—”
Ellene grabbed her arm. “Hold on. Will? Who’s Will?”
Christine tried to keep her voice calm, but she longed to talk about him. “He’s my grandmother’s boarder.”
“Really?”
She studied Christine, and her scrutiny made Christine uneasy. “Really. I didn’t know she had a boarder until he met me at the ferry depot.”
“On a white steed?”
“No, with a taxi—horse and carriage no less.”
Ellene grasped her hand and squeezed. “Please tell me. Something’s going on, and I’m so excited for you. You like him, right?”
“I didn’t want to, but I do, Ellene, and it makes no sense. I barely know him, and yet I feel I’ve known him forever. I was very edgy at first, but I came to my senses.”
“Edgy?”
Christine told her how she’d worried about Will’s motives, her jealousy with his closeness to her grandmother, and his island know-it-all. “But that’s changed. He owns a business, and I have so many ideas for him.”
“Is he open to that? You know a man and his business. If you interfere—”
“You order?” the Asian woman asked.
“I haven’t looked.” Christine flipped open the menu and gave it a quick scan. “I’ll take the number six luncheon plate with wonton soup.”
The waitress nodded, and after Ellene placed her order, the woman left.
“I mentioned ideas to him, and he didn’t say anything.” Or did he? Was that one of his silent moments?
“I don’t mean to interfere, but I know how you are about business. You have set ideas, and they don’t always work for someone else.”
Christine was taken aback. “Do you really think I’m pushy?” Aggresive. Her grandmother’s word made her wince.
“I didn’t say pushy exactly. Your ideas are strong and you think they’re right.”
Was that so bad? Christine pondered what Ellene had said for a moment. “I do know a lot about marketing and that’s where Will’s business is weak. I think the Internet could be a boon to making him a—”
“Success?” Ellene frowned. “Do you think a man wants to hear you don’t consider him a success? You know I did that to Connor, and it almost ruined our relationship. I don’t want to see you ruin something before it has a chance to succeed.”
“He knows I admire him.”
“You say you admire him, but what you do really tells the tale.” She brushed the air with her hand. “Look. Ignore me. It’s none of my business. Just tell me about him.”
Christine let her friend’s comments slide, but they stuck in the back of her mind as she told her about Will. Ellene’s smile was as broad as her own when she talked about the sled lessons and the conversations in front of the fireplace. “I like him a lot, but it’s sad.”
“Sad?”
“Because I live here, and he lives there. He’d never come back to the city. I would stake my job on it.”
“That’s a pretty strong comment.”
They paused while the waitress brought their soup and egg roll with a pot of Chinese tea.
“You’d have to meet him. The island has made a mark on him—a good mark. He belongs there. Remember how you felt about Harsens Island and how much Connor loved it.”
“He still does, and guess what—so do I now that I’m there. Caitlin is so happy, too.” She took a spoonful of soup. “I’d love to meet Will, but obviously that’s not possible.”
“I know, but wouldn’t it be nice.”
The conversation drifted to Ellene’s construction business, her husband Connor’s new sports store, and the reason Christine had come to town, but her thoughts clung to things Ellene had said. Her grandmother had talked about her aggressiveness, and now her friend had called her pushy and interfering.
Was that really how she’d acted?
“It’s quiet here without Christine.”
Will turned his head and looked at Grandma Ella. “I was thinking that, too. Funny how a person can get used to scratchy long johns.” He chuckled, and so did Grandma Ella.
“She did come across as a little abrasive around the edges, didn’t she? But not anymore.”
“She has you to thank for that,” Will said, helping Ella with her laps. “It’s great to see you on a cane.”
“It’s good to be on it. You can throw that walker into the garbage as far as I’m concerned.”
He chuckled.
“I think two things made a difference in Christine’s life,” Ella said. “You and the Lord.”
Will faltered. “Me? I didn’t do a thing but teach her how to drive a sled.”
“That was part of it. She got a taste of life on the island, and the Lord did the rest.”
“But you were the catalyst.”
Ella chuckled. “I did get her to church and shared some Bible verses with her, and she was open to that. Christine came here with a lot of guilt, and it’s fading fast like the evening sun.”
Will thought about what she’d said. Christine had arrived with a frown on her face and a negative attitude. They had faded until now he saw a radiant woman who’d discovered a lighthearted way of looking at things...at least most of the time.
“You’ve fallen in love with her.”
Will tripped over his foot. “I what?”
“You can’t hide it, Will. You’re like a kid with a gift you’ve wanted forever, like a teenager with car keys. You can’t get your fill of her. When my son, who’s been gone a long time now, passed his driving test and got his license, he’d run to the grocery store at the drop of a hat.”
“On the island?”
“No.” She grinned. “When I lived in Detroit. I moved here when the house was left to me by my parents.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Lots of things you don’t know.” She gave him a wink. “But some things I do know, and you’re in love.”
“And I can’t do a thing about it, Grandma Ella. Christine is a big-city girl. She has a job she loves, and a home in Royal Oak. I can’t compete with that.”
“Oh, Will, love doesn’t compete. Hand me my Bible, and I’ll tell you about love in First Corinthians.”
“I know,” he said. “Love is kind. It doesn’t boast. It isn’t rude. Love never fails. It protects. It doesn’t envy. I know I forgot some.”
“The most important. Love is patient. Give it time, Will, and pray about it. Nothing would make me happier than you and Christine finding a love that’s blessed. But be patient. She’s made long strides, but she’ll stumble. It’s part of her, but she’s grown and that’s been God’s doing.”
Love is patient. Will grasped on to that thought. Grandma Ella knew about life and the Lord. He’d trust her to give him good advice, and he trusted God to answer his prayers.
“So how did it go?”
Christine’s head shot upward and she frowned. “Very well, Chet. Thanks.”
He sauntered into her office and sat on the edge of her desk. “Is the deal set, then?”
“No, but it’s close. They’ll look it over and take it to their board meeting, but they sounded pleased with the presentation. They said they’d be in touch by tomorrow. I asked them to e-mail, since I won’t be here.”
He stood and put his hands on the desk, his face thrusting closer to hers. “You can’t be a long-distance employee, Christine. I know you think you have all the good ideas, but we have others here who can do your job.”
She rose and pushed back her chair. “Listen, Chet. You thought I had great ideas once. Remember?” She narrowed her eyes, hoping to nail him to the spot.
Instead he laughed. “That was a long time ago, Christine.” He moved closer. “When you were gullible. You should have known better than to listen to my promises.”
“That’s water under the bridge, Chet. I’m not afraid of you, but I want to do my job here. People have problems sometimes—illness, emergencies—and I have one of those. I’m the only person available to help my grandmother. I’ll take my two weeks’ vacation. In fact I put in for that already, and it was approved.”
“Really, and what about the Dorset project? Can you handle that long-distance?”
“If I must, I will.”
“We’ll see about that. You have to be ready in January. I’m thinking your team needs another leader.”
“They’ll be fine without me physically present. I’m in contact by e-mail and on the phone. I haven’t died, Chet. I’m just a few miles away.”
He grabbed the calendar from his desk. “Let’s see. Those two weeks’ vacation should take you to December fifteenth. We’ll see you back here on December eighteenth then. You’ll be home for Christmas.”
Christine managed to hide her frustration. She needed longer, and she’d get it somehow. She’d looked forward to Christmas on the island.
Chet’s smirk eroded her patience, and an idea came from nowhere. “FMLA, Chet, you’ve heard of FMLA, right? Family Medical Leave Act. I’m entitled to that. Twelve weeks of it, if I must. That’s not what I want, but if I’m needed, that’s what I’ll have to do.”
“We’ll see about that, my friend. I’ve already told the big guy upstairs that I had to help you with the Emerson project since you were on vacation.”
Her pulse escalated. “You out-and-out lied?”
“No, I did talk to them on the phone and said the meeting was set for today. I did help you, didn’t I?”
He spun on his heel and vanished around the corner.
Christine sank into her chair and lowered her face into her hands.