3

Angie pulled into the driveway of the red brick bungalow and parked behind a huge white work truck. The quaint cottage probably dated back to the late 1920s or early 1930s. A glassed-in sunroom gave it a charming feel. She parked, walked up to the front door, and pressed the bell. A chime rang out but so did country music. She waited a few seconds and then rang again and knocked. When no one responded, she grasped the doorknob, turned it, and eased the door open. “Hello?”

The musty scent of fresh paint greeted her. The living room, dining room, and sunroom were painted a soft gray with white trim. Lovely. Canvas drop-cloths covered furniture that had been pushed to the centers of the rooms. Isabel hadn’t mentioned that the house was furnished, but it only made sense that if it had been used by furloughing missionaries, basic furnishings would be included.

A nasal voice whined about the pain of a broken heart. She followed the music into the kitchen. The cabinet under the sink was open, and a pair of blue-jeaned legs with cowboy-booted feet extended from the cabinet across the floor toward the center of the kitchen. “Hello?”

The man in the cabinet sang along with the song. She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, and then she knocked on the countertop and raised her voice. “Hello?”

A loud clunk sounded from under the sink, and the man slid out of the cabinet, holding his head. He grabbed his phone from the counter and silenced the music. He must not have shaved…or combed his hair…maybe even bathed…in at least a week. She wouldn’t get close enough to find out.

He stood. “Can I help you?”

She drew her shoulders back. “Adam?”

He cast her a sideways glance and narrowed his gaze. “And you are?”

“Angela. Angela Taylor.”

He shook his head. “Angela Taylor…” No recognition marked his expression.

“I interviewed at the school today. Mrs. Thornton texted you about me dropping by to look at the house?”

He looked again at the face of his phone. “Oh…you mean this text I never heard come in?”

“Well, I don’t know how you could have heard anything over that music. I rang the doorbell twice.”

“Twice, huh?” He got a bottle of water out of the fridge and held it out to her.

She shook her head. “I knocked, too.”

He lifted his eyebrows in exaggerated surprise. “Knocked, too. Wow.” He gestured toward the back of the house.

Her face warmed and perspiration prickled her scalp.

“So, take a look around. Let me know if you have any questions.”

“I will.” She took a deep breath and turned away.

In addition to the main rooms, the house had three bedrooms and two baths. The master bathroom had been updated, but the hall bath had the original pink and black tile. One of the two smaller bedrooms was painted hot pink and the other sunflower-yellow. Not what she’d choose.

“I haven’t painted the bedrooms yet.”

She jumped and turned toward him. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. You just about scared me to death.”

“At least I didn’t make you smash your head against a sink.”

He was a little snotty. “It’s not exactly my fault. As I said, I rang the doorbell twice, knocked once, and called out.”

“Oh, and called out, too.” He nodded.

“I’m not sure how much more warning a normal person needs.”

“A normal person.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Regarding the paint, I was planning to do the master bedroom black, and the other two purple and avocado. But if you get the job, you can pick which room I paint which color.”

“I really like the gray in the living and dining rooms. Couldn’t you use that for the bedrooms, too?”

He shook his head. “Already bought the paint. Got it cheap and don’t have enough in the budget to buy more.”

Surely, they wouldn’t do anything about the painting until she made her decision. She could make the room colors a part of her requirements to accept the job. Or she could even buy the paint and redo it herself if they’d let her. Mrs. Thornton seemed to be a reasonable woman.

She turned toward him and offered her hand. “Thank you for letting me look around. I’ll get out of your way so you can get back to whatever you were doing.”

“You mean knocking my head against the sink?”

She wanted to roll her eyes. He was so immature. She withdrew her hand.

“I’d appreciate that. I’ve got a lot to get done today.”

~*~

Her chocolate curls bounced as she marched back to her car. Adam closed the door and then burst out laughing. She was unbelievably cute when she was embarrassed. He shouldn’t have been so mean. He touched the lump on his throbbing forehead. Wrong. She’d had it coming.

His phone vibrated, and he hit the answer button. “Hey, Mom.” He put the phone on speaker and screwed the top off the water bottle.

“Hi, dear. Did Angie stop by?”

“She did.” He took a drink.

“And?”

“And what?” Mom was fishing.

“And…what did you think?”

He wouldn’t tell her what he really thought. “She’s, uh, kind of cool.”

“I know. I liked her, too.” Her excitement bubbled out of the phone.

“Cool as in aloof. Not as in nice. Snotty.”

Mom chuckled. “Self-assured. Poised.”

“Snotty…”

“Well, I’ve made her an offer, and I’m pretty sure she’ll accept once we get her references and background check back. We just need to pray that she can get out of her current contract.”

Something told him that wouldn’t be a problem.

~*~

The doorbell. Angie rolled over and picked up her phone. Eleven o’clock. Sleeping this late was quickly becoming a habit. Pulling on her robe, she headed up the hall and then peeked through the peephole. Will…dressed in a suit on Saturday morning. Something was up.

She opened the door. “This is a nice surprise. Is everything OK?”

He stepped into the hall and then closed the door behind him. “Guess you didn’t get my message.”

“Message?”

“Text. About the symphony.”

She shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I put my phone on silent yesterday, and I must have forgotten to change it last night.”

He held her hands. “One of the board members donated some DSO tickets. I thought that and an early dinner in Dallas would be a fun date.”

“I’ll hurry.”

He drew her close and kissed her cheek. “Hey, it’s OK. More than anything, I just want to spend time together.” He slipped off his jacket and loosened and unknotted his tie. “We can watch old movies and order pizza. That’ll be just fine with me.”

“Actually, that sounds wonderful. Give me five minutes to change.” She scooted down the hall to the bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater. Then she brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her hair. She spritzed on the perfume he'd given her for Christmas. Today’s beauty routine was complete.

And now, to break the news. She headed back toward the living room.

Will had made his way into the kitchen and was starting a pot of coffee. He turned toward her and grinned. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” She slipped onto one of the barstools and watched him move around the kitchen. Comfortable. Their relationship was comfortable. This Christmas would mark three years they’d been dating. They knew as much about each other as a couple could without being married. He was ready, but she’d always used school as an excuse to wait. Planning a wedding while pursuing an advanced degree would have been too much. She wouldn’t have been able to devote the proper amount of time to either. But now? She had one last online class and no more excuses left.

He brought her a mug and sat across from her. “So, I’ve got your new contract out in the car. Mr. Carlton brought it by Friday.”

She nodded. “About that… Something’s come up.”

A wary smile crossed his face.

Unbidden tears filled her eyes.

“C’mon baby, whatever it is, we can fix it. It can’t be that bad.”

She took a deep breath. “I need to leave the school. I found a job as an AP in Crescent Bluff. Pending background check and references, of course. But that shouldn’t be any problem. They want me there as soon as possible to train so I can step into my position in January.”

“Wow.” He sipped his coffee—one of his stalling techniques. “Angie, I understand you’re hurt and disappointed about the board’s decision, but my guess is this new guy will only be here temporarily. By then you’ll have your degree and the job will be yours.”

She grasped his hands. “I wasn’t looking. This job found me, and when I went to visit yesterday…” The tears burned. “I can’t explain it. This school…this philosophy…is everything I believed education should be but never knew existed.” Her voice broke. “It’s such a God thing.”

His gaze swept over every inch of her face.

“Say something,” she whispered.

“I don’t agree with your decision, but I understand the hurt it’s coming from.” He rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands. “So, what do you need from me? References? Recommendations?”

She took a deep breath. “I need you to get me out of my current contract.”

He brought her hands to his lips and kissed the back of each one. “Done.” Then he stared deep into her eyes. “So…what about us?”

“I just need your patience and some time to sort things out.”

A smile softened his face. “That you have.”