“Babe Ruth’s house?” Harold whistled. “Don’t tell me he lived on Treasure Island.”
Brad pulled away from Lacy. “Apparently he had a bungalow in a neighborhood not too far from Amanda’s shop. The house has been renovated like most of them in the area.”
“That, I gotta see.” Harold extended his hand that wasn’t hooked up to monitors and tousled Timmy’s hair. “Thanks, little buddy. I can’t wait to see Babe Ruth’s place.”
Amanda could tell that her presence didn’t mean much, so she walked up to Harold and patted his arm. “Take care, Harold. I’ll see you later.”
He waved but never took his eyes off Timmy. She was amazed at how strong the connection was between them.
Jerry joined her as she left the room. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
This had been an emotionally charged day, and Amanda felt the effects with a stiff neck and numbing thoughts. Jerry seemed to sense that she wasn’t in the mood for conversation. They rode down in the elevator in silence.
When they got to her car, he took her key, unlocked the door, and opened it for her. “I appreciate all you’ve done for my family, Amanda. It means the world to me.”
She looked up at him and instantly felt a thudding sensation in her chest. She had to quickly glance away.
“Amanda?”
She looked back at him and away again, doing everything in her power to guard her heart. “Yes?”
Without any warning, he cupped her chin in his hand and tilted it enough to force eye contact. As he lowered his face to hers, she was certain he could hear her heart pounding out of control.
The kiss was light and brief, but she felt as though she’d been struck by something she couldn’t describe. When she looked into Jerry’s eyes, she knew he felt it, too.
“I’ll call you,” he whispered before letting go.
She watched him walk back toward the entrance to the hospital, and she felt as though he took a part of her with him. Once he disappeared through the electric doors, she leaned her head against the car window and pressed her hand onto the warm steering wheel. All sorts of crazy thoughts flitted through her mind. This can’t be happening, she thought.
After Eric, Amanda had walked around in a numbing stupor, barely going through the motions of day-to-day life. Without her faith, she wasn’t sure what she would have done. Fortunately, after months of prayer and listening to the Word, she had managed to overcome the deepest grief she could ever imagine experiencing.
She’d stopped thinking about Eric after time passed. The bicycle shop took up most of her time, and she threw herself into church-related activities. Pastor Zach knew he could count on her to do things no one else had time to do, and she liked it that way. Not having time for another romantic relationship kept her from being too involved in anything that could hurt her personally.
And now she’d gone and fallen in love again.
As she crossed the causeway that led from St. Petersburg to Treasure Island, she looked out over the water. A motorboat sped past a tiny sailboat, reminding her that everything had its own course and timing. She was like the sailboat, leaning and following the wind. If she continued to allow herself to drift in directions determined by other people, she might never experience all that love had to offer. However, if she became more like the motorboat, she might find herself going too fast and hitting a wall.
Now that she was older, more experienced, and hopefully wiser, she should be able to prevent something like that from happening again. But could she? Would Jerry be the force that shifted the world beneath her again?
Focusing on the road in front of her, she appealed to God and asked for help. I’m not trying to tell you how to do Your job, Lord, but please keep me from getting hurt again. She continued praying for help in avoiding a relationship with Jerry because she didn’t think she could handle it after what had happened in the past.
As soon as she finished praying, she swallowed hard. The very fact that she’d prayed so specifically about protecting her heart reminded her that it was in jeopardy of being lost to Jerry. He was everything she could possibly want in a man. He was intelligent, kind, fun, and family-oriented. And most of all, he was a Christian. If she could have built the ideal man for herself, he would have been it. But she didn’t want that in her life. She had everything just like she wanted it. Didn’t she?
Well, there was one exception, the issue of him being here on vacation. As she pulled up in front of her house, she thought about how insane she was to let herself fall for a tourist. That was exactly what her mother had done—twice that Amanda knew about—and now she was the loneliest woman Amanda had ever known. Granted, her mother had given herself completely to the men she’d fallen in love with, and Amanda wasn’t about to do that. However, the simple fact that she cared so much for Jerry was more than she could handle at the moment.
She got out of her car and walked up to the front door, thinking about how she’d gotten herself into this mess. Once inside, she dropped her handbag on the table by the door and walked through the house flipping on lights and talking to herself.
The clock in the hallway chimed the hour, which reminded her that she’d left Tiffany in charge of the store. She went to the kitchen and called the shop from the house phone.
“Hey, Tiffany, everything okay?”
“Yes, we only had a couple of customers all afternoon. I sold that bicycle you had on sale, and the rest was about skating stuff.”
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Want me to come lock up?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll do it. How’s Mr. Simpson?”
“Looks like he’ll be fine. Just a mild concussion.”
“That’s good. Let me know if you need me again. I’m trying to save some money for college. Mom said she’ll help me out, but she can’t pay for everything.”
Fortunately the shop did well, regardless of the economy, so Amanda was able to hire some extra help. “I’ll probably need you a few more hours this week. Thanks, Tiffany. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Tiffany giggled. “Maybe you can write me a reference…you know, for the future.”
“I’ll be glad to,” Amanda said. She heard the sound of car doors slamming, so she walked over to the window and separated a slat of the vertical blinds. Lacy was home. “Just let me know when.”
She headed to the kitchen to return the phone to the docking station. When she came back, Lacy stood at the door, chin jutted, eyes narrowed, and looking ready to hurt someone.
“What happened to you?”
Lacy growled and shook her head. “I can’t believe what Brad just told me.”
“Obviously something you didn’t appreciate.”
“He said I was a spoiled brat.” She tossed her purse onto the sofa and stomped into the kitchen. “What’s for supper?”
“I don’t know, Lacy; I just got home.”
Lacy’s eyebrows came together as she pouted. “I’m starving. Maybe you can go out and get us something.”
Brad might have a point. Amanda nodded. “I’ll fix dinner. Come on into the kitchen and tell me all about it.”
Lacy sat at the kitchen table while Amanda perused the refrigerator and cupboards for something quick and easy. She settled on grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup while Lacy told her how she’d wanted to leave the hospital but Brad said he wanted to give Timmy a little time with Gramps.
“That sounds reasonable to me,” Amanda said.
“Reasonable?” The shrillness in Lacy’s voice sent a stabbing pain through Amanda’s head. “He’s supposed to care about how I feel. I was bored stiff just standing there while an old man got all excited over some stupid baseball cards.”
Amanda slammed the pot down on the counter and turned to face her sister. She’d put up with enough, and it was about time to let her know how selfish she sounded.
Lacy’s eyes widened. “What was that all about?”
“You really don’t know, do you?” Amanda leaned against the cupboard and stared at her sister.
“Don’t stop cooking,” Lacy said. “I’m hungry.”
“So am I, but you need to listen to me, Lacy. I’ve been taking care of you almost all our lives, and it looks like I haven’t done such a good job.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When we were kids…” Amanda had to pause to settle her shaky voice. “When we were kids, I knew Mom couldn’t deal with two daughters, so I pretty much took over. I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I was responsible for you and everything that happened to you. I did the best I could, considering the fact that I started trying to be your mother when I was barely a teenager.”
Lacy squeezed her eyes shut. “Stop it, Amanda. I don’t want to hear this.”
“Too bad, because you’re going to listen to me.”
Lacy stood up, but when Amanda took a step toward her and pointed to the chair, she sat back down. “Okay, okay, just get it over with and cook us some dinner.”
Amanda’s jaw tightened, but she knew she had to continue or Lacy would never get what she needed. “You were like a live doll to me. I made sure you had clothes to wear and food to eat and that your teeth were brushed. Then when you graduated from high school, it was obvious that you weren’t ready for the real world, so I paid your tuition to college—and it wasn’t easy because I was barely making ends meet when you started. It’s time you begin acting like a mature adult.”
Lacy rolled her eyes. “This is so lame, Amanda. What’s your point?”
“My point is…you need to realize that you’re not the only person with needs. Brad clearly cares about you, but his first priority has to be his little boy.”
“Timmy is such a brat.” Lacy scowled.
“C’mon, Lacy, even you have to understand what’s going on with him. He lost his mother, and his dad barely has time to take care of his basic needs.”
“He’s not the only kid who only has one parent. You and I—”
“You and I had each other.” Amanda leveled her sister with a look that she knew would get her attention. “Timmy has no one but his dad.”
Lacy lifted one shoulder and let it drop as she looked around the room to avoid Amanda’s glare. Finally, she clicked her tongue. “Okay, okay, I get it. Timmy has issues. So finish cooking so we can eat. I’m so over this.”
“No, you’re not. If you don’t accept the fact that Timmy is a little boy and needs every ounce of energy and attention his father can give him, you need to stop seeing Brad.”
Lacy stood up. “I don’t need this right now. You sound just like Brad. Call me when supper’s ready.” She stormed out of the room, leaving Amanda standing there with her mouth hanging open.
Amanda managed to pull herself together long enough to cook dinner and put it on the table. She called for Lacy, who came without having to be told a second time. They ate in near silence, with only a few insignificant words exchanged through the entire meal. When Lacy was finished, she carried her plate and bowl to the sink and left the kitchen.
For once, Amanda didn’t mind that Lacy didn’t offer to help clean up. She needed to be alone, and she was grateful for the silence. Her mind raced through the events of the day until she finally had the last plate in the dishwasher and the rag draped over the faucet. She went to her room and got ready for bed.
When she arrived at the shop the next morning, a young woman wearing spandex stood at the door. Amanda was more than happy to start out the day busy and maintain a steady pace until closing. When she got home, she found that Lacy had already ordered pizza and left the half-empty box for her on the kitchen counter.
Jerry was happy to have his dad home, but he wasn’t nearly as happy as his dad was to be home. They didn’t even have his bags unpacked when his father started pacing.
“What’s wrong, Dad?”
“I’m bored.”
“You haven’t been home more than ten minutes. How can you be bored?”
“Don’t know. I just am.”
“Why don’t you rest for a little while and then we’ll think of something to do.”
His dad turned to him and lifted his hands. “I don’t wanna rest. That’s all I’ve been doing for the past couple of days.”
“You’re not supposed to exert yourself!” his mother hollered from the kitchen. “Doctor’s orders.”
“That doctor’s just a kid. What does he know?”
Jerry couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, so what do you want to do?”
“Call Timmy’s father and see if he can come over.”
“I can’t do that, Dad. It doesn’t seem appropriate.”
“That’s ridiculous. What’s not appropriate about an old man enjoying the company of a boy?”
Jerry couldn’t think of anything wrong with his dad talking to Timmy because he knew where his heart was. “Tell you what I’ll do. Later on, I’ll call Amanda and see if she can get her sister to arrange for us to meet at her store sometime next week.”
His dad narrowed his eyes and turned back to look out the window at the Gulf of Mexico. The sun still hung above the water, but it wouldn’t be long before it set. As he turned back to face Jerry, his expression changed to a look of resignation.
“Okay.” He paused for a moment. “Do you think Timmy might be in church tomorrow?”
Jerry wasn’t sure, but he didn’t remember seeing either Timmy or Brad in church. “I really don’t know, but I doubt it.”
“That’s sad. Timmy needs a good Christian upbringing—like you had.”
“Yes, I agree.”
“Harold, I hope you don’t get between Timmy and his father about church.” Jerry’s mother stood in the opening between the kitchen and the living room, wiping her hands on a towel. “You know it’s none of our business what they choose to do.”
“I disagree, Rosemary. If he’s not getting any Bible teaching at home, someone needs to talk to him about the Lord.”
She headed back into the kitchen, mumbling under her breath. Jerry saw both sides, but he kept his mouth shut. Deep down he agreed with his dad, but he was sure his dad was spoiling for an argument, and he wasn’t about to add the fuel.
“Let’s go out onto the balcony and get a little fresh air, Dad. You’ve been cooped up inside way too long.”
Sunday morning, as Amanda got ready for church, she wondered if she’d see Jerry and his folks. She was torn between wanting them there and wishing she’d never told them where she worshipped. Then she had a flash of guilty conscience.
Once she was dressed and ready, she rapped lightly on Lacy’s bedroom door. “Lacy, are you awake?”
“What do you want?”
“Are you okay?”
“No. Leave me alone.”
Amanda hadn’t seen her sister in a couple of days—not since Brad had called her a spoiled brat and the two of them had talked about it. Amanda wondered if she’d gotten through to Lacy. Until now, she’d avoided confronting Lacy with her feelings, but it was time to face reality. Lacy needed to grow up and accept that the world didn’t revolve around her.
“I’d like for you to go to church with me, Lacy.”
“It’s not doing you any good.”
Amanda shook her head. “That’s not why I go to church, and you know it.”
“Just go and leave me alone.”
With a heavy heart, Amanda left her sister alone in the house. Lacy was hurting, and Amanda had no idea what to do to help her.
All the way to church, she thought about how she could have handled the situation differently, and she couldn’t think of a single way that wouldn’t bring them right back to where they started. If she continued to coddle Lacy, nothing would change. It was time to make some major changes. Lacy had a college degree and a job, but she didn’t have any major responsibilities. Amanda paid her mortgage and all the utilities. Occasionally Lacy helped out with food, but most of the time her entire paycheck went to designer clothes, handbags, shoes, and whatever else her heart desired—and that never involved anything outside herself.
Amanda decided right then that it was time to start charging her sister rent. Even though she didn’t need the money now, Lacy needed to assume some of the responsibility of being a full-fledged adult. Until that happened, she’d remain in a fairy-tale world.
She managed to put Jerry out of her mind until she spotted him walking into the church with his parents. Her heart pounded hard against her chest, and she found herself short of breath.
Why had she let this happen? Before getting out of her car, she closed her eyes and asked the Lord for the strength to face Jerry without going to pieces and losing her heart to another man. Once she managed to calm herself down, she got out, turned toward the church, and put on her game face.
“Hey, Amanda!”
Matthew’s voice was a welcome sound. She turned and smiled. “Hey, Matthew. Have you seen Suzanne?”
“I think she went on vacation. Wanna sit with me?”
“Sure.” She was thankful not to have to sit alone with Jerry in the sanctuary.
Unfortunately, knowing that Jerry and his parents were in the church prevented her from totally focusing on the sermon. Every now and then, Matthew glanced over at her and offered an understanding smile.
Once church was over, he chuckled. “Looks like you’ve got it bad, Amanda.”
She bobbed her head but couldn’t directly face him. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I think you know exactly what I’m saying. You have a thing for Jerry. Take my advice, and don’t deny it.”
Amanda felt her shoulders sag. Matthew could see right through her, so there was no point in continuing to pretend. “What am I supposed to do after he leaves?”
Matthew took her hand. “Don’t look for problems before they happen. Pray about the relationship, and if it’s something the Lord wants for you, He’ll show you how to get it.”
That sounded good, and if she’d been in his position talking to a friend, she might have said the same thing. But Matthew didn’t grow up without a father, and he wasn’t left at the altar. He had no idea what it was like to be abandoned.
“I don’t know.” She glanced over her shoulder and spotted Jerry talking to the pastor, who’d made his way to the back of the church. “It’s just difficult knowing he’s here on vacation and he hasn’t given any indication that anything will change.”
“Maybe you’re not looking at the same thing I am.” Matthew glanced back at Jerry then turned to face her again. “From my perspective, it looks like he’s open to a relationship. I think he might just be waiting for a sign from you.”
“A sign?”
Matthew nodded. “Yeah. Guys don’t like rejection. We look for some kind of sign that the lady is as interested in us as we are in them before we make our move.”
Amanda couldn’t hold back her laughter. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No.” Matthew twisted his mouth and shook his head, making her laugh even harder. “Before a guy says ‘I love you,’ he wants to be pretty sure he’ll hear it back. In fact, coming from a guy, it’s more of a question than a statement.”
“I never realized that.”
“It’s true.” Matthew looked back at Jerry again. “I also know that he doesn’t like you sitting next to me because he thinks you and I are…” He let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, you know.”
She gave him a gentle shove. “He doesn’t think that.”
“Based on the way he keeps looking at us, he’s not happy at all.”
She quickly changed the subject. “Are you going to the Bible study today?”
“Yep. In fact, I’m leading it. The pastor has a family commitment, and he asked if I’d take over.”
“Cool,” she said out of the corner of her mouth. “This should be interesting. Will it involve skateboards?”
“Hey, give me some credit. I’ve been working hard on this lesson all week.”
“Sorry.” She knew that in spite of all his quirkiness and kidding around, Matthew took his walk with the Lord very seriously. “I’m sure it’ll be wonderful, and I can’t wait to get there.”
“Okay, don’t overdo it on the praise, either. I don’t need that kind of pressure.”
“I’ll see you there in a few minutes, okay? I need to talk to Jerry’s mother and see how things are going now that Harold’s home from the hospital.”
Matthew smiled and winked as he edged toward the aisle. “Great idea! Don’t be late to class.”
Some of Amanda’s enthusiasm waned and turned to apprehension as she approached Rosemary. Rather than the cheerful greeting she normally received, all three of the Simpsons acted cool toward her. She regretted making such a big point of going all the way over to talk to them, but she couldn’t turn around at this point.
“So how are you feeling, Harold?” The formal tone of her own voice startled her.
A frown wrinkled his forehead. “Like I fell on my head.”
A nervous giggle escaped, so she forced a cough to recover. “I can imagine. I’m just glad it wasn’t more serious.”
She caught Rosemary casting a glance over toward Jerry, who took a small step back—almost as though he wanted to get away from her. This bothered her more than she ever imagined it would.
“Are you up for the Bible study?” She looked directly at Jerry, hoping he’d make more of an effort to talk to her. As it was, she wanted to run to the nearest dark corner and hide. Then Matthew’s comments played through her mind, and that gave her strength.
Jerry opened his mouth, but Rosemary took charge of the situation. “I’m sorry, Amanda, but he needs to take us back to the condo. Why don’t you come over this afternoon, and we can visit then?”
“Um…I don’t know,” Amanda began as she looked to Jerry for confirmation that it was okay. When he nodded, she felt an overwhelming relief. “Okay, I can stop by for a little while.”
“Let’s plan on having dinner together, okay?” At least Rosemary was trying.
“That sounds great.”
“I’ll have some hors d’oeuvres ready around four.” Rosemary turned to Jerry and smiled in such a way that Amanda knew there was some unspoken communication going on between them. “Why don’t we go to Captain Kosmakos for dinner?”
Amanda nodded. “Perfect! I love seafood.”
Jerry offered a good-bye grin, while his mother gave her a hug then quickly took him and his dad by the hand to lead them away. Amanda felt as though something had happened between them, and it didn’t seem good. At least she’d see them later, and hopefully whatever was going on would come to light. Was it possible that Matthew was right? Could Jerry be jealous? She didn’t think so, but maybe….
“Don’t assume anything, son,” Harold said. “Just because she sat next to that boy doesn’t mean there’s something going on between them.”
“It really doesn’t matter if there is.” Jerry stared straight ahead at the road. “What they do is their business.”
“You expect me to believe you mean that?” Harold belted out a loud snort. “You’re so in love with that girl, you’re impossible to be around.”
“Harold, stop it. Don’t embarrass him.”
“I’m not going to stop, Rosemary. I don’t know what’s going on with our youngest boy, but it’s time he stopped trying to run our lives when he still has his own to deal with.”
Jerry glanced in the rearview mirror and caught his dad staring directly at him. “Dad, I admit I do like Amanda. Very much. But we’re leaving, and I probably won’t see her again until next year.”
“If there is a next year,” his dad retorted. “We don’t know what will happen the next day, let alone next year. You’d better seize the opportunity while you have it, or it might be gone. Even if she is involved with that boy, I think she’s sweet on you.”
Jerry grinned in spite of the jealous gnawing at his gut. “Thanks for the advice, Dad.” He had no intention of taking it, but he wanted to end the argument.
“You’re welcome.”
His mother remained silent, so he turned to her. “Captain Kosmakos, huh?”
“I’m craving seafood.” Her answer was so abrupt, he almost laughed.
“Not to mention the fact that it’s always been my choice for comfort food.”
She slowly nodded. “Yes, well, there is that. I figured you might be able to use a little comfort food.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He inhaled deeply and slowly blew it out. One thing Jerry always knew was that his parents were on his side—no matter what. Even when they thought he was blowing a major opportunity for love.
After they got his dad settled back at the condo, his mother handed him a shopping list. “Make sure you get everything I wrote down.”
“I thought we were going out for dinner.” He glanced at the list and looked back up at her. “You have something on here from almost every department in the grocery store.”
“I promised her hors d’oeuvres, and I don’t know what she likes.”
Jerry knew better than to argue. His mother had always been a people-pleaser, from as far back as he could remember. When he had played high school football, she was the mom who brought snacks onto the field after the games. The guys had dubbed her “Team Mom,” and she’d loved it.
“Okay, I’ll get everything on the list.” He made sure his dad was situated in the recliner before he left. Then he instructed his mother to call him if she needed anything else. Once he was alone, he had time to reflect.
His parents had nearly convinced him that he and Amanda were meant to be together. But seeing her sitting next to Matthew reminded him that there were quite a few things about her he didn’t know.
She’d told him she and Matthew were just friends, but they seemed awfully cozy. They had an unspoken language between them that husbands and wives often had after years of marriage. He certainly couldn’t compete with that. Besides, why should he? She lived here. He and his parents were on vacation, and they’d be going back to Atlanta soon.
He parked in the Publix parking lot, ran in, and picked up everything on the list. After he paid, he headed straight to the condo. When he arrived, his mother was grinning from ear to ear.
“What’s up with you, Mom?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing.” She headed for the door. “I think I’ll go for a walk on the beach and get some fresh air. See you in a little while.”
“Don’t be gone long. Amanda will be here soon.”