by Christina Li
“I wanted to bring you a muffin. I’m so sorry for the loss of your business partner, and I thought you could use a little something to make you smile.”
The man’s skin flushed, and he wrinkled his brow. “Thank-you,” he said as he took the muffin and nibbled.
“You’re welcome,” she replied. “I have another one for Manny with me if he’d like it.” Violet grinned at Manny’s grin.
“Thanks.” He took a big bite and sighed in happiness.
“I’m Violet,” she said, putting out her hand for a shake.
“I’m Henry Richman,” the older man replied. “You’ve already met Manny?”
“I came in the other day to have some jewelry appraised. I don’t have it with me now, but could I bring it back later?”
“Of course. Anytime this afternoon would be fine. We close at six.”
“Thanks. I’ll be sure and come back before six.” Violet’s eyes danced, glad Mr. Richman had warmed up to her. “By the way, our church is having its annual Christmas banquet this Sunday. I’m sure Mrs. Givens will be bringing muffins. You’re more than welcome to come,” she added, handing them a church card.
Again, the man seemed surprised. Then, thoughtful, he took the card. “Thank-you. I haven’t been to church in years, but why not? The muffins are certainly worth it.”
Violet nearly did a happy dance at his joke. “Church starts at one. I promise to save out a muffin or two. They’ll go fast.”
He smiled and nodded. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“I could go for more of these muffins. I’ll come too,” said Manny.
Violet grinned as she left. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that Opal came in from the back and heard most of the conversation. That girl did not like the idea of Manny going to church. She saw all other women as potential threats to her relationship with him, and Opal jealously guarded what she considered hers.
***
The following Sunday, Violet rejoiced that Mr. Richman, Manny, and even Opal came to church. She didn’t quite understand the girl’s glare, but she determined to be as welcoming as possible. She’d saved out two muffins and managed to find one more for Opal. The Lord answered her prayer through the service, and she saw Mr. Richman’s heavy burden lifted. He walked out looking years younger.
“I wanted to thank you for inviting me,” he said later. “I really needed this. I didn’t realize how much. I’ll be back.”
Violet grinned and said, “We have a Home Fellowship Group meeting on Thursdays at Mr. and Mrs. Givens’ home. It’s at 7 o’clock. You’re more than welcome.” She added in a whisper, “Mrs. Givens usually serves some special treat.”
“I might try to make that too,” he replied. “Thank-you.”
Will came into the store, and Mr. Richman stiffened. Will came forward and reached out a hand to shake. “I’m really glad you were able to come today. I hope there are no hard feelings.”
The older man relaxed a little. “I know you were trying to do your job. I do hope you find the real killer soon.”
“Me too,” Will replied.
***
By Thursday evening, Sam had finally gotten the opportunity to talk to his pastor, Violet’s pastor back in Butterfield, and her Aunt Mabel. He’d considered driving down, but decided against it and phoned them. All he had wanted at this time was permission to date Violet. When the time came to buy a ring, he determined to go ahead and make the drive down to Butterfield to meet face to face with the people most important to Violet. All of this trouble may be a little old fashioned in today’s world, but Sam wanted to do things right this time. Violet was worth it.
That night at the Home Fellowship Group, he determined that he would get Violet alone for a minute or two. If he had to, he would enlist Ivy’s help. For some reason, Jesse resisted the whole thing, but Ivy and even his parents supported him completely.
He managed to get to his parents’ house first before anyone showed up. Ivy and his mother were putting the finishing touches on some snacks for their guests.
“Stop prowling around like a caged lion,” his mother said.
“Is he nervous or something?” Ivy lifted her eyebrows and blinked innocently.
“What if she says ‘no’?” he asked.
“She won’t,” said Mrs. Givens. “You two have gotten to be good friends over the past several weeks. I think she’ll give it a chance, especially when she hears that her aunt is in favor of it.”
“Her aunt’s favor of it surprised me. She might have given me permission to marry her if I’d asked.”
Ivy laughed. “Well, I’m glad you’re finally going admit you have feelings for each other.”
“It’s this wait that’s killing me, and I’ll probably have to hold on even longer, until after the study is over.”
Ivy’s cell rang. “Hey, Violet, what’s up?”
“I’ve got a flat tire,” she said. “I must’ve run over a nail. I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it tonight. I wanted to let you guys know.”
“That’s too bad,” Ivy replied. She looked significantly at Sam. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. I’ll call Will and get him to pick you up. How does that sound?”
“I’d hate to put him to the trouble.”
“It’s all right. I’m sure he won’t mind. I’ll call him when I get off the phone. It’d be great if you came tonight.”
“All right, I really appreciate this.”
“Not a problem. See you in a bit.”
As Ivy put her cell back into her pocket, Sam got off of his own cell. “Will is already on his way. Thanks. I would’ve gone to pick her up.”
“Yes, and in going there and coming back here again you both would have missed most of tonight’s study. This made more sense.”
***
Later, as Violet sat in the Givens’ living room chatting and enjoying Mrs. Givens’ excellent snack food, she tried not to think of sinister things happening to her car. She hadn’t mentioned it to Ivy, but it wasn’t only one flat, it was two. Finally, smiling at her own over-active imagination, she let it go and made a mental note to ask if anyone knew a good mechanic or a good place that would patch or change a tire.
When the meeting was over, Violet was surprised when Sam offered to give her a ride home. “Thank-you. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” he said as they got into the car.
Sam seemed unusually quiet as they drove back to Violet’s house. She didn’t mind, but she wondered if everything was all right.
“Sam, how is work? Has it been really busy recently?”
He seemed a bit preoccupied. “Work is good. None of my patients ever complain.”
Violet laughed. “That is really bad.”
“If only the police detectives never complained,” he added.
“Pressure?”
“Not too bad. Everyone wants their stuff done first, and there’s only so many of us to do the job.”
“I hope things slow down for you.”
“I don’t mind. I mean, for the victim’s sakes, I wouldn’t mind if there were less of them, but the work itself is good.”
Then, they pulled into her drive-way. Violet was touched when Sam jumped out to open her door for her. He even saw her to her door. As she put her key in the lock, Sam stopped her. “Violet, I wanted to ask you if you were busy tomorrow night?”
Violet stood there and thought a moment. “No, I’ve got the evening off. I was going to work some more on my book, but I can do that on Saturday. Do you need me for anything?”
Sam hesitated. “I talked to your aunt yesterday.”
Violet was surprised. “You did? What on earth did you talk about? Is she all right?”
“She’s fine. I asked her if I could have her permission to ask you out on a date.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “What did Aunt Mabel say?”
“She said I sounded like a very nice young man. She
also said, ‘Our pastor called me earlier. Go for it. You sound like you’re good for her.’”
“Wow.”
“Talking to my pastor and your pastor in Butterfield was intersting. They were a little back and forth. Your pastor wanted to talk to my pastor and check me out. I finally got the go-ahead from him today.”
“But, Sam, I’m not staying after the three months are up. Is that fair to you? Is that fair to either of us?”
“I want to give it a shot. Will you have dinner with me?”
At the earnest look in his eyes, all of Violet’s resistance melted. “All right.”
Sam’s face lit up so that his dimples came out in full force. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six. Is that all right?”
“All right.”
They laughed, and Sam nearly skipped back to his car. Violet couldn’t stop smiling as she went into her uncle’s house. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day. Now there was only one problem: What on earth was she going to wear?!
Chapter 15
Friday dawned bright and clear. Violet had to work that morning, but the rest of the afternoon and evening were free. When she had seen the schedule earlier that week, nothing unusual struck her. Now, she couldn’t help wondering if a kind of sweet conspiracy existed.
She went about starting her day smiling and hurrying when she noticed how much she’d allowed herself to daydream. She loved working next door. Even with a light blanket of snow on the ground, she didn’t mind the commute! God blessed her so much.
Jesse must’ve arrived when his mother opened. Or perhaps he had a key? He sat at a booth along one side tapping on his laptop. Violet grabbed a carafe of coffee and walked over. “Jesse, are you hot on the trail of some cyber criminal?”
He jumped and shut his laptop with a click.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t talk about my cases.” He rubbed his nose and shifted, not quite meeting her eyes.
“Oh. Well, do you want more coffee?” She held out the carafe.
“Uh, yes, thanks.” He moved his coffee mug over for her to pour.
As Violet walked away to see what else needed to be done, the whole experience with Jesse struck her as quite strange. She shook her head and shrugged it off. He must be working on something important. People sometimes glare when they’re concentrating and they don’t even realize it. She tried to leave him alone the rest of the morning.
All too soon her shift ended. As she walked the short distance home, her stomach reminded her of a flock of migrating geese. What outfit should she wear that night? When she stood in front of her closet, nothing at all spoke to her. She groaned in defeat and decided to work on her book for a while. Perhaps distraction might help ease her nervous stomach.
Unfortunately, she got a little too into her work and lost track of time until the clock read 5. She squeaked and jumped up, rushing around throwing clothes on and then discarding them onto the bed. Finally, she chose a pretty, red sweater and a long black skirt. When she went into the bathroom to do her hair, she nearly wept as she tried to put it up. Nothing looked right. Finally, she decided to concede defeat and left it down. She debated on whether to wear perfume and decided instead to put a little lotion on her hands. She liked the minty scent, and it took her mind off her nerves.
The alarm on her phone rang causing her to jump again. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath willing herself to slow down as she walked downstairs and out her door. She checked the address of the restaurant Sam sent her earlier and entered it into her gps.
On the way, she prayed asking the Lord to help her focus on His will and not get carried away by her own feelings or fears. She liked Sam, but did the Lord want this?
Sam had suggested meeting at the restaurant. Though both hoped for a good date, driving separately meant either could leave if things didn’t go well. That was the practice of his sister, Ivy and what his parents preferred as well. Of course, he would pay for the meal, but she had the power to leave at any time. This idea was new to Violet, but she liked it.
At the restaurant, she felt a few moments trepidation when she didn’t see Sam right away. Maybe she got the address wrong! What if he decided he didn’t want to do this after all? Perhaps he saw her outfit and realized what a country girl she was and slipped out the back door!
Then Sam waved to her from a nearby table. He stood as she approached and he looked… The ability to describe him left her. Here, the personification of all her favorite heroes existed. Reality collided with imagination. She blinked several times.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi, yourself.” Earth to Violet. Come in, Girl!
“Can I get your chair?” He smiled and put a hand on her chair.
Finally, reality intervened. “Yes, thank you.”
She sat down and reached for a glass of water. Sam sat down and handed her a menu. “I love the manicotti, but order whatever you like.”
A waitress appeared only a few moments later and Violet panicked. What should she order? The prices caused her to suck in her breath. In the end, she ordered more water and the manicotti too.
While they waited for their food, Sam told funny stories about Will, Jesse, and himself when they were kids. As she listened, she felt herself relax. Apparently, their lives today weren’t all that different from the dreams they had had when they were younger. Will always wanted to be a police detective. He constantly asked to play cops and robbers. Computers fascinated Jesse. He usually came up with something technical to help solve their latest ‘case’ and save the day. Sam always wanted to be a doctor. Of course, there had to be some kind of medical emergency, and Sam pulled out his father’s old stethoscope and listened to someone’s heart. Then, after listening carefully, he pronounced them ready to go off and fight the bad guys again. Occasionally, he performed surgeries, but he had to be careful he didn’t tickle too much. Will laughed and squirmed the worst. They’d end up wrestling each other instead of fighting bad guys. As youngest, Ivy played the criminal. She spent a lot of time in their pretend jail. To stave off boredom, she started bringing her sketch book.
Violet loved those stories. As an only child growing up on a farm, she enjoyed lots of pretend playmates and, of course, several animals, but not too many real kids to play with. She thought she would ask Ivy to bring out some family albums the next time she came over. She would love to see them all as children.
As they enjoyed their meal (fantastic manicotti!), they both grew quiet. Finally, Sam asked, a little hesitantly, “Violet, what happened to your parents?”
She let out a small sigh before answering. “I was fourteen, and we were coming home from church. The other driver probably didn’t see the stop sign. He hit our car at an angle and we rolled a few times before landing in a ditch. I was unconscious, I don’t know how long. When I came to, I was pinned in, but somehow, I wasn’t hurt, just bruised. I couldn’t get my parents to respond to me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get out to help them. I was terrified the car would explode.” She chuckled at herself. “Too much fiction, I guess. Anyway, it took a couple of hours before someone found us. All I could do was pray.” A tear rolled unnoticed down her cheek. “My mom had already died by the time we got to the hospital. My dad was still alive, but critical. The nurse who told me about my mom tried to be kind. She said I should stay in my bed and not to worry, but I had to find my dad. First chance I got, I snuck out. It didn’t take long to find him. When I saw him, he was just lying there on a table, covered in blood. He died in surgery. I was all alone.”
Sam didn’t say anything. He just reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand.
She smiled through her tears. “You know, I’ve never told anybody about seeing my dad. I wasn’t supposed to be there. Another nurse came in and made me leave. The next time I saw my parents was at their funeral.”
“That sounds traumatic. How did you cope?”
Violet gave a wry chuckle at that question. “I didn’t. At first, I was just numb. Then, all of a sudden, I started having all these fears. Every time I went near my aunt’s car, I hyperventilated. What if something happened to her too? In fact, at first, I hid in a closet and waited all day for her until she came home from work. My pastor knew a retired psychologist in a nearby town, and he helped me. I went through all the stages of grief and drove my poor aunt nuts. Once my fears were dealt with, my ‘pendulum’ swung the other way, and I became a daredevil. I hung out with the ‘bad crowd’ at school. I tried cigarettes. YUCK! I even stole my aunt’s car.”
“Wow.”
“My aunt let the police arrest me to get my attention. I was so angry when she finally bailed me out. I was so selfish. I pushed and lashed out and tried my aunt’s patience over and over and over. Finally, the Lord got my attention when my aunt got really sick. She was diagnosed with cancer. I realized that I had been running. I didn’t want to feel anything, not fear, not love. I had shut myself off from the healing and comfort the Lord wanted to give me. I wanted control, which I finally realized is an illusion. Of course, I had choices, but only Jesus has true control over life. I still didn’t understand, but I prayed and Jesus comforted me. My aunt’s cancer went into remission, and I started to look at my life and wonder what I was going to do with it. That’s when I started writing. I can control everything in my stories!”
Sam laughed. “So, did you write mysteries?”
“No, I just journaled at first, writing down my thoughts and feelings. From there, I thought that some of that would make a great story. I had all of these ‘what if’ questions. What if my parents hadn’t died? What if I was the one who had died? What if the guy who hit us had been caught? What if I was armed with a gun and met the guy who hit us? What would I do? From there, I started writing scenes and scenarios that turned into books. I went to college through an on-line program, much cheaper, and one of my professors encouraged me to develop my skills. When self-publishing became easier and cheaper, I jumped on it and here I am today, five books and counting.”
“Wow.”
“You said that,” she teased.
“I think of some of the stuff I’ve been through, but that doesn’t even come close to what you’ve had to endure.”
