“Matt is a marine who lives next door. He mows my lawn and does my handy-work for me.” she smiled.
Matt nodded and backed out of the room.
Sam was almost grateful. He would like to have some time alone with his mother to discuss things. And having Matt the watchdog around wasn’t going to help.
“Would you like some coffee?” Loretta asked.
Sam nodded. “Yeah. Coffee would be good.”
Loretta rounded a corner into the kitchen and somehow produced two cups of coffee in less than three minutes. She set them on the dining room table and motioned Sam over.
He sat down awkwardly and took a sip.
“Sam,” said Loretta, “I am truly sorry.”
His head snapped up so hard that it hurt his neck.
“You?” he asked. “Why are you sorry? I’m the one that should be apologizing!”
“I’m sorry because I let you down as a mother. When your father died, I neglected to be a good example to you. I lost my faith, and in turn I lost my family. I’ve asked God to forgive me, but I need your forgiveness as well.”
Sam shook his head. “But I’m the one who let you down, remember? I should have stepped up and been the head of the family. I should have been able to influence Lucas toward the good instead of the bad. It’s my fault.”
Loretta dipped her head for a moment, and then continued. “Sam, you were sixteen. Just because your father dies doesn’t mean you get instant maturity. It doesn’t work that way. As your parent, your adult figurehead, I should have set an example for the both of you. Instead, I pulled away. I let the grief overwhelm me and I didn’t take the time to turn to God for comfort. You did, and I am so proud of you. In many ways, you handled your father’s death better than I ever could have.” She reached across the table and took Sam’s hand. “You’ve grown up so much. And I am proud of you.”
Sam couldn’t stop the tear that rolled down his cheek. He hated to cry, but sometimes he couldn’t help himself.
“So,” his mother changed the subject, “tell me about life. How are you?”
Sam wiped the tears away and smiled. “I’m good.”
“Do you have a lady friend yet?” she asked.
Sam laughed. His mother had been trying to set him up with girls since he was in the sixth grade.
“No,” he answered, “but I have my sights set on one.”
His mother’s eyebrows raised in curiosity. “Really? Tell me about her, please.”
He smiled wider. “Her name’s Emily. She is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. She works in forensics at the offices. She’s funny and sweet and…well, everything I’ve ever wanted.”
His mother smiled, almost evilly. “Have you asked God about her?”
Sam nodded. “Of course. I keep getting ‘love is patient’. I know why, too.”
Loretta raised her coffee to her lips and waited for him to go on.
“Until recently, she’s been really distant. Kind of cold to me. But she’s starting to open up. There are other reasons, too.”
Loretta swallowed and crossed her legs. “What other reasons?”
“They’re work-related.”
Loretta nodded in understanding. “Just a tip, when she realizes she is in love with you, don’t go too fast. Now, how is work?”
Sam shook his head in amazement. His mother was so fast to jump to conclusions. It was one of the reasons he loved her so much.
“Work is great,” he said. “I got a new partner this year.”
Loretta smiled. “So you’re no longer the rookie?”
She knew of his trials and tribulations with his first partner. Uriah had been – oh, how to put it? – pushy. He had expected perfection the first time or not at all. And Sam had been less than perfect. Uriah was no longer with the bureau.
“No. Nate is the rookie now and I’m doing my best not to push him too hard. He’s great. He has great instincts and he’s smart on top of it all. His antics are the best. Best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Well, anytime you can spare a day, I would love to meet him.”
Sam shrugged. “I could ask him to come over now. I kind of gave him the rest of the day off.”
She laughed. “Well, I would love to meet him. Go ahead and call. Or text. Whatever it is you do nowadays.”
Sam sent a quick text with the request and the address. He also sent up a silent prayer that Matt wouldn’t blindside Nate.
Loretta cleared the coffee cups and brought out a tin of cookies.
“You still bake?” Sam asked in astonishment.
She nodded profusely. “I love to bake. You should know. I taught you, remember?”
Sam took a cookie from the tin. “Yeah, I remember. I can’t eat anything out of a box very often. It just doesn’t taste right.”
She laughed. “That was the point.”
“Sam, you here?” came Nate’s voice from the hallway.
“In the dining room!” he yelled back.
Nate appeared around the corner. “Hi. Hey, who’s the creepy-eyed guy staring at us from the window next door?”
Sam gave his mother an I-told-you-so look. “That’s Matt. He’s mom’s watchdog.”
Nate nodded and smiled. “And this must be your beautiful mother. Whom I had never heard of until two weeks ago. Hi, nice to meet you.” He shook her hand. “Ooh! Are those cookies?”
Sam nodded. “How'd you get here so fast?”
Nate sat down and grabbed a couple from the tin. “You know,” he started, munching on a cookie, “I tried to get Jewel to come with me. But, evidently, she and Emily are having a slumber party. Who would’ve thunk it? These are really good, by the way!” He shoved another one into his mouth.
Loretta began to laugh, softly at first and then a loud laugh that had to resonate through the entire neighborhood.
“Nate,” Sam said again, “how did you get here so fast?”
“I may or may not have followed you from work. So, why’d you invite me over again?” Nate asked.
Sam suppressed a chuckle. “Because we wanted to be entertained.”
Nate nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He stood and raised a single finger into the air. “I refuse to be laughed at because I happen to be the most entertaining person in this room. But I will take another cookie on my way out.” He grabbed two and headed back out the door.
“Was he serious?” Loretta asked.
Sam nodded. “Yep. That’s how he is.”
She burst out laughing again. She finally stopped and breathed deeply. She immediately had another question.
“Was he talking about the same Emily you were?” She asked.
Sam nodded solemnly, not wanting to go into detail. He didn’t need his mother worrying about him like he was five. He was an FBI agent for Pete’s sake. He could take care of himself. However, if he told her that then she’d bring up the incident with Mega-Marine Matt.
“Would you like to explain these other work-related problems?”
Sam made a face. Why did his mother have to be so smart?
“Emily has a stalker,” he said simply.
Loretta’s hand flew to her throat. “Oh, that poor woman! Are you going to apprehend the man?”
Sam smiled wryly. “I only wish I could. We don’t know who he is yet. But I’m working on it. Emily’s working on it, too. If anyone can figure out who it is, Emily can. I just hope she doesn’t find out the hard way.”
Loretta closed the cookie tin and put it away. “What do you mean the hard way?”
Sam really didn’t want to think about it. “I mean that if the guy finds her and…apprehends her before we know who it is, things could turn out badly.” He couldn’t stand the thought of Emily being under this evil man’s power. He would be there when she needed him, and he would find the stalker before he got to Emily. He had to.
Loretta glanced at her wristwatch and gasped. “Oh, Sam! I have to go. I have a dinner date with a friend, but you should come
visit more often.”
Sam stood. “Yes, ma’am. I miss you.”
She laughed. “If you don’t mind meeting Matt’s family, then come on over anytime.”
Sam hugged her one last time before exiting the house and pulling out of his parking space. God had provided an in with his mother before he even knew he was going to go see her. Wasn’t that just like God? God knew what Sam needed before he did. He sent up a thank you.
“Emily, can we go now?” Jewel asked. “I do have a curfew, you know.”
Emily narrowed her eyes as she skillfully maneuvered through the data on her computer.
“In a minute!” she said, almost snapping.
“Yeah, you said that half an hour ago.” Jewel dumped the cookie bag upside down. “Come on! We’re out of cookies and I need nutrition. Maybe a pizza. Aren’t you hungry?”
Emily nodded. “Yeah, but I’m almost done here.”
“You said that half an hour ago, too.” She leaned back in her chair and rested her head on the back of the seat. “I’m not going to stop complaining until you stop working.”
Emily didn’t hesitate. She knew that Jewel wasn’t joking, but she also knew that if she didn’t finish this project, she would be thinking about it all night.
“Prime rib. Onion rings. Fried chicken.”
Emily stopped and turned to look at Jewel. “What?”
Jewel sat up. “I couldn’t think of anything else to complain about, so I’m naming off foods. Maybe you’ll get hungry enough to stop working. I’m hoping, you know.”
Emily shook her head and typed in one last thing. It came up empty. She sighed. Well, now that that had dead-ended, maybe she could stop for the evening.
“Alright, let’s go,” she conceded, shutting off her computer.
Jewel jumped to her feet and tossed the cookie bag into the trash. “So, what’s for dinner? Pizza? Chinese? Italian?”
Emily laughed as she grabbed her coat. “You know pizza is technically Italian food, right?”
Jewel nodded. “Yeah, I was kind of pushing for that.”
They locked the office and got into the elevator.
“Then let’s order pizza in to your house. Stalker, remember?” Emily shrugged and sighed.
“Yay! Pizza.”
They reached Jewel’s car in the parking lot, a dark Mitsubishi model, and Emily slid silently into the back seat.
“Ready?” Jewel asked, turning the car on.
Emily weighed the options. If she continued to lay down, the odds were that the stalker wouldn’t see her, but what if he had seen her come out with Jewel? What if he really was watching the FBI building? Finally, she sighed.
“Sure. Let’s get this over with.”
They pulled out of the parking lot and Emily breathed deeply. She had to stay calm. She couldn’t let herself panic. That was precisely what the stalker wanted, and she refused to give in. She could do this, she told herself. She could fight the fear and panic on her own. She didn’t need anyone’s help.
“You ok back there?” Jewel asked.
Emily closed her eyes. “Mm-hmm.” She hoped this didn’t last very much longer. She didn’t know if she could take it. She had a fighting spirit, but she didn’t know how long she could make it hold out.
The car came to a stop.
“Ok, Emily, we’re here.” She opened her door and climbed out.
Emily sat up and did a quick 360 turn. Nothing glinting, no strange passers-by. She opened her door and got out. Trying not to sprint, she headed toward the front door with Jewel. So far, so good. She hadn’t panicked and she was controlling the paranoia.
“I’m home!” Jewel yelled as she entered the hallway. “And I brought Emily!”
A thundering of footsteps sounded in the upstairs hallway and Emily took a single step back.
Jewel’s brothers, Seth, Drew and Peter, came flying down the stairs.
“Jewel,” Drew said loudly. “You’re just in time for movie night!”
Peter, who was fifteen, engulfed her in a hug.
Seth spotted Emily and smiled. “You’re the forensic scientist that saved Jewel’s life,” he stated.
Emily smiled. “I guess so.”
Drew extended a hand. “Yeah, thanks for that, by the way.”
Jewel shook her head and skipped into the kitchen. She took down the phone book and the phone.
“Anyone know the number for Pizza Hut right off the top of their heads?” she asked.
The guys looked at her like she was crazy.
“Fine. I’ll look it up. Is Cassandra here?”
Peter slid onto a stool. “She’s in her room. Said not to bother her.”
Jewel nodded and punched a number into the phone.
Emily felt a little out of the loop. They seemed so comfortable together, and she was an outsider. Of course, she loved Jewel and the boys were great, but somehow she didn’t fit into their world.
Jewel hung up the phone and wrote down a number.
“They say half an hour for five pizzas. Don’t go by that.” She stuck the note to the fridge and tucked her arm into Emily’s. “So, guys, what’s tonight’s movie?”
Seth grabbed a bag of popcorn out of the cabinet and threw it in the microwave.
“Well,” he said, “we thought maybe The Princess Bride.”
Emily glanced at Jewel. “The what?”
Jewel laughed. “The Princess Bride. It’s about a farm girl who gets turned into a princess when the evil prince proposes marriage. Unfortunately, her one true love was supposedly killed by pirates. That’s why the guys like it. It’s a great love story.”
Emily wrinkled her nose. “How about Pride and Prejudice? I like that one.”
Jewel gave the guys a questioning glance.
The agreed almost too easily.
Four minutes later they were seated around the television.
“What’s your favorite part?” Jewel asked Emily.
“I like the part in the rain and the part in the field. You know, the one at the end of the movie.”
Jewel grabbed some popcorn from the bowl and nodded. “I agree. There’s something about that rain scene. I mean, her heart is breaking but she tells him no for her family’s sake.”
Drew gave her a quizzical look. “What are you talking about? He pours his heart out and the girl rejects him out of her own selfish pride.”
“How is she being selfish?” Jewel retorted. “She totally rejects him because she’s standing up for her family. I thought that was obvious.”
“How is she standing up for her family?” Peter asked. “She clearly denies him because she doesn’t love him.”
Emily raised a hand. “Actually, she is standing up for her family. Don’t you remember? He says that he separated Bingley and Jane because of the lack of propriety shown on the part of her mother, her two younger sisters and even on occasion her father. She says no because he insulted her family.”
Jewel pointed at her and threw Drew and Peter a look.
“Maybe Pride and Prejudice wasn’t such a good idea,” Cassandra said, entering the room behind them. She snagged some popcorn. “Why don’t you just put in Facing the Giants? It’s a safe choice.”
The doorbell rang at that moment, and Jewel ran to answer it. Three minutes later, she carried five pizzas back into the room.
Emily hadn’t realized how hungry she was until Jewel set the boxes on the table in front of her. The smell was heavenly. She flipped one open and slapped three pieces onto her plate.
Jewel smiled and gave her a sideways glance. “I knew sitting in that lab all day couldn’t be good for your eating habits,” she mumbled.
Emily shrugged. Biting into the first piece, she declared, “It’s my job. I have to get it done.”
“At the expense of your health?” Cassandra queried. “That isn’t a very smart thing to do, Emily.”
Emily sighed and finished off the first piece of pizza. “I know, but I feel like I can’t breathe until I fin
ish the project I’m on.”
“You know,” Cassandra said, “God would give you breath if you asked Him.”
Emily stopped eating for a moment and thought about the profound statement. She had been pulling away from God. Her life had become so hectic that she felt like she never had time for Him anymore. Maybe it was time to change that. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to get back to God. If she put Him first, everything else should fall into place. Maybe her life could be beautiful once again.
TEN
Sam woke up and listened to the quiet of the house. Good. Nate wasn’t here. He had tried confiscating Nate’s key, but Nate had not given it up. Not that confiscating his key would keep him out of Sam’s house. It would probably only tempt him to come over more often. For some reason, Nate didn’t seem to think breaking and entering was the same as picking the lock and entering.
Sam stretched to loosen the muscles tightened by sleeping in the same position all night. His back popped and crackled, and he breathed deeply. Much better.
He grabbed his phone from his bedside table and took it with him to the kitchen. The sun shone brightly through the windows and he smiled. Making a nice, big breakfast would be the perfect way to start this day. He pulled the eggs from the refrigerator.
In the middle of his omelet making, his phone began to buzz. He turned the heat on the stove down for a moment and picked up the phone. Nate was calling. Great. He glanced at the clock. It was only eight o’clock, what could Nate want this early? Still, he answered.
“Hey, Nate.”
“Hey. Sam. Quick question.” Nate sounded unsure of it.
“What?” Sam turned the heat back up and poured in the eggs.
“Isn’t Emily usually at work by eight?”
Sam thought for a moment. This was a Saturday, but that usually didn’t make any difference in Emily’s world.
“Yeah, why?”
“Oh, she’s not here yet. I was just worried about her. You know, with the stalker and all.”
Sam sighed. “I thought you said she and Jewel were doing a sleepover? Maybe they’re just running late.”
He could hear Nate’s sigh. “That’s what I thought, too. I already talked to Jewel. Emily’s not with her. She said she dropped Emily off a while ago. Emily’s car isn’t in the lot, but that really doesn’t make sense.”
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