In his mind, Preston knew that, but in his heart . . . “Okay. I just wanted to get your opinions.”
Amari said, “Which means, you’re going to get in touch with her anyway, aren’t you?”
Surprised by how well Amari knew him, he confessed quietly, “Yes.”
The serious concern on Leah’s face made the feelings he had for her fill his chest. She looked as if she didn’t want him to be hurt either.
Amari gazed out over the empty gym for a moment and then looked into Preston’s eyes. “Then go for it, and I hope it works out for you. I really do.”
Preston sensed Amari was thinking about his own situation, and the no-contact message his birth mom had sent to him via Griffin July last fall. Although Amari was a master at hiding his true feelings, Preston knew he was still hurting inside. “I’ll let you know how it turns out. Let’s go get the balls.”
That night around 1:00 A.M., Preston picked up his phone. Punching in the numbers to Dr. Winthrop’s office, he waited for the call to go through. He’d chosen this particular time because he was sure to get her answering machine. He didn’t want to bother her, but he did want to leave a message, and once he finished saying what he wanted to say, he’d never contact her again.
The machine came on, and for a moment he was so nervous and tongue-tied, he hung up. It was like the mess he’d made out of trying to talk to Leah about being his girl all over again. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, he gathered his courage and dialed the number again. When the machine kicked in, he waited for the beep and said, “Hi, Dr. Winthrop, my name’s Preston Mays. I know you don’t want to hear from me, but I just wanted to leave you a message, and I promise I’ll never bother you again. I’m not mad at you for not keeping me. I’m having a real good life. My parents love me a lot, and I love them.” He could feel emotions starting to rise inside, so he kept talking. “I love physics too, and one day when I’m older I’m going to make you and my parents very proud.”
He cleared his throat around the tears. “I’m going to be officially adopted soon, but I’m not changing my name. Even though I never met my birth dad, I plan to be Preston Mays Payne out of respect.” Plowing on, he whispered, “And thanks for having me—otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
He ended the call, dragged his hands over his wet eyes, and burrowed into the bedding to go to sleep.
Miles away in Florida, Dr. Winthrop was working late. When she walked into her office and saw the light flashing on the answering machine, she hit the button and sat down at her desk to go over the notes she’d made for the briefing tomorrow. But as the caller introduced himself, she froze. Staring at the machine, she listened in shock. When the voice of her son faded away and the office was once again still, she realized there were tears running down her cheeks. With a shaking hand she replayed the message, and this time, when it ended, she put her head in her hands and wept from both pain and joy.
A few days later, a large package arrived at the Payne household via FedEx. It was addressed to Preston. While his parents looked on curiously, an equally curious Preston opened it. The hardware packaged inside left him stunned. “It’s a telescope!”
There was also an envelope with his name on it. “Did you buy me this?” he asked, opening the note, but when he saw the NASA letterhead, he started to shake.
His pops asked, “You okay?”
He showed them the letterhead, and his mom’s hand flew to her mouth.
“I know I wasn’t supposed to call her, but I left a message on her answering machine. I didn’t think she’d do this.”
“What’s the note say?”
He read it aloud, “Dear Preston. Every budding astrophysicist needs good equipment. Dr. M. Winthrop.” It was short and sweet and way more than he ever dreamed he’d get as a response to his call. “Is it okay if I keep it?”
“Of course,” the colonel told him. “It was sent in good faith and should be accepted in the same way. Do you agree, Sheila?”
“Yes.” She walked over and peered down at the pieces. “Are you going to be able to put it together?”
“I’m going to call Leah to help me. She has a telescope at home.”
The colonel nodded. “Then go ahead. You’re probably going to want to use it as soon as it gets dark.”
The elated Preston looked at his parents. “Are you mad at me for calling her?”
“Water under the bridge, son, and it turned out well. Can’t be upset with that.”
He was thankful for their understanding. “I told her I had a family that I loved a lot.”
His mom said, “And we love you a lot.”
“I told her that, too.”
His dad grinned and said, “Call Leah.”
Leah’s dad dropped her off a short while later, and the colonel promised to bring her home after dark.
As they moved the box out onto the deck and viewed all the pieces, Leah said excitedly, “This piece is top-of-the-line, boyfriend.”
Preston’s head shot up in response to that last word.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You sure?”
He nodded. “Let me go get my laptop so we can download the manual and the registration form.”
Upstairs in his room, he picked up the laptop and prayed his feelings for Leah didn’t make him say something stupid.
Even with Leah’s knowledgeable help, it took them almost two hours to put the scope together and get it properly mounted on the tripod that came with it. He was impressed by Leah’s mechanical knowledge and the ease with which she handled the screwdrivers and ratchet set. When it was finally done, they both stood back and looked at it with pride.
“We have ignition, Houston,” she said, smiling.
Preston was so happy he felt like he might burst. He had his first, very own telescope, and it had been sent by his famous scientist birth mom. How awesome was that! Equally as awesome was the fact that Leah’d helped him put it together, and every time he used it, he’d think of her. He was going to name the telescope after her, too, but planned to keep that to himself. He didn’t want her to think he was dumb. “Thanks, Leah. I’d be still trying to put it together if you hadn’t helped.”
“You’re welcome. We make a pretty good team.”
“Yeah, we do. The best.”
She was looking at him, and he was looking at her. He could feel the words he’d been wanting to say to her for weeks start to bubble up.
She spoke first. “I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Why do I feel like there’s something you’ve been wanting to ask me?”
He froze, and his brain did the same. “Um.”
She turned away and leaned on the deck rail and gazed out at the open field. “Never mind. I’m probably just imagining it. Sorry.”
“No. You’re right,” he hastily replied.
She faced him again. “Am I?”
“Yeah. It’s like this. I want to ask you if you’d be my girl, but I’ve never asked anyone before, so I don’t know what I’m supposed to say or how.”
To his surprise, she gave him a smile. “It’s not like I’ve had a whole lot of practice being asked, so that makes us even, I think.”
Emboldened by her confession, he said, “I like you a lot, Leah.”
“I like you a lot, too, Preston.”
He wanted to jump up on the top rail and let the world know how happy he was. “So, can we be boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“Just as soon as you talk to my dad, we can.”
“Your dad?” he croaked.
“Yeah. He told me any boys that want to be more than friends have to come talk to him about it first.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “One of those old-school things, I think. He said, any boy who was serious about me should have enough courage to do that.”
Preston doubted he’d able to spell courage, let alone find enough to talk to Mr. Clark about his feelings for L
eah. Not that Mr. Clark wasn’t a good guy, but this whole thing had become way more complicated than he’d ever envisioned. She was waiting for him to make a decision, though. “Okay. I’ll talk to your dad.”
“Good.”
His mom appeared at the screen door. “You two ready for dinner?”
He said they were, but his stomach was suddenly all knotted up at the prospect of talking to Leah’s dad and he doubted he’d be able to eat a thing, but he did because she’d made her off-the-hook spaghetti.
After dinner, he and Leah cleaned up the kitchen, and when they were done, he said to her, “I need to talk to my pops for just a minute.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be out here, looking at the manual.”
His parents were in the living room, watching the evening news. “Pops, can I talk to you about something real quick?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Um . . . alone. No offense, Mom, but it’s guy stuff.”
“No offense taken. How about I go keep Leah company until you two are done?”
“Thanks, Mom. She’s out on the deck.”
After her departure, Preston gave his dad a quick rundown on the situation.
The colonel’s initial response was, “Good for Gary. I like that.”
“I don’t. I’m scared to death.”
“Just be yourself, and answer any questions he has as truthfully as you can.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes. Gary knows you’re a good kid. I’m sure he’ll be pleased that Leah’s going to be with someone as levelheaded and smart as she is. I know I would be, were she my daughter.”
“Then do you mind waiting around after we take her home, so I can to talk to him tonight?”
“Not a bit, and I’ll be pulling for you.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Preston and Leah had a great evening. Their excitement over the telescope quadrupled as they took close-up looks at the night sky. “The moon looks so close I feel like I could reach out and touch it,” he told her, looking into the eyepiece.
“That’s an awesome telescope. The one we have at home, Dad picked up at a flea market. It’s in good shape, but it’s Jurassic compared to yours.”
For the next hour they took turns peering at the moon and the nearby constellations and being amazed. And then it was time for her to go home. He didn’t want her to go, though. He’d really enjoyed having her over and wished she could visit all the time.
“Thanks for letting me come over,” she said as she opened the screen so he could carry the telescope inside.
“Thanks for helping me put it together.” He set the tripod down in the kitchen. Later, he’d take it up to his bedroom. “Well, let’s go so I can talk to your dad.”
On the ride, they were so busy being excited about the astronomy books they wanted to get and how tight the telescope was, Preston forgot all about his talk with her father. But as soon as the colonel pulled up into the Clark driveway, the knots took over again.
They got out, and while Leah headed to the door, his pops said, “Good luck, and by the way, the first rule of impressing a girl’s father is to escort his daughter to the door.”
Damn! “Leah, hold up. Thanks!” he said hastily and hurried to catch up to her before she reached the porch.
He was at her side when she opened the door and stepped in.
Her father was up on a ladder, changing a lightbulb in the fixture in the front hall. “You two have a good time?” he asked as he reattached the glass globe by tightening the small screws.
“We did,” Leah said, holding on to the ladder until he finished and climbed down. “His telescope is so sweet. The view is oh my goodness.”
Her dad chuckled. “Thanks for having her over, Preston, and thank Barrett for me for bringing her home.”
“I will. Um, can I talk to you about something before I leave?”
He folded the ladder and set it against the wall. “Sure, what is it?”
Leah said, “Bye, Preston,” and hurried up the stairs and out of sight.
Her father viewed her hasty departure curiously before turning his attention back to Preston.
“Um, sir.”
Mr. Clark raised an eyebrow, but Preston did his best to ignore it. “I—really—”
Mr. Clark crossed his arms over his chest. “You really what?”
Preston gathered his courage and said firmly, “I’d really like to ask Leah to be my girlfriend, but she said I had to talk to you about it first.”
Preston saw the surprise that flashed in Mr. Clark’s eyes and then the scrutiny that followed. “How old are you, Preston?”
“Fourteen, almost fifteen.”
“Leah can’t date until she’s sixteen.”
“I understand, but I can’t drive until I’m sixteen, so it’s not like I can take her anywhere, sir.”
He thought Mr. Clark smiled, but he couldn’t be sure.
“I admire your courage, Preston, and your character. Let me talk to Leah first, and then I’ll let you know.”
Preston hadn’t envisioned this part about having to wait, either, but his only option was to say, “Okay, thanks. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Preston forced himself not to look toward the stairs that led to the second floor as he made his exit.
When he got back into the truck, he fell back against the seat from trauma and disappointment.
His father backed down the drive and steered the truck in the direction of home. “How’d it go?”
“He said he had to talk to Leah and let me know,” he answered gloomily.
“At least he didn’t tell you flat-out no.”
“I guess.”
“Gary’s just being a good dad. If you have a daughter, you’ll probably do the same thing.”
“No, I won’t, because I’m going to remember how it felt to be under the spotlight.”
His father chuckled, “And I’m going to remind you of this conversation if and when you do have a daughter, so count on it.”
When they got home, Preston carried the telescope upstairs and set it in his bedroom by the door that led out to his small deck. He was still amazed that he’d received the awesome gift, and he wondered if he’d hear from his birth mom again. He also wondered how long it might take Mr. Clark to say yes or no, but he supposed his pops was right, Mr. Clark hadn’t said no right off the bat. Taking out his phone, he sent Amari a text inviting him over; five minutes later, Amari walked in the door.
“Hey, Brain, what’s up?”
He told him first about Leah and having to talk to her father.
Amari shook his head. “Nope. If I have to go through all that, I’m not having a girlfriend. I didn’t know you had to talk to a girl’s father first.”
“I didn’t either. Pops said it’s an old-school thing.”
“Was that the big news you sent the text to me about?”
“Yes, but I got some other big news. See my new telescope?”
“Oh, wow. That is tight.”
Amari walked over and checked it out. “Your parents got this for you?”
“No. My birth mom.” In that moment, Preston wasn’t sure he should have shared that. Amari went still, and had the oddest look on his face.
“Your birth mom?”
“Yeah. I just wanted you to see it. Didn’t mean to make you sad and stuff about your own mom.”
Amari waved him off. “I’m good. I think it’s awesome that contacting her worked out. Now come show me how this thing works.”
Before they could begin, Preston’s phone sounded. He checked the message. It was from Leah, and all it said was: “YES!!!”
Amari looked at his smiling face. “What?”
“Leah’s dad said yes!”
“Way to go, Brain!”
They exchanged a high five.
Amari cracked, “Next thing you know, you’re going to be booking the Dog for your wedding reception.”
Preston rolled his eyes and laughed. “Yeah, right.” But he felt good.
Bernadine had had a long day, and now, driving home from her last meeting—an update at Tamar’s on how to best schedule the rehearsal times at the school’s kiva and the rec auditorium for the people in the Idol contest who wanted access—she was glad the day was done. The evening’s meeting was one of the few pre-Idol work sessions she’d had to attend; Tamar, Sheila, and their crew had everything in order, and she thanked heaven for them. Their efficiency freed her to concentrate on more pressing issues, like arranging for Gary Clark to pay calls on some of the region’s large food distributors next week and going over the final blueprints for their firehouse. She and Trent decided on a volunteer fire department for the present, but that involved getting the volunteers recruited and then trained.
It was a nice night, and the starry sky she saw through her windshield reminded her of the asteroid viewing a few days ago. Jack said there’d been lots of interest in having a similar event, so he’d be holding another during the summer.
There hadn’t been another vehicle in sight on the long, deserted stretch between Tamar’s and the Dog, but now she spotted lights coming up behind her. In case the other car was in a hurry, she pulled closer to the shoulder to let it pass, but instead of going by the vehicle rammed her. Her head rocked back, and a split second later she was scrambling to keep her truck on the road. She was struck again and she hit the sync on her dash and screamed, “Mal! Some idiot—”
Hit again, she cried out in panic and fear as the truck went barreling down into the ditch, clipped the tall grass, bounced as it hit a low spot, flipped, came down on its cab, and skidded a few yards to a stop. The last thing she remembered was hearing Mal’s voice yelling, “Baby girl! What’s wrong! Bernadine!”
Bernadine opened her eyes, but she was so groggy it was a chore to keep them open. She was in a dimly lit room but didn’t know where or why. Then she saw Mal and Crystal standing beside her. She wanted to ask what was going on, but her eyes fluttered closed again, and she drifted back into the black.
When she surfaced again, she had no idea how much time had passed, but she saw Mal asleep in a chair and Crystal watching her from another. She tried to call her, but her throat was so dry it was difficult to form the words.
A Wish and a Prayer Page 23
