His Ideal Match

by Arlene James

  “Maybe you could help with the boxes,” she suggested to Phillip, her tone apologetic.

  He gave her a quick smile, nodded and left the room. Nathan ducked his head, busily cramming clothes into an open bag. She decided to let the rudeness pass. They were all under a lot of stress at the moment.

  When the dressers had been emptied, she got trash bags from the kitchen and filled them with shoes and the contents of the bathroom. Then she returned to the living room to find that the children had stacked up numerous boxes that they wanted to take. Phillip was nowhere to be seen. She nixed several and was arguing with Tucker over another when Phillip wandered out of her father’s room, her dad’s open Bible in his big hands. He seemed to be reading even as he walked over to the threadbare sofa and lowered himself onto the edge of it.

  “I found this on Marshall’s bedside table,” Phillip said. Flipping a red ribbon, he added, “This passage was marked.” With that, Phillip began to read. “‘The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.’” As he read, the children had gathered around him, and he underlined the last part with his fingertip so they wouldn’t miss it.

  “And that’s where Grandpa is?” Tucker asked, looping an arm around Phillip’s neck.

  “I think so,” Phillip said. “The Bible says all believers will spend eternity in Heaven. I tell you what—when you all get settled, we’ll ask my aunts. They’ll know, and they’ll be glad to tell us.”

  Nathan said nothing, just frowned in thought. Phillip replaced the red ribbon and closed the Bible then passed it to Nathan, saying, “Why don’t you hold on to this for your mom?”

  Nathan seemed surprised, but he folded the Bible tightly against his chest. Phillip calmly rose and rubbed his hands together.

  “Okay. Let’s get this show on the road.”

  They packed up both vehicles in a matter of minutes. At the last moment Tucker remembered something he wanted to take with him to Chatam House, so they walked back to the apartment. Inside the tiny coat closet was his grandfather’s old cap, one Tucker had worn several times while playing. Tucker smoothed the interior band before flipping the cap onto his head and nudging the bill slightly to the side. When he looked up, tears stood in his big blue eyes. He turned in a circle, looking around the place, and Carissa knew he was saying a final goodbye. Her heart stopped.

  Suddenly, Tucker threw himself at Phillip, latching on to Phillip’s leg. She knew just how Tucker felt. He wanted an anchor, something—someone—solid and strong to hold on to in a world that suddenly felt rudderless and bleak. Grace let out a little hiccup of a sob and lifted her arms. Without a word, Phillip picked her up and cradled her against his side. While Carissa just stood there trembling inside and yearning for some of that strength, Phillip comforted her children. Worse, she looked at Nathan and saw the same hunger in his face before he turned and stomped off. Shaken to realize that her nine-year-old had more fortitude than she did just then, Carissa brusquely ordered the other children to head to the van with their brother while she went to fetch the manager. As the woman locked up the place, Phillip renewed his promise to return the next day to empty out the apartment.

  “But where am I going to put everything?” Carissa demanded as they hurried to the car.

  “There are attics at Chatam House.”

  She shook her head. She wasn’t moving in lock, stock and barrel. If she did, she might never convince herself to leave again, and the Chatam sisters were just dear enough to let her and the children stay on indefinitely.

  “Well, I have a storage unit,” he told her. “It’s barely half-full. You can start with that, and I expect they have empty spaces for rent at the same place. We’ll work something out.”

  She decided that she would spend the remainder of the afternoon making some calls about new apartments, and if she couldn’t find something affordable, well, better that she should take advantage of him than his aunts.

  “See you at Chatam House,” he said, moving toward the town car.

  Nathan put his back to the van and folded his arms. Clearly, he didn’t want to go back to Chatam House—or anywhere else that left him in close proximity to Phillip. Carissa couldn’t blame him. Phillip Chatam was dangerous, not just to her heart but to those of her children. What other choice did they have, though, except to return to Chatam House?

  She could take her children to a motel, but even the cheapest one would drain her meager funds and delay when they could move into a suitable home of their own again. No, as badly as she wanted to avoid Phillip, she had no real choice but to accept the hospitality of the Chatams. Still...she didn’t have to be right under his nose, did she?

  Carissa thought about that as she drove her children back to Chatam House, and by the time they arrived, she had her argument well planned. The Chatam sisters and Kent were sitting in the formal parlor. Carissa sent the children to the sunroom then asked her aunt and uncle to come in. As soon as they arrived, Phillip explained the situation. Then Carissa spoke.

  “We hate to impose on you any further, and the truth is, we’ll be much more comfortable with Uncle Chester and Aunt Hilda in the carriage house.”

  Odelia blinked at that. She’d traded black onyx earrings and pleated, paper-white linen trimmed in wide black edging for purple amethysts and yard upon yard of floral chiffon. Magnolia, on the other hand, wore the same dark print cotton dress that she’d worn to the funeral; she’d traded her pumps for penny loafers, however. Only Hypatia had not changed a stitch. Still wearing gray silk, matching pumps and pearls, her silver hair twisted into a sleek chignon, she looked as neat and fresh as she had at breakfast that morning.

  “Well,” Odelia said consideringly, “I suppose we could have Carol move into the house here to make room for you.”

  Carissa frowned. She hadn’t meant to put anyone out of place.

  “Of course, you’d still have to share a room with Grace,” Hypatia said.

  “And that’s with Grace sleeping on the floor,” Hilda put in. “There’s no room for more than a half bed in either room upstairs in the carriage house.”

  “Oh, we have bunk beds for the boys,” Carissa said quickly.

  “They’re attic rooms, sugar,” Chester pointed out. “The ceiling slopes too much. Bunk beds won’t fit. Full beds won’t fit, for that matter.”

  Feeling as if she’d swallowed a lead weight, Carissa bowed her head in defeat.

  “The master suite is much more suitable,” Odelia said brightly. “And Phillip will help you settle in. Won’t you, dear?”

  “I’ll start unloading the car,” he replied, before leaving the room.

  Chester and Kent got up to follow. Magnolia leaned over to pat Carissa’s hand.

  “The master suite is best for all concerned,” she said. “It’s large and airy. You’re welcome to set up your bunk beds, if you like.”

  Carissa nodded, hoping that wouldn’t be necessary, and choked out, “Thank you. You’re very kind.”

  “It’s just practical, dear.”

  A sound from the hallway gave Carissa an excuse to escape. “I’d best check on the kids.” Popping up, she hurried away, determined not to cry.

  This whole day, which she had started by burying her father, had just been one disappointment after another. It was as if God was determined to force her into close proximity with Phillip Chatam, no matter what she wanted. She couldn’t make any sense of it. She couldn’t even try.

  Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow she would take another look at her options and figure out what to do next.

  * * *

  As Hilda went to the kitchen for the tea tray, Odelia settled back against the cushions of t
he elegant antique settee and lifted her eyebrows at her sisters.

  “Still think I’m making mountains out of molehills?” she asked once she could be sure they wouldn’t be overheard.

  Magnolia sniffed but conceded, “We have seen God move like this before.”

  “I’m just not certain that Phillip is cut out for a ready-made family,” Hypatia said doubtfully.

  “You saw the way he reacted with Grace and Tucker in the midst of their grief,” Odelia argued.

  “And they with him,” Hypatia admitted, “but that doesn’t mean there’s a romance developing between Carissa and Phillip. Besides, I’m not convinced that he and Carissa could support those children.”

  “Mmm, and the oldest boy is none too keen on him,” Magnolia pointed out.

  “Nathan is none too keen on anyone or anything,” Odelia said dismissively, “but he’ll get over that. As for Phillip, he’s an intelligent man. He’ll come up with something.”

  “He needs to come up with a firm understanding of God’s involvement in his life,” Hypatia stated flatly. “And I’m sorry, Odelia, but from what I can tell, Carissa doesn’t seem to like our Phillip very much.”

  Sighing, Odelia had to admit that it was true, though how any woman could resist Phillip’s charm and masculinity, she didn’t know.

  “Besides, you’re forgetting something else,” Magnolia pointed out. She waited until she had the rapt attention of both of her sisters before bluntly saying, “Our brother.”

  Hypatia winced. “I hate to speak ill of a loved one, but Murdock can be a bit of a, um...”

  “Snob,” Odelia supplied unhappily.

  Murdock and his wife, Maryanne, both dedicated doctors, had initially disapproved of their oldest son Asher’s wife, Ellie, and they had actively fought the marriage of their oldest daughter, Petra, to Dale Bowen because he worked as a carpenter. They even seemed to disapprove of Phillip himself because he hadn’t chosen a “premium” profession, such as law or medicine. Murdock had even once said that he’d happily settle for banking or education for his younger son, but Phillip had chosen bookkeeping instead then hadn’t even gotten a job in the field.

  Odelia could only imagine what Murdock and Maryanne’s opinion would be of a penniless widow with three children as a daughter-in-law. She hated to think that they might even be petty enough to hold it against Carissa that her aunt and uncle had been longtime employees at Chatam House. She had once heard Maryanne refer to Chester and Hilda as servants. The very term made Odelia shudder.

  On the other hand, no one could say that Murdock and Maryanne weren’t dedicated parents. They had eventually accepted both Ellie and Dale, and the birth of their first grandchild, Asher and Ellie’s daughter, seemed to have softened them considerably. They had both recently retired in order to spend more time with family, and the sisters had noticed a renewed interest in spiritual matters.

  “What is needed here is prayer,” Odelia decided.

  “Indeed it is,” Hypatia agreed, “for all concerned.”

  “Prayer,” Magnolia pointed out, “is the one thing we might do that can only help and never hurt.”

  Odelia bowed her head. God’s will was always the best answer, but she couldn’t help wanting things to work out for Phillip and Carissa together. Perhaps she was just an old romantic, but it seemed like the perfect solution. Carissa needed a husband, and those children needed a father. And Phillip...so far as she could tell, Phillip just needed to grow up. Besides, next to the love of the Lord, the love between husband and wife was the most sacred and wonderful of bonds. That was a normal thing to wish for one’s nephew, wasn’t it?

  * * *

  “This is all too much,” Carissa said for perhaps the fourth or fifth time. “This suite is larger than Dad’s whole apartment, and moving in here is like taking over someone’s house.”

  Phillip mentally kicked himself for mentioning that the master suite had once belonged to his grandparents and had always been considered the heart of the house.

  “But this space was made for children,” he pointed out, setting the last of the suitcases in the center of the sitting-room floor. “Hub Senior and Gussie were very happily married and, unlike many of their generation and wealth, they were hands-on parents. Having triplet daughters prompted them to create this suite in order to keep their infants and their nurse close by.”

  He went on to explain that as the other three children came along, those arrangements proved wise and useful. Even as the children got older and moved into other areas of the house, Hub and Gussie maintained the large three-bedroom suite in order to keep ailing or frightened youngsters near, especially at night.

  “This is the best space for a family. Why shouldn’t you use it?”

  The rest of the house had undergone various renovations over the decades, the latest being Odelia and Kent’s private suite.

  “I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “Staying here for a few days is one thing, moving in is another.”

  Tired of arguing with her, he said, “So which of the aunties are you going to annoy, then, Hypatia or Odelia?”

  Carissa looked at him with something akin to horror on her lovely face. The smattering of freckles across the bridge of her pert nose extended just far enough across her high cheekbones to be scarcely visible in profile, but when she turned to fully face him, as she did now, it formed a delicate mask, a gossamer veil above which her deep blue eyes frowned.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, if you decide on the small suite, you’ll be next door to Hypatia’s bedroom, and if you take the east suite, you’ll be next to Odelia and Kent’s. Of course, here, you’re only next to...”

  “You,” she finished sourly. Then she immediately looked contrite. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. We don’t want to disturb anyone.”

  Phillip sighed. “Look, the truth is, you won’t be disturbing me or my aunts, no matter which suite you choose, but the master suite is the best for everyone.”

  Carissa nodded. The children traded uncertain but curious looks. The interchange between Phillip and Carissa had obviously piqued their interest. Carissa noticed, as well.

  “Okay. Let’s get this stuff put away,” she ordered. “Everybody pitch in.”

  By the time they worked out where to put everything, they were all exhausted, the children especially. Carissa declared that a nap was in order before dinner. Nathan made a fuss, but she insisted. Phillip wandered back into the sitting room, listening to the oddly domestic sounds of shoes hitting the floor, pillows being fluffed, hugs and kisses being traded, even the whines and complaints of tired, little voices. When Carissa returned, Phillip couldn’t help smiling, thinking how sweetly rumpled she looked.

  She dropped down onto the sofa. “Thanks for all your help today. I’m sorry we put you to so much trouble.”

  “I didn’t have anything better to do,” he replied lightly, waiting for her to invite him to sit.

  She rubbed her hands over her face then looked up at him with some surprise, as if she was unhappy to find him still standing there. “Well, good night.”

  Disappointed, he said, “Good night,” and he moved swiftly to the door, more hurt than he had any reason to be. Honestly, how many ways did the woman have to prove that she wasn’t interested in him? She’d made it more than plain that she didn’t even like him. If he had an ounce of sense, he’d keep as much distance between them as humanly possible. His resolve to do just that almost made it through the door.

  Almost.

  Chapter Five

  Yanking the door open, Phillip walked straight through it, but before he shut it closed behind him, he heard her sniff. It was the barest sound, just a catch of breath and a tiny, liquid burble. He did his best to ignore it. He tried very hard to close the door, but he ju
st couldn’t do it. Gritting his teeth, he argued with himself. From the very beginning, the woman had made it clear that something about him rubbed her the wrong way. On the other hand, she’d been under great duress from the moment he’d met her. And today, she’d buried her father. As if to underscore that, she made a soft, gasping sound, and he lost the fight.

  Covering the distance to the sofa in three long strides, he dropped down next to her and pulled her into his arms without a word. She dissolved, plastering herself against him to muffle the sobs that she’d tried so hard to keep hidden. As he folded her close, he felt an odd sense of purpose even amid her emotional storm. She might stab him again with that sharp tongue of hers before he finally went on his way, but he didn’t much mind, not really. He rather enjoyed her independent, outspoken nature. At this very moment, he didn’t think he’d much mind if she ripped him to shreds and handed him the pieces in a gunnysack.

  Phillip put his hand in Carissa’s hair. It felt like the softest silk. Stroking it tenderly, he crooned comforting sounds as Carissa wept.

  “Shhh, shhh. It’s all right, sweetheart. Don’t cry.”

  “Nothing’s gone right,” she wailed in a tiny voice.

  “I know it seems that way, but you’re okay.”

  “I’ve failed at everything I’ve ever done.”

  “How can you say that with those three amazing kids?” he asked, astounded.

  “I’ve failed them at every turn,” she insisted. “I can’t even provide a proper home for them.”

  “What do you call this?”

  “Charity!”

  “Only until you earn enough money to get into your own place.”

  “With what? Telephone sales?” she scoffed. “I haven’t worked in days.”

  “You just buried your father. Besides, you can’t work all the time. Give yourself a break, will you?”