Frowning, Jen looked up, the handset of her phone held to her ear. She rolled her eyes and lifted a finger, then pointed to one of the chairs in front of her desk and mouthed, “I’ll be done soon I hope.”
David grinned and sat, slipping his phone out of his pocket and opening his email. His boss had, in fact, emailed the proposal information. He scanned the introductory material. It was certainly something they could deliver, but they’d worked with subcontractors who were better at it in the past. He kept scrolling. Aha. This was basically an excuse to partner with one of Kurt’s favorite companies, do relatively little work, and get the pat on the back for bringing in some cash. At least it wouldn’t take long to throw together.
“Yeah...yeah okay. Right. By the end of the day. ‘Bye.” Jen hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Uh-oh.”
She sighed. “Not really a full-on uh-oh, but yeah, close. The customer let one of their programmers ‘fix’ something. And now, as you’d expect, nothing is working. So regardless of the fact we’re supposed to deliver the next iteration on Friday, we’re supposed to stop everything and get it working again.”
David winced. “They probably do need it to work...”
“I know, I know. But if they’d just kept their programmers out of things, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.” Jen’s fingers moved rapidly over her keyboard for several seconds. She moved the mouse and then leaned back. “I think Marcus can probably fix it and he’s not making any progress with his assignment anyway, so...that’s not what brought you down here.”
He laughed. “No. I was wondering if you had time for lunch. But...maybe you’re too busy?”
Jen gave him a long look. “What’s going on, David?”
“Lunch? Putting food into our bodies so that we’re able to stay awake through the afternoon?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
He shrugged. “I like you. I enjoy spending time with you. And I like to eat.”
Jen shook her head. “Why?”
Did she really have such a low opinion of herself? That wasn’t the first time she’d asked something like that. Maybe the best course of action was to play it off. “’Cause I’m hungry. You in?”
“I guess. A girl’s gotta eat, right?” She reached into a desk drawer and pulled out her purse. “Where to?”
Victory. David grinned. “How much time do you have?”
“Whatever. I need to give Marcus a sporting chance at fixing the problem before I follow up with him. If I’m back too soon, I know I’m going to go ask.”
“Like Vietnamese food?”
Jen blinked. “I’m not sure I’ve ever had it.”
“Then you’re in for a treat.”
“Two visits in a month, I’m not sure what the world is coming to.” Ji laughed as she opened the door and stepped out of the way.
“It was either ask you or Mom...or I could ask some of my guy friends, and I’m pretty sure, given their track record, that wouldn’t be the right choice.”
“Ah. Woman questions. I thought you understood all that.”
David jammed his elbow into Ji’s ribs. “Don’t be weird. This is serious.”
Min came down the stairs. “Stop manhandling my wife, please. Even if she is your sister. What brings you out this way again so soon?”
“It’s not like I never visit.” David frowned. Maybe he wouldn’t usually come on a Monday night, but he spent time with his siblings. He loved his nieces and nephews. All of them. He crossed his arms. “Should I go? I can call and ask Mom.”
“Touchy, touchy. Must be serious.” Min grinned. “I’ll go put the kettle on.”
He didn’t want tea. He jammed his hands in his pockets. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all.
Ji touched his arm. “You okay?”
He nodded. “I am. I’ve been praying about Jen...I really feel like she’s who I’m supposed to be with.”
“Oh, that’s great. I liked her a lot. When can we have the two of you over?”
“It’s going to be a little trickier than that, I think. I’m not sure she’s as interested in me as I am in her. Or, if she’s interested, she doesn’t understand why I am. There’s something there, and that’s what I wanted a woman’s take on.”
“Why do you say that?” Ji gestured to one of the stools at the kitchen island and turned to take the now whistling tea kettle off the stove. She took down two mugs—Min had disappeared again—and poured the steaming water over the tea bags she dropped in.
“I drink more tea at your house than anywhere else.”
Ji smiled and pushed a mug toward him before taking the seat next to him. “So?”
He cupped his hands around the mug. The heat was nice. And the faint traces of mint wafting up on the steam was pleasant. “A couple of times now when I’ve said that I liked her or that I wanted to spend time with her, get to know her better, her default reaction was ‘why’?”
“Hmm.” Ji sipped her tea and wrinkled her nose. After emptying a sugar packet into it and giving a quick stir with her finger tip, she sipped again. With a nod, she pushed the sugar packets toward David. “Lots of women struggle with self-esteem. Though I don’t know any who are as upfront about it. It’s one of the things I worry about as the mother of a little girl. Everywhere you look there are messages that you have to look a certain way, act a certain way, be a certain way if you’re a woman. And most of those messages are wrong. But the church doesn’t necessarily do anything to combat it. We hear about the woman in Proverbs thirty-one and get an even bigger complex. In addition to being sexy and always having our not-quite-size-one bodies perfectly put together, we’re supposed to run a business and flawlessly manage our families at the same time. It’s easy to feel you don’t—can’t—measure up. And if you spend too long feeling that way or, worse, having your failings pointed out to you, you start to believe it.”
Nodding slowly, David reached for a sugar packet and dumped it in his tea. “Is there any way to help? I like her, Ji. It bothers me to hear her talk like that about herself. And it makes me wonder what madness she must tell herself. I mean, if she’s not able to understand why someone would want to go out with her, what lies does she believe?”
“Just keep saying the things you are. Let her know she’s special. Without coming across as patronizing.”
David laughed. “That’s the trick, isn’t it?”
Ji nodded. “Yep. I suspect she’s important enough to you that you’ll manage.”
Jen leaned her head back and let out a loud sigh. The delivery was done and, if she was any judge of facial expressions, the customers were delighted with the new additions. The demo had gone better than usual, without the obnoxious questions from the two in-house programmers who resented the fact that their company had gone outside to have the software developed. Maybe they were properly chastised after the “fixing it” debacle earlier in the week. Whatever it was, their silence had been the best part of the demo. Well, that and the software working like it was supposed to. That was always a bonus. Another hour or so wrapping up a few final details and she’d be off.
“Knock knock?” David poked his head through the door and grinned. “How’d it go?”
“It went really well.” Jen smiled. David had stopped by every day this week. He couldn’t always swing lunch, but when that was the case, he’d brought a candy bar or a printed out comic that had made him smile, so he’d said he wanted to share them with her. Nothing huge, just little things that left her warm inside. She could almost believe he truly meant it when he said he liked her. “I need to make a few changes to the documentation—I noticed in the demo it wasn’t working exactly like it was written up. After that, I’m looking at a gloriously worry-free weekend.”
“Excellent. Then these aren’t misplaced.” David brought a bouquet of bright pink and purple gerbera daisies from behind his back with a flourish. “I figured they could be either celebratory flowers
or a consolation. I have to admit I’m glad they’re the former.”
Her stomach did a lazy flip as warmth spread through her. “Oh...those are beautiful. So cheery. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Congratulations on a successful delivery. You free for dinner?”
Jen’s shoulders slumped. “I wish I was. I promised Rebecca that I’d go to Season’s Bounty with her and Ben. Jackson will be there—he’s there nearly every Friday...you want to come?”
“You don’t think they’d mind?”
“I don’t know why they would. We might have to squeeze if Zach and Amy show up, but Paige never seems to mind dragging in extra chairs.” Would he come? Jen held her breath and tried to read his expression.
“Okay. I’d like that. What time?”
Jen checked the clock on her monitor. “After I finish up here, I have to run home and let Tribble out for a few minutes, then get her dinner. So I probably won’t be there ‘til seven at the earliest.”
“Can I pick you up? We could save on parking and gas.”
That made it feel more like a date. Except...it wasn’t, really. She’d asked him along to an already-planned group activity. That couldn’t be considered a date. And even if it could, so what? He said he liked her. She dreamed about him every night. Heat crawled up her neck and across her cheeks. “Okay. Six-thirty?”
“Sounds good.” David nodded toward the flowers. “Those should be fine without a vase ‘til you get them home. They have those little water things on their stems.”
He thought of everything. She couldn’t stop the smile, though she probably looked like an idiot. “’K. See you in a bit.”
With a wave, he disappeared back down the hall. Jen counted to three in her head then picked up the flowers and buried her nose in them. Such a sweet guy. She couldn’t possibly deserve him.
David pushed open the swinging door into the kitchen and gestured for Jen to go ahead of him. The noise, heat, and amazing smells slammed into her. Her mouth watered, even as she shrank from the clanging of pans.
“Hey, you made it.” Rebecca grinned and scooted closer to Ben to make room on the booth next to her. “David? Come on, sit down.”
Jackson looked up from the crossword puzzle he was working. “Hey, guys. Hang on, I’ll switch sides and sit with Ben and Rebecca, that way you two can sit next to each other.”
“You don’t have—” Jen stopped as Jackson slid out of the booth. “Thanks. Is Sara coming?”
Rebecca shook her head, frowning. “No. I guess Luc’s back in town.”
“Sorry.” Ben rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t realize he’d be back so soon. I’m starting to regret having him fill in at the wedding.”
Jen slid into the seat, smiling as David sat beside her, close enough that their legs brushed if she moved. Tingles worked their way up and down her right side. “If she keeps to her usual pattern, this’ll burn out before much longer. It’s been a month.”
Rebecca snickered. “That’s mean. True. But still mean.”
Was it? Jen shrugged. “Just calling it like I see it. I get tired of picking up the pieces of her heart, you know?”
“Yeah.” Rebecca reached across the table and patted Jen’s hand. “I know that job mostly falls to you. Not sure why. Maybe I’m not as understanding as I should be.”
Paige hurried over with a loaded platter and some smaller plates. She slid them onto the table and flashed a harried grin. “Hey, guys. Gotta run, but let me know what you think of this. It’s an experiment. I think it’s good. The guys on the line disagree. So you’re the deciding vote.”
“What is...” Jackson frowned at Paige’s retreating form. “I guess we just eat it and find out? She needs to can every single one of those guys and find a new group. They’ve been giving her fits for the last week. I don’t know what the problem is, but I’m ready to go in and knock some heads together.”
David winced. “That’s not good. Especially not with wedding stress that’s gotta be ramping up. You’re what, seven weeks away?”
Jackson nodded. “Invitations went in the mail today. A week late, but it is what it is. I can’t quite get her to see it that way.”
“It’s her wedding, of course she doesn’t.” Jen shook her head. Were men really that clueless? You’d think in today’s world, where wedding shows were a dime a dozen, guys would’ve clued in to the fact that weddings meant a lot to the women involved. Even if you didn’t go crazy and break the bank, it was an important day.
Rebecca laughed. “He’s not going to understand. He’s a guy. I have it on good authority that most guys only care about what comes after.”
“Hey. That’s not what I said.” Ben’s cheeks flushed a dark red.
David and Jackson laughed.
Jen snickered.
Rebecca kissed his cheek. “Aw, honey, you’re blushing.”
Ben mumbled something under his breath.
Jen looked at the plate of thin rounds of toasted bread covered in some sort of paste. Paté? Wasn’t that liver? Her stomach clenched. Don’t judge before you try it. She slid one onto a plate and poked the paste with a finger then sniffed it. Garlic, for sure, and...olives? Where would Paige get olives locally? She licked the tiny bit of paste off her finger and tapped her lips together. It wasn’t bad. A little strange though.
“Well?”
Jen started. David had been watching her? Heat spread across her cheeks. “Um. It’s interesting?”
David arched a brow. “Interesting. What is it?”
“I don’t know.” Jen took a deep breath, picked up the toast, and took a bite. “Something with garlic in it. I thought olives, at first, but I don’t think olives grow in the U.S. Mushrooms, maybe?”
Jackson fiddled with his phone for a moment then looked up. “According to the vast knowledge collected on the Internet, olives can grow in the U.S., but only in California, Hawaii, and Florida.”
“So, not olives.” Jen took another nibble. “It’s still not bad.”
The kitchen door swung in as Zach and Amy passed through it.
“Hey, man. Glad you could make it.” Ben leaned across the table to bump fists with Zach. “Good to see you, too, Amy.”
Amy laughed. “I see where I fall in the overall scheme of things. It’s great to see all of you guys. I was so glad when Zach moved to D.C. I don’t think it occurred to me how much we’d miss the gang.”
Jackson stood. “You sit here, I’ll go grab a chair and Zach can sit in that. I’ll squish in with David and Jen.”
Jen shook her head. If they were going to keep gathering like this, they’d need a bigger table. Or to sit out front or something. Not that they’d make a routine of this. Everyone was getting married and moving. Kids would be next. Then no one would have time to go out. And she’d be left by the wayside. Which was fine. It was. She had her dog. And her puzzles. Really, that was for the best anyway. It wasn’t as if she had much to offer.
David scooted closer as Jackson returned with a chair and sat. Sparks sizzled up and down her side. She shot a glance his way. If he noticed, he didn’t show it. He leaned over, his voice low. “I like how you’re open to trying new things, and that you found something positive to say about it even when you weren’t sure what it was.”
“Thanks. I think?” Jen drew her eyebrows together. It sounded like a compliment, and yet...it was odd. “You going to try it or just stare at it?”
David chuckled and took a bite. “Better?”
Jen nodded.
Amy reached for the plate and took a big bite from the piece she snagged. She blinked rapidly as she began to chew. “What is this?”
Everyone around the table chuckled. Finally, Rebecca shrugged. “Paige was in a rush, so we don’t actually know.”
“It’s...interesting.” Amy swallowed and eyed the rest of the bread in her hand.
“That’s what I said.” Jen grinned. “How’s school treating you, now that the big holiday program is over?”
&
nbsp; Amy rolled her eyes. “Like that frees up any time.”
Zach laughed. “It would’ve, if you hadn’t suggested the whole greenhouse-slash-community garden project. Now we’re spending every waking moment getting that set up.”
“It’s worth it though. Have you seen how excited these kids are? And the families that come on Saturday? We’ll be done in no time. It’s going to be great for the neighborhood.” Amy frowned at the platter before taking another round of bread and biting into it.
“True. Though that actually factors in to why we’re here. Anyone interested in helping us plant either this weekend or next? The greenhouse is ready and waiting for seedlings.” Zach took the last bread round and bit into it. “Mmm. This is delicious.”
“You like it?” Paige shuffled over, her arms laden with two huge platters. She set them down and perched on Jackson’s knee. “It’s so great to see you all. We haven’t had a group this big in a long time. What’s new?”
“Thanks for inviting me tonight.”
Jen fumbled the key to her apartment. He was standing so close it was as if little zips of electricity were sparking off him. “Thanks for driving. Parking down there on Fridays is always such a nightmare.”
“My pleasure.” David lifted her chin and held her gaze.
Jen’s hand froze on the knob. Was he going to kiss her? Her tongue darted between her lips. Did she even want him to? Well, of course she wanted him to, but was it a good idea? He couldn’t possibly be serious about liking her. Could he? She cleared her throat and looked away.
“Jen?”
Her gaze darted back. “Yeah?”
“You’re amazing and very special to me. I’ll see you Sunday?”
She blinked once and nodded.
He grinned and reached down, turned the doorknob, and pushed open her door. “Okay. Have a good night.”
A Handful of Hope Page 9
