by JoAnn Durgin
“I imagine that must be difficult to write about since most books for kids are usually happy and light. Unless things have changed since I was a kid.”
He grunted. “They’re not singing barnyard animals or anything, but I like to think it might give them hope.” He glanced at her as he took another drink. “Are you saying you don’t think I should?”
“I’m not saying that at all.” She tried to think of how to put her thoughts into words that wouldn’t offend him. The way Felipe watched her, Angelina could tell how important her opinion was to him. “I admire you for attempting something like that. You’ve had a rough time of it and you’re trying to help others. That’s a wonderful thing. Can I see your work sometime?”
“Maybe. If you’re nice to me.” He grinned at her as he took another drink.
“I like drawing, you know. If it’s for kids, you must have illustrations in your books, right?”
“You mean pictures? I will if I ever get to that point.”
“Did you bring anything to the camp with you?”
He tossed her a wary glance as if debating whether to tell her. “I have a notebook where I jot down notes and stuff. I have a couple of stories with me.”
“Can I see them sometime? Maybe I can help you with the illustrations.”
He appeared to consider her suggestion and then a wide grin spread across his features. “You’d really do that for me, Blossom?”
She smiled at the endearment. “I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t serious. How many books are we talking about?”
“Not sure. Six…seven, maybe. Maybe I’ll show them to you sometime.”
Angelina smiled. “I’ll look forward to it.”
~~♥~~
“Well, if it isn’t Josh Grant.” The woman’s voice was husky, female, and came from behind them as Sam and Josh walked in the shopping mall’s main corridor.
Josh’s jaw tightened. “Stay with me, buddy.”
“I’m right beside you.” Both men turned around at the same time.
A tall, leggy blonde—dressed to kill in a black dress—click-clacked in unbelievably high-heeled sandals on the polished floor. As she approached them, she rested one hand on her hip. In her other hand, she carried a small pink-and-black striped bag. Her lips curved as she reached them.
“Hi, Josh. Do you remember me?”
Removing his Stetson, Josh nodded to the woman. “Hello, Victoria.”
Her smile grew brighter as she eyed him. “Sugar, you look better than ever.” The woman moved her dark-eyed gaze to Sam, making him feel on display as she sized him up, down, and all around. “Who’s this tall drink of water?”
“This is my friend, Sam.”
She nodded. “Very nice to meet you, Sam.”
“Victoria.” He tipped his Stetson with his left hand so she couldn’t miss his wedding ring. Josh hadn’t given her his last name, and for that, he was thankful. Best to get this awkward run-in over so they could be on their way.
Victoria moved her gaze back to Josh. “What are you doing with yourself these days?”
“I’m the general counsel for a Christian missions organization called TeamWork. I live in Houston with my wife and our three kids. I trust you’re doing well, Victoria, but we’re on a limited time schedule and need to keep moving.” Turning to leave, Josh hesitated when she put one hand on his forearm.
“Don’t run off so fast. What brings you handsome gentlemen to Albuquerque?”
Sam sent up a silent prayer of thanks that their wives weren’t with them on this fun little shopping trip. On the other hand, Winnie and Lexa could probably handle this run-in with one of Josh’s former female friends better than their husbands.
“We’re helping to build a church.” The muscles in Josh’s cheeks flexed.
The woman’s eyes widened. “Is that a fact? That’s surprising. You weren’t much into…building anything a few years ago. Do you have a few minutes to buy a parched girl something to drink?” She’d directed that comment to Josh alone.
“Afraid not. We really need to go.” Josh’s voice was firm. “Good-bye, Victoria. Take care of yourself.”
“I live here in town if you’d like to reconnect while you’re in Albuquerque, Josh. For old time’s sake. Let me give you my card.” She opened her purse and pulled out a card, offering it to him. “No strings attached.”
Josh sighed and ran a quick hand through his hair. “Victoria, I’m not going to take your card. I need to tell you something.”
She tilted her chin upward to meet his gaze, sending her long, silver earrings swinging. “Tell me, Josh. Anything you want, sugar.”
“I’m a different man today than I was a few years ago. You’re as beautiful as ever but do yourself a big favor.”
“I thought that’s what I was trying to do,” she said, pouting.
Josh motioned for Victoria to follow him over to a quieter side corridor with fewer shoppers. This conversation should be between the two of them. “Stay, Sam,” Josh called to him when he started to walk away. “I won’t be long.”
With a nod, Sam did as he asked, planting himself a few feet away. If nothing else, he hoped his presence would be a good source of moral support for his friend.
“Victoria, when we met, we were both trying to find ourselves.” Sam appreciated how Josh lowered his voice and offered no encouragement she could misinterpret. “We went about it the wrong way. Sexual gratification won’t solve the ache of loneliness. It feeds your physical needs, but if you don’t feed your heart and your soul first, then you’ll be left feeling empty every time. I’ve been there, and it’s not pretty. I don’t want to see that happen to you. You deserve better.”
She frowned. “I’m glad you’ve found what makes you happy, but that doesn’t mean it’s what I need. I’m…happy with my life.”
“You might not want my advice, but I’m going to give it to you, anyway,” Josh said. “Find a group and get involved—a service-oriented group is great. Helping others is the best place to discover your God-given talents and it allows others to get to know you. The real you, Victoria—who you are and what makes you unique and special. Along the way, I’ll pray you’ll find a man named Jesus. He’s the only One who can give you what you’re seeking.”
“What’s that, Josh?” Victoria’s eyes were wide.
“Love. Acceptance. Hope. There’s a big, beautiful world out there when you know where you’re going for the rest of eternity.”
She stared at him. “Are you for real?”
He smiled. “Last time I checked. And so are you. Take care, Victoria. I’ll pray that you find the very best in life.”
“Thanks,” she murmured.
Josh replaced his Stetson and Sam followed suit. They walked in silence until they reached the preappointed meeting place near the center of the mall. Sam knew his friend well enough to know when he needed personal space.
As they dropped into chairs a few minutes later, Josh scrubbed a hand over his face. “I suppose that was bound to happen at some point.” His smile was tired. “I can’t believe I was telling an ex-lover to find Jesus, standing in the middle of a shopping mall. In Albuquerque.”
“You handled it well.” Sam gestured to Josh’s bag. “Before you give Winnie her gift, you might want to destroy the business card Victoria dropped in your bag.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Digging around in the small bag, Josh pulled out the card. After staring at it for a few seconds, he crumpled it in his palm and tossed it in a nearby trash container. “Thanks for being here, Sam.”
“Goes without saying, brother. We have about twenty minutes before we meet up with the other guys. Why don’t we pay a visit to that lingerie store? Lexa would like something new.”
Sam’s suggestion was met with an unexpected frown from Josh. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea for Winnie. She’s feeling self-conscious enough these days since she hasn’t lost all the baby weight.”
“Then think pretty instead o
f slinky. They have other things.”
Josh’s steps slowed as they approached the store. “I hate shopping in these places.”
“I can’t say I’m too fond of them myself,” Sam said. “We’re doing this for our wives.”
“Good for my marriage, good for my marriage, good for my marriage,” Josh said under his breath as he squared his shoulders and they entered the store. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 30
~~♥~~
“I thought I’d find you here.” Felipe approached where Angelina sat beneath her favorite tree between dinner and the prayer circle. His hands were behind his back. “Here. This is for you.” He handed her a small, flat package wrapped in shiny pink paper. A huge pink, green, and white polka dot bow sat on top.
“Really? Thank you!” After closing her Bible, she put it on the ground beside her. “What’s the occasion?” She turned it around in her hands. “How pretty!”
“The other ladies got gifts. I wanted you to have something, too.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you.” Angelina smiled as Felipe sat beside her and leaned against the tree. She wouldn’t point out that it was the husbands of the ladies that bought them the gifts.
“Go ahead. Open it.” Felipe smiled like he had a secret he couldn’t wait to share.
“Okay. Thanks.” He watched as she removed the bow and then began to remove the wrapping.
“Eliot and Dean took me to one of those Jesus stores after the other guys got back from the mall. The lady at the store wrapped it for me.”
She’d wondered where he’d gone. When she pulled away the paper, she spied a book nestled inside. “What a beautiful cover.” Smoothing one hand over the front of the book, she smiled. “This looks like historical fiction.”
“What, like from the 80s?” He gave her a sheepish grin. “The lady picked it out.”
“A little further back in time.” She smiled and he winked. Looking at the back of the book, she skimmed the description. “This sounds great. I’ll start reading it tonight.”
“It’s supposed to be about people traveling across the country on wagon trains, so yeah, I guess it’s set in the olden days.” He scratched his head. “Sounds strange to me, but the lady said it’s real popular. She said ladies like reading about a simpler time, or something like that. It’s got some romance in it, too. I figured that was the one to get since you like that kind of book.” Rolling his eyes, Felipe’s laugh sounded nervous. Seemed there was a first time for everything. “Look in the front.”
“Okay.” Turning it over again, she lifted the cover and spied a message printed in uniform capital letters. Angelina, i hope one day you’ll consider me worthy to be your personal hero.
Angelina stared at the words, so touched she was momentarily unable to speak.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, um, very much.” A lump stuck in her throat and she nodded. “It’s one of the best gifts anyone’s ever given me. Thank you, Felipe. I really appreciate it.”
He held her gaze. “Welcome, Angel. I got something else at that store, too.”
“What’s that?”
“Eliot bought me a Bible, and guess what?”
“What?” She enjoyed his enthusiasm. Earlier in the week, she never would have believed something like this would happen. She’d always heard how God could work miracles in people’s hearts, and this seemed pretty close to it. Sometimes it took years.
“If you can believe it, the store had Bible covers made by Leather. Dean bought one of his own covers to put on my Bible. Isn’t that a kick?”
She shook her head. “You lost me. What do you mean?”
“Have you heard of the chain of stores called Leather?”
“Sure. Who hasn’t? Why? Does Dean work for Leather?”
Felipe’s grin grew broader. “I guess you could say that. Angel, Dean owns those stores. All of them, as far as I know.”
She gulped. “Dean Costas owns Leather? I had no idea. He must be…rich.” She’d never know to look at him that he had money—he dressed like a regular guy and didn’t throw his weight around. But neither did Marc Thompson or any of the TeamWork guys. There wasn’t a deadbeat in the bunch.
“Dean does all right for himself.” Felipe watched as she tucked the Christian romance book back inside the wrapping paper. “He’s got a nice house, and his car’s one of those classics. He’d never let me borrow it.” He shot her a grin. “I brought something else, too. Hang on a second.” Felipe reached behind the tree and brought out an empty bottle.
Angelina gasped. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t drink the vodka. I dumped it. There’s a patch of grass near the men’s dorm that’ll either grow like crazy or wither away and die fast.”
She giggled. “I wish I could have watched you get rid of it.”
“We could have had a little ceremony. You told me you buried that book beneath a pile of trash, and I believe you. Now I’m asking you to believe that I got rid of the booze.” Propping his hands on his knees, Felipe leaned close. Close enough to envy those insanely long lashes that fringed his gorgeous dark eyes. She caught a whiff of his cologne.
“Lexa is my witness,” she said. “Not that it negates from what you did.”
A slow, lazy grin creased his lips. “Does that mean you believe me?”
“I think I do.” She cleared her throat. “Just don’t get any ideas.”
“Oh, I have all kinds of ideas for us, Angel. Wanna know what I’d like to do now?” His lips parted slightly, and his gaze roamed over her face.
Her heart in her throat, Angelina swallowed. He smelled so nice. He looked handsome with his new hair cut. Felipe leaned in. So did she.
“Angelina! Wh-what’s going on h-here?” Mama approached them, fire in her eyes. Beside her, Dean appeared more annoyed than angry. Not a good situation.
“Whoa. Your mom hardly stuttered at all,” Felipe said under his breath.
“She doesn’t stutter as much when she’s all fired up.”
“Seriously? Why not?” Was that really all Felipe could think about right now?
“Hormones or something. Adrenaline. I don’t know.” Rising to her feet, her cheeks burning, Angelina avoided her mother’s gaze and focused on Dean. She silently implored him to mediate on their behalf. He might be her best hope to mollify Mama’s anger since he’d want to stay on both Sheila and Felipe’s good side.
“F-F-F-el-l-lipe, I-I’m n-n-not s-s-ure wh-whether t-t-to g-g-ive y-y-you a t-t-tongue l-l-lashing or h-haul A-A-Angel-lina a-a-w-w-way r-r-right n-now.” Mama’s gaze traveled to the empty vodka bottle on the ground at Felipe’s feet. “Wh-what is th-that b-b-bottle?”
“It was a vodka bottle, but I didn’t drink it. Just ’cause you don’t trust me, Mrs. Morris, don’t go thinking the worst. I’m not like Angelina’s father.”
Oh no. Wrong thing to say, even if it was true. Angelina flinched as the color drained from Mama’s face.
“Felipe, for once, can you please not say the first thing that comes into your head?” Hands on his hips, Dean turned aside and rubbed one hand over his forehead. Then he moved to Mama’s side. “Sheila, I can vouch that he didn’t drink any of it.”
Felipe glared at Dean. “Yeah? How do you know? I thought you’d be the first one to jump down my throat.”
Angelina’s gaze shifted to Felipe. She didn’t like his surliness, but his defensiveness had kicked in. He always felt like he needed to defend himself because of his background and past behavior. She wanted to help him if she could.
Before she could say a word, Dean spoke. “I found that bottle right after we arrived at the camp.” His eyes bore into Felipe’s, unwavering.
Felipe’s jaw went slack. “Then why didn’t you say anything, man?”
“Sounds like Dean’s on your side. Take it easy.” Angelina put her hand on Felipe’s arm.
“I wanted to see if the vodka disappeared a little at a time,” Dean sai
d. “I know where you stashed it in the dorm, Felipe. I’ve checked that bottle every day, and I could tell you haven’t touched it. Based on your current behavior, you seem to be in full possession of your faculties. Your hormones might be in overdrive, but you’re definitely not intoxicated. If you say you didn’t drink it, then I believe you.”
Sheila watched and listened, wide-eyed, before addressing Felipe. “D-d-did y-you o-o-f-f-fer m-my d-d-daughter al-al-co-cohol?”
The muscles in Felipe’s cheeks flexed. “No, Mrs. Morris. I did not.”
Please, Mama. Believe him.
Angelina stepped forward. “Felipe didn’t offer me any of the vodka. He made a deal with me.”
The other three turned to her. Might as well throw herself under the bus. If Felipe was going down, she’d go right along with him. Willingly. “I found a book under my bunk here at the camp.”
Sheila’s eyes grew wider. “Wh-what k-k-kind of b-book?”
“A dirty one. Smutty.”
“Some would call it soft porn.” Felipe crossed his arms as if prepared to do battle. “Erotica.” Angelina almost groaned at that last word and shot him a so not appropriate look.
Sheila sputtered and put her hand on her forehead, swaying slightly. Angelina noticed the corners of Dean’s mouth curl slightly as he stepped behind her mother and put one hand on her shoulder. She knew Dean’s presence comforted Mama or she’d never allow him so close. Physically close. As far back as she could remember, her mother had only had one date each with two different men since Papa died.
“I learned my lesson, Mama.” Angelina raised her chin and met her mother’s gaze. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
“I told her if she got rid of the book, then I’d get rid of the vodka,” Felipe said. “Angel told me last night that she’d ditched the book. She kept her part of the deal, so I brought the bottle to show her that I’d emptied it. And not into my stomach,” Felipe added. At least his tone didn’t sound churlish. Angelina appreciated his efforts to explain himself. She was equally proud he hadn’t used the words I swear anywhere in their conversation.
