by JoAnn Durgin
Lexa lowered her gaze and picked up one of Sam’s T-shirts. “Oh?”
“I wanted to run it by you and get your opinion. You read Christian romance, right?”
“Some, but not a lot. They relax me when I crawl into bed at the end of a long day. But it has to keep me entertained or I’m asleep in minutes.”
“I understand. I feel the same way although I’m more prone to mysteries and Landon likes thrillers.” Amy was proficient at folding and made quick work of her task. “As the acquisitions editor for LCJW Publishing, Landon gives me full authority to issue author contracts. As you know, up until now, we haven’t contracted any fiction. We’ve focused on a certain marriage and family life author who’s become extremely popular and is our bestselling author.”
Lexa met Amy’s gaze. “Sometimes I still can’t believe Sam’s had such success. Not that I don’t believe in him, but I know what a competitive market it is. I know Landon’s talking with Sam about another book tour when his new book comes out.”
“That’s right. I’d thought the book was going to be co-authored by you, Lexa. Not that I’m disappointed. Sam’s new book is great, but you have so much to share as a mentor for the TeamWork ladies that I’d hoped to see your name on it, too.”
“I’d love to co-author a book with him, but there have been so many other things to do.” Lexa tucked the folded stack of Sam’s T-shirts in one of the top dresser drawers.
“I’m sure. Let me tell you a little more about this manuscript query I received.”
Lexa slowly exhaled. “Isn’t that against some publishing rule? Should you really be telling me about it?”
“Between friends, in confidence, I wanted to get your opinion since you’d be in our target audience for a project like this.”
“I see.” Amy was teasing her and she’d make her point soon enough.
Shifting on the bed, Amy motioned to the stack of Joe’s clothes. “Hand me some more. I can tackle them.”
“I guess so. You’re like the folding Nazi.” Lexa managed a small smile even though her heart was beating overtime. Why was she nervous? She really had no reason. This day just kept getting more interesting by the hour.
“Get this. The name of this proposed book is Alliance, and the hero’s name is Seth Lawson. Tall, dark, and handsome. He leads a missions group overseas and meets this petite, feisty, blonde woman named Leslie Carlson. He’s a strong Christian but she’s not. Leslie doesn’t really understand what she signed up for, and Seth doesn’t know what’s hit him until she arrives. She challenges him, and they each discover God’s purpose for their own lives as they forge a relationship together.” Amy paused and looked over at her. “How am I doing so far?”
“Well, the author has to be careful to make Leslie sympathetic and not make—Seth, is it?—too perfect. And there should be humor to balance out the conflicts, of course. With that touch of fairytale whimsy. Goes without saying there should be lots of romance.”
“Exactly,” Amy said. “They fight their initial attraction but can’t help flirting like crazy. He’s been burned by love and is afraid to trust a woman again. She’s been abandoned by men her whole life and is afraid every man will eventually leave her. They have all kinds of adventures in the Congo and almost get killed in the end. Want to guess what happens?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Lexa paused in her work. This was fun in a nutty kind of way. “I’m guessing they don’t die since you’ll want a happily ever after ending in a romance. Maybe Seth goes off on a year-long mission trip and Leslie doesn’t know if he’ll return. He asks her to meet him a year later at the top of the Empire State Building, and if they both show up—”
Amy shook her head. “No. That’s too cliché. That’s already been done in An Affair to Remember and to a lesser extent in Sleepless in Seattle.” Looking up at her, Amy held her gaze. “Not that it couldn’t work given the right author and characters.” Smart Amy. She never missed anything.
I’ve been found out.
“A year later, she’s waiting for him at their agreed meeting place,” Lexa said. “Will he be there? She hasn’t heard from him, doesn’t know if he’s alive or dead. Cue the music.” She grinned when Amy laughed. “Then the elevator doors open, and there’s Seth. More handsome than ever. With a great tan, a few more silver hairs, and seems even taller than before. He has flowers for her, and maybe even has local children hand them to her as she waits, building the anticipation.”
“Yellow roses might be nice.” How Amy said that with a straight face was quite the feat.
“Sounds good to me,” Lexa said. “Then Seth and Leslie pledge their undying love to one another, share a passionate kiss, and…fade to black. The end.”
“Oh, that’s not the end. They might even run off and get married that same night. Their adventures are only just beginning since it’ll be a series, most likely.”
Lexa met Amy’s gaze. “It could be, yes.”
Amy was really drawing this out. From the coy grin on her face, she was taking great amusement in their exchange. “I can tell this author has a fresh voice. Since I received the query, I’ve done some thinking and decided that a contemporary Christian romance line would be a very wise move for LCJW Publishing. Romances sell well, they’re usually in high demand, and as I said, it has the potential to be a series. Readers love series, don’t you agree?”
Lexa ran Joe’s clothes into the adjacent room and then came back a few seconds later. “Personally? Yes, I like them, but I prefer it when there are different main characters in each book. The main characters can show up every now and then but not to the point of becoming annoying. But I have no idea what most readers like, Amy. That’s just me. So, um, is Landon agreeable to publishing romances?”
“Done.” Amy patted her hand on the stack of Joe’s clothes.
“Thanks so much. You’re a doll for helping me.” Lexa grabbed the stack and darted back into the other room with them.
“I like to multitask,” Amy said. “It helps me to be more productive in the long run. Now Landon? He’s very logical, like most men. But he trusts my judgment implicitly. We both believe in building a solid reputation with consistent, reliable authors for LCJW Publishing. If this contemporary Christian romance manuscript is as fabulous as the query and the proposal, then I think this romance author might be a hidden treasure.”
Amy rose from the bed. “I’d better get back to the kids. By the way, didn’t you tell me you used to write stories?”
When had she said anything about that? “I did. Once upon a time, as they say.”
“Written anything lately?”
Lexa glanced up from where she worked on the last of the laundry. Seeing Amy’s smile, she relented. Might as well confess. “H.L. Joseph stands for Hannah, Leah, Joseph.”
“I figured as much. Works for me. Send me the entire manuscript by e-mail as soon as you can.”
“Thanks, Amy. I’ll do that.”
Chapter 39
~~♥~~
Sitting on the porch of their quarters shortly after the devotions, Sam finished the last of his peach. He wasn’t planning on going back over to the church tonight. Pastor Chevy had called to tell him to give his troops a break and the late evening, post prayer circle work sessions were no longer needed.
Lost in thought, Sam looked up to see Angelina and Felipe walking slowly toward the building. They both looked scared to death. He had a feeling why they were here. He rolled the remains of the peach in a napkin and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Mama told me you wanted to speak with us,” Angelina said as they stepped onto the porch. More like Sheila asked him to talk to these two about the dangers of getting too close physically.
“That’s right. Your mother, Dean, and I thought it might be good to talk about a few things.”
Felipe shifted from one foot to the other and his expression was a study in aggravation. “Sam, I give you my word, we’ve done nothing we should be ashamed for. I
haven’t even kissed Angel much less anything else. I already told Mrs. Morris and Dean.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll take your word for it, son. Not that you haven’t wanted to, I’m sure. On both your parts.” His gaze encompassed them both, and—as he expected—they avoided looking at him.
“Let’s go somewhere and talk privately. Lexa’s giving the kids their baths inside. How about we take a walk?” He led the way and the young people walked silently on either side of him. “Let’s check the dorms. I have no idea where everyone is tonight.” The camp seemed unusually quiet. Suspiciously so.
“I think some of them are practicing or getting ready for the talent show tomorrow night,” Angelina said.
“Ah, that makes sense.” He needed to listen to the CD himself. Later, he’d sneak over to the dining hall and quietly go over the two songs he planned to sing.
“Why don’t we go over to the men’s dorm and see if it’s empty.” A few seconds later, they reached the gray concrete structure that served as the quarters for the men. Opening the door, Sam thought he heard muffled sounds. “Hold on a minute,” he said, stepping inside. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Sam’s eyes widened and then he turned aside. Marc and Natalie. Quickly stepping back over the threshold, he closed the door quietly behind him and shook his head. “On second thought, let’s try the women’s dorm.” He gestured for them to follow.
“Better let me go first,” Sam muttered, opening the door and hearing it creak in protest. He heard a whole lot of scrambling before Sam spotted two more of his volunteers. Landon and Amy. “This isn’t happening,” Sam said under his breath, only praying Felipe and Angel hadn’t gotten a peek. That wouldn’t help his cause at the moment.
Back outside, Sam moved his hands to his hips. “Dining hall,” he said, pointing and taking off in the opposite direction. No sooner had he opened the door than he heard a pan fall in the kitchen followed by muffled laughter. That was definitely Winnie’s giggle. And Josh’s laugh.
“I do believe I’m here with a bunch of uncontrolled primates,” Sam groused, pushing the door back open and walking to the back of the dining hall toward the massive tree out back. Stopping about 50 yards out, he heard low murmurs and yet more laughter.
Groaning with frustration, Sam raked a hand through his hair. As he contemplated where else he could go other than the facilities—he only prayed no one was in there—Sam spied Kevin as he leaned around the tree trunk. Sam supposed he should thank the Lord he was clothed.
“Hey, Sam. If you need me, just give me a second.” Sam heard Beck’s laughter.
“And he’s the quiet one!” Sam muttered. Felipe and Angelina both laughed like they were about to bust a gut. What fine examples his TeamWork crew proved to be tonight.
“You don’t happen to know where Mitch and Cassie are, do you?”
“They’re having their Bible study,” Beck called from behind the tree. “Dean and Sheila are with them. They’re out under one of the big trees on the far side of the camp.”
“Good for the newlyweds in the group. At least some of my crew has a sense of propriety around here.” Turning on his heel, Sam stomped back toward the teepee in the middle of the camp. “Anyone in here?” Eliot and Marta weren’t accounted for yet. He lifted the corner of the flap. The teepee was lit with a few battery-operated lamps.
“Hey, Sam.” Eliot gave him a bright smile. “Want to join us? We’re working on some props for the talent show.”
“Glad to see you’re such a versatile guy.”
“Winnie bribed us with some of her homemade brownies.” Marta held up a large red paper heart for his approval. “Eliot’s still on security duty, so we figured we might as well work out here.”
Sam grunted. As much as anyone, Eliot could be counted on if something were to happen. “Carry on. You two have earned your homemade craft badges. Just leave the flap open, if you don’t mind.” What a weird sentence.
“Not a problem,” Eliot said. He broke out in a wide smile and raised his hand when he spied the teenagers with him. “Hey, Angelina. Hey, Felipe.” While they talked for a minute, Sam’s mind whirled with ideas of where he could take the kids to have their little chat. What a situation, and one he never expected.
“Let’s go back over to our quarters,” he said. “Lexa should be finished giving the kids a bath.” They probably should have stayed there in the first place.
Behind him, Sam heard Felipe mutter something about Mr. Lewis getting bit by the Grumpy Spider. That spider sure was getting a lot of credit.
~~♥~~
Waiting until morning to address the issue of his crew’s behavior wouldn’t do. He needed to talk with them tonight. After Sam called an emergency meeting, Lexa enlisted Felipe and Angelina to supervise the kids in Winnie and Natalie’s quarters.
Sam waited in the kitchen, leaning back against the sink while they filed in, two by two. How appropriate. Kevin and Beck refused to look at him. Landon and Amy gave him wide grins. Marc winked at him and Natalie avoided his gaze. When Josh and Winnie came in a couple of minutes later, they were ready to begin.
He moved his gaze from one offender to the next as they gathered around the preparation table in the kitchen. It didn’t help that Lexa was clearly trying not to smile. While he understood her amusement to a point, his team needed to understand he considered their earlier amorous behavior very inappropriate.
“Okay, crew. I’m sure you know why I’ve called this meeting.” Sam crossed his arms. “Imagine my consternation this evening when I was trying to find a place to counsel two teenagers about…”
“The facts of life? The birds and the bees?” Amy looked the other way and drummed her fingers on the steel table. Several of his crew made bird-like tweets while others of them made buzzing noises.
“You’re not teenagers, but you sure are acting like it,” Sam growled. “Have I taught you all nothing? I’ve heard things today, and seen a few things, that I really wish I hadn’t.” At that, the women hung their heads, but the men watched Sam with obvious amusement.
“We’re here to work a mission, but it seems you’re all more interested in other more…primal needs. I can’t believe we need to have this discussion. Look,” he said, raising his hands, “I know you’re all married people and you’re free to indulge your passion for your mates. However, for the duration of our time here in New Mexico, I’m asking you to please handle yourselves with more decorum.”
“Come on, Sam,” Marc said. “We’re enjoying healthy relationships with our wives. We’re all good friends here, and we were indulging in a natural expression of our love.” He paused while some of the others snickered. “It’s what you encourage all the time.”
Sam ignored their laughter. “And you’re an advertising man. I would have expected less cornball from you.”
“I’m going out on a limb here, but you seem a little tense. I can suggest a remedy,” Josh said.
“I can appreciate that, but there’s a difference between relationships and relations, if you catch my drift.”
“Oh, I think that we do,” Josh said. “We miss our wives, Sam. It’s as simple as that.”
“We prefer to think you’re pining away for us.” Winnie laughed and Josh kissed her cheek.
“Can you not abstain for two weeks?” Sam said.
“Have you?”
Natalie swatted Marc’s arm for asking that question. “Marc! That’s none of our business.” No wonder Gracie punched Joe. She’d learned by example.
Sam didn’t dare look at Lexa. “Lexa and I have private quarters. What we do—”
“If I may point out, none of the kids were around and we were in private,” Marc said. “Or at least we were until you came barging in the door.”
“I didn’t barge in, but why should I announce my arrival? Marc, it seems you’re the self-appointed spokesperson for this group.”
“They know I’m not embarrassed and will speak up for our rights as TeamWork volunteers.”
; “Your rights?” Sam frowned. “Never mind. Tell you what. If you can’t control yourselves, I give you permission to go off to a hotel for a night.” He shot a glance at Landon. “Or borrow the plane for a few hours. Just make sure you let me know.”
“We’ll be good, Sam.” Kevin winked at Rebekah.
“I think that Frisky Spider made its way around the camp,” Marc said, and they all laughed, including Lexa. Bunch of ingrates. Lexa must have said something to Natalie about that silly Frisky Spider nickname. Like it or not, what was done was done. Time to get on with it.
“Sam, your idea for the guys to give us gifts was great,” Winnie said. “But I think it might have put other ideas in our heads. Not that we’re pointing fingers or placing blame because that wouldn’t be right. We got a little carried away, and we’re sorry.”
The others mumbled their assent with Winnie’s statement.
“We didn’t mean to add to your…consternation.” Of course, that comment came from Marc.
“Unequivocally, completely, totally sorry, Sam,” Landon said.
Sam waved his hand. “No, you’re not.” He couldn’t help it and burst out laughing from the absurdity of it all. “Get out of here, all of you! Let’s not have this discussion again.”
“Try not to be too hard on them, Sam. None of them have been married as long as we have.” Lexa walked beside him, hand in hand, on their way back to their quarters. The kids ran ahead of them and the front door slammed as they entered the building. “It’s been a little tense with the uncertainty of the evil eye symbol, the City Council hearing, and then those guys coming into the camp. I think there’s an air of uneasiness, as if we’re all waiting to see what else might happen. We’re hoping nothing will, but we’re half expecting that it might.”
“I know,” Sam said, “but it’s the principle of the thing.”
Lexa tugged on his hand. Stopping, he turned to her. “If we didn’t have private quarters, and if you knew we couldn’t have any privacy tonight, would you want to kiss me right now?”
