by Debby Mayne
“So you’re in tight with his parents?” Lacy asked.
Amanda glared at her sister. “We’re all friends. That’s all.”
Lacy’s pout turned to a sly grin. “If you want to believe that, fine. But I saw how he looked at you.”
“Don’t imagine something that doesn’t exist,” Amanda warned.
Lacy did a double take at something outside, so she turned to see what her sister was looking at.
Chapter Four
The second their gazes met, Jerry felt a thud in his chest. He’d been standing outside the shop for a few seconds, trying to decide whether to go inside or act like he was on his way to somewhere else. He didn’t have a reason to be there—other than to gawk at Amanda. But that didn’t seem like enough.
A smile slowly spread across Amanda’s lips, and she waved. Now that he’d been caught, he couldn’t very well keep going.
His mind raced for a reason to be there as he pushed open the door and walked in. “I had a great time yesterday,” he said.
“Yeah, me, too.” Amanda’s face reddened as her sister snickered.
The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her in front of her sister, so he blurted the first thing that came to mind. “I just wanted to stop by and ask if there were any good churches around here.”
Amanda’s sister frowned then turned to Amanda. “I’d better get going. See ya tonight.”
After she left, Amanda cleared her throat, blinked a couple of times, then looked him squarely in the eyes. “There are several churches,” she said. “It all depends on what you’re looking for.” Was that a tone of defensiveness in her voice?
“I want the pure gospel of Christ,” he replied as he squared his shoulders.
She pursed her lips then looked him in the eyes. “We have several in the area.” Her attention went to the door, so he turned around in time to see Lacy looking back at Amanda.
He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he hoped he hadn’t caused a problem between the sisters. “Did I come at a bad time?”
“No, not at all.” Amanda offered a smile as she focused all her attention on him. “Now about church. Do you like contemporary or traditional?”
His parents had moved to a more contemporary service when he and his siblings became teenagers, and they seemed to enjoy it. “Contemporary would be nice.”
She drummed her fingers on the counter for a moment, as though she wasn’t sure what to do. He was about to let her off the hook and tell her never mind when she looked up. “I go to Treasure Island Community Church. A lot of tourists are there every week, so you might like it.”
His heart sang just knowing she went to church. “Just tell me when and where, and we’ll be there.”
“Let me write it all down for you,” she replied. “We have two services because it’s kind of small and the regular membership is growing. We’re looking for a bigger place, but that’s not easy in a place like Treasure Island.”
“At least you’re growing.” He’d been through church growth in Atlanta, so he knew what a challenge it could be.
“The place is bursting at the seams, so we need to do something soon.”
He felt his body relax just knowing he was in the presence of another believer. “That’s a good problem to have.”
She nodded. “Would you prefer the early service at nine, or would eleven be better?”
Jerry’s parents hated to sleep in. “The early one.”
“That’s the one I like to go to, too. We have an adult Bible study between services, if you’re interested in that.”
Jerry wasn’t sure if his parents would be up to it, so he shrugged.
“I’ll have to see what the folks want to do, but I know they’ll want to at least go to the church services.”
Her face brightened as they talked about church and the Christian songs they liked. He hadn’t planned the conversation, but he was glad he’d had to come up with a reason for being there. Knowing she was a believer intensified his feelings for her. That might not be a good thing, but he figured he could handle it since he’d only be in the area for a short while.
“What do most people wear?” he asked. “That’s the first thing my mom will want to know.”
“It’s casual,” she replied, “just like everything else around here. Pretty much anything goes. I generally wear lightweight cotton pants and a comfortable top with sandals. But some people still like to dress up.”
“My mom likes to wear skirts.”
Amanda nodded. “Believe it or not, until just a few years ago, so did I for a long time. I couldn’t bring myself to wear pants to church, but it didn’t bother me that other people did.”
“My mom said the same thing.”
After they discussed church, the subject naturally changed to the festival they’d attended. Then it progressed to other things. Conversation came natural between them.
It didn’t matter what they talked about; Jerry found himself deeply interested in everything she said, and nothing else mattered. When he heard the cough behind him, he jumped. He hadn’t heard anyone come in.
He spun around to see Amanda’s sister. It seemed like he’d only been there a few minutes.
“What’s wrong, Lacy?” Amanda asked, her forehead crinkling with concern.
“I just got a call from the school. My sub walked out, and they wanted to know if I’m feeling good enough to come in.”
Lacy’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Now that Amanda knew Jerry was a Christian, she wanted to talk about church, their faith, and everything else that came to mind. For the first time ever, Amanda felt that she could completely be herself around a guy. Guilt instantly rushed through her. Lacy needed her.
“Who’s with your class?”
Lacy cleared her throat. “Suzanne.”
Suzanne was the school’s administrative assistant and Amanda’s best friend since childhood. When Lacy needed her first teaching job after college, Suzanne had been the one who vouched for her with the principal.
As much as she hated discussing family issues in front of someone else, she didn’t see that she had a choice. “Why don’t you just go on to school then?”
Lacy offered an exaggerated frown. “I don’t feel like facing them today.” Amanda was painfully aware of Jerry’s interest in their conversation. She turned to him to explain. “There’s a problem child in her class.”
“Must be pretty bad to make you feel this way,” he said directly to Lacy. “Is there anything I can do?”
Lacy snickered. “I wish. Even his dad is beside himself with worry about him.”
“So you finally talked to his father?”
“Yeah, in fact, he’s the one I met at the festival.”
No wonder Lacy had acted so strange. “Was Timmy with him?”
“No,” Lacy said as she gave Amanda a look like she should have known better. “Why would he bring Timmy along on a date?”
A date? Amanda forced herself to act like she knew it all along, so she shrugged. “Maybe because Timmy would enjoy going to a festival. There were a lot of kids there.”
Jerry shifted his weight and leaned against the counter. “Are his parents divorced?”
“His mother died when he was three,” Lacy explained. “Ever since then, Brad’s been a single dad without much help. It hasn’t been easy for him.”
“I can imagine,” Jerry said softly as his gaze met Amanda’s. He looked back at Lacy. “I bet it’s been hard on both of them.”
“Especially Brad. Can you imagine having to deal with a bratty little boy every single day for the rest of your life?”
“Maybe not the rest of his life,” Jerry said with a wry grin. “Just the next fifteen years or so.”
“Might as well be the rest of his life.” Lacy scrunched her face. “Brad is such a sweet guy, but he’s at his wit’s end about Timmy.”
“Has he thought about spending more time with his son?” Amanda interjected. “Sometimes that’s all it t
akes.”
“More time?” Lacy grunted. “That would be miserable.”
Amanda glanced over at Jerry, who exchanged a knowing look. He nodded then turned back to Lacy.
“Maybe the five of us can do something sometime,” he offered.
Lacy’s forehead crinkled. “The five of us?”
“Yeah, you, Brad, Timmy, Amanda, and me.”
Lacy shook her head. “I don’t know about that. Timmy’s a handful.”
“I don’t mind,” Jerry said. “Or maybe the four of us can go out— without Timmy.”
A slight smile formed on Lacy’s lips. “A double date? That would be, like, so fun!”
“I think so, too,” Jerry said.
Lacy glanced at her watch and let out a long-suffering sigh. “As much as I hate to do this, I guess I need to go to school.” She headed for the door then stopped and turned. “Why don’t you figure out where we can go on our double date, and I’ll call Brad?” Then she left.
Amanda shook her head and let out a little laugh. “Amazing.”
Jerry grinned back at her. “Your sister is very cute, but I’m surprised she’s a teacher.”
“Yeah, well, she needed to do something with her life, and she always enjoyed children…maybe because she’s still sort of a child herself.”
“Don’t be too hard on her,” Jerry said. “There might be a few things she still needs to learn, but I bet the kids love her.”
Amanda appreciated his ability to see something beyond her sister’s whiny demeanor. Lacy really did have a good heart, but she didn’t know how to direct it. And yes, from what she’d heard from Suzanne, the kids did love her. Obviously so did some of the parents.
“So…” Jerry kicked his toe on the floor and looked around the store. “What do you think about the four of us going out sometime? I hope I didn’t put you on the spot or anything.”
“No.” She spoke a little too fast. “What I mean is, I don’t feel like you put me on the spot. I just hope you don’t feel like you have to do this.”
“Trust me,” he said slowly as he held her gaze, “I want to do it.”
Her heartbeat quickened, so she reached beneath her counter and pretended to work so he wouldn’t see how flustered she was. She’d just pulled out a pad of invoices when she spotted someone coming in the door. It was Jerry’s mother.
“Hi, Amanda,” she said quickly before turning to Jerry. “I thought I might find you here, son. Your father wants you to help him with something back at the condo.”
Jerry’s face drained of all color as he backed toward the door. “Is he okay? I shouldn’t have been gone so long.”
His mother flipped her hand from the wrist. “Oh, he’s fine. He just wants a little attention from his son, that’s all.”
Amanda watched their interaction with interest. Something else was going on, but she wouldn’t even try to guess what it was. She had a feeling there were quite a few unresolved issues in that family.
“You run on back to the condo,” his mother added. “I think I’ll just take a look around here.”
Jerry’s forehead crinkled, and he glanced back and forth between Amanda and his mother before settling his gaze back on Amanda. “Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course,” Amanda replied as she forced a smile. Now there was no doubt something was going on.
The second he left, Jerry’s mother plopped up on the barstool and folded her hands on the counter. “So, Amanda, how do you like living in Treasure Island year-round?”
Maybe she just needed a little female companionship. Amanda smiled. “It’s all I know. I’ve lived here all my life.”
“Have you ever been to Atlanta?”
Amanda nodded. “Yes, but it’s been a long time. Do you enjoy living there?”
The older woman shrugged. “I used to love it, but it’s gotten so big and congested, I don’t know anymore.”
“I know what you mean. Treasure Island hasn’t grown in size for obvious reasons, but there are so many more people here than when I was younger. I’m afraid the traffic is a little crazy.”
“But it’s still beautiful.”
“Yes,” Amanda agreed. She wished she could think of something else to say, because this conversation was starting to feel awkward.
Mrs. Simpson studied her for a moment then hopped down off the stool. “Reckon I better be getting back, or the boys will think I’m up to something.”
No doubt. Amanda smiled. “Thank you for stopping by, Mrs. Simpson.”
“Oh, please don’t call me that. It makes me feel so old. I’m Rosemary, and my husband is Harold.”
“Okay…Rosemary. I guess I’ll see you at church on Sunday.”
Rosemary had her hand on the door but paused and turned to Amanda. “Church?”
“Yes. Jerry stopped by to find out about churches, so I told him about mine.”
“So you’re a Christian girl?” Rosemary smiled and let go of the door. “That’s really nice.”
To keep the conversation from going in a whole new direction—one that would make her squirm even more—Amanda quickly thought of something else. “I told him the services are at nine and eleven with a Bible study in between. We generally have refreshments, too.” She walked to the door and held it for Rosemary. “It’ll be nice to see you there. Oh, and don’t worry about dressing up. Everything here is casual.”
“Oh…okay,” Rosemary said as she stepped outside. “See you Sunday.”
Suddenly, Amanda found herself alone and slightly confused. What was Rosemary’s real reason for stopping by the shop? Did her husband really need Jerry, or did she want some time alone with Amanda?
“That woman!” Jerry watched as his dad’s face contorted from frustration as he paced back and forth in the condo. “She needs to learn to mind her business.”
“Dad, don’t be so hard on her. She just said you needed me.”
“It could have waited.”
Yes, Jerry agreed. It could have waited. His parents had gone out to the beach with a couple of plastic bags, and now his dad wanted some help in sorting through the stuff they found and taking what wasn’t any good to the Dumpster.
“That’s okay. Want to go through it now?”
His dad shook his head as he stood. “Might as well, since you hoofed it all the way back here. Let’s go out on the balcony.”
Jerry went to the front door, lifted both bags, and carried them through the condo to the balcony where his dad waited. “How do you want to do this?”
“I’ll look at it first, and if I don’t know what it is, you can take a look at it.”
“What do you think you’ll find?” Jerry asked.
His dad snorted. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times—this place isn’t called Treasure Island for nothing. There’s treasure out there somewhere, and I aim to find it.”
Jerry wasn’t sure how much of this was his dad looking for something to do and how much was the Alzheimer’s talking. His parents had always been a little eccentric, but this was a little weird. His mother had told him that his dad had wanted to buy a metal detector, but she’d stopped him.
“Have you ever stopped to think that someone might have already found the treasure—that is, if there really was some?”
His dad held up what looked like an old battery case then dropped it into the wastebasket he’d put between them. “I think it’s still out there. If someone had found it, don’t you think we’d know about it?”
“Maybe whoever it was kept it to himself.”
“Nah, something like that would be on the front page of the newspaper.” Jerry gave up. He took each item his father handed him and looked it over. Almost everything was garbage, but there were a few items of interest—like a faded photo of a family and a small coin pouch with a few pennies and nickels.
Each time his dad held something up for inspection, Jerry studied his expression. He was pretty sure his dad wasn’t strictly thinking about the items in th
e bag.
“So…,” his dad began, “…you like this girl?”
Jerry should have seen it coming. He paused for a moment to edit himself. “Are you talking about Amanda?”
His dad dropped the trinket he’d been looking at back into the bag, tilted his head forward, and gave him a look that brought him back to his teenage years. “Who else would I be talking about, son? For someone so educated, I’m surprised you have to ask.”
Jerry squirmed for a few seconds before nodding. “She’s a nice girl.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Jerry knew exactly what he was asking. “We’re friends. Period.”
His dad shook his head and snorted. “I thought I taught you better than that. I hope you don’t think you’ll be happy sitting around watching your mother and me grow old. That would be miserable.”
A momentary silence fell between them. Both Jerry and his dad picked up some more junk from the bag and pretended to look it over. Finally Jerry decided it was time to move on to something else.
“Well, did you find what you were looking for, Dad?”
“Nope. That treasure is still out there somewhere, and I aim to find it.” Jerry stood up and paused to look down at his father, who sat slump-shouldered in the patio chair and staring out at the Gulf of Mexico. It was a lovely view, but he didn’t think his dad even noticed.
“Maybe you and Mom can go out again tomorrow,” Jerry said. The fresh air was good for them.
“Your mother hates looking for treasure. She griped nonstop.”
“Then why don’t you compromise and do something she likes?”
“She doesn’t like to do anything fun.”
“Okay, Dad, I’m going back inside. I’d like to have a little dinner and then we can come back out here and watch the sun set.”
As Amanda cleaned the shop before going home, she spotted something on the floor next to the bicycle rack near the door. It was an address book. She picked it up and flipped through it.
Rosemary was at it again. Amanda chuckled to herself as she thought about how unimaginative Jerry’s mother was with her ploy to matchmake. She’d already used the item-left-behind tactic—and now she was using it again.
