Summer Plans and Other Disasters

by Karin Beery

  “Hi, Callie. Ryan. Jack.” Stacey joined the group. “It’s good to see you again.”

  Callie reached out and hugged the small woman.

  Jack’s gut clenched.

  “Are you still busy after church?” Callie asked.

  Stacey nodded. “I promised to help a friend do some repair work to her house this afternoon.”

  Jack struggled to imagine Stacey in a tool belt. “What kind of work are you doing?”

  “We’re going to fix some holes in her walls.”

  “Drywall?”

  Stacey shrugged. “I guess so.”

  Jack looked at Ryan. His friend’s shoulders shook as he looked at the floor. Polite. Jack didn’t bother trying to hide his response though. He let loose and laughed. “Stacey, do you even know how to patch drywall?”

  “You buy some extra wall panels and put them in the hole,” she said. “I’m sure the guys at Home Depot can show me how to do it.”

  The dam burst, and Ryan’s laughter echoed with Jack’s.

  Callie smacked them both. After years of practice, she hit Jack at just the right spot with enough force that his shoulder ached. “Don’t be mean,” she said. “At least Stacey’s trying.”

  She was trying. Stacey was always trying, always helping anyone who asked. Jack couldn’t remember the last time Stacey didn’t have plans to go help someone after church. He’d not been paying attention, of course, but it did seem like she was always babysitting or gardening for someone else. Her home improvement announcements usually sucked him into her schemes, not that he tried very hard to avoid them.

  Jack nudged Callie with his elbow. “You haven’t known Stacey long enough to know that Ryan and I have helped her with lots of home improvements, and she’s never started a job she’s known how to do. I swear, we’re not laughing at her.”

  “We’re just not surprised.” Ryan chuckled.

  Jack refocused on Stacey. “Do you need help?”

  “Oh, no.” She waved her hands. “I’m sure we can figure it out.”

  “So am I, but I can help you do it in half the time.”

  “No, no. Your sister’s in town. I don’t want to intrude on your time together.”

  Jack snorted. “She’s here all summer. In a week, I’ll be begging you to intrude.”

  Stacey’s eyes widened. She gave him a funny look. He would have called it a smile if her eyes weren’t the size of golf balls. Jack wondered if she was feeling well, and then, oh, no. Those stupid mixed signals.

  “I, um, it’s just…” He looked for an escape route, but the cavernous lobby offered no sanctuary. There was always the bathroom …

  Ryan smacked him on the back. “We should probably go find a seat.”

  Salvation. “Right. Let’s go.” He launched himself to the left and away from Stacey. If he was lucky, Pastor Bill would run long today. That would give Stacey over an hour to forget that Jack had practically invited her to spend time with him, and it would also give him some time to figure out why he wanted to.

  Pastor Bill said something about love and repentance, then he threw in a little bit about a person’s heart. Stacey figured it had been a touching message, but she didn’t remember a thing. All she heard was, “I’ll be begging you to intrude.”

  Jack, begging her to spend time with him? She could only hope.

  The people next to Stacey nudged her toward the aisle. She hadn’t even noticed the service had ended. Without much thought, she gathered her things and moved her legs. The next thing she knew, she was standing in the aisle looking up into the mocha-brown eyes of the handsome lighthouse keeper.

  “I’ll meet you at the Home Depot in a couple of hours.” Jack pointed to Ryan and Callie. “We drove in together, so I’m going to have to get my own truck.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” said Ryan. “Callie and I can stay in town and can grab some lunch.”

  “We can?” Callie looked up at Ryan, and he looked down at her. Ryan smiled. Callie blushed.

  Interesting.

  Jack tensed. “It’ll take us a few hours.”

  Ryan shrugged. “That’s okay. We’ll find a way to kill the time.” He set his hand on Callie’s back and steered her toward the door. “Give me a call when you’re ready and we’ll come pick you up.” He nodded toward Jack. “We’ll talk later.”

  Before anyone could object, the couple slipped out the door.

  Stacey tipped her head back, and further back, to look up at Jack. He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look angry either. In fact, with the way his forehead crinkled, and his mouth gaped open, he looked quite confused, which only made him more attractive. What was he confused about? Maybe he was questioning his decision to help her. Her heart skipped. Maybe he’d changed his mind.

  “You don’t have to come with me,” she said. “This is really last minute, and I don’t want to intrude—”

  “Why does your friend need help?” Jack asked, aiming his confused look at Stacey.

  “She broke her wrist, and her sister is visiting next week. I offered to give her a hand.”

  A smile crept onto his face. How could every expression make him more attractive? She smiled back. “So, you offered to help with home repairs.”

  She nodded.

  “But you don’t know what you’re doing.”

  She swallowed then shook her head.

  “Do you have drywall tape?”

  Stacey shrugged.

  “Do you have spackling paste? A trowel? Drywall screws?”

  The enormity of the situation slammed into her like a truck. She hadn’t realized how ill-prepared she was until he started asking questions. She couldn’t even look at Jack when she shook her head again.

  Jack chuckled.

  Stacey’s head snapped up. “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m impressed with your determination to help everyone, even if you don’t know how to do it. I offered to help, so let’s go. You can return the favor someday when my sister needs to go shopping.”

  Stacey could breathe again. “Sure. I know how to shop. I can totally help out.” She bounced with excitement, though she wasn’t entirely sure if it was because Jack agreed to help or because he knew what he was doing.

  “That’s broken.”

  Jack sighed. “I know.” He picked it up anyway, tossing the half piece of drywall on top of the quickly filling cart.

  “Are you sure?” Stacey twirled a piece of hair around her finger. She’d been doing that all afternoon, every time she questioned whether or not they needed a level, or primer, or a nail. Jack had never noticed it before, but he liked it.

  He leaned toward her. “This is the cheapest option. We could buy a whole sheet, but we won’t need it. This will save us a few bucks.”

  “Really?” She stopped twirling. “I don’t know. If it was my house, I wouldn’t care, but I don’t want to cut any corners. Maybe we should just get a real sheet.”

  He laughed. “Stacey, this is a real sheet. It’s just half of one.” Jack grabbed the metal frame of the cart and started pushing. “Remind me, how many walls have you fixed?”

  When he looked at her, Stacey’s neck and ears glowed pink. He didn’t know why she kept doing that, but he liked it. Between that and the Sunday skirt, Jack had nearly driven the cart into more than one display. He reminded himself again that he didn’t want to look. She kicked something on the floor and the skirt brushed her knees. Once again, the reminder failed.

  “You’re right.” She looked at her feet. He couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t looked at him since they left the church, when she’d practically jumped into his arms. Before he could ask, she piped up again. “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. I’m sorry. I trust your experience. What else do we need?”

  “That’s it.”

  She finally loo
ked at him. “It is?” She smiled. “I was starting to worry that we’d need half the store.”

  “Now you sound like my sister.” He shook his head. “Worrying about anything you can.” Jack maneuvered the cart around a display of paint cans and through the aisles. He shortened his stride, so Stacey could keep up.

  “Callie’s a worrier? She looks so put together. What does she have to worry about?”

  “Nothing, but she worries anyway.”

  “Are you a worrier?”

  Jack looked at Stacey’s pretty face. He only worried about one thing these days, and he kept making it harder for himself to forget about it. Especially when he invited himself to help her with another project. And especially when she wore that skirt.

  “Jack?”

  “Sorry. No, I don’t usually worry.” They stepped into a checkout lane and unloaded the cart.

  They were in Stacey’s car with a broken piece of drywall wedged in the back when Stacey spoke again. “Why not?”

  “Why not what?”

  Stacey snapped open her wallet. She thumbed through the cash. “Why don’t you worry?”

  “Because God told me not to.” She stopped and looked at him like he’d just asked her to recite Newton’s laws of physics. In Latin. “What?”

  “God told you not to worry?”

  Jack nodded. “Pretty much. It’s all over the Bible. God knows what he’s doing, and he’s the best prepared to handle it.”

  “So, you really don’t worry about anything?” Stacey glanced at her wallet. “Ever?”

  “I try not to.”

  She sighed, and her shoulders moved, knocking a few strands of hair loose. Jack cleared his throat. “There are some things that still get me, though.”

  She nodded, and her hair moved again. “Me too. What did you want for lunch? We can just swing through a drive-thru someplace.”

  “I thought you hated fast food.”

  The pink came back. “It’s not my favorite, but I thought it might get you going home faster. I’ve already taken too much of your time, and—”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “No, really. I don’t want to hog your day.”

  Jack wrapped his fingers around her hand, closing the wallet. He had spotted three bills in there, and none of them was larger than a five. She hadn’t flinched when she paid for their supplies, but a simple lunch had her counting cash.

  Something heavy settled on Jack’s shoulders while something in his heart softened. “Let me buy you lunch.”

  Stacey flinched. “What? Why?”

  “Why not?” Jack wanted to kick himself. Another mixed signal. “It can be my contribution to the cause.”

  “You don’t have—”

  He squeezed her hand. “You give everything you have to everybody else. I admire that.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes.”

  She licked her lips. “And that’s why you want to buy me lunch?”

  He looked at her wallet, at their hands, at that pretty green shirt that matched her pretty green eyes. “Yes. That’s why I want to buy you lunch.”

  “Well, I … okay then.”

  “Okay.”

  Her hand relaxed, but neither of them moved until Stacey’s phone rang. She jumped, then dove into her purse to find the phone. Jack’s hand felt strangely empty.

  As Stacey searched for her phone, she smiled. A beautiful smile beneath sparkling eyes, surrounded by the softest looking hair. And then there was that skirt.

  Jack definitely had something to worry about.

  Callie licked pink cream from her lips. Ryan couldn’t pull his eyes away.

  “I’m in heaven.” She closed her eyes and turned to face the sun.

  “You’re at a dairy farm.” He popped the last piece of a cone into his mouth as a whiff of dairy air blew past.

  As Callie leaned against the picnic table savoring her ice cream cone, Ryan swiveled on the bench, so he could lean back to observe the world. They sat on the nearest section of the main deck at Moomer’s Ice Cream shop. They could have walked along the building, past the weeping willow and under the covered walkway to the more secluded tables, but a hand-holding couple had beat them to it. Ryan knew there were a couple more tables back there, but he also didn’t want to intrude.

  Instead, they settled for the main deck, right by the guardrail. The weather-worn wood kept people safe from the steep hill that led to the cow pasture. Today, the heifers roamed the field, nudging and mooing at each other. The farmer left a trailer full of hay for them to munch on. A barn cat that’d somehow managed to stay white amongst the dirt and cows stalked right through the center of the action, ignoring the dangerous hooves and avoiding the ground-level debris.

  Ryan watched a mom and dad lead their small children down a set of narrow steps to another observation deck. Their colorful Sunday-best clothes popped out against the green and brown backdrop.

  “This is the best ice cream in the world,” Callie said, interrupting his thoughts. “This really might be heaven.”

  Ryan watched a trickle of pink run down the side of Callie’s cone. “In heaven, your ice cream will never melt, but back here on the farm, you’re dripping.”

  Her eyes snapped open. Spinning the cone around, she located the drip and slurped the melted treat from her fingers before biting off the edge of the cone. “This is the best.” She flashed Ryan a toothy smile. “I didn’t realize how much I missed this.”

  “It is a uniquely Traverse City experience.” He leaned against Callie, brushing his shoulder with hers. She looked at him, their eyes so close. Ryan smiled. “You could have it every day if you lived here.”

  Callie nodded. “I know. It’s probably better for my health that I don’t. Thanks again.”

  She took another big lick from her cone, smiling as if she were enjoying a gourmet feast. Ryan watched every second of it, letting her joy fuel his. “You’re so welcome.”

  “You know, you didn’t have to buy my cone. Jack hired me. I’m actually getting paid to make a fool out of myself this summer. I’ll be rich in no time.”

  “I know. I don’t mind.” He winked.

  Callie stopped the cone a few inches from her mouth. Her face squished together for second then she shrugged. “Fine, but I still owe you. Next time it’s my treat.”

  He shook his head. “A lady should never pay.”

  “This isn’t a date.”

  “I know.”

  Callie stared at him. Her face squished up again as she slowly consumed her dessert, watching him. Ryan waited. Wondered. When had Jack’s little sister become one of his best friends? She didn’t even realize it. Of course, he hadn’t realized it until recently himself. “What do you want to do this afternoon?”

  She shrugged. “I was planning on going home, so I don’t have anything planned.”

  “And you’re feeling okay? Without a plan, I mean.”

  Callie snorted. “I’m fine.”

  She focused on the cone, and Ryan’s eyes zeroed in on her lips, as if his gaze couldn’t escape their pull. He needed a distraction. Pushing himself away from the table, he tossed his napkin in the trash and headed down the creaky stairs. He nodded at the small family when he passed them on his way.

  His shoes clunked on the dark wood of the lower observation deck, catching the attention of a nearby heifer. She licked her nose with a long, thick, pink tongue. Finally deciding that Ryan didn’t deserve her attention, she trudged through the muck, turning her black-and-white rear end toward him.

  A soft chuckle reached Ryan’s ears. Then he heard the muted clack of heels on soft wood. Callie appeared beside him. She leaned against the guardrail, inhaling deeply. “Is it weird that I like this smell?”

  “Only if you buy the air freshener.”

  “When I was y
ounger I dreamed about moving to the city, but I can’t give this up. I love it.”

  “Thinking about moving back?”

  She shook her head. “That’s not part of the plan yet.”

  “But it may be someday?” Hope surged through his veins.

  “Possibly. I still need to reconnect with Kyle. If that goes well, we’ll have to see.” She sighed, still taking in the view. “I wouldn’t mind ending up back here.”

  “Does Kyle know about this plan?”

  “Can I confess something to you?”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s not really a plan. I mean, I prayed about it and know I’m supposed to be here right now, but I’ll be honest. My emotions are so involved that I’m not completely sure what else is supposed to happen. I’m pretty sure this is what I’m supposed to do, though.” She glanced over her shoulder at Ryan, her eyes squinting against the sun. “I really do want to follow God’s will for my life. I just hope I’m hearing him right.”

  Callie turned to watch the cows again. He followed suit. He hadn’t told her his plan yet either, but he would. Eventually. In the meantime, he had to do something.

  Without another thought, Ryan grabbed Callie’s hand, wrapping his fingers around her sticky ones. “Let’s go.”

  “Where?” Callie stumbled to keep up but giggled as she trounced up the stairs.

  She shifted her fingers in his so that she was holding his hand too. Comfortable. Ryan didn’t answer until they stopped beside his Jeep. “I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”

  “You already bought me ice cream.” She adjusted her purse strap. “What else can a girl ask for?”

  He opened the door. “Food?” Twenty minutes later, Ryan parked beside a pink and purple sign. Next to him, Callie smiled so wide that he thought her ears might pop right off. He shook his head. “Four hundred restaurants in town and you want to eat here?”

  “I haven’t had a gordita in years.” Callie jumped out of the car. She was already opening the restaurant door before Ryan caught up with her. The heavy scent of grease engulfed them. A teenager behind the counter smiled beneath her purple visor.