by Debby Mayne
“You’d probably make a wonderful mother if you ever wanted kids,” Ed said. “In the meantime we need to take care of this little problem.”
She chuckled. “Little problem? I’m sorry, but I don’t see how having termites is a little problem. It’s pretty major to me.”
“You know what my offer is, so let me know soon.”
Ed backed off to let her process the news. The timing was good because Ray had come from the other side of the building. He motioned for Ed.
“Seeing’s how you’re trying to help this lady out and I’m not all that busy at the moment. . .if we can get moving on this by the end of the month, I can do this for half my regular fee.”
Ed squinted. “Are you sure, Ray? I’m not asking for a discount.”
Ray nodded. “If I can’t do this for a helpless woman, what kind of man am I?”
Ed couldn’t help but laugh at Ray’s choice of words. “You’re a good, honest, hardworking Christian man.”
Ray squared his shoulders. “If I could do this for nothing I would, but I have to hire help to put up the tent and all. . . .”
“Hey, that’s fine,” Ed said. “I understand. Just do me a favor and don’t tell Jill how much this is gonna cost. I’m taking care of it.”
Ray grinned. “You’re sweet on this girl, aren’t you?”
Ed gulped. He’d been avoiding his feelings for Jill, but Ray was right. He didn’t have to admit it, though. “We’re friends, if that’s what you mean.”
“Okay, whatever you say. Call me tonight, and I’ll get started as soon as you give me the go-ahead.”
“I have to arrange for some people to help move her stuff.”
Ray gestured toward his own truck. “I can help, too.”
“Thanks.” Ed extended his hand, and Ray shook it then left.
“What was all that about?” Jill said from behind.
“We need to talk about when to do this,” Ed said.
“Whenever you want to is fine with me.”
“Good. I’ll make some calls, and we’ll get it taken care of right away.”
“Now, is it safe for me to go back inside?” Jill asked.
Ed chuckled. “You’ll be fine.”
The phone in Ed’s pocket vibrated. He figured it was the babysitter begging to be rescued.
He explained to Jill that he might not be back for the rest of the day. A panicked look crossed her face, but she recovered in a split second. “That’s okay. Do whatever you have to do.”
After he got home and relieved his neighbor of childcare responsibilities, he called the Junktique Shoppe. No one answered. Jill must have a customer, he figured.
“Come on, girls. Brush your teeth and get dressed.”
“Do we hafta?” Stacy whined.
“Yep,” he said. “That is, if you wanna go see Jill.”
“C’mon, Tracy. Let’s do what Daddy says.”
Seven
When they arrived at the shop, the door was locked, and Jill was nowhere to be found. “Where is she, Daddy?” Stacy asked.
“I can’t imagine.” He led the girls around to the back of the house, thinking she might be in the backyard. She wasn’t.
“Tell you what. I have a key, so we can go inside. I have a bunch of work to finish, so you girls can play with the toys Jill set aside for you.”
Stacy looked at Tracy, who sighed. He could tell they were up to something.
They’d barely gone inside and turned on the lights when a couple of elderly women came in. “We heard about this place,” the taller of the two women said. “Mind if we take a look around?”
“Be my guest,” he replied. “The owner isn’t in at the moment, but if you need something I’ll try to help you.”
While they browsed, Ed settled the girls on a small braided rug in the back room with the box of colorful items between them. That ought to keep them occupied for at least an hour or two, he figured. After that he’d have to come up with something different.
About fifteen minutes later one of the women stuck her head around the corner. “We’d like to buy a few things. Can you ring us up, or do we need to come back later?”
Ed set his hammer on the floor and wiped his hands on the rag he kept by the sawhorse. “I’ll do it. Give me just a minute.” Once the woman went back into the shop, he bent over and instructed the girls to stay right where they were. “Don’t move off this rug until I come back. Got that?”
They both nodded before they exchanged a glance. He shot them a warning look before going to the sales area to help the ladies.
The women were barely out of the door when Jill came running into the shop, out of breath. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
He lifted his eyebrow as he widened his stance and folded his arms across his chest. “The question is, where were you? You had customers.”
“What did you sell them?”
He shook his head. “I can’t remember everything. . . . Let’s see.” He shut his eyes for a moment to get a visual picture of everything on the counter as he rang it up. “A couple of parchment lamp shades, some salt and pepper shakers, and a couple of bowls from upstairs. There was other stuff, too.” He tried to think of the rest of it, but there was too much. He shrugged and added, “A bunch of stuff.”
By that time Jill had her cash drawer open, and she’d pulled out the checks the women wrote. “Is this what they paid?”
He nodded. “If it’s not right, I’ll make up the difference.”
Jill gave him an odd look. “I just hope they come back. They paid a lot of money.”
Ed laughed out loud. “I think those ladies will come back. In fact, they were talking about bringing their whole bridge group. I told them you were temporarily relocating, and they said it didn’t matter where you were; they’d find you.”
Jill slowly grinned at him. That warmed him from the inside out. He could tell she’d softened toward him, and that made him feel good.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get back to work. The girls have been a little too quiet, and I have a feeling my time here today is limited.”
“Be my guest,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
❧
Ed’s attitude toward her shop baffled her. He clearly didn’t understand how much her “junk” meant to people; yet he seemed so eager to help. His kindness and gentle spirit had touched her deeply. He’d started to chip away at the shell she’d formed around her heart.
But something bothered her. How did he do all the things he did? Her lack of confidence only deepened when she was around people like Ed. Not only did he have his job and his girls, but he jumped in and took care of her shop while she ran home to turn off the coffeepot she’d forgotten that morning in her haste to get to the shop early. She had been right in the middle of ringing up her first customer when it had dawned on her.
She could hear Ed in the back, alternating between hammering, sawing, and chatting with his daughters. An odd, warm sensation traveled through her as she imagined what it would be like to have a nice, cozy family like that.
Matt came walking in shortly after lunch, sporting a wide grin. “My wife was pleased as punch when I told her I was bringing home dinner tonight. Whatcha cookin’?”
Panic rose in her chest as she realized she’d forgotten all about dinner. She was about to say the first thing that came to mind when Ed snuck up behind her. “How about some steaks?”
Jill spun around and saw the look of amusement on his face. “Steaks?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I bought a bunch last week. I figured I’d bring them over.”
“But I thought—,” Matt began before Jill turned back to face him.
Jill made a quick decision. “Never mind Ed’s steaks. I’m cooking Swiss steak.”
“Yum,” Matt said, patting his belly.
Suddenly she thought about the girls. “Do Stacy and Tracy like Swiss steak?”
Ed shrugged. “I dunno. They’ve never had i
t.”
“Maybe I should fix something else.”
“No, if you want to cook Swiss steak, then do it. If they don’t like it, we have plenty of peanut butter at home.”
“We love Swiss steak!” screeched Stacy as she came running full steam out of the back room.
“How would you know, squirt?” Ed bent over and scooped her up in one move. He started tickling her until she nearly choked on her giggles.
“Seriously, I can cook whatever they like.”
Matt made a puppy-dog face. “But I had my heart set on Swiss steak.”
Ed laughed. “You just like to eat, Matt.”
Matt stuffed his hands in his pockets. “True.”
After Matt left, Jill asked Ed to keep an eye on the shop again for a little while. He lifted his eyebrow.
“Are you sure you trust me with your precious shop?” he asked.
Jill snickered. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
“Take your time. I want you to catch me waiting on your customers.”
As soon as Jill stepped in her car, she turned the radio dial to the local Christian station. She’d heard it recently blaring from Ed’s truck, and she thought about how she needed to fill her mind and heart with uplifting messages and music. She could tell Ed wanted to discuss faith because he’d touched on it several times but backed off when she’d reacted. She knew she needed to be more open, but she hated people trying to coerce her into doing something she didn’t want to do. And she wasn’t into attending a church where people would judge her or anything about her.
The roads were crowded with cars and service trucks, as they always were during the workweek in Atlanta. Her trip to the grocery store took a little longer than she’d planned, but she managed to get through the express line and out in record time.
She was back at the shop less than an hour later. Ed stood at the counter ringing up another customer, and the girls were busy charming the elderly woman making the purchase.
When the woman spotted Jill, she grinned. “Your little girls are so precious. I miss my grandchildren.”
Jill started to correct the woman and let her know they weren’t hers, but Ed interrupted. “Thank you, Mrs. Bennett. I hope you enjoy your dolls.”
“Oh, I will,” she said as she took the bag and made her way to the door. “And I’ll be back after the move.” She wiggled her fingers toward the girls, and they waved back.
“If you know her, how come she didn’t know I wasn’t their mother?” Jill asked.
“Oh, I didn’t know her until today. I got her name off her check.”
“I see,” Jill said. “Let me put this stuff in the refrigerator, and I’ll be right back to relieve you.”
“Take your time. I’m having fun.”
She snapped around to see if he was serious, but she couldn’t tell. His eyes twinkled with mischief. At least by now she trusted him enough to know he wasn’t doing anything to muddle up her business.
The second she opened the refrigerator door to put the food away, Stacy was by her side. “My daddy likes you,” she said.
Jill felt flustered. “He’s a nice man.”
“Tracy and I like you, too.”
Now Jill felt more comfortable since this was between her and Stacy rather than Ed. She bent over, gently cupped Stacy’s chin in her hand, and looked her in the eye. “I like you and Tracy very much.”
Stacy’s eyebrows shot up, and a wide grin flashed on her face. “You do?”
“Yes. You and Tracy are two of the sweetest little girls I’ve ever met. And the smartest, too.”
Suddenly Stacy’s smile turned into a frown. “My daddy’s sweet. Why didn’t you tell me you thought my daddy was sweet and smart?”
Jill tried to dig deep to come up with an answer. She was about to say something that probably wouldn’t make sense to an almost-five-year-old when Ed saved her.
“Stacy, come on—let’s go,” he said from the doorway. “Jill needs to get back to work.” He looked Jill in the eye and added, “The pastor’s wife has agreed to watch them for a couple of hours this afternoon, so I’ll be back.”
Jill simply nodded because she was speechless. After Ed left, she leaned against the wall and rubbed the back of her neck. She never realized how draining children could be or how they could make her smile.
Before meeting Ed and the twins, all she had to deal with was the latent anger she wasn’t aware of until after her father passed away. At least that was something she could understand. Her feelings for Ed, Stacy, and Tracy were confusing. Her defensiveness toward Ed was fading quickly, and she’d begun to feel more than just a physical attraction toward him. He didn’t simply talk about his faith. He lived it. The differences between Ed and her father were becoming clearer to her by the day.
She managed to get dinner cooked between customers. The two-burner hot plate was challenging, but at least she had that until she could afford a full-size range.
Ed came back after she’d put dinner in the refrigerator in individual pans ready for the guys to take home. He sniffed the air and smiled.
“Smells wonderful in here,” he said. “Just like I imagine a home should smell.”
Jill forced a smile. That was an odd thing for him to say. What did he mean by that?
Ed headed straight to his work area and started hammering. She knew his time was limited, so she didn’t want to bother him. But later they needed to talk.
Matt stopped by and picked up his meal. “I appreciate this,” he said. “But don’t think you have to do it every day. In fact, I won’t be by tomorrow or the next day.”
“Then just let me know when you’ll be back,” she offered. “It’s important for me to do this.”
He smiled and offered a slight nod. “I understand. I’m the same way.” He leaned over to look at Ed, then lowered his voice. “So’s Ed, but he won’t admit it.”
Jill offered a conspiratorial smile. “Yes, I know. Thanks for all your help, Matt.”
So far Jill had liked everyone she’d met from Ed’s church. Every last one of them was open and giving, although they had completely different personalities. Rather than clashing, though, they seemed to complement each other. They had a spirit of community about them, and she’d discovered she liked the feeling of being part of it—even if she was an outsider reaping the benefits simply because Ed had put it upon himself to take care of her.
As she closed out her cash register, Ed appeared. “By the way, I’ve lined up a bunch of people and their trucks to move you this weekend.”
Jill stifled the urge to give him another chance to back down. “Fine. I’m not sure what a move like this involves—”
“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’ll only take a day with all the people we’ll have working.”
❧
What Ed didn’t tell her was that he’d been building shelves and getting the front part of his warehouse ready for her to move right in. He’d even taken some carpet remnants and covered the showroom floor, which would help quite a bit to prevent breakage of some of her more fragile items.
“One of these days I want to do something for every single person who helps,” she said softly.
Ed fully understood. He’d always had a hard time accepting anyone’s help—that is, until Marcy died. When that happened he’d gone around in a state of numbness. After he finally pulled out of it, he realized the only thing that had gotten him through it was the Lord’s hand in bringing the generosity of the church people to his aid. Now it was Jill’s turn to accept the same thing.
“Are you ready to leave yet?” she asked as she stood poised at the door, keys in hand.
“No, you go right ahead,” he replied. “I’ll lock up when I leave.”
“Don’t forget your dinner,” she reminded him. “It’s on the top shelf of the refrigerator.”
“Trust me—I won’t forget.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her watching him for a moment before she finally left. He
stood there and stared at his handiwork as he thought about what lay ahead of them. If she had any idea of the magnitude of the problems she had, she would likely give up and disappear from his life.
He finally admitted his instant attraction and growing affection for Jill. Her warmth and kindness toward her customers showed her innate goodness. It hadn’t taken him long to see through her gruff exterior. She’d been badly hurt in the past, so that was understandable. What he now saw in her was the desire to succeed in her lifelong dream while bringing joy to others. He found this even more attractive than her physical appearance. His girls clearly liked her, too, which would make it difficult when the time came to move on. He couldn’t expect Jill to take on a relationship with a man and two small kids after she’d made it clear she didn’t like responsibility.
The irony of the whole situation was so obvious it was painful. Jill talked about how she shirked responsibility; yet she had plenty with this shop. He’d agreed to do light handyman work while taking a break before embarking on what he knew would be a long-term project with the residential and commercial community he’d proposed. They both wound up with surprises.
When he picked up the girls, the pastor’s wife, Emma Travers, offered to watch them again the next day. “I understand how hard it must be to work with them underfoot. I have to run a couple of errands, but I can take them with me.”
He smiled and thanked her.
“And since you’ll be here for the potluck and Bible study tomorrow night, just come straight here from the shop.”
That night the girls giggled about the things they’d done at the pastor’s house. “When Pastor Travers walked in, we surprised him,” Stacy said.
“What did you do to surprise him?” Ed asked.
“We yelled ‘boo!’ ” Both girls fell into giggles.
“I hope you didn’t scare him too much,” Ed said, pretending to be shocked.
Tracy tilted her little head forward, allowing her honey-colored curls to bob around her face. “Daddy, this is the pastor we’re talking about. He’s not scared of nothing.”
“Anything,” Stacy corrected.
