Special Mission

by Debby Mayne

“Okay, so I’m not into using physical tactics. Just answer one question. If you don’t tell me, will I ever find out what’s going on?”

  Without a second’s hesitation, Carrie blurted, “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “You said one question,” Carrie said, “and I’m holding you to it. I have to go now. My boss needs to talk to me.”

  Next on Kim’s list was Mrs. Jenner. She dreaded spending a day of shopping with the woman, but since they would soon be related, she might as well start now. She opened her phone, scrolled through her list until she found Mrs. Jenner’s number, and punched Send.

  Eight

  “Hello, dear,” Mrs. Jenner said in a saccharine-sweet voice. “Why don’t you plan for a full day of shopping. I want to make sure you get the perfect—” She suddenly stopped talking, as if she were afraid of saying the wrong thing.

  “Perfect what?” Kim’s radar was sounding an alarm louder than ever.

  “Oh, never mind,” the woman said with a giggle in her voice. This was so out of character for her.

  “Okay, so what time did you want me to pick you up?”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind driving?” Mrs. Jenner asked.

  “I love to drive.”

  “Then be here at nine thirty. The stores open at ten, and I want to get as much shopping in as possible.”

  Kim hated to shop, but if it would help her relationship with David’s mom, she would sacrifice. “That’s fine.”

  “And don’t make plans for later in the day. I suspect we’ll be out until dark, at least.”

  Kim held back a groan. “See you Saturday morning at nine thirty.”

  “That’s right, Kimberly.” Mrs. Jenner’s stern tone had returned. “And don’t be late. Punctuality is important to me. I’m sure David must have told you.”

  “Yes, I know that. I’ll be on time.”

  After they hung up, Kim felt like she’d been through a wringer. She leaned against the storage room door and closed her eyes for a prayer.

  Lord, give me the strength to endure shopping with Mrs. Jenner, and help me keep my thoughts to myself.

  “Hey, girl, are you okay?”

  Kim jumped back to the present at the sound of Jasmine’s voice. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. I just got off the phone with David’s mom.”

  “I hope she appreciates the fact that you’re taking one of your busiest days off work to spend time with her.”

  “Who knows what she appreciates?” Sorry, Lord.

  Jasmine offered a sympathetic grin. “You’ll be fine. If you want, I can call midafternoon and see how you’re doing. There’s always an emergency around here that can cut your time short.”

  “Thanks, Jazzy, but I need to do this. . .for David. He really wants me to spend some time with his mother, and I think I owe it to him.”

  With a smile, Jasmine nodded. “You’re a very sweet girl, Kimberly. I hope David’s mother will learn to appreciate you.” She started to turn away but stopped. “Another thing. I’ve been wondering about Brian. I haven’t seen him around lately. Is he doing better?”

  “Yes.” Kim heard the clipped sound of her response. She offered Jasmine an apologetic look. “At least I think he is.”

  “Okay, I get it. You don’t want to talk about Brian.”

  Kim opened her mouth to explain, but she quickly snapped it shut. She was sick of talking about her feelings.

  ❧

  Early Saturday morning, Kim got out of bed and examined the outfit she’d chosen for her shopping trip. It was a pink and black color-block dress with matching black flats and a pearl necklace—very safe and not something she’d normally choose. She’d bought the dress to go to one of her mother’s events at church, and the pearls took on a completely different look when she wore them with jeans.

  Dread filled her at the thought of wearing something she wasn’t crazy about while pretending to enjoy shopping with a woman who didn’t even like her. She trudged into the kitchen and got the coffee ready as she thought about what would make this day more tolerable.

  For one thing, she could ditch the dress and wear pants with a fun top. The ballet flats would work, and the pearl necklace would add enough sophistication to keep Mrs. Jenner from thinking she didn’t care. Now she felt a little better about things.

  However, that feeling was short-lived when Mrs. Jenner answered her knock. A quick once-over glance was a strong hint that the woman didn’t approve.

  “You’re wearing that?”

  Now she was certain Mrs. Jenner hated her. Kim forced her best smile and nodded. “Since we’re making a day of it, I wanted to be comfortable.”

  “Comfort is all in the mind.”

  Kim noticed that Mrs. Jenner wore a black knee-length skirt, a ruffled white blouse, and a pink cardigan with tonal beading stitched into a floral design. “You look very nice,” Kim said.

  Mrs. Jenner’s lips barely widened into a half grin. “In spite of what you must think, I’m comfortable, but since you’ve decided to be so casual, I might as well change.”

  “Oh no, don’t feel you have to—”

  “Sit down, Kimberly. I’ll change into some slacks. It won’t take long.” She nodded toward the coffee table in front of the sofa. “While you’re waiting, you might as well look through the photo album of David’s life. I’m sure it’ll give you some insight.”

  Kim did as she was told. As she flipped through the pages of the album, she saw a sweet little baby boy transform into the handsome man he was today. She knew he’d always been athletic, so she wasn’t surprised to see him suited up in various team uniforms. However, when she got to the second to last page, she paused and stared.

  There he was, wearing a tuxedo, standing beside a tall, dark-haired woman with dramatic eyes and a very curvy figure shown off by a glittery dress that looked as if it had been painted on her. Based on David’s description of his former girlfriend, Kim knew this was Alexis.

  Kim stared at the picture as a myriad of feelings flooded her. She was intrigued, amazed, and almost dumbfounded by the woman’s exotic beauty. But not an ounce of jealousy surfaced.

  “Looking at the snapshot of David and Alexis?”

  Kim glanced up at her future mother-in-law, who hovered by the doorway. The only change she’d made was from her black skirt to some black slacks.

  “Yes. He looks quite handsome in a tux.”

  Mrs. Jenner smiled as she crossed the room and sat in the chair adjacent to the sofa. “He certainly does. And get a load of Alexis. That is one beautiful woman. I don’t know what. . .” Her voice trailed off as she shook her head and flipped her hand. “I guess you don’t want to hear about the woman David almost married, do you?”

  “I’m okay with it.” Kim closed the photo album and squared her shoulders. Even to her, the fact that she wasn’t jealous seemed really strange.

  “Well, I suppose you have no reason to be bothered, since you’re the one who caught the prize.”

  The way Mrs. Jenner had worded that, Kim felt as though she’d been in direct competition for David. But she hadn’t. David and Alexis had broken up almost a year before Kim had even met him.

  Kim stood and gestured toward the door. “Ready to go?”

  Mrs. Jenner allowed a lingering, wistful glance at the closed photo album before closing her eyes and nodding. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “I thought we’d start at the mall,” Kim said. “That is, if it’s okay with you.”

  The woman shrugged. “That’s fine. The mall’s not a place I generally frequent, but I shouldn’t expect a hairdresser to shop in the finer stores.”

  Kim’s insides clenched. Until now, she could pretend that the only problem with her relationship with Mrs. Jenner was that they didn’t know each other very well. Now she’d been verbally assaulted, but since she didn’t know what to say, she didn’t say anything.

  After helping Mrs. Jenner into the car, Kim got in and drove toward the mall. Each time her future mother-in-la
w asked a question, she felt as if she were being interrogated in court. When Kim couldn’t take it anymore, she maneuvered the car into an empty parking lot beside an office building.

  “What are you doing?” Mrs. Jenner asked.

  Kim stopped, put the car in park, then turned to face her fiancé’s mother. “I know you don’t like me, but don’t forget, David and I are engaged to be married.”

  “Whatever do you mean, dear? Why wouldn’t I like you? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “I know that Alexis is an attorney, just like David. I’ve known for a long time you wish he was still with her, but he’s not.”

  “My son is a grown man. It’s not my place to tell him what woman he should date.”

  “You seem to have a problem with me, and after that comment about my being a hairdresser—”

  “It was simply an acknowledgment of what you do for a living.”

  That wasn’t all it was, but Kim didn’t want to continue with this confrontation. “Okay, fine. But I want you to know that I’m a very good hairdresser, and I have a large clientele who count on me to make them look good.”

  “I’m sure you do a very nice job with. . .hair.”

  Kim caught a glimpse of Mrs. Jenner in time to see the curled lip. She pursed her lips and said a silent prayer for the courage to make it through the day and the ability to keep from snapping. She bit back the words flitting through her mind as she drove the rest of the way to the mall.

  The first couple of stores didn’t have anything Mrs. Jenner liked, but the mall was big, and they hadn’t covered even half of it by noon. Kim was getting hungry, but she wasn’t about to be the first to bring up the subject of food after a comment Mrs. Jenner had made shortly after they’d met. She actually asked Kim if all she ever thought about was her next meal.

  “Let’s see what they have here, then perhaps we can stop for a bite,” Mrs. Jenner said as they approached one of the large department stores.

  Kim nodded and followed the older woman toward the misses department. This wasn’t a store Kim was familiar with. It catered to an older, more moneyed crowd. She gulped as she glanced at one of the price tags—way out of her price range.

  As they approached one of the most hideous ensembles Kim had ever seen, Mrs. Jenner pointed to it and turned to Kim. “That looks like you. Let’s find it in your size so you can try it on.”

  “I. . .uh. . .” Kim studied the bright purple sweater that topped a blouse that actually clashed with itself with orange and purple circles on an ecru background. She didn’t want to insult Mrs. Jenner, but she’d never waste her hard-earned money on something like this.

  “It’s not my taste,” Mrs. Jenner said, “but I know you like the. . .shall we say, bolder prints?”

  Suddenly an idea struck Kim. “Why don’t we find something that’s not me? I think it’s time to step outside the box.”

  She held her breath as David’s mother pondered the point. Finally, the woman nodded and smiled. “Yes, I think that’s an excellent idea.” She placed her hands on her hips, scanned the racks, then gestured toward the door. “I’m getting hungry. Let’s go grab something to eat, and we can talk about your makeover.”

  Kim didn’t want a makeover, but who was she to argue? She dutifully followed Mrs. Jenner out the door and to the food court.

  “I’m not used to eating like this,” Mrs. Jenner said. “But I suppose when you shop at a mall, you’re expected to eat. . .mall food.”

  The afternoon wasn’t much better than the morning. Mrs. Jenner shot down everything Kim liked. Finally, they agreed on a simple black knit dress with three-quarter sleeves for Kim. And to Kim’s surprise, it was on a clearance rack. The only thing Mrs. Jenner purchased for herself was a silk scarf to go with something she already had.

  All the way home, Kim listened to Mrs. Jenner talk about how they’d unearthed a treasure from the piles of rubbish. “I haven’t done this kind of shopping in years—not since the early days of my marriage.”

  Kim pulled up in front of Mrs. Jenner’s house and stopped. “Thank you for helping me pick out this dress.”

  Mrs. Jenner placed her hand on Kim’s arm and offered a condescending smile. “We could have saved hours if we’d gone to one of my favorite stores downtown. Oh well, I suppose it’ll make my son happy that we spent the day together.” She got out and closed the door without so much as a good-bye.

  “Yes, I’m sure it will,” Kim muttered to herself as she pulled away from the curb.

  When she got home, Kim hung the dress in her closet then changed into her jeans and sneakers. She was exhausted.

  ❧

  Kim barely made it to church on time the next day, so she slipped into the back pew. Most of the time, she liked to sit closer to the front so she wouldn’t be distracted by all the people.

  As the congregation stood for worship songs, Kim found herself looking around for Brian. She didn’t see him, but there were quite a few tall people between her and the front. She spotted Carrie in the second row from the front.

  The pastor’s sermon held her attention, but immediately after church, her mind flitted back to Brian. They normally went to the fellowship hall to hang out, but Kim wasn’t in the mood to face Brian or Carrie today. Instead, she darted out the back door toward the parking lot. The sound of someone calling her name caught her attention, so she turned around.

  ❧

  When Brian didn’t see Kim in church, he decided to forgo the usual coffee in the fellowship hall and just go on home. He spotted Kim practically running toward her car. She was obviously in a hurry, but he wanted to talk to her.

  “Hey, Brian. I didn’t see you in church. Did you want me for something?”

  “Uh, not really.” He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets.

  Kim made a face. “If you hadn’t lectured me about how you weren’t ‘feelin’ our friendship anymore,’ I’d ask you if you wanted to have lunch with me.”

  “About that. . .”

  She folded her arms, tilted her head, and glared at him with a smirk. “Well?”

  Brian lowered his head and stared at the pavement beneath him. When he looked back up at her, she was still in the same position, still staring, waiting. “Forget everything I said. It was stupid.”

  Kim tilted her head back and laughed. “Why is everyone acting so crazy? I feel like I’ve been abducted by aliens and dropped off at a planet of confusion.”

  Brian chuckled in spite of all the turmoil boiling inside him. “Let’s have lunch together, okay?”

  “Fine with me,” she said. “Why don’t we grab some deli food and head over to Magic Island? I haven’t been there in a while.”

  Brian couldn’t think of a more romantic place, but he didn’t want to complicate things again. “Sounds good. Let me follow you home; then we can take my car.”

  All the way to Kim’s house, Brian gave himself a mental lecture. He challenged himself to keep the conversation light and away from his feelings for Kim. Once they got there, she asked if he wanted to come inside while she changed.

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll wait in the car.”

  “I’ll hurry.”

  Brian shoved a CD in the car stereo and settled back to wait. When her front door opened, he glanced at her, and his heart thudded. Suddenly this didn’t seem like such a good idea.

  Nine

  Kim felt strange getting into Brian’s car this time—especially after their last talk. He was still acting peculiar, too.

  “So do you want the usual from the deli?” he asked.

  She thought about it for a moment then shook her head. “No, why don’t we shake it up a bit today? Blossom’s isn’t open, so we’ll need to go to the grocery store deli. How about chicken and potato salad?”

  “And maybe some baked beans,” he added.

  “You don’t like baked beans,” she reminded him.

  He grinned. “I know, but you do.”

  “Okay, let’s get som
e baked beans.” Kim folded her arms and turned to stare out the front window. Normally she was fine with silence between them, but even a few seconds of quiet felt wrong. “So how’s work?”

  He shrugged. “Same. How’s the hair business?”

  “Good.” Kim couldn’t stand it any longer. “Okay, Brian, this is crazy. You and I have never been like this before.”

  “Like what?” He stopped for a light and cut a glance her way.

  “You know, like a couple of dorky teenagers who don’t know what to say to each other.”

  Brian tilted his head back and laughed. “Now that’s a good one. We might not be teenagers, but we have every right to be as dorky as we want.”

  Kim grinned back at him. “Okay, now that’s better. Do me a favor, okay?”

  “I’m not making any promises until you tell me what it is.”

  “Let’s try to get back to the way we were.”

  He hesitated before nodding. “Good idea.”

  “I’m starving, so let’s get a family-size order of chicken.”

  He chuckled. “That’s the Kimberly I know.”

  They were in and out of the grocery store in fifteen minutes, on their way to the Magic Island Park. As Kim spread the blanket on the grass, Brian dug through the sports equipment box in his trunk and pulled out a Frisbee and a foam football.

  Kim had a wonderful time relaxing after lunch. Brian gave her just enough time for lunch to settle before he jumped to his feet and extended her a hand. “Ready to toss the Frisbee?”

  “Sure,” she replied as she stood. “I can’t believe how gorgeous it is today.”

  Brian’s expression grew pensive. “Yes, it is gorgeous, isn’t it?”

  The best thing about throwing the Frisbee with Brian at that moment was the distance between them. Kim sensed that at times he was uncomfortable. She had to do something to relax him.

  She’d just missed the Frisbee to the sound of Brian’s laughter when a solution hit her. He’d fixed her up with David, so she could return the favor and introduce him to some new people. Even if he didn’t fall in love with one of them, it would get his mind off the off-limits woman—whoever she was. There had to be some nice Christian girls who’d love to date Brian.