“Make me an offer,” Lottie said. “I might surprise you.”
Charlotte chatted with Amy and Scott and met more of Scott’s co-workers before drifting into the house. Jerry and Martha were inseparable. Each time she saw Rich, he was laughing and talking with a different group. It was as if everyone was an old friend of his. Charlotte marveled at his social skills. She had to work at being sociable. It seemed as natural as breathing to Rich.
Charlotte and the Lunas spotted each other at the same time. “How can we ever thank you?” Rosa asked as she gave Charlotte an impulsive hug.
“We had no idea you could get us that water purification system,” Raul said happily.
“Mr. Martino is donating the system,” Charlotte said. “Not me.”
“He told us how it was all your idea.” Tears glistened in Rosa’s eyes. “He’s searching for an engineer to oversee the installation. And Rich is coming to help also. You have no idea how we’ve prayed for this miracle.”
Raul beamed. “We and the people of our village will always be grateful to you and Mr. Martino.”
“Here you are, dear,” Lottie said as she nudged her way into the small group. “Hello, Rosa, Raul.” She turned to her daughter. “This has been such a lovely evening. Say goodnight to Rich for me. I haven’t been able to find him.”
“Let’s get Chris to walk you to your car.” Charlotte took her mother’s arm and looked around for her son.
“That’s not necessary.” Lottie hugged Charlotte. “Jerry and Martha are leaving too. If the boogey man gets after me I’ll trip him with my cane and Jerry will sit on him.”
As a distinguished looking gentleman engaged the Lunas in a discussion about their mission, Charlotte excused herself, cut through the kitchen, and slipped out the back door. Crickets sang in the warm night air. Brilliant stars had begun to peek through the century-old live oaks. A huge, yellow half-moon cast a glow over the late twilight. Charlotte strolled across the yard and joined Chris. He and Belinda Wilkes were speaking English, but it could have been Greek as far as Charlotte was concerned.
“...so he was generating a ten-gig file every time that query ran,” Belinda said, flashing her movie star smile.
“Hi, Mom. Guess what?” Chris asked, then answered his own question. “Belinda is a developer for the Air Force. What you would call a computer programmer.”
Charlotte had to admit, “You went over my head as soon as you said the word computer.”
“I work in G Wing,” Belinda said, as if that explained her vocation. “These days I do more maintenance than development.”
“I hear the Center has a unique server setup. Have you ever seen it?” Chris asked as a waiter cleared empty plates from their table.
“Maybe Rich can get you a visitor’s pass into MPC,” Belinda said enthusiastically. “I’ll give you a tour of the server farm. It’s awesome.”
Charlotte patted Chris’s arm and moved away. Anita kept the computers running in the office. At the first sign of trouble, they called Chris.
Charlotte’s feet ached from standing all evening. Her long, slim, ankle-length dress was too long for flats. Her choices had been to wear heels, hem her dress, or change into something less chic. She was regretting her choice to go with strappy high heels. She joined Buster in the living room and sat on the sofa facing the front window. Since no one was around, she slipped off her sandals. Buster put his head in her lap. “What’s the matter, Buster? Were you banished for bad behavior or don’t you like crowds?” She rubbed his fur with both hands.
“You must be special.” Rich’s voice behind her gave Charlotte a start. “Buster is very particular who he makes friends with.” How long had he been standing there?
Charlotte reached for her shoes, but Buster was sitting on them. “My feet were tired.” She felt a little foolish. “And I—”
In a flash Rich was on the floor next to Buster. “Did you know I give the best foot rub in San Antonio? Maybe in the whole state of Texas?”
“Oh, no,” Charlotte started to object, but he was already flexing her toes and pushing his thumbs into the arch of one foot.
“What kind of host would I be if I didn’t see to my guests’ every need?” He smiled that killer smile as Charlotte’s feeble opposition melted.
She knew she should ask him to stop, but the massage felt marvelous. Her entire body tingled. It wouldn’t be fair to bring him to a halt before the other foot received equal treatment.
“The first time I saw you was in this room.” Rich worked on her Achilles tendon.
Charlotte smiled, remembering that day. “How did you keep those policemen from arresting you?”
“I explained how easily I could have disarmed and killed them both. They were skeptical, so I demonstrated how I would have done it.”
He set her foot gently on the floor and lifted the other one. Charlotte offered no resistance. It was delicious to have his hands on her. More than her feet reacted to his touch.
“The first cop got too close before he told me to put my hands up. His service revolver was still in the holster when I turned around. A bad guy with a quick knife could have cut his throat. The second cop assumed the first one had me under control. Same scenario.”
“Scary,” Charlotte said.
“And you, Charlotte...” Rich looked up at her before giving his full attention to working on each of her toes individually. “When there’s a patrol car outside and the door is ajar, get away from there. Call the police on your cell phone. The nice policeman meets you in the yard or you drive right on by.”
Charlotte didn’t want to investigate how much Rich knew about danger. She consciously changed the subject. “The Lunas are so excited about the water system. They said you’re going to visit them in Mexico.”
Rich held her feet as if they were hands. “That’s the plan. I met a retired civil engineer who has agreed to set the system up if I’ll go along to translate for him. He thinks we’ll need to be there a month or so.”
“You are amazing.” Charlotte relaxed against the back of the couch. “You heard about this project a couple of days ago and you’ve already made all these plans and arrangements.” He was decidedly a man of action.
The catering manager stuck her head around the door and spoke rapidly in a language Charlotte did not recognize. Rich answered in the same exotic tongue. The woman laughed out loud then wagged her finger at Rich and said something that made them both smile.
“Tagalog?” Charlotte guessed as Rich rose to his feet.
“Ilocano. I’m not fluent, but I can get by. Duty calls. Excuse me.” And he was gone.
Charlotte sat for a few minutes, savoring the memory of Rich’s touch. If he didn’t want to join Dick’s business, he could always become a masseuse. She wondered if Rich could give a back rub as expertly as a foot massage. I’ll never know, she thought. She remembered how beautiful Belinda looked tonight, in a lime green sheath with a slit that revealed a generous slice of slender thigh. Did Belinda know how fortunate she was? Probably not. Youth accepted extraordinary gifts as entitlement.
“Do you need a girlfriend, Buster?” she asked, stroking the dog’s sleek coat. “You’re just my type. Big, blond, affectionate.” Buster licked her hand. “I bet you’ve left a string of broken-hearted little girl doggies in your wake.” She reluctantly slipped her feet back into her shoes as Buster yawned and curled up on the floor.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Autumn’s arrival was signaled by relief from the oppressive humidity of late summer. One Friday Charlotte dropped by Altoville to see Dick. She was surprised to find Rich by his father’s bedside, bent over, head in hands. She hesitated. He could be praying. Perhaps she should leave.
“Charlotte?” he questioned softly, without moving.
“Hello, Rich. I didn’t think you would be home so soon.”
“I came to get materials we need at Estralita and I’m going back as soon as I can. I’m so indebted to you for getting me involved in t
his project. Someday I want to tell you about what the Lunas are doing in Mexico.” He paused and looked up. “Dad’s not doing well.”
“He looks thinner every time I see him.” Charlotte put her hand lightly on Rich’s shoulder and felt him flinch. When he looked up, she nodded toward the hallway.
Rich patted her hand and followed her out the door. “Dr. Stephens tells me he’s fading. I don’t want to let go. But his life has no quality.”
Charlotte knew what it was like to lose a father. “I’m sorry.”
“C.S. Lewis said ‘Pain is God’s megaphone.’ He certainly has my attention.” Rich leaned against the wall, put his hands in his pockets, looked upward and heaved a sigh. “I want you to take me as a patient.”
Charlotte was seized by a sudden, unexplained panic. “I have some outstanding colleagues I could recommend.”
Rich made a ‘stop’ motion with his hands. “I’m asking you to help me. We both know I’m not going to open up to a stranger. It’s you or no one.”
The truth Charlotte had run away from time and again now crashed into her consciousness. She should not accept Rich as a patient, yet she could not refuse what he asked. Not without revealing the truth.
The sound of her own heartbeat throbbed in her ears. She loved this man. Oh, no! Please, God, no! She had pledged no one would ever again hurt her the way Mark had. She had been so determined, had run the other way from anyone she found the least bit attractive. Rich had crept up on her. She had nothing to fear when she didn’t respect him and he adamantly rejected her Lord. One by one those barriers crumbled and she hadn’t rebuilt them. She had allowed herself to fall in love with a man she could never have. She couldn’t trust herself to be near him until she got control of her emotions.
“Will you help me?” he pleaded.
Charlotte clutched the railing that ran the length of the hallway to keep from throwing her arms around Rich. She wanted to hold him, to comfort him, not as a Christian brother, but as the man she loved. She forced some words to emerge. “Call Anita. I have to go.”
“Thank you,” he whispered.
Charlotte ran to her car and rested her head on the steering wheel. Oh, Lord, she prayed, please help me. Don’t let me feel this way. Please don’t let anyone find out what a fool I am.
She hardly remembered the drive home. Her hands trembled as she made a pot of tea. Thank heaven Chris wasn’t home. He would have sensed something was wrong the minute she walked in the door. There was no one but Jesus she could talk to about her feelings. She poured out her heart to Him.
The next morning Charlotte attacked her Saturday housecleaning with a vengeance. If she couldn’t defeat her feelings, she would punish every particle of dust that dared to lurk in her home. Scrubbing tired her out but it also gave her a feeling of accomplishment. Work did not remove the heartache, but it helped to blunt the pain.
You know this pathway well, she told herself as she vacuumed the closet floor. You’ve walked it before. It’s all about time. A year or so and the hurting reduces to an ache. Jesus said not to run from suffering, but to embrace it. Learn from it. He showed us how.
Charlotte pulled furniture to the middle of the room and wiped baseboards. Maybe the Lord had an important assignment for her. Perhaps there was a task she needed extra emotional training to do, a little like Amy and Scott going to missionary boot camp.
Our Savior doesn’t give us trials we’re unable to bear, she reminded herself. She had survived losing Sarah, endured the pain of Mark’s rejection. God must have decided she needed another lesson in giving up on a man who did not return her love.
One more patch on this veteran heart, Charlotte thought. Daddy’s wisdom played through her head like a psalm. Train hard if you want to win. Put everything you have into preparation and the big games will take care of themselves. She would consider herself in spring training, even though the season was autumn.
She looked around the sparkling kitchen. Every surface was spotless. Every dust bunny was gone. The laundry basket was as bare as Mother Hubbard’s cupboard.
Charlotte desperately wanted to talk to her mother. She couldn’t, not yet. Lottie would know something was wrong and she wouldn’t let up until she found out what. Charlotte sought solace in solitude. She took a warm bubble bath. She read her favorite Psalms. Soothing music filled the house. She said a thankful prayer for the good things in her life.
By Sunday morning, Charlotte was prepared to carry on. That bittersweet lump in her heart was carefully wrapped and stowed away. With God’s help she would deal with hopeless love once again. Perhaps the lesson to be learned was never again to let her guard down. She was relieved when Rich was not at church, even though she ached to see him, hear her name on his lips. Maybe he had gone to the early service. More likely, he was back in Mexico.
Charlotte sat in the back row, near the exit. As the late service began, Belinda squeezed into the small space next to her. The younger woman wore a slinky cocktail dress, but surprisingly little makeup. Her once straw blonde hair was now dark brown.
“Good morning,” Belinda whispered.
She looked younger, fresher, and even more beautiful than before. “Good morning,” Charlotte responded.
When worship concluded, Charlotte turned to Belinda. “I like your new hair color. It’s very becoming.”
Belinda smiled. “Thank you. It’s a temporary dye till the bleach grows out. I’m going back to my natural color.”
“That means a lot less work.”
“And it’s cheaper!” Belinda said. She leaned forward. “Mrs. Phillips, would you help me with something?”
Charlotte tensed slightly. “Yes, of course. If I can.”
Belinda was suddenly as shy as a schoolgirl. “I guess you know there’s a certain man I want to impress,” she said. “I, well, he admires your style and taste. Would you help me pick out something to wear?” She glanced down at her cocktail dress. “So I can surprise him with my new look when he comes home.”
“Of course.” How could she refuse this childlike request? “Give me your phone number. We’ll get together and shop till we drop.” She couldn’t help adding, “Belinda, any man worth his salt is going to be more impressed by your character than how you look.”
“I just don’t want him to be ashamed of me.” Belinda admitted softly.
* * *
“Definitely a keeper,” Anita declared as Belinda modeled yet another outfit for her, Lottie, and Charlotte.
“The problem,” Charlotte observed, “is that Belinda looks fabulous in everything.”
“We should all be so troubled,” Anita deadpanned.
“Take ’em all, honey,” the sales clerk suggested.
“I’d love to.” Belinda smoothed the skirt of a chic fashion. “But you can’t go too crazy on a sergeant’s pay.”
They finally pared the selections down to two dresses and a pant suit.
“Lunch is on me,” Lottie declared, fending off mild protests.
Later the four of them ate chicken salads while congratulating themselves on their successful shopping.
“Jim could never understand why I loved hitting a sale.” Lottie smiled. “Until I explained it was like a hunter bagging a deer on the last day of the season.”
“Belinda got a ten-point buck this morning,” Anita said between bites. “I don’t think she paid full price for anything.”
“Puts me in mind of that dress we got for your senior prom, Charlotte,” Lottie gloated. “Half price plus a coupon for twenty percent off.”
Charlotte smiled. “Then we spent everything we saved on those silver sandals that rubbed a blister on both my heels.”
“That must have been fun—not the blisters, but the shopping.” Belinda said. “I don’t remember my mom ever taking me shopping.”
“Never?” Anita’s face registered shock.
After a noticeable pause, Belinda went on to say, “I spent most of my childhood with my grandparents. My mother would some
times come and get me for a while, but in a few months I’d be back on the farm with Grandy and Gramps.”
“Where did your grandparents live?” Charlotte asked.
“Missouri, not far from Kansas City. Corn and soybeans as far as you could see.”
“My friend Martha grew up on a cotton farm in Mississippi,” Lottie said. “She said she couldn’t wait to grow up so she could move to town.”
“Farmers have a hard life.” Belinda smiled. “Some of the city girls had a rough time in military basic training. For me it wasn’t that different from the farm. Do your chores and no backtalk. The Air Force is my family now.”
“And the Fellowship,” Charlotte reminded her before adding a tentative, “If you want it to be.”
“For sure. Everybody there has been so nice to me. Grandy made me go to Sunday school and I hated it. Kids made fun of my overalls.” Belinda smiled ruefully, then brightened. “The Fellowship’s not like that. I love it.”
After lunch Charlotte brought the car around to spare Lottie the walk through the parking lot. In the back seat, Belinda and Anita discussed which outfit he would like best. “Definitely the lavender,” Anita advised. “Don’t you think, Lottie?”
“Absolutely,” Lottie agreed. “Charlotte, would you mind taking me by the pharmacy on the way home? I need a refill for my arthritis prescription.”
“Of course. After we drop off Anita and Belinda.”
Lottie turned toward the back seat. “Anita, have you joined the Loyal Doves yet?” she demanded.
Anita sniffed. “I don’t know enough about what they stand for to spend forty dollars on a membership.”
“Well, I’ll tell you. Charlotte and Belinda, you need to hear this, too.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. Thank you, Anita, for launching another lecture on the preservation of wildlife in Texas. All they needed now was the talk on the old theater and that sermon on the curio shops across from the Alamo.
Lottie held forth until Charlotte stopped in front of Belinda’s apartment complex. “Thank you again,” the younger woman said as she took her packages from the car trunk. “I really had a nice time.”
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