Wildflowers

by Melanie Wilber;Kevin Wilber

  Since then she had been backpacking about a half-dozen times; twice in college and several times in Europe. She had seen some of the grandest views and gotten once-in-a-lifetime shots of some famous and not-so-famous sites, but none of her excursions had compared in terms of enjoyment with those two trips she’d taken with her dad.

  She went to the library and searched the internet, checking out some guide books on camping, hiking, and recreation areas of the northern Oregon Cascades. She also obtained maps of trails in the area. She thought she remembered Daddy talking about hiking along the Pacific Crest and Timberline trails, all the more reason to invite him along.

  France and the rest of Europe had been a wonderful experience for her, but she hadn’t seen anything over there that surpassed the beauty of her home state of Oregon. Looking at the pictures and reading about the highlights along the trails gave her goose bumps. She couldn’t wait to get back out there photographing landmarks and landscapes that weren’t only beautiful, but home.

  The refrigerator and cupboards looked bare when she returned, and she decided to go to Newport Bay for a late solitary dinner. She felt strange asking for a table for one, but even that could not spoil her mood tonight. Settling into the chair beside the window overlooking the water, she removed her jacket and black velvety hat. Fluffing out her blond waves, she opened her menu and scanned the appetizers and soup selections.

  “Are you ready to order?” she heard the voice of the waiter ask.

  “Yes,” she replied without looking up. “I’ll have a bowl of clam chowder and--” She closed her menu and glanced upward, seeing a face looking down at her that made her smile. “Michael? What are you doing here?”

  He smiled at her surprise. He had obviously already noticed her before he came to the table. “I work here. You didn’t know?”

  “No,” she said. “I had no idea.”

  “Clam chowder and--?”

  She had to think for a moment. “Oh, and some of those breaded cheese stick things.”

  “Breaded cheese stick things,” he repeated, pretending to write it all down.

  She laughed. “Actually when you say it like that it sounds too fattening. I’ll just have a salad instead.”

  “Boy, my tip is looking better by the second. Could I get you some water and air to go with that?”

  “Yes, water please.”

  “How about a dinner companion?”

  “How much is that going to cost me?” she said, surprised to find herself flirting with him.

  “I’ll throw him in for free,” he said, stepping away and tossing her a wink.

  He joined her ten minutes later, bringing her food and something for himself to have on his short break. She found out he had been working here as a waiter since going back to school two years ago.

  “What were you doing before that?”

  “Working as an accountant for an insurance company.”

  “I take it that didn’t thrill you?”

  “I liked it all right. It came easy to me, and I had planned to become a CPA and run my own business someday.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “The call of God.”

  She remained silent.

  “I ignored it for years, even ran from it, but God didn’t give up. He kept knocking on the door of my heart until I finally gave in to what I knew He was asking me to do.”

  His words reminded her of some her sister had spoken to her a few months ago. Josie had talked about God knocking on the door of her heart and ignoring it for years. The similarity between their choice of words made Natalie feel like she was being introduced to a whole new language. Similar to when she would visit a foreign country and hear words and phrases she had never learned in the classroom. Natalie changed the subject.

  “I got your pictures back. They turned out nice.”

  “Great,” he said. “I’ll get them from you on Thursday. We’re still on for the concert, aren’t we?”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” she said in all honesty. “I really like his music.” She didn’t tell Michael today was the first time she had ever listened to his CDs.

  “I’m looking forward to it too,” he said, pausing to look into her eyes. “And not just about hearing Chris sing.”

  A smile formed on her lips, and she had to pry herself away from his dazzling gray-blue eyes sending her a silent message. She took the last bite of her warm chowder, thinking Michael would be an interesting person to get to know. He wouldn’t throw his personality out for her to see all at once but slowly let it emerge. She decided to sit back and enjoy the slow pace he seemed to be setting. It was a nice change from the way men usually approached her.

  Michael insisted on paying for her meal and told her not to leave a tip, but she left one at the front desk for him anonymously. He had no idea how much she had enjoyed his company and the way he had driven away the loneliness she had begun to feel with Josie away.

  The phone rang at eight-thirty. It was her mom. Natalie hadn’t talked to her since Josie’s wedding reception.

  “Did Josie tell you what day they were planning on coming down to San Diego to see us? I know she told me, but I can’t find the paper I wrote it on. I should have put it on the calendar.”

  “I have no idea,” she said. “But you could try Brandon’s phone, or I have the number of the hotel they’re staying at.”

  Natalie read the number from the note pad where Josie had written it down for her. Her mom thanked her but didn’t end the conversation.

  “So, how are you doing? Did your time at the coast go well?”

  “Yeah, it did,” she replied, surprised at her mother’s interest. “I got a lot of good shots, and the editor offered me another assignment.”

  “Good for you,” Mom said. “Does this mean you’re planning to stay in Portland?”

  “For awhile.”

  “Have you found a place to live yet?”

  Natalie hesitated. She hadn’t thought about having to tell her mother about moving in with Daddy. “Yes.”

  “With a roommate or on your own?”

  She decided to tell her, knowing she would find out sooner or later. She would rather get it over with now. “I’m moving in with Daddy.”

  Silence.

  “It was Josie’s idea.” She hoped mentioning that fact would give herself some leverage. “Daddy’s being really great about it. He won’t even let me pay him anything. This way I can devote all my time to going on assignments instead of having to get another job.”

  “I hope it works out for you, honey,” she replied.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Nothing, Natalie. I’m sure your dad will be happy to have you there.”

  “But you don’t think it’s a good idea,” Natalie pressed.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  Natalie sighed and let it go. Her mother changed the subject and talked for another twenty minutes. She didn’t say much. Since her return home, she had fallen back into the good relationships she had with her siblings. But her parents were a different story.

  She wanted to forgive them the way Patrick and Josie had been able to. She wanted to put the past behind and accept her mother’s marriage and her dad’s jet-set lifestyle, but she didn’t know how. She felt anxious for moving day to arrive. Perhaps this would be the start of a new beginning for her and Daddy. Maybe things would be the way she had always wanted.

  After her mother let her go, Natalie drew herself a hot bath and took out her contacts. Immersing herself in the muscle relaxing water, she put on her reading glasses and enjoyed a Jane Austen classic amongst the fragrant bubbles. But when she climbed into bed and pulled the warm comforter up to her chin, the emptiness of the apartment hit her in full force. She hadn’t realized how much she had enjoyed not living alone.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Natalie allowed herself to sleep in on Thursday morning. The previous two days she had risen early to take pictures of the sunrise over th
e mountains from the West Hills of Portland. One of the stock agencies she submitted to regularly had sent her a list of images they were in need of. Silhouettes of mountain peaks were on the list.

  She had told Josie she would try to get as much packing done as possible so they wouldn’t have to scramble on Saturday and Sunday to get everything out. Natalie knew it would feel strange to leave the apartment as an empty shell. She supposed her sister wouldn’t have as much difficulty leaving a two-bedroom apartment behind to move into a three-story, four-bedroom house. But Natalie felt sad. Her time here with Josie had been so wonderful.

  Lying in bed and listening to the radio, Natalie wondered what her date with Michael would be like tonight. She welcomed the chance to get to know him better and was looking forward to it. She had no reason to think they wouldn’t have a good time and didn’t feel especially nervous. Something about Michael always set her at ease instantly.

  She spent the remainder of the morning doing some more research on the Mount Hood Wilderness, then spent the afternoon packing. She got all the kitchen stuff into boxes, some decor, Josie’s books, and two large boxes of miscellaneous items.

  She emerged from the shower when she heard the phone ring. Wrapped in a large white towel, Natalie picked up the extension in the bedroom and said hello.

  “Hi, Nat. It’s Josie.”

  “Hey. She lives after all.”

  “I know. I know. I haven’t called like I said I would, but we’ve been busy. Brandon, Tommy, and Mom went to Sea World today, but I decided to hang around here and recuperate. I slept almost all afternoon.”

  “Are you planning to fly back tomorrow?”

  “Yes. Everything should be on schedule. I gave you our flight information, didn’t I?”

  “Yep. I’ll be there to pick you up.”

  “Anything happen this week I should know about? Mom said you got offered another assignment.”

  “Yeah. I’ll tell you about it when you get back.”

  Natalie decided not to mention her date with Michael. She wanted to wait and see how things went and if there might be more in the future before she said anything.

  After telling Josie good-bye, she returned to the bathroom to fix her hair and get dressed, choosing casual but flattering attire: her best jeans and a soft blue sweater that matched her eyes and complimented her small curves. Using a blow dryer, she fluffed her golden hair into gentle waves and applied a light amount of make-up.

  Natalie considered her sapphire eyes to be her best feature. Most people commented on the unusual deep blue color and wondered if she had tinted contacts. She did not. She didn’t need them. Staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, Natalie knew her eyes had likely gotten Michael’s attention, but was that all he had seen, or had something beyond the color of her eyes and her other features prompted him to ask her out?

  She didn’t know why, but she felt that Michael was different and was interested in her for other reasons too. She wanted to be more than a pretty face. She had wanted that for a long time. But as far as she knew, no guy had ever reached beyond the surface and fallen in love with the Natalie behind the eyes.

  Michael had said he would be there at six, and at 5:45 she began to get nervous for the first time all day. The last date she’d been on had been with Samuel last summer. He had come for the weekend, not on business but only to see her. They had spent all day Saturday walking around Paris, taking in the sights, and eating both lunch and dinner at a leisurely pace.

  They spent the evening at the theater, and Natalie had suspected Samuel might try to move their relationship forward physically when they returned to her hotel room. He had never kissed her except on the cheek, and she was more than ready for him to take her as far as he wanted to, but they ended up watching television, and Samuel fell asleep on the couch. He had to leave the following afternoon. That was the last time she had seen him.

  In some ways it had been a relief--not knowing for sure if she wanted their relationship to take that turn. Samuel would have been her first, something she hadn’t decided if she would admit to him or not. She hadn’t planned on being a twenty-six-year-old virgin, but she was. In high school she had listened to her health teachers who said abstinence was the only true “safe sex.” But besides fearing STDs and pregnancy, she had also wanted to wait for the right time and the right person.

  The only guy who had been special enough for her to consider giving herself to besides Samuel was someone she had dated during her sophomore year of college. But with Josie being pregnant and having Tommy during those same months, the constant reminder that no birth control was foolproof, nor any relationship for that matter, had been enough to hold her back. That relationship had ended with her boyfriend dumping her for one of her best friends, and she’d been glad she had decided to wait.

  At five-fifty the phone rang. It was Michael calling from the access phone outside the front doors. She buzzed him in and had a few minutes to try to relax while he made his way to the fourth floor. She took some deep breaths and a quick trip to the bathroom before hearing his knock.

  Why am I so nervous about this?

  Taking one last deep breath, she unlatched the lock and opened the door. He stood before her dressed more casually than she had ever seen him. At the wedding he had worn a suit, and he had been wearing slacks and a dress shirt on Sunday morning. Even at the restaurant he’d been in uniform. Tonight he had on a long-sleeved navy henley and black jeans, making him look more like a student and less like an accountant.

  “Hi. Come in,” she said, sounding much more relaxed than she felt. He entered the apartment, and she closed the door behind him.

  “You look nice,” he said.

  “Thanks.” She started to say ‘you do too,’ but then changed her mind. “I hardly recognized you without a tie.”

  He smiled. “This is the way I dress most of the time, believe it or not. I used to wear a suit every day to work, so now I only dress up on Sundays and special occasions.”

  “Do we need to rush off, or would you like to see your pictures first?”

  “We have a few minutes,” he replied, following her to the kitchen table.

  She took the photos from the packet and laid the three best ones out for him to see. She pointed to the one with his full smile. “This one is my favorite.”

  He looked at them briefly and picked up the one with the most serious pose. “I think this is the most appropriate to send with a résumé,” he said. “Can I get some in a smaller size?”

  “Sure. How many do you need?”

  She wrote down the number on the back of the one he had chosen. Holding up the other two, along with the others she hadn’t shown him, she asked if he would like to keep them. He took them from her and asked how much he owed her. She said not to worry about it until she got the smaller copies back to him. She went to the closet to grab her coat and returned to find him looking through the other pictures of Josie and Brandon posing with various family members.

  “These are very good,” he said. “Is this the type of photography you do?”

  “No, portraits are not my specialty. Nature is my usual subject.”

  “I’d love to see your work sometime,” he said.

  “And I’d love to hear your band play,” she replied, meeting his charming gaze. “Did anyone ever tell you how much you sound like Chris Tomlin?”

  “I’ve heard that before.”

  The phone rang, and Natalie went to answer it, knowing she was going to have to tell whomever it was to call her back tomorrow, since they needed to get going.

  “Hi, Nat. It’s Patrick. We’re at the hospital,” he announced.

  “Did Faith have the baby?”

  “Not yet, but it looks like she will sometime tonight.”

  “But Josie’s not here! She’ll be devastated she missed it.”

  “Well, babies are on their own time schedules,” he replied. “I’m sure Josie knows that better than anyone.”

  Knowing w
hat her brother would say next, Natalie glanced over her shoulder at Michael and found his eyes on her. She listened to Patrick’s words, said she would see him soon, and hung up the phone.

  “I’m sorry, Michael,” she said. “I’m going to have to cancel on you. My sister-in-law is having her baby, and I need to take care of my nieces tonight. I promised them I would weeks ago.”

  “Well, I won’t say I’m not disappointed,” he said. “But I don’t think I can compete with a new life entering the world.”

  “I’m really sorry, Michael. I feel terrible backing out on you like this.”

  “Don’t. You can’t help it.”

  “Do you have any friends that might like to go? I’d hate for you to go by yourself, or for my ticket to go to waste.”

  He took his phone out but said he already knew of some others who would be there. Natalie went to the bedroom to throw an overnight bag together for herself to take to Patrick and Faith’s house where she planned to spend the night with Aleisha and Lindsey.

  “Did you reach anyone?” she asked when she returned to the living room. Michael looked like he was ready to leave.

  “Yes. My friend Jeff said he’d meet me there. I’d better get going.”

  “Go ahead,” she said. “I need to call Josie before I leave.”

  She expected him to head for the door, but instead he stepped toward her, appearing rather shy all of the sudden. She found it endearing. He stood inches away but did not touch her.

  “I’m booked up this weekend, but I’d like to see you again soon. May I call you next week sometime?”

  She’d had plenty of guys tell her they would call who never followed through, but she knew Michael meant what he said. “I’ll look forward to it,” she replied.