Perfectly Matched

by Lois Richer

  “They taught us a lot, didn’t they? And we probably didn’t appreciate them enough back then.” Shay rose, too, and hugged her best friend. “That’s why this place is so important to me. I have a history here. I belong.”

  “Then live like that. Don’t wait for things to change,” Jaclyn advised as they strolled back outside. “Be honest with him, do what you can and trust God to handle what you can’t. Now, where is that husband of mine? This music is too good to ignore.”

  “Blame it on Maggie. She found some of my old cassettes and insists on playing them,” Nick said, walking toward them. “I wondered where you’d disappeared to. Want to dance?” he asked Shay.

  Shay waved as Jaclyn headed toward Kent. While they’d been talking, the sun had set and candlelit paper lanterns now created a soft, intimate glimmering in the backyard. A pretty ballad about love floated through the evening air. Shay turned toward Nick with a smile. “Your music? But this isn’t that awful hard rock you used to love.”

  “It wasn’t that I loved that music as much as I fancied myself a guitarist back then.” Nick held out a hand and led Shay to a back corner of the yard covered with beautifully fragrant tea roses. No one else was there. “I don’t think we’ve danced together since prom night. I’ll try not to step on your toes.” His arm closed around her waist and his hand enveloped hers.

  “I don’t mind,” she said.

  I don’t mind? What an understatement.

  In Nick’s arms, swaying to the music, with laughter and love of his family and friends surrounding them, it felt intimately right to be sharing this moment. Jaclyn was right, Shay mused. The Bible said God had a plan for her life. She had to trust in that and enjoy the special moments He sent her way.

  “You’re awfully quiet. Tired?” he asked, his breath brushing her cheek, only inches from his mouth.

  “I feel wonderful,” Shay told him.

  “Good.” He grinned. “Because if I remember right, the next song is bit more energetic.”

  Shay laughed with abandonment as he swung her wide and then pulled her back to him. Though she’d forgotten some of the old moves, Nick remembered all their favorite steps. Soon they had drawn a crowd of onlookers who clapped them on to an exuberant finish.

  Flushed and slightly embarrassed, Shay tucked her arm in Nick’s and bowed at their applause but shook her head when he inclined his to ask if she wanted to continue.

  “Too thirsty,” she told him.

  “And you haven’t sampled any of my fantastic burgers,” he said. “Actually, I didn’t either. I was too busy cooking. I’m starving. Let’s go see what Mom’s got left.”

  The buffet table was, in usual Green style, loaded. They helped themselves. Nick snagged two Adirondack chairs that had wide enough arms to hold their heaping plates and the tinkling glasses of lemonade he brought.

  “You’re not supposed to eat the watermelon first,” he said, eyebrows lowered in a fake scowl when she took a bite from the triangle of red fruit.

  “Who says?” Shay munched happily on her watermelon.

  “I do.” He reached out with his napkin and dabbed at a trickle of juice dribbling down her chin. “It messes up such a pretty face.”

  “Pffffft to pretty faces,” she told him and blew a raspberry to emphasize her words. “Life is about so much more than a pretty face.”

  “You seem different tonight.” Nick set aside his plate and studied her. “Something happen that you want to tell me about?”

  Shay took a few moments to tell Nick about what had happened at the police station and about her conversation with Jaclyn. “I guess I’ve decided I’m going to get out of the control seat and leave things up to God.” She laughed when Nick blew his own raspberry. “Go ahead, laugh. But I have decided. Being here tonight, seeing the love your mom shows everyone has been a real eye-opener to me. She went through such tough times when your dad left. Her arthritis is getting worse, yet she faces each day with abundant joy and love. She’s on top of her circumstances because she trusts God, always. That’s where I want to be.”

  “I thought the newspaper article showed you were already there.” Nick sipped his lemonade thoughtfully.

  “The newspaper article showed what my clients have achieved,” she corrected. “What needs to happen inside me isn’t for the newspaper.”

  “Uncle Nick?” Maggie stood in front of them, holding her canes. “Are you sure we can’t have the fireworks?”

  “We talked about it, Mags. You know the fire chief said we’re too close to other houses. I’m sorry.” Nick ruffled the little girl’s hair.

  “But my place isn’t too close to other houses.” Shay winked at Maggie before she turned to Nick. “Do you think we could set off the fireworks at my place? Do you even know how to set off fireworks anymore?”

  “Please.” He shot her an offended look that said she should know better than to ask. “We’d need to hook up a hose, in case any grass caught. That rain last week helped, but the monsoon season hasn’t really soaked anything enough to be fully safe yet.”

  “I have hoses. And lots of water,” Shay told him. “But I don’t want to drag anyone away from your mom’s party. Look at her. She’s having a ball.”

  Mrs. Green tipped back her head and laughed at something Ned Barns said. She was flushed, her smile beaming.

  “We’ll wait until everyone leaves,” Nick said. “Then, when everything’s cleaned up, we’ll go.”

  “But I’ll get too tired and fall asleep. Then I’ll miss everything,” Maggie wailed.

  “If you go to your room and rest now, I promise I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go to Shay’s.” Nick squatted in front of her. “But no fuss and no telling Grandma. She’s enjoying herself, and that’s what we want. Right?”

  “Right.” Maggie high-fived him then grinned at Shay.

  Two hours later the three of them stood in the desert, waiting for the time-delay mechanism to click and ignite the first in the series of fireworks Nick had set up. Finally it did. Noise burst across the desert and flares of color lit the night sky as rocket after rocket exploded.

  “It’s not a meteor shower,” Nick murmured in Shay’s ear. “But Maggie seems to be enjoying it.”

  “So am I.” Shay was very conscious—too conscious—of his arm draped around her shoulders. She couldn’t help wondering if he’d kiss her tonight. Memories of their evening at the pond and a rush of feelings bubbling inside made her catch her breath.

  She knew now that she loved Nick, loved him with everything she possessed. She wanted to spend her days by his side, to push into the future with him, to share Maggie and his mom and all the happy moments family could bring. He was still her very best friend, but now he’d become much more than that.

  If only she could know if he felt the same. Did he love her?

  “Here it comes, the grand finale,” Nick said. “Make sure you don’t fall asleep, Maggie-mine.”

  “I won’t.” Maggie sat on the lawn chair Shay had provided, her eyes huge as she watched the display.

  “Happy Fourth of July,” Nick murmured in her ear.

  “Happy—” Shay never got to finish her sentence because Nick’s lips touched hers. Her heart exploded as his lips moved over hers and he pulled her into his embrace. She let herself melt into him as she kissed him back, pouring her feelings into that kiss, pleading silently with him to say the words that she desperately wanted to hear. That he wasn’t going to Seattle next week. That he wasn’t going away at all. Ever.

  This, she prayed when Nick finally ended the kiss by turning her to stand in front of him and looping his arms around her waist, is what I want, Lord. Please let him love me. Please let him decide to stay.

  Nick, however, said nothing.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Is that what you wanted?” Nick stood back and watched Shay’s newest client turn the handles of Nick’s giggle machine with bandaged hands.

  “Perfect.” Shay assessed the movement, her emeral
d eyes shimmering. “Try again, Robbie, honey,” she encouraged in a very soft tone.

  The child complied, chuckling with delight when his actions made a clown pop up. He kept going, working a little harder after a balloon inflated. Under Shay’s direction Nick tweaked the machine until it was a perfect fit for the little boy who’d been burned in a cooking fire. When Nick’s phone kept interrupting, he finally switched it off.

  “You’re certainly getting popular,” Shay said, waving goodbye as Robbie left with his mom and the precious machine. “Everybody wants Nick.”

  “Everybody wants Nick to fix their broken stuff,” he corrected, pretending annoyance. “The Girl Scouts are coming to the seniors’ hall on Saturday morning, and on Monday the Rotary Club wants help with one of their service projects. I suggested they get the seniors group to pitch in. There is a lot of knowledge there that could be tapped.”

  “Your mother said you’re also booked for Tuesday nights.” Shay readied the room for Maggie’s session, which would start once her checkup with Jaclyn was finished.

  “Yeah. About that.” Nick wasn’t sure how this would go over. Not that Shay would ever balk at helping anyone, but she was already so busy.

  “Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.” She glanced over one shoulder at him.

  For the hundredth time Nick admired how stunningly beautiful Shay was. Though her work clothes—baggy cotton tops and pants that let her move easily—were hardly haute couture, Shay always looked stunning. Today she’d bundled her gorgeous hair onto the top of her head and secured it with a big comb that was the exact color of her eyes. A few wispy tendrils of richly glowing copper escaped to caress her cheeks and her long, slim neck. He got that warm feeling remembering just how perfectly his lips felt on hers.

  “Nick?”

  “Yeah?” He gulped and refocused.

  “Are you sick?” Shay studied him with concern.

  “Maybe.” He stepped nearer, holding her gaze, wondering if she’d back away if he tried to kiss her. This was her workplace, after all, and even though no one else was here—

  “Nick? Hello?” She snapped her fingers under his nose. “You are ill.”

  “No. But sometimes when I’m near you I get this weird feeling in my chest.” Apparently that hadn’t come out exactly the way he’d intended, because now it looked as if Shay thought he needed a defibrillator. “Uh, never mind.”

  “You were saying about the seniors?” Shay glanced at her watch. “You need me to step in and take over some of your classes when you leave town?”

  “Not exactly.”

  So she was okay with him leaving? Nick ignored that for the moment as he swallowed the golf ball in his throat. “You know how old people get.”

  “How they get?” Shay’s arched eyebrows rose. Her lips twitched. “Old, do you mean?”

  “No. We all get old.” Now she was laughing at him. Get a grip, Green. “I mean stiff. Achy. Hurting. Hard to move. Joint issues. Like Mom. You know?”

  “Oh.” She nodded. “Yes, I do. And it’s not just old people who suffer with those issues, for your information.”

  “Right.” He was putting this so badly. “Well, I figured that maybe, if you could fit it in, because I know how busy you are now that you’re working with Jaclyn on those church renovations—”

  “Just say what you want, Nick.”

  “I want you to teach a yoga class to the seniors,” he blurted. “If you know yoga, I mean. If not, maybe you could teach them some stretching exercises, stuff that will help them limber up a bit. Sort of like you did for Mom.”

  She stared at him for a long time, obviously suspicious about his request. He couldn’t blame her. Shay knew he didn’t have much time left here.

  “Is that what you really want?”

  “What do you mean?” Nick shifted, unable to break the hold of her gaze as it locked with his.

  “I’m wondering why you’re asking me.”

  “Uh, because you know yoga. I think.”

  “You just can’t help it, can you? You have to help everybody. And now you’re trying to draw me into it.” She leaned against the parallel bars, a tiny smile tipping up her kissable lips.

  “Well.” No point in trying to deny it—those big eyes of hers saw everything. “Yes.”

  “Okay.” Her smiled faded. “I guess I could teach a few yoga moves on Tuesday night, but only if you attend.”

  “Can do.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Uh—”

  Shay’s eyes narrowed. After a moment she sighed. “What else?”

  “I was speaking to Heddy Grange today. Her granddaughter and some other girls want to learn to play soccer. Lots of people have volunteered but no one wants to coach. So since you were captain of the soccer team in high school, I was wondering—”

  “When?”

  “Thursday nights?” Nick held his breath. He’d promised Heddy he’d find someone to coach. If Shay wouldn’t help—

  “You do realize what you’re doing, don’t you?” She looked up at him through her thick lashes. “You’re making yourself an indispensable part of Hope. You belong here, Nick.”

  He hated it but he had to say it.

  “I have to leave next week.”

  Shay stared at him.

  “That’s why I’m trying to get all these things settled. I want to ensure I’ve kept all my promises. I want to make sure everything’s up and running so nobody is put out when I’m gone.”

  She stood there, staring at her toes for several long moments.

  “I see,” she whispered.

  Two words and yet they so perfectly expressed her obvious disappointment in him. How he wished it could be different but he just couldn’t shirk his duties to his family.

  Nick wanted to wrap his arms around her and promise her he’d be back. He wanted to hold her once more, pour heart and soul into a kiss, but that wouldn’t make leaving any easier.

  “I have to go, Shay.”

  “Do you? So it was all just talk about trusting God.” With a hiss of frustration, she clapped her hands on her narrow hips and glared at him. “Who do you think is going to see the needs in Hope and fill them when you leave?”

  “Somebody will. I was just the—facilitator. A temporary one.”

  Her eyes darkened. She tried to turn away but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I have to leave, Shay. I need this job. Please understand.”

  For a moment she avoided looking at him. But when she finally did, her green eyes were glossy—with tears? For him?

  “You haven’t even looked for a job here,” she said, her voice wobbling.

  “I’ve spent the past six months looking for a way to remain in Hope. I’ve prayed about it endlessly.” He put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “You and I both know there’s no getting around this.”

  “Everyone’s always telling me to have faith,” she said, her green eyes turning glacial. “You have to have faith that God has an answer to this. We need you here, Nick.”

  We need you.

  Shay needed him. And Nick needed her. Boy, how he needed her. He needed her in his life to give the days meaning, to share the highs and lows.

  He’d tried to have faith, to believe something would come up at the last minute. But nothing had. And his mom’s car was sputtering worse than ever. He needed that bonus.

  “You’ll all manage very well on your own.” She stepped back and he let his hands drop. “I wish I could stay here, Shay. I truly do.”

  “Nick—” She stood staring at him, her brows drawn together in a troubled frown. Her hand reached out to touch his cheek, stayed a second longer, then fell to her side.

  His gut clenched with wanting, but he fought back.

  “You’re getting your fear under control, Shay. Whispering Hope Clinic is on the rise, just as Jessica would have wanted.” Nick lowered his voice, trying to make her see the truth without revealing how hard this was for him. “Your kids will heal and walk and run because thi
s is where you belong, here, helping them.”

  “I love you, Nick.”

  Her words shocked him into silence.

  “I have for a while. If I’ve fought my fear, it’s because of you, because you stood with me through the worst of it, because you showed me I am not alone.” She stood straight and tall. She’d never looked more beautiful to him. “It’s you, Nick, with your nightly visits to my place to make sure I’m safe, who has made me feel I was secure and that I could trust again.”

  He hadn’t realized she’d known about that.

  “You make me laugh, Nick, and you help me when I cry. You cheer me on when I want to give up. You hold me up when I stumble,” she whispered. “You helped me face the worst issue in my past, and you’re here now, helping me again. I love you for all of that.”

  “Shay, don’t.” He couldn’t bear to hear her say those words.

  “Why? I’m only telling the truth. Hope and I have both changed because of you. You make us see what we could be.” She folded her arms across herself as if to shield her body. “You, Hope, me—we’re perfectly matched. God has a place for you here. If only you could see that, you’d understand that you can’t leave. You can’t give up on us.”

  “If God has a way for me to be here, I’m totally open to it.” A twinge of bitterness prickled inside. “But so far I’m not seeing it.”

  “Because you want God to show you before you’ll trust Him.” Shay’s smile held sympathy, understanding, sadness. “You know the most important thing I’ve learned since I’ve started facing my fears? Faith is just that—faith. Faith is when you don’t see a way and you don’t see how you can get through. You don’t even see a sign that what you hope for is possible. But you believe anyway. You trust God to work it out.”

  Maggie opened the door and walked in, thumping her canes on the floor.

  Nick did a double take. Maggie wasn’t really using those canes—she was walking totally on her own strength. Shay smiled at his surprise.

  “Hey, Maggie.” She took the canes and set them aside. “Today our whole time is going to be spent without these because you don’t need them anymore, sweetie.”