Gentle Like the Rain: A Heart's Design Novel

by JoAnn Durgin

  As she continued her work, Isabella’s thoughts transitioned to Sidney. She loved seeing him working alongside Seth, Paul, and a few of the other local men to construct the dance floor when she’d walked past Evergreen Park. At the time, she’d been listening to her music. The spontaneous way Sidney threw his hand in the air accompanied by a smile aimed straight for her, only for her, made Isabella’s heart skip a few beats. She liked the way the breeze sifted through his hair, lifting it, and tossing it about with abandon.

  My, oh my, the man was handsome. After only a few days, Sidney looked like he fit in Evergreen, something she’d never have thought possible. In his jeans, a maroon Harvard T-shirt, and a tool belt slung low on his hips, he looked good. Really good for a guy who was reportedly a powerhouse in the courtroom and more accustomed to wearing suits and an air of intimidation. No, authority. That sounded less threatening.

  Although Sidney possessed qualities similar to Tristan, Isabella had glimpsed an inherent kindness in the man from Boston. She’d jumped to conclusions about Sidney when they’d first met, but the differences in the personalities of the two men were now much clearer. Tristan must have had ADD because he couldn’t sit still long enough to have a conversation like she’d shared with Sidney yesterday, sitting on the bench outside the store. Tristan rarely asked deep questions, and he’d never seemed to truly listen to her.

  Matter of fact, Sidney had shown more compassion for the loss of her parents than Tristan ever had although he’d been by her side for their joint memorial service and burial. Tristan had squirmed on the church pew and tugged at his collar as if he couldn’t wait to escape, his behavior similar to that of an antsy small boy. Then he’d had the gall to express gratitude she “only had to go through this once” because her parents had died together. Even now, the thought sickened her. No sooner had she placed the white roses on their side-by-side caskets than he was itching to leave and said, “Cemeteries creep me out. Let’s get out of here.” That should have been another clue.

  Isabella had been so fully immersed in her grief that she’d mistaken their physical relationship as confirmation that someone loved her, and that her life would somehow move forward. When she left UCLA for a semester and traveled, he communicated with her several times a day, claiming he was pining away for her.

  “Fat chance you were pining away,” Isabella muttered. Tristan had probably pined away with several women, one a so-called good friend at the time. For good measure, she pulled out her bottle of cleaner and sprayed it wildly into the air. “Take that, you idiot!”

  “Hey! Watch it!” A woman jogging by the store must have gotten the downwind of that spray. Waving her hand in front of her face, she shot Isabella an angry glare.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry! Totally a mistake! Come inside for…something…on the house.” Isabella clamped one hand over her mouth, embarrassed, as the woman kept moving. How awful was she to be thankful the woman was only visiting Evergreen?

  Not a great start to the day.

  She checked her watch. Yikes! Fifteen minutes until opening. Of course, her thoughts wandered back to Tristan as she finished her work. Might as well ride the old memory train to the end of the railroad station or these thoughts would continue. Her former boyfriend’s lack of faith should have been the first clue to run screaming in the opposite direction. Isabella had tried to tell him about Jesus and foolishly believed he’d listen. For all he had cared, she might as well have been talking about worshipping a praying mantis.

  After he’d betrayed her with one of their account executives while on a business trip, Isabella rededicated her life to the Lord. She vowed never again to date a man who wasn’t a Christian. Not that Christians were perfect, but at least she might stand a better chance for a lasting relationship that could lead to marriage.

  Enough serious thinking. Time to go back inside and prepare to open for what she expected would be one of her busiest days so far this year.

  Isabella hauled the hose back around the side of the building and drained the excess water. Then she piled the hose back into the storage unit. Her cell phone rang as she returned the bottle of cleaning solution to the shelf in the backroom. She checked the display. Caroline Barnes.

  “Hi, Caroline! How are you?”

  “Terrific. Listen, I know you’re probably busy this morning, but I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight at the house. I apologize for the late notice. I think my hormones are still out-of-whack or I would have called you earlier in the week. Paul and Liesel are coming at six and bringing the kids. After dinner, we’re all going to the Twilight Dance. We’d love it if you could join us.”

  “I, um…” Under normal circumstances, she’d jump at the invitation. Sidney would be at this dinner. Would going be a wise move or walking straight into temptation?

  “Do you already have plans tonight?”

  “No, not exactly. Well…no.”

  “Isabella, I think my comments about Sidney the other day were premature. Since he’s been here in town, Seth and I have already seen some changes for the better in my brother.”

  “Sounds like getting out of Boston is a good thing for the Prescotts.” That sounded more flippant than she’d intended. “I mean…”

  “I know what you mean, and you’re right,” Caroline said. “It’s been good to have Sidney here. He’s opening up and being honest about personal matters in a way I’ve never seen before.”

  Isabella smiled. “You might be interested to know your brother came to see me yesterday afternoon, and he told me he’d prayed for his meal.”

  “He didn’t mention it, but that’s pretty awesome, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, and then this morning—this has nothing to do with anything, really—Sidney was wearing a tool belt and wielding a hammer. He was with Seth and some of the men over at the park putting together the dance floor.” What a silly thing to say, but it was all Isabella could think of to deflect the course of the conversation.

  “Oh, Sidney’s downtown? I thought he was still sleeping. Wearing a tool belt, huh?” Her friend laughed quietly. “That’s something I’d like to see. Did you get a photo?”

  Isabella’s smile sobered, and she ran a hand over her hair. “Caroline, I’ll be honest. I like Sidney a lot more than I should. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. I’m not even sure I can explain it except to say that, even though I know God’s working in his life, Sidney’s not a believer. After all I went through with Tristan, I can’t go down that road again. I just…can’t. And then you have the fact that Sidney’s going back to Boston, and he’s reportedly a workaholic…”

  And now you’re running down the list of reasons why you’re not falling in love with the man even though you are.

  “Calm down, sweetie. I’m not inviting you to dinner to be Sidney’s date. I’m inviting you because you’re our good friend.”

  Leaning against the counter, Isabella said a silent prayer. Lord, what do I do?

  “How late are you working today?”

  “Until four. Clyde has the day off, and Tommy’s coming in to close for me.” If everything went according to plan, the scheduling should work. She should have time to run home, shower, and change, and get to Caroline and Seth’s house by six o’clock. If she decided to go.

  “You’re planning on going to the Twilight Dance, right?”

  “I thought I’d at least stop by,” Isabella said. “Marijane’s Twilight Punch is one of my new favorite things in life. And yes, I realize what a sad commentary that is.” She chewed on a fingernail before frowning and tucking her hand in her pocket.

  “Whatever you decide, I completely understand,” Caroline said. “I’ll leave it as an open-ended invitation. Just know we’ll be here if you’d like to join us. And if you don’t come for dinner, then I hope we’ll see you at the dance.”

  “I think you’re a great friend, Caroline. Thanks for understanding.” More than anything, she wanted to go to the dinner, but that’s what scared her. Why put herself in
a position to be hurt by a man who was only passing through town?

  Isabella’s gaze fell on an open magazine lying on the back counter. Funny, she hadn’t noticed the magazine last night when she’d closed the store. She flipped the magazine over and glanced at the cover. Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.

  A Lamborghini magazine? Opening it, she quickly flipped through the pages. Some of the articles and ads were in English, but other sections were in Italian and German. How did this get here? Thumbing through a few more pages, she laughed when she read that the magazine was characterized by the three Lamborghini brand attributes—extreme, uncompromising, and Italian. Well, that was fitting.

  Had Sidney brought this magazine to the store for Tommy to see? She noted it was from a few years ago. “Very mysterious,” she murmured.

  Lost in thought, she started when the bell jingled.

  “Sorry, boss. Didn’t mean to scare you. I forgot something…” Tommy smiled as he spied the magazine on the counter. “That’s where I left it!”

  No wonder Sidney’s borrowed car held such a fascination for Tommy. The Lamborghini represented more than a passing fancy.

  Isabella closed the magazine and then handed it to him. “May I ask where you got this magazine?”

  He scratched the side of his blond head and gave her his appealing lopsided smile. “If I tell you, you’ve gotta swear not to tell a soul.”

  She lifted a brow. “Promise me this doesn’t involve anything illegal or contraband.”

  “I don’t think so. Okay, here’s the thing.” He lowered his voice to a whisper.

  “Tommy, just tell me. The store’s not open yet, so we’re the only two people here. No one else will hear you.”

  “Oh, right. See, Miss Millicent orders them special for me through the library. She lets me keep them, but she won’t let me reimburse her. Believe you me, this baby ain’t cheap.”

  “Of course not. It’s extreme, uncompromising, and Italian. And generous of Millicent.”

  Tommy laughed. “Right. I’d better scoot. I’ve got places to go, people to see.” He slapped the magazine against his forearm. “See? The library’s name and address are right here on the label.”

  How silly that she hadn’t noticed. “So it does. Don’t forget you’re coming in at four today, and you’ll close the store for me, right?”

  “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be here, boss.” He grinned. “Wish me luck. I’m gonna ask Casey Martin to come to the dance with me tonight.”

  “Nothing like waiting until the last minute.”

  “She just broke up with Carl Rogers last week. I had to give her some space, you know? You going to the dance with Sidney?”

  “No,” she said slowly. “Why do you ask?”

  Tommy shrugged. “Just heard you two have been, um, friendly around town, that’s all.”

  Her cheeks flamed. “Friendly?” It’s not like they’d been at the kissing booth. Well, that wasn’t the best thing to think about, either. People in this town needed to get a life and stop speculating about hers. Unkind or not, it was the truth.

  “I’ll see you tonight, Isabella. Save me a dance.”

  “See you then.” She moved over to Cash. Time to prepare for the busy day ahead.

  Five minutes later, she opened the front door and propped it with the wooden wedge. The wonderful aromas of the Java Joe coffees from Barron’s wafted down the street.

  Isabella breathed in deeply. “Good morning, world! We’re open for business.”

  Chapter 17

  Isabella noticed the customers seemed more upbeat than usual. The gorgeous weather and the festive mood in anticipation of the Twilight Dance must have a lot to do with their excitement. The locals were enthusiastic about the town event, and that seemed to translate to the tourists, which in turn meant increased business. A win-win for all.

  Many shoppers who came into Mahoney’s carried bags from the other stores. A weekend with great weather was always profitable, and several of the main merchants ran specials to cross-promote one another. A few of the shopkeepers had tried to convince Isabella to open Mahoney’s on Sundays, but she’d remained steadfast in not bowing to the pressure, preferring to stay true to Aunt Clara and Uncle Phil’s tradition.

  Isabella glanced at the big clock on the side wall. Close to one o’clock. She still hadn’t made a decision although she was leaning toward accepting Caroline’s dinner invitation. Was she overthinking everything? As the relationship with Joel proved, she could be “just friends” with a man. She was also beginning to really dislike that term, description, expression, or whatever it was.

  “Miss, are you Isabella…Cannelloni?”

  Isabella bit her lower lip not to laugh. “I’ll answer to that name.” What did it matter, anyway? “How may I help you?”

  “Splendid. I hear you have some lovely scented candles.” The woman appeared well-to-do in her chic casual wear—a straight, khaki skirt with embroidered blue whales, a sleeveless white blouse with matching whales on the collar, and a scarf expertly knotted around her shoulders—and spoke with a distinctly southern drawl. “Joan at the Evergreen Boutique suggested that I come and pay you a visit.”

  “That was very nice of her. If you’ll follow me, I’ll be happy to show you the candles.” For the next five minutes, Isabella helped the woman decide between the various scents. Robust Rose and Lovely Lily won out, and the customer wanted an entire box of each.

  As she kept an eye on other customers in the store, Isabella’s mind wandered a bit until she heard the woman mention her summer home on the Cape. An idea popped into her mind. “Would you be interested in seeing our quilts? They’re exquisite and handmade. One of a kind, and they’d be perfect for a guest bedroom.”

  “That sounds like a fabulous idea. Lead the way.”

  Hearing the bell, Isabella glanced at the front door as Seth and Paul entered the store. “Hey, guys. All ready for tonight?”

  “Hi, Isabella. Almost there.” Seth gave her a polite nod. “We’re taking a break to get a cold drink, and then we’re headed back over to string the lights.”

  “Help yourself. Earl and Clyde restocked the cooler this morning.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Paul said with his customary smile. A quiet man, he was such a great husband to Liesel, and he’d been one of Seth’s best friends for years. The two men headed to the back where Hank was engaged in a rousing game with a tourist.

  The bell sounded again a couple of minutes later.

  Sidney. He whipped off his sunglasses and glanced around the store. Was he looking for her? Was she still in high school? Goodness, Isabella. She needed to get a firm grip on reality.

  Isabella’s gaze moved to his feet…steel-toed safety boots. Who knew? Be still, my heart. With that tool belt, the man was rocking the whole construction worker look. He had everything but the hardhat and plastic goggles. The whole alpha male image. In the many looks of Sidney department, this one ranked near the top. Who knew?

  “I’ll be back in a moment,” Isabella told the woman.

  “Take your time, and you’re right. These handmade quilts are beautifully done.”

  Isabella’s steps slowed as she approached Sidney. “Are you lost again? Need more toiletry items?” She couldn’t seem to stop teasing this man.

  He pushed a stray lock of dark hair off his forehead. In just a few days, his hair had grown longer. “I wanted to see you, so I’m not lost.”

  “Oh.” Momentarily flustered, she smiled. “Your cohorts are already here getting a cold drink.”

  “I know. I’ll join them in a minute. How are you, Isabella?”

  “Good, thanks. Business has been brisk, the way I like it. The gorgeous weather always brings in customers for the weekend, and I’m thankful.”

  Sidney didn’t say anything else but neither did he make a move to leave.

  Isabella touched one hand to her cheek. “Do I have something on my face? You’re staring.”

  “Sorry, no. Maybe I’ve,
uh, been in the sun too long.” His T-shirt was damp with sweat, unlike when she’d run into him while jogging. He’d clearly exerted himself and worked those muscles.

  Stop that. You’re staring as much as he is.

  Her gaze momentarily dropped to the ground. Again. “Nice boots.”

  “Thanks. I borrowed them from Seth. We wear the same size.”

  “That’s convenient. I know the guys must be thankful for your help. Sidney, have you tried Moxie yet?”

  “Excuse me? Moxie?” He grinned and slid his hands down to his hips. “Can’t say that I have. Sounds intriguing. Is that the sister drink of Mojo?”

  “I wouldn’t doubt it.” Laughing, Isabella shook her head. “Are you sure you’re not a closet marketing rep? Moxie is the official soft drink of Mainers. Since 2005. I have no idea why I remember random things like that.”

  “You like history,” he said. “And Mainers would be…?”

  “Citizens of—”

  “Maine. Right. I’m a little slow today. Which way?”

  Lost in his bluer-than-ever eyes, she couldn’t think straight. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “The Moxie? My cohorts?” His grin grew wider. “Which way?”

  “Oh, right.” Isabella angled her head toward the back of the store. “They’re in a cooler at the back.” She tried not to roll her eyes. “The drinks, not the guys. Follow the laughter, and you’ll find them both. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my customer.”

  He nodded. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “Yes. Until then.” They were acting like two infatuated high school kids. She resisted fanning her face, but it had suddenly grown very warm inside the store.

  Isabella felt Sidney’s gaze on her as she returned to assist the woman with her selections. Based on their frequent laughter, the men were enjoying their drinks while talking with Hank and his competitor. From what she could tell, they were debating the odds for the Red Sox making it to the World Series this year. Sidney had gotten along well with Hank yesterday, and they’d played at least four or five rounds of checkers.