by Pat Simmons
Chapter 5
Christian drove his team to the next house throughout South City and County. He decided to play it safe by sending another crew to Joy’s house. Christian didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable around him. When he visited her home, he wanted a personal invitation from her lips.
He reflected on his morning prayer and added Joy to his prayer list. Whoever paraphrased prayer changes things, was a witness to God’s blessings. When he had closed his Bible, the Lord whispered a scripture from Psalm 37, Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart.
Since his parents had drilled into their sons’ heads never to ask God for something without expecting Him to do it, Christian had replied, “My heart is reminding me of Joy Knight. If it’s Your will Lord, let her invite me into her life.”
As Christian pulled up to the address on his list, he added, “Jesus, thank You for working fast.” Refocusing on the task at hand, Christian stared at the home where the occupants had asked for food assistance. The house should have been condemned years ago.
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out two envelopes containing one-hundred-dollar bills. He handed it to his lead volunteer with instructions to give it to an adult.
While he waited for his team, Christian chuckled. He wished he had seen Bethani’s face when she saw the biggest bucket of strawberry ice cream he could find. Besides that, he added extra fruit and two gallons of milk for the children.
Then he prayed, “Lord, I can supply Joy and her family with some things, but You God can meet all her physical and spiritual needs, according to Your riches in glory. Bless her, God in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
When his lead volunteer, who was a college student, returned to the van, he gave Christian the thumbs up, meaning the family was beyond grateful for the monetary gift. Christian silently recited Philippians 4:19 and pulled away from the curb.
Three hours later, Christian dropped off his exhausted volunteers back at the pantry. Many of them also received turkey dinner boxes for helping. As Christian climbed into his SUV, his brother Nathan turned into the lot in one of the last of four of the pantry’s vans.
“Hey, bro. Good job. We didn’t run out this year. It was two fishes and five loaves.”
Christian nodded, knowing Nathan was referring to those instances in Luke nine, John six, and Matthew fourteen in the Bible. “It’s all about Jesus supplying our needs, not secret Santas.”
“Yep. There is no limit or secret what God can do, but lay off the good-doers. We can never have too many helping hands. Mark 9:40 says, ‘He that is not against us, is on our side.’ So stop hatin’.’”
Since Nathan was right, Christian had no comeback. By the end of the night, the Hope for Salvation pantry had dispatched six crews to deliver more than one hundred Thanksgiving packages to anyone who requested one—no questions asked. Christian’s team had been responsible for twenty of those meals. The hugs, the thank you’s, the God bless you’s and the tears were what God wanted from man: to show each other kindness and serve one another.
To be a servant was humbling for Christian and his family. Of all the holidays celebrated, Thanksgiving had to be Christian’s favorite. It seemed to be the only day people were reflective—until college football games were televised.
Christian waved and headed toward his North County home, which happened to be less than fifteen minutes from Joy. With her address memorized, Christian wanted to do a quick drive-by, but that might scare her if she even found out before a relationship with her developed.
It was just as well. Christian was exhausted. His muscles ached from lifting more than he did during his fitness workout. Christian only wanted to collapse in his bed. Even a shower would have to wait until the morning.
Soon enough Christian strolled through the front door of his modest but spacious three-bedroom ranch home. He hadn’t flipped one light switch when his cell buzzed. Not in the mood for conversation, he snatched it off his belt holder. The number was unrecognizable. “Hello.”
“Ah, Christian,” the woman paused, but he immediately recognized Joy’s voice. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Is she kidding me? He smirked. “Miss Knight, there will never be a bad time for you to call me. Did you get your deliveries okay?” Christian turned on a lamp, shook his jacket off and collapsed in a nearby chair. Propping his feet on a square ottoman, he settled in. Joy’s melodious voice was like Epsom salt in a warm, relaxing bath.
“Yes…well. I was kinda expecting you to drop them off.”
Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? Christian closed his eyes. Okay, maybe there is some interest on her part. He rebuked the cockiness that wanted to rise up in him. “In all honesty, I wanted to come, but you seemed cautious, and I respected that, so I sent the most non-threatening college students to do my bidding.” They shared a laugh.
“And they brought more food than I expected.”
“You did say you had four little ones at home.” Shifting, Christian got up and stretched or he would be sleeping in his living room. He yearned for a long bath.
“I don’t want to hold you because I know you must be tired.” Silence. “But is there a Mrs. Andersen who will be cooking you a Thanksgiving dinner?”
Christian’s body stirred with a deep laugh. So she was playing his game. “My mother, but she along with my brothers and dad won’t miss me if I have other plans. Do I?”
“I wanted to invite you over for dinner.”
Pumping a fist in the air, Christian mouthed Hallelujah! “Who’s cooking?” he teased as he began to pace to keep his legs from stiffening.
“Me!” Joy feigned a wounded tone, then laughed.
“You can cook? I thought Bethani was the one who was in charge of the kitchen.” Christian continued to rile her.
“Only when I’m teaching her a recipe or she’s baking cookies. So is that a yes or no?”
“It’s definitely a yes, Miss Knight. Should I bring dessert?”
It was her turn to tease him. “You can bake?”
“Nope. My mother can. I’ll bring a sweet potato pie.” They were about to disconnect, but Christian had to put his thoughts out there. “Joy, I don’t know why you came into my life—”
“It’s you who crossed my path, so I don’t why you came into mine,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to finding out,” Christian said before he disconnected. He grinned widely, too keyed up to go to sleep.
Chapter 6
Thanksgiving
“My presence has been requested elsewhere.” Christian smirked, adjusting his jacket.
While some families watched the parades on television on Thanksgiving morning, the Andersens were sitting in the pews of a packed church, giving thanks for all they had. After the hour-long service, the Andersen sons made their way over to their childhood home in the West suburbs of St. Louis County.
Nathan matched Christian’s smirk with a lopsided grin of his own. Folding his arms, he leaned against his mother’s kitchen counter. “Is your host about five feet seven, pretty and has an equally beautiful daughter? Yeah, I saw you trying to get your mack on.” Nathan roared.
“I’ll be in the company of at least two beautiful ladies, and you’re stuck here with—”
“His charming mother,” Dorcas Andersen interrupted without missing a beat as she pulled one of her pies from the oven and set it on the counter.
Christian squeezed his mother’s shoulders and planted a soft kiss against her cheek. “You know I wouldn’t miss your cooking for just anybody, but I’m interested in getting to know this undeniably gorgeous woman.”
His mother smiled. “Then maybe this gorgeous woman wouldn’t mind spending Christmas with us.”
“Maybe.” If Joy truly was the one for him. Christian had been ready to settle down for a while. Actually, his brothers were too, even though their tastes in women varied.
His older brother, Nathan, preferred tall, sophisticated, educated a
nd saved—the most important requirement being at the bottom of his list. David was a sucker for the quiet and beautifully saved women of God. Christian liked a combination of both, but he was attracted to women who were just as giving as him. Was Joy the one? Christian couldn’t wait to leave and begin to find out.
After wrapping one of her prized pies in foil, Dorcas handed it to Christian.
Nathan smirked. “An early Christmas present,” he teased.
“Oh hush. I wish all my sons would bring me a Christian present that walks in heels, dresses like she has some sense and with a bright smile.” Dorcas good-naturedly scolded her eldest. “This young lady has to be special if your brother accepted her invitation.”
“She’s special all right,” David grumbled after taste-testing the stuffing. “Thanks to your son’s generous offer, we delivered thirty extra boxes of turkey dinners. My muscles still ache.”
His mother’s eyes were filled with questions that Christian knew she would ask when they had some privacy. He saved her the trouble.
“Joy’s sister died and she’s taking care of her children.” At least I’m assuming the other three children are her sister’s. I’m about to find out. “She needed a helping hand.”
“Poor dear. She could’ve been our guest. Her name is Joy?”
“Joyce Knight, but she prefers Joy.”
“Joy to the World, or Silent Night.” Dorcas hummed a few choruses of each song.
Nathan balked. “Are you kidding me? It appears your middle son made sure she had enough food for a month.”
“Well, making sure the food pantry was fully stocked for the holiday was my project and mission accomplished. Nobody went home empty handed.” Christian glanced at his watch. “And I’ve got to go. A man should never be late on the first dinner date.”
Kenneth, Christian’s father, entered the kitchen before he could make his escape to see what the holdup was on the food being set on the table. “Be careful.” Kenneth chuckled. “I accepted a beautiful woman’s dinner invitation thirty-seven years ago and then I married her.” He winked at his wife, causing Dorcas to blush. Clasping his hands, Kenneth eyed everyone standing in the kitchen. “Well, let’s have our Thanksgiving prayer before you head out, son.”
Resting the pie on the counter, Christian joined the others in a loose circle and bowed his head.
“Father God, in the name of Jesus, we thank You for favor and the blessings in our lives. We have no complaints today because You have supplied our needs so that we can bless others. May this day be about kindness and peace toward one another as we thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Amens” echoed among them before Christian scooped up his dessert and made a beeline for the door of his parents’ Town & Country estate home.
Once he was in his SUV, he placed the pie on the floor. He spied the two red-stemmed roses in the backseat—one for Joy and one for Bethani. Not knowing the ages or sexes of the other children, Christian took a chance and purchased a cartoon DVD for them—bribes.
In a hurry to get to his host’s home, Christian tapped in Joy’s address on his GPS. Although he knew the vicinity, he didn’t want to waste a minute looking for her address. Christian turned the ignition and exhaled. “My Thanksgiving will never be the same after today.”
It didn’t take long for Christian to arrive at the Birchwood subdivision in Maryland Heights. Turning into the entrance, he admired Joy’s upper-middle-class neighborhood with manicured lawns and trees not quite mature. Locating Joy’s house number, Christian parked.
Getting out his car, he grabbed the dessert and gifts. Christian activated his alarm and hiked up two steps that landed him on a short pathway to a brick-covered porch. An expertly carved wood-lacquered door waited to greet him. From all outward appearances, which could be deceiving, Joy wasn’t hurting for money based on her vehicle and polished clothing—even her niece was dressed nicely. Now from her manicured lawn to the neat bare flowerbed, the woman was doing something right—or wrong to need assistance.
A foot long homemade straw man hung from the door, holding a welcome sign. Christian smirked, wondering if that was the handiwork of Bethani. Seconds after ringing the doorbell, Christian recognized childish screams of excitement and Joy’s shouting a warning before opening the door.
“Who is it?” Bethani sweetly asked on the other side of the door.
“It’s Mr. Andersen.”
“Okay.” Bethani fumbled with the locks before opening the door. She grinned. Three small ones stood behind the girl with curious eyes. They were like stepping stones in height. All three were dressed in colorful play clothes and each girl’s hair was neatly combed. The lone boy in the bunch was missing a shoe.
Planting one boot on the hardwood floor, Christian moved farther into a foyer, which was swallowed up by an open living room floor plan—nice, functional and surprisingly organized. No doubt, Joy had her hands full without another parent around.
“This is for you.” Christian handed Bethani a long-stemmed rose.
“Thank you, Mr. Andersen,” she said, blushing.
Joy rounded the corner, wiping her hands on a towel. The business attire and heels were gone. In their place was a casual outfit that flattered her shape and enticed his senses. She rounded off the look with furry house slippers that were copycats of one of his client’s inventions. Christian couldn’t linger on her feet as his eyes traveled back to her face. It was void of makeup or had very little on.
She was refreshing and beautiful. More words were in his vocabulary, but Joy had him all jumbled up at the moment. He struggled to speak. “Hi.” He handed her the pie and then remembered the flower. “For you, and I brought some DVDs for the kids. I hope you don’t mind.”
“That was so sweet of you,” Joy acknowledged almost with a hint of surprise. “We have company, so be good,” she informed the children as she took his jacket.
“What’s your name?” the tallest little girl asked while the other children eyed the small gifts in his hands.
He squatted. “I’m Mr. Christian Andersen. What’s your name?”
“Darla. I’m four,” she said proudly then crossed her arms behind her back, rocking one of her tennis shoes on one side.
“That’s Bethani’s sister and my niece,” Joy offered.
“I’m Jada and I’m…I’m…three.” The child struggled with her fingers to get three of them to cooperate.
“That one is mine,” Joy said proudly with affection.
Then the boy pushed them out the way. His eyes were bright and alert. “What’s your name?” he asked again as Joy identified him as her nephew.
“Shane.”
Okay, so that’s the makeup of this family, Christian concluded as Shane stuttered with his last name, so Christian added a mister in front of his first name. It came out Mr. Christmas to Shane, and the other two small children chanted it.
Christian glanced at Joy who was also smiling. She quieted the children and waved him to a sectional sofa. Standing, he followed her.
“That was nice of you to bring everyone gifts, but you didn’t have to do that. You already forced your mother to make dessert,” Joy said as he took his seat. The children climbed on the sofa next to him as if he were a magnet.
An unreadable expression crossed Joy’s face as she apologized. “Besides the postal carrier and the FedEx delivery driver, we don’t have many male visitors.”
“That’s good to know. I like children,” he replied, especially those who are well-mannered as these appear to be. “I was once one myself.” “I would’ve never guessed.” Joy scrunched her nose, flirting back. “You’ve been warned. Dinner is just about ready,” she said as the aroma drifted into the room. “I hope you don’t mind eating in the kitchen. I know that’s not traditional, but when my daughter and nephew decide to have a food fight, it’s easier to clean. Once I get their table manners in check, then we’ll move to the dining room. Hopefully, next year.”
“Joy, relax. I’m
fine. Do you need any help?” He might like children, but he liked Joy more. He hoped the DVDs would buy him some one-on-one time.
The doorbell rang and the children scrambled toward the door before they could answer. “Ask who it is Bethani,” Joy instructed and the child did.
An older woman with the kindest face entered and the children screamed for her attention. She didn’t disappoint as she bent and hugged and kissed each one. Christian stood to meet the newest guest.
“This is Mrs. Thomas, my neighbor, babysitter and friend,” Joy made the introductions. “Meet Mr. Andersen. He’s the one responsible for—”
“The strawberry ice cream.” Her eyes twinkled as if she knew a secret about him.
Chapter 7
Joy felt the first spark when she and Christian engaged in their very first conversation outside her SUV, then again in the food line. Now, the vibes to this man she barely knew were getting stronger. She couldn’t explain it.
Although Joy didn’t believe in fairy tales—especially remembering everything that had happened around her since she had Jada and then brought home her sister’s children—she didn’t mind dreaming about them. Christian Andersen was out of her league, yet he made it hard for her to dismiss him. He won Bethani over with the strawberry ice cream.
As the children switched their allegiance to Mrs. Thomas, Joy made a quick escape to her kitchen to check on the turkey. She turned off the oven and began to take plates out the cabinets and set the table.
Even with a door separating them, she could still feel Christian’s presence. He had demonstrated there was more to him than his kindness, charming personality and his masculine perfection.
Were his investments in inventions so lucrative that he could own and operate a food pantry? How old was he? Did he have any children? Had he ever been married or was he a divorcé or a widower? Then Joy came to her senses. None of that mattered because she was a single mother with four children. His interest in her was probably nothing more than charity.
