“So, Sean, is this your first time in church?”
Victor snorted.
Sean lifted a brow. “Do you think I am that uncouth, my dear?”
She flushed.
Victor snorted. “Give it a rest, Sean. Answer Annie.”
Sean smiled at his friend. “Actually, I’ve attended a few times here and there. All kinds of…spiritual ceremonies.”
“Spiritual…”
“…ceremonies. In other words, friends getting married or…”
“I think she gets the idea, Jake,” Sean said.
“Ah.” Indeed she did.
“Well they will probably greet us, then sing and have a time for sharing a message and then prayer. Pretty simple.”
Sean chuckled. “If this turns out that simple…”
He trailed off. She glanced up at him and then to Victor and wondered why both looked so cynical.
However, she didn’t ask, and eventually they arrived at the small church. “Helga said it runs about a hundred people.”
“This is a church?” Sean asked.
“Bigger than the one my parents had,” Victor murmured.
It was a small square brick building out on the edge of town. Cars were parked in the gravel and grass around it. A tall man in a suit and tie stood at the front door chatting with someone else. They glanced curiously at the car when it pulled up.
“Well here goes,” Victor said.
Annie wasn’t sure what he meant.
But she was disturbed when his demeanor changed, and both he and Sean suddenly wore plastic smiles.
Victor wasn’t Victor anymore but Jake Rivers. He stepped out of the car and turned to help Annie.
Sean slid out and came around. She noted he slipped a hand in his pocket as he walked—a nervous gesture, she thought.
“What’s the matter?” she asked Victor as they started toward the door.
She found out before he could answer.
The people at the door froze, staring at them, and then began to whisper furiously.
“Oh dear,” she said nervously. She hadn’t even thought.
“Yes, I’d say so,” Sean replied.
“People tend to recognize us, and I imagine being new at the church here will make us stand out even more,” Victor offered.
Annie nodded.
She felt suddenly guilty and embarrassed that she hadn’t realized a scene like this might happen.
The man at the door smiled. “Welcome, welcome,” he said and reached out to shake each of their hands a bit vigorously. His gaze traveled over her in detail and she felt herself flushing.
“Hello,” she said softly. “We’re here for church.”
“Yes, yes,” he replied. Evidently, his English exhausted, he said something apologetically in Dutch.
Sean replied and the man smiled. And then Victor replied and the man absolutely beamed.
“He’s glad we understand Dutch,” Victor translated, “because the service here is in Dutch.”
“Oh dear! The last one was in English. A mission church,” she muttered.
Victor chuckled. “I’ll translate,” he said.
“Or I can if you’d prefer,” Sean added.
Annie ignored him and walked in to find every person in the church had turned and was staring at them. “This is not good,” she muttered.
“Relax, Annie,” Victor said.
She felt like a bug under a microscope. Some of the people looked them up and down and then turned away as if ignoring them. Others whispered in little groups.
She felt so conspicuous and guilty that she’d talked the men into coming with her.
People came up and started talking to Sean and Victor. Both were gracious and smiled, replying in Dutch. Some parishioners spoke in English, though it was so accented she had a hard time understanding it.
Finally the music started, and the pastor called from the front.
Sean’s eyebrows shot up.
Victor’s hand, which had tightened on her arm, relaxed slightly. “Well. He welcomed us and told everyone to stop treating us as though we walk on water and let us enjoy the service just as they should.”
Annie gasped and then giggled. “Oh good.”
Victor looked down at her. For the first time it was as if he realized she had been upset and worried. Seeing his attention, her smile faded and she said, “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “Sean and I both knew what we were getting ourselves in for, putting ourselves out in the public eye. Don’t worry. We’re big boys.”
She smiled and reached up to squeeze his hand that still covered her arm. “I—” she stopped and her eyes widened.
He lifted his head.
She simply shook her head, not believing what she’d almost said. Love? No. Not that.
They found seats near the back of the small church and then the singing began.
Victor gaped. “What are they doing?”
People stood and started clapping, and some were literally jumping while others threw their hands into the air and started shouting.
“Um, well…” How did she explain to someone who didn’t understand about churches like this?
“It looks as if they’re having a party,” Sean said, grinning.
She rolled her eyes and then chuckled. “Well, I suppose you could say they’re partying together.”
“You go to church to have a party?” Victor asked.
“Not exactly,” Annie said. Then she gave up. “Okay. Look at it this way. You just found out someone died for you…you’re grateful. So you get excited right?”
Both men looked at her as though she couldn’t be serious. “Well when you watch football or soccer,” she said over the music, “don’t you get excited when your team does something good?”
“But this isn’t football,” Victor replied.
“No, it’s something much more.”
“Well I kinda like it,” Sean said. “It’s not as stuffy as the places I’ve gone.”
Victor couldn’t seem to grasp it. He was watching everyone intently. Annie threw her hands up in frustration and then turned her attention to the overhead projector and phonetically tried to read the words to the very familiar tune. Slowly she caught on—after about the third verse of the song.
Sean, though he didn’t sing, grinned a lot, while Victor finally tried to follow the tune. He was very uncomfortable until the slower songs started. Annie noted he knew some of them. Sean even tried singing them, though he kept grinning over at Victor like a total idiot.
What was it with this friendship? She saw in Sean’s eyes secrets and knowledge that the two shared. For some reason, she thought, Sean was delighted that Victor was here, though he didn’t seem to have an opinion about being here himself.
She didn’t understand it.
They had prayer. And unlike in America, their prayer lasted fifteen minutes. She appreciated that Sean leaned over and translated for her quietly.
Then they were seated and the preacher came up to speak.
He again mentioned them, according to Victor. She knew when because both men had those fake smiles on their face again and were nodding and then Victor again muttered something about fame.
Then the pastor went right into preaching.
The sermon was an hour and a half long.
Sean got antsy, but Victor….
She couldn’t help but watch Victor as he translated some of the sermon for her and then got so caught up in it that he’d forget to translate, until he saw Sean translating for her. Then he’d immediately start translating again.
His gaze rarely left the pastor.
If he noticed the occasional covert stares from the people around them, he never showed it.
Sean had that smile on his face that said he saw the reactions.
When the sermon was over, they turned to leave—and were nearly mobbed.
People came up to shake their hands and talk to them.
She was surprised that some acted as if they
knew them intimately, but the general greetings were normal for a church.
Still, when others started asking for autographs she was flummoxed.
Sean and Victor didn’t complain, but signed pieces of paper, church bulletins and such, and chatted amicably with those who approached them.
Amazingly enough, it was the pastor who saved them. He came up, hooked an arm around Victor’s shoulders and started toward a small room.
“He wants to chat with us,” Sean said.
“Come on,” Victor added and grabbed Annie’s arm.
The others standing around nodded and smiled and waved and then turned away into little groups.
In English, the pastor said, “I am sorry for the people’s reaction. You must admit, it’s quite an excitement to have celebrities in our midst. If you make it a common occurrence, I’m sure they’ll calm down.”
Victor smiled politely. “I enjoyed the message.”
Sean shot Annie a wisecracking grin.
The pastor nodded. “We’ll go out through my office. I want to give you a card. If you ever need anything, just call.”
“Thank you. I don’t regularly attend church,” Victor said and watched the pastor.
“Ah, well, now it’s my duty to tell you that you should. Not necessarily here if you don’t find this to your liking, but somewhere.” The pastor offered him a large grin, his thinning gray and brown hair falling down into one eye. He swept it back. Going to his desk he found a business card. “Let me know if you ever need anything.”
He turned to Sean and handed him a card. “You too.”
Finally he looked at Annie. “You don’t speak Dutch.”
She shook her head. “I’m American.”
The pastor shook her hand. “Well, God bless you.”
The man chatted a few more minutes in Dutch until the pastor was sure that they could easily get to their car. “I really have to get back to make sure the deacons finished up the counting of the offering and have locked up everything and then I’m sure my wife is waiting. Again, if you need anything…”
Victor said something in Dutch.
The pastor smiled and opened the door.
They exited and walked to the car.
Annie shook her head. “What?” Victor asked.
“That was certainly an experience.”
Sean chuckled. “If you think that was an experience, wait until the premiere.”
Annie frowned.
“Thanks, Sean,” Victor replied sarcastically.
“What?” Sean asked innocently.
“I’m not sure I’m looking forward to it now,” Annie said nervously.
“That’s what,” Victor replied to Sean.
On the way home, it was quiet until Sean said, “So what did you think, Victor?”
Annie had been staring out of the window, ruminating on the message and the three-ring circus after the service. But at Sean’s words her gaze turned to Victor and she realized he’d been just as quiet.
“It was unlike anything I’d ever seen.” He glanced down at Annie. “The pastor actually talks about God the same way you do.”
“Is that unusual?” Annie asked quietly.
Slowly, Victor nodded. “Very.” His expression cleared. “I saw what you thought of it, Sean,” Victor replied.
Sean grinned. “It was neat.”
“Neat?” Annie winced at the word.
Sean nodded. “I heard one of the kids say that, trying to talk to me in English.” He chuckled. “Yeah. I liked it. It sure wasn’t boring. And I could actually tolerate the pastor. He’s a pretty nice bloke. Mind you, sweetheart, I wouldn’t want to make it a career, going to church. It’d ruin my bad-boy reputation.”
Annie was a bit distressed at Sean’s words. He obviously saw it for he added, “But for you, I’d do it.”
She shook her head. “Going to church, having a relationship with God isn’t something you can do for someone else.”
Sean shifted a bit uncomfortably, and she actually thought he was at a loss for words.
Victor saved his friend by adding, “We’re going to need to focus on the premiere coming up. After lunch, would you mind going over the plans with me?”
Sean nodded. “Sounds good.”
Annie was disappointed. She’d hoped for more, but it looked as if the conversation was over.
When they arrived back at the house, however, she was surprised when, after Victor had helped her out of the car, he held her back and allowed Sean to get ahead of them before saying, “Thank you, Annie, for today. That service gave me a lot to think about. And I’m glad you saw that I got to experience it.”
She smiled. His words lifted her spirit as nothing else had. Before she could answer though, Sean had noticed their absence and paused at the top of the stairs.
“Are you coming?”
Her smile collapsed. “You know, Victor. I sure did like it a lot better before he arrived.”
Victor actually chuckled. “You made my day by saying that, Annie. You have no idea how much.”
Their spirits restored, Victor lifted Annie into his arms and carried her up the stairs.
Chapter Eleven
Waiting in her hotel suite for Victor and Sean, Annie thought she was going to be sick.
It had been nearly two weeks since Sean had showed up at Victor’s door. Now they were all at a hotel in England waiting for the premiere of their movie. Victor had ordered a private jet and had them flown to London last night. The point was, why hadn’t she asked where the premiere was to be?
She’d been busy since the day she’d accepted the invitation. First she’d called her children, who were very upset that she was going to a premiere of some movie with this unknown family. She had forced herself not to let them dampen her spirits, promising she would keep in touch.
Though her daughter, especially, had argued, saying she should come home, Annie had held her ground.
Victor had attempted to take her horse riding on three separate occasions. All they had managed the first time was walking the horse because of the cast. But the second and third time they had been able to ride.
And it had been wonderful. Victor had improvised by finding an old-fashioned open carriage, to which he’d harnessed the horse. He’d helped her up into it and held her close as they’d traveled the countryside.
They’d garnered surprised looks from some, but she hadn’t cared. They had ridden for what seemed like hours and she had enjoyed every bit of it. Mainly because Sean hadn’t been around.
She really liked Sean, but he seemed to take joy in provoking Victor.
She and Victor had stayed out and watched the sunset the second time. The third time he’d showed her his land and they’d actually brought a picnic.
She had fallen in love with Victor. She knew he had feelings for her. She’d caught the looks he gave her when he thought she wasn’t watching, the way his gaze followed her.
Actually, it was very frustrating to have all of these feelings and have the other person stay quiet about his. The first day they’d gone to church together, she’d realized how she felt, though it was only as she’d spent more time with Victor that she’d found she wanted to reveal her feelings. But how could she when he didn’t show her how he felt?
She wasn’t sure why he was holding back, not saying anything, but she was now certain he did care for her.
She’d had fittings for the custom-made dress and shoes. Because of the special walking cast they’d put on her foot, she could walk, but she couldn’t wear a shoe on that foot, a unique one that had been made would fit around her cast and disguise it.
Then there was Sean.
She was beginning to relax around him. She wasn’t sure what game he was playing. After that first day, when he’d treated her so outrageously, he’d behaved, except when Victor was around.
Anytime Victor was in the same room, Sean flirted—sometimes outrageously, other times simply covertly.
She was ready to thro
ttle him one moment and then later, when he was being the polite friend of Victor…
Victor.
Victor ignored his friend’s actions.
She would have appreciated it if he would have a talk with his friend, but he hadn’t, so she just decided this must be how movie stars acted toward everyone.
Still, it did nothing to calm her nerves about tonight. It would have been easier going into this knowing that Sean was going to behave himself.
Perhaps that was why Victor wasn’t showing his feelings. Victor had been an absolute gentleman except for those smoldering looks in his eyes that caused her heart to quicken. And then there were the gentle touches and caresses.
In a way, Sean had been a blessing. They talked a lot, and she had learned so much about Victor through their conversations. Victor had been a churchgoer and wanted to believe, she thought. But something about his past made him cynical about God, and he just couldn’t find a church, according to Sean. Sean thought of himself as Victor’s keeper, a big brother to watch out for him, Annie discovered, proving what Victor said was true. The two were very close.
Annie had a feeling more was going on with Sean than she understood, at least when it came to him revealing things to her about Victor. He watched her when she and Victor were together. Sometimes she thought he was measuring her for his best friend, and then he would flirt with her.
She certainly couldn’t concentrate when Victor was touching her. What a problem—to be absolutely bowled over by his touches, which she loved, or to have Sean there so they talked and she didn’t have to worry as much about Victor’s gentle caresses.
Victor had tried church for a while, a long time ago, she thought, with his parents. His paintings were darker than they had once been.
He was searching.
She had adjusted to being with Victor and Sean to the point that she found herself actually mothering Sean occasionally and scolding him for things he said—to his intense amusement. Even Victor had received a tongue-lashing for forgetting his cook’s birthday—to which Victor had simply leaned down and almost kissed her—again—would have had Helga not come into the room. Really, all of these people certainly made sure propriety was kept up. Which was good. But still, she so wanted to express her feelings for Victor, and it was so hard with someone always walking into the room.
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