The phone rang. Abby checked the display and hesitated to answer it.
“Go ahead,” Kendra coaxed. “You can do it. I know you can.”
Abby clicked it on. Kendra could tell it was Jordan by the expression on her face.
“Okay,” she said after listening for a few moments.
Jordan said something that made her smile.
“Pizza sounds perfect,” she replied.
Kendra whispered something loudly to Abby. She looked up and hesitated only a moment before repeating the words to Jordan.
“Kendra says to tell you: Be sure and bring me flowers.”
CHAPTER SIX
Well, Trevor, I think things may be working out for the best. Abby and Jordan are going out tonight. I had lunch with Jordan today and gave him a little advice about how to get Abby to open up. I think the whole shellfish incident may have sparked something in Jordan’s heart. Say a little prayer for them, will you?
I’ve been meaning to ask you if there’s anyone special in your life. I don’t mean to pry if it’s none of my business. My love life has been rather drab lately. I blame Kristin entirely. She made me promise to be more selective. I hate to admit it, but I know she’s right. I need to be patient and wait for the right guy to come along. Have you noticed that life seems to get more complicated the older we get?
Just wondering,
Kendra
Kendra didn’t know if she had the guts to send the message. Would Trevor see right through her, knowing she was asking if he had a girlfriend because she still had feelings for him? And what if he did write back and say he was seeing someone. Did she really want to know?
***
Abby paced the living room while she waited for Jordan to arrive. She was beginning to have second thoughts. Why had she agreed to this? Their first date had been a complete disaster. What could possibly make any difference the second time around? Feeling a familiar panic come over her, she froze in place when she heard him knock.
I can’t do this. Why did I let Kendra talk me into this? Stepping to the door, knowing she needed to at least give him the courtesy of facing him, she reached for the knob with trembling fingers. Her skin felt clammy and colder than the doorknob. She prayed for strength.
Swinging open the door, she saw Jordan lift his eyes and smile. He had to be the sweetest guy ever to be going through with this.
“Hello, Abby,” he said, handing her a bouquet of beautiful flowers. “You’re not allergic to roses, are you?”
She smiled. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, I brought a paramedic along just in case,” he said, pointing to the parking lot before stepping inside and surprising her with a kiss on the cheek and soft-spoken words.
“Mmmm, you smell nice.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, feeling a warm sensation pass through her. She had worn the same perfume on their first date, but he hadn’t gotten this close to her then.
Smiling shyly, she turned away from him and went to get a vase from the kitchen. He followed her. When she turned back to the sink to get some water, he blocked her access, forcing her to look at him again.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all week. That’s the honest truth, Abby,” he said, running his fingers through the ends of her wispy hair. “And I want you to know that you don’t have to be any certain way.”
“Okay,” she replied, wondering what he meant and feeling surprised by his touch.
“If you want to be as quiet as a mouse, fine,” he said, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. “If you want to talk, fine. If you want to be kissed, fine. All I want is for you to have a good time, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, liking the sound of being kissed by him. Deciding to say what was on her mind before she had time to think about it too much, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I think I’d like to be kissed.”
Immediately she felt stupid. This was not the time to be saying what she was thinking. What is wrong with me? I can’t even get out the door without making an idiot of myself!
A smile slowly spread across Jordan’s face. Leaning toward her without saying a word, he kissed her gently. His lips were warm and soft. He didn’t hurry. She melted into it and felt dizzy when he pulled away.
She opened her eyes very slowly.
“I knew you were in there somewhere,” he said.
She smiled. He kissed her cheek. Holding her close, he began dancing slowly around the kitchen with her in his arms as if music were playing. “I’ll do my best to show you how I really feel, if you keep telling me what you’re thinking. Okay?”
“Okay,” she replied.
“You better put some water in that vase,” he said, still holding her tight.
“Okay. In a few minutes. When this song is over.”
He laughed. They danced for another few minutes, and he kissed her twice more before she got the water and they left for the pizza place.
***
Jordan took Abby’s slender hand in his and strolled beside her along the river. They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes. He replayed the evening in his head, from the kissing at her apartment, to the way she opened up and talked to him over pepperoni pizza, to the moment they were sharing now. Kendra had been right. Making Abby feel good about herself would go a long way in getting her to open up her heart to him.
When Kendra had told him about the power of touch and complimenting Abby in the little things, he didn’t like the idea of pretending to have feelings he didn’t have or saying things he didn’t mean, but from the moment she had opened the door and he’d seen her smile, he hadn’t had to tell a single lie or do anything he didn’t want to do.
Stopping his stride and pulling her slowly back to him, he stared at her for several seconds. Over the course of the evening he knew he had begun to have feelings for her that certainly hadn’t been there before, a fact that both surprised and pleased him. She wasn’t like anyone he’d ever dated before, seriously or casually.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, stroking her soft skin with the back of his fingers. He saw her eyes close and a smile form on her lips. Running his fingers into her hair, he pulled her close and kissed her cheek, her jaw, and finally her lips. She was so soft and had a peaceful spirit he could get lost in.
“From this day on, my life is never going to be the same, Abby. You do realize that, don’t you?”
She laid her head on his shoulder. He held her close and enjoyed the quiet, thinking he never wanted to spend another moment without her.
They saw each other every day for the next two weeks. He heard all about her previous relationships, not that he pried about them but because she needed to talk about the way she had been treated. Two guys in particular had caused her the most pain. One physically and the other emotionally. He tried to be careful about what he said and how he treated her even more after hearing how fragile her heart must be. She had the most sensitive spirit he’d ever known.
He discovered many things about her in the short time. She was very giving and put others before herself without even thinking about it. She listened attentively, even when he was babbling about things she probably found very boring.
Once she had become comfortable around him, she talked when she wanted to but remained silent when she didn’t have anything specific to say. He learned she needed to feel special and important to him, just as Kendra had said.
He also learned some things about her that he doubted she had shared with anyone else. She wrote poetry. It took him three days to get her to let him read any of her journal that she’d been writing in since she was fifteen. She had wanted to become a dental hygienist or a nurse after high school, but the college courses were difficult, and she didn’t have much money. Going back after two terms seemed like a waste of time, knowing she’d never make it over the long-haul. She enjoyed her job at the grocery store for the most part, although she certainly had other dreams for her life.
She wanted three kids and a house in the country. She wanted to travel a little; She’d never been anywhere except Oregon and wanted to see places like The Grand Canyon, Disneyland, and Hawaii. She had the money but no one to go with. She hated living alone and had only done so because she was too shy to ask anyone to get an apartment with her. She had been thinking of asking Kendra since hearing her say she wanted to move this summer.
“I think Kendra would love that,” he said, feeling confident of his words. “She speaks very highly of you, you know.”
The expression on Abby’s face told him she didn’t know that. He often wondered what the root cause of her low self-esteem was. Certainly some of her other relationships had contributed, but he got the feeling there was something more she hadn’t told him.
“My dad hit my mom sometimes,” she told him one evening.
Well, that explains some things. He searched her face, knowing she was still holding something back. He had learned to recognize when she had something to say but kept it inside.
“Did he hit you too?”
“No,” she replied. “My mom protected me.”
“Then what?” he coaxed, taking her hand and kissing her fingers. “Come on. You can say it. This is just me.”
A sob escaped her throat. “Oh, Jordan. I’ve been so afraid of ending up with someone like him.”
He held her close and felt deep emotions rising within him like never before. “I will never hurt you, Abby. I promise.”
She sat back and looked at him, obviously never thinking he would. Another tear trickled down her cheek. “I know,” she said. “You’re an answer to a lot of prayers.”
He knew what she was thinking. And yes, he did love her. Marrying her someday was a definite possibility. But he needed to give her some time to enjoy the newness of their relationship and let her learn to be herself around him completely before he turned this into something more serious.
He hoped his kiss conveyed his deep feelings, but he had to pull himself away. Abby was too vulnerable to have to be the one to keep them from going further than either of them were ready for, even if she did evoke more passion within him than he’d ever experienced before.
***
“Good night, Abby,” Jordan said, kissing her briefly at the door.
“Good night,” she echoed. “Thanks for listening.”
Abby closed the door and went to get ready for bed. Before turning out the light, she read her Bible for a few minutes and then prayed, thanking God from the depths of her soul for bringing Jordan into her life. All those bad relationships and years of waiting, and now suddenly here he was. Loving her--Abigail Margaret Morris.
The following day was Saturday and she slept in. The phone ringing at ten woke her up. She didn’t mind, supposing it was Jordan. They had talked about going to the beach today. He asked if she still wanted to, and she said yes, so they did. The entire day was fun, romantic, and relaxing. The more time Abby spent with Jordan, the more she took him into her heart. But a measure of fear continued to plague her. She didn’t want to lose him, and that worried thought paralyzed her often.
“Will you come with me to my church tomorrow?” he asked when they returned.
Her biggest apprehension concerning going to his church was that his parents would be there. He had wanted her to meet them several times, but she had always come up with an excuse.
“Okay,” she replied, knowing she couldn’t put it off forever unless they broke up, and she didn’t want that.
***
Kendra got ready for church on Sunday morning and then sat down at the computer. She had to send a message to Trevor before she left. She had thought of an idea last night while she was trying to go to sleep, and she was super-excited. A week ago she had asked him to pray concerning her internship for this summer. She had her choice of being placed with several youth organizations in the city that the school partnered with, or she could do a private internship if she wanted to make the arrangements herself. She had been feeling lost about what to choose, but last night the perfect idea had come to her.
I’ve decided to talk to my dad and Kevin today about doing some counseling at the church with the youth girls who need someone to talk to. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before! It would be perfect because I already know them and I could do something that I’d love to do with them anyway, but I don’t have time. Now I will! Thanks so much for praying, Trev! I love you!
She typed the final words without thinking until they were staring her in the face. They were true, and she knew he could take them in an old friend sort of way, but she knew she meant them more seriously. She did love him. She had been enjoying their correspondence so much. She wanted to be honest about that, but he hadn’t given her any indication he felt the same way, and she felt like she needed to hear him say those kinds of things first.
She deleted the last three words and then sent the message before leaving for church, but she kept thinking about her words all morning. Maybe she should have said it. She didn’t know.
Getting into her car following a morning of mixed emotions, she reached across the seat and unlocked the door for Kristin. Once she had started the engine, she asked Kristin if she had plans for lunch.
“No. Jacob has that rehearsal for the Easter musical at his church today. He’s not coming by until later.”
“Want to go out? My treat.”
“Sure,” Kristin replied, “although I think I can pay for my own. Jacob has been spoiling me.”
“Oh, Kris. You’re so sweet when you’re in love.”
Kristin didn’t attempt to deny her words, confirming what she had suspected by watching her sister during the last three weeks since Jacob had convinced her to start dating him on a regular basis.
Over salad and Italian food, Kendra heard more about Kristin and Jacob’s time together since Brandon’s wedding. Her sister was happy, no denying that. Kendra divulged a little more information concerning her emails to and from Trevor, although she hadn’t been giving her sister the whole enchilada. Some things she felt like keeping to herself, like the fact that Trevor had said he didn’t have a girlfriend currently and had talked about wanting to see her sometime, possibly this summer when he came home to visit his family.
She had hoped he might come up for Spring Break, but he never mentioned the possibility, and she hadn’t wanted to suggest it. She had written him a message one day saying that she wanted to go down and visit him, but she hadn’t had the nerve to send it, nor the extra money to actually go without depleting her tiny savings account.
She knew it was too soon anyway. Trevor had given her no indication he wanted anything more than an email buddy. At this point she didn’t feel that sharing her heart was worth ruining their friendship. All of this might only be a short-lived attempt to relive the past. Perhaps everything had really ended for them five years ago.
CHAPTER SEVEN
On Friday evening Kendra went straight to the church after work. A worship band had been invited to do a concert for a youth praise service. Youth groups from all over the Eugene area had been invited to attend. Kendra wanted to get there early and help out in any way she could.
Meeting the lead singer along with the three other guys, Kendra welcomed them and made sure they had everything they needed. Normally with four single, committed Christian men on her hands, she would have turned on the charm and flirted just enough to let them know she was available if any of them were too. But even with the exceptionally good-looking one named Michael, she was all business. Trevor may not have professed his love to her, but she had officially taken herself off the market until further notice.
Once the youth began to arrive, she looked for those from her group and welcomed any new faces she saw. They had a good turnout. The band had the kids on their feet from the first song, creating an atmosphere of worship that resonated throughout the auditorium.
Kendra needed to use the restroom twenty minutes into the concert. She entered
the hallway and began walking toward the ladies’ room when she thought she heard some voices coming from around the corner. Slowing her stride, she approached the end of the hallway and was able to hear the nature of the conversation and recognize the male and female voices without rounding the corner.
“Mary Beth, you are important to me,” Bradley said in a pleading tone. “Don’t make such a big deal out of this.”
“I never see you anymore,” Mary Beth replied. “I’m tired of sitting around and waiting for you to have time for me.”
Kendra decided to go back to the ladies’ room and leave them alone. This was obviously a private conversation. If it would have been some of the other couples in the group, she would have pretended to be going to the youth room and then told them to get to the auditorium, but she felt comfortable leaving them to talk this out--until she heard Bradley’s next words.
“I’m here now,” he said, his voice becoming tender. “Let’s go out to the car and spend some time alone. No one will notice that we’re gone.”
Kendra knew that tone. She’d heard many guys using their power of persuasion on her. She definitely decided to stick around and make sure they didn’t leave the building, but she wanted to wait and see how Mary Beth responded.
“I want to go to the concert!” she said. “We’ve already missed twenty minutes!”
“But I thought you wanted some time with me?” Bradley coaxed.
Silence followed. Kendra could imagine why.
“Brad,” Mary Beth replied. “Not now. I don’t think going out to the car is a good idea. That’s not what I meant when I said I wanted more time together.”
Bring Me Flowers (Garden of Love 5) Page 19
