“Thank you,” Colleen and Jenny echoed each other. Colleen couldn’t imagine this becoming a hobby.
“You’re both very welcome. I hope to see you in here again. Next time bring your albums. If I’m here, I’d like to see what you do with them.” Shelly turned to leave.
“Wait a minute.” Colleen quickly grabbed one of her business cards and handed it to Shelly. “If you’re ever in Silverton, stop by; coffee and cinnamon rolls are on me.”
Adam paid for the items Colleen and Jenny had selected while Colleen said farewell to Shelly. He noted Colleen’s eyes no longer possessed their sparkle. He wondered if she was saddened by the thoughts of preserving her grandmother’s memories.
Jenny gathered up the bags. Adam watched her turn and frown at David. If he knew his sister, David was about to get dumped.
Colleen turned back to the register. “Hey, why did you do that?”
Adam was shocked by the demanding tone and the new flames in her eyes. “You were busy. I just took care of it.”
“Since when did you start paying my bills, Adam?”
Adam looked over his shoulder at the gawking cashier. “Colleen, you are making too much out of this. It’s the least I could do. After all, if you weren’t helping Jenny with her homework, you probably wouldn’t even be here.” His own anger began to grow. One thing he didn’t enjoy was being the center of attention.
“I see. Thanks.”
Adam watched her eyes tear up. Now what had he said? Women were so hard to understand.
Sarah and her boyfriend chose that moment to enter the store. “Hey, I didn’t know this store had stickers.” She made her way to the first wall with a vast array of brightly colored decals, unaware of the tension in the store. Her boyfriend followed.
Jenny looked at David, who had his nose buried in a magazine, shook her head, and followed the other two teenagers out. The urge to take away David’s magazine and hide behind it tempted him. Hurting Colleens feelings had been the last thing Adam wanted to do, and if he could figure out what he’d done wrong, he would change it.
Fact was, though, he was clueless.
And from the squaring of her shoulders, she wasn’t going to tell him, either.
Chapter 7
Colleen pulled another faded, black-and-white snap shot from the shoe box. A man and woman faced the camera. His arm was draped over her shoulders. She could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were in love. She turned the photo over and read the names, Leah and Max Reilly.
Her Grammy?
She flipped the picture back over and studied her grandmother’s young face. Grammy couldn’t have been much older than Colleen herself. And she looked so happy. Colleen wondered if she would ever find the man of her dreams and look that content.
Thoughts of Adam invaded her mind. Could she be happy with him? She sighed. Even if that were possible, Cassie Masters already had his heart.
Colleen separated her family photos into two piles. The Holidays and the Reillys. She laid the picture on top of the Reilly pile of family photos. The clock chimed.
Jenny would arrive shortly, ready to scrap. The teenager had taken to scrapbooking like a bear to honey. She loved everything about it.
Colleen started her pages with the old notes and letters from the past. She’d found several scripture quotations jotted on the sides of the notes as if they were someone’s favorite verses.
Grammy had said that Peter Collins, one of her grandfathers, had been a minister. So Colleen assumed they were his.
A soft knock sounded on the side of the door to the apartment. Assuming it was Jenny, Colleen called out, “Come in.”
She picked up another photo and examined the strangers staring back at her. Their faces were blurred, so she pulled it closer for a better look.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Colleen jumped. She dropped the snapshot.
“I’m sorry. I thought you knew I was here.” Adam bent and picked up the picture.
She held her hand to her pounding chest. “I thought you were Jenny.”
He held the photo out to her. “I don’t normally get that,” Adam teased.
Colleen couldn’t help but smile, too. “No, I don’t guess you would.” She took the picture. “Thank you.”
For several long seconds, they stared at each other. Colleen hadn’t seen Adam since Saturday when they’d gone to Durango and she’d overreacted to him paying for her scrapping supplies. Jealousy and the knowledge that he was simply grateful to her for helping Jenny had made her act hastily.
He broke eye contact first. “I came by to tell you Jenny wouldn’t be coming today.” Adam stuck his hands into his pockets. “And to give you this.” He held up an envelope.
“I hope everything is okay.” Colleen took the letter. A quick glance told her it was from her father. She raised her gaze from the envelope. Adam cleared his throat. “She got sick. Something she ate for lunch didn’t agree with her.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?” Colleen laid the picture on the table.
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and shifted his feet. “Thank you, but I think she just needs some rest. She’ll probably feel fine in the morning.”
“Well, if she needs anything, let me know, and I’ll try to help.” Colleen knew she should say something about Saturday, but her brain refused to give her mouth the command.
His eyes softened. The light pools of blue turned into dusky pools of liquid. “I better go. Thanks again.” He spun on his heels and hurried to the door. He pushed at the door and turned.
“One question, Colleen.”
She studied his intent face and nodded. “Okay.”
“Why were you mad at me? I thought we were getting along great in Durango, but then you clammed up. What gives?”
Her stomach clenched. No way would she admit to jealousy. “Nothing.”
“Is that why you didn’t say a word on the way home from Durango? You wouldn’t even look at me.”
She couldn’t look at him now. Was that how she’d seemed an Saturday- angry? She’d been hurt, not mad.
The telephone rang. Reprieved. She smiled in relief. “Excuse me.” Colleen walked to the living room to answer the phone.
---
Adam moved to the table and looked down at her pictures. She had divided them into small piles. He saw faces of young and old staring up at him. A picture of a little girl and a woman smiled serenely. He wondered if the child was a young Colleen.
He picked up the photograph and turned it over. “Me and Colleen” was inscribed on the back of it. Adam flipped the picture over again and smiled at Colleen’s young image. She must have been six or seven when the picture was taken. Her two front teeth were missing, and her hair had been pulled up into pigtails.
“Sorry about that.” Colleen stopped a few feet from him. Her gaze moved to the photo in his hand.
Adam grinned. “You sure were a cute little thing. Is this your mom?” He asked, handing the picture to her.
Colleen looked down and nodded. “I was six. I remember the day it was taken. We were getting ready to go to church. Dad took the picture and said we were two of the most beautiful women in the world.”
He watched a soft smile touch her lips at the memory. You are beautiful, he thought. Adam wished he had the courage to tell her so. For the first time, Adam saw Colleen as someone with whom he could spend the rest of his life.
If only he hadn’t agreed to keep Cassie and Richard’s wedding a secret, he could ask Colleen out. It had been okay to take Cassie to all the church functions when he hadn’t been interested in Colleen, but now that he was, the arrangement no longer worked for him. Adam knew even as he entertained the thoughts, he’d continue the charade as long as his friends needed him to.
“I’d better get back to Jenny.”
She raised her head. “Call if you two need anything.”
There seemed a new softness in her eyes. Maybe
she was over whatever had been bugging her.
He drove through town and pulled into the drive of his home, then went inside to check on Jenny.
“Adam? Is that you?” Jenny called from her bedroom.
He hurried to the door. “I’m here, how are you feeling?”
She pulled herself up. “I’m doing okay. Cassie called. She wants you to call her back.” Jenny extended her hand with a piece of paper in it.
He entered her room of stuffed animals and lace and took the number. “Did you say what she needed?”
“No, but she sounded kind of upset.” Jenny scooted back down under the sheets.
Adam sat on the edge of Jenny’s bed. He touched her forehead. It felt a little warm, but he didn’t think she had a fever.
She gave him a weak smile.
“Do you need anything?” Adam brushed the hair from her forehead.
Jenny yawned. “No, I just want to sleep.”
“Okay, I’m going to go call Cassie. Back. Yell if you need me.” He slowly got to his feet. By the time he’d gotten to the door, Jenny had already fallen back to sleep.
Adam made his way into the living room and sat down. The phone sat on an end table beside him. He looked at the number again and reached for the receiver.
Cassie’s voice sounded weak when she answered.
“Cassie, this is Adam. Jenny said you called.”
“Adam, I’m scared. I think I’m miscarrying. Can you come over?” She sobbed into his ear.
“I’ll be there in a few moments. Be ready to go to the doctor,” He ordered, then hung up. He felt torn. Jenny lay sick in her bedroom, and Cassie needed him to take care of her and the baby. Cassie needed him more than Jenny right now, he decided. Adam picked up the phone again and dialed Colleen’s number.
Chapter 8
Colleen answered the phone.
“Can I bother you for a favor?”
If Adam’s voice hadn’t been so full of concern, she would have laughed. Only a man would begin a telephone conversation like that. “Sure, is something wrong with Jenny?”
“No, I just need to run into Durango, and I hate to leave her alone when she’s sick. Would you mind coming over and sitting with her?”
She wondered why he’d leave his sick sister to go to Durango, but since he hadn’t volunteered that information, Colleen decided it would be better not to ask. “I’ll be over there in a few minutes.”
“Thanks. Just let yourself in. She’s asleep right now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Adam hung up the phone.
Colleen hurried to gather a few things. She grabbed With Out a Trace, a mystery by Colleen Coble she’d been reading, and a cross-stitch project she had been working on. A small bag of pinion nuts and a couple of diet colas completed her quick selections as she hurried out the door.
Adam’s vehicle was gone from the driveway when Colleen got to the house. Disappointment gripped her heart. She’d really hoped she could catch Adam before he left. The thought of seeing him had sent shivers of anticipation down her arms.
She let herself in the front door. Colleen’s mind did a mental inventory of the room. A lamp in the corner illuminated the cozy room. A large, plush, dark brown couch filled most of the space. An oversized matching chair sat off to one side, and a mahogany bookshelf stood beside it. End tables with lamps sitting on them completed the furniture in the room. Family pictures decorated the walls. She would have enjoyed looking at each one but decided her first priority was to check in on Jenny.
Colleen made her way down the short hallway. She opened the first door on the left. A very masculine bedroom greeted her. Adam’s scent assaulted her. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the earth fragrance. She could tell that Adam used half the room for sleeping; the other half was a small office.
She moved on to the next room. The door stood partway open, so she gave it a gentle push. Plush animals, posters of young men, and lacy curtains greeted her. Definitely Jenny’s room. Colleen tiptoed inside.
Jenny lay on her side with her arm under her pillow and head. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Colleen turned around and slipped out of the room. She pulled the door halfway closed.
A bathroom across from Jenny’s room completed the hallway. Colleen turned around to go back into the living room. She passed Adam’s room and shut the door.
She picked up her bag and decided to put the colas in the refrigerator. The kitchen had been decorated in rich hunter greens and deep blues. There were no frilly curtains, no cute magnets on the refrigerator, and no country cup towels hanging about. Definitely a man’s kitchen.
“What are you doing here, Colleen?”
Colleen jumped. She spun around and saw the yawning Jenny standing in the doorway. What was it with the Walkers? Did they always sneak up on people? Jenny’s pale face stopped Colleen from scolding her.
“Adam asked me to come over.” Colleen opened the fridge and set the colas inside. “How are you feeling?” She turned back around to face the young girl.
Jenny sat down at the little table to the side. “My stomach is still a little queasy. Would it be too much trouble to make some tea?”
“Of course not. Where do you keep it?” Colleen leaned against the counter and smiled.
“Right behind you in the green canister.”
Colleen turned to the cabinet and opened the doors. Several canisters greeted her. “They’re all green.”
“The middle one,” Jenny’s muffled voice answered.
She pulled the canister down and opened it. Inside she found a varying collection of tea packets. Colleen looked over her shoulder at Jenny. The girl sat with her head resting on the table.
Colleen looked through the tea bags. “Chamomile’s suppose to calm the digestive system and soothe stomache cramps. We’ll try that one.”
“Okay,” Jenny mumbled from the table.
A navy blue teakettle sat on the back of the stove. She filled it with water. After placing it on the burner, she turned her attention back to Jenny.
“The tea should be ready in a few minutes.” Colleen sat down in the chair next to Jenny.
Jenny lifted her head. “Thanks. Mom use to make me tea when I was sick.”
Colleen smiled as she remembered. “Mine made me potato soup.”
“Colleen?”
She looked up and met Jenny’s serious gaze. “What?”
“How old were you when your mom died?” She fingered the blue and green tablecloth as she waited for an answer.
“I had just turned sixteen. My father was away on a trip to Africa.” Her thoughts went to the night the policemen had showed up at their house. That had been the worst night of her life. She’d given up on life and God that night. Thankfully, her Grammy had been there, or Colleen felt sure she would have done something foolish and ended her own life.
“Is that when you moved in with your Grammy?” Jenny picked at a small thread.
The teakettle whistled. Colleen stood up and poured them both a cup of hot water. She handed Jenny a cup and a tea bag then answered, “No, when my granddaddy Max died, Grammy moved here to be closer to us and to open her bakery. But after Mom’s death, nothing was the same.”
“Really?” Jenny dipped her bag in the hot water and scooted up in her chair.
Colleen knew Jenny was fishing for something. But what? She decided to be honest with the girl. “Sure nothing was the same. The house didn’t feel like home, and I felt as if my whole world had come tumbling down around me. My Grammy and dad were grieving, too, so to me it seemed as though no one cared about me.” She allowed her thoughts to drift for a moment and then continued explaining her old feelings to Jenny. “Mom and I were very close. You see, my parents had me late in life. Mom always told me I was a gift from God because he allowed her to carry me full term. My parents had lost two babies before me and were afraid they would lose me, too. So when Mom died, I felt as if I’d lost my best friend, and I didn’t react well to her loss.”
Jenny stood a
nd pulled a small canister of sugar out of one of the many hunter green cabinets. “What did you do?” She returned to the table and plopped back into her chair.
“I pouted, blamed God, and cried a lot.” She bent her head to her drink and peeked at Jenny over the rim of the cup.
The teenager’s voice came out a whisper. “You really did that?”
Colleen looked up at her. “I’m not proud of it, but yes. Because I was bitter, I pushed God, Daddy, and Grammy away from me.”
“How did you fix it?” Jenny gulped her hot tea, then winched in pain.
“At Grammy’s funeral, I took the advice she had given me years before and turned it all over to God. I asked Him to forgive me. And He did.” Colleen smiled at the memory of God’s forgiveness. She glanced over at Jenny. The girl fanned her tongue and frowned.
“And dat fixed it?” Jenny asked, sticking her tongue out and waving her hand over the hot spot.
Colleen laughed. She went to fridge, pulled open the door, and got Jenny a piece of ice. “Yes, but I still grieve for my mom and my grandparents. It’s only natural, Jenny.”
“You really think so?” A tear slid down Jenny’s cheek. “Sometimes it feels like my heart is being ripped from my chest. I miss my mom and dad so much. Adam doesn’t understand me, and now David and I have broken up. Oh, Colleen, it’s just awful.” She buried her head in her arms.
Colleen walked around the table and pulled a chair up beside Jenny’s. She put her arm around the girl’s shoulders and hugged her close. “I know it is.”
She found herself repeating the advice of her grandmother. “Jenny, If you will turn all the hurt over to God, he will heal the wounds of your soul.”
Adam glanced down at his watch. He groaned. Three o’clock. The emergency room had taken forever to finish treating Cassie. What must Colleen think? He hurried into the house and found her asleep on the couch.
He stood for several long moments just staring down at her sleeping face. Should he let her sleep? Wake her up? Or just continue to stare at her? If he let her sleep, would her reputation be ruined by those who might see her leave in the morning? The questions buzzed around his tired mind.
Scraps of Love Page 4
