Just the Way You Are (Seasons of Hope Book 2)

by Jessica R. Patch

  “I’m sorry about lunch, Sierra.”

  “Gabe. Stop.” She held her hand up. “It’s fine. I’ll be by later.” Sierra and Rosemary’s granddaughter, Tanya, were close friends. “Call if you need anything at all.”

  He walked her out and hopped in his car then drove to the Veltz farm. Their driveway was already packed with vehicles. Entering the house, he was greeted with sounds of crying, laughter, and women busying themselves in the kitchen.

  Eden gave him a quick wave with a ladle and zipped into the dining room. The tiny farmhouse bulged with family and friends. It warmed Gabe’s heart to see the community coming together to aid a grieving family.

  “Coming through. Coming through. Lady with an arrangement here!”

  He grinned and his heart picked up speed—the reaction Audrey’s voice always produced. He could be Pavlov’s dog. Ring a bell. Salivate. Audrey spoke. Gabe grinned and his heart rate spiked.

  An enormous flower arrangement covered Audrey’s face and trunk, but he got a nice eye-full of her bare legs from the knees down and a pair of heels. Who wore heels to work on their feet all day? And in cold weather?

  Audrey Gilbraith.

  “Did you bring any ice, Audrey? Eden said she was going to call you to pick some up.” Betsy Davis cleared the crowd to help Blind Audrey to the living room.

  “Ice. I knew I forgot something. I got caught up with the flowers. Just let me set them down and I’ll run back out.”

  “We’re out of ice now, hon. I’ll call Leonard and have him bring a few bags. Where are we going to put this massive creation?” Betsy huffed and scanned the living room.

  “Hey everyone!” Sierra stepped inside. A bag of ice in each hand. “I thought we might need some extra ice.”

  Gabe took the bags from Sierra. “Thank you. I’ll get them to Eden.”

  “I got ‘em. Go on in there and do what you need to.” She smiled and took the bags from him; her dark brown eyes warmed. “But tell Knox to run out to my car. I brought a few trays of sandwiches.”

  Audrey adjusted the amazing flower display that Betsy had set on the window seat, the sweet scent already permeating the room. Must be what heaven smelled like. She turned and stared at Sierra with the bags of ice; her lips turned south, then she glanced at Gabe, shrugged, and sighed.

  “I—I gotta go.”

  “Where are you running off to?” Gabe wasn’t ready to see her leave. She’d brightened the room the minute she’d walked in, even though she wasn’t as chipper. He closed the distance between them. “Don’t you want to see Tanya?”

  She rubbed her temples and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m not good with this kind of thing. I never know what to say. ‘Sorry for you loss’ seems lame, and I can never come up with the right Scripture.”

  Gabe laid a hand on her shoulder, warmth seeped through the sleeve of her dress into his palm. Her vulnerability endeared him. He leaned down for her ears only. Maybe the heels were to make her taller. Even with them on he was over a head taller than her.

  “Sometimes, saying nothing and just being here says more.”

  Audrey’s eyes pooled like a clear sheen over a soft blue brook. “Rosemary used to come in every Tuesday and buy a flower arrangement. Never bought the same kind. She liked variety.”

  “The flowers are perfect, Audrey.”

  Audrey gave a flat laugh. “Ice would have been perfect.” She blew a breath and scanned the room. “I’ve got a lot on my mind anyway.”

  “You wanna talk about it?”

  “No. I’m still processing and the people need you.” And it appeared she didn’t. “I guess I’ll go find somewhere to sit quietly.”

  Quiet wasn’t exactly Audrey’s style. Another thing he liked about her.

  “You sure? Because you can always talk to me.”

  “I hear pastors do make great listeners.” Her attempt at teasing wasn’t projected with her usual enthusiasm or playful winks.

  “I didn’t mean as a pastor.”

  “Friend. Pastor. I appreciate it.”

  Before he could respond, Audrey slipped through the crowd. He ignored the disappointing reminder that she didn’t see him as anything more than those two things.

  Stories circulated the house, some sad and some funny. Rosemary had been a generous woman. Marla, her daughter, stood with Betsy Davis and a few other women by the floral arrangement Audrey had created.

  “Why didn’t she just send this over to the funeral home? It’s a little crowded in here.” Connie, one of his congregants, frowned at the grand display taking up sitting room.

  Betsy touched a flower. “True. But Rosemary loved flowers. One thing Audrey can get right is floral arrangements.”

  The small group snickered.

  “Well, it certainly isn’t men.” Connie nudged Betsy and gave her a knowing look.

  Marla leaned in and sniffed. “I feel so bad for Audrey.”

  “We reap what we sow,” Betsy said. “You play with fire and you get burned.”

  “Bad choice of words, Betsy.”

  Betsy covered her mouth. “You’re right. I didn’t mean that. Forgive me.”

  “Well, someone needs to take this arrangement to the funeral home so we have more space.” Connie crossed her arms and glared at Betsy.

  Gabe stepped up. He’d heard enough. Curiosity tugged at him, though. What kind of fire had burned Audrey and what exactly had she reaped that had cost her a man? Whatever it was, it wasn’t worth eliciting more gossip.

  “I like the flowers,” Gabe said, hoping to nip the blathering in the bud.

  “Me too.” Marla sniffed. “You realize what she did, don’t you?”

  “Who?” Gabe asked and laid a hand on Marla’s upper back. “Audrey?”

  Marla nodded and wiped her eyes. “She’s included every single flower Mom ever bought.” She touched a yellow rose. “These were my favorite. Mom loved the tulips—the white ones.”

  There they were. Yellow, red, pink, white roses, white tulips, daffodils…dozens of flowers and colors. Each one representing a week of Rosemary’s life. Gabe’s insides softened. He looked around for Audrey but she was gone. She needed to know how much this had meant to the family. More than ice or even food. Each blossom evoked a good memory.

  Betsy laughed. “She was so mad her thumbs weren’t green. I believe she had Audrey come over here and try to help her grow some, but Rosemary either over-watered or forgot to water.”

  Marla sniffed and grinned. “She did. In fact, that reminds me. Gabe, I need to give you something. It’s a check and Mother’s last wishes.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Audrey set the vase of spring wildflowers in the cooler and trudged back to the counter. How could Sharon and Dotty sell The Petal Pusher right out from under her?

  Because it was their business, and it wasn’t like Audrey could afford to buy it. Still, they could have at least offered. Some guy from Memphis was coming in early May, and he wasn’t even going to keep it a florist shop. Audrey was losing not only her job, but her home.

  The bell jingled and her favorite teenage stalker, Corey Phillips, strutted inside. “What up, Aud?”

  This ought to be good. “What can I do for you this fine, but cold spring day?”

  Corey grinned and pointed with his thumbs to his Star Wars T-shirt. “I’m gonna need this.”

  Studying his Darth Vader shirt, Audrey tried her best to jump into Corey’s head. No such luck. Corey grinned and stroked what was an attempt at a beard. Only a sophomore in high school, he had a major crush on Audrey and he’d shown it in the most bizarre ways.

  “You’re not ordering me flowers again, are you?” He’d come in one day out of the blue and asked what flowers she liked. Audrey had assumed it was for a girl so she helped him out and made the arrangement. Two days later, Corey had left it on her door. He’d done it twice since then. Once he said they were for his mother and another occasion for his aunt. She’d had a sneaky feeling each time, but he had the cha-ching
so…

  “Nah, I totally get what you said. For real.”

  “About the age difference or the fact that making one’s own arrangements isn’t exactly romantic?”

  Corey leaned on the counter and cast brown sugar eyes on her. “Both. I got a girlfriend.”

  “Well, good for you, dude.” Audrey smiled. “What can I put together for her?”

  He pointed to his shirt again. “This. We’re both so into Star Wars.”

  Audrey scratched the side of her head and stared at Corey’s shirt. The bell jingled and Gabe waltzed in and waved. Seeing she had a customer, he hung back and perused the arrangements in the coolers and the silk displays on the tables.

  “So you want, like, an arrangement of flowers in a Darth Vader helmet? You plan to provide me with that? Because, you know, we’re slap out in our stock room.” She hid her laughter as Corey shook his head.

  “No. No. No. I want you to make the Vader helmet out of black roses.”

  Audrey stared and pinched her lips together. “So…you want to send your new girlfriend black roses.” She inhaled. This kid.

  Corey dropped the ‘yeah, you idiot’ face on her. “On a white rose background.”

  “Do you have any idea how much all these roses will cost for something like that?”

  It finally dawned on him. “How much?”

  “Remember the dozen you had me arrange and send to myself? We’ve gone up since then.” She tsked and tapped her foot on the slip-proof mat at her feet.

  Corey’s face wilted. Her heart went out. “Okay, listen. How about we do a white carnation background and use black flower petals instead of whole roses. It’ll set you back maybe forty bucks.”

  And bloom. He grinned. “You know, Audrey, you should have gone out with me when you had the chance.”

  A cough masking a laugh caught her attention, and she spotted Gabe covering his mouth before clearing his throat.

  “I have the worst luck with men.” That was the cold hard truth. “Hope this chick pans out for ya. When do you need this?”

  “Next Friday.”

  Now to figure out exactly how to pull this off. “Vader, huh? I hope when you say you and she have him in common, you don’t mean the heavy breathing. Catch my drift?” She gave him the eye and his cheeks turned pink.

  “No. Just the movies.”

  “Well, okay then. Friday.”

  Corey scuttled out of the shop, muttering a greeting to Gabe.

  “So you’re not on board with the whole cougar trend?” Gabe teased and strode to the counter, hands in his jeans pockets.

  Audrey bounced a flat look his way. “We’d end in disaster. I’m not a fan of Star Wars. Or prison. Or teenage boys. Or males who can’t grow a real beard.”

  Gabe’s boyish grin rolled into a devilish smirk. “I have a proposition for you.”

  “You’re a pastor. I don’t think you’re supposed to proposition anyone.” She batted her eyes and grabbed a notepad to jot Corey’s notes down.

  “I don’t think it’s just pastors who shouldn’t be propositioning women.” He leaned on the counter and watched her write.

  “Good point.” She tore off the paper from the pad and laid it by the register. “So. Shoot.”

  “Rosemary Veltz left a large sum of money for a prayer garden to be built behind the church. I was thinking I could hire you to design it and help me build it.”

  “Well, flowers are kinda my jam.” She wiggled her eyebrows. A prayer garden. Wouldn’t that be wonderful. A peaceful place to come and pray. Jesus spent a lot of time praying in gardens. Wait… “Did you say help you build it? As in literally you?”

  “I did a lot of landscaping in Florida. Paid for college.”

  “Oh really? Well, it couldn’t have paid for much. I’ve seen your flower beds.”

  Gabe’s amused expression sent her stomach into somersaults. “The ones on their way to hell? In a hand basket?”

  Cheeks heating, Audrey brushed a strand of hair from her face. “The very ones.”

  “Mmm…I just haven’t had time to get to it. Seems like you said you’d come help.”

  “Why should I,” she teased, “if you’re so good you can pay for all of college?” She forgot Gabe had a degree in psychology as well as his…what did they call a degree in pastoring? Her hair fell into her eyes again.

  Gabe reached out and tucked it back behind her ear, sending her heart into a wild-paced rhythm. “Most of it then. As far as the prayer garden, we’ll still need to hire a crew. I don’t have all the equipment.”

  “Just how large a sum did she leave?”

  “Thousands. So?” Gabe drummed his fingers on the counter, a hopeful expression on his face.

  Audrey had always wanted to design a garden, and she loved getting her hands in the earth, turning it up, and planting. It was therapeutic. “Fine. But on one condition.”

  Gabe smirked. “I promise not to include black roses.”

  “Ha. Ha. But thanks. No, you can’t pay me.”

  “But—”

  Audrey held her hand up. “No.” Rosemary had been the best to Audrey. Especially after she’d come home from college with her tail tucked between her legs and humiliation permanently etched into her bones. No, she really had no luck with men.

  “No?” Gabe arched an eyebrow and cocked his head.

  “No.”

  “But, you will do it?”

  Audrey nodded. “It would be an honor.” How could she turn down two things she loved? Rosemary and gardening. “When do you plan to start?”

  Gabe’s eyes lit up and Audrey’s heart sputtered. “I was thinking we could have dinner after the scrimmage game. You’ll be at the game, right?”

  She ran her teeth across her bottom lip. Dinner. After the game. Alone with Gabe. It held more appeal than she’d like to admit. But it wasn’t a good idea to go and get gooey on Gabe. Wow, can I say that five times fast?

  His brow puckered. “What’s wrong?”

  She wasn’t sure if it was the fact he was a pastor, a psychologist, or just really attuned to behavior but he read her too easily. “Nothing.”

  “Is this about the stuff on your mind from the other day?”

  Not to mention his outstanding memory. The Harris sisters had asked her not to tell anyone yet because they hadn’t signed all the papers. Audrey couldn’t assume to know what other small towns were like, but Mistletoe citizens were not fans of change. Audrey hadn’t even told Eden. This whole keeping-it-in thing was killing her. She was close to imploding.

  “I’ll be there. You know I’m not missing the first pre-season scrimmage game. Besides, Jo is playing and I don’t get the chance often enough to heckle my big bro.” She rolled a pen around on the counter. “So, yeah. Dinner is cool.” Just business. No getting giddy over Gabe. And say that five times fast.

  Gabe studied her and she squirmed inside. Finally, he spoke. “Do you mind if we don’t go to the Burger Barn after? I know it’s the big hang out, but I was thinking maybe something quieter with more privacy.”

  Privacy. Quiet. She tried to read him, but she couldn’t tell if he had any underlying motives. After all, he was having tomato basil with Sierra Bradley. Warm brown eyes gazed on her, patiently waiting. “I guess if we want to actually talk turkey we’ll need quiet.” There. If he did have any romantic notions, she’d fixed that. She grabbed several white carnations from a supply cooler and placed them on the counter.

  “Right.” Gabe’s cheek pulsed. “All business.”

  Dotty breezed in. The woman was still a hippy at heart. Long, straight red hair that had a few streaks of gray. Pale blue eyes and a smile longer than a canoe. “Hello, my chickadee! Pastor Brookson, what brings you in? Flowers for Sierra? I heard there might be a little love in the air. Guess you caught it.” She thumped her foot along the floor like the rabbit from Bambi.

  Audrey snipped the tip of a carnation stem with more force than necessary. “Flu’s in the air, too. You want him to catch that a
s well?”

  Gabe’s neck flushed and he cleared his throat. “The only thing I’m catching is the ball at tonight’s game. Are you and Sharon coming?”

  “I am. Sharon’s working late tonight.”

  Audrey’s mood curdled. Working to turn things over to some southerner who would probably ma’am her to death given the opportunity.

  How depressing. Two months. She had two months to find a job and a place to live. No way was she bunking with Mom, even though her mother would love having her. Dad had moved an hour south. Not that he’d offer. Since April died, he hadn’t been the same.

  Gabe laid his hand on Audrey’s for a quick second. “See you at the game. Dress warm. It’s gonna be cold.”

  “Are you pitching?”

  “Yep.”

  “Strike my brother out.” She pretended to swing a bat.

  Gabe’s smile exploded a series of vibrations in her stomach. She loved his perfectly straight teeth. She was a teeth girl.

  “Oh, I plan to.” He winked and it sent a tiny thrill down her spine. “Bye, Miss Harris.”

  The door closed and Dotty lasered in on Audrey. “Well, you got your answer.”

  Audrey clipped another stem. “What are you talking about?”

  “Now you know he’s not interested in Sierra Bradley. He’s only catching fly balls. You like my subtlety?” She shimmied her shoulders and cackled. “Go after him, honey. He’s a keeper. I may not have had a lasting marriage, but that makes me an expert on what is not a keeper.”

  Audrey sighed. “Dot, even if I did want to make a go of it with him, I can’t.”

  Dotty crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. “Because of what happened between you and Foster, or because of what ran you off from college? Whatever that was. Or both?”

  Shame ran her off. Disappointment in herself. She’d disappointed God. Her family. She’d tried to bury it, but buried things had a way of unearthing. At least she’d kept it from Mistletoe—a miracle of sorts.

  Couldn’t keep it from God, though.

  Audrey picked at the edge of a ribbon left on the counter. “Not just that. I have many reasons.” All legit.