by Mary Davis
“That will make things interesting.” He helped her smooth the blanket.
“You can have the couch, Mr. Halloway.” Meghann spoke in the same hushed tone he was using. She added the Mr. Halloway to remind herself who he really was. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”
He clasped her hand. “I can’t let you do that.”
She froze, not knowing what to say. If he envisioned anything more than a curt good night, he was in for a surprise. She might be in a bind, but she wasn’t that desperate. Pulling her hand free, she grabbed up the other bedding and spread it out on the floor away from the couch.
Before she knew it, Bruce came up behind her, swept her up in his arms, and deposited her, sputtering and speechless, on the couch. Then he retrieved the blanket and pillow from the other side of the room, laid them on the floor parallel with the couch, and stretched out. “Good night, Miss Livingston.”
“Good night.” She laid her head back, noting his use of her surname.
She glanced down at him, taking in the stiffness in his back, feeling miserable. He was probably mad at her now. He’d been so kind, so willing to help her out, and how had she repaid him? By being curt and suspicious.
He had her so confused every time he looked at her with those molten brown eyes or smiled at her; and his touch sent shock waves through her scrambling brain. He easily made her forget that her mother’s health and a rapidly building lie had brought them together and nothing more. She had only spent a few hours with him, and she was already incapable of thinking straight. What would more time bring? Complete brain failure? If she didn’t watch her step—or in this case, her emotions—she would be throwing herself in his arms before the week was out.
He was most definitely going on a business trip—tomorrow!
Meghann dried the mirror with the towel that had moments ago been wrapped around her head. She ran her brush through her wet hair. She had to figure out how to walk out of the bathroom with no makeup, her hair wet, dressed only in her robe, and act like it was perfectly natural with a man in her house who slept only a few feet from her last night.
He was so close she could hear him breathe, yet far enough away to be safe. She had lain there thinking about him and the fix she was in. The fix she’d gotten them both into. How had it all gotten so complicated, so out of control? One little lie: “Yes, Mom, I have a boyfriend.” Now she was playing house with a man she liked but really didn’t know that well.
She felt guilty enough for lying to her mother. But those feelings were quadrupled when she let herself think how she’d gotten her boss—her boss, for heaven’s sake!—caught up in this. If only he hadn’t shown up at the airport.…
Fifteen minutes one way or the other and their paths wouldn’t have crossed. All he’d had to do was take a slightly different route.…All she’d had to do was go to the restroom with her mother.…Why couldn’t she have accompanied her mother, then Bruce would have kept walking and no one would be the wiser. Simple decisions that had resulted in disaster.
Why, Lord? Why has something so small and harmless grown so unbelievably complex and overwhelming?
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all…who suppress the truth…”
Meg stared at herself in the mirror. God’s wrath. Had she brought that on herself? Was she only getting what she deserved for her deception?
But I did it for my mom.…
You did it for yourself.
She looked away. No point in arguing about it. What was done was done. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now except keep up this act.
She pulled her thick lavender robe tight around her and eased open the door, wanting to know where he was before she waltzed out. She couldn’t hear his voice or see him. All she saw was her mother curled up on the end of the couch reading while sipping a cup of tea.
“Where’s Bruce?” She hoped to make the question casual but her tone sounded forced even to her own ears.
Her mother looked up. “He left a few minutes ago, and said he would see you later.”
“Oh.” Meghann darted into her bedroom and dressed. She put on her makeup in record time and wolfed down a bowl of cereal. She was at work a full half hour early and paced in the newly remodeled employee lounge. It wasn’t that she wanted to be at work so soon; the fact was she was avoiding her mom. She felt more and more guilty about lying and was afraid of what her mom might ask her about Mr. Halloway. Questions she couldn’t answer but should be able to. It was easier when she only had to remember her own lies. Now she had to match his as well. Where was the simplicity in this?
She wondered if he was here at the hotel. How would he act toward her? She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost arrived late at the front desk.
Meghann had been at work for nearly two hours when Mr. Halloway—she had to make herself think of him that way now—passed by the front desk and did a double take. He frowned as he strode over with purpose. No doubt that purpose was her. She shifted uneasily. No doubt about it: she was in for it. He was going to tell her what a flake she was.
“Ms. Livingston, I’d like to see you in my office.”
Here it came. She smiled up at him, doing her best to exude confidence and graciousness. “Now?”
“If you’re not too busy.” A shadow of annoyance crossed his face.
She glanced down the length of the empty counter. Where was the swarm of guests when you needed them? “No.”
He walked across the lobby to the door leading to the offices and waited for her.
“Oooh, you’re in trouble now,” her coworker Peter said in a low voice. “I wonder what he wants to see you about.”
Meghann had a good idea and swallowed hard. She would undoubtedly get a tongue-lashing for marrying him without his knowledge but she sure couldn’t tell Peter that. She just shrugged her shoulders and followed in Bruce Halloway’s wake.
He held open the door for her, motioning for her to go first down the hall. She stopped at his office door and started to reach for the knob but pulled back. In her hesitation he reached around her to open it and let her enter ahead of him.
Walking behind his uncluttered, massive mahogany desk, he waited for her to sit before easing himself into his burgundy leather chair. From a drawer he pulled out a file and began surfing through the pages, shaking his head. She sat there, tapping her fingers on her wrist, jiggling her foot, feeling for the entire world like a kid who’d been sent to the principal’s office. She felt the flutter of butterflies congregating in her stomach.
Why didn’t he just get it over with? The waiting had to be worse than what was to come. Though he really didn’t have much right to be mad at her. He had refused her offer out. Maybe a night on her hard floor had changed his mind. If not, she would insist on him feigning a trip. She would stand up for herself and hope she didn’t get fired.
When he leaned back in his chair, studying her, her small measure of courage nearly evaporated. “What am I going to do with you?” The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Caught off guard by his question and light demeanor, she stared back at him. “Do with me?”
“Do you know what this is?” He held up the file he had perused a moment before.
She shook her head.
“Next week’s schedule.”
She frowned. Had he really called her in to discuss the schedule?
“You’re working all week.”
So? She always worked the day shift, Monday through Friday.
“Do you have any time off while your mother is here?”
Why did he sound so irritated? “Just…just my normal days off.”
“Why don’t you take your vacation time while your mother is visiting?”
“I took all my vacation days when my mom was in the hospital. I’ve also used up all my personal days and my sick days. I don’t have any time left to take.”
Bruce shook his head. “I’m finding someone to replace you.”
Meghann leaned forw
ard. “Please, Mr. Halloway, I need this job!”
“I’m not firing you,” he said gently. “Just getting someone to fill in for you this afternoon. You will have every day off while your mother is here.”
“I can’t. I’ve already taken all the time I’m allowed.”
“What kind of son-in-law would I be if I couldn’t get my wife time off while her ailing mother was in town?” He spoke as if he were addressing an errant child. She felt like an errant child. “No arguments. You will take the time.” He wasn’t angry with her for her lie, only irritated at her lack of time with her mother. A puzzling man indeed.
Meghann bent her head down, then looked him in the eyes. She had to put a stop to this. “I can’t, Mr. Halloway. I can’t afford to have that much time off.”
His expression changed from irritation to compassion. “You will be paid your regular wage. And what happened to calling me Bruce?”
“Mr. Phenton would never allow it.”
“Which, the pay or the name?”
She grimaced. “Probably neither one.”
His chuckle was low and resonant and filled her senses as completely as it filled the room. “I’ll talk to George. And I have the owner’s ear. It won’t be a problem, trust me.”
This whole thing was already a bigger problem than she ever imagined. But the owner? What would Bruce tell him or her? “The ding-a-ling we put in charge of the front desk needs a month off to straighten out her personal life.” And he not only had met the mysterious new owner but also was evidently chummy with him.
“Mr. Hallo—” she stopped at the abrupt raise of his brow. She couldn’t help it with him seated behind that huge mahogany desk, he just looked more like a Mr. Halloway than Bruce.
“Bruce.” It felt strange to be so familiar with him at work. “Time off really isn’t necessary. My mom needs rest more than anything, not me hanging around. I don’t want the new owner to think I’m unreliable.”
“A compromise then. You come in a few hours each day and we can tie up any loose ends on the masquerade ball. Then you can take the rest of the day guilt-free.”
Guilt-free? It took all Meghann’s will not to laugh out loud. Not likely.
The bell jingled over the door as Meghann entered the small computer repair shop where Jennifer worked. There was a computer and two monitors on the counter, and inside the glass front counter were computer guts she supposed. Various other computer parts and debris cluttered the floor along the far wall.
A six foot, three-hundred-and-something pound sandy blond hulk with a beer belly hanging over his belt stepped out from the back room. This must be Dan. Meg had heard Jennifer speak of him and her other boss.
Dan plucked the donut from his mouth and smiled. “May I help you?”
“I was looking for Jennifer Zimmerman.”
He disappeared into the back, and a moment later Jennifer popped through the doorway. “Meg! What brings you here? No, wait, it doesn’t matter.” She waved her hand, then called toward the back room, “I’m going to lunch.”
Dan appeared again and looked at his watch. “It’s a little late for lunch.”
“The book work is almost done, and I’ll finish the invoices when I return. Can I go?”
He braced his hands on the counter and leaned forward with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Only if you’ll marry me.”
Jennifer smiled back at him. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.” She headed for the door.
“One of these days you’ll say yes,” he called after them.
“Not if she marries me first,” came a voice from the dark reaches of the back room that could only be Michael.
Jennifer waved a hand over her shoulder as she pulled the door open with a jingle.
“You have a regular fan club,” Meghann said, stepping out into the sunshine.
“They’ve made up this schedule for taking me out so it’s fair. I feel like a dog bone being fought over.”
Meg grinned. “And you love every minute of it.”
Jennifer’s smile was smug. “Absolutely.”
They went up the street to the bagel store, got a bagel each, and found a quiet table in the corner.
“So, did your mother buy your story? Does she believe your hunk-of-a-husband is away on business?”
“No.”
Jennifer’s disappointed expression almost made Meg laugh. “No! Why not? Didn’t you explain it was last minute and urgent?”
“I was going to but it all fizzled away when Mr. Halloway showed up at the airport when I was picking up my mom.”
Jennifer’s mouth hung open. “You’re kidding. What happened?”
She explained briefly the embarrassing scene at the airport and all that had happened since then. “What am I going to do?”
“Nothing.”
Meghann looked up at her sharply. Obviously Jenn had recovered from her earlier shock. She was smiling and looking utterly pleased with the situation.
“It’s perfect, Meg.”
“Perfect? It’s a disaster!” Was the woman totally insane?
Jenn picked off a piece of her bagel and waved it around as she spoke. “No. It’s like a sign from God or something.”
How could anyone possibly figure Bruce Halloway and her mother under Meg’s roof as a sign from God?
“Don’t you see? With both of you there it’s more convincing, like having a corroborating witness. And you can’t get much more corroboration than from the hubby himself.” She nodded firmly. “It was meant to happen this way, Meg. I know it. Why else would Bruce have shown up at the right time and agree to play along? Your mom’s happy, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“But nothing. She will get better because of it. And as long as she is getting better you know this is what God wants. Trust me, it’s best for your mom not to say anything right now. She’s just not strong enough yet.”
Though Jenn went to church semiregularly, she never seemed to have any trouble with bending the truth. Maybe that should have been her first clue not to listen to her. But she had to admit, her mom did seem better, stronger, and was overjoyed at Bruce’s presence. Bruce. Why was he doing this? What reasons could he have that he didn’t want to tell her?
“I don’t know, Jenn. I’m so confused.”
“You may not know, but I do. Trust me. You couldn’t ask for things to work out better.”
It sounded good…it really did. But Meghann was having a hard time believing it. If things were working out so well, so perfectly according to God’s design, why did she feel so terrible?
Five
“WELL, NOW THAT YOU’VE BEATEN ME UP ON THE COURT, DO you want to talk about it?” Kurt said. Kurt Hill was a thinning sandy-haired man, smaller than Bruce but fast on his feet on the racquetball court. He was an associate pastor at a church Bruce didn’t attend. He had met Kurt at a prayer breakfast nearly a year ago and respected the man and his walk with the Lord. They’d hit it off and now had a once-a-month racquetball game.
“Talk about what?” Bruce dried his face with his towel and draped it around his neck.
“Whatever it is that’s eating you.”
Sometimes Kurt’s insightfulness was downright irritating. “How do you know if a woman is the right one for you?”
“Nothing simple with you, is there, Bruce?”
Life could be complicated and complex. He wanted to make the right decisions now that he was a Christian. Before becoming one two years ago, he had made so many wrong choices in his personal life. He didn’t want to make those mistakes again. Picking up his gym bag, he held open the door for Kurt. Once outside the court, they took a seat on a bench, both straddling it, facing one another.
“I didn’t even know you were dating anyone, Bruce.”
“I’m not…not really.” Where did he start to explain this situation? “It’s complicated…very complicated.”
“Anyone I know?”
“I doubt it.”
“You meet her at work?�
� He raised his eyebrows in interest.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Just curious. Are you going to ask her out?”
Though they had been out together, technically he hadn’t asked her out since the Christmas party; even then he didn’t really ask her. “I’ve been spending a lot more time with her recently.” Now that was an understatement.
Kurt gave a knowing nod, but what was it he knew? “People have varying opinions on finding a spouse, someone to spend the rest of your life with,” he began. “Some people think that God has put many choices out before each of us, and we are to choose the one we like best, so to speak. But if you choose someone outside this pool, you could find yourself regretting it.”
“Outside? How do you know if someone is outside this choice group?”
“Anyone who is not a believer is definitely outside the group. But when it comes to your choices among those who share your belief in Christ…well, you just have to pray about it.” He paused then went on. “I know some folks believe that there is only one right person for each of us, and if we don’t marry that one person, we are forever outside the will of God. And some believe God can bless you no matter who you marry.”
So far this wasn’t helping much. “And you, what do you believe?”
Kurt drew in a long breath, seemingly reluctant. Bruce knew his friend well enough to figure he didn’t want to force his opinion on Bruce, that he wanted to let him make up his own mind. But that was the problem. Bruce just wasn’t sure. He met Kurt’s gaze. “I’d really like to know, Kurt.”
He nodded. “I look at it this way. God is not bound by time. He already knows who you are going to marry, if you marry at all.”
Bruce was surprised that it should hit him so odd, the thought of not marrying Meg. He had never really thought of marrying her, at least not yet. But the idea of not marrying her was…what? Well, suffice it to say he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“If you are praying and reading your Bible regularly, you are more likely to be receptive to God’s promptings. If you continue to have feelings or leadings about this person, then take action and see if you still feel the same way or if you feel like you have just made a big mistake by asking her out.”
