A Valentine's Wish (4 page)

A
ndy fiddled with the microphone attachment on the waistband of his jeans, turning the volume in his headpiece up, then down. Up, down. At least it made him look busy and hopefully hid the fact that he remained unable to keep his eyes off Lori. She hurried around the kitchen area in the back of the gymnasium, setting out plastic cups and piles of napkins for the after-service snack.

He should be thinking about the announcements he needed to make during the service, or about the sermon he was about to deliver to his dwindling youth group, but all he could focus on was the fact that Lori seemed thrilled about her secret admirer—which would be a good thing if she realized it was
him,
and not that Italian cheese-ball.

He cranked the volume up again, then quickly back down as the feedback threatened his ears. Maybe the church board was right—he would be less distracted if he had a wife, though not in the way they assumed. Ironically, he hadn’t been distracted at all until they’d approached him about the matter and brought to light his interest in Lori. If Pastor Mike hadn’t said those things in his office last week, Andy would probably be reviewing his sermon notes right now instead of wearing a callus in his thumb from all the volume switching….

“Pastor Andy, watch out!” A Nerf football whizzed past Andy’s head with inches to spare. He jerked and turned to see Jeremy jogging after the renegade ball, head ducked low in embarrassment. “Sorry, I told Peter to go long,” he called over his shoulder as he chased the blur of rolling blue sponge.

Andy glanced at the kitchen again in time to see Lori leaning over the counter, laughing so hard her hair nearly covered her face. “Let me guess. You never made the team?” she shouted through cupped hands.

Like he’d even had a chance at catching that pass. He just waved and offered a smile, probably a pretty goofy one since he could feel his neck flushing a little. She probably thought Monny could have caught that ball and mixed up cake batter all at the same time.
Women.

Haley appeared at his side with a soda can. “Here, Pastor Andy. Lori told me to give you this. She said you looked like you could use it.”

He could, but that wasn’t the point. Was Lori being sweet or cracking on his lack of football skills? He couldn’t tell, now that she was back to work in the kitchen. Either way, the cold drink would hopefully revive him enough to get through the service in one piece.

Andy took the can from Haley and popped the top. “Thanks. Did you see your boyfriend almost nail me in the head with a football, too?”

“No. But he’s not my boyfriend anymore.” She wrinkled her nose. “We broke up.”

He took a long drag on the Coke. “Until tomorrow.”

“No, this time it’s for real.”

“Okay, a week, then.” Andy winked.

Haley crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not kidding. He really made me mad. Love stinks.”

He debated arguing the love point with her, but quickly realized he didn’t have nearly enough time before the service
started, and it would probably fall on unwilling ears anyway. Instead, he patted Haley’s shoulder. “He’ll come around. Guys aren’t all that bad.”

“I know. Love doesn’t stink for everyone.” Haley grinned and twisted one braid around her finger. “For example, I think you and Lori will make a great couple.”

“Shh!” Andy’s grip tightened around the can, and the aluminum crackled. He lowered his head to her level. “You agreed to keep that a secret.”

Haley shrugged. “No one’s around. Besides, you can’t keep it hidden forever—especially if you want a date for Valentine’s Day. Eventually she’ll figure out the gifts are from you.”

“Not if you avoid being seen as we discussed.” And unfortunately, not if Lori’s current train of thought kept whistling toward Monny.

Andy squeezed the can harder, and a bubble of Coke blurped from the open tab. He had to find a way to show Lori—subtly, of course, so as not to scare her away—that the gifts were from him. The next present would have to be perfect, something romantic and meaningful—and, most importantly, something that would hint at his identity while not taking away the air of mystery. Somehow, it would do all of those things and leave him looking much more appealing than Monny.

He took another sip of Coke and felt the cold liquid trickle down his throat.
Right. And I’m the next Joe Montana.

Lori secured the lid back on a two-liter bottle of Dr Pepper and slid the full plastic cup toward a young man with multiple tattoos on his arms. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” He took the cup and smiled before leaving to mingle with the rest of the youth group. A few years ago, Lori would have seen someone like that—tattooed and pierced—on the streets and immediately cast judgment. But these kids had shown her that what was on the surface didn’t always accurately reveal the heart.

She watched the tattooed guy meander through the crowd toward Andy, who greeted the young man by name and slung an arm around his thin shoulders in greeting. It seemed Andy was finally back in top form. The first half of his sermon she’d wondered if he was okay—he looked distracted, almost frustrated at times. But the longer he talked about the importance of friendship and fellowshipping together at church, the more involved he became, and eventually that determined spark lit his eyes once again. Now he interacted with the youth group as if he had nothing else on his mind.

Friendship—Andy’s specialty. Lori supposed he was living proof of the age-old argument that a man and woman could be just friends and nothing else. She sighed. Story of her life. She’d sworn off dating after Jason cheated on her. Now that she finally felt a little more interest in getting out there again, her Mr. Right remained oblivious.

Lori shoved the two-liter across the counter to make room and leaned over, bracing her elbows against the worn Formica and wishing she could turn off her worries as fast as Andy seemed to during the sermon. Who was her secret admirer? Not Andy, as much as she wanted him to be. He didn’t have a romantic bone in his body—and definitely not toward her, the girl he burped in front of during monthly movie nights at her town house. If Andy cared about impressing her, he would have done so long before now. They’d been friends for years, and he’d never shown even a flicker of interest. Lori learned months ago to quit trying before her heart got broken yet again.

All secret-admirer signs pointed to Monny. Earlier today, when she told Andy as much, she’d felt almost certain Monny was the culprit. But once she and Monny left for the day, he gave his usual goodbye wave and wink and disappeared into the back alley without a word about the flowers. Lori couldn’t decide if she felt disappointed or relieved. Interest from a handsome Italian chef would definitely be a day-brightener, but
in the overall picture, it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t date Monny even if he was her secret admirer. Despite his charm, dark good looks and delicious accent, he just wasn’t Andy—silly, rumpled, prankster Andy, who could always make Lori laugh with a dumb joke and tell what she was thinking often before Lori even knew herself.

Lori traced her fingernail across the fading design on the countertop, and the rhythmic thumping of a dribbling basketball nearby punctuated her thoughts. Maybe she’d imagined the whole thing. The flowers and card were real enough, but maybe the secret-admirer concept wasn’t. Just because the card was signed that way didn’t mean someone was being serious. It could have even been a youth-group member playing a joke.

“Lori? You okay?” Haley stepped up to the counter and waved her hand in front of Lori’s face. “You’re totally somewhere else.”

“No, I’m here. Just thinking.” Lori straightened, then frowned as a movement across the gym caught her attention. Andy was staring at them, his face pale and drawn, his eyes wide. He stepped forward as if to approach them but was held back by a youth-group member demanding his attention. He looked back and forth between the kid and Lori before settling his gaze on the youth, the panicked expression only slightly fading.

Was Andy feeling sick again? She’d have to talk to him after the kids left and make sure he was okay. Lori turned her attention back to Haley. “What kind of drink do you want?”

“How about one that will give me enough guts to tell Jeremy I want to get back together?” She slumped over the counter-top, mimicking Lori’s previous position.

Lori smiled. “Trouble in teen paradise?”

“Something like that.” Haley rolled her eyes.

“I think Coke should do the trick.” Lori poured her a glass and slid it across the counter. “What’s going on?”

“I was fine with our breakup, but after hearing Pastor
Andy’s talk tonight on friendship, I realized that I miss him. Jeremy is—was—my best friend on top of being my boyfriend.” Haley poked an ice cube with her pink-painted fingernail. “I guess I forgot that part when we started fighting and called it quits.”

“He’ll take you back.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because he probably feels the exact same way.” Lori gestured over Haley’s shoulder. Jeremy stood alone near the stage, hands in his pockets and head hung low, as if studying his shoes. He shuffled his feet, looked over toward the kitchen where Haley stood, then down again.

Haley turned back to Lori. “What should I do?”

“You know what they say.” Lori nudged the plate of leftover chocolate cookies closer to Haley. “The way to a man’s heart…”

Haley plucked two cookies from the pile, hope lighting her eyes. “Thanks, Lori. Of course you would think of that, working at the Chocolate Gator and all. I bet—”

“Wait, how do you know where I work?” Lori interjected. That was odd. She hadn’t told any of the youth-group kids yet. “I just started.”

Haley’s eyes widened to giant orbs. “Um, Pastor Andy mentioned it earlier. When I asked where the cookies came from.” She snatched a napkin from the counter. “Gotta go. Thanks again.” Then she whisked across the floor toward Jeremy, narrowly dodging a man rolling up the thick black cords from the sound table.

Lori tapped her finger against the half-empty bottle of Coke, watching Haley present her peace-offering dessert to Jeremy. He offered a tentative smile, and then they hugged and simultaneously bit into their cookies.

If only every relationship were that easy. Lori almost wished for the complicated days of high school. Wasn’t growing up supposed to get easier? Yet now, the one man who seemed to
show genuine interest in her remained a mystery and couldn’t possibly be the man she wanted.

Lori nibbled on the edge of a cookie and relaxed as the chocolate melted in her mouth. She missed Gracie. Her best friend would know exactly what to say at a time like this, what to advise, how to cheer her up. They’d talked on the phone a few times since Gracie and Carter’s wedding, but Lori didn’t want to bug her friend on her honeymoon. Thanks to Carter’s wealth from his old life of music-industry fame, they were able to take an extended vacation together and start their marriage off with month-long tans and all the seafood they could eat.

What would Gracie say if she were here? After sharing some chocolate, she’d probably tell Lori to step it up a notch. Dust off her flirting abilities that were stored on a high shelf after her nasty breakup with Jason and get back in the game. If someone was pursuing her, she should pursue right back, even if it wasn’t Andy, aka Mr. Right.

Maybe Mr. Good Enough—whoever he was—would be better than nothing.

L
ori looked up as the bell above the shop door jingled. A boy, maybe ten years old, came inside carrying a gift-wrapped box. He set it on the counter in front of her, scratched his nose and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Lori dropped the supplies catalog she’d been paging through and grabbed for the present. No card or tag. “Who is this from?”

The boy kept going, pausing once to hitch up his baggy jeans. “Don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? How can you not know?”

He turned around at the door and shrugged. “I’m not supposed to say.” He pushed at the handle, and the bell jingled again.

Lori reached over the counter as if she could stop him from across the room. “Wait, I…” Her eyes narrowed, and she smiled. “Want some chocolate?”

The door clicked shut as he made a beeline for the counter.

Lori triumphantly reached under the display and pulled out a caramel-crème chocolate. “Here. Now tell me what you know.”

“Shmm laymie.” Chocolate oozed around the sides of the boy’s mouth as he chomped on the dessert.

“Excuse me?” Lori shoved a napkin toward him.

He swallowed twice. “Some lady. She said not to tell you who.”

A woman? Lori frowned. Obviously it had to be another delivery person working on behalf of her secret admirer—someone she might recognize due to their request for anonymity. But why would Monny send someone to do the work when he could just wait for her to leave the room? She shoved her hair behind her ears and leaned forward. There had to be more to it. “You don’t know her name?”

“Nope. She had blond hair.”

“How old was she?”

The boy shrugged and crumpled the unused napkin in his hand. “Twenty? Maybe younger. Probably older, though. People think I look eight, but I turned eleven last month.”

Lori rocked back on her heels. Great. A wasted chocolate out of her paycheck, and still no information other than the gift was delivered by someone who could fit the description of almost half the women in the city. “All right. Thanks anyway.”

“Thanks for the chocolate, lady.” He grinned, showing caramel stains on his teeth.

“Consider it a late birthday gift.” Lori waited until the kid left before fingering the red ribbon around the box. Why didn’t her admirer just mail the box? Maybe it contained something expensive, something they wanted to be sure arrived safely.

So they entrusted it to an eleven-year-old boy?

Lori shook her head. Only way to find out was to open it. She could do that now, then confront Monny about the gift when he returned from his break. He had to be her secret admirer—there were no other options. After sleeping on her emotional thoughts from last night’s service, Lori decided that Mr. Good Enough wasn’t good enough after all, and she’d rather be alone than lead someone on. Heartbreak, she knew from experience, wasn’t fun for anyone. She would have to be gentle.

Lori’s stomach fluttered in anticipation as she slid the bow
off the package and ripped open the cardboard flaps. She rummaged through the piles of packing paper, fingers eagerly searching. Just because she might have to return the gifts after Monny confessed his love didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the process. Her hand hit something soft. With an expectant grin, Lori tugged the item free of the gift wrap.

A stuffed Hershey’s Kiss.

A quick look inside the box confirmed there were a handful of the real chocolate pieces nestled in among the colored tissue—nothing more. A confused frown nestled between Lori’s brows. They worked in an upscale chocolate boutique in the French Quarter, and Manny had sent candy she could have gotten from Wal-Mart? Granted, it was her favorite, but she expected more from someone who made exquisite chocolate every day.

Clutching the little stuffed toy in both hands, Lori turned with determination toward the kitchen. She’d have to help Monny out. Even if she wasn’t interested in dating the handsome Italian, she could at least help him with a few pointers for his next love interest.

It was the least she could do after breaking his heart.

Andy strolled toward the Chocolate Gator, anticipation building in his stomach—and it wasn’t about the chocolates he’d soon be consuming. No, in just a few minutes, he’d see Lori face-to-face, and she’d thank him for the gift he’d sent.

He picked up his step and whistled a little tune. A street artist nodded in greeting as he passed, and Andy paused long enough to toss a quarter into the open guitar case of a performing musician. He couldn’t be happier—his idea was genius. After seeing the Hershey’s Kisses, Lori would have to put two and two together and realize he was her admirer. After all, he was the one who kept the bowl of Kisses on his desk at work, the bowl she visited frequently. Who else supplied her with a
constant stream of chocolate at the church? Plus, the gift was cute—borderline corny. Subtle, and yet obvious at the same time. In other words, perfect.

His breath tightened as he walked. Only two more store-fronts and he’d be under the Chocolate Gator’s pink-and-black-striped awning. Andy’s stomach swished with nerves, and he paused to check his hair in the reflection of a store window. He really should get it cut, but he looked so young with his forehead showing. He swiped at a stubborn cowlick with his fingers.

Andy’s cell rang, and his heart jumped like an old man caught dozing during church. Maybe it was Lori, calling to tell him she’d figured out his secret identity. With a smile, he flipped open the cell. “I was just heading to see you—”

“You’ll have an awfully long swim if you do.” The familiar deep voice of his friend Carter chuckled through the line.

“Carter!” Andy dropped onto a nearby bench. Andy’s musician best friend had recently married Lori’s friend Gracie. Andy liked to think he had a little something to do with the perfect match. After all, he and Carter were college roommates and Gracie had been a part of Andy’s church long before Carter showed back up in her life. Andy grinned. “How’s the sun and sand?”

“Both are pretty hot.” A female voice chimed in on Carter’s end of the line, and he laughed. “And so is my new wife, of course.”

Andy snorted. “Don’t make me hang up on you. Haven’t ya’ll had enough alone time yet?”

“Never. Marriage is the best, man. I highly recommend it.”

“So does Pastor Mike.” Andy quickly filled Carter in on what had transpired over the last week.

“Wow, no pressure, huh?” Carter clucked his tongue. “So who’s the unlucky girl?”

“Funny.”

“You know I’ve got to give you a hard time. You gave me enough flak about Gracie.”

“How about some helpful advice? You can tease me after the wedding.”

“Deal.” Carter paused. “Wedding? So there
is
a girl?”

Andy immediately sobered. If he told Carter whom he had in mind, Gracie would know minutes after. Gracie was Lori’s best friend. Her knowing Andy’s feelings toward Lori would possibly help—or seriously hurt if she didn’t approve. He swallowed. “Someone you know pretty well.”

“Just spit it out, man. We’re about to go on a glass-bottom boat ride.” He whispered something to Gracie about tickets, then stopped short. “You didn’t finally come to your senses about Lori, did you?”

Andy opened his mouth, then closed it. Had he been that obvious to everyone but himself in the last year or two?

“It’s Lori, isn’t it? She’s the one!” Andy couldn’t tell if Carter’s voice held excitement or shock. Maybe both. He stood and began to pace the sidewalk, narrowly dodging a little boy on a skateboard. That would make sense—it was exactly how Andy felt, too.

“Hold on. Gracie wants to talk to you.”

Andy’s stomach rolled, and he gripped the cell tighter in his sweaty palm.

“Andy? Are you serious?” Gracie’s melodic voice traveled from the Gulf as clearly as if she sat beside him. “You’re interested in Lori?”

“Yes?” It came out more like a question, and he cleared his throat. “I mean, yes. I am.”

She squealed so loudly he jerked the phone away from his ear, heart pounding louder than the guy playing the bongo drums on the corner. “It’s about time!”

He dropped back onto the empty bench and exhaled. “Thanks, I think.”

“How was your first date? I can’t believe she hasn’t called me!”

“There actually hasn’t been one.”

A pause hovered over the line. “She doesn’t know how you feel, does she?”

“Not yet.” He told her about the gifts he’d sent. “I was just on my way to see her at the shop, and I bet she’ll have it figured out by the time I get there.”

“Because of a Hershey’s Kiss?” Gracie laughed. “Andy, it’s a sweet thought, but Lori begs, borrows or buys chocolate from a dozen different people and places. I think you’re going to have to be more obvious if you want to be discovered. Although it’s pretty silly to keep up this secret-admirer facade in the first place, if you ask me.”

“You don’t think I should do it?”

“I just think you should give Lori a fair shot at accepting you for who you are. You might be surprised.”

“Has she said something about me before?” Andy leaned forward and braced his elbows against his knees. The same skateboarding kid rolled back by, the wheels scraping loudly on the concrete. Andy turned his head to better hear Gracie’s answer, anticipation hovering like a little child around a beignet.

“Well, no. Not exactly. But why the secrecy?”

Andy opened his mouth to explain, but Carter’s muffled voice on the other end of the line interrupted. “Gracie, we’re going to miss the tour if we don’t leave now.”

A scuffling sounded, as if Gracie had clamped her hand over the receiver. “Just a second, this is important.” She returned to the phone. “Andy, we’ve got to go. Listen, just take it slowly, but don’t be afraid to tell her what’s in your heart, okay?”

“Okay.” He said goodbye and disconnected the call. His agreement to Gracie’s suggestion still lingered on his lips, but its meaning didn’t settle in his gut. He knew what he was doing. There was no way Lori would be responsive to his stating right out that he had feelings for her. She’d be shocked—and not in a good way. They’d been close friends for so long now she’d probably never thought of him as anything other than her best
friend. Even if Lori was mistaking Monny as her secret admirer, he had to keep it up a while longer and ease her into the concept of Andy being boyfriend material.

Make that husband material.

Lori slid a tray of chocolate-dipped marshmallows into the display case. She’d already popped a few into her mouth—taste-testing for the customer’s sake, of course—and now she wanted to eat the whole pan. She needed fortification if she intended to confront Monny about being her secret admirer. She’d tried earlier in the afternoon, but he’d been intensely focused on icing a special-order cake, and she hadn’t wanted to distract him. That’d just be one more thing she would mess up.

The bell tinkled, and Andy strolled inside. Lori’s eyes widened. She couldn’t talk to Monny about the gifts in front of Andy—Monny would be mortified when she turned him down. She had to get rid of Andy.

“Hey, there.” She forced a smile as Andy approached the counter. Any other time she’d be glad to see her friend, but right now, all she could think about was getting the misunderstanding with Monny cleared up before he did something embarrassing—like confess his love in that smooth accent for all the store to hear.

“Hi. Just thought I’d drop by and see how things were going.” Andy tapped the glass with his palms as he studied the contents of the display.

“They’re going fine.” Lori frowned, thoughts of her secret-admirer situation suddenly far away. “Why wouldn’t they be?” Surely Andy wasn’t dropping in to check on her
again,
was he? She was perfectly capable of running this store without him.

Well, mostly.

“I’m sure they are. I just had to ask. I mean, wanted to ask.” Andy shook his head, and his hair flopped in his eyes.

“Well, the store is going great. So, how can I help you?” Lori
straightened her shoulders and turned on her most professional voice. Andy needed to leave
now
—before she lost her chance to confront Monny, and before Andy angered her further with his lack of trust. Why did he even refer her to Bella if he didn’t trust her to be a good manager?

Andy’s eyes flickered with hurt at the dismissal. “Um, I guess two of the chocolate crocodiles should do it.”

Lori quickly bagged his order and rang it up on the register. “Three dollars and seventy-five cents.”

Andy slipped her a five-dollar bill. “Keep the change.” His smile didn’t quite meet his eyes this time, and Lori pushed back a wave of guilt. It was Andy’s own fault for coming in here and checking up on her like he owned the place.

“See you later.” Lori offered a little wave as she shut the register drawer.
Hurry up, before Monny gets involved in another cake.
Her opportunity was slipping, and Lori didn’t know how much longer she could work with Monny without setting things straight between them.

Andy finally headed toward the door, devoid of his usual spark. “Right. See you.” The door chimed on his way out, and Lori breathed a sigh of relief. One disaster averted.

But now Summer sat perched on her stool with her usual magazine, offering zero privacy for Lori and Monny’s pending conversation.

“Summer, will you take out the trash, please? The can by the door is full.” Lori glanced over her shoulder. “Summer? Summer!”

The younger girl jerked her iPod earphones to her neck and blinked twice. “You don’t have to shout.”

“The trash.” Lori closed her eyes briefly and then pointed toward the can. “Please.” She waited until Summer was occupied with the rustling garbage bag, then peeked through the window of the kitchen door. Monny had finished the cake and was dumping dirty pots in the industrial-size sink.

“Summer, why don’t you go load the dishwasher next? And
while you’re back there, please ask Monny to come out here.” Perfect. Now she could have Monny’s undivided attention, and Summer would be occupied—and productive.

Without a word, Summer tucked the edges of the new garbage bag around the wastebasket and disappeared through the swinging door. Lori ran her fingers through her hair and straightened her pink top. Not that it really mattered. Monny apparently liked her the way she was, or he wouldn’t have started sending her gifts—again, not that it mattered. Tempting as it was to date Monny to avoid being alone, she couldn’t do that to her heart. She and Monny had to stay just friends, even if he was infatuated with her.