A Valentine's Wish (7 page)

She bit into a chip, barely tasting as she crunched. The cost of her negligence was adding up.

Andy’s pestering after church hadn’t helped matters. That’s why Lori had dodged the subject of her management failure by telling him about Monny. She couldn’t exactly tell Andy she was ruining his aunt’s store. It was bad enough he popped in every few days to check on her. He was one of her best friends—he should believe in her.

Though after this freezer problem, she wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.

Her living room, normally cozy and homey, suddenly felt empty. Lori spoke into the silence. “God, I keep screwing things up. I never had any trouble running the gift shop at the aquarium. Are You trying to tell me I’m not cut out for this or for my own business? Are my dreams not in line with Your plans?”

She dropped her sandwich back on the plate. God obviously didn’t want her in a relationship—not since the incident with Jason and her embarrassment with Monny, and definitely not after Andy had been her friend for years without interest in anything more. Now it seemed God didn’t want her to have a career, either. What was she doing wrong?

What was wrong with her?

Lori bowed her head over her lunch. “God, a sign would be nice. Just some sort of direction, please.”

She looked up, half expecting a neon arrow to flash across her den even though she knew better. But the room remained dim and cold. The only light shone from the floor lamp behind her, casting her silhouette across the coffee table.

Even her shadow was lonely.

“A
fishing lure?” Summer stopped sweeping and stared incredulously at the gift in Lori’s hand.

“Apparently I’ve
lured
him in.” Lori held up the accompanying card and couldn’t help but grin. Her secret admirer was getting creative. The brightly colored box waiting at the front door of the shop Tuesday morning almost made her forget how she’d shut the store down Monday.

“Wow, that’s the corniest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Corny. But sweet.” Lori hung the neon feathered lure from a thumbtack on the bulletin board near the register. Flowers, stuffed animals, candy and now fish bait. What would her secret admirer think of next? More importantly, when would he reveal himself?

Summer shook the broom handle at Lori. “With that sense of humor, he’s either a complete dork or Prince Charming.”

“I still can’t completely shake the idea of the gifts being a prank—especially after I was mistaken about Monny.” Lori bit her lower lip and glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen window, where Monny hummed as he finished preparing the morning’s pastries. Thankfully things hadn’t been too awkward between the two of them since last week’s embarrassing mishap. The subject was definitely taboo, though—they kept
their conversation to shop-related issues only. Lori missed the easy camaraderie they shared when she first started work. Monny was a charmer and a fun friend. No wonder he flirted so much—Lori was beginning to believe he had no choice. It seemed to leak out of his pores.

“That would be one elaborate prank. No, I think it’s for real.” Summer leaned her weight against the broom handle and paused. “Maybe S.A. has a plan in mind and will reveal himself when the time is right.”

“S.A.?”

“Secret Admirer.”

Lori sighed. “Well, S.A. better hurry. Because the idea of a complete stranger sending secret messages is a little unnerving.”

“Maybe it’s someone from your church.”

“I only have friends there. It just doesn’t make sense.” Lori brushed the feathered lure with her fingers and watched it dangle on the thumbtack. “Even our singles group is practically nonexistent.”

“So what if it is a stranger? Big deal.” Summer shrugged.

Lori nibbled on her bottom lip. “That’s true. People meet each other all the time off the Internet, and that works out, right?”

“Right.” Summer tilted her head. “Then again, people also get murdered that way.”

“You’re so encouraging.”

“Which part of me broadcasts encouragement, exactly?” Summer stepped away from the broom and gestured at her body with one arm. Head-to-toe black clothes. Silver piercings. Blond hair piled on top of her head in various knots.

Lori crossed her arms over her chest and squared off with Summer. “I see right through all that. I know you’ve got a heart of gold somewhere underneath all that metal and ink.”

“Whatever, Boss. Just because I went shoe shopping with you doesn’t mean I’m getting all soft.” Summer grinned, jammed her iPod buds back in her ears and resumed sweeping.

Lori shook her head with a laugh and began stacking several chocolate bars on top of each other in a pyramid. Despite her claim, Summer had changed toward Lori in the past several days—all because Lori confided in her and made Summer feel needed. Lori had seen it a thousand times with the teens at the church—show a little interest, trust them with yourself and they opened right up. Lori might not know how to have a romantic relationship, but she knew how to be a friend.

Apparently that was her whole problem with Andy in the first place.

Andy signed his name at the bottom of the budget proposal and slid it across his desk with a satisfied sigh. Finally. One thing crossed off his never-ending to-do list. Now that the overdue budget proposal was ready to turn in, he could concentrate on the spring retreat for the youth group. This year it had to be a success or his job would really be at stake. Andy still needed to find a speaker—and the event was in less than two months.

His mind definitely wasn’t where it should be. The church staff thought being single was a distraction? He scoffed. Wooing a woman was a distraction—not to mention hard.

The added pressure from the staff certainly wasn’t helping. He was tempted to lock his office door to prevent Pastor Mike stopping by with another “suggestion.”

Andy tapped his pen against one hand and stared out the window. A mild winter breeze drifted through the open pane and rustled the edges of his desktop calendar. Dried, dead leaves still clung stubbornly to the branches of the trees outside, testifying that autumn had passed and winter was attempting the same. All too soon, winter would turn to spring and those same trees would blossom with fresh life. One more season on its way out, one more season on its way in.

One more season spent alone.

A knock sounded on his open office door. Pastor Mike once
again stood in the frame like a bad case of déjà vu. Andy swallowed and gestured for him to come inside. Hopefully this impromptu visit wouldn’t carry as big a shock as the last two. He mentally braced himself.

“I can’t even see your desk for all the paperwork.” Mike settled into a chair opposite Andy. “You should tell your boss you need a raise.” He winked.

“Hey, Boss, I need a raise.” Andy grinned.

“Take it to the board.”

“Never mind.”

Mike laughed. “How’s that youth retreat coming along?”

Andy glanced at his paper-strewn desk and winced. “Slowly.”

“It’ll work out. You always pull something out of your hat.” Mike steepled his fingers under his chin. “Speaking of, have you given any more thought to our previous discussion?”

It’d only been two days since the last discussion. Fighting a grimace, Andy plastered what he hoped was a casual smile across his face. “I have, actually. I’ve been working on a project of sorts.”

“Project,” Mike repeated slowly. He grinned. “Does the lady in question know she’s being referred to in such a manner?”

The lady in question didn’t even seem to want to talk to him lately, much less care about how she was referenced, but that wasn’t worth mentioning right now. Andy shook his head. “We’re getting there.”

“I see.”

No, he didn’t, but again, not worth mentioning. Andy glanced at the framed photo on his desk of Lori and the rest of his youth-group volunteers, then away. He didn’t want to tell the pastor who he had in his sights—not until Lori was acting more like her old self and Andy could determine if he actually had a chance.

Mike leaned forward. “In the meantime, have you considered meeting my niece?”

Andy shifted in his chair. He couldn’t lie. But he hadn’t con
sidered dating her, and wouldn’t. How could he make that sound anything but offensive? Andy swallowed. “I, uh…”

Lori appeared in the hallway at his open office door, all smiles and shiny hair, and he suddenly lost the ability to speak. She lifted her hand to knock, then stepped backward at seeing Pastor Mike. “Sorry to interrupt, I was just—”

“No, no, come on in.” Mike stood and offered his seat to Lori. “Andy, we’ll finish our chat later.”

He had no doubt about that. Andy nodded, glad his flipping stomach couldn’t show on the outside. He took a deep breath to steady his sudden nerves.

Lori took the chair Mike vacated and plunked her purple bag in her lap. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing. Just church business.” Andy cleared his throat. It wasn’t a lie. Unfortunately, his private life had somehow managed to become just that. They sure didn’t teach these things in seminary. He gestured toward the bowl of candy on his desk. “Want a Kiss?”

Lori’s eyes widened.

“Chocolate.” He nudged the bowl closer to her, heart stammering. He mentally banged his head against his desk.
Idiot, idiot, idiot.
And the church staff wondered why this whole wife-courting thing was taking him so long. Maybe if he videotaped his pathetic efforts, they’d take pity on him.

“Sure.” Lori reached over and snagged a piece of silver-wrapped candy. She opened it slowly. “We need to talk.”

The back flips inside Andy’s stomach twisted into a conga line. “We do?” He knew they did, of course, but were they finally on the same page at the same time? It seemed too good to be true. Maybe she had finally put together the Hershey’s Kiss gift after seeing the candy on his desk.

“Yes.” Lori tossed her hair over her shoulder and released a slow breath. “I really should have asked you this sooner.”

Andy braced his elbows against his desk and steeled his
mind. This was it. She’d figured out the gifts were from him and was going to ask to confirm it. His heart pounded an erratic rhythm, and blood pulsed in his temples. He sucked in a lungful of air. “Go ahead.”

Lori plucked at a loose thread on her purse. Nervous? Maybe she felt the same way he did after all. Maybe the gifts weren’t a bad idea and he should have taken Gracie’s advice and told Lori how he felt from the start. Maybe—

“Do you need me to work the spring retreat in April?”

Andy’s jaw slacked, and he stared unseeing across his desk. Her words beat against his brain until finally comprehended. She wanted to talk about the upcoming youth event. Not secret gifts. Not confessing true love. He licked his lips and forced his words through clenched teeth. “Sure. That’d be great.”

He was definitely going to need more time.

Lori took a second piece of chocolate from Andy’s bowl and unwrapped it with a frown. What was with Andy’s suddenly pale face? He was probably overworking himself, spending too many hours at the office planning the retreat. It was one of the biggest events of the year for the teenagers, hence the reason she’d stopped by to see if he needed more volunteers. Summer had also offered to help, but she knew Andy would want to meet with her first. He always screened new workers.

Which was what she’d been trying to talk to him about when he suddenly resembled death on a plate.

She crinkled the silver foil in her hand. “I have another volunteer that could come, if you need the extra help.”

“You should know with teenagers, the more help the better.” The blood finally returned to Andy’s face, and his smile looked a little more natural. Still, something shadowed his eyes. She really couldn’t pry, though, not after she refused his offer to talk last Sunday. At least he hadn’t stopped by the Chocolate Gator so far this week to check on her again. Was Bella having him
spy? No, that was ridiculous. Bella called for updates herself every few days.

Though not since the freezer fiasco. Lori was dreading having that conversation, but she couldn’t exactly skip it. It was amazing Andy hadn’t found out yet, either.

“Who’d you have in mind to help?”

Lori jerked back to the present. “My coworker at your aunt’s store. Summer Pierce.”

“The Goth girl?” Andy’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead.

“She’s not Gothic. She just likes making statements.” Lori threw the balled-up chocolate wrapper at him and grinned. “Something that should strike a chord with certain youth around here.”

“Point taken.” Andy tossed the foil back at her, and she ducked. It bounced off her purse and onto the floor. “Sure, bring her to church Sunday. I can meet her then. Or maybe I can swing by the shop tomorrow.”

Lori shook her head so fast her head hurt. “No, I’ll bring her Sunday.” The last thing she needed was Andy coming by the store, waiting for her to mess something else up. At this rate, it was almost inevitable.

A wrinkle wove a fine line between his brows. “All right.”

Lori stood and hiked her purse on her shoulder. She was being too obvious. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be around Andy—she just didn’t want him checking up on her as if she was a little kid. It was bad enough he’d never see her the way she always wanted him to. Poking around like a nosy big brother just poured salt on her existing wounds.

She said a quick goodbye and left the office before Andy could respond, her heart fluttering like a caged bird attempting escape. She was tired of being overlooked. Tired of being rejected. Tired of being the Friend and never the One.

Lori’s heels clicked on the tile floor of the church, and she picked up speed before Andy could follow. It’d be best to focus her full attention on the shop for now. Forget about her secret
admirer, whoever he was, and pour her energy into making the Chocolate Gator a success. Bella was the only person she needed to impress. The mystery gift-giver, if he was even real, was probably no different than any other guy. He’d get close and then hurt her, too. Just like Jason. Just like Andy.

Lori pushed through the doors of the church and headed for her car. She refused to look back toward Andy’s office. From now on, she was only looking forward.