Finding the Way Back (Book 1 in the Forgiving Hearts Trilogy) (15 page)

“I’ll try it. How about you, Laurel?”

“None for me, but I’d love some coffee.”

After the waiter left, Amber said, “I’ve always wondered why Dr. Samuels looks sort of down sometimes.”

Laurel knew anything she said to this would probably reach Colton’s ears at some point. “Being a doctor is a demanding profession, and Colton is unusually dedicated to his patients.”

“That’s true, but I think it goes deeper than that.” Amber adjusted the napkin in her lap. “I hope you won’t get upset when I say this, but I think his air of sadness is because he misses you.”

“It could be, but you’re only speculating. Only Colton knows the truth, and we probably shouldn’t be discussing him like this.”

“You’re right; it’s none of my business. He’s just one of those people you can’t help liking, and he’s done so much for me and Tony. I’d like to see him happy.”

“He’s fortunate to have you for a friend, Amber.”

As she drove home from the restaurant, Laurel reflected on how much had changed in the last twenty-four hours. In many ways, she felt as if she was being carried along by events outside her control. Somewhere in the midst of those moments of discovery at Jekyll Island had emerged the conviction that she’d made a serious mistake in allowing one incident to define her happiness. She wasn’t lonely because she couldn’t find anyone else; she was alone because she refused to allow the only man she wanted to be with back into her life.

Chapter Nine

Minutes before the final bell at school the following day, the headmaster’s secretary strolled through the door of Laurel’s classroom carrying an arrangement of colorful mums. “These came for you.”

“Really? Wow! Thanks for bringing them to me, Miss Campbell.”

As soon as the door closed, one of the students raised his hand. “Yes, Jeremy?” Laurel asked as she set the vase on the center of her desk. She could see a card tucked inside, but wasn’t going to read it with twenty kids watching.

“Is it your birthday, Mrs. Samuels?”

“No, it’s not. Everyone should have decided what historical American figure they’re going to write about. You need to complete five bibliography cards by a week from today. Study hard tonight – there could be a quiz tomorrow. That’s it for today. Enjoy your afternoon.”

As soon as the last student filed out of the room, Laurel put down the eraser she’d been using on the whiteboard and moved quickly to her desk. She slit open the small envelope, her eyes going straight to the signature. Something very close to pleasure slid down her spine at the sight of Colton’s name.

These reminded me of the flowers in your father’s garden. Remember when we picked the ones he’d promised to give to the church? Anyway, I thought you might like to have a small piece of home for your apartment. Love, Colton

Tears sprang to her eyes.
How had he known she was homesick?
As if he was standing beside her and spoke the words in her ear, she heard the answer:
Because I know you
. A year apart hadn’t affected his ability to read her without needing words.

* * * *

A full surgery schedule kept Colton from getting nervous about Laurel’s probable reaction to receiving his gift. He’d already decided to send her something before she made his day by admitting to being worried about him. In light of that, he’d been slightly more confident that she wouldn’t rip up the card and throw away the flowers.

On his way to the staff parking lot of the hospital, he drew out his phone and checked his messages. He curbed his disappointment when none of them were from Laurel and dutifully returned the more pressing calls. The last person on the list was Spence. His friend answered the phone with his usual wit.

“Just finishing your five hour work day? A doctor’s life is really rough.”

“I was in the operating room before you were out of bed this morning.”

“So you say. How was the visit to your parents?”

“Short, but very enjoyable. I get to go back in six weeks or so when my niece makes her appearance.”

“Mallory wants to have twins so we can get two kids with one pregnancy.”

Colton laughed as he opened the car door and slid inside. “Then you better plan on getting a nanny.”

“That’s what grandmothers are for. Speaking of future grandparents, Mallory’s family has invited us to the cabin for the weekend. I know this is late notice, but could you babysit the dogs tomorrow evening through Sunday?”

“Sure can. I was planning on watching football on Saturday. Doing that on your big screen TV will be awesome.”

“If you want to invite some friends over, go ahead. Mallory filled the pantry with enough food for ten people.”

“She didn’t have to do that.”

“Don’t complain, man. Just enjoy it! By the way, there’s been another addition to the dog nursery. I found an abandoned puppy on the way home from work last week. Once Mallory looked into those big brown eyes, there went my plan to take it to the animal shelter.”

“So I have two energetic dogs
and
a puppy to take care of. Maybe I should rethink my acceptance.”

“The dogs basically take care of the puppy.”

“Do they clean up the accidents, too?”

Spence chuckled. “No, but fortunately there haven’t been too many of those.”

“It appears I’m in for an interesting weekend.”

“It will be a nice break from your pampered lifestyle.”

“Yeah, I’m living the dream. I’ll be over some time after work tomorrow. Have a nice time at the cabin.”

When he reached the condo, Colton looked through the mail and then stifling a yawn, went into the bathroom to take a shower. Normally, he would have gone for a run, but he was too tired tonight. He’d make up for it over the weekend.

Back in the kitchen, droplets of water still clinging to the ends of his dark hair, he remembered the container of pot roast and cornbread his mother had sent back with him. A wide smile formed on his lips as he opened the refrigerator. No microwave dinner tonight; he was going to eat real food.

After his meal, Colton settled into the recliner near the window in the high-ceilinged living room and opened his laptop. He hadn’t checked his email in days. After deleting the majority of them, he opened a folder of pictures. Laurel’s smiling face filled the screen. Seeing her look so happy made him all the more determined to see her that way again. The next one was of the two of them cutting the cake at their reception.

His mind drifted back to a sunny afternoon a few weeks before they got married. She’d met him at the door of her parents’ house and led him to the kitchen where a row of small round cakes were arranged on the table. They spent the next hour tasting samples of wedding cakes from different bakeries. In the end, they couldn’t decide which one was any better than the others, but they had a great time feeding each other cake and kissing icing off each other’s fingers and lips. The only serious moment was when Laurel told him of her dislike for the trend of couples to smash cake into each other’s faces.

“
Cutting the cake is supposed to be symbolic of our first act as a married couple and represents our commitment to each other. I don’t want to cheapen that with something that makes both of us look silly.”

Colton never dreamed that two years later he would trample all over her romantic ideas with his selfish actions. A deep sigh escaped him. Why did he punish himself looking at pictures of a life he’d most likely never experience again? Into these gloomy thoughts came the chime of his phone. He hoped it wasn’t the answering service from the clinic.

Glancing at the screen, he saw a text from Laurel.
Thanks for the lovely flowers! They were just what I needed.

He read the message again to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. Only then did he allow himself to let out a whoop of joy. Was the door to Laurel’s heart – a door that had been slammed shut against him – finally beginning to open? Would he ever be invited back inside?

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,” he quoted softly. Closing his eyes, he prayed, “Father, thank you for the work you’re doing in my relationship with Laurel. I ask for your continued guidance in this situation. I want to do things your way and in your time.”

Colton didn’t work on the notes he needed to finish. For the rest of the evening, he browsed through hundreds of pictures. When he got to the last one, his vision blurred as tears filled his eyes. He and Laurel were sitting together at a church picnic. It was hard to believe that some twenty-four hours later he would make the worst decision of his life.

* * * *

The beginning of an idea formed in Colton’s mind when he drove past Laurel’s apartment complex the following afternoon. It resurfaced again when he sat on the couch watching television in Spence’s family room, a sleeping puppy on his lap and two dogs sprawled on the floor at his feet. Should he invite her to spend the evening with him? Was that presuming too much on the limited contact they’d had so far?

An hour later when he let his crew of animals outside, he still hadn’t made up his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was come on too strong and scare her away. On the other hand, this was an opportunity to spend time together without having to worry about what they would talk about. The focal point would be the football game; there wouldn’t be the added pressure of making constant conversation.

His eyes fell to the bundle of black fur sniffing at his feet. Bending down, he picked up the puppy. “You could be a blessing in disguise. Laurel may not be thrilled about being with me, but she won’t be able to resist you.”

Once the dogs were settled for the night, Colton decided to call Laurel. If he waited any longer, he’d talk himself out of it. Grabbing the phone, he leaned against the kitchen counter and tried to ignore the frantic beating of his heart.

“Hey, are you psychic?” she answered on a laugh. “I’m standing here looking at my flowers.”

He relaxed at the friendly note in her voice. “I’m glad you like them. I was wondering if you had plans for tomorrow.”

“I’m helping Rose paint her kitchen, but I don’t think it will take all day.”

“I’m dog-sitting for some friends who live near Rose and Greg. Would you be interested in coming over to watch football? I know South Carolina plays at six, but you don’t have to come at a specific time.”

There was a few seconds of silence and then, “I suppose I could come for a while. What’s the address?”

“It’s 2258 Maple Ridge. My car will be in the driveway.”

“If something comes up, I’ll give you a call.”

Colton heard the puppy whining at the door of the laundry room. He should have gone somewhere else to talk. “Sounds good,” he replied as the whining escalated to a wail.

“Is that a baby?” Laurel asked.

“No, I woke up the puppy. Hold on while I go get him.”

Laurel heard the sound of his footsteps walking away and the creak of a door. Then she heard Colton say, “You’re lonely in there, aren’t you, little guy? Your friends have gone to sleep, and you don’t have anyone to talk to. Come here, I’ll hold you until you fall asleep.” Though she knew Colton was talking to the puppy, Laurel’s heartbeats quickened as she remembered the countless times he’d held her in his arms until she fell asleep. Caught up in a pleasant daydream, she was startled to hear his voice in her ear.

“I’m back, happy puppy in hand.”

Feeling foolish, she tried to bring her wayward thoughts back to reality. “You’re starting something you’re going to regret.”

“I won’t regret it after tomorrow night, but Spence is going to kill me.”

“Probably so. I’m going to let you get back to puppy duty. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’m looking forward to it. Goodnight, Laurel.”

* * * *

Colton found that a puppy licking his face was just as effective as an alarm for waking him in the morning. With a muffled groan, he got out of bed and stalked into the bathroom, his eager roommate nipping at his bare feet.

“Another morning person! I should start calling you Laurel, except you’re a boy. Well, let’s look around and see if you controlled yourself during the night.”

The chill in the air persuaded him to change into sweat pants and a long sleeve t-shirt before descending the stairs to the kitchen. The eager barks of the dogs elicited a spirited response from his small companion. After letting them outside, he decided to go for a run.

The bright spot in his morning jog was the sight of Laurel’s car parked outside his sister-in-law’s house. She was getting an early start; now he just had to hope nothing happened to prevent her from joining him later.

After returning to the house, Colton ate a protein bar and headed upstairs to take a shower. If Laurel was coming over, he needed to go to the store. He wasn’t going to entertain his wife with his friends’ food.

An hour later he was pushing a shopping cart through the almost empty aisles. He decided to get some of Laurel’s favorite football-watching food: wings, chips with spinach dip, coleslaw, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and sweet tea. By the time he returned to the house, he was officially stressed.

As he tried to work in an unfamiliar kitchen, he wondered what had made him think this was a good idea. He’d never get everything ready in time. Then there was the question of what to wear.
Should he go back to the condo and get some nicer clothes? Does anyone watch football in nice clothes? The whole point is to be comfortable.
Back and forth his thoughts went until he thought he was going to lose his mind.

In the midst of his agitation, he started to laugh. This wasn’t a blind date with someone he didn’t know. This was a woman he knew better than anyone else. He shouldn’t be so afraid of making a mistake. The worse that could happen was she wouldn’t show up in which case the dogs would be getting the best meal of their lives.

* * * *

Laurel laid the paint brush carefully over the top of the can and stepped back to look at the bright blue wall in front of her. “Okay, I admit it; I was wrong. This shade of aqua sets off the white cabinets and gray countertops perfectly.”

Perched on a ladder a few feet away, Rose turned to face her. “I’m so relieved to hear you say that. I’ve been standing here for the last hour doubting myself. If Greg says anything, I can tell him you like it.”

“I’m not sure my opinion is going to sway him. I need to finish trimming around the bay window and then we’ll be done.”

“Thanks for helping me on such short notice. When Greg had to go out of town unexpectedly, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t stand the thought of hosting my district managers’ meeting in a room with ugly yellow walls.”