Holly's Heart Collection Two (58 page)

Turned out the Monday flight was booked—not a single coach ticket available. Which meant Andie would have to fly standby or not go at all—her mom said she really didn’t want Andie traveling alone for her first flight. Don’t ask me why; after all, I’ve seen lots of much younger kids flying alone. But Mom had said Rosita was stubborn, and boy, was she right.

Saturday, Mom and I met Andie and her mom at the Soda Straw for lunch. Mom said it was just going to be a little get-together before Andie and I left town. No big deal. Well, what was supposed to be no big deal turned out to be a mini-lecture, more for Andie’s benefit than for mine. And at one point during the conversation—even before the waitress had a chance to bring us our burgers and fries—Mrs. Martinez asked me point-blank if I would watch over Andie.

Who did she think I was? Andie’s worst enemy? Of course I’d be looking out for my friend, and I said so.

Andie’s mom eyed me quite seriously. “Now, you know that Andrea has never been away from home like this before. She’s very naïve.”

And I’d like her to stay that way,
Mrs. Martinez was probably thinking.

I nodded, trying to avoid looking at Andie. We both knew her mother’s image of California had come from the media. White sand, tanned bodies, wild beach parties…the whole sun and surf thing. I didn’t want my laughter spilling out while she was speaking so directly and seriously to me. I respected Mrs. Martinez and her feelings; still, there was just a little too much hovering going on at the moment.

“Andrea has led a sheltered life,” she continued. “You know what I’m saying?”

Of course I knew. Andie and I were in the same boat when it came to being a bit overly protected. Personally, I didn’t mind. It beat having more freedom than you can handle, like most teens I knew.

Andie’s mom gave her daughter a sweet-as-molasses look before switching her gaze to me. “Except for your stepbrother Stan, Andrea’s never really spent much time with a guy friend. And since she’s only fourteen—”

“Almost fifteen,” Andie interrupted.

“Well, almost, yes, but nevertheless, you’re much too young for boy-girl nonsense.” Mrs. Martinez leaned back against the red vinyl booth. Her eyebrows had been waxed to a narrow line, framing her large deep-set eyes. When she frowned, as she was now, the too-thin eyebrows made her eyes look almost mournful.

I could tell she was desperate. She wanted a firm commitment from me—something she could count on to make her feel more comfortable.

“I’ll take good care of Andie,” I volunteered, meaning it.

“I can take care of myself,” Andie spouted.

Mrs. Martinez rolled her eyes exactly the way Andie always did. “Now, Andrea,” she whispered.

Mom leaned forward at that moment. “Holly’s made some nice friends at her father’s house. I don’t think we have to worry. The main thing is for the two of you to stick together. Don’t go pairing off with boys”—and here she looked directly at me. “Holly can’t car-date yet, either. You girls are on your honor.”

“We’ll be just fine,” I assured both mothers. And I had no doubt that we would.

When the door jingled, I looked up. Jared Wilkins and Billy Hill strolled inside. They waved when they spotted us in the corner booth—the same one Jared and I had shared over a year ago when I’d first had a crush on him.

Jared was the last person I wanted to see today. He and I were still decent friends, sort of, but I didn’t want to be tied down to hanging out with one boy anymore. The boy-girl thing had gotten too complicated last school year, and I just wanted to cool it. Not only with Jared—with all guys.

“Hey,” he said, coming over. Billy waved, looking a little shy when he realized we were with our moms. Jared wasn’t bashful, though. “Looks like you’ve got a cozy mother-daughter event going here. Nice to see you again, Mrs. Meredith…er, Patterson.”

“Same to you, Jared,” Mom said politely, ignoring the mistake with her new married name.

“How are your little boys?” he asked Andie’s mom. “Chris and Jon, right?”

Mrs. Martinez nodded. “Lively as ever.”

I smiled. Andie didn’t. She was still ticked, I think, at what had happened at youth camp last month. It was a very long story, but as far as I was concerned, all was forgiven.

“So, what’s the occasion?” Jared asked.

“It’s our farewell lunch,” I said. “Andie’s going with me to California on Monday.”

Billy piped up. “Really?”

“That’s the plan,” Andie said, grinning.

Jared flashed his dimples at me. “Well, have fun.”

“We sure will.” I wanted to reinforce my stand, in case he thought I’d softened on my decision.

“See ya,” Jared said, and he and Billy headed to the counter to order.

Later that evening, Andie and I sat on my front-porch swing talking between slurps of root beer floats.

Ryan had come by to pick up Stan about thirty minutes before. They were going to see some show downtown.

Andie looked like she was going to pop. But I knew there was no way she’d hold her breath for an apology from either Ryan or Stan. If Stan had any smarts, he’d certainly have offered a humble one. And Ryan? He was as rude as they come.

After the guys left, Andie spewed out her feelings.

“I guess my mom was right. I
have
been sheltered.” She sat cross-legged on the porch swing next to me. “At least I’ve never had to deal with any sort of prejudice before. Never.” She continued to rant about Ryan’s slurs, rehashing the scene at the Y a few days ago. “Just where do you think Stan was during all that?” She huffed. “It was like he was totally out to lunch instead of standing right there beside me.”

“I know,” I said, touching her shoulder. “I know.”

“Just when you think you’ve found a guy you can really be friends with, something like this has to happen.”

“Mom says there’s lots of good fish in the sea,” I said, trying to comfort her.

“Yeah, right. The problem is
finding
the fish.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll pray ’em in.”

She turned to look at me. “You honestly pray about everything, don’t you?”

“Close.” It was true. For some reason I talked to God about most everything.

Andie played with the chain on the porch swing, deep in thought. “Sometimes God answers with ‘no,’ sometimes a ‘maybe’…not always a ‘yes.’ At least, that’s what Pastor Rob says.”

I nodded. “Bottom line, though, He knows what’s best for us. I guess, for some people, trusting is the hardest part.”

Silently, we contemplated the fact. Andie seemed restless about something, though, and when I mentioned it, she asked, “What are my chances of actually making that flight, really?”

“Don’t worry,” I said casually. “I’ve seen zillions of passengers get on with standby status.”

“Honest?” Her eyes lit up.

I nodded. But deep down, where my greatest fears always simmered before surfacing, I knew this standby thing was very tricky.

Andie
had
to get on my flight. Or else we were right back where we started.

LITTLE WHITE LIES

Chapter 7

Denver International Airport was wildly congested. Vacation season was in full swing, and crowds of people flocked to the enormous airport east of the big city. Andie and I waited near one of the many automatic doors, juggling luggage, while Uncle Jack drove the van to the short-term parking area. At the last minute, he’d decided to drive us instead of Mom because he had some business to tend to at his Denver office. The car trip from Dressel Hills to Denver zoomed by surprisingly fast, and all because of Uncle Jack’s continuous flow of airplane jokes.

“Bet you’re going to miss your stepdad, huh?” Andie said as we waited.

“There’s no one quite like Uncle Jack, that’s for sure.”

She squeezed her gym bag. “I can’t wait to see your dad again…your real dad. It’ll be so great to see what
he’s
like now.”

I spied Uncle Jack outside, hurrying across the street. “Oh, you’ll like Daddy. He’s very articulate—handsome, too—but he doesn’t joke around a lot.”
He doesn’t have time to; he works too much,
I thought.

My uncle helped us lug our bags into the long line where I’d be checking mine. The plan was that Andie would carry her single bag onto the plane—that is, if she even got on.

At last we were past security, where Uncle Jack was given a pass, allowing him to escort us to the gate. Then we headed for the underground tram and on toward the correct concourse, keeping our eyes peeled for gate eleven. Uncle Jack helped navigate while Andie chattered like a chipmunk. This was her first flight anywhere. She was acting like a kid about to eat her first ice-cream cone.

“Oh, Holly, this is going to be so amazing.” She grabbed my arm as we walked.

I agreed. “Maybe you’ll get hooked on flying and want to fly all over the place.”

When we located gate eleven, the waiting area was crammed with people. Andie and I searched for three seats together, with no luck. Uncle Jack saved the day and discovered two vacant seats close to the window. “Here you go,” he said. “Window seats for the ladies.” He waited till we got situated before excusing himself to make a phone call.

Andie and I whispered and giggled nonstop—a preview of what was surely ahead for us in California. “Just think, we’ve got two whole weeks away from our mundane, boring Dressel Hills lives,” she said. “When we’re old and crotchety, we’ll be telling our grandkids about this trip.”

“Oh, did I tell you? My dad has passes to Universal Studios,” I said, suddenly remembering.

Andie’s eyebrows leaped up. “Really? When did this happen? Before I could answer, she said, “What else haven’t you told me?”

“Absolutely nothing.” I scratched my head and put on a frown. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about my wicked stepmother. I figured you wouldn’t want to come along if I said anything. But now that you’re committed to going—”

“Holly, you never call her that,” she interrupted, glancing around to see if anyone was listening.

I lowered my voice and leaned closer to Andie. “You’ll be calling her wicked, too, when you find out what she makes you do.”

She giggled. “Don’t be silly.”

“Okay.” I folded my arms across my chest. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She cocked her head at me, trying to decide if what I’d said was to be taken sincerely.

I shook my head, keeping a straight face. “Yep, Saundra will have you cleaning out cupboards and closets all week long. Oh, and she likes the pantry alphabetized according to brand names.”

“You’re kidding,” she said, a tiny smirk waiting in the wings.

“You just better hope you make this flight so you can see for yourself.”

“I don’t believe you.” She was about to toss her gym bag at me when the announcement came for first-class passengers to board the airplane. I felt my stomach lurch. This was it. We’d know in a few minutes whether Andie was coming or not.

I grabbed her hand. “Have you prayed about this?”

“Me? I thought you were the one doing all the praying.”

“But this was
your
idea, right?” I stared at her. “Well, don’t you think you ought to?”

“Okay, I’ll pray,” she said, bowing her head right there in front of everyone. Her lips started moving, and I could see that she was squeezing her folded hands like crazy. Andie wanted this trip bad. I remembered lots of times when I couldn’t get her to pray over her food in public, but this…

She was really going at it. I sent a powerful silent prayer heavenward as I got up and headed over to the check-in counter. “Excuse me,” I said to the man dressed in a navy blue uniform. “Could you please tell me if there are any no-shows for the coach section?” I explained that Andie was flying standby and wondered what her chances were.

“Just one moment, miss.” He pulled up the information on the computer. His eyes darted back and forth, scanning the screen. “Looks like there are three no-shows so far.” He smiled a comforting smile. “But your friend will have to wait until all passengers have boarded before we can give her the go-ahead.”

“Thank you very much.” I was more hopeful than ever and hurried over to Andie, who was still squeezing her eyes shut in earnest prayer. I touched her hand. “I think God heard and answered already.”