Lined With Silver (13 page)

“So you’ll be the only support for Nikki for
a few months?”

“The ward will help out.”

“That works. Does Nikki have a job?” Zack
asked.

“She hasn’t had to work, but she has a degree
in office management. I’m sure she’ll find something when…” Sondra
couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. She bit her lip.
This whole scene wasn’t anything she thought she’d be living
through when Nikki and Brad had been married. Eight years wasn’t
long for any relationship. The only comfort was in knowing their
marriage was an eternal one.

They were quiet for the few remaining minutes
before they arrived at her townhouse.

As Zack helped her out of the Humvee, Sondra
protested. “You know, I really appreciate all this help, but if
you’re driving me around, maybe we should switch to my car. Unless
the roads are impassible, my car does just fine, and you wouldn’t
have to help me in and out like this.”

“Sorry. I forgot to pick up a step stool for
you.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. My car won’t
need one.” She stared up at the seat she’d just vacated. It almost
reached her chin. “This is hard now. I can’t imagine trying to
climb into this thing when I’m several months huge.”

“Point taken. Your car it is.”

“I have an extra set of keys in the house.
You can have them.” As much as she enjoyed having Zack touch her,
the humiliation of being helped in and out of the car was too much.
It was bad enough having to be driven everywhere she went.

Zack helped put the groceries away,
familiarizing himself with the layout of Sondra’s kitchen. After
they put them away, she let Dewk in as Zack settled on the couch.
He promptly launched himself on Zack.

“Down Dewk. Down, boy.” Sondra pulled the big
dog off and handed him a rawhide bone. “Go play somewhere else.”
Dewk’s tail beat a rhythm as he moved to attack his bone in front
of the gas fireplace.

The chewed edges of the rug he planted
himself on displayed his ownership. “I’m sorry,” Sondra said, “I’m
trying to keep him off the furniture.” She sat down beside Zack.
“Not very successfully, I’m afraid.”

“I can see that.” Zack brushed wet prints off
his jeans. He moved over to give her some space, and Sondra felt
rejected. She’d been feeling so relaxed around him that she forgot
how little they really knew each other. Her childhood fantasies
weren’t his.

She pulled a decorative pillow on her lap and
picked at the fringe. “When are Jade, Stan, and the kids
coming?”

“They are flying in next Thursday. They’ll be
here for Christmas Eve on Friday.”

“How long are they staying?”

“They’ll be here almost a week. They are
flying out the following Saturday.”

“Did you have any plans with them?”

“We wanted to tour Temple Square, and I would
like to go skiing, but I don’t think Jade will join me.”

“Will Stan take the kids?”

Zack shook his head. “He’ll go along with
whatever Jade decides. He wouldn’t cross her.”

“She’s that bad?”

Zack turned and met her eyes. “No. He loves
her that much.”

“Oh.” Sondra looked down at the pillow she
was holding. Her experience with marriages was limited. Her Mom and
Dad. Her grandparents. Nikki and Brad. They were all happily
married, but her work in the divorce courts had embittered her.
Seeing everything through a skewed lens hadn’t been healthy.

And worshipping in a singles’ ward was also
limiting. She looked up at Zack. “I need to find a new ward.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not single. Even if it’s temporary. And
I’m pregnant. I really need to start attending a local ward, but I
don’t know who to contact.”

He grinned. “This is Utah. Probably your
next-door neighbor would be able to tell you.”

She looked stricken. “I hate to confess this,
but the only neighbor I’ve had interaction with is Scott, and he’s
in the singles’ ward.”

“Speaks well for the ward.” His voice was
sarcastic.

“Tell me about it.”

He pulled out his phone. “The easy way is to
use this app.” He clicked a couple of times, typed in a few
letters, and pulled up a map showing the nearest ward. “Bishop
Swenson is the current bishop.”

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I probably travel a lot more than you
do.”

Sondra’s brows crinkled. “How much travelling
do you do?”

“I haven’t had anyone tying me down, so I’ve
been doing a lot. There are contracts I’ve been overseeing as well
as family business to attend to.”

“And you can stop all that to drive me to
work?” She was doubtful.

Zack looked intent. “Yes, I can. Will you
please stop worrying? It’s not good for the twins.” He reached out,
his fingertips almost brushing her stomach before he pulled
away.

“Why do you care so much about these babies?”
She asked.

“It’s in my power to make a difference. I’m
going to be that difference.” He stared absently at Dewk, who had
made headway on the bone. It wouldn’t survive the night. “And
you’ve helped me keep Granny in her own home.” He re-focused on
her. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

Her stomach growled loudly. She turned pink.
“I’m so sorry. My body doesn’t usually talk.”

He laughed. “Your body is going to do a lot
of unusual things. What would you like to eat?”

“I can fix a salad. Are sandwiches okay?” She
pushed herself out of the couch and moved to the kitchen.

“Sounds great.” He followed her and opened
the fridge. “What do you have?”

“I thought ham and provolone on rye sounded
good.”

He reached for the items she mentioned and
put them on the table. They worked in companionable silence. Zack
nuked Sondra’s sandwich just long enough for the cheese to
melt.

“Perfect.” Sondra approved. She stopped
before she took a bite. “Shouldn’t we bless this?”

“I was wondering.” He stared at her a moment.
“Did you want me to do the honors?”

“I want you to decide.” She hadn’t ever
shared her home with a Priesthood holder. Occasional visits from
family didn’t count. This was all going to be strange.

“I’ll take care of it.”

They cleaned up together and then watched a
re-run of the Church’s Christmas Devotional. “I’m so sorry.” Sondra
yawned. “I can’t stay awake.”

“No worries. Do I put Dewk out?”

“Yes. He tends to destroy furniture if I
leave him in at night. His kennel is heated. He’ll be just
fine.”

Dewk didn’t seem to notice that Sondra wasn’t
the one kicking him out. Scott probably had something to do with
that.

The next morning as Zack and Sondra were
leaving to go to the local ward, Scott was also getting into his
truck. He glared at both of them and then left, probably heading
for the singles ward.

Sondra let out the breath she didn’t realize
she’d been holding. “That went well.”

“He didn’t say a word.” Zack snorted.

“Yes, but did you see the way he looked at
me?”

“I was just hoping you’d start breathing
again.”

“Very funny. The only time I saw him look at
anyone that way was when Dewk chewed through his back door.”

“He did that?” His face held sympathy for the
poor guy who’d had his door demolished.

Sondra nodded. “I paid for it, but I swear,
if looks could kill, Dewk would’ve melted right on the spot.”

“How come he kept taking Dewk with him?”

“I’m suspicious Scott thought we were more of
an item than I did. He wanted to get Dewk under control before we
joined households.”

Zack nodded somberly. “Good plan.” He glanced
back at the fence where Dewk’s head was bobbing up and down. He was
jumping to see over the six foot fence. “He makes a great
jack-in-the-box.” Sondra giggled and Zack continued, “at least he’s
quiet.”

“Dewk?”

“Yes.”

She was embarrassed. “I confess I used a
barking collar on him.”

“Used?”

“It didn’t take long for him to figure it
out. He only needed it for a month or so.”

“Quick learner.”

“On some things. I don’t know how to get him
over destroying furniture.”

“That’s a tough one. He doesn’t seem to mind
the outdoors though.”

“I think he’s part husky, so no, he
doesn’t.”

* * *

They were welcomed warmly as they entered the
building. Sondra felt like a fraud, but she really couldn’t attend
the singles’ ward while she was expecting, and the rings on her
finger were a ticket to the new ward as well.

Zack sat with his arm on the back of the
bench behind Sondra. Her skin tingled when his suit-covered arm
touched her. Zack seemed to be relaxed, but Sondra was tense.
Conflicting emotions ran through her. Since the Ward Christmas
Program involved a lot of singing and moving of primary children
around the room, her agitation blended with the atmosphere.

She put her purse and her scriptures on the
seat next to her in Sunday School. Zack was forced to settle a seat
away, but he still draped his arm casually over the chair closest
to her. Had she been an outside observer, they certainly looked
like an attached couple.

Separation for Relief Society and Priesthood
came as a relief. She had spent too many years pining over Zack.
Trying to pretend his touch didn’t affect her was draining.

After church services, Sondra apologized.
“I’m not really hungry. I’m going to have a salad and then I’m
going to crash.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of
myself.” Zack assured her. He headed into his own room to change
while Sondra ate.

After the light lunch, Sondra sequestered
herself in her bedroom. Sunday had usually been nap day, but she
could hardly keep her eyes open long enough to hit the bed. She
woke around six to the scent of garlic, basil, and oregano.
Italian.

She had changed into gray sweats and a
t-shirt. As she walked out of her room, she ran her fingers through
her hair. “Smells good.”

“I hope you like spaghetti.”

She frowned slightly. “I love it, but I’m not
sure how it will sit.”

“Nauseated?”

“I’m not sure. Just off.”

His brows knit in a frown. “I’m sorry. I
should’ve asked.”

“I appreciate your fixing dinner. I wasn’t
expecting this.” Sondra smiled her gratitude.

“I didn’t want to wake you. I figured you
needed your sleep.”

“I did, and thanks for thinking of me.”

He had the table set. Garlic bread was sliced
and placed on a serving platter. A green salad was tossed with
croutons and Caesar dressing. A glass bowl of pasta was covered and
sitting in the center of the table, as was a bowl of spaghetti
sauce mixed with what looked like Italian sausage.

“This looks really good.” Sondra pulled out
salad bowls and placed them on the table. “Who did you want to
bless the food?”

“I’ll say it.” His prayer was sincere and
included family members, world events, and the safety of the twins.
When he finished, Sondra wondered if there was anything personal
he’d left out of the prayer because she was sitting there
listening. She was experiencing a world of firsts.

She wondered if she’d ever get used to having
a man act as the leader of her spiritual home. Even though the
whole situation was temporary for both of them, she didn’t think it
would be right to not allow him the proper place in her home. He
was
her legal husband after all.

The next couple of days went smoothly. Zack
delivered Sondra safely to work, and clients kept her busy enough
that she didn’t fall asleep. Evenings found them at some kind of
restaurant for dinner. Sondra chose since Zack didn’t seem to have
any preference, and she was asleep by eight.

Wednesday evening, Zack walked into the
office with a package. Sondra was waiting at her door, watching
with some amusement at the admiring glances of the female employees
of the firm. Her heart raced at his approach.
How can someone be
so unaware of his effect on the female population? Too gorgeous
for
—

“This arrived for you today.” Zack’s words
interrupted her thoughts.

She looked down at the package. It was
wrapped with plain brown paper. Her home address and the return
address had been printed out in a basic font. The return address
was one she’d never seen. Idaho.
Who do I know in Idaho?

She reached for the package.

“I’ll put it on your desk. It’s heavy.”

Zack’s extreme solicitude could be
irritating. Sondra calmed herself. He was thinking of the
babies.

She followed him into her office, stood next
to her desk and proceeded to rip off the cover. Under the plain
brown wrapping, shiny silver paper decorated with lacy wedding
bells proclaimed the purpose for the gift. She ripped off the
wrapping.

“Porcelain dinnerware? Who would send
dinnerware in the mail?” Sondra was puzzled.

“Any family in Idaho?”

Sondra shook her head. “I don’t know anyone
there. Not even any clients. This is strange.” She glanced up at
Zack. “Do you know anyone there?”

He shook his head, as puzzled as she was.

She moved to open the box, but Zack reached
for it and made short work of the glued top. He pulled it open and
stared. “What the—”

Sondra reached forward and pulled out a
jagged piece of broken porcelain. “Trust the mail service.”

Zack pursed his lips and stared at the
shattered dinnerware. “I don’t want to burst your bubble, but these
dishes weren’t destroyed in route. They were broken when they were
put in there.”

Sondra’s brows furrowed. “How do you
know?”

“Look at them. None of the pieces fit.”

She stared in the box. The dishes looked like
they’d been smashed and then thrown in. Cup shards were mixed in
with jagged pieces of bowls and plates. She laughed. “You obviously
haven’t unwrapped anything breakable delivered by mail. This looks
like the box was seriously mishandled.”