Milk Money (18 page)

She didn’t want him to feel bad. “Cameron. Don’t get mad.”

“I’m not mad. It’s just … whenever I’m with you, I feel like you’re not with me.”

She frowned, squinting at him in the darkness. “What do you mean?”

“Your mind is always on something. Half the time when I speak to you, I have to repeat myself. I almost get the feeling you can’t wait for our dates to end.”

Emily inwardly winced, hating that Cameron could read her so easily. “I’m sorry, Cameron.” She held out her hand, not wanting things to end on a bad note. “We’re still friends, right?”

He gave her a small smile, shaking her hand. “Yeah, we’re still friends. I’ll be seeing you when I come to get your milk tomorrow.” He gestured toward the porch. “Since your house is dark and you don’t recognize that car in your driveway, I’ll just walk you to your door and make sure you get in okay.”

“Thanks.” His heavy footsteps followed her up the porch steps as she opened the creaky screen door. Cameron was right behind her as she tried to locate the door handle to the house in the darkness.

“Emily.” A figure appeared, and Emily almost screamed when Cameron jumped on the person trespassing on their porch. Cameron and the trespasser landed on the floor, making a huge racket. “Get off me! Emily, it’s me, Frank!”

“Oh my.” Her voice trembled and her hands shook as she jerked the kitchen door open, turning on the light. The men stood simultaneously, Cameron glaring at Frank.

“You could have let Emily know you were on the porch instead of scaring her,” Cameron said. “Emily, do you want me to stay, or are you okay alone with him?” Cameron shot a look at Frank.

“I’m fine, Cameron. Thanks for seeing me to my door.” Cameron nodded, took his exit, and drove away, his taillights disappearing as he rounded the corner.

Her fright subsided when she entered the kitchen, and she quickly disarmed their recently installed burglar alarm before beckoning Frank inside. Her heart was pounding so hard, she felt it would pop out of her chest.

Suddenly, Frank was bathed in a warm glow, and Emily noticed the changes in him. He removed his leather jacket, and her breathing intensified when she looked up into his cocoa brown eyes. She gazed at his face, which now sprouted a thick beard and mustache.

“Frank, I … Why are you here?” Her voice shook, and she slowly sat at the kitchen table.

He shrugged, continuing to stare. “I came to see you. Laura wasn’t home, so I decided to wait for you on the porch. Didn’t you notice my car outside?”

Emily nodded. Her legs felt weightless as blood rushed to her head. “It’s not the same car you had … you had when you left.”

He chuckled. “That’s right. I’d forgotten that you haven’t seen my new car.”

She shrugged. “When I saw your car, I just figured we had a visitor. I don’t know where Laura is,” she began before she spotted the note on the refrigerator. Emily read the note, which said that her stepmother was going to be spending the night with a troubled church member. “Laura won’t be home tonight. She’s been really busy since she joined the church’s outreach program.” She placed the note on the table.

“I don’t recall Laura being in the outreach ministry before. I thought you were a part of that ministry.”

She didn’t feel like talking about church activities. But she forced herself to comment on Frank’s observation. “I decided to stop being in that ministry, and my stepmother offered to take my place.” She shrugged. “I had other ministries I wanted to be involved with.” She pointed to the pile of books in the corner of the kitchen. “I’ve been reading some good Christian novels lately, and I’ve started a book club at my church. I’ve also been involved with the singles ministry, too. These things keep me busy. I still have a lot of chores to do on the farm, but not nearly as many as during the summertime.”

When he began asking questions about her farm and her herd, Emily answered before she finally stopped herself, not wanting to act like things were okay between them. “Are you here visiting?” she asked abruptly.

“Emily, I’m back in Monkton for good now.” Emily stared at Frank, wondering if this was another dream. “A lot has happened to me over the last six months.”

She listened to him, still finding it hard to believe he was in her kitchen, talking as if they’d just seen each other yesterday. He ran his hand over his head, and the familiar gesture warmed her heart. “You know I was pretty messed up when I left.”

“You mean with your drinking?”

He nodded. “You know I had a big problem with that. It was the only way I had to deal with Julie’s death and my parents’ decision not to accept her into the family.”

“Have you stayed sober since you’ve been gone?”

“I haven’t had a drink since that day I told you I’d stopped. But it’s been a real struggle.”

“Has it been more of a struggle since your father passed?”

“Yes. My father’s death hit the family hard. It was so much to handle all at one time. My sister helped me out a lot with strengthening my faith.”

“How are Trish’s children? I’m assuming you spent a lot of time with them while you were in Chicago.”

“Mark and Regina are fine. Trish and I are thankful that Mark hasn’t gotten into any more trouble, but we still think he feels hurt because his father won’t come to visit him very often.”

“Did you find a nice church home in Chicago?”

“Yes. Although I have a church family in Chicago, I call Devon Crandall a lot since we’ve become friends. I also kept thinking about what you told me right before I returned to Chicago. You told me that I didn’t need to fix myself before coming to Jesus, that He’d accept me as I am. I thought about that a lot over the last few months.”

“I’m glad I said something that could help you. But did your father’s death make you want to start drinking again?”

He stared at her with his beautiful brown eyes. “I was tempted to drink, yes. But I didn’t. I had to pray to the Lord every day to make it through the day without having a drink.” He opened his mouth as if he were going to say more, but he remained silent.

“Were you going to say something else?”

“No.” Silence filled the kitchen, almost as if each of them had to digest the presence of the other.

Frank massaged her fingers, and she didn’t have the strength to pull away. “I’ve missed you so much. You don’t know how many times I’ve picked up the phone to call you but then decided against it.”

She shrugged as feelings of joy and apprehension continued to course through her veins. “Why didn’t you call? I wondered how you were doing. I sent you a Christmas card, and you never responded.”

He sighed. “Because I had so many things to sort through and to work out in my life, I didn’t want to call you before I’d set my life straight,” he repeated.

“So everything is fine with you now?”

“Yes, it is. I asked if I could transfer back to the Monkton office, and they let me transfer.”

“And now what are you going to do?”

“I’d like for us to date and get to know each other again.”

Emily couldn’t believe his words. “Date me?”

He sat up. “I’m a new man now. I’d like for you to get to know me better, and I’d like to spend some time with you again.”

“I can’t believe you did all this—relocated and everything—without calling me first. You could have warned me you were coming.”

“I was sitting on the porch when you were talking to Cameron. I heard everything he said. I know you don’t have feelings for him.”

Emily inwardly winced, upset that Frank had heard such a private conversation. It was also highly upsetting that Cameron had mentioned Frank when they were talking. Before she could speak, Frank made another comment. “Are you dating somebody else besides Cameron?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” He dropped her hand, frowning. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You’re angry with me.”

“I’m just … I’m just surprised to see you. You didn’t even call me to tell me you were coming. You could have at least called and let me know you’d be here instead of sneaking on my porch and waiting for me.”

He frowned. “I wasn’t sneaking. It’s not my fault that you were out on a date when I decided to come.”

“You could have at least warned me that you’d be here.”

“I felt the Lord leading me to come back here and live. I should have called you, but I guess I just wasn’t thinking clearly. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, you did surprise me. I—”

“I love you.” His voice was so low that she had to strain to hear it.

“What?”

“I said I love you, Emily. I know it’s hard to believe, but I do. I’ve loved you for months, but I knew there was no hope between us until I straightened out my life.” He scooted closer to her and kissed her palm.

She pulled her hand away. “I don’t know if I’m ready for us to date, Frank.”

Frank’s face fell. “I understand. Will you at least think about going out with me tomorrow?” When she remained silent, he found pen and paper on the kitchen counter. After writing something down, he placed the paper in her palm. “I’ve missed you, Emily, and I hope you’ll let me take you out tomorrow. Here’s my phone number. Just call me and let me know when you’ve decided if you’d like to spend some time together.”

She mutely nodded, still trying to come to terms with his sudden presence in her home. “Remember that I do love you, Emily. Just give me some time to show you how I feel and how I’ve changed. I’ll try not to disappoint you,” he vowed.

Emily nodded, watching him leave, already deciding she would go out with him the following day.

Frank whistled as he prepared for his date with Emily the next day, hoping and praying she would willingly accept him into her life. He had purchased a large heart-shaped box of imported Swiss chocolates and an exquisite diamond pendant.

He ran his fingers over the sparkling gem, imagining the jewel nestled against Emily’s caramel-colored throat. He then grabbed his coat, headed out the door, and drove down the familiar route to the Coopers’ farm.

Since he was now renting an apartment near Monkton, he arrived at Emily’s house in minutes and knocked at her door. He heard the sound of high heels clicking on the kitchen floor before Emily opened the door.

His eyes widened when he saw her wearing a fancy burgundy dress with matching shoes. Her short hair framed her face, drawing attention to her full copper-colored lips and the tiny freckles sprinkled across her nose.

He kissed her hand. “Emily, it’s good to see you again.”

She nodded, leading him into the living room. “I’m glad to see you, too.”

He glanced around the silent house. “Where’s your stepmom?” They sat on the tattered couch, and he placed his bag of gifts on the scarred wooden coffee table.

“She’s upstairs taking a nap.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. After work yesterday and today she was with a family in need with the church outreach. She just came home a few hours ago, so she said she wanted to take a nap.” Emily frowned as she glanced up the stairs.

“What’s wrong?”

She shrugged. “Laura’s been different since her daughter had the baby.”

“How?”

She shrugged again. “It’s hard to say. I know something has been bothering her for a long time, but she won’t talk to me about it.”

“Maybe you should ask her about it again. I’m sure if it was something important she would have told you by now.”

“No. Don’t assume that. Laura can be close-mouthed about a problem for a long time before she says anything about it.”

“I’m sure Laura will tell you when she’s ready.” He paused for a few seconds, glancing around the room. “So, how have you been?”

“Okay, I guess.”

“Do Jeremy and Darren still come to help you milk the cows?”

“No, since basketball season started, they said it was too much for them to handle with classes and homework and all. They’re both on the basketball team, so that complicates things with their schedules.”

“So you’re doing the milking by yourself every day?”

“Pretty much. I’ll probably get somebody to help me when the weather turns warm again. I think I told you last summer that we go through five hay cuttings, so that’s one thing that adds a lot of work during the summer months.”

The floral scent of her perfume filled the room with sweetness. He took a deep breath, removing the chocolates and the pendant from the bag. He presented her with his gifts. “I bought these for you. I hope you like them.”

She smiled, opening the small box and admiring the diamond pendant. “My goodness! You shouldn’t be buying this for me.” Her large eyes were full of apprehension as he removed the pendant and placed it on her neck. The gem twinkled against her caramel skin, and Frank was pleased with his purchase. “I also brought you some candy.”

“You really shouldn’t be buying this for me. I haven’t seen you for months and—”

He squeezed her shoulder. “But it looks good on you. If you don’t want to wear it, I’ll understand.” He sighed with relief when she didn’t attempt to remove the piece of jewelry. He checked his watch. “We’d better hurry if we want to get there before the comedy show begins.”

She fingered the pendant before she stood. “Frank, I need to be honest with you. I still feel funny about your being here so suddenly,” she began.