My Christmas Stalker (10 page)

     “What?” Whitley asked. “What did you just say?”

     “Well, isn’t that the whole problem? Aren’t you embarrassed that you found out some hot dude was checking you out as you model some gorgeous, bomb dress? You were probably acting yourself, and not all shy and reserved like you are around most people. You probably had your hair down and was working your moves with your bestie, Nora. Right?”

      Whitley felt her cheeks turn warm. “Yes.” She admitted to herself that Wendy was right! She would never have been walking around with a confident air, or with a swing to her hips, and she wouldn’t have been flipping her hair over her shoulder in a sexy stance if she had known someone was watching her!

      “When did you get so smart, little sister?”

       “I got it in Seminary. Bro. Duncan is the best! He really makes you think. I have read the Book of Mormon completely and I’m half way through the New Testament.

       “Good for you, baby girl!” Whitley was impressed with her little sister.

       “So what about the other?”

       “What other?”

      “You know! What is the spirit telling you about David? Is he the one? Did he make your heart flutter, your knees grow weak, but yet you wanted to feel that torture forever? How did it feel when he kissed you? Was it uncomfortable? Or did it feel like you belonged in his arms?” Wendy let out a long sigh. “True love is eternal. Did you want to be with him forever?” Whitley’s tears started again. “Or at least did you want to go out with him as soon as possible to be with him again?

      “Yes. Oh, yes!” Whitley laughed out loud. “Wendy, thank you. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. You are wonderful. Your testimony is so strong. I can feel it. Your words are just what I needed to hear. I wish I could hug you right now.”

      “Well, then come home for Christmas and hug away!” Wendy laughed with her. “Seriously, I found mom crying the other day wishing you would come home. No guilt trip intended… maybe a little. We all miss you, lady!”

      “I miss you, too. I will think about it. There is still time for me to make it if I can work it out. Don’t tell mom! Just keep it between you and me. I will let you know by next Friday. Okay?” Whitley, all of a sudden, was very homesick.

     “That would be totally awesome! Okay, keep me posted!”

     “I will talk to you later, baby girl. I love you.”

     “Love you, too. Bye.”

      The phone went dead and Whitley sat with the phone pressed to her forehead. She closed her eyes. “Thank you, Heavenly Father,” she whispered.

      
D
avid sat staring out of the window of his penthouse office. A knock sounded at the door. “Enter,” he called out. The door opened and shut behind him. Jeff appeared in his peripheral vision.

      “Is this were you have been for three days? Why aren’t you answering your cell phone?” Jeff took in David’s whole appearance. “Weren’t you wearing those clothes the day the girls exploded at us?”

      David swung his chair around and put his feet up on the desk. “Is there something I can do for you?” He formed a steeple with his fingers and rested his chin on his two pointer fingers.

       “Yes, you can snap out of this funk you are in! When’s the last time you ate or drank anything?”

      David plopped his feet down and laid his head on his crossed arms on his desk. “I can’t eat.”

      Jeff moved around the desk and relaxed into one of the comfortable leather chairs in front of the desk. “Dude, you have got to pull yourself together!” David sat straight in his chair.

      “We missed up! I missed up!” He growled and put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. “I can’t get her face out of my mind. I see her laughing at dinner, I see her smiling over the pastry counter. I see her modeling in that dress and then I see her hurt, angry expression. She hates me!” He groaned again. “I should never have kissed her!” he whispered huskily. “It was heaven. I got a glimpse of heaven on earth and I can’t live in my ordinary existence anymore.”

      Jeff chuckled, “Yeah, I saw that lip lock you two were in when I pulled up. You were not just giving that girl a simple good night kiss, bro. There was major action going on.”

      David sat forward, his face intense, his hands splayed on the desk. “Jeff, I have never experience a kiss like that in all my dating years, even in the worldly swamp of females I have been with. It touched my soul! It was a kiss with a vision attached. I saw my life with her. I want to be with her forever!” He sat back and covered his face with his hands and groaned. “I messed this whole thing up.” He uncovered his eyes. “Not only did I mess my life up, I messed your life up, too.”

     Jeff leaned forward, “You are being too hard on yourself. You didn’t mess my life up…just yours!” He tried to smile at his not-so-funny joke. “Seriously, Nora and I have worked things out. She loves me, man. We are just holding off on things a bit until she has had time to listen to the missionary lessons.”

      “That’s sweet man. I’m glad for you.” He rested his elbows on the desk. “So, she has forgiven you…us?” Jeff nodded.

     “It took some time to talk it all out, but she finally realize that my feelings are genuine.”

     “She say anything about Whitley?” He swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked for signs of good news on his friend’s face. His lips twitched as he frowned

       “She locked herself in her room for three days, she didn’t go to work for four days. She barely came out to eat yesterday and went right back in.” Jeff rubbed his neck. “I don’t know man, maybe she isn’t a stable choice, if you know what I mean?”

       David snorted. “What have
I
done? I haven’t slept or ate either. Am I unstable?”

       “Dude, you are right! You both got it bad.” David looked up “You are both in love and can’t see if for yourselves. Why else would it hurt so much?”

       “I think you’re right! But… do you think Whitley loves me? Or is she just too embarrassed to come out to face the world because of what we did?”

        “Nora, says she has always been a little paranoid, but still meets tough things head on. She saw her on the day she made her appearance. She said Whitley’s eyes were still so swollen from crying she could hardly see!”

     David groaned again. “It’s my fault! I don’t deserve her.” His head collapsed on the desk again. “You best leave me to my grief! I am dead to her for sure!”

      Jeff stood up. “Alright, buddy. Stand up! You can’t sit there wallowing in self-pity. Get up! You are going to take a shower, put on clean clothes, don’t forget to shave by the way. And then I am talking you out to eat.”

     David shook his head as he scooted back the chair. “I couldn’t eat, but I am ready for a shower. Don’t expect too much of me, I’m not hungry.”

     Jeff looked at his friend’s desk, paper work strewn everywhere so unlike his organized friend. “Uh, how’s business?” David groaned.

     “Don’t asked. I lost a major account and now I will have to fly to France if I even have half a chance at fixing it.”

     “France! Yeah, the rich boy has it tough.” Jeff muttered.

     
N
ora was sitting on the couch in her Pooh Bear Fleece pj’s, eating a bowl of cocoa puffs when Whitley’s door opened. A clean clothed and freshly showered girl appeared from the hall.

     “Hi.” Whitley said softly.

     “Hey!” Nora sat up. “You…feeling any better?”

     “Oh, I guess. I’m still a little confused about things, but, yeah, I feel better.” She grinned. “Believe it or not, my fifteen year old sister is the one that help me put my head on straight.”

       Nora realized Whitley was dressed to go out. “You heading to work today?”

     “Yeah, I have to stop hiding from the world and be a grown up.” She tied her shoe. “You working today?”

      “Yes, but I go in at 12:00. They cut my hours.” Whitley frowned.

    “Ooo. Sorry to hear that.” She grabbed her heavy coat off the coat rack and tied a scarf around her neck.

     “Wait a sec and I’ll change.” Nora moved off the couch, but Whitley held up her hand.

     “No, I’m fine. I can do this.” She gave a sad smile. “See you later.”

      “Hey, Whit?” She stopped and turned to look at Nora. “David is one in a million. He is as messed up as you are about the whole thing.” Whitley pursed her lips.

     “I don’t know what I am going to do about that yet. I have to go to work.” She left the apartment as she fought the quick surge of tears that threatened. She blew out a long breath and kept walking.

     
T
he day dragged by slowly for Whitley. Every time the door chimed she held her breath and hoped it would be David, but prayed that it wouldn’t be. When she looked up to see a dark headed man walk by the store window her heart would race. She had to hide in the bathroom twice to compose herself. She was constantly lecturing herself to ‘get it together’!

      Sunday was her day off and she went to church. She prayed for guidance all through her meetings. Her heart was worn out by the end of the meeting. As she walked home alone she finally faced the truth. She was in love with a man she had known for only two days!

     His face haunted her. The quirky smile over the counter of the pastry shop, the warmth in his eyes as they talked at dinner. The desire in his eyes when they had kissed even after the danger of the troublemakers had passed. The soft expression in his face when he dance with her under the street light, and the look in his eyes right before he kissed her again.

     She breathed deeply and closed her eyes. The warm feeling that filled her was familiar. She had learned to recognize the spirit years ago. But what was she to do now? She couldn’t just call him up and say, “Hi, David, this is the girl who freaked out on you for sending her the dress of her dreams,” or “Hey, David, Whitley here, how about let’s give it another go around!”

     He had tried calling and texting her several times the first three days and then he had stopped. She hadn’t responded, except for that first time when she had just hung up on him!

     Whitley reached her apartment building and she went up to her apartment. She could hear people laughing inside as she put her key in the lock. Maybe! Just maybe he had come to try one more time to get through to her stubborn head. She opened the door with new hope in her heart.

    Her face dropped. David wasn’t there. But Nora, Jeff and two male missionaries from the church were.

    “Hi, Whitley!” Nora’s face was glowing! “This is all so amazing! Why haven’t you ever told me more about your church?” Nora leaped up and threw her arms around Whitley. “I am so happy! I can hardly believe it! It makes so much sense. We came from heaven to this earth to gain a body and to learn and to grow. I love the idea of a forever family and prophets. You told me there was a prophet leading Christ’s Church today and you were right!” Nora was talking fast and her hands were flying everywhere. They men in the room laughed at her enthusiasm.

     “Come join us!” One of the missionaries invited her into the room. Whitley hung up her coat and threw her handbag on the small table behind the couch. She moved around to the other side of the room and sat in the chair.

    “We were just finishing up, but I was hoping you would share an experience when you had felt the spirit, Sister…?”

     “Oh, this is Whitley Spencer!” Nora supplied. “These are Elder Franklin and Elder Summers.”

      “Sister Spencer, could you share an experience when you felt the spirit answer a prayer or a time when the spirit touched you?” Elder Franklin asked her.

     Whitley chewed on her bottom lip for a second or two. “Well, I remember several times the spirit has answered my prayers. I had been praying to find a roommate, so I would be able to afford to stay in this apartment. And that afternoon, Nora knock at the door. She was wondering around looking for rent signs and her hat had blown off of her head in the wind right to our building.” Whitley and Nora smiled at each other. “I always believed that she was led to this apartment. I also have felt the spirit when I have read the scriptures looking for answers.”

     “How about you, Bro. Carlisle?” Elder Summers turned his attention to the man who held Nora’s hand firmly in his.

      “I felt the spirit very strongly on my mission leading me to people looking for the truth. Before my mission, I felt the spirit answer my prayer when I ask if I should serve a mission or…marry a young lady I thought I was in love with at the time.” Nora’s eyes widened. Jeff moved his arm to lay behind Nora. “I will be forever grateful for that warm feeling the spirit put in my heart to catch my attention. I will always be glad I chose my mission.”

     “Me, too.” Nora smiled shyly at Jeff then flushed when she realized the missionaries were grinning at the couple.

     Whitley sighed. She could see the love in their faces. She felt the confirmation that the couple before her were meant to be together. The spirit’s peace oozed over her.

       But what about David? What was she going to do about patching things up with him? Whitley realized that she wanted David in her life! Wendy had been right, her pride was hurt, she was embarrassed and her old habit of paranoid reactions had taken over.

    The lesson ended and the young men left. Jeff and Nora sat on the couch whispering. She was beginning to feel like a third wheel, but she had to talk to Jeff about David. She needed to know if she had blown it completely!

     “I’m…I, um, just wanted to say…I’m sorry for pitching such a fit in your car…the other night.” Whitley spoke in a low nervous voice. Jeff and Nora turned toward her.

    “Don’t worry about it. You had good cause. I need to apologize to you for my part in this whole unpleasant situation. Dave and I realized we should have just gotten out of the security booth and introduced ourselves instead.” His concerned smile reached across the room. “How are you doing?”

    Whitley took in a deep breath. “I’m better,” she said with one nod of her head. “I realize now that I should have been willing to…listen a bit more.”