Age Before Beauty (32 page)

They blended into a line of people filing toward the church. Allie noticed the tight set of Eric’s jaw and slipped a hand into his. Though he had not been to church on Sunday morning in over fifteen years, he didn’t even blink an eye yesterday when she mentioned attending as a family.

The moment they stepped through the double-glass doors, Joanie was snatched out of her hands.

“There you are, you little darling! Come see your favorite aunt.” Tori tried to whisk the baby away, but Joan blocked her.

“Favorite aunt? In your dreams.” The stern look she leveled on Tori melted when her gaze lowered to Joanie. “Oh, look at her fuzzy white coat and her little hat and her mittens! Isn’t she the most adorable child you’ve ever seen?” Her diamond sparkled as she rubbed Joanie’s coat.

People were starting to stare. Besides making a spectacle of themselves, Allie saw that they were blocking the entrance. She shepherded her sisters to one side. On the other side of the foyer, she noticed Ryan Adams covertly watching Tori across the heads of the people who filed into the sanctuary. That one deserved keeping an eye on.

Joan glanced through the glass doors behind them. “Eric, did your parents go back to Detroit?”

He nodded. “They left yesterday. Dad said he didn’t bring any clothes suitable for church. Besides, I think this week has been the first time he’s taken any time off in years. He was getting antsy to ‘get back to the grindstone,’ as he put it.”

Tori still clutched the baby. “A shame they couldn’t stay for Sunday dinner. I haven’t seen your dad since the wedding.”

Allie grinned. “In a few more months you’ll be seeing plenty of them both. They’re planning to move here to be near their granddaughter.”

“I don’t blame them a bit for that.” Tori dropped a quick kiss on Joanie’s forehead.

The organ began the prelude, the deep tones vibrating through the open sanctuary doors. Joan edged away. “Gram and Ken are saving our places. I’ll see you in there after you get Joanie settled in the nursery.”

“I’ll go too.” As Tori transferred the baby into Eric’s arms, she looked at him through narrowed eyelids. “I’m kind of surprised to see you here this morning. I thought you didn’t like hanging out with religious fanatics.”

Allie saw Eric’s gaze slide over to Ryan, who was obviously waiting to follow Tori into the sanctuary. Eric really enjoyed playing basketball with him and the other guys Thursday night.

He shrugged a shoulder. “Let’s just say I’m prepared to revise my opinion.”

When Tori had disappeared, Allie tucked her hand into the crook of Eric’s arm. They headed for the nursery, a sense of well-being settling more deeply over Allie with every step. She clung to the arm of the man whose breath she still took away, and leaned on the everlasting arms of the One who cherished her as his precious child.

She was loved. Truly, deeply loved.

Acknowledgments

Any writer will tell you that no book is created by only one person. It takes the combined knowledge and experience of a lot of people to produce a story rich enough to capture the imaginations and touch the hearts of readers. This book is no exception. The task of thanking everyone who helped me with
Age before Beauty
is almost as daunting as writing the book itself!

My husband is my biggest supporter in every way. Thank you, Ted, for believing in me.

Susie Smith and Beth Marlowe are my sources of inspiration and encouragement in so many areas of life. Thank you both for being awesome sisters. And Susie, thank you for crying in all the right places.

My daughter, Christy Delliskave, is not only one of the best blessings God has given me, she’s an incredibly encouraging reader. Thank you, Christy, for loving Allie’s story as much as I do.

My stepson, Dennis Smith, set me straight on a couple of important matters related to police procedure, and I’m really grateful. How cool to have a police officer in the family so I can pester him with all the questions I’m too embarrassed to ask a stranger!

Lisa Roller of the Danville/Boyle 911 Center introduced me to the world and language of the dispatcher and gave me awesome insights into her day-to-day experiences. I’m thankful for the time she and her co-workers gave me, and for the inspiration they provided. And I’m also deeply grateful for their dedication to saving lives and helping people in need.

Tambra Rasmussen helped me tremendously by explaining the inner workings of an at-home sales business similar to the one I created in
Age before Beauty.
Her enthusiasm is contagious and couldn’t help but spill over into Allie’s business. Tambra is a great proofreader, too, and I really appreciate her attention to detail.

Ronda Wells, MD, helped me understand emergency treatment procedures after an accident. I’m grateful for her expertise and for her willingness to respond to my questions quickly. (And for the house call during the ACFW conference.)

Thanks to Cindy Swanson, the professional voice behind the book trailer for
Age before Beauty.
If you haven’t seen it, go to my website (
www.VirginiaSmith.org
) and listen to Cindy’s work. She’s awesome.

My dear friend Trudy Kirk has a sympathetic ear and the most comfortable kitchen in the world. Thanks, Trudy, for listening to me talk through the plot and for offering advice when I needed it.

Elizabeth Ludwig is not only an incredibly talented writer, she’s also a gifted freelance editor. Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks to Barbara Penegor for proofreading the manuscript and making great suggestions. Barbara, if I could afford it, I’d get you a Kate Spade handbag, but you’ll have to settle for my gratitude.

I had several excellent critique partners who read the first few chapters of this book and provided insights to make it better. Thanks to Vicki Tiede, Tracy Ruckman, and Richard Leonard. And special thanks to my mother, Amy Barkman, not only for a terrific critique, but for picking up on some local inconsistencies that no one else would have caught. No doubt she saved me from receiving tons of emails from people who want to make sure I know the 911 Center is on
Fourth
Street, not Second Street.

Thanks to my agent, Wendy Lawton, for everything she does on my behalf. She’s awesome, and I’m blessed to have her as my partner in this crazy industry.

The people at Revell and Baker Publishing Group are wonderful to work with. Huge thanks to Vicki Crumpton and Barb Barnes for helping me craft this story, and for polishing it until it sparkled. To mention everyone who worked to get this book from my computer to the bookstore shelves, I’d have to reprint the company directory. Since that’s not possible, please know that I truly appreciate your efforts and your expertise.

Finally, not a single word of this book—or any book I write, for that matter—is possible without my Lord and Savior. Thank you, thank you! You did it again.

Virginia Smith
is a writer of humorous novels, a speaker, singer, snow skier, motorcycle enthusiast, and an avid scuba diver. Someday, she insists, she’s going to find a way to do all those things at once without killing herself or her longsuffering husband. She launched her career as a novelist with the release of her debut,
Just As I Am
(Kregel), in March 2006, and has been cranking out God-honoring fiction ever since. An energetic speaker, she loves to exemplify God’s truth by comparing real-life situations to well-known works of fiction, such as her popular talk, “Biblical Truth in Star Trek.” She attributes the popularity of that talk primarily to the Star Trek uniform. Visit her website at
www.VirginiaSmith.org
.

Dumped, dateless, and desperate
—what’s a girl to do?

This modern-day Cinderella story combines budding romance, spiritual searching, and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry. Book 1 in the Sister-to-Sister series.

a division of Baker Publishing Group
www.RevellBooks.com

Available wherever books are sold