And the Greatest of These Is Love: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel (15 page)

Her face went hot at the direction her thoughts went, and she looked away to watch the kids on the field. The game had started, and she knew she couldn’t look at him or he would know.

“He’s very good,” Gabi said, never taking her eyes off the field because doing so was dangerous to her heart.

Andrew sat for a moment, watching Greg kick the ball across the grass. “Yeah, he is.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, why are you here with him?” she asked suddenly.

His arm fell from the back of the bench, and he folded his hands anchoring his elbows on his knees. “Greg’s parents work a lot.” As if lost in thought, he looked out and watched the kids chase the ball back and forth. “They don’t have much time for anything else.”

“Not even for Greg?” she asked, dismay crowding in on her.

“I don’t think parenthood was what they thought it was going to be,” he said, still looking wholly lost in thought.

Gabi nodded, watching him and then the kids. “I think that’s most people. It takes a lot to bring up a child right — especially now. There’s so much bad stuff they can get into.”

“Yeah, it’s hard to imagine — even Greg, I mean he’s got everything. Every toy in the book, every video game you can imagine, and yet I don’t think any of that really matters to him. You know?”

“Kids need more than toys.” Her gaze fused straight forward. She didn’t dare even a glance at him. Suddenly Greg broke free from the pack, and the ball skidded out in front of him. “Yeah, go Greg!” she yelled, all of her willpower going to the small boy facing the goalie. He stopped, pulled his foot back, and let the ball fly — straight past the goalie’s left shoulder. “Yay!”

They both jumped up together, clapping and cheering.

“Go, Greg.” Andrew cupped his hands to yell and then clapped for all he was worth. “What a shot!  Did you see that? That was awesome!”

“Wow. Great shot,” she said, clapping and smiling. The game resumed, and with touch of awkwardness, they were back sitting on the bench together. Gabi’s heart fluttered when it occurred to her how close he actually was. The feeling of his mere presence was overwhelming to her senses, and nothing seemed to help that.

“You know,” Andrew said with a glance in her general direction. “Greg and I are going out to get something to eat after the game. Do you want to come with us?”

Shock surged through her. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” he said, glancing her way again as if to confirm he was talking to her although there wasn’t anyone else even close.

Gabi laughed as self-consciousness descended on her. “Oh, I don’t know.”

“Come on, what else do you have to do today? Solving world peace?”

She tried to think of something, anything, she had to do today, but it wasn’t working. “Well, I really don’t know that I have anything.”

“Great.” Andrew reached over and picked up her sketchbook. “I’m sure Greg would love to see these.”

Her sketches. Gabi closed her eyes and willed this situation to go away. Andrew wasn’t really here, she told herself, and he wasn’t asking her out. This was all a dream, and she was going to wake up any minute now. She waited for that to happen, but the darkness she wished for never came, and in frustration, she finally rejoined reality.

“Besides you have to eat sometime,” he said, and the softness and hope in his green eyes melted her heart. “Right?”

Why did he have to be so good looking? Just looking at him sent her heart careening down a roller coaster of emotions, and that was ridiculous, she told herself. His story was over. Seeing him here was a coincidence and nothing more, she would do well to remember that.

“We did it!” Greg came running and jumping at the same time over to the bench. “I can’t believe we beat the Raiders!”

“I can’t believe you scored two goals.” Andrew stood and ruffled his nephew’s hair. “Way to go, Kiddo.”

“Five goals. Man, we’ve never scored five goals!  That was so cool!”

“So cool,” Andrew agreed, looking over Greg’s head at her. She smiled at him, at them. They were so cute together. So right. Andrew took hold of him and turned him so that he Greg was facing her but pressed backward against his uncle. “Greg, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. Greg, this is Gabriella Treyvillion. Gabi, this is my nephew, Greg.

“Hi, Greg,” she said, extending her hand to the boy and smiling.

“Hi,” he said, shyly shaking her hand, but letting go quickly.

“Gabi’s going to eat with us.” Andrew hugged Greg to him even as he smiled at Gabi.

“Today?” Greg asked, and his disappointment was evident.

“Yes, today, silly.” Andrew apologized to her with his eyes. “Oh, Greg. Hey, you’ve got to see what Gabi drew. Look at this.” He grabbed the sketchbook and flipped to the first page to show it to Greg.

“Oh. Wow.” Greg’s eyes widened. “That’s awesome. You drew this?”

Gabi smiled and shrugged. “Yeah.”

His eyes widened even more. “It’s me, right?”

“Yes, it’s you,” she said, chuckling because he seemed so shocked.

Together, the two of them flipped through the sketches.

“Wow, this one is really cool,” he said. “Did you see this one, Uncle Drew?”

Andrew nodded at the picture they had talked about earlier. “I thought you’d like that one.”

“My mom’s going to love these!”

Suddenly everything was moving way too fast for Gabi. She was going out to eat with him and his nephew. She was meeting the in-laws. This was not territory she was familiar with.

“Oh. Saying Mom, we’d better be going, or Pam may beat us there,” Andrew said.

“Can Gabi ride with us?” Greg asked as they started for the cars.

“Sure she can.”

“You can have my seat, Gabi,” Greg said, looking at her. “I don’t mind.”

He skipped on ahead of them, and Andrew looked back at her following a half step behind him, kicking her feet across the grass. His smile spoke of happiness, and he slowed down so she came up next to him.

“Can you believe we beat those Raiders?” Greg turned, skipping backward in front of them. “They were good, too. Almost as good as the Spiders.”

“Yeah, they were good,” Andrew said, not really paying much attention. His mind was busy debating the question of whether or not to take her hand. He wanted to, but she already looked like a cornered animal ready to bolt, and taking her hand now might scare her off for good. That was the last thing he wanted to do so he stuck his in his pocket in case it got any stupid ideas.

“We play the Marlins next week,” Greg chattered on. “But I think we can beat them. What do you think, Gabi?”

“Oh,” she said as if in complete surprise. She glanced up at Andrew and then focused on his nephew. “Well, I think if you play like you did today, you’ll do just fine.”

Greg smiled at her and bounced along happily. They reached the car, and Andrew went around to let them in.

“I can’t believe I scored two goals!” Greg tumbled into the tiny backseat. “Dad’s never going to believe this!”

Andrew waited for Gabi to get settled into her seat; then he shut the door firmly. She wasn’t going to get away this time. No. She wasn’t. Not if he had any say about the matter.

Although it took only five minutes, to Gabi the drive to the Icicle seemed interminable. Greg kept up a one-man monologue in the back, and she nodded in all the right places, but she couldn’t keep her mind off of the proximity of Andrew in the opposite front seat. How perfectly right he looked there, with his stylish sunglasses on and his hand on the gearshift. Oh, she was losing this battle. Badly.

When they pulled up to the restaurant, she didn’t even wait for Andrew to put the car in park before she unbuckled and grabbed for the door handle. Her nerves were shaking so bad, she could hardly keep herself from doing something stupid.
Calm down
, she told herself furiously, but nothing was working. Why did he have to look like that? Why did he have to smile at her like that, like he liked her, like this was anything other than what she knew it had to be?

“So, do you think you’ll come to next week’s game too, Gabi?” Greg asked, crawling out of the backseat with her sketchbook in his hands. How had that happened? Reality was starting to spiral out of her grasp, and she had no idea how to get it back.

“Oh, I don’t know, Greg,” she said, taken off guard by the question. She didn’t want to break his heart if she said no, but she didn’t want to lead anyone on either. “Um. I guess I’ll have to see.”

“Well, I hope you do,” Greg said with such happiness and hope that Gabi’s heart turned over. He was such a cute kid, how could she say no?

“I’ll try,” she said, smiling at him, and Greg’s face lit up.

Andrew watched them. He loved watching her — especially with kids. She had a knack for it, and besides the Antonio incident, he hadn’t met a kid yet that didn’t love her.

“I’m really hungry, Uncle Drew. Can I have a hamburger?” Greg asked as they sat in a booth, Greg and Andrew on one side and Gabi on the other.

“Can?” Gabi asked. “Is that what you said?”

“I mean may,” Greg said, correcting himself.

“Well, since you said ‘may’,” Andrew said. “I think the answer is yes.”

They all laughed.

“So, Gabi what do you do?” Greg asked, sounding more like he was 30 rather than 10.

“I work at a center for kids.” Gabi worked to not look amused as she studied her menu carefully. In fact, reality was starting to set in. She only had two dollars with her, but that was the very last thing she wanted Andrew to know.

“What do you do at the center?”

“Umm, I teach little kids,” Gabi said, realizing the only thing she could really afford was a soft drink. She was hungry, but pride was more important than hunger at this moment.

“What kind of little kids?” Greg asked, and Andrew suddenly realized that Greg really did have Bryan’s gift. He was doing a better job of entertaining Gabi than Andrew was.

“Four-year-olds.” She folded her menu and set it to the side, brushing her dark hair back.

“Eeewww.” Greg scrunched up his nose. “Four-year-olds?”

Laughing at him, she laid her hands on the table. “Ah, they’re not so bad.”

“May I take your order?” the waitress asked, standing at the table.

“I want a cheeseburger,” Greg said, “and a Coke.”

Andrew looked up when the waitress looked at him. “I’ll have the same.”

Gabi slid her menu down between the salt and pepper shakers. “I’ll just have a Coke.”

“Is that all?” the waitress asked, pen poised for more.

“Yeah, I’m not really all that hungry.”

“All right.” The waitress shrugged and headed back to the kitchen

Andrew noticed how thoroughly Gabi managed to not look at them as she perused the restaurant.

“So, where did you learn to draw like that?” Greg asked, resuming the conversation he carried on so easily. Yes. He was definitely his father’s son.

“Oh, here and there.” Her gaze slipped over to Andrew’s and then dropped to the table.

“Did you take art in school?” Greg asked.

“No, they didn’t have art where I went to school, but when I was out of school, I went to this place, and this lady there was really good at it. She kind of taught me how.”

“That’s cool. I wish I could draw like that.” Pulling out the sketchbook again, Greg looked through it as Andrew peered over his shoulder. “This really looks like me.”

Gabi smiled clearly embarrassed. “I’m glad you think so.” On her side, she folded and unfolded her napkin as if it held the secrets of life.

“Gregory Paul!” a woman hissed right behind Gabi, and Gabi jumped a foot and spun.

“Hey, Pam.” Andrew said, straightening.

“Hello, Andrew.” Pam, who Gabi thought looked like a model the second she saw her, lifted her chin.

Gabi had to force her hand to stay on the table and not smooth her own hair down. She looked like Cinderella’s sad, ugly stepsister next to the regal woman now standing next to her.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Mom, I haven’t eaten yet.”

She checked her watch. “Well, it’s 2 o’clock. If we’re going to have time to get to the doctor’s, we’d better go now.”

“I can’t stay and eat?” Greg asked, his voice falling into pathetic.

“We’ll get something after the appointment,” Pam said shortly.

Greg dragged himself out of the booth, barely moving. “But I’m hungry now.”

“Come on, Pam,” Andrew said, trying to be diplomatic, “the food should be out here any minute. Greg can take it with him.”

“Yeah, Mom, please.”

“Well.” Pam pursed her lipstick covered lips and checked her watch again. “All right, but only a couple of minutes. I’m not driving like a maniac to get across town.”

“Why don’t you have a seat while you wait?” Andrew asked, indicating the seat next to Gabi who couldn’t think of a worse suggestion in all the world.