Dearly Loved (10 page)

Besides, she was seeing someone. Well, kind of seeing someone. Clay had gone out of town but hadn’t mentioned if he wanted to start dating. They’d had a pleasant time at dinner. He seemed like a nice man who wouldn’t just drop a person when someone else suited his fancy.

Meredith glanced over to where she’d seen David earlier. A petite brunette in a fuchsia swimsuit was helping him out of the water. Nice physical therapist. He was twice her size and would’ve squashed her like a bug if he fell. The woman wrapped her arm around his waist and led him to the locker rooms.
Good grief, is she going to help him get dressed, too?

But she only retrieved a pair of crutches that leaned up against the wall and helped to get them under his arms. Meredith could tell by the dewy expression on the therapist’s face that David was flirting with her.

Disgusted, she was just about to head for the women’s locker room when David looked over at her and winked. A slow burn crept up her cheeks. She lifted her chin.
Don’t trip now, David dear!

***

Meredith took a nap after returning from the health club. When she awoke, she discovered a message on her machine in the kitchen. She hit the play button and poured herself a glass of orange juice.

“Mer, Rosa here. I got that info for you about alternative church services. Tuesday nights the pastor’s wife is holding a ladies Bible study at her home. You might notice this is Tuesday. I’ll be there. Try and come, okay?”

Meredith looked at the clock. It was five now. She could grab a quick bite and be there no problem. Butterflies rioted in her stomach at the idea of trying something new. She’d existed for the last year in a shadowing world of fatigue and a feeling of being disconnected. Maybe things were about to change. And Tuesday evenings worked regardless of whether she worked days or nights. 

Don’t forget it’s a ladies Bible study. No guys. Which is fine. I need to re-plug spiritually, not romantically
.

For some reason she thought of David. Despite her best efforts to the contrary, she’d thought of him endlessly over the last two weeks and had been plagued by worry that he might not be receiving good home care.

She thought of the little princess therapist in Spandex and frowned. He’s obviously doing just fine.
More wasted emotion spent on David. When will I learn?
She let out a ragged sigh.
I must stop thinking about him!

***

Meredith arrived at the Bible study at seven on the dot. After greeting the pastor’s wife, she found a space left on the sectional couch, which dominated the room decorated in earth tones and greenery. Rosa arrived a few minutes later and sat on an ottoman. She wiggled her fingers and grinned, obviously delighted her friend had come. Most of the other women were unfamiliar to Meredith, and after making the introductions around the group, she discovered many had odd schedules as well.

A young woman with a guitar opened the meeting with several simple choruses and Meredith felt some of her recent strain lessen while she worshiped.
Getting my eyes off myself sure helps!

When the singing came to an end, an older woman instructed everyone to open their Bibles to the first letter to the Corinthians, thirteenth chapter. The love chapter. As Meredith listened to the words read aloud, she groaned inwardly, realizing her reaction to David earlier had been silly. Envy, rudeness, and anger were the antithesis to real love—real love being God’s love—not man’s.

No matter how David had treated her in the past, she needed to put that aside and have a forgiving attitude. Easier said than done. Meredith perused the text in her Bible as the pastor’s wife continued with her lesson.
Having David back in my life has somehow brought out an unpleasant side of me. All the more reason to avoid him.

Which shouldn’t be hard. He’s got a new little female friend
.

Bad Meredith!

Someone cleared their throat. She looked up to see Rosa giving her the eye, as if to say
pay attention!
She offered her a rueful smile and turned her attention back to the lesson.

Eight

Meredith went back to the health club the next day, but didn’t feel quite up to testing her resolution concerning David just yet. Avoiding the swimming pool and wearing an old cotton T-shirt and baggy sweatpants, she headed to the weight room for a go at the exercise machines. When she entered the room, she let out a little gasp.

David lay on his back on a padded weight bench, wearing shorts and a black shirt, which was stained with sweat. The brunette physical therapist, wearing a clingy aqua tank top with matching biker shorts, bent and straightened his injured leg with smooth, repetitive motions. She spoke encouragement in soft tones, blushing with pleasure at whatever David said in response.

Meredith suppressed a frown. Her plan had backfired. But she wasn’t about to let the sight of David scare her away. She looked around at all the weight machines. More like various instruments of torture. While she considered her options, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the therapist leave the room.

Peeking over at David, she watched him raise himself to a sitting position. He scooted forward on the seat and hooked his leg under the padded bar of the leg curl machine. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to pull up his leg. She watched in dismay when he was only able to raise the bar a few scant inches. Those inches cost him. Streams of sweat dampened his hair and ran down his pale, pinched face.

Meredith’s angst dissolved as she witnessed his struggle. She longed to speak to him, to encourage him in some way. She took a step toward him to do just that when the physical therapist returned. The brunette gently chastised him for pushing himself too hard and fast. David gave a weak grin and shrugged.

Feeling a rush of affection for him, a little smile quirked Meredith’s lips. Still as stubborn as ever. Another part of her grieved his soccer career had been cut short so soon.

A minute later, the brunette helped him up and they left the room. Meredith blew out a breath and sent up a little prayer for David. He had a long road ahead of him.

She looked around the room.
Might as well actually exercise now that I’m here
. Meredith spied a stair-stepping machine and decided to give it a try. She’d heard it was great for hips and thighs. What woman didn’t need help with that part of the body? With confidence, Meredith climbed on. She was in great shape—at least cardiovascularly—so this should be a snap. After a few tries, the stair-stepper didn’t budge. She decided it was broken.

“Here, let me show you how it works,” said a woman two machines down. As she came over, Meredith noticed the woman’s Spandexed hips were lean indeed.

“You have to adjust the tension like this,” she explained, turning a knob down. “Now try it.”

Meredith gave it a try. If she used all her strength, she could just get the steps to shift a fraction. She gave the woman a sheepish grin. “Thanks. I think I have it now.”

As the other woman went back to her own machine, Meredith quickly turned down the resistance even more. Soon, she could mimic the up and down motions of her neighbor. After a few minutes, her backside began to quiver like Jell-O. She took another swipe at the knob, adjusting the tension even lower. As her hips began to feel as if they’d gone up in flames, she turned the knob lower and lower until it couldn’t go down any further.

Meredith sagged against the handles of the machine, wishing for the days of corsets, girdles and ankle length skirts. As she climbed down on unsteady legs, she heard a familiar voice.

“I miss you.”

She turned around and looked up into David’s dark brown eyes. Feeling off balance when to find him standing so close, she took a step backward. “Excuse me?”

He smiled. “That’s what I was trying to tell you the other day before you took off in a huff.”

“I did not go off in a huff!”

He reached up and gave a light tug on her braid. “I was trying to tell you that I’ve missed you these last two weeks. I hope you’re not still mad at me about that night at my apartment.”

Meredith’s heart turned over at his gentle tone of voice. Her annoyance with him seemed childish in retrospect. She noticed he was freshly showered, wearing Levi’s and a dark blue Polo shirt. He watched her with an amused expression on his face. It made her realize she must look like a wreck.
Perfect
.

Remembering the recent lesson from the Bible study, she took a breath. “Sorry I was so defensive.”

David sent her a sweet smile that made her knees go weak. Combined with weak hips and derrière, she feared she might collapse in a heap onto the floor.

“I never got a chance to thank you for all you did at my apartment. I couldn’t have made it without all your help unpacking and everything.”

“No problem.” She cleared her throat. “Uh, how is your therapy going?”

“Okay, but of course not fast enough. I spent nearly a year in therapy from my knee injury last time. Doing it twice is almost too much to bear. My impatience got the better of me today. Had to take extra pain medication.”

“I saw your therapist—”

“Darla.”

“Um, I saw Darla give you a piece of her mind.”

“She did.”

“I didn’t know the hospital provided a physical therapist.”

“They didn’t.
I’m
providing for it.”

Meredith bit her bottom lip, wondering what to say next.

“Why didn’t you come over and say hi?” David asked.

“I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“It was a therapy session, not a romantic tète-a-tète.”

Could’ve fooled me
. Meredith shrugged. “Next time I’ll say hi.”

“What are your plans after you’re done here?”

“Nothing much. Go home, feed my dog, continue in my jet-set lifestyle.”

David’s eyes twinkled. “Can I take you out to lunch before you head home?”

Meredith gazed at him.
Is God testing my resolve to be nice?
Guilt at the way she’d been avoiding him came to the fore.
Obviously he’s survived without my professional care. Maybe this is an opportunity to end things on a good note
. “Sure. That sounds nice. I can be ready in about half an hour. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine. It will give me time to rest my leg. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

While watching him go, Meredith knew she wasn’t kidding anyone. Regardless of her contradictory feelings for David, there was no denying he was an attractive man who wanted to spend time with her.

Ack! Don’t think about that
.

***

When Meredith entered the lobby thirty minutes later, she found David seated on a wooden bench near the door. He stood, with the help of a cane, as she approached.

“You look fresh as a daisy,” he said.

She managed a cautious smile, still not entirely trusting him. “Thank you.” She wore a purple T with frilled edging and a pair of blue jeans, but wished she’d brought along something nicer.

He went ahead and held open the door for her, following her out as she preceded him. David led her to a shiny new black Jeep Cherokee. He waved away her attempt to help him. Once they were settled inside, he patted the dash.

“Insurance bought this baby. Nice, huh?”

“Very nice. I didn’t think you’d be driving so soon.”

David put a finger to his lips. “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone.” He grinned, exposing his deep dimple. “I wouldn’t be able to if this were a manual transmission. But since this is an automatic, I can escort you properly.”

Meredith gave him a disbelieving look. The guy couldn’t talk unless it included some form of flirtation. Aggravation surged anew within her.

They drove in silence, wending their way through the downtown part of Cedar Hill. David pulled into a parking lot of a new delicatessen she’d been meaning to try out. When he shut off the motor, she got out and hurried around to the driver’s side to help him get out of the car.

David shooed her away while he carefully climbed out of the Jeep. “This is old hat,” he assured her, ushering her ahead while he got his cane into position.  

Meredith went into the deli, holding open the door for him. She was a nurse and couldn’t ignore the fact he’d been recently injured. When they arrived at the counter, she ordered her usual turkey sandwich with cream cheese and pickles on dark Bohemian rye.

David looked down at her. “It’s nice to know some things don’t change.”

Meredith’s heart pounded at the intimacy of his tone.
Can he hear it? Worse, am I so immature that he could still affect me that way?
“You remember that?”

David gazed at her with a hooded expression. “I remember a lot of things about you.”