Dearly Loved (18 page)

Deal with it
.

Finally, with tears in her tired eyes, she started the engine and went home.

***

Meredith spent the days before her job in Peds began cleaning and organizing her house and tending her garden. Whenever she felt teary or depressed, she prayed for Clay and Erin. She remembered her prayer to God asking for His direction with regards to a mate.
I got it, all right, whiplash notwithstanding
.

To make her misery complete, she woke up with the beginnings of a sinus cold. Now the throbbing in her temples was complemented by an ache in her head and cheeks. She blamed it on the weather change. Each day seemed to be slightly cooler than the last as September drew to a close.

The day before she started back to work, her doorbell rang. Meredith curled a stray lock of hair behind her ear and answered the door. Bitsy ran circles around her legs, barking excitedly.

Rosa burst inside holding out her hand. “He proposed!”

Dazed, Meredith motioned for her to come and sit down on the couch. Bitsy jumped on Rosa’s lap. She absently patted him on his back.

“Can you believe it, Mer? I’m still shaking! What do you think of the ring?”

Meredith duly inspected the large diamond solitaire. “It’s stunning.”

Rosa clasped her hands together, her dark eyes wide and beseeching. “I know it’s been only a few weeks, but we’ve spent every spare moment together. I love him, he loves me.”

“Congratulations, Rosa. Have you set a date?”

“No! He only asked me last night. I felt things were moving along fast enough. What do you think?”

She shook her head. “I’m no expert in these matters. In fact, I’ve recently discovered I’m more ignorant than I thought.”

Rosa looked confused. “Huh?”

“Never mind. Tell me how Gino proposed.”

Rosa grew dreamy, a high flush mantling her cheeks. “Oh, Mer, it was wonderful! We went to the amusement park and he proposed while we were stopped on top of the Ferris wheel.” She paused. “He...admitted he knew this was soon, but he said he couldn’t wait. And you’ll be proud of me. I asked him about all that stuff you mentioned at the meeting.”

Meredith groaned. “Oh, great!”

“But listen to this. He wants children, he wants to give me the opportunity to stay home with the kids if I want, and he even said pre-marital counseling with our pastor is a must to make sure our marriage has a firm foundation.”

“That’s wonderful, Rosa.” Meredith hugged her friend, ignoring a wistful feeling.

“I want you to be my Maid of Honor. Would you?”

“Of course. Just tell me when and where. I’ll be there.”

“It might be a while yet. I want to wait at least three months before the wedding.”

Meredith smiled.
Three months! Rosa considers that a long time?

“Tomorrow he’s taking me to meet his family. I’m nervous but he assures me they’ll love me. He said they’re a big noisy Italian family and that I’ll fit right in. Was that a back-handed compliment or what?”

“Or what,” Meredith said with a soft laugh. “Maybe you can impress them by burping the Mickey Mouse song.”

Rosa gave her a playful punch in the arm.

Pretending to be hurt, Meredith rubbed her shoulder. “By the way, Gino doesn’t happen to have any brothers, does he?”

“Two, but they’re married—” Rosa’s smile disappeared. “You mean for you? What happened to Clay?”

“It was just a joke, Rosa. Don’t worry about it.”

She grabbed Meredith’s hands. “Something’s happened. I can tell by the tone of your voice. Out with it!”

Meredith knew delaying the inevitable would only make things worse. She quirked her mouth. “Clay found someone else.”

“What!” Rosa screamed, making Bitsy bark. “When did you find out?”

“Hush, Bitsy!” Meredith sighed. “Recently. It’s...Erin.”

Rosa screamed again and pulled at her hair. “Erin Morgan?
At the hospital?
You’re joking!”

She shook her head and told her the whole story. Rosa covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head.

“Oh, Mer. How horrible for you. And here I am bragging about my engagement.”

“Engagements are good news, Rosa. I’m so happy for you.”

Rosa sagged against the cushions of the couch, apparently deep in thought. “Well,” she said after a moment, “There’s always David Steller!”

“Don’t even go there, girl,” Meredith warned. “Believe me, it’s a dead end.”

Rosa admired the sparkle of her ring for several minutes. When she looked back up, she grinned wickedly. “We’ll see about that.”

***

David smiled at Rosa and Gino when they sat down next to him in the pew the following Wednesday evening at church.

“Is Meredith here?” he couldn’t help but ask. Lately, she’d been heavy on his heart. Instead of calling her and risking another rebuff, he’d prayed for her. He figured God knew what was going on.

Rosa shook her head. “She’s got a cold. But I want to talk to you about her.” She glanced up at the front of the church to where the worship team entered from a side room and picked up their instruments. “Her boyfriend dumped her,” she hissed. “If you wanted a chance, this is it.”

The guy at the park!
A myriad of conflicting emotions surged through David—anger at her boyfriend for being such a fool—relief he was out of the picture—and pique that Meredith had chosen the Yuppie over himself. He leaned toward Rosa. “Maybe I don’t want to be second best. And not only that, she’ll be on the rebound.”

Rosa stared at him and laughed out loud, drawing the attention of those around them. She lowered her voice. “Meredith’s right. You
are
arrogant.”

David’s brows snapped together. He felt a tide of red creep up his neck. He turned away and stared straight ahead while the pastor prepared to commence the service.

Rosa jabbed him in the ribs. “Get over it. Now listen, some other guy is gonna come along a snap her up if you’re gonna sit around and pout. This is your chance. That’s all I’m telling you.”

“Why don’t you ask Gino if he’d like the chance first,” he taunted. Instead of becoming angry, Rosa put her hand under his nose, showing David her ring.

“He’s already been hooked,” she said, giving him a wink.

David gave Rosa a baleful look and mumbled his congratulations. His heart pounded as he thought of Meredith. He’d assumed by backing off and giving her time, she’d eventually come around to his way of thinking—that they might have a future together. The vague notion of looking her up when he arrived in town had changed abruptly when he woke up and saw her at his side. The old buried feelings, the old attraction, had resurrected with a force that surprised him. Only her chilliness kept him at bay.

Will she be more open now that the Yuppie is out of the picture? Maybe I’m not her type. Maybe she just can’t stand the sight of me.

Even as his sore ego pained him, David decided it was time to go on the offense—like in a game plan of soccer. If Rosa was right, he had the ball in his control and the goalie was playing with a pulled hamstring. A little fancy footwork, and he’d sneak the ball past the goalie’s weakened guard.
Score!

David’s enthusiasm propelled him up from his seat. Lucky for him, the worship leader had just ushered everyone to stand. The music swelled and he joined in the singing, with a sense that victory might be within sight.

***

David went to Meredith’s house during his lunch break the next day. He brought with him a container of hot chicken noodle soup from a nearby deli and a bouquet of fall flowers.

When Meredith finally opened the door several minutes after he knocked, she only poked her head out. Her eyes widened at the sight of him.

“David, what are you doing here?”

He watched her plow her hand through her tousled hair. She appeared to have just awakened.

“I heard you weren’t feeling well, so I thought I’d come by and bring something to make you feel better. Who’s going to take care of the nurse when she’s sick, eh?” He grinned and held out the flowers.

Edging open the door only a fraction more, Meredith tentatively took the flowers. Lowering her gaze, she brought them to her nose. When she looked up, she gave a slight smile. “This is very sweet. But I’m afraid I can’t let you come in right now. I might be contagious.”

“I’m willing to take my chances.”

“I’m not.”

Deciding a frontal assault might not be the best tactic at that moment, David gave in and planned to rethink his strategy. “Well, here. Take the soup, at least.”

Meredith accepted the container. “Thank you. It’s very thoughtful of you.”

While her hands were full, he reached out and curled a lock of her hair around his finger. “I’ll be praying for your recovery.”

When he saw the way her expression softened, he wondered if he’d actually gained some ground. He said good-bye and went back to work, feeling much more optimistic.

Meredith eased the door shut, chewing on her bottom lip. She hoped she hadn’t sounded rude. It had been imperative that David not enter her home. On the coffee table were dozens of pictures of him. She would’ve been mortified if he’d seen them there.

In her cleaning efforts, she began to go through some boxes she had in storage. She discovered many photographs and snapshots—pictures of him with her family and vice versa, at barbecues, a church Christmas play, birthday parties, and sporting events.

Meredith didn’t realize she had so many—most all had been snapped by her mom. Meredith had put them on the coffee table in chronological order, seeing the transformation of David in the year he lived next door.

She walked back over to the table and sat down cross-legged on the floor, setting the soup and flowers next to the photos. Her gaze swept back over the images, making her feel once again wistful. In a way, she liked to view David this way—one-dimensional, with memories filtered by time.

Seeing David at the door just moments ago upset her equilibrium. The living, breathing version in vibrant Technicolor was a little more than she could handle right now.

She touched the flowers.
He hits all five senses—the vision of his beautiful brown eyes and lightly tanned skin, smell of his cologne, sound of his teasing voice, the strength of his arms when he held me so recently
. Meredith counted on her fingers. One sense was missing.
Taste
. She felt her face grow hot when she remembered their kisses. Even tempered by years, she could still remember the taste of his mouth against hers.

Meredith groaned and snatched up the box of cold medicine she’d left on the table. She scanned the list of active ingredients, wondering if any could be blamed for her ridiculous thoughts.

Her stomach gave an unladylike rumble. She eyed the Styrofoam container of soup. Maybe the taste of David’s soup would divert from the memory of his kiss—at least for a little while.

Fourteen

David was all out of ideas. Taking soup to Meredith’s house had been only marginally successful. He stared at the computer screen, at the scores he was supposed to be compiling for the evening broadcast. Instead he was aware of only his own score—a big fat zero.

He picked up his mug of coffee for a drink, only to find it empty. Sighing, he got up from his desk and went into the small kitchen area for a refill. He saw a girl he recognized as working in the newsroom.

“Hi, Tara.”

The blonde looked up at the ceiling. “It’s Teresa. I swear, Steller, you come up with a different name every time I see you. Last time it was Tricia.”

“Oops. Sorry. I’ll try harder.”

Apparently all was forgiven as Teresa gave him a flirty smile. “So, what are you doing next Saturday? Got any plans?”

David poured coffee into his cup and took a sip. Was she asking him out?
Uh oh
. If Meredith found out about this, his goose was cooked. She’d never believe he was reformed. “Ummm...”

“How about dinner, and I’ve got two tickets to a comedy club. My treat.”

“Sorry. I’m going to have to decline.”

David saw Teresa catch the eye of another woman just outside the door. Teresa gave her a thumbs down sign. She turned back to him and put a hand on his arm. “What about Saturday morning?” she said, batting her eyes. “The station is having that blood drive. Remember?”

David’s eyebrows went up. “I thought that was next month.”

She grinned. “You have to be there, you know. They’re going to tape it and air it to get community support for blood donations.” She leaned in close. “We can get cots next to each other.”

“Very funny, Tamara.”

Teresa groaned and left the room. David leaned back against the counter and sipped his coffee. He had the glimmerings of an idea.