Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida (23 page)

Amanda looked around for her sister. Lacy hung back by the door looking bored, while Brad looked awkward and bewildered by everything around him. He stepped back and took Lacy’s hand.

“When I get outta this place, we’re gonna go on a great big treasure hunt,” Harold whispered loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “One of the nurses said she knew where we might find some secret stuff.”

Timmy turned and looked at his dad, who nodded. Then he turned back to Harold. “The man at the store told me about a really cool place I want to take you.”

“Where’s that?”

“Babe Ruth’s house!”

“Babe Ruth’s house?” Harold whistled. “Don’t tell me he lived on Treasure Island.”

Brad pulled away from Lacy. “Apparently he had a bungalow in a neighborhood not too far from Amanda’s shop. The house has been renovated like most of them in the area.”

“That, I gotta see.” Harold extended his hand that wasn’t hooked up to monitors and tousled Timmy’s hair. “Thanks, little buddy. I can’t wait to see Babe Ruth’s place.”

Amanda could tell that her presence didn’t mean much, so she walked up to Harold and patted his arm. “Take care, Harold. I’ll see you later.”

He waved but never took his eyes off Timmy. She was amazed at how strong the connection was between them.

Jerry joined her as she left the room. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

This had been an emotionally charged day, and Amanda felt the effects with a stiff neck and numbing thoughts. Jerry seemed to sense that she wasn’t in the mood for conversation. They rode down in the elevator in silence.

When they got to her car, he took her key, unlocked the door, and opened it for her. “I appreciate all you’ve done for my family, Amanda. It means the world to me.”

She looked up at him and instantly felt a thudding sensation in her chest. She had to quickly glance away.

“Amanda?”

She looked back at him and away again, doing everything in her power to guard her heart. “Yes?”

Without any warning, he cupped her chin in his hand and tilted it enough to force eye contact. As he lowered his face to hers, she was certain he could hear her heart pounding out of control.

The kiss was light and brief, but she felt as though she’d been struck by something she couldn’t describe. When she looked into Jerry’s eyes, she knew he felt it, too.

“I’ll call you,” he whispered before letting go.

She watched him walk back toward the entrance to the hospital, and she felt as though he took a part of her with him. Once he disappeared through the electric doors, she leaned her head against the car window and pressed her hand onto the warm steering wheel. All sorts of crazy thoughts flitted through her mind.
This can’t be happening,
she thought.

After Eric, Amanda had walked around in a numbing stupor, barely going through the motions of day-to-day life. Without her faith, she wasn’t sure what she would have done. Fortunately, after months of prayer and listening to the Word, she had managed to overcome the deepest grief she could ever imagine experiencing.

She’d stopped thinking about Eric after time passed. The bicycle shop took up most of her time, and she threw herself into church-related activities. Pastor Zach knew he could count on her to do things no one else had time to do, and she liked it that way. Not having time for another romantic relationship kept her from being too involved in anything that could hurt her personally.

And now she’d gone and fallen in love again.

As she crossed the causeway that led from St. Petersburg to Treasure Island, she looked out over the water. A motorboat sped past a tiny sailboat, reminding her that everything had its own course and timing. She was like the sailboat, leaning and following the wind. If she continued to allow herself to drift in directions determined by other people, she might never experience all that love had to offer. However, if she became more like the motorboat, she might find herself going too fast and hitting a wall.

Now that she was older, more experienced, and hopefully wiser, she should be able to prevent something like that from happening again. But could she? Would Jerry be the force that shifted the world beneath her again?

Focusing on the road in front of her, she appealed to God and asked for help.
I’m not trying to tell you how to do Your job, Lord, but please keep me from getting hurt again
. She continued praying for help in avoiding a relationship with Jerry because she didn’t think she could handle it after what had happened in the past.

As soon as she finished praying, she swallowed hard. The very fact that she’d prayed so specifically about protecting her heart reminded her that it was in jeopardy of being lost to Jerry. He was everything she could possibly want in a man. He was intelligent, kind, fun, and family-oriented. And most of all, he was a Christian. If she could have built the ideal man for herself, he would have been it. But she didn’t want that in her life. She had everything just like she wanted it. Didn’t she?

Well, there was one exception, the issue of him being here on vacation. As she pulled up in front of her house, she thought about how insane she was to let herself fall for a tourist. That was exactly what her mother had done—twice that Amanda knew about—and now she was the loneliest woman Amanda had ever known. Granted, her mother had given herself completely to the men she’d fallen in love with, and Amanda wasn’t about to do that. However, the simple fact that she cared so much for Jerry was more than she could handle at the moment.

She got out of her car and walked up to the front door, thinking about how she’d gotten herself into this mess. Once inside, she dropped her handbag on the table by the door and walked through the house flipping on lights and talking to herself.

The clock in the hallway chimed the hour, which reminded her that she’d left Tiffany in charge of the store. She went to the kitchen and called the shop from the house phone.

“Hey, Tiffany, everything okay?”

“Yes, we only had a couple of customers all afternoon. I sold that bicycle you had on sale, and the rest was about skating stuff.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Want me to come lock up?”

“No, that’s okay. I’ll do it. How’s Mr. Simpson?”

“Looks like he’ll be fine. Just a mild concussion.”

“That’s good. Let me know if you need me again. I’m trying to save some money for college. Mom said she’ll help me out, but she can’t pay for everything.”

Fortunately the shop did well, regardless of the economy, so Amanda was able to hire some extra help. “I’ll probably need you a few more hours this week. Thanks, Tiffany. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Tiffany giggled. “Maybe you can write me a reference…you know, for the future.”

“I’ll be glad to,” Amanda said. She heard the sound of car doors slamming, so she walked over to the window and separated a slat of the vertical blinds. Lacy was home. “Just let me know when.”

She headed to the kitchen to return the phone to the docking station. When she came back, Lacy stood at the door, chin jutted, eyes narrowed, and looking ready to hurt someone.

“What happened to you?”

Lacy growled and shook her head. “I can’t believe what Brad just told me.”

“Obviously something you didn’t appreciate.”

“He said I was a spoiled brat.” She tossed her purse onto the sofa and stomped into the kitchen. “What’s for supper?”

“I don’t know, Lacy; I just got home.”

Lacy’s eyebrows came together as she pouted. “I’m starving. Maybe you can go out and get us something.”

Brad might have a point.
Amanda nodded. “I’ll fix dinner. Come on into the kitchen and tell me all about it.”

Lacy sat at the kitchen table while Amanda perused the refrigerator and cupboards for something quick and easy. She settled on grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup while Lacy told her how she’d wanted to leave the hospital but Brad said he wanted to give Timmy a little time with Gramps.

“That sounds reasonable to me,” Amanda said.

“Reasonable?” The shrillness in Lacy’s voice sent a stabbing pain through Amanda’s head. “He’s supposed to care about how I feel. I was bored stiff just standing there while an old man got all excited over some stupid baseball cards.”

Amanda slammed the pot down on the counter and turned to face her sister. She’d put up with enough, and it was about time to let her know how selfish she sounded.

Lacy’s eyes widened. “What was that all about?”

“You really don’t know, do you?” Amanda leaned against the cupboard and stared at her sister.

“Don’t stop cooking,” Lacy said. “I’m hungry.”

“So am I, but you need to listen to me, Lacy. I’ve been taking care of you almost all our lives, and it looks like I haven’t done such a good job.”

“What are you talking about?”

“When we were kids…” Amanda had to pause to settle her shaky voice. “When we were kids, I knew Mom couldn’t deal with two daughters, so I pretty much took over. I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I was responsible for you and everything that happened to you. I did the best I could, considering the fact that I started trying to be your mother when I was barely a teenager.”

Lacy squeezed her eyes shut. “Stop it, Amanda. I don’t want to hear this.”

“Too bad, because you’re going to listen to me.”

Lacy stood up, but when Amanda took a step toward her and pointed to the chair, she sat back down. “Okay, okay, just get it over with and cook us some dinner.”

Amanda’s jaw tightened, but she knew she had to continue or Lacy would never get what she needed. “You were like a live doll to me. I made sure you had clothes to wear and food to eat and that your teeth were brushed. Then when you graduated from high school, it was obvious that you weren’t ready for the real world, so I paid your tuition to college—and it wasn’t easy because I was barely making ends meet when you started. It’s time you begin acting like a mature adult.”

Lacy rolled her eyes. “This is so lame, Amanda. What’s your point?”

“My point is…you need to realize that you’re not the only person with needs. Brad clearly cares about you, but his first priority has to be his little boy.”

“Timmy is such a brat.” Lacy scowled.

“C’mon, Lacy, even you have to understand what’s going on with him. He lost his mother, and his dad barely has time to take care of his basic needs.”

“He’s not the only kid who only has one parent. You and I—”

“You and I had each other.” Amanda leveled her sister with a look that she knew would get her attention. “Timmy has no one but his dad.”

Lacy lifted one shoulder and let it drop as she looked around the room to avoid Amanda’s glare. Finally, she clicked her tongue. “Okay, okay, I get it. Timmy has issues. So finish cooking so we can eat. I’m so over this.”

“No, you’re not. If you don’t accept the fact that Timmy is a little boy and needs every ounce of energy and attention his father can give him, you need to stop seeing Brad.”

Lacy stood up. “I don’t need this right now. You sound just like Brad. Call me when supper’s ready.” She stormed out of the room, leaving Amanda standing there with her mouth hanging open.

Amanda managed to pull herself together long enough to cook dinner and put it on the table. She called for Lacy, who came without having to be told a second time. They ate in near silence, with only a few insignificant words exchanged through the entire meal. When Lacy was finished, she carried her plate and bowl to the sink and left the kitchen.

For once, Amanda didn’t mind that Lacy didn’t offer to help clean up. She needed to be alone, and she was grateful for the silence. Her mind raced through the events of the day until she finally had the last plate in the dishwasher and the rag draped over the faucet. She went to her room and got ready for bed.

When she arrived at the shop the next morning, a young woman wearing spandex stood at the door. Amanda was more than happy to start out the day busy and maintain a steady pace until closing. When she got home, she found that Lacy had already ordered pizza and left the half-empty box for her on the kitchen counter.