Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida (27 page)

Lacy’s lips quivered into a smile. “You’ll do that for me?”

“Yes, of course I will.” She grabbed a bag of bread from the counter. “Want me to make garlic toast?”

The evening was much more relaxing than Amanda could have expected. The simple mention of helping Lacy work through her issues with Brad had brought a smile to her sister’s face. Unfortunately, Amanda worried that Lacy assumed she’d be able to fix everything, as she’d somehow managed to do in the past. But this was out of Amanda’s control. Relationships couldn’t be fixed that easily. Lacy would have to put forth much more energy than she might be willing to do, once she realized how painful it could be.

After dinner, Lacy started to sit, but Amanda gave her
the look
, something she’d mastered years earlier. Lacy joined her at the sink, and together they cleaned up their mess.

“So what can I do to make Brad love me again?” Lacy asked as she wiped her hands on the kitchen towel.

“I don’t think you can do anything to make another person love you. If he loved you before, I’m sure he still does.”

“If he loved me, he wouldn’t have hurt my feelings,” Lacy whined.

“I hurt your feelings all the time, and you know I’ve always loved you.” Amanda leveled her sister with a stare. “Sometimes it’s the people you love who hurt you the most.”

Lacy scrunched her face and stared up at the ceiling for a couple of seconds before nodding. “True. I never really thought about it that way.”

Amanda finished her work and led the way to the living room, where they sat down—Amanda on the chair and Lacy on the sofa. Lacy reached for the remote, but Amanda shook her head and pointed to the gray box in Lacy’s hand.

“I refuse to have this conversation between commercials.”

“But there’s a show on the Fashion Channel—” Lacy stopped abruptly when Amanda stabbed her finger at the table, indicating that was where she wanted the remote. She made a face then leaned over and put it down. “Okay, so talk.”

Amanda bent forward and looked her sister in the eyes. “If you want to be loved, you have to love.”

Lacy frowned. “I love him; you know that.”

“Have you ever considered what all is involved in a loving, romantic relationship?”

“What are you getting at, Amanda? Are you saying I don’t do enough?”

“It’s not that you’re not doing enough. I’m talking about your attitude toward the other person.” She paused for the right words before continuing. “How do you see your relationship with Brad?”

“Well…” Lacy chewed on the lower edge of her bottom lip before smiling. “Brad and I have fun together, and he’s a really good kisser.”

“That’s great, and it’s a start, but that doesn’t show love.”

Lacy’s smile quickly turned to a frown. “I don’t get it.”

Rather than risk preaching at her sister, Amanda stood up and crossed the room to the bookshelf, where she found one of her Bibles. She knew Lacy had always avoided learning scripture verses, so she figured the best place to start was with John 3:16. At least Lacy was somewhat familiar with it.

Her attention span was a little longer than usual. She nodded her understanding as Amanda expounded on the magnitude of what God did by giving His only Son. Eventually, though, she held up her hands and shook her head. “Enough.”

Amanda reached out and took one of those hands in hers. “Let me finish up with a prayer, okay?”

Lacy slowly nodded then closed her eyes. Amanda kept her prayer brief, but she made sure she hit all the points of concern—mainly to do the Lord’s will. When she opened her eyes, Amanda saw that Lacy had a tear trickling down her cheek. At least she felt something.

The next day was a typical day at the shop. She was busy as usual but not to the point of feeling pulled in too many directions, for a change. Each time the bell on the door jingled, she looked up but felt disappointment each time she realized it wasn’t Jerry. She needed to get him out of her mind.

On Tuesday she arrived at the shop with the resolve to put Jerry completely out of her mind. However, he walked in shortly after she flipped the Open sign on the door. So much for good intentions.

Her first reaction was instant anxiety. Her stomach roiled, and her heart beat double-time. Then annoyance kicked in. The bicycle had been back in the store since the accident, so he didn’t have any real reason to be there.

“How’s everything going?” he asked as he walked around with his hands in his pockets, looking at one of the wall displays.

Since he was a paying customer, she had to hide the fact that his very presence bugged her simply because he’d made her fall for him and his family, in spite of the fact that it was always his plan to take off. She squared her shoulders and came around from behind the counter.

“Did you see your dad’s new helmet?”

Jerry snapped his fingers and backed toward the door. “I knew I forgot something. Mom put the other one I bought in the car and said to bring it back. I appreciate how you’ve been with them.” By now he had his hand on the door. “I’ll go get it now.”

Amanda stared after him, as he didn’t waste time leaving. At least she had a moment to regroup before he walked back in.

By the time he came into the store with the helmet, she’d found something to put between them. He smiled at her then glanced down at the bike ramp and pointed.

“What’s that for?”

“Boys who think they’re Evel Knievel in the skateboard world. It’s a ramp for stunts.”

Jerry walked all the way around it, staring at it as though he might consider using it himself. When he looked back at her, there was something else in his eyes—sort of a pensive look. “Is this something Matthew would use?”

Amanda felt a flicker of confusion at his response. She nodded. “Yes, this is one of the many ways he makes a living playing with his favorite toy.”

“Do you like the dangerous, adventuresome type?”

It suddenly felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room. Amanda reached out and steadied herself by gripping the rack behind her.

“I like Matthew. Why?”

He pursed his lips then forced a smile. “I’m not one to take life-threatening chances. I like to know where I’m going, and I don’t want to test gravity.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Amanda agreed as she forced herself to look away. “Riding a bicycle is as dangerous as I want to get.”

“And after what happened to my dad, we both know how dangerous that can be.” He held his gaze steady on her.

Amanda understood, and she had the feeling that their conversation was irrelevant. Jerry was in her shop for a different reason she’d probably never know.

Finally he closed the distance between them. “We’re leaving in the morning around sunrise. I just wanted to stop by and let you know how much I enjoyed…well, I enjoyed everything.”

“I did, too. I wish you and your parents the best.” She tried to keep her voice from cracking, but she slipped and had to recover with a cough.

“They really like you, Amanda.”

“I like them, too.”

“And I like you. A lot.”

Why was he doing this? Why didn’t he just leave after the comment about enjoying everything?

Jerry licked his lips then swallowed. Amanda had a strong urge to kiss him. In fact, if he’d taken her into his arms, there would have been no stopping her—but that wouldn’t be good, so she took a step back.

He blinked and smiled again. “I guess I’d better head on back to the condo and help them pack. See ya.”

“Yeah, see you.” After he left the store, she whispered, “Next year.”

Amanda’s mood was sour the rest of the day. She forced herself to greet customers with a smile, but she was glad when people made their purchases and left. By the end of the workday, she was exhausted from trying so hard to be pleasant when she felt so awful. Pent-up emotional energy had her pacing, until she realized what she was doing. Then she forced herself to stand behind the counter. More than once she caught herself gnawing on a pencil.

How could she have let another man get to her like that? She should have learned her lesson from Eric.

The weather had been nice that morning and there was no rain in the forecast, so she’d walked to the store. Now she was glad she had because she needed to work off some of her energy. By the time she got home, she wasn’t nearly as jittery as when she’d left the shop, but she was still on edge.

Lacy wasn’t home when she walked into the house. At least Amanda wouldn’t have to talk to anyone right away.

Since Lacy obviously wasn’t coming home for dinner, she popped a frozen dinner into the microwave, ate it, and went to bed with one of her bicycle magazines. When she felt like she might be able to sleep, she closed the magazine, reached for her Bible, and opened it to the first page of the New Testament. She’d been meaning to reread the New Testament from the beginning to the end, and now was a good time to start. It was always good to close one chapter of her life by beginning something new.

The next day, Amanda felt a little better—as long as she was too busy to think about Jerry. She’d awakened a couple of times the night before, but she’d managed to go back to sleep fairly quickly. The store had a steady stream of customers, and the man who repaired her equipment stopped by and took the wrecked tandem bicycle to check it over.

Thursday was a little more difficult. The fact that Jerry wasn’t on the island anymore had sunk in, and Amanda wasn’t getting much sleep. A couple of nights being awakened by thoughts of Jerry had taken its toll on her. Her eyes burned, and she couldn’t get past the way she felt every time either Jerry or his parents popped in and surprised her. Now that they were gone, that wouldn’t happen. By noon, she knew that she couldn’t last a whole day without shedding a tear or two.

She called Tiffany and asked if she could work for a few hours while she tended to some pressing needs. Although Tiffany jumped at the chance for more hours, her sleepy voice alerted Amanda that she’d awakened the girl.

By Saturday, Amanda felt a little better knowing that she only had to work until closing and then she’d have a whole day off to recover. Business was brisk, with a combination of locals, tourists, and some of her loyal customers from St. Petersburg.

Lacy stopped by and asked if she wanted to do something after work. Amanda was fully aware that she was Lacy’s last choice, but that didn’t matter. She was used to it.

“Sure, what do you have in mind?”

Lacy shrugged. “I dunno. I was thinking maybe we could go bowling.”

Amanda lifted an eyebrow and studied her sister. “Since when do you like bowling?”

Lacy turned toward a rack of goggles and flipped through them, avoiding eye contact. “I need to try new things.”

“Last time you and I went bowling, you said you never wanted to set foot in another bowling alley as long as you lived.”

“That was a long time ago,” Lacy reminded her. “Things are different now.”

Amanda would have been willing to bet the bicycle shop that this had something to do with Brad. In fact, she remembered Timmy mentioning that he and his dad liked to go bowling on Saturday nights.

Finally, Lacy turned and looked at her. “Well? Do you want to or not?”

“I’d love to. It’s been a long time since I’ve been bowling, and I could use a distraction.”

Lacy stared at Amanda and studied her for several seconds. “You miss Jerry already, don’t you?”

There wasn’t any point in denying her feelings, so Amanda nodded. “I know it’s silly, but I do.”

“You can’t help how you feel.”

“I knew from the start that he was on vacation and he’d be leaving. You’d think I’d know better.”

Lacy gave her a dreamy look. “Love does that. You can’t put your feelings on vacation. Plus, it’s the whole package with Jerry. You not only like him, you feel connected to his parents. That makes it even more difficult.”

In her own way, she made sense. And she sounded like a woman speaking from experience. “Is that how you feel about Timmy now?”

Slowly Lacy nodded. Her normally pouty, fully glossed lips looked dry and thinner than usual. “Strange, isn’t it? That little boy gave me more grief the second half of the school year than the rest of my class combined. But after I got to know him better, I understood him. In fact, I think he and I might have more in common than I realized.”

“How so?” Amanda couldn’t imagine what Lacy and Timmy had in common.

“I’ve always wondered about my father—what he looks like and what he likes to do. I think Timmy has a few vague recollections of his mother, but he’s forgotten quite a bit. I’m sure he must think about her an awful lot.”

That was very mature of Lacy to even consider. Amanda smiled and reached for her sister’s hand. “I think everyone has issues of some sort. I wonder about my father, too.”

Lacy leaned over the counter. “Do you think Mother has lied about some of our past?”

“Who knows? Mother lives in a make-believe world. She’s always been gullible, and she’s never really been happy.”

“I’m afraid I might have some of those traits,” Lacy admitted. “I don’t like it, but I’m not sure how to change it.”

Amanda held her breath for a few seconds before she decided the timing was perfect to share what was on her mind. “I’d really like for you to go to church with me tomorrow, Lacy. The pastor is really interesting, and the people who go there are very welcoming. I think you’d find some comfort among Christians, and the message might help you sort out a few things.”

She’d half expected Lacy to turn her down again, point-blank. But she didn’t. Instead, she had a pensive look on her face as she stared at something behind Amanda before looking her in the eyes.

“I think that would be fair. After all, you are going bowling with me. The least I can do is go to church with you.”

“How about the adult Bible study afterward?”

Lacy crinkled her nose. “Is that like Sunday school?”

“Yes, only for adults.”

“I don’t know about that. I never really liked the way those women used to talk to us.”

Amanda knew exactly what Lacy was referring to, and she agreed. The women who taught Lacy’s elementary Sunday school class had annoying voices and didn’t relate to kids very well. “This is different.”