Threads of Hope: Quilts of Love Series (26 page)

Daniel smiled. “Actually, we’ve already eaten breakfast.”

“Okey-dokey. Whatever,” she said as if she’d been defeated.

Why are they stalking breakfast cafes if they’ve already eaten?
Nina thought her conscience might be too eager for new experiences. She’d have to be careful to not disclose too much information about herself.

Roberta asked where Nina was headed. “New York. New job. I’ll be working as an editor for a magazine.” So much for careful.

They both nodded. “That sounds quite exciting,” said Roberta.

Nina almost told her why she was so excited. She ushered her enthusiasm away, and asked, “And you? Where are you two going?”

They looked at one another and turned the same shade of blush pink. “You’re probably going to laugh, but we’ll tell you anyway. Partly why we wanted some company. Nobody to share our good news with.”

Nina’s journalist ears perked up. “Good news? I could use some. Spill it.”

Roberta leaned toward Nina and whispered, “We’re going on our honeymoon.” Daniel nodded and smiled. He couldn’t seem to stop doing either one.

“Honeymoon? Really?” Nina sipped her coffee, grateful she didn’t laugh as they’d expected. How could she when their faces glowed like soft lamp light?

The waitress returned with two cups of coffee and Nina’s breakfast. “There ya go, honey. Belgium waffles with whipped cream and pecans.”

“But I ordered the blintzes,” said Nina.
Didn’t I?

She reached for Nina’s plate. “I can take these back. Thought for sure you said waffles.”

“No problem. These are great,” Nina told her. “Really.”

She mumbled as she walked away.

Nina separated the waffles and spread the whipped cream over each. “Oh, so you renewed your wedding vows?”

“No. We just made them,” said Daniel. He reached out and put his arm around his bride. “Just this morning we did.” Roberta rested her head on his shoulder when he hugged her, then gently patted his chest. “Now Daniel, we shouldn’t make a scene in public.” When he let go, Nina didn’t miss the fact that he moved his hand so that it rested on her knee.

“So, you just got married this morning, and you’re leaving to go where on your honeymoon?”

“We’re going to Hawaii,” Daniel said. “We think it’s time we learned how to surf. Don’t you?”

Nina hesitated. If Roberta laughed, so would she. But she didn’t. “We registered for private lessons. At our age, we didn’t want the young people in a group to worry about us having heart attacks the first time we tried to stand on our boards.”

Aretha would love this couple
. Nina was quite infatuated with them already. Nina’s stomach wasn’t so infatuated with butter and whipped cream as breakfast choices and grumbled its disapproval. She set her fork on her plate and checked her cell phone.
Just in case
. Still silent. And so were Roberta and Daniel. Nina looked up from her phone. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”

“We all get distracted, especially when we’re not sure what we’re looking for,” said Daniel. He clasped Roberta’s hand, intertwining their fingers so that their polished wedding bands, his next to hers, seemed to connect one to the other. “For a long time, we both had . . .” he looked at his wife. “What’s that called?”

“Shiny ball syndrome.” She leaned toward Nina and whispered, “His grandson told us about that.”

“Guess I forget it because I don’t want to remember having it. We spent too many years of our lives chasing after jobs that glittered, shiny things, even people we thought sparkled. Everything loses its shine after a while. It’s what we’re left with after the newness wears off that matters.”

Roberta laughed. “I think we’re proof God has a sense of humor, you know? But we learned the hard way that when our time is over here, no person in his right mind says, ‘Wish I would have spent one more day at the office.’ ”

Daniel and Roberta left for their flight to Maui, and Nina gathered herself for the walk to her gate. She thought about
what they’d said . . . about no one ever regretting the time they spent with the people they love. Did being alone in the job she dreamed of trump being with those she cared about, in the job that allowed her to be there with them?

Nina thought about her life, the one she was leaving behind. How many times the unexpected had provided for her, how the very boy she detested in high school grew to be the man who made her a better person, how being given the opportunity to attend the benefit resulted in the feature stories that could change lives.

And who made all that happen, Nina? Who brought that together, stitch by stitch, threading pieces of lives together to create something extraordinary? Just because you don’t see Me, that doesn’t mean I’m not there. Would you want Thomas to have lived longer if it meant being in pain? Was that prayer for you or for him?

Your entire life, you wanted to belong, to be loved, to be a part of something that could make a difference . . . and you had it. Just where you were
.

Those were the desires of your heart, Nina. New York is the desire of your ego
.

What if she gave God another chance? What if she prayed for Greg to meet her at the airport? That would prove God heard her, how could she not have faith after that?

Nina waited until she heard the final call before she handed over her boarding pass. Another prayer unanswered. Another loss. Another reason to doubt.

Elise, this is the third consecutive year you’ve called the night of the benefit to ask about picking me up,” Greg said as he checked his tuxedo pockets for his cuff links.

He heard Peyton through the speakerphone. “That’s because she’s stubborn. I told her—”

“Please don’t shout. You’ll upset the baby.”

Greg laughed. “The baby isn’t due for another two months.”

“Babies hear sounds eighteen weeks into a pregnancy, and loud noises startle them. I’ve done my research. I don’t want her traumatized before she’s born,” Elise said.

“She? When did you find that out?” He checked his pants pockets. Still no cufflinks.

“We didn’t. I just alternate between using her and him. We still want to be surprised.”

“Whatever makes you happy. In the meantime, I don’t want one of your surprises to be us being there late. I’m looking for my cufflinks, and she’s almost ready.” The bedroom door opened, and Greg smiled. “In fact, she’s ready now. We’ll be there soon.”

Jazarah pranced in and stood in front of the full-length mirror and twirled. Her sapphire dress sparkled almost as
brightly as her eyes. “You are so pretty,” she said to her reflection. “Right, Daddy?”

Greg lifted her, kissed her forehead, and whirled her around. “You are beautiful, my little princess.” As her feet touched the floor, he noticed they were still bare. “You can’t go to the ball without shoes.”

Paloma entered after a faint knock at the bedroom door. “She escaped to your room before her shoes and her sash. A few more minutes, and she will be dressed.” She held her hand out to Jazarah, “Come, princess. It’s almost time for you to leave, but you need to finish getting dressed.”

His daughter blew him a kiss, and she skipped out of his room, her dark curls bouncing.

Again the door opened. “I found a pair of lovely silver monogrammed cufflinks. They must be yours since you’re the only man in the house who’d be wearing them.”

“You are not only beautiful, but useful in emergencies,” Greg said before he kissed Nina. “This never gets old,” he whispered and kissed her again.

“We have to stop now or we’ll never make it to the benefit,” she whispered back, her voice warm and silky. “I promise we’ll pick up where we left off when we return.”

“I’m a lucky man,” Greg said and held out his arms so Nina could put his cufflinks on.

“Lucky? No. Smart? Yes.” Her eyes drank in this man whose wife she had become because he trusted God. And, in doing so, showed her how to trust Him as well. Almost two years ago, she’d stepped out of a plane determined to start the life she’d dreamed of for years. When God didn’t answer her prayer for Greg to meet her at the airport in Houston, by the time she arrived at JFK, she’d decided she could live without both of them.

Nina was on the phone with Aretha waiting for her baggage when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
What is it today with this shoulder tapping?
She turned around and found herself face-to-face with Greg.

He took the cell phone from her. “Hi, Aretha. She’ll call you back.” He ended the call and handed her the phone. “Do you need help with your suitcases?”

“Help with my suitcases? Are you kidding me?” She swatted her bangs off her forehead and resisted the urge to bash him over his head with her purse. “What are you doing here, and how did you know I was talking to Aretha?”

“Is this your way of telling me you’re happy to see me?” He reached for her hand. “Let’s talk over here. Away from the crowd.”

Nina remembered looking around the airport to convince herself she hadn’t fallen through some worm hole and into another life. She recognized the faces of passengers who were on the same flight, and she spotted her luggage as the conveyor burped it out of the belly of the plane. So she had landed exactly where she’d intended. But she was no less confused than she was before. “Look, I don’t know how or why you’re here. All your talk about faith and trust and prayer. I prayed and waited and waited and waited for you to meet me at the airport—”

His hands cradled her face. “Well, here I am. At the airport.”

And that was her first lesson in understanding that answered prayer may look different than she expected.

And she could not have expected, standing in the airport baggage claim that day, the blessings that awaited her in the life she and Greg shared today.

He straightened his bow tie and turned to Nina, “Well? Should I whirl around like our daughter so you can see how beautiful I am?”

She laughed. “I should have made you sign a ‘non-compete clause.’ It’s not fair that you turn more heads walking into a room than I do.”

He sighed. “It’s a curse I live with daily,” he said but couldn’t maintain his serious expression. Greg tapped his watch. “You have less than ten minutes to be stunning and ready to roll. And you’re still waltzing around in your robe.”

“Go check on Jazarah. Oh, and please make sure she’s not trying to feed Manny. Or that he’s not curled up in her lap or—”

“Should I be taking notes?” He looked at her with that lopsided smile she knew characterized his sarcasm.

“No, dear. I’m the freelance writer in the family, remember? All I have to do is slip on my dress.”

He sat on the edge of their bed. “Then maybe I’ll wait . . .”

“Get out of here or else you’ll suffer the wrath of hormonal Elise when we arrive late.” She kissed his forehead. As he walked out, she said, “And, anyway, I know you won’t leave without me.”

He’d told her that when he’d surprised her at the airport. Greg said that Elise and his memories provided the fuel he needed to go after his own dream. His sister had called him and asked him why he was still home. “You may not like what Nina is doing, but she’s at least going after what she thinks she wants. That takes courage. You, on the other hand . . .” He ended the conversation without letting her finish. Pacing in the den, he passed photographs of his parents and of Lily. Three people he loved, taken from him, by people and situations over which he had no control.
Will you let Nina be number four? Can you live the rest of your life knowing you never let her know you loved her?
He called Elise to apologize. “Accepted,” she said. “Now, get to the airport because I already booked your flight out.”

Over vending machine canned drinks and cheese crackers near baggage claim, Greg placed two tickets on the table. “I won’t leave without you. Unless you want me to. If New York is what you want, then I’ll tear one up and be on my way. But I couldn’t let you go without telling you that what I want is a life with you.”

Her second lesson in understanding: sometimes the answer appeared before the question. New York wasn’t just an answer to a dream, it was the stuffing that filled the void of recognition, importance, self-worth.
And then what?
She pictured Daniel’s and Roberta’s faces, their joy so transparent she could see their hearts. Was she afraid to be that happy?

Her fingertips grazed the ticket. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Greg. “I don’t deserve this. Or you. I don’t even know why God would do something for me. I’ve ignored Him almost my entire life.”

He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face to his. “None of us deserve happiness. That’s what makes it a gift. And loving us even when we’ve ignored Him? That’s why He’s God, and we’re not.”