Changing Her Heart Read online

  The man’s face paled and he dropped all the brochures but one. “I’ll tell my friend that,” he muttered, turned and walked away.

  “Wow,” Lacey exclaimed. “You’re good here. No wonder you’re doing this. You know so much.”

  “Yeah,” Randy said quickly, then spun around and began to straighten out the brochures the man with the bloodshot eyes had dropped.

  Lacey stepped closer. “All I was going to do was smile and hand out brochures. You’re really getting up close and personal. You’re having quite an effect on people.”

  “It’s a gift,” Randy mumbled, not looking up at her.

  She stared at him as he continued to tidy up piles she thought were quite straight enough.

  She knew Randy was very inconvenienced being unable to take his car to work due to the increased parking security, and it impressed her that he was using that knowledge and experience in a constructive way.

  Unless he knew so much about having a driver’s license suspended from more personal experience….

  Lacey shook her head at the wayward direction of her thoughts. The concept that Randy could ever have had his license suspended because of drinking was preposterous. They had been out together for supper at a restaurant where alcoholic drinks were readily available, and the issue hadn’t even come up. Randy was also a committed Christian, active in his church. The only reason he didn’t have his car was because of the new parking regulations.

  Which reminded her that Randy currently needed transportation.

  Lacey spoke quickly, before someone else came to browse at the display. “Would you like a ride home again tonight?”

  He smiled hesitantly.

  Lacey’s foolish heart fluttered.

  “Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks.”

  “Maybe we can do dinner again and talk more about Bryce’s computer? I don’t want to wait until the last minute and run out of time.”

  “Sure. We can do that.”

  “Then I’ll see you at five.”

  The new volunteer arrived at the booth, right on time, ending their conversation. Randy waved to the police officer at the other end to signal his pending departure, and turned back to Lacey.

  “See you later,” he said, and walked away.

  Adrian Braithwaite unplugged the cord from between his guitar and the amp, wound it, fastened the Velcro strap and tossed it into the bin.

  “You were late today,” he said as he watched Randy unplug another cord and do the same. “I thought you were going to be early. I even bought extra doughnuts.”

  “I can’t take my car to work anymore.”

  “That didn’t really answer my question.”

  “You didn’t ask a question.”

  Adrian waited for Randy to say more, but Randy didn’t elaborate. Not only did he not elaborate, Randy didn’t come up with a hundred and one farfetched excuses, nor did he respond with a lame joke. He was also very busy cleaning up instead of hiding in the kitchen eating the extra half a box of doughnuts while everyone else put everything away.

  Something wasn’t right. And Adrian was going to find out what it was.

  “Then how did you get to work?”

  “I’ve been using my inline skates.”

  Adrian frowned. “Really? Why didn’t you just take the bus? Oh, wait.” Adrian paused, remembering incidents from their younger days when he, Bob, Randy and their other friend Paul had taken the bus on many of their excursions. He couldn’t count the times they all had to disembark in a hurry because Randy had to go throw up, even when they sat in the front while they traveled to their chosen destination of the day. Randy’s parents laughed it off, but Bob’s mother always came to give them a ride whenever Randy couldn’t get back on the bus after being so violently sick.

  “You don’t still get motion sickness, do you? I can see using the skates to get to the mall, but it’s quite an uphill journey back. How do you get home? Do you walk?” Walking home from work would explain why Randy was late, but not why Randy was being so evasive about it. He looked out the window to Randy’s car parked on the street. “You’ve got your car now.”

  “I got a ride home, and I took my own car from there.”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere. But if you got a ride, how in the world could you have been late?”

  Randy’s movements quickened as he turned the levels on the sound board down to zero, and began unplugging the unit. “Because we went out for dinner before she took me home,” Randy told him, barely audible.

  Adrian nearly dropped the microphone in his hand. “She? You mean, like a woman?”

  Randy tossed another neatly wrapped cord into the bin with far more force than was necessary. “No. A dog drove me home. What do you think?”

  “You don’t have to get so sarcastic. I was only asking.” He moved in closer to Randy. “What’s she like?”

  Randy dragged one hand down his face. “She’s different than any woman I’ve ever met before. Funny, but not by telling jokes…she’s witty. Smart. Unbelievably organized. Modest, if people use words like that anymore. I haven’t known her for more than a few days, but I feel good being with her. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help it. I keep thinking about her. I don’t know what it is. For the past couple of days, we’ve started out talking about computers, but then we end up talking about something else, and we have a lot of fun. So much fun that it will almost be worth it when her boyfriend shows up and punches my lights out.”

  Adrian blinked. “Boyfriend? If she’s got a boyfriend, what are you doing going out with her?”

  Using his toes, Randy pushed at a guitar pick lying on the carpet. “I’m not really going out with her. She’s buying him a computer for his birthday, and she has a lot of questions, so we’ve been going out for dinner, just to talk. I also don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth when she offers me a ride, because then I don’t have to kill myself skating home.”

  “If she’s got a boyfriend, regardless of the reason you’re getting together, it must be pretty awkward.”

  Randy turned toward Adrian. “You want to hear awkward? She’s invited me to his birthday party.”

  “Are you going?”

  “Yeah. She asked me to put the computer together for him. It’s a surprise.”

  Adrian winced. “And you’re okay with that?”

  “No, but I don’t have any choice. She said she’ll give me a ride home every day this week, and I have to return the favor.”

  Memories flooded Adrian of his initial contacts with his wife, Celeste. In hindsight, he could now see how much she’d affected him, and it had all happened so quickly. Adrian wanted to caution Randy about the same thing, because he knew how Randy felt about relationships, especially with his background. But before he could figure out how to put the words together, Randy stood up.

  “Adrian, I feel really tired all of a sudden. I think whatever is happening with this woman is getting to me, and I can’t let that happen. I’m going to go home and read my Bible for a little while, and then I should see if anyone from my chat group is online. I need to talk to someone.”

  Before Adrian had a chance to volunteer to talk to Randy in person instead of having Randy go to his online support group, Randy turned around and left.

  Without first stopping in the kitchen and raiding the doughnuts.

  “Uh-oh…” Adrian said as he heard Randy’s car squeal off in the distance.

  “I can’t talk now, Mom. I’m at work. But I have a price for the computer.”

  Lacey nodded at another customer who entered the store, made a few quick calculations, then whispered the figures to her mother.

  “Will you be going out with that young man after work again?”

  Lacey’s fingers froze over the calculator. “Probably.”

  “How well do you know him? I mean, really know him?”

  “Uh…not a lot….”

  “You’ve already bought the computer so you don’t need to see him again. Just be c
areful.”

  Lacey gulped. She knew what her mother meant. Her family had a history of making bad choices when it came to men, from her father to her brother-in-law. Lacey was very likely to follow her mother’s and her sister’s patterns—it was obviously in her genes. And that was why Lacey had decided that she would never get married.

  “I will.” Lacey hung up the phone, but instead of returning to her work, her hand stayed on the phone as she stared at the wall. The wall between her store and the computer store. Randy was on the other side of that wall.

  She knew she didn’t have to see him again, but she would anyway. She really hadn’t needed to invite him to Bryce’s party to set up the computer, either.

  The only reason she was continuing to see him was because he needed a ride.

  If there was anything she’d learned from all her hardships growing up, it was the pain of what it was like to do without. When she started going to church and the people there discovered the financial plight of her family, many stepped in to help. Their out-pouring of kindness, help and financial assistance was the first thing that opened her heart, as well as the hearts of her family, to God’s love. At times it was humiliating to take charity. But it was also a lesson in how to accept graciously, as well as how to give sacrificially.

  That was why she wanted to give Randy a ride home every day. Simply because he needed it. There was no other reason. Really.

  She jerked her hand away from the phone and continued with her task of checking inventory for the sidewalk sale, but she was soon interrupted by a customer.

  The woman closed her eyes briefly and inhaled deeply as she slid a pair of earrings toward the cash register. “It’s really hot out there. It must be so nice to work in here, where it’s air-conditioned.”

  Lacey sighed. “Maybe, but I’m missing out on one of the last really hot days of the summer. It’s different when you don’t have a choice.”

  The woman shrugged her shoulders. “Suit yourself.”

  After the woman left, the comment about the hot weather outside stuck on Lacey like a burr. When the rush died down, she retrieved her lunch from the fridge and called out to Kate, “I’m going to take my break outside. I’ll see you in half an hour.”

  Lacey smiled at the blast of heat as she stepped outside and headed straight for the small park next door. A gazebo sheltered people from the hot sun, and beside the gazebo, a patch of trees provided shade, where a number of people were sitting or lying on blankets. Blankets weren’t her thing, but half an hour of sunshine sure was.

  On the other side of the park a few benches lined the sidewalk, which was beside a small bed of flowers. Unlike the gazebo and the area under the trees, the benches were vacant because they were in the full sun.

  Lacey headed for the benches.

  Everything was fairly quiet, until the sound of a soft, clattery rumble began. She turned her head to see a lone man on inline skates approaching from the other side of the park.

  She recognized the man, even from the distance.

  Since he was coming quite fast, Lacey moved to the side of the path so he could pass without difficulty.

  “Hi, Randy,” she said as he whizzed past.

  The noise of the skates on the cement sidewalk stopped instantly. Lacy spun around, expecting to see Randy lying on the ground. Her heart pounded as she watched him, running on the grass, slowing his speed until he came to a stop. He turned around, stepped back onto the sidewalk and skated back to her.

  “Lacey? What are you doing out here?” He switched the box he was carrying to his other hand and checked his watch.

  She held up her lunch bag. “I’m taking a late break. What are you doing out here at this hour?”

  He held out the box and grinned. “I missed my doughnuts last night, so I went to the doughnut shop on my coffee break.”

  “You couldn’t get a doughnut in the mall?”

  He shook his head. “These are special. You can’t get these in the mall.” He opened the box, displaying a half-dozen specialty Boston Cremes. “Want one? They’re my favorite.”

  She reached forward, then froze before she actually touched one. “I shouldn’t. I haven’t had my lunch yet.”

  “It’s okay. I promise not to tell your mother that you had your dessert before the main course.”

  Lacey’s stomach churned. She still wasn’t sure that she wanted to introduce him to her mother, but by inviting him to Bryce’s party, she’d opened herself up to her mother’s justifiable curiosity.

  Grinning, Randy held the box out, and winked. Lacey’s fingers trembled as she reached into the box. “Speaking of my mother and the party, I still haven’t figured out how to get you into the house early enough to set everything up before everyone else gets there.”

  “I don’t know, either,” Randy mumbled as he bit into one of the doughnuts. “All I do know is that I won’t be available until after eleven-thirty, because that’s when my church’s service ends.”

  “Really? My church ends the service at noon.” Lacey’s mind raced and she stiffened, steeling her courage in order to ask her question. “How about if I go to church with you? Then we could be back at Mom’s house half an hour earlier than everyone else. Would that be enough time to set up the computer for Bryce? That’s about the amount of time I’ll need to do the food.”

  “Yeah. It would,” Randy said around the doughnut sticking out his mouth, keeping it clenched between his teeth as he closed the lid of the box and tried to press the tape back down. Unable to make the tape stick, he grasped the doughnut again and took it out of his mouth so he could speak. “I’ve been thinking. What is Bryce going to say when he sees me with you at his birthday party? Do you think he’ll be okay with that?”

  Lacey nodded and hurried to swallow her bite of the pastry. “Of course he’ll be fine with it. In fact, I’m almost sure that the two of you will spend quite a bit of time together with the computer, after all the excitement dies down a bit.”

  Randy’s eyes widened, and he continued to pick at the tape. “Oh,” he muttered.

  Lacey waited for him to say more, but he remained silent.

  “If you’re worried that you won’t know anyone there, it’s okay. Everyone is all friends and family. Besides, I’m sure once Bryce discovers what you do for a living, he’ll hog you to himself all day. Please don’t be shy.”

  For an almost indiscernible second, Randy stiffened. Lacey almost wanted to smile, except she was still too nervous. Despite her words, even though she hadn’t known him that long, she suspected the last thing anyone could ever accuse Randy of was being shy.

  “I guess,” he mumbled. “I really should go. It was faster going on the skates than walking, but I think I’ve used up my fifteen minutes, and I don’t want to be late getting back to work. I guess I’ll see you Sunday.”

  “Sure. What time should I pick you up?”

  Randy had begun to push off, but he stopped and spun around. “If you’re going to my church, then I think good manners dictate that I should pick you up. After all, you’re going to be my guest. It’s just that I have to be there an hour early in order to set up the sound system for the worship team.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t mind. Would you like a ride home again tonight? You’re pretty good on those skates, but it is a long way uphill. I can give my address and directions after work. Maybe over dinner?”

  “I…” Randy’s voice trailed off, and eventually, he nodded. “Sure. That would be great.”

  “Good. I’ll see you at five o’clock.” Because he’d sounded hesitant, Lacey turned and started walking toward the bench, not waiting for his reply.

  She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she wouldn’t have been able to bear it if he had said no.

  Chapter Three

  “What does this button do?”

  “Uh…Lacey… Please don’t touch that.”

  Lacey yanked her hand away.

  “Thanks,” Randy muttered as he held one o
f the earpieces of the headphones up to his ear with one hand, and adjusted another setting with the other.

  While Randy adjusted knobs and buttons, Lacey watched his friends on the worship team practice. They were easy to see from the height of the sound booth, which was in a raised room at back of the sanctuary, recessed into the back wall.

  “Okay, I’ve got everything set.” Randy put the headphones down on the table beside the very complex-looking soundboard, and gave the worship team a thumbs-up signal. “Now we sit back and wait for the service to begin. I’ll have to make a few adjustments as the room fills up, but this is pretty much it.”

  “I’ve never thought about what happens behind the scenes on Sunday mornings. This is actually quite interesting.”

  “The same things happen at every church, every Sunday, including yours. Speaking of your church, you think anyone will miss you?”

  Lacey shrugged her shoulders. “No, and Mom thinks it’s perfect. When Bryce and mom left this morning, the house would have looked normal. Since we’ll be able to get back so much earlier we can let everyone in to hide without anyone having to rush. When Mom and Bryce finally get back, Bryce will really be surprised.”

  Randy stiffened and blinked. “Bryce lives with your mother?”

  Lacey turned to him. “For now, but he’s going to move into the dormitory for his last year of university. Mom’s already started complaining about how much he eats, and saying how good it will be that he’s moving out, but we both know that she’ll be lonely without him. Of course he’ll move back home when he’s done with classes, but who knows for how long? I don’t think it will take him long to get a job. He’ll probably work for a while to pay off his student loans, and then move out when he’s financially stable. Maybe he’ll even get married. Mom says he’s been getting a lot of calls from a woman lately.”

  She expected Randy to make some kind of comment, but he was strangely silent. His eyes visibly widened, and he stared at her.