A Few Flowers Read online

  He paused, remembering the day well. The entire youth group had come to his office, where all the teens took turns at his many computers, including his personal laptop. When the parents arrived to take their kids home, many of them ended up staying, and the afternoon project had ended up lasting until late into the evening, leaving him with plenty of explaining to do to the maintenance staff the next day. He had a feeling he was in for a repeat performance tomorrow, so this time, he’d given security adequate warning.

  He almost asked if Cindy would care to join him, but they’d instantly be considered a couple, and he doubted she was ready for that.

  The realization struck him that he wanted to be considered that way with Cindy, and he wanted it more than anything he’d ever wanted before. Finally, he’d found the woman who saved his life. But in so doing, deep in his heart, he knew he’d also found the one woman he could share his life with, his hopes and dreams, his successes and his failures, and he wanted to be that special someone for her as well.

  Was this what it was like to fall in love? Outside on the street, all thoughts of Troy and the frustrations faded into nothing as he held Cindy’s hands, concentrating on her lovely face. Usually, he would be running off to tackle some unfinished project, of which he always had many, but tonight, he would have stood on the street in silence all night, just to be with her.

  Without waiting for her to respond, he lifted her right hand and brushed a kiss to each fingertip. He desperately wished he could kiss her properly, but instead, he slowly lowered her hand.

  She stared at him with big wide eyes, but thankfully didn’t pull her hand out of his, although he purposely held her gently enough that she could have, if she wanted to. He released her before she had time to think about it.

  “Good night, Monty,” she stammered. “Thanks for dinner and for a wonderful evening. I guess I’ll see you next Saturday when we go for that hike.”

  He smiled. Aside from the incident with Troy, the evening had been wonderful—one he prayed they could repeat many times.

  He resisted the urge to touch her again. Nodding once, he turned to push the remote lock control on his key chain, although the thought occurred to him that in this neighborhood, he probably didn’t need to lock his car. “Good night, Cindy.”

  Monty started his car as Cindy stood on the curb, watching him. He couldn’t wait a week. If nothing else, at least he’d phone her by Wednesday, providing he could last that long without seeing her. With a little coaxing, maybe he could convince her to accompany him for lunch again. He knew his calendar was full, but something told him his schedule was about to change.

  He waved once as he pulled away from the curb and drove toward home.

  ❧

  Cindy watched as the tail lights of Monty’s car got smaller and smaller. Things had not gone at all like she’d planned. Not only had she been unable to tell him that she didn’t think they should see each other again, but when he tried to kiss her, if it hadn’t been for Erin and Troy’s sudden appearance, she would willingly have kissed him right back. Cindy thanked God they had walked in when they did, even though she’d never been so embarrassed in her life.

  She didn’t want to like him, but she did. Unfortunately, his feelings for her were obvious, but she knew his impressions of her were wrong. Considering the way they met and the part she had played in saving his life, she felt obligated to tell him not to trust his emotions concerning her, but she didn’t know how to.

  If they had met any other way, perhaps she might have given in and dated him, taking it slow and seeing what developed, but that wasn’t an option. What would happen when he passed the hero-worship stage and saw her for who she really was? Unlike the sophisticated and moneyed crowd he no doubt hung around with, she was plain and ordinary, and the only reason he noticed her was that she was in the right place at the right time, placed there by God’s design. His perspective of her and their relationship came from a distorted image.

  She stared off into the distance at the last place Monty’s car had been visible, until a barking dog brought her to her senses. Abruptly, she jogged back inside and marched up to Troy, interrupting his conversation with Erin.

  Cindy wagged her finger in the air in front of his nose. “Troy Thompson, that was so rude! If you ever behave like that again, I’ll. . . I’ll. . .” She sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll do something!”

  Before he could reply, she stomped off into her bedroom and closed the door, coming just short of slamming it. He knew what she meant.

  ❧

  Cindy pounded on the bathroom door. “Erin? Are you finished in there? I have to leave in a few minutes. I want to get a good seat.”

  The door opened. Erin stood in the doorway in her bathrobe, a towel wrapped around her head and a brush in her hand. “There’s gotta be under a hundred people in your church. I don’t think it’s possible to get a bad seat.”

  Cindy shook her head. “You’re going to be late, Erin.”

  Erin shrugged her shoulders and stood aside as Cindy grabbed her toothbrush. “No, I’m not. Troy’s going to be here in fifteen minutes, and we’ll have plenty of time. I don’t know why you have to be half an hour early for your church’s service.”

  Cindy tried to speak around the toothbrush in her mouth. “It’s great that Troy is going to church with you.”

  “Yeah. We’ve talked a lot about it, and I think he’s getting ready to make a commitment. We’ve talked a lot about things over the last few days. And we also talked a lot about you.”

  Cindy nearly choked on her mouthful of toothpaste water. “Me?”

  “Troy doesn’t trust Monty. He thinks Monty’s trying to get to Robert through you.”

  Cindy spit. “That’s ridiculous. It’s just a simple crush. He’ll get over it. Besides, after our hike next weekend, I won’t see him again.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  The doorbell rang just as Cindy rinsed her toothbrush and dropped it into the holder. “It’s Troy!” Erin shrieked. “He’s early!”

  Before Cindy knew what happened, Erin shoved her out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut. She didn’t need lipstick anyway. “That’s okay, Erin! I’ll get it!” she called through the closed door. One of these days. . .

  Cindy checked her watch as she walked through the living room. At least Troy allowed plenty of time to make a dignified arrival, although how Erin convinced Troy to go to church, she’d never know. She’d lost track of how many times she’d asked him, yet she’d never managed to talk him into going with her.

  “Hi, Troy,” she said as she opened the door. She decided that since it was Sunday and he was finally going to church, she would not lecture him for his rude and obnoxious behavior with Monty on Friday night. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to see you with a. . . ,” Cindy blinked rapidly at the sight that beheld her, “. . .tie. . . ?”

  “Hi, Cindy.”

  “Hi, Monty,” she squeaked out. “What are you doing here?”

  “I happened to be in the neighborhood, and I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to church this fine Sunday morning.”

  She happened to think otherwise. “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah.” He grinned. “Well, maybe I took the long way.”

  “And just where is this church of yours?”

  His ears turned red. “Across the street from the arena.”

  The arena was located on the opposite end of town. Cindy backed up to let him enter, then closed the door behind him. “That’s worse than the long way, Monty,” she mumbled. “You’ll never get there on time.”

  He made a great show of checking his watch, although Cindy suspected he knew exactly what time it was. “How about that. You’re right. But you could always invite me to your church.”

  Cindy resisted the urge to groan. If he pursued his business interests with the same determination in which he pursued her, she could see why he was such a success. She could only imagine the reaction s
he would get from the members at her church when she showed up with a movie-star handsome man in his elegant, tailored suit, charming everyone with his fine manners and disarming smile. She wasn’t sure she could handle the speculation, yet she couldn’t turn him away, because if she did, he would miss church because of her. She didn’t think she could handle the guilt.

  At the same time, alarm bells went off in her head. If she did take him, she would lead him to falsely believe that he was succeeding and that she really was falling for him.

  Cindy almost expected a bolt of lightning to materialize, despite the clear skies. She looked at Monty as he smiled at her like a hopeful puppy dog.

  If she was starting to like him too much, it was only because of that, and soon, when he realized what was happening, he would be gone and never be back.

  For today, she didn’t have any choice but to take him to church and be gracious about it. She opened the closet door to grab the shoes that matched her skirt, then stopped with her hand in midair. Instead, she chose her flat-soled leather sandals. “Let’s go,” she mumbled.

  Eight

  The words to the sermon went in one ear and out the other. If not for the notes on the back of the bulletin, Cindy would never have known the topic. She was too aware of Monty beside her to concentrate.

  He sang beautifully, his baritone voice resonating in perfect pitch with every song except for one that he didn’t know, and even then, he caught on quickly. Completely oblivious to the fact that no one else around them raised their hands, he closed his eyes and worshipped God freely in his own way.

  When they sat for the first Scripture reading, he dutifully donned his glasses, flipped quickly to the correct chapter and verse in his beautiful leather-bound gold-embossed Bible, which was well marked with neat multicolor-coded highlighting and beautifully printed notes in the margins. Cindy opened her tattered pressed cardboard variety, complete with crumpled pages, unicolored highlighting and scribbles wherever she found room to write, and tried her best to follow along. For the length of the sermon, Monty removed his glasses, tucked his Bible under his chair, and listened with rapt attention, nodding slightly when the pastor made a good point.

  He sang in harmony for the closing hymn, which Cindy knew well enough to follow the alto line. When it was finished, she noted tears in the eyes of old Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson beside them.

  As the small congregation shuffled from the sanctuary to the lobby, she tried to ignore the curious glances. She knew everyone present and dreaded the questions she would have to face next week when Monty wasn’t with her.

  “Your pastor is quite a dynamic speaker.”

  She turned her head to comment, but the exact second she opened her mouth, the object of his observation joined them.

  “Good morning, Cindy. Always a pleasure to see you. I see you brought a friend.”

  Cindy smiled politely. “Pastor Colin, this is. . .” She fumbled for the right words. “My friend” didn’t really define what was happening between them. “This is Montgomery Smythe.”

  Monty smiled graciously and returned the pastor’s handshake. “Please, call me Monty.”

  Pastor Colin nodded as they exchanged the usual pleasantries. Cindy gritted her teeth at Pastor Colin’s invitation to come again, and she cringed at Monty’s acceptance.

  Pastor Colin’s wife joined them. “We’re having some people over to our home for lunch. Would you two like to come?”

  They spoke at the same time.

  “I don’t think—” Cindy blurted out.

  Monty smiled and turned to her. “I’m free for the day. What do you think, Cindy?”

  Feeling like a shrew, Cindy tried to stop the rush of heat to her face. She pasted on a smile. “We’d be delighted, thank you.”

  The pastor and his wife left to chat with a few other people. Not wanting to arrive at their house before their hosts, Cindy had no alternative but to hang around and make small talk in the lobby. Every time someone she knew looked at her, they gave her a knowing smile. Cindy forced herself to smile back.

  When only a few families remained, she led Monty outside to wait in the parking lot until Pastor Colin and his wife were ready to leave. He leaned casually against the trunk of his car, half sitting on the back bumper, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.

  At the same time that a breeze sent a ripple through his black hair, he closed his eyes, and with the smallest of smiles, he inhaled deeply. He was more handsome than any man had a right to be. She didn’t know how she could ever have thought of him as a puppy dog.

  He opened his eyes and smiled. “I like your church. It’s homey.”

  “I’ve been coming here all my life.”

  “You must know everyone here quite well. It’s obvious they’re very fond of you.”

  As much as she was grateful for everyone’s help and support when her grandmother died, some of the people here were too fond of her. At any given time, any number of them knew of several young men they wanted her to meet. Now that they had all seen her with Monty, if Monty really did come again, she would have to tell them something, or they would all assume the wrong thing and she’d never hear the end of the matter. She didn’t need another complication. “Yes, they’re all wonderful people, a little nosy, maybe, but wonderful. Oh, look, there’s Pastor Colin. We can go now.”

  ❧

  The other couple invited for lunch turned out to be the elderly couple who had been beside him during the service. Pastor Colin gave thanks for their meal, and Mrs. Wilkinson immediately turned to Monty.

  “You sing beautifully, Monty. I hope you are using that talent to sing for the Lord in your own church’s choir.”

  He smiled politely. “Actually, no, I’m not in the choir. Unfortunately I have to plan my time carefully, so instead I take the youth group once every other month.”

  The elderly lady nodded. “It must bring back fond memories from when you were that age.” She smiled, awaiting his reply.

  That time in his life held few fond memories. The activities he participated in had nothing to do with church and more to do with illegal drugs. He’d been dragged to church on many Sundays, but he’d never been asked to attend a youth function. It certainly would have saved himself and a number of foster families a great deal of trial and heartache if he’d participated there, instead of getting involved in the other things he’d done.

  He honestly had fun when he volunteered his time with the teens. But fun wasn’t his primary reason for involving himself with the youth group. If he could spare even one teen from going through what he did as a teenager, then every minute would be well spent.

  He smiled at Mrs. Wilkinson. “I never attended youth group as a teen.” He slowly sipped his coffee. Even though he was new at it, he always encouraged the teens to bring a friend, especially those from a nonchurch family.

  “Your church didn’t have a youth group? What a shame.”

  Monty shook his head. She had no idea. “I became a Christian as an adult, praise the Lord.”

  “Really? You sang that old hymn like you’d sung it all your life.”

  “I’ve always had an aptitude for reading music, even though I don’t play an instrument. It’s really very mathematical.”

  The Wilkinsons looked at him blankly for a brief second, then turned to smile at each other. The conversation thankfully drifted on to more general topics, and with the change, he noticed Cindy beginning to relax. After Mrs. Wilkinson finished her tea, following an acceptable length of time after lunch and Mr. Wilkinson’s repeated attempts to stifle a yawn, they excused themselves. Monty overheard Mrs. Wilkinson whisper to Pastor Colin that her dear husband needed his nap.

  Monty wished that someday he could also experience that same mutual love and devotion. As the Wilkinsons stepped through the doorway, they exchanged hugs with Cindy. The sudden stab of loneliness surprised him.

  All his life he’d managed to avoid any emotional attachment and the pain of another rejection, a lesson he
taught himself after being shifted from one temporary foster home to another.

  His breath caught at Cindy’s smile as she waved good-bye to the Wilkinsons. He wanted to leave as well so that he could spend some time alone with Cindy, but he feared she would suggest they go their separate ways when they arrived at her home. So, when Pastor Colin offered to refill his cup, despite the fact that he’d had quite enough coffee, he accepted. They moved from the dining room to the more casual setting of the living room.

  “So, Monty, I keep thinking of what you said earlier, that you became a Christian as an adult. I’m always interested in hearing such testimonies.” Pastor Colin leaned back into the couch, his cup cradled in his hand, waiting.

  Monty smiled his typical professional smile, but inside, his stomach tied in knots. To gloss over the story of his miserable life in the informal atmosphere of Cindy’s kitchen was far different than being asked for a testimony by Cindy’s pastor—in her presence. Cindy had been raised in a Christian home, while his lifestyle had been far from Christian until recently. Plain and simple, he’d been saved by grace.

  “As a young child, I was shuffled through a number of foster homes in the child-welfare services system. I must admit that I wasn’t an easy child to care for. A few of the families were Christians, but I rejected all they told me. In retrospect, only the grace of God got me through those years. I fell in with the wrong crowd at school and started to get into trouble, but found out quite by accident that if I spent a certain amount of time in the computer lab, I could fool everyone into believing I was there more often than I really was.”

  Monty paused, thinking of how he had at first only used the computer lab as an alibi. As time progressed, his interest changed from skipping school and causing trouble, to skipping classes and staying inside the school to hack away at the computer. When the teachers found out where he was and what he was doing, because he was no longer causing trouble and was actually inside the school building, they excused him more than they should have. Their leniency only encouraged him to continue skipping classes, and he tried everyone’s patience by systematically calculating exactly how far he could push each individual teacher. In the end, he had been fortunate the computer had fascinated him to such a degree. He’d been one of the few in his crowd to actually graduate.