All in One Place (28 page)

He slipped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me against him.

He finally let me go when we got to my car.

The faint crinkling at the corners of his eyes caught my attention. I couldn't decipher his expression, but I wanted to see
it again.

“So, I guess I'll be around for a bit, then,” I said, my voice growing soft, as if uttering the words quietly made them less
tangible, easier to withdraw.

Jack brushed his knuckles across my cheek.

“You must be beat,” he said, one corner of his mouth tilted up in a half-smile. “You should go home.”

“Yeah. I should.” I pulled the keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, surprised to see my hands trembling. As I drove
away, I could see Jack still standing in the parking lot, watching me, and I had to smile again.

I replayed the conversation Jack and I just had, trying to figure out where things had changed from my relief that I could
leave to my telling him that I might not.

And as I drove I realized two things. If my car had been parked closer to the hospital, my plans might have stayed the same.
It was that long walk with Jack that gave me time to think so that I was now considering staying in Harland.

I could stay awhile. Just a little while.

I
have to confess, for a few moments I thought you were going to duck out of the party.” Leslie walked me down the porch steps
to my car, birthday party kids screeching all around us, burning off the vestiges of the cake and soft drinks they'd consumed
in ridiculous amounts.

Ignoring the cacophony, Leslie leaned against the hood of my little car, her sisterly smile alternately making me feel like
a proper aunt and a fraud. She didn't need to know that three plans ago I was supposed to be in Chicago today.

“I'm glad I could come.” I sidestepped a little boy who tore past us, trailing a balloon that a barking Sasha considered an
intruder. “I think.”

“You made Anneke one happy princess with that silly getup.”

I heard an extra-loud screech and saw my dear niece jumping up and down on the trampoline, her tiara on her head, a cloud
of pink feathers floating loose from the boa around her neck. “I'm sure that outfit won't last the evening.”

“She thinks it's great. You did good, Sis. And thanks for getting Nicholas something. He's still a bit young to get this whole
center-of-attention thing that makes the birthday person harder to live with than Roseanne Barr.”

“At least Anneke didn't throw up like I did at my fifth birthday party.”

Leslie laughed. “Thank goodness for small miracles.” She didn't seem to be in a rush to get back to her kitchen table smeared
with purple icing, stacks of paper plates on her counter, and a floor crunchy with potato chips.

“And how was your date with Jack last Friday?”

Ah.
Now I knew the reason for the lingering. “The date was good.”

Leslie angled me a skeptical look. “You go out with a guy like Jack DeWindt, and the best you can come up with is ‘good’?”

“Okay. Really good. Except for the movie, which was so incredibly bad that calling it bad would be a compliment.”

“Do you like him?”

I pondered the question as I relived the moments I had shared with Jack. Did I like him? A person liked the color brown, chili
peppers on their hot dog, and ergonomic keyboards. Saying I liked Jack made him sound as bland as a taste test.

“Your mouth is getting all soft and pouty,” Leslie said. “You do like him.”

She made it sound like an accusation. Which, in turn, made me angry.

“Yeah. I do, you know. And I think he returns the sentiment.”

Leslie nodded. “I'm not surprised.”

“Is that a bad thing? Is it so awful that your sister has finally found a decent guy? Someone who has integrity and is decent
and likes his dad and… and carries a Springfield .45?”

Leslie held her hand up. “No. It isn't awful. I'm glad for you.”

“Look, Sis, I get the whole I'm not good enough for him…”

“I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way before,” she said. “I just want you to be careful. That's all.”

“I know who I am, and Jack knows who I am. He was the one who put me in jail, don't forget.” I took a quick breath, trying
to calm myself before I said something we would both regret. “You gave me the Bible. I've been trying to read it, even though
I really don't get a lot of it. But I'm trying. Give me some credit, okay?”

Leslie pushed herself away from my car. “I'm sorry. I was wrong.” She pulled me close in a hug. “I am happy for you. Jack's
a great guy.”

“Thanks.”

She gave me another squeeze and drew back, still holding me by the shoulders. “I'm not much of a Bible expert myself, but
there is a group that gets together at the church Tuesday mornings for Bible study. It's very low-key, very informal and easy.
I go when I can. If you're not working, you could come, too.”

I tested the thought. Bible study. That was something I'd never thought I'd see myself involved in. “I'll think about it.”

“Thanks, Terra.” Leslie squeezed my neck. “Thanks for coming today. That meant a lot to Anneke, but it also meant a lot to
me. I don't often have my own family around on these special days.”

“I'm glad I came, but I'd better get going,” I said. “You sure you don't need me to take some of these yahoos away?”

“I don't want to spook you. We want you around for a little while yet.”

I returned her hug. “Thanks for having me. It was fun.”

“You're a good auntie.”

I wrapped myself in those words as I got into the car and drove out of the yard. A good auntie. I gave myself a congratulatory
grin in my rearview mirror.

Nicholas knew my name and even gave me a spontaneous hug after he got his present. Dan laughed at my jokes, and Gloria had
pulled me aside to tell me that Tabitha was getting involved in something called YWAM, as if I were as involved in the girl's
rehabilitation as she was.

It seemed like I was finding my place in the VandeKeere family pecking order.

I cranked up the radio, laying down a funky sound track to the countryside slipping past me. The fields were like a soft green
carpet as crops started to push up through the soil. I passed a farmer driving a tractor who waved to me and I recognized
one of the regulars in the diner.

My cell phone rang.

“Hey there, how are you doing?”

And my good day just got better. “I'm doing fine, Jack. How about you?”

“Doing good. I was wondering if you're busy this Sunday.”

“I think I'm off that day.” I carefully tucked the phone under my ear as I geared down for an intersection. Was he going to
ask me to come to church?

“What do you say to a picnic?”

“Hello, can you pass the sandwiches?”

His light chuckle reverberated in my ear. “Let's try that again. Would you like to go on a picnic with me on Sunday?”

I waited, wondering if church was on the agenda as well. But he added nothing to the invitation.

“Where do you want to meet?” I asked.

“I'll pick you up at your place.”

I took a chance. “Or we could meet at church.”

Jack was silent a moment. “Or we could,” he agreed.

I never knew you could hear a smile over the phone.

“I'm on night shift until Saturday,” he said, “so I probably won't see you until Sunday.”

“Then I'll see you at church.” I waited a moment for him to hang up, heard a throaty chuckle and then a beep as he disconnected.
Flipping my cell phone shut, I tossed it onto the seat beside me. I smiled as I thought of the detour my life had taken in
the past few weeks. Things were good.

Actually, things were very good.

I
turned the corner and there it was. The church where I was meeting Jack.

Though I was already late, my foot came off the accelerator. What if I was making a big mistake? My blue jeans and corduroy
blazer seemed pretty suitable back at home, but seemed too casual now that I faced a building with stained-glass windows and
topped with a cross.

I gave my head a shake. If Jesus was willing to go looking for a lost sheep, I was sure He wouldn't fuss with what that sheep's
wool looked like once He found it. Or that this particular sheep had slept in and stood a good chance of missing the first
part of the service.

I angled down the rearview mirror, finger-combed my hair, licked my lips, and brushed a piece of lint off my jacket. I was
as ready as I'd ever be.

This was a new adventure for me, I thought. Meeting a guy at church. I wished Leslie was here for extra moral support, but
she was working so I was going solo this morning.

As I came closer to the church, I saw a man running up the steps. Thank goodness I wasn't the only latecomer. And then my
cell phone rang. I pulled the phone out of my purse reminding myself to turn it off after this call. As I flipped it open,
I glanced over the parking lot. It was already full.

“Hello,” I said, hoping it wasn't Jack, calling to cancel.

“Well, well, you did miss me.”

The blood drained out of my head, my hands, my arms. The phone wobbled and I couldn't breathe.

“Eric. How did you get this number?”

“The magic of caller ID, honey.”

I fought the panic that grabbed my throat. I remembered dialing the number of the apartment by mistake. I had hung up as soon
as I realized what I'd done, but obviously not fast enough. “I guess I'll have to change this number, then.”
Relax. He has no clue where you are.
I spied an empty spot in front of a house a ways down the street, drove to it, and parked my car. “I don't want any more
unexpected calls from you.”

“Unexpected? C'mon, honey, you wound me.” His voice was as smooth and charming as ever. But the easy tones sent a chill through
my midsection. “Don't tell me you thought you would never see me again.”

“I thought I wouldn't even hear from you again.” I got out of the car, urgency hurrying my steps.

“I told you not to run away from me. I told you I would find you.”

Time to end this call.

“Good-bye, Eric.”

“You're breaking my heart, Terra. This abrupt good-bye after all we shared?”

“We didn't share anything, Eric.”

“Then why are you still talking to me?”

Why indeed? I hurried just a little faster. The church doors were already closed, but I felt an overwhelming urge to be behind
them. To find sanctuary there.

Sanctuary and Jack.

“By the way, you can stop running, honey. You'll see me soon enough.”

What did he mean? I glanced around and almost dropped my phone.

A tall, heavy set figure sauntered down the empty sidewalk toward me. Black leather coat, dark jeans, and white shirt.

Eric, with his cell phone to his ear.

“See, darlin'?” his smooth voice drawled in my ear. “I told you that you couldn't run away from me. When you used the debit
card in that grocery store in Harland, I knew I had found my girl.”

Stupid, careless girl.

“And don't bother trying to run back to your little car. You won't get far in those boots.”

In spite of his warning, I stopped and looked back to my car. He was right. I'd never get to the car before he caught me.
I was trapped.

“So now what, Eric?” I asked as he came closer. “What do you propose to do?”

He was close enough for me to see a lazy smile crawl over his lips. Whiskers shadowed his lean jaw, and his hair looked like
it hadn't been combed in a couple of days. A casual passerby could be excused for thinking he looked distraught from missing
me. “I'll charge you with theft, for starters. Pulling that money out of our account? That hurts. Thank goodness I set it
up so we could only pull out two hundred bucks at a time; otherwise, who knows how much you would have taken me for.”

“You owed me that money, Eric. I paid the rent for the past two months.” I snapped my cell phone shut.

Eric made a show of scratching his head, as if trying to gather his thoughts. We were close enough now and he shut his phone
off as well. “Well, seeing as it's your name on the lease…” He spread his hands in a
What can I do?
gesture. “You're still a thief.”

“We had an agreement when—”

“When what?” Now he was directly in front of me, blocking my way.

“When you moved in with me.” I spoke quietly. To have to say these words aloud in front of the church showed my previous life
for what it was. Tawdry and shallow and cheap.

Even though many of our friends had lived together, I knew it was wrong then, and I knew it even more now.

Shame washed over me as I was faced with the reality of the baggage I carried.

“If you really need that money, I can pay you back.”

He put his hand under my chin, and as soon as I looked into his flat, blue eyes, I knew this had nothing to do with money.
A chill slithered down my back.

“I didn't drag my sorry self all the way to this hick town just to collect a few hundred bucks.” He shook his head as if surprised
at my naïveté. “This is about much, much more than that, babe. It's about you and me and what we had going. We were going
to have a baby together…”