Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida (11 page)

“Amanda, sweetie, we’ve been looking all over for you.” Rosemary’s strong, raspy voice caught her attention. She turned around and spotted Jerry standing between both of his parents—all of them dressed a little nicer than anyone else in the church. Her heart flipped as she waved back and headed toward them.

“I was close to the front,” Amanda said.

Rosemary rolled her eyes. “These two took forever getting ready, so we slipped in a little late and had to sit in the very back along the wall. I could barely hear the preacher, but it sounded like a nice message.”

“Yeah, I like what he said about finding heavenly treasures here on earth,” Harold added.

Rosemary gave him one of her trademark looks. “You would.” Amanda forced herself to overcome the fluttering sensation that had accosted her. “We’re about to start Sunday school. You’re welcome to join us.”

Jerry glanced at his parents then looked at her. “Maybe next week. We need to get back to the condo.”

Harold looked tired. He was a little more hunched over than normal, so Amanda nodded. “I understand.” Even Rosemary appeared wiped out. Her heart went out to the Simpson family.

Rosemary clicked her tongue as one side of her mouth quirked. “I’ve got an idea. Jerry, why don’t you take us to the condo and come back?”

Jerry looked lost for a second before he recovered and turned to Amanda. “How long do I have?”

She glanced at her watch. “Fifteen minutes, but it’s okay if you walk in a little late. We generally do a round of introductions before the Bible study actually begins.”

“Okay, let’s go, folks,” Jerry said as he ushered his parents away. He turned back to Amanda. “Save me a seat, okay?”

She nodded and smiled as she went to her car for the workbook. Suddenly, her heart felt lighter than it had in days.

Amanda told Suzanne she was waiting for Jerry and then took a seat near the door. She didn’t think Jerry could possibly make it back on time, but the group was larger than usual, and it took awhile for Pastor Zach to get everyone’s attention.

“Hey, thanks for saving my seat,” Jerry said as he slipped into the chair next to her. “My parents have been pushing themselves pretty hard lately, so I needed to get them back to rest.”

“I understand,” Amanda said, as she opened her workbook to the page where she’d filled in the blanks for the weekly Bible lesson. She showed him the verse they were studying, so he opened his Bible to follow along.

After introducing himself, Pastor Zachary Holister had everyone say their names and where they were from. Then he asked everyone to bow their heads for an opening prayer.

As she sat there while Pastor Zach prayed, she was aware of the effect Jerry’s presence had on her nerves. It had been a very long time since she’d been in church with a man. When the prayer ended and she opened her eyes, she turned to Jerry. He sat staring straight ahead at the pastor, who’d taken his place on a stool at the front of the room.

The Bible study lasted about forty-five minutes. As Pastor Zach wrapped it up, he invited anyone with questions to go to the front of the room, and then he was swarmed.

Jerry turned to Amanda and gave her a thumbs-up. “He’s a gifted preacher.”

Amanda nodded. “We’re fortunate to have someone who can relate to so many people.”

He shifted from one foot to the other. “I’d like to chat with him, but I don’t want to leave my parents alone too much longer.”

“They’re probably fine,” Amanda said. “They just looked exhausted, but I bet that’s from doing so much. I know how I am when I go on vacation. I want to get it all in before I come back home.”

He cleared his throat and looked around before settling his gaze back on her. “I wish that’s all it was. There’s something I failed to mention. Not only is my dad in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, but my mother just found out she has Parkinson’s. They’re in an independent-living retirement facility in Atlanta, but it’s just a matter of time before they either have to go into assisted living or move in with me.”

Amanda’s heart lurched. “Oh, I didn’t realize that.”

“I know.” Jerry gestured toward the door. “Let’s walk out together… that is, unless you want to hang around for something.”

“No, I’ll walk with you.” They headed out in silence, and when it was time to part ways in the parking lot, she turned to face him. “Is there anything I can do? I mean, if you need someone to help out or something…”

He slowly broke into a grin and shook his head. “I appreciate it, but I think we’ll be fine. They’re still able to do things without me, but they tire easily and Mom is so worried all the time. That’s part of the problem. In case you haven’t noticed, they’re on edge with each other.”

Amanda opened her mouth but closed it before she stuck her foot in it. From what she could tell, Jerry was at least as worried and as on edge as his parents were. Calling that to Jerry’s attention wouldn’t bode well at the moment.

“Thanks for inviting us to your church.” Jerry took a step back.

“I’m glad you all came.” Suddenly, Amanda remembered his mother’s address book. She pulled it out of her handbag and handed it to Jerry. “Do you mind giving this to your mom?”

Jerry chuckled as he took it from her. “She doesn’t give up.”

“I can see that.” The brief brush of his hand against hers sent a tingle up her arm.

He hesitated for a moment before lifting his hand in a wave. “See ya.”

Amanda turned and headed toward her car, but she heard her name. Suzanne was flailing her arms. “I wondered where you went after the Bible study!”

“What’s up?” Amanda asked.

Suzanne looked like she was ready to pop with excitement. “Jerry is very cute! So what’s next with you two?”

Amanda shook her head. “He’s a nice guy, and I’m trying to make sure they have a good vacation.”

“Why is he with his parents?”

After Amanda explained what Jerry just told her, Suzanne’s eyes widened and she nodded her approval. “Don’t let this one get away, Amanda. Any guy who cares enough about his parents to take them on vacation is a great catch.”

“I’m not looking to catch anything.”

“That’s your problem. You’re letting one lousy experience with a guy who was a complete idiot get away with messing up your whole life.”

“That’s not true.” Amanda looked down and kicked the asphalt with the toe of her shoe. “My life is just fine without a man, and I don’t want to change anything.”

“I’ve got news for you, girl. Your life is going to change, no matter what you do or don’t do. The Lord has brought this wonderful man into your life, so don’t let him slip away.”

Amanda snickered. Leave it to her friend to find a spiritual angle. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Seriously. He’s a Christian, he’s nice, he loves his family, and he obviously likes you. What’s wrong with giving him a chance and seeing where this thing can go?”

“I don’t know, Suzanne. I just don’t think I’m ready.”

“You’ll never be ready unless you open up a little.” Suzanne reached out and placed her hand on Amanda’s shoulder. “I’m not saying you have to fall in love with him and make plans for the future. All I want is for you to open up to the possibility of a relationship.”

“I’ll think about it.” Amanda hugged her friend. “Thanks for caring. I need to run. Why don’t you stop by the shop one afternoon this week, and we can hang out for a little while?”

“Okay, fine. I know when you’re closing me off. But you know I won’t give up, right?”

Amanda nodded. “Yeah, you can be pretty persistent.”

“Only because I know what’s good for you.”

“At least someone does.” Amanda unlocked her car door and got in. “See you soon, okay?”

“Oh yeah, you can count on it.” The sound of Suzanne’s laughter faded as Amanda closed her car door.

All the way home, she thought about Jerry’s parents. She knew they had some physical limitations, but she didn’t realize how serious they were. From what she knew, neither Alzheimer’s nor Parkinson’s could be reversed. She wondered about the brother and sister Jerry had told her about. Were they as active in Rosemary and Harold’s lives as Jerry was?

When she got home, she found Lacy still in her nightgown, sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee and flipping through a fashion magazine. She glanced up. “So how was church?”

“You might want to go sometime and see for yourself.”

“My, aren’t we snippy today?” Lacy stood up, crossed the kitchen, and poured more coffee.

Amanda instantly felt bad. Sarcastic comments weren’t good for a gentle witness, and they definitely wouldn’t make her sister want to go to church. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay. I figure something must have happened between you and Jerry, or you’d be a lot happier.”

Okay, that did it. “Why does everyone think my moods can be made or broken by Jerry? He’s a nice guy, but I have a perfectly fine life without a man in it.”

Lacy held up her hands and leaned away from Amanda. “Whoa, you’re really in a snit today. Sorry I said a word. Let me know when I can talk to you without having my head bitten off.”

“I’m sorry.” Amanda looked down at the magazine. “So what’s the latest in fashion?”

Lacy turned the magazine around so Amanda could see the picture. “Look at these Louboutins. Aren’t they the cutest?”

“How can anyone walk in those?” The heels had to be at least four inches high.

“Lots of girls wear them.” Lacy gave her a pleading look. “I want some.”

“Where would you wear them? Certainly not to work.” The mental image of Lacy teaching kindergarten in stilts made her giggle.

“Of course not, silly.” Lacy ran her fingertips lovingly across the page, as if she could actually feel the shoes. “These are special-occasion shoes.”

“There’s no occasion special enough for me to ever wear something that I’d never be able to stand up in,” Amanda admitted.

“What if Jerry asks you out to someplace really nice?”

Amanda sat down at the table and started fidgeting with the placemat. She felt Lacy watching her, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Both Lacy and Suzanne had acted like she and Jerry should be an item, so she must have given off some sort of signal that indicated that. Now she needed to undo whatever she’d done to give them the impression that there was even a chance. She flipped the edge of the placemat back and forth a couple of times, creating a rhythmic
thump-thump
.

After a few seconds, Lacy reached out and grabbed Amanda’s fidgety hand. “Stop doing that. It annoys me.”

If Amanda told Lacy all the things she did that were annoying, they’d be here all day. Instead, she stood up. “I think I’ll change clothes and go for a bike ride.”

“That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it?” Lacy said. “Have a bad day, ride your bike. Too many customers, ride your bike. Not enough customers, ride your bike. Argue with me, ride your bike. You need to give yourself some time to deal with your issues and not just take off on your bicycle every time something happens that you don’t like.”

Amanda stopped in her tracks and planted her fists on her hips. “And how do you suggest I do this?”

Lacy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe just be still for a while.”

As much as Amanda hated to admit it, her sister was right. When she wasn’t busy, her mind raced, and that was depressing. So she rode her bike to let the Gulf breeze lift her problems and take them away.

“I can’t just sit around here all day. What do you suggest I do?”

Lacy stood up, grinning. “Let’s go shopping. You need some new things.”

“Like what?” Amanda couldn’t keep her voice from squeaking.

“Like some new clothes and makeup. You’ve been stuck in a rut, and you could certainly update your look.”

Amanda had no doubt Lacy wanted to make her over for the relationship she was supposedly having with Jerry. No matter how many times Amanda denied there was anything between them but friendship, Lacy stuck to her fairy-tale dreams. Oh, what did it matter? Her wardrobe was rather boring. Maybe a couple of new tops and a brighter shade of lipstick would serve two purposes: It would get Lacy off her back, and it would add some choices for what to wear to church.

“Okay, but don’t even try to talk me into any of those killer high heels.”

Lacy giggled. “Don’t worry. If I see them, they’re mine anyway.”

An hour later, they were on their way to the mall in St. Petersburg— something that always brought a smile to Lacy’s face and a lilt to her voice. “The sales are still going on, but they might be picked over.”

“That’s fine,” Amanda said. “I’m not all that picky—at least not about what I wear.”

Lacy widened her eyes and offered an exaggerated nod. “I know, and that’s part of the problem.”

Amanda felt her jaw tighten. If she talked to Lacy like Lacy talked to her, they’d be in an all-out sister war.