Love Inspired January 2016, Box Set 1 of 2 (46 page)

“I don't understand how you can forgive me,” Anne said.

“I hadn't planned to. Not really.” He chuckled. “In fact, my plan included resentment, bitterness and a few other things. But, fortunately, the Lord got a hold of me.”

“You're a good man, Matt.”

“Don't put me on a pedestal. I've made plenty of mistakes and will probably continue to. All I'm saying is don't turn your back on us. We want to help. We do care.”

“You're right. I'll try to remember that.”

* * *

“Anne, was that the doorbell?”

“I'll get it, Aunt Lily.”

“Manny?” Anne grinned when she saw him standing behind the screen with an effervescent smile on his face. The same Manny she remembered. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought it was about time we had a chance to catch up.”

“How are you feeling? I'm sorry our paths didn't cross in the hospital. Although, I did see you in the ER.”

“So I heard. I don't exactly remember much about that.”

She pushed open the screen. “Come in. Come in. How are you feeling?”

“Feeling good and the ribs are healing.”

“Then I'd better not give you a bear hug,” she said with a smile.

“Who is it, Anne?”

Anne motioned for Manny to follow her to the living room.

“Aunt Lily, this is a friend of mine from college. Manuel Seville.”

“Oh, how nice to meet you.” Lily stood and carefully maneuvered around her chair with one hand on the furniture at all times. As usual, the lady of the house was dressed for company. Since it was Sunday afternoon she wore a burgundy-print silk shirtdress that set off her white hair. “Did you attend Washington State?”

“No, ma'am. I met your great-niece at the University of Denver.”

“Oh. Did she attend?” A deep frown settled on her face. “I can be forgetful these days.” She shook her head and shrugged. “Well, no matter. It is certainly a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, ma'am.”

“Aunt Lily, we're going into the kitchen.”

“All right, dear. Do serve your friend some of that lemonade. Oh, and be sure to show him the roses.”

“I will.” She led Manny down the hall to the oversize kitchen and stood next to the huge oak table. “I heard you got married and have a new baby. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Manny reached for his back pocket. “I said I'd never do this. But I pull out my wallet more in one day than my father ever did.”

Anne laughed as she took the billfold from him. “And you should. You have a beautiful family.” A pang of longing struck her as she flipped through the pictures. What would it be like to have a family of her very own? For a brief moment her thoughts flew to Matt.

She handed him back his photos and he glanced around at the ceiling moldings and the gingerbread trim at the windows.

“Wow, this place is as amazing as Matt said it was.”

“Thank you.”

“Big house for two people.”

“I suppose my great-great-grandfather had high hopes of filling it up with children, but progeny was never my family's strong suit. Working too much was.”

“It's not too late to change that, is it?”

She smiled. “Things don't look hopeful at the moment. I'm not married and the town of Paradise is about to raze the house. The potential for children sliding down the front banister or playing hide-and-seek in the attic is decreasing each day.”

“I can see why you want to save the place.” He examined the punched-tin ceiling. “You applied for historic registry?”

“Yes. But I won't know for ninety days.”

“Why did you wait so long?”

“My aunt hides mail.”

Manny blinked. “Excuse me?”

“My aunt hid the mail. I didn't find out about this until two weeks ago.”

“Did you tell anyone that?”

“The mayor is aware, but at this point it's out of my hands. And, really, I'm trying to think about the greater good here. I'm simply waiting on the Lord for the next step. I imagine I'll be signing the contract as soon as I get up the energy and courage to drive into town.”

“It's a shame. I have to tell you that I hope the Lord comes through, because destroying this house is not something I want to do.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Original cement-tile floors?” he asked.

Anne nodded. “Yes. The company that did them was apparently well-known for installing all the geometric floors during the time the house was built.”

Manny grinned. “I can't believe you know that.”

“I read a lot. You should see my stack of library books.” She smiled. “May I offer you some of my grandmother's lemonade?”

“No, thanks, I'm fine. But I would like to see those roses.”

“Certainly, and we can pick some for your wife.”

“She'd love that.”

“Let me show you the yard. We have quite the view.”

“So I've heard.”

Anne opened the French doors and they stepped outside. The fragrance of roses was heavy in the summer air.

Manny didn't wait for an invitation, instead he walked straight to the rose garden. She grabbed a cutting basket and shears and followed slowly behind as he walked down the paver path examining the many varieties.

“I don't know what I like best, the outside architecture, the inside details or this yard.”

She could only smile at his appreciative words.

“It would be flat wrong to destroy this house,” he finally said, his words firm with purpose. “Flat wrong.”

“So you understand my dilemma.”

“I do now.”

“You haven't told me why you're here, Manny.”

“I came by to tell you that Matt didn't know anything about your house when we started this project.”

Anne sighed. “He told me that.”

“But you have to know that if you don't sign, every day the project is delayed by the road issue we'll be losing money. However Matt will never push you to sign, because he wants to do what's right.”

“What is right?”

“I guess only God knows that. But he's single-handedly holding off the town from filing the injunction to force you to vacate.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Anne, is there any chance that you and Matt...”

“We're tentatively friends. That's a good place to be.”

“‘Tentatively'?”

“Some days are better than others. Lately? Not so good. Things have been challenging.”

“He still cares for you.”

“I care for him, as well. He's an honorable man. What I did to him ten years ago was unforgivable. While he says he has forgiven me, I can't help but fear that our past has ruined the possibility for a future.”

“I think you're wrong.”

“That could very well be. I've been wrong about a lot of things lately.”

Manny gave her a wry smile. “No, you don't get it. Matt still loves you. I think he's having a hard time admitting it, because he's afraid of getting hurt. But one encouraging word from you...”

“I'm not sure I can offer an encouraging word right now.”

“Okay, but do me a favor and add Matt to your prayer list. Maybe the Lord has something to say about him, as well.”

“I will. Though truthfully, Manny, I feel like all I'm doing is praying and waiting on the Lord lately. I certainly hope He plans to answer soon.”

“A good many prayers are answered in the eleventh hour,” he said.

Anne smiled. “God of the eleventh hour. Yes, you're right. I'm going to hold on to those words. Thank you.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“M
att, wait,” Manny called.

Shoving a yellow hard hat on his head Matt turned toward his partner. They stood shoulder to shoulder on the gravel drive, right outside the construction office trailer.

“Were you headed out?” Manny asked.

“Yeah. Going to check on the foundations for those condos.” He glanced at his watch. “Should start pouring in about an hour. What did you need?”

“I was wondering if you've talked to Anne since the town hall meeting.”

Matt shook his head no. “Rough meeting, wasn't it?”

Manny nodded.

“I've tried to stay out of her way. She pretty much accused me of plotting revenge by targeting her house. We canceled Claire's visit with her last weekend. Anne said she needed some alone time.”

“You should always be worried when a woman says that.”

“What can I do?”

“The question is what are you going to do?”

“Give her the space she asked for. It's been almost a week. I'll see if it's okay to bring Claire by on Saturday, but in general I think I'm just going to fly as far as I can under her radar.”

“She doesn't really believe you planned this, you know, and I doubt she really wants you to leave her alone.”

“Then why would she say that?”

“Because she was hurting.”

“That doesn't make any sense.”

“You sure have a lot to learn about women, don't you, pal? When they walk away is the exact time that they want you to go after them.”

Matt inched his hard hat to the back of his head with a finger. “Nah. Who told you that?”

“That's just the way it is.” Manny shook his head. “I went and talked to her.”

“You talked to Anne. When?”

“Last Sunday.”

“You're saying I should have gone to her house?” Matt grimaced.

“Probably.”

“What could I have done? I've looked at things from every angle and I don't see that there is any solution.”

“Everything can be fixed, Matt. That's what we do for a living.”

“We work with the tangible. Last time I checked, mending broken hearts wasn't our specialty.”

Manny frowned. “Whose heart is it we're talking about here? Yours or hers?”

“I'm talking about Anne. Her heart is completely broken over that house. I can't say that I blame her, either. The more time I spend in that old Victorian, the more I realize how special it really is.”

“I have to agree. I never thought I'd say it, but now I've seen the place.”

“Then you agree that it seems almost sacrilegious to destroy a house like that. Especially in our line of work. We're both architects by degree and general contractors by trade. Demolishing something that was meant to stand forever, something as beautiful and solid as that house, is plain wrong”

“Those are my thoughts exactly. There has to be another answer. We just have to dig deeper.”

“When you find it, let me know. I've spent hours thinking about this.” Matt shook his head. “At any rate, one thing is clear. You were right. If I had talked to her ahead of time I might have at least cushioned the blow somehow.”

“We work well together because I'm not a told-you-so guy.” Manny offered a smile. “No matter what happens, Anne's got a lot of painful decisions to make. She lost a lot of time because of her aunt. Then there's the fact that the town expects her out, one way or another, in thirty business days from tomorrow.”

Matt frowned. “What do you mean she lost a lot of time because of her aunt?”

“Anne never received the first two letters with the town's offer. Only the final notice because it was sent by certified mail. She's certain her aunt hid the other letters.”

“Lily?” Matt exhaled in a whoosh. “I didn't know that. Poor Anne. Then this all really is a shock for her. How did you find out so much in one visit?”

“I live with a woman. I've learned to listen very carefully, not only for what they say, but more importantly, for what they don't say.”

“Apparently, I don't have your talent. I've made a real mess of things.” Matt scraped a hand over his face. “You know, once things get settled here and this project is on autopilot, I'm thinking the best thing for me is to move on.”

Manny's jaw slackened as he stared at Matt. “Move on? What do you mean move on?”

“I'm talking about heading back to Denver.”

“Denver? Are you serious?”

“As serious as I've ever been.”

“I'm your partner. You weren't going to talk to me about it?”

“I'm talking now.”

“What about the company?” Manny asked. “We started this thing from the ground up with the two of us. Unless you feel God's leading you somewhere else, why mess with what we have?”

“I haven't decided anything yet. Just tossing some ideas around.”

“Maybe I shouldn't ask, but what did you have in mind?”

“I can be here to help you launch projects that come up in the valley, then go back to Denver and work on smaller ones with a pared-down crew. Diversify the company.”

“Yeah, and that would work if we had enough cash flow to support two crews. But we don't. We're living paycheck to paycheck until this project is completed.” Manny shrugged, looking none too enthused about the idea anyhow. “I don't have to remind you that every cent we have is invested in what we're doing here in Paradise. If we get the lake project we have a good shot at the hospital. But it's going to take the two of us.”

“I said I was only thinking about it.”

“Yeah, well, I wish you'd think about something else. You're making me nervous. And you don't want to make the guy who handles the finances anxious.” He huffed a long breath. “Besides, I thought you and Claire were getting settled in Paradise. She seems pretty happy here, too. School's going to start soon. Delia said she's met some kids her age already.”

“I can't settle down in Paradise when I know I've destroyed Anne's life. This town is too small and the more time I spend here the smaller it gets. Constantly running into her would be all kinds of awkward.”

“You mean because of the way you feel about her?”

Matt jerked back and looked at Manny. “What? You have X-ray vision now, too?”

“Come on. I've known you for the better part of my life. You wear your heart on your sleeve. Doesn't take Dr. Phil to figure you out.”

“Okay, fine. Yeah, that has a lot to do with it. I don't want her to feel like she's obligated to me or my daughter, either.”

“Are you sure she feels that way? Seems to me that you're considering some big changes based on a lot of assumptions.”

“Am I? I'm not so sure. I've made overtures, feeling her out about forgetting the past and starting over, but I can't help but feel...”

“What?”

“Part of me thinks she really does believe her aunt's predictions about me.”

“Cut it out. You're a successful contractor.”

“Yeah. Who's living paycheck to paycheck, you just said.”

“Look, you need to have a heart-to-heart with Anne before you do anything that you'll regret for another ten years.”

Matt stared at his friend and shook his head. “You sure have a lot of answers in your back pocket today, don't you?”

Manny laughed, easing the tension between them. “It only seems that way to you because I can look at the situation objectively. I'd say you're letting your emotions get the better of you. Whatever happened to walking by faith?”

Matt held up his hands. “Whoa. Okay, I know when to quit. We can finish this discussion later. I have to get going.”

Manny's only response was to grin.

“Can you keep an eye on Claire until I get done? She's reading in the trailer. I've got a couple more hours here and then she and I will head home early.”

“Sure. No problem. I'm going to catch up on some paperwork.” His boots echoed on the wood as he pounded up the stairs to the trailer platform. The door of their makeshift office closed with a bang behind him.

Matt shut the tailgate of the truck and reached into his pocket for his keys. A moment later Manny was out on the platform again.

“Hey, Matt. I thought you said Claire was in here,” he called out from the doorway.

“She is.”

“Not that I can see. And where's Stanley?”

Matt rushed up the stairs and followed Manny inside, his gaze searching every corner. “She was here. Reading.”

“Where would she go?” Manny asked.

Matt tossed his hard hat on the desk and paced back and forth in the small space. “She overheard us.”

“You think so?”

“Sure. Those side windows are open, and if she heard me talking about moving back to Denver, she probably took off out the back door. Claire's gotten pretty fond of Anne and Lily.” Matt shook his head. “I can't believe I was so careless.”

“Does she know the shortcut through the woods?”

“Sure she does. So does Stanley.”

“That's one smart kid you have, Matt.”

“A smart dog, too, thankfully.”

He opened the locker where Claire stored her belongings when she came to work with him. Empty. “It looks like she took her diabetic supplies, as well. Her pink backpack is gone.”

“Thank the Lord for that,” Manny said. “You want me to go with you to Anne's?”

“No, but thanks.” Matt gave a quick, dismissive shake of his head. “This will require some one-on-one time with Claire. First, I've got to figure out how I'm going to explain everything that's going on to a ten-year-old. She won't care about anything except why I'm talking about messing with her world again.”

* * *

“Oh, for goodness' sake, Anne. Go home, would you?”

Anne barely raised her chin from her hand, which was in turn propped up by her arm, to see Marta standing in the doorway of her office. “It's only three in the afternoon on a Thursday.”

“You haven't slept in days and you look like you're going to keel over any minute now.”

“That good, huh?”

“Yeah, and you know what we'd do if that happens, right?” Juanita appeared in the doorway.

“If you're trying to scare me by threatening to admit me to my own emergency department, it's working.”

“Good,” Juanita continued.

“I checked with HR,” Marta said. “While they wouldn't reveal the exact numbers due to some sort of privacy ridiculousness, they assured me you have enough sick and vacation days to take off the rest of the week without even touching this year's accrual.”

“You did not.”

Marta laughed. “No, but it remains true.”

Anne reached for her purse. “You know what? I am going to go home, and I'll be back and punctual come Monday. I need to stop by the library to pick up some books. Plus, this will give me plenty of time to schedule an appointment to sign the contract and then decide what I'm going to do next. After all, I have to pack and find a place to live, as well.”

“As usual, you're an overachiever. That's a pretty ambitious list for four days,” Marta said. “And all by yourself, as well.”

“It's a start. You taking off a few days is huge.” Juanita patted Anne's arm. “I'm proud of you, sweetie.”

“She's right, and I'm proud, as well. When you get things sorted out let us know and we'll have a packing party,” Marta said.

“A packing party?” Anne repeated.

“Sure. You invite everyone you know. All you have to do is feed them. The packing gets done in one day.”

“I'm not sure that's a practical idea. I can handle most of it myself anyhow.”

“Yes.” Marta released a sigh. “We know. You can do everything. But it's more fun with your friends.”

“Besides,” Juanita said, “you have no idea what you're dealing with here. You've lived in that house almost thirty years. Your aunt's been in it for another forty-five. That's a good seventy-five years of accumulation.” She snorted and shook her head. “Sounds like more than even you can tackle, super girl.”

“She's right. On second thought, just rent a Dumpster.”

Anne laughed. “You know, I'm starting to feel better just talking to you two. Maybe I'll go ahead and stay until five.”

“No!” The word burst from Marta's and Juanita's lips at the same time. Then they began to laugh as they took position on either side of her and led her out of her office and down the hall toward the emergency room doors.

“Go home,” Juanita said. “You've got a major life crisis going on and you need to be there, not at work. I can pull out that life-changes stress test and prove it to you, if you want.”

“She's right. You aren't eating. You can't sleep. In fact, maybe it would be better if I call the sheriff to drive you,” Marta commented.

“I'll be fine, ladies.” The doors of the emergency department swooshed open and Anne headed to the parking lot, leaving her friends smiling.

Would she be okay? Anne didn't know, but by the time her truck pulled into her driveway she'd admitted the truth to herself. It was time to make some hard decisions.

Anne just sat for a while. For once, she couldn't bear to look at the house. She'd let the stately lady down.

When she did look up, it was to see Stanley wantonly bounding around from the backyard, his leash flapping in the air.

“Stanley?”

She opened her door and got out. The dog danced in enthusiastic circles around her.

A moment later Claire rounded the corner, her face and sweatshirt speckled with mud and her sneakers and jeans wet.

“Claire, what are you doing here? What happened to you?”

The round face was resolute. “I ran away.”

“What do you mean? Your house is over five miles in the other direction. How did you get here?”