One Chance To Love (Christian Romance) (4 page)

Chapter Six

She’d come a long way since waking
up that morning. Allison couldn’t remember when she’d had a better day. Yes,
there was the moment when she broke down on the front steps of the church, but
that was the start of her new day—maybe even her new life.

Now here she was at a nice, cozy
little Italian restaurant with a stunning, handsome gentleman, the aromas of
flavorful spices and tomato based sauces tickling her nostrils. Was it possible
for her to ask for more? Not really. This was the closest to a dream becoming
reality that she could have ever imagined.

“So. Have you decided whether
you’re gonna tell me about your talk with Maggie.” Daniel’s eyes showed
expectant interest.

“Hmm… I suppose I could.” She couldn’t
suppress the chuckle that bubbled up.

“I can’t wait to hear this.”

“Well, when the others were telling
their memorable deliveries, something happened to me.”

She told him everything she’d
discussed with Maggie—not sparing the tiniest of details—and even mentioned
losing her job. When she was done, their food order had arrived, and she took
miniscule a sip of her wine.

Daniel seemed deep in thought for a
full minute as he twirled the spaghetti in his fork. “I have to agree with
Maggie’s assessment. I think we were meant to collide on the street yesterday.”
He grinned at her. “But I also think there’s more in store for us.”

“I’m not sure I know what you
mean.” She had a hunch, but she didn’t want to own up to it.

“Oh, I think you do.”

Why was he wearing such a smug
expression?

“Is that right?” She could play
this game as well as him.

“Yep. And I’ll tell you why, too.”

She swallowed her bite of lasagna.
“Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants. Tell me why.”

He almost choked on his meatball.
“Mr. Smarty Pants, eh?”

“Uh huh.” She took another bite.

“Alright, then. I’ll tell you why.
Because you felt it too, didn’t you?”

Oh, no! There it was. Daniel’s
admission that he’d felt the jolt from the handshake, also. But how did he know
she felt it? Had her reaction been so transparent that he couldn’t miss it if
he’d tried?

“I see I was right.”

“About what? What do you think I
felt?” She couldn’t help herself. Oddly, she felt trapped, like a hunted
animal—cornered with nowhere to run.

“You know what I’m talking about,
Allison. I saw the look in your eyes when I mentioned it. Don’t try to pretend
it didn’t happen.”

“Pretend what didn’t happen?” Why
did she insist on this futile attempt to deny it?

He set his fork on the edge of the
plate and fixed her eyes with his intense deep brown ones.

“Okay. If that’s how you want it,
I’m declaring ‘Game Over.’ I’ll tell you what I felt, and I know you felt it
too. I saw it in your eyes.” He paused. “When you shook my hand, it felt like
you’d hit me in the chest with a super strength taser. There. I’ve admitted it,
and now it’s your turn.”

There was that smug smile again. He
was right, though—she had felt it. So why did she have to get all defensive?
She wasn’t ready for this, but she knew she had to tell him the truth.

She inhaled, filling her lungs to
full capacity, then let it out in a long, slow sigh.

“Yeah.” It came out as less than a
breathy whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes. I felt it, too.
Shocked me from my hair all the way to my toes.”

“That’s interesting.”

“What? The fact that I finally
confessed.”

He let out a miniscule chuckle.
“No. I meant it’s interesting that you felt it in your hair.”

“To be honest, I was surprised it
hadn’t gone up in flames.” Now that she’d said it aloud, the image it conjured
in her mind made it seem ridiculous. An uncontrollable giggle took hold of her
for nearly a minute.

Apparently, the humor wasn’t lost
on Daniel, either. As soon as she was able to contain herself, she noticed that
his chortling was coming to an end also.

His eyes searched hers. “So. Now
that we’ve both acknowledged the attraction, what do you propose we do about
it?”

~~*~~

He hadn’t expected his question
would make her gag on the lasagna. That wasn’t even on the list of reactions he
imagined possible. But it happened, and he was ready to help her dislodge the
food from her windpipe if necessary. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, and she
soon swallowed it.

She dabbed her perfectly shaped
lips with the linen napkin. “I don’t know, Daniel. I mean, you’re a great
person, but we’ve only known each other for a little more than a day.” She
looked down at her plate. “Besides, my life is a mess right now. I really don’t
need anything else tossed into the mix.”

“You’re a beautiful woman,
Allison.” He paused, and she lifted her head. She appeared to be ready to say
something, but he continued. “Maybe you don’t think so, but you truly are. I
don’t mean just on the outside. I saw it in you today.” Another pause.
“Besides, Dylan really likes you, too.”

A tender smile lifted the corners
of her mouth. “He’s a great kid. I can see why you adore him.”

He felt his lips try to match hers.
“Yeah. I can’t help it. Everything I do is for my son. I know it may sound
strange, but he’s the reason I haven’t gone crazy.”

“I can only imagine what you went
through.”

“Well, it would be a lie if I said
it was easy. Honestly, I almost lost my faith because of it. I wanted to be mad
at God for taking Jenny from me, but then I saw my newborn son. I couldn’t
ignore such a miracle.”

She was silent for several moments.
Her struggle with the Lord had been a long one, so he allowed her the time to
digest what he’d said. When she finally did speak, it was nothing at all like
he thought she’d say.

“So tell me. How often do you come
across people fighting with God, or blaming Him for the way their lives are?”

“A lot more than you’d probably
think. Why do you ask?”

She sat back in her chair. “I guess
I had this feeling that He singled me out to punish for some odd reason. I
never once thought there might be so many others who felt the same.”

“This may surprise you, but
everyone who goes through this seems to think the same thing—that God was
purposely penalizing
only
them. But that’s not the way the Lord works.
Not at all.”

Her storm-cloud eyes seemed to
glaze over. “Okay, can we stop the sermon before it gets started? I don’t know
if I’m ready for that just yet.”

The muscles in his face insisted on
forming a grin. “I wasn’t planning on doing that. Just wanted to feed your
brain and your stomach at the same time.”

“Seems like I’ve had enough food
for my head today.”

“Yeah. I suppose you have.”

She was right. Maggie had helped
her understand the breakthrough she’d made, but that wasn’t all there was to
it. Allison needed time to struggle through it, and he didn’t want to add to
her burden. It had built up over a long period of time, and her fight probably
wasn’t going to be an easy one. He simply wanted to be there to help her, no
matter what kind of assistance she’d need.

With that in mind, he allowed the
hush that ensued until their plates were empty and the waiter had taken their
dessert orders. He could only imagine what was going on in her mind. Her eyes
showed that the machinery was churning at maximum speed, trying to make sense
of what she’d learned today.

Their slices of apple pie had
arrived before she finally broke the silence, changing the subject. “So, how
did you get involved in this charity?”

Should he tell her the entire
story? He’d revealed his involvement to the many people he recruited, but never
told anyone why he got into it. Was Allison the one he should divulge the story
to?

He noted the expectancy in her
eyes, and knew he had to say something—anything—while he made up his mind
whether to tell her the full story.

“Well, I went on a search for a way
to spend some of my spare time. That’s how I found the food drive.” Okay, so he
was being flippant. Maybe she wouldn’t catch on.

~~*~~

Allison couldn’t decide if he was
joking or being truthful. Maybe there was there a bit of both in his last
statement. Whatever it was, he seemed to be stalling, as if he didn’t want to
talk about it.

“We can talk about something else,
if this is uncomfortable for you.” She offered him a way out.

“No. It’s okay. I’ve never had
anyone ask me about it, so I’m just not sure how to answer.”

That seemed reasonable, but she
persisted. “Are you sure? I was just suggesting a subject to discuss. I don’t
have to know.”

“I don’t mind talking about it.
Honestly.” His eyes reflected his words. “I was trying to figure out where to
start. That’s all.”

She tried to form an understanding
smile. “Okay, then. As long as you’re not uncomfortable about telling it, I’ll
be happy to listen.”

He inhaled deeply. “My father was
in the Army when he met my mother, but he didn’t make a lot of money. When I
was about five years old his enlistment was up and we moved here so Dad could
find a job with better pay.” He paused, taking a sip of his wine. “That didn’t
work out too well.”

“You were living like the people
you deliver these boxes to, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.” His gaze went to his
half-eaten pie. “When I was eleven, the Gulf War broke out and Dad re-enlisted.
By then, the pay was a little higher, but Mom was scared he wouldn’t return
alive—and he didn’t.”

She watched the moisture build up
in his eyes, reached across the table, and took his hand. His head snapped up
as if her gesture had shocked him. Maybe it had. The electricity she’d felt
yesterday was there again.

He tried to smile, but it faltered,
though she wasn’t sure if it was due to her touch or the emotions she saw
raging in his eyes. She had an inkling both were to blame.

“You don’t have to say any more if
you don’t want to.” She’d seen this man shed tears earlier in the day, and
didn’t want to be the cause of a repeat performance.

He retrieved his hand, and wiped
his eyes as well as he could with his palms. “No. It’s okay. I guess I need to
talk about it.” A handkerchief appeared in his hand—presumably from his
pocket—and he wiped his nose. “Luckily for us, Dad had somehow found a way to
get a good life insurance policy to make sure Mom and I weren’t left penniless.
I never knew anything about it until I finished high school. Mom did the best
she could with her widow’s pension from the Army, but we had to rely on the
kindness of others many times, too.”

Allison stopped him momentarily.
“Wait. What happened to the insurance check?”

He chuckled. “She saved it because
she wanted me to go to college. So that’s what I did.”

“Very smart mother you have.” She
winked.

His smile turned melancholy. “Had.
Mom died from a heart attack almost five years ago.”

She didn’t know how to respond to
that, but she hoped her eyes conveyed the sympathy she felt.

“Dylan’s all I have left now. If I
can’t find a way to treat his illness, I’ll lose him, too.”

Her hand found his again. “You
won’t lose him.” Where did those words come from? Didn’t matter now. She’d
spoken them, and in a deep part of her heart she knew they were true.

“More than anything else, that’s
the one thing I pray for.” The deep emotion was evident.

A few seconds ticked by. “To be
honest, Daniel, I don’t know why I said that. It just came out of me.”

He simply held her gaze for several
moments. She couldn’t help wondering what was going on in his mind, though his
eyes showed his appreciation for her earlier words.

“Doesn’t matter why. I’m just glad
you did. I must’ve needed to hear it.”

The silence returned as they both
finished their pie. He still hadn’t given the answer to her question, however.
She was still interested.

“So, the reason you became involved
with the food drive was to help give back. Is that right?”

Chapter Seven

He couldn’t help admiring her
tenacity in getting to the root of something. After all he’d told her, she was
still seeking a direct answer to the question that had led to his trip through
the fields of his memory.

“Yep. That’s it, exactly.”

She seemed to ponder that for
several moments. “I guess that makes sense. But you said you hunted for it.
What brought you to that particular church’s food drive?”

A tiny grin forced itself upon his
lips. “I’d heard of a national organization, so I looked up a branch here in
New York. I was hoping my church would be involved, but it turned out to be one
in the Bronx. Didn’t really matter where it was, I just knew that’s what I
wanted to do.”

“Any particular reason you wanted
to be part of the national program and not a local one?”

“Before I answer that, you should
know that I hold nothing against locally arranged food programs. What drew me
to the larger one is the fact that their budget allows for some nationwide
advertising on TV. This brings the need into the minds of larger numbers of
people. The more people who know of it, the more donations that come in, and
the more people we can help. It’s that simple.”

“Okay, I see now. You just want to
help as many folks as you can.” She paused for a beat. “But I don’t get why you
feel the need to reach out to as vast a number as you possibly can.”

He felt his eyebrows knit together
as he tilted his head. “I’m not sure what you’re pushing for.” He thought he
knew, but wanted to hear it from her.

“I don’t mean any offense, but I
wonder if you’re doing as much as you can in order to build up a larger reward
later.”

“A bigger Heavenly reward? Is that
what you mean?” He tried to keep his tone neutral.

“Well… yeah, I guess.”

He couldn’t suppress the tiny
gurgling chuckle. “No. That’s not it at all. My motivation is to thank God for
everything He’s given me. The more people I help, the more I’m thanking Him.
That’s all there is to it.”

“After all the troubles you’ve had
in life, you want to thank Him? I just don’t get it.”

“What I’m grateful for is that I
was given the opportunity to have such great parents, a special wife, and a
son—all of whom gave me more love than I ever knew was possible. I give thanks
for all the difficulties also, because having found my way through them, I’ve
become the person I am today.”

Allison remained silent, seeming to
mull over his words in her mind.

Soon, the waiter brought the check,
and Daniel paid it with a credit card, leaving a generous tip. She remained
quiet until they were in his Lexus, only speaking to tell him her address so he
could drive her home.

What was going on inside that
beautiful head of hers? Yes, he knew she was having issues with her faith, so
he didn’t want to interrupt the process she was going through. This was nothing
new to him. He’d seen it happen over and over again. But this time—with
Allison—it was likely to take some time to come to fruition.

A part of him couldn’t stop wanting
to hasten her journey, to spare her some of the hardship she was certain to
endure. But that wasn’t why their paths crossed. He was a messenger, and she
was the recipient. The only thing he could do now was to be there for her when
she needed him.

~~*~~

How was it possible for him to be
that grateful to God for everything he’d been through. Okay, she could see the
part about all the people who loved him. But to be thankful for the hardships
because they helped mold him into the man he is today? That part didn’t make a
lot of sense. It seemed more logical that without them, he’d probably be a
better person. Wouldn’t he?

The more she thought about it, the
less rational it seemed. In fact, it downright confounded her.

By the time she decided to stop
torturing herself to figure it out, she realized Daniel had pulled up in front
of her apartment building. How did he know where she lived? She must have told
him, but she didn’t remember doing so.

He’d asked her a question, but she
hadn’t heard all of it.

“I’m sorry. What was that? I
must’ve been deep in thought.”

He gave a small chuckle. “I asked
if you’d like to help deliver the food boxes tomorrow. I can pick you up at
eight in the morning.”

“Oh. Sure. Eight will be fine.” Her
mind still felt foggy. Was it her imagination, or did he slightly move toward
her as if he had something on his mind—like maybe he wanted to kiss her
goodnight? He probably hadn’t, but with the state she was in at the moment, she
wouldn’t even know if he actually did it or not.

She attempted a grateful smile, but
the air in the car seemed to become heavy and oppressing. Why did she need to
open the door in order to breathe?

Stepping onto the curb, she closed
the car door, and waved at him before he drove off. Did he wave back at her?
She thought he did, but wasn’t sure.

Once inside her apartment—coat hung
on its peg next to the door—her thoughts turned to how selfishly he gave
himself to his charity of choice. It was oddly interesting that he wanted
nothing in return. All he wanted was to give thanks to the Lord for everything?
None of this was computing in her brain. There had to be something that he’d
omitted, some fact he was keeping from her.

There was a way for her to find
out, though.

She made her way across the living
room to the small desk in the corner, turned on her laptop, and went into the
kitchen for a glass of milk while she waited for the computer to boot up.

Within minutes, she accessed her
favorite search engine and entered his name. Literally thousands of articles
were at her fingertips in seconds. She delved into them, seeking out anything
she could find that would explain her confusion.

The very first thing she read threw
her mind into a tailspin. Daniel Trotter was a millionaire! One of the newest real
estate moguls in the city, having made his first million almost four years
earlier. Was that it? The missing piece? If so, where did it fit into the
puzzle?

Almost every newspaper had article
after article extolling his ‘rags to riches’ story. Yes, he’d told her about
the rags part, but neglected to mention the riches. Every detail he’d told her
about—his parents, previous wife, Dylan—was covered, so he hadn’t lied about
any of that.

Wait! Was it possible he was involved
in the national food drive to help boost his image as a caring businessman?

But how could that be when he
seemed so genuine? So what if he failed to mention he was wealthy? What did
that prove? Well, except that maybe he didn’t think it should matter.

Going back through the articles,
she noticed a glaring absence of any mention of his charity work. How was it
feasible that the media didn’t know about this? Maybe Daniel had gone to great
lengths to be sure they hadn’t been informed. But if that was true, then why
would he do that?

All this was beginning to give her
a headache. She shut down the laptop and turned it off. Moving to the sofa, she
reclined and decided to watch TV until she felt sleepy enough to go to bed.
Alas, there was nothing of interest to entertain her. She wondered for the
millionth time why she even bothered to have a television.

Hmm… That was a coincidental word
to float across her mind. It only brought thoughts of Daniel zooming back to
the surface.

Nope. Not going back there again. Her
head was hurting bad enough. She didn’t need to give it a reason to embark on a
mission that would keep her awake all night.

A couple ibuprofen tablets would
relieve the pounding. Then she’d climb into bed and try not to think about
anything until morning. She felt sure Daniel would give her the answers she was
seeking when he came to get her.

~~*~~

Morning arrived too soon for
her—like always. This one seemed different, though. For one thing, she got out
of bed in a good mood. If that wasn’t odd enough, she seemed to feel lighter
somehow, as if a load of some sort had dissolved along with the previous
night’s headache. Maybe she should take those pain relievers every night. It
was worth a try.

She had an inkling, however, that
the pills had only a little to do with how she felt. Her revelation the day
before was a more likely candidate for this morning’s state of mind. Odd how
she should think that.

A glance at the clock let her know
she didn’t have much time before Daniel would be there. She’d have to get
dressed in a flash if she wanted a cup of coffee, too.

The kitchen was the first stop.
Once the brown ambrosia liquid was brewing, it was a rapid stop in the
bathroom, followed by slipping into her comfortable jeans and a tee shirt.

Now she had a few minutes to pause
and let that sweet nectar get her blood pumping. She’d need it if she was going
to be delivering those food boxes.

Speaking of that, she checked her
watch. He’d be here in a few minutes. The last swallow of coffee went down
without a hitch as she reached for her coat. She set the mug in the sink while
slipping her arms into the sleeves.

Out the door she went, ensuring it
was locked, only to find Daniel leaning against his car, waiting for her. She
peeked at her watch again.

“I’m sorry. Have you been waiting
long?” She didn’t know why she apologized. He was early.

“No.” His smile could rival the sun
this morning. “Only about ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes! Why didn’t you blow
your horn?”

“I don’t like to do that. It just
seems rude to me. Besides, I told you I’d be here at eight. Not your fault I
like to be early.” His grin went wide enough to threaten the corners of his
mouth with a meeting at the back of his head.

 She landed a playful swat on
his upper arm, walked around the front of the car, and got in. Cozy warmth
enveloped her before she was fully settled and buckled in.

“I would’ve called, but I don’t
have your number,” he said, climbing into the driver’s seat. “Hand me your
cell.”

“Why?” Not realizing what he was
going to do, she found herself handing it to him.

He took her phone and dialed his
number. When his ringtone sounded, he stored her number in his calling list.

“That’s why. Now I have your number
and you have mine.” He pressed the button on her phone to end the call, and
handed it back to her.

“Oh. Well, I guess that’s okay.”

He simply grinned again, buckled
his seat belt, and got the car underway toward their destination.

She was uncertain now whether she
should ask him about why he withheld information from her the previous night.
After all, she’d told him everything. Well, except the part about her mother
marrying a preacher barely a year after Dad died.

Her silence must have unsettled
him.

“Are you okay? You’ve been rather
quiet since dinner last night.” He glanced at her.

“Well, there is something I was
confused about then, and I’m more confused now.”

“I’ll be glad to help, if I can.”
Another peek at her. She could read the sincerity in his eyes.

“Don’t be upset with me,
but I did an online search for you last night.” Taking a shallow breath, she
braved a fleeting glimpse at him. He appeared to be holding his breath. “Why
didn’t you tell me you were a wealthy businessman?”

He let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry.
It’s just that most people—when I tell them up front—well… they tend to view me
differently. I prefer that others see me for who I am, not how much money I may
or may not have.”

“It wouldn’t have made
me
think any different about you.”

He’d stopped at a redlight while
she spoke, and gazed directly into her eyes. “No offence, but that’s what
almost everyone says when they find out.”

Okay. That stung a little. No, it
didn’t. It stung
a lot
. “
Never
in my life have I
ever
made
those kinds of assumptions about people, and I don’t appreciate it when they’re
made about me!”

Appearing as though he were a
scolded puppy, Daniel simply stared at the stoplight until it turned green. A
minute later, he spoke.

“I didn’t know, Allison. I
apologize.”

Now she felt like a bully, but she
couldn’t help adding in a little jab. “Yeah. Me, too. I shouldn’t have gone off
on you like that. Just be sure not to provoke me again.”