Child of Grace

No surprise there. It was hard enough to breathe, let alone speak, with the man towering over her. Making her feel small. Vulnerable. Powerless.

“Well…good morning! We don’t often have gentlemen venture into our establishments.”

At Dorothy’s cheerful welcome, the man turned. Giving Kelsey a chance to catch her breath.

Thank You, Lord!

Her shop mate was still hidden from Kelsey’s view by the man’s tall form, but her words registered loud and clear. “Dorothy Martin. I own Tea for Two.” A hand shot out to gesture toward the other side of the shop. “You must be the army captain Kelsey told me about. I was just making a tea and scones delivery to my lovely neighbor. She must be in the back. I’ll be happy to get her…”

Kelsey gripped the arms of her chair and struggled to her feet. At the squeak of her chair, Dorothy peeked around the visitor.

“Oh. There you are, my dear. Did I interrupt a conversation?”

“No. I just arrived. And I’m afraid I startled Ms. Anderson.” The army doctor moved toward her and extended his hand. “Luke Turner.”

Kelsey inched closer, wiping her palm on her slacks before she placed her fingers in his. As their hands connected, he flicked a quick glance down.

“The burn seems to be healing well.”

Dorothy tipped her head and set the tea and scones on the counter. “You two have met before?”

Kelsey tugged her hand free and took a step back. “Yes. Captain—Doctor—Turner is the new neighbor I mentioned to you.” She tried to keep her inflection neutral, but Dorothy’s sharp look told her the other woman had picked up her nervousness.

The slight narrowing of Luke Turner’s eyes told her he had, too.

“My goodness!” Dorothy’s hand fluttered to her chest. “What an odd coincidence!” She motioned toward the snack she’d delivered and raised an eyebrow at Kelsey. “If you’d like to talk in the tearoom, I could bring a pot out for you to share.”

Kelsey thanked her with her eyes. The closer she was to her dear friend, the safer she’d feel.

“That would be lovely. Thank you, Dorothy.” She inclined her head toward the other half of the shop and addressed Luke. “It will be more comfortable to have our discussion over there.”

As she grabbed a pen and notebook off her desk, he surveyed the sturdy chairs around the table in the corner where she held classes. In truth, they would better suit his tall frame. He’d be more comfortable here. But much to her relief, he followed her to the other side without comment.

“You two go right ahead with your business while I put on a pot of tea.” Dorothy deposited Kelsey’s scones and china cup on a table for two, brushed a miniscule speck off the pristine white cloth, and hurried toward the kitchen.

Pulling out one of the dainty chairs, Luke held it while Kelsey sat. Then he took the one on the opposite side of the table. The furniture seemed undersized to his large frame, and Kelsey felt foolish for insisting they move their discussion to this side of the shop.

Best to dive in so he could be on his way as quickly as possible.

“Reverend Howard was very enthusiastic about your project when he called.” She tried for a conversational tone, but her voice came out sounding stiff.

Luke regarded her across the snowy expanse of linen, the expression in his dark brown eyes unreadable. “Before we get to that, may I ask you a question?”

A caution bell rang in her mind. “About what?”

“About why I make you nervous.”

She swallowed. “You don’t make me nervous.”

Arching his eyebrows, he inspected the plate in front of her.

She looked down. A pile of crumbs was all that was left of the scone she’d pulverized.

Warmth rose to her cheeks, and she clasped her hands in her lap. It was silly to deny the obvious. But neither was she about to explain her reaction to this stranger.

When the silence between them lengthened, Luke rested his elbows on the table, steepled his fingers and frowned. “Have we ever met before that day on the beach, Ms. Anderson?”

“No.”

“Then I must have done something to offend—or alarm—you during our short acquaintance.”

“No. You haven’t.” She took a deep breath. “This isn’t a personal issue, Captain—Doctor—which do you prefer?”

“I prefer Luke.” He pinned her with an intent gaze and let a few beats of silence tick by. “Let me be honest. This youth center is too important to fall victim to a personality…quirk—for want of a better term. We need someone with your skills to help us build public awareness, but if you don’t think we can work together, tell me now and I’ll ask the board to suggest someone else.”

Taken aback by his candor, Kelsey lifted her cup with shaky fingers and took a sip of tea. “You don’t mince words, do you?”

“There’s no time for indecision on the battlefield, Ms. Anderson. Nor do I have time to waste during my stay here. There’s a lot to be done in six weeks.”

Kelsey heard the foundation of steel under what sounded like a very faint Southern drawl. Luke Turner, it seemed, was a cut-to-the-chase kind of man, with little patience for indecisiveness.

“It must be nice to always be so certain about decisions.”

She hadn’t meant to speak that thought. Especially in a tone that was both wistful and reproachful. And the man across from her seemed as surprised by it as she was.

“I’m not certain how to interpret that.” A defensive note crept into his voice.

“Here you go. A nice pot of tea and some more scones.” Dorothy pushed through the door from the kitchen and hurried over with a laden tray. Luke rose and took it from her while she transferred the items to the table. “Thank you, young man. Such nice manners. A true Southern gentleman. That is a Southern accent I detect, isn’t it?”

He smiled at her. “You have a good ear. I’ve been gone a long time, but I was born and raised in Atlanta.”

“A fine city. Well, you two go right ahead with your chat. I’ll be busy in the kitchen until my guests start arriving at eleven, but you just call out if you need anything and I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

The latter remark was directed to Kelsey, and she sent the older woman a quick smile of thanks.

When the door swung shut behind Dorothy, Kelsey turned her attention to the army doctor. Picking up the teapot, she filled his cup. “For the record, I never let personal feelings get in the way of a job. Now, in the interest of not wasting your time, why don’t you tell me a little about the project so I can see if it’s a good fit with my skills? Reverend Howard didn’t give me many details. All he said was that you became friends with a medical corpsman from this area, and after he was killed you decided to spearhead an effort to build a youth center here in his honor, as part of the Interdenominational Youth Fellowship program.”

“That about sums it up.”

Kelsey set the teapot back on the table. Her pastor had also told her Luke Turner was passionate about the project. But she was picking up more caution than passion.

Her fault, no doubt. She’d treated him with nothing but suspicion and animosity in their few encounters. Yet from everything she’d heard and seen, he appeared to be a principled, compassionate…safe man. What could she have to fear from a former army doctor who was backed by a board of clergymen?

She forced herself to meet his eyes. “Captain Turner, I—”

“Luke.”

“Luke.” She moistened her lips. “The truth is, I’m a bit battle-scarred myself. And overly wary. I apologize if I’ve offended you. Maybe we should start over.”