Groom In Training

Probably for the best.

Now that Martin had become her neighbor, she was extra grateful for Time for Paws with its large indoor and outdoor areas for her dogs, which worked so much better than her house. The move gave her ample room to care for more pets on a daily basis. Along with space, the added income made a huge difference in keeping up her expenses.

Instead of dwelling on the day care, Steph turned to the problem at hand. Fred was her dog. He lived there, and he had every right to play in the backyard. Steph nibbled on the cookie as she reviewed her conversation with Martin. He insulted her and her dog with his name-calling. When she put Martin’s anger into perspective, it seemed like a fly speck in relationship to much of her life when she’d had to rescue herself. Dodging her memories, Steph pulled herself back to resolve the immediate situation.

She could take a different tack. Next time she spoke with Martin she would say nice things about Suzette and agree that she was special. Not that Fred wasn’t. But he had to stop digging. Being around other dogs was nothing new to Fred. He’d enjoyed playing with the ones she cared for each day. So why now? Maybe Nick had hit on it. Fred wanted to play. So did Suzette. Eventually the dogs would be so familiar with each other the excitement would fade. No more digging.

But could she convince Martin the ogre to give it a try? If she couldn’t, she could count on Nick. His charm could win over anyone.

Steph stood back, her eyes brimming with tears. “Molly, you look gorgeous.”

Her friend peered at her through the boutique mirror. “You think Brent will like it?”

Fighting back her own emotion, Steph drew up her shoulders. “No, he won’t like it.”

Molly spun around, her wedding gown twisted around her body. “No?”

“He’ll love it, Molly. You look amazing.”

Molly gazed at the dress, a satin gown with hints of delicate pink blossoms embroidered on the sheer overlay. A satin bow adorned the fitted waist and flowed to the ground.

Seeing Molly’s wedding dress pierced Steph’s memory. For her own winter wedding, she’d worn satin with lace detailing. She’d been filled with so much hope. “The dress is perfect for a spring wedding.” Steph approached her, the chiffon of her gown swishing at her feet. The soft coral shade flashed in the mirror. “Look how your veil has the same lacy detail. It’s perfect. You look beautiful.”

“I don’t feel like it. I’m getting nervous.”

“All brides feel that way.” Her mind flew back, reliving her rankled nerves as she approached her wedding day, but using herself as an example wouldn’t soothe Molly’s tension. “When you walk down the aisle and look into Brent’s face, your anxiety will be gone.”

“I know, but I want everything to be perfect.”

“There you go, Moll. Still looking for perfection.”

Molly shrugged, and they both laughed.

Steph had never known anyone besides Molly who wanted her life to be flawless. Life did have imperfections. She closed her mouth, unwilling to muffle Molly’s happiness. “Being a bride is like falling in love. You feel giddy one minute and question yourself the next. Your pulse throbs, and your chest presses against your heart, and you—”

“Hold it.” Molly lifted the hem of her gown and rushed to her side, letting the lacy hem fall to the carpet.

Steph tried to read her mind. “What?”

Molly narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me. I can’t believe it.”

“Okay, I won’t tell you.” She had no idea what Molly was talking about.

“You’re in love.”

A grasp escaped her. “In love?” Steph nearly choked on the word. She couldn’t be in love. In like, maybe, or infatuated. That was different than real love.

“It’s that guy you told me about. Your new neighbor.” She moved closer, her eyes wide. “You haven’t told me a thing.”

“Nothing to tell.” Her heart sang as images of Nick swept through her mind, but saying it aloud made it too real. “You have romance on your mind. Let’s get these dresses off and have lunch like we planned.”

Molly rested her fingers against her cheeks. “Steph, I miss our talks.”

So did Steph. Since Brent had come into Molly’s life, her life had changed, too. Between the shelter and Brent, Steph had taken a backseat. Resentment didn’t enter into it, only disappointment. And only for herself. Steph’s chest weighed with selfish thoughts until she cast them away, wanting only the best for Molly. “We see each other at work. We still talk.” But they both knew it wasn’t the same.

Color pooled on Molly’s face. “It’s hard to believe the date is almost here. I’d been certain for so long that I would never marry.”

“That’s something we used to have in common.” Steph tried to sound lighthearted, but she feared she failed.

“I know.” Molly’s excitement faded.

Steph wished she’d kept her mouth shut. “Don’t feel bad.

I’m happy for you, Molly, and I’ve never seen you happier.” She’d finally spoken the truth, and the tension lifted.

Molly eased to Steph’s side. “It just goes to prove that what we think and what God has in store don’t always go hand in hand.” She squeezed Steph’s arm. “You don’t know what He has planned for you.”

Molly and God. Steph wished she had the kind of confidence that Molly had.

A grin grew on Molly’s face. “Now, lest you think I’ve forgotten what we were talking about, I’m not moving until you tell me everything.”

“I have nothing to tell even if we can stay here all day.” Steph glanced toward the doorway, hoping the tailor would return to break into their conversation. “It’s a standoff. I’m hungry, and you promised me lunch, but I’m not going with you in that gown.” Gooseflesh rose on her arms. Talk to her. Don’t be stupid. But Steph couldn’t open her mouth. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.” Her chest squeezed.

“Let me be the judge.” Molly folded her arms across her chest, resembling a bailiff in a wedding dress.

The picture made Steph laugh. “Okay, but let’s get our clothes on so we can leave. The dresses fit.”

“What’s his name? You never told me.”

“Nick. Nick Davis.”

Molly’s forehead wrinkled. “Nick Davis.” She pressed her index finger to her lips, then shook her head. “I’ve heard his name somewhere. Maybe Brent knows him.” She reached back for the zipper.

“Let me help you.” Steph turned her around, hoping the zipper would bring an end to the conversation.

But Molly twisted her neck and spoke over her shoulder. “Have you been on a date with him?”

A date? Steph was glad Molly couldn’t see her face. “If you call walking the dogs a date, yes.”

Molly slipped her arms from the gown. “Does he like you?”

“Yes, as a friend, but that’s fine. I’m not ready for anything serious.” Her mind flooded with dark thoughts. “First I have to learn to be more attentive to—”

“Stop blaming yourself, Steph.” The gown slipped from Molly’s body and pooled on the white cloth beneath her feet as she spun to face her. “Suicide is a selfish act. It leaves people asking themselves forever what they did wrong and what they might have done to make it better. Doug wanted to die for his own reason. You didn’t. You want to live, and it’s about time you did.”

Steph pressed the phone against her ear. Her fingers knotted around the receiver, and she forced her voice to sound normal, but tension had risen like a tsunami. “Why are you still living with Dad anyway, Hal? You two never got along.”

“That was before. We’ve been getting along until recently.”

She heard something in her brother’s voice that didn’t connect. Hal and her dad had a different set of ethics and values. They never were compatible. “What’s happened now?”

He didn’t respond.

“Are you working?” Steph pursed her lips, waiting to see how he’d wiggle out of that question.

“Why does everything revolve around that?”

A deep breath rattled through her lungs. “Answer me. Are you living off Dad again?”

“I don’t like your attitude, Steph. We haven’t talked in a long time. You’re my sister. I just called to see how you’re doing. I miss you.”

Since when? “I’m okay.”

“I thought maybe I’d come your way. You know, give Dad a few days’ break. Maybe then we’ll see eye to eye when I get back.”

She doubted that. Forget seeing eye to eye; her father probably preferred to see Hal’s hand with a paycheck. “Hal, I think before you visit anyone, you should spend time looking for work.”

“You don’t sound very—”

She lost the end of his sentence when the doorbell rang. Fred let out a yip as he scrambled to the door, flipping a scatter rug across the kitchen floor. “Hal, someone’s at the door. Hang on.”

Steph set the phone on the counter, wishing she’d said she was hanging up. As she approached the door, Fred tripped her, and she shot across the entry, one foot splaying on the hardwood and the other lifting in the air like a hornpiper’s jig. She whacked against the door, cringed and flung it open.

Nick’s mouth gaped. “Are you okay?”

She tried to grin, but she was sure it was a grimace. She beckoned him in. “My brother’s on the phone.” She headed back to the kitchen, keeping her eye out for Fred, with no need. She could hear him prancing around Nick’s legs near the door.

“Sorry, Hal. A neighbor dropped by.”

His deep sigh cut through the line. Steph listened to the silence, waiting.

“I’d better let you go. You have company.”

Her chest filled with air and she released it in one long stream. “All right, Hal, and good luck finding a job.” Her frustration had to be evident.

When she pulled the telephone from her ear, his last words struck her before she disconnected.

“I’ll see you soon.”

See her soon? She couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t heard a word she’d said. When she turned, Nick stood in the kitchen doorway.

“Bad news?”

She forced her mouth into a pleasant expression. Nick looked great. The May sun had deepened his skin tone to a bronze tan, making his chiseled features even more attractive. “My brother called. He wants to come for a visit, but I know he wants a handout. That’s the only reason he’d come here.”

“If you’re having company, I can leave anytime if you have things to do.”

“He’s not coming today.”

He eyed her, and she sensed he was waiting for an explanation.

“He doesn’t live in Michigan.” She grew silent, thinking about Hal and what he wanted.

Nick remained quiet for a moment and studied her. “You’re absorbed in something.”

“Thinking about my brother. I wish I knew what’s going on.”

“Has he wanted a handout before?”

Memories flooded Steph—times when she convinced Doug to bail him out of a problem and other times she slipped him money rather than ask Doug. That was when she had money to squander. Hal’s loans were really handouts.

“I didn’t mean to meddle.”

Nick’s voice cut through her thoughts. His face filled with concern.

The look squeezed against her heart. “You’re not meddling. It’s nice to have someone to talk with.” She’d talked with Molly so often about her problems, the kind of fun talking like they’d done earlier that day. She winced, realizing how lonely she’d become without having Molly to herself. Today at the boutique had made the change all too vivid.

Nick was still leaning against the doorjamb, and Steph found her manners. “Let’s sit.” She motioned toward the living room as she moved ahead of him. “By the way, thanks for the rescue Thursday.

“You’re welcome.” He followed her through the archway.

She gestured toward the sofa. “I don’t expect you to bail me out every time I have a run-in with Martin.”

A grin brightened his face as he settled into an easy chair. “You looked as if you needed rescuing.”

She curled her legs up on the sofa. “Maybe I did. I might have dug myself into a deeper hole than Fred made. With all that anger, he could have a stroke.”

Nick’s face blanched, and Steph knew she’d struck a negative cord. Why did she seem to say the wrong thing everywhere she went today? She’d upset Molly, too. “I’m only kidding.”

“I know, but he could if he keeps it up.” He fell silent a moment, then thrust his back from the cushion. “When I walked up Thursday, I could see you’d put Martin in his place. That’s why he became angrier. But he needs people to talk back to him or he’ll never learn.” He looked uncomfortable for a moment. “I’m too close to the problem to do any good.”

“I have the same situation with Hal. I’m his sister, and it’s difficult being objective.”

Nick gave his head a shake. “Speaking of brothers, Martin’s at some kind of a shindig, and he asked me to walk Suzette. As usual, I didn’t say no.” He gave her a hangdog look. “So I dropped by to see if you’d like to take the dogs for a walk? We could pick up a sandwich or carryout somewhere and eat dinner in the park.”

Steph weighed the possibility. “That sounds nice, Nick. I don’t enjoy eating alone.”

“Me, neither.” His smile lit the room.

She pushed herself from the sofa. “While you go for Suzette, I’ll get ready.”

“It’s a date,” he said.

A date. Molly’s question flew into her mind. Steph didn’t move, watching him stride across the room to the foyer and walk out the door. Doug had been gone for over four years, and this was her first date. A sandwich in the park.

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