And the Greatest of These Is Love: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel (16 page)

“Oh.” It was as if Pam had just noticed Gabi sitting there for the first time. She smiled like a queen. “Hi, I’m Pam Clark.”

Her nails were perfect, Gabi noticed without trying to. She wished she didn’t have to compare her own hand by shaking Pam’s extended one.

“Hi, I’m Gabriella Treyvillion.” The comparison was not at all in her favor.

“Oh, Mom, you’ve gotta see this.” Greg grabbed the sketchbook as Pam edged in beside Gabi. “Gabi drew a picture of me playing soccer.”

Greg handed Pam the sketchbook, and Pam flipped through it slowly. Gabi wanted to disappear. She had never had so many people look at her work. It was doing very bad things to her heart.

“These are wonderful,” Pam finally said, and for the first time since entering, she sounded mildly enthusiastic. “Are you a professional?”

“No.” Gabi hardly got the word out. “It’s just a hobby.”

“Well, I think you missed your calling,” Pam said, more than a little impressed. “I really like this one.”

“Me, too.” Nearly coming over the table Greg got a glimpse of the sketch. “That’s my favorite too.”

“I’ve got two cheeseburgers and fries,” the waitress said suddenly appearing next to Pam.

“Could we get a take-out box for one of those?” Andrew asked, and the waitress raised her eyebrows. “He’s got an appointment he’s going to be late for.”

“Sure,” she said as if that was going to ruin her whole day, but she left to get the box.

“Well, it was nice to meet you.” Pam stood, her smile was as perfect as the rest of her.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too,” Gabi said, half-smiling. Intimidated was no longer just a word in the dictionary.

It was hard not to notice the differences between her and Pam. Pam was perfect from head-to-toe — hair, nails, make-up, clothes, even her smile was perfect. Gabi felt very plain next to her. Now she knew without question that Andrew was only being nice asking her to go out with them. She couldn’t compete with women like Pam, and obviously that was the sort of women Andrew was used to.

Vacating the seat next to Andrew, Greg stood next to the table. “Bye, Gabi.”

“Bye, Greg, it was nice to meet you,” Gabi said, and her smile this time was genuine. Ever so slowly Greg inched toward her side.

“Thanks for coming to my game,” Greg said, softly.

“You’re welcome. You’re really good.”

“Thanks,” he said and then quickly leaned in and hugged her.

“Oh.” The gesture took Gabi off-guard, but only for a second, and she quickly returned the hug.

“Well, bye.” Greg let Gabi go just as the waitress returned with the box.

With one motion, Pam dumped the food into the box. “Tell Uncle Drew thanks, Greg.”

“Bye, Greg.” Andrew gathered him in for a quick hug.

“Bye, Uncle Drew. I had a good time. Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome. I had a good time too.”

And with that Pam and Greg walked out leaving the two of them in silence.

Gabi averted her eyes from his face and studied her glass of Coke. She couldn’t look at him — not after seeing perfect Pam, his perfect sister-in-law. Her heart clutched her breath as she thought how dowdy she must seem compared to Pam. She forced her hand to stay at her side and not reach up to smooth her flat, lifeless hair. She wished she’d worn a little make-up — any at all. But now she was stuck looking like the sorry handmaiden to the queen in Pam’s wake.

Andrew concentrated on his cheeseburger. He was embarrassed by the spectacle Pam had just made. Gabi must think he belonged to a family of snobs, snobs who didn’t even care about their own kids. It was obvious to him that Gabi loved kids — all kids — with no regard to how much they owned or how much they had. They were kids, and to her they all needed love. That thought stole his heart and ran away with it.

“So, do you take Greg out a lot?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.

“Sometimes.” It hurt to remember how reluctant he had been to take out his nephew only the week before.

“I think that’s great.”

He glanced at her but only that. “I wish Pam and Bryan took him out more.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. It just seems like Greg is the last thing on their lists of things to do.”

One side of her lips lifted. “But he’s a great kid. They must’ve done something right.”

“That’s true, I guess.” Andrew wondered how much of Greg’s greatness was really due to the nurturing of his parents. This conversation was quickly ruining his appetite. He picked up a fry and twirled it in his fingers. “I was surprised to see you today. I figured you’d be at the center.”

“I do have a life outside of the center,” Gabi said, and defensiveness rang through the words.

“Oh, no. I didn’t mean that. I meant...” Andrew struggled to figure out how to right this train wreck. Why was just talking to her so incredibly difficult?

“It’s okay,” Gabi said with a tired sigh. “I know what you meant. It’s just that sometimes I really need a break from it. You know?”

He felt bad about not being able to think of something else to talk about, something that wouldn’t cause her more pain. But he could think of nothing. Silence filled the space between them.

“Be honest. How much help will the articles really be?” Andrew finally asked slowly, his heart telling him the answer he most did not want to hear.

Gabi swirled her Coke but said nothing.

“I was afraid of that.” He sighed, flipping the final bite of his burger back onto the plate, no longer hungry.

Articles or no articles, the center would close in a week — two weeks at the most, and that would mean that one more window of opportunity for the kids there would close.

“There’s got to be something we can do,” he said more to himself than to her as he put his elbows on the table and put his hands up to his mouth.

She shook her head. “Even if we get all the grants, even if we can stay open through Christmas, even if we come up with $75,000, there’s nothing to keep us from facing this again in four months or six months. That’s just how it is.”

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes. “There has to be a way.”

Gabi smiled at that and glanced over at him with sadness and resignation. “Well, short of a major miracle…”

However, as he sat there, thinking through it all, Andrew’s mind hit upon a plan. It was a long shot and making it work would take a lot of leg work and even more hours, but in a heartbeat, he knew it was something he could do. His rational side said it was a waste of time, but his heart was already working on the logistics of putting his plan into action.

“Where’d you go?” she asked, looking at him with a tilt of her head.

Andrew smiled at her, deciding not to share the windfall idea just yet.

“I was just thinking about Antonio,” he said softly, voicing the thought that had actually been on his mind off and on for 24 hours now as he brushed his hands together. “What happens on Monday?”

Gabi could no longer hold his gaze. Antonio and Monday. She wasn’t prepared for either. In fact, down deep it was one reason she had gone to the park today — to keep from thinking about the disaster awaiting her in that classroom come Monday morning.

“Gabi?”

She smiled a weak smile that did nothing to inspire confidence. “Antonio scares me.”

He backed up three inches with a look of off-handed disbelief. “Come on, Gabi, he’s a kid.”

“I know, but I just don’t have what it takes to reach him,” she said, being more honest with him than she had even been with herself. “Not like you do.”

Andrew thought this over, not saying anything for a long moment. “He’s just a scared little boy,” Andrew finally said, watching closely for her reaction.

The laugh was soft and had nothing but skepticism attached to it. “I know that in my mind, and believe me I want to help him, but…” She shook her head and looked away from him. “I don’t know. When he looks at me...” The thought made her shiver.

Sighing, Andrew nodded and took a sip of his drink. “So, what happens if the two of you can’t get along?”

“Jerry said he’ll take Antonio out if he can’t behave,” Gabi said, wishing she didn’t have to go through proving he couldn’t behave for her. The marks on her arm had faded more than the ones on her courage had.

Andrew sat in silence, thinking through this problem as well. Antonio needed the center. He needed people who really cared. And even if he didn’t know it yet, he needed what Gabi had to give him. His heart suddenly made the decision his head had been toying with for a week, and in one breath, he knew he had things to get into place to make that happen.

He looked over at her non-existent food. “Are you ready to go back?”

Like a sprung Jack-in-the-box, she jumped into movement. “Oh, sure. Of course.”

Andrew paid the check, and they left. He walked her to the car and opened the door for her.

Once inside, Gabi wished for Greg’s chattering. The car was very, very quiet as Andrew got in and started it.

They rode in silence as Gabi fought the emotions running through her. She sneaked another glance at Andrew’s silhouette as he drove, and she wished with everything she had that she could be one of the women in his circle. Then she would have a chance with him. But as it stood, they were from two different worlds, and nothing would bridge the gap between them.

He pulled into the park and drove around the winding roadway. She pointed out her car, which he drove to and stopped behind.

When he had stopped, however, he didn’t move. “I had a really nice time, Gabi,” he said, staring straight ahead.

“Yeah, me, too. Thanks for asking me.” And it wasn’t a lie.

“Anytime.” He glanced over at her with a small smile that ripped her heart out. He was gorgeous, and she was trash. How she wished it was anything other than what it was.

“Good luck with your stories,” she said softly, not daring to look at him again. That was deadly to a girl’s heart. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll see you later.”

She waited a beat and then reached for the door handle.

“Yeah, well take care,” she said as she jumped from the car.

“You, too.”

As she closed the door, she shook her head, knowing in her heart that her wanting him would make no difference. “Bye,” she said and slammed the door.

Walking slowly to her car, Gabi berated herself again for thinking she might have a chance with him. She had to stop doing this to herself. Getting crushed didn’t get any easier no matter how many times it happened.

She got into her car and drove away — leaving her heart back in the little red sports car with him.

No one even noticed when Andrew entered the newsroom, and that was fine by him. He felt detached from the familiar scene. Like an outsider — not a main player. He strode directly to Bill’s office and didn’t even knock. “Got a minute?”

“Andrew!” Bill looked up, sat back and waved him in. “I thought you’d deserted the cause. I just read through two of the stories. First-rate I have to say. I knew you’d do that story justice.”

“Thanks.” Sitting in the chair, Andrew gathered his courage.

“So, what can I do for you?”

“I need some time off.” Somehow he got the words out before he lost his nerve. That in and of itself was a miracle.

Bill’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Time off? Family problem?”

“No.” Andrew shook his head. “I’m just a little more burned out than I realized.”

“I see.” Bill narrowed his eyes in concern. “The investigation?”

Andrew hadn’t thought of that in some time, but it was as good an excuse as anything.

“Yeah, that’s part of it,” he said, realizing that was at least partly true. “I just need a little time to get it back together — you know? Get my head back on straight.”

Bill sighed. “Well, of course, you can have the time. How much do you want? A couple of days?”

“Two weeks,” Andrew said firmly as Bill shot him another questioning look.

“Two weeks?” Worry coursed down his boss’s face. “Are you job hunting, Andrew?”

“No. No. Nothing like that. I’m just really burned out, and I need to take some time and get some things back in perspective. That’s all.”

His boss narrowed his gaze further. “And the investigation?”

“Oh, I’m not leaving or anything. If they need me, just give me a call. I’ll be happy to come in.”

Bill sat in silence for a moment. “Your stories?” he finally asked.

“They’re all in. Edited and ready,” Andrew said, trying to squelch the feeling of being about to be released to recess.

“And the DA thing?”

“It’s not my story anymore,” Andrew said, with no trace of regret.

The concern across the desk grew. “Are you sure everything’s all right?”

Andrew nodded. “Never been better. All I need is a little time, and I’ll be back better than ever.”

“Well, okay. Then I guess get out of here. If we need you, I’ll call.”

Standing from the chair, Andrew extended his hand across the abyss that was the editor’s desk. “I appreciate this, Bill.”

“You take care of yourself,” Bill said, the worry never leaving his face.

“I will.”

The red sports car roared to life, and Andrew sped away from his old life. He was now a man on a mission. He had two weeks, and he was going to make every second count.

Bryan’s house was aglow with soft yellow light, and it looked very inviting. Not like his lonely apartment. Home. It looked like home, and suddenly a home was exactly what he wanted to create. But first things first.

He strode up the long walk from the curb, rang the doorbell and greeted a surprised Pam. “Hi, Pam, is Bryan in?”

“Yeah, come on in.”

“Andrew.” Coming through the entry Bryan caught sight of his brother and came over to shake his hand.

“Hi, Bryan, do you have a few minutes? I have a favor to ask you,” Andrew said, running his fingers through his hair, nervous in spite of himself. As much as he wanted to tell himself differently, this wasn’t any normal, run-of-the-mill favor. This one could very well decide the lives of more people than he might ever even know.

“Absolutely,” Bryan said with an odd look. “Do you want to go in the den or the office?”

“The office would be good.”

Bryan led the way, and Andrew followed, suddenly feeling like the little brother again. In Andrew’s eyes, Bryan had always been the king. The one who knew everything, the leader in all things important.

“What can I do for you?” Bryan asked, sitting on one of the couches rather than at the desk.

Andrew sat, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly — organizing the quick notes he had made in his head on the way over. “I’ve been doing a story out in Collins.”

“Collins?” Bryan asked with a knowing nod. “Tough assignment.”

“Yeah. That was my first reaction,” Andrew said, seeing no reason to lie or to be defensive. He knew what others thought of Collins because he himself had thought the very same things. “But I’ve met some people out there, and they’ve changed my impressions of the place. I can’t explain it exactly, but I’ve been working out at a center there — a center for kids.”

“In Collins?”

“Yeah. Anyway, this center is in financial trouble, big time. They’ve been trying for grants, but money’s tight, and well, their funding’s drying up.”

Bryan looked completely unfazed but more than a little confused. “And that’s a problem, why?”

“Look, I know this is a stretch for you — it was for me, too, but the only way that place has a chance is if it gets some corporate sponsors — permanent ones.”

“Corporate sponsors? I’m not following you,” Bryan said puzzled with a slow shake of his head.

Andrew exhaled and gathered his courage. He felt like he was asking for the keys to the world. “Well, I was thinking that if say maybe five or ten corporations in the city chipped in each year, we could all but fund the center internally without having to ask for as many outside grants.”

Bryan’s face fell into condescension and disdain “And what corporations do you think you can get to fund your little project?”

“Well, to be honest, I was hoping your law firm would be a charter sponsor,” Andrew said, for once not bowing, bending, or backtracking to the tone in Bryan’s voice.

“Turner and Clark?” Bryan laughed as skepticism rained down his face. “Why in the world would we want to do that?”

“Because it’s a good cause, because the kids need a break, because it’s tax deductible, and because I’m your brother, and I’m asking for a favor.”

That threw Bryan into stunned silence.

“How much do they need?” he finally asked to fill the space.

“$75,000 to stay opened through Christmas,” Andrew said, without blinking. “I’m not asking for all of it, only as much as you can handle. And I’m not asking you to give it blindly either. You could come Monday and see the place for yourself. Spend a little time with the kids. I’m sure you’ll see what a great opportunity this is.”

None of the skepticism had left. “Well, I’m not so sure about that.”

“Well, I am.”

Bryan nodded slowly. “And who else are you going to approach with this?”

“Whoever will listen.”

*              *              *

Early Monday morning Gabi traced up the steps to the front door of the center with lead feet. Ten more times and counting. Or was it nine? Or five?

The first of the stories had been in yesterday’s paper. She had made it to the newspaper stand just as it hit the streets. It was a good article, but it wasn’t enough, and she knew it. All the wonderful words in the world wouldn’t save them now.

Worse, Andrew was back at his desk somewhere across town working on a new story with a new angle. She shook her head as she opened the heavy door and stepped into the cold hallway. She had to quit thinking about him. Andrew Clark was gone. Out of her life. He had moved on — both because he had to and because he wanted to. And the sooner she faced that fact, the better off she would be.

She trudged down the hallway and opened her own door. The room looked drab, cold, sad. It knew, she thought in spite of begging herself not to notice. It knew it would be alone in a few short days. No kids, no projects, no Gabi. And it was sad.

Slowly, deliberately she went through the motions of getting ready for the kids, but her heart wasn’t in it anymore. Everywhere she looked she saw Andrew. Andrew kneeling on the floor coloring with the kids. Andrew holding the kids through story time. Andrew lying on the floor for naptime, one kid on each arm, and Andrew holding her close to him the last time they were in this room together.

She could smell his cologne, feel the softness of his shirt on her cheek, hear his voice telling her everything would be all right. But it wasn’t all right. And it never would be again. She was here alone to face the on-coming rush of problems. But now it was worse. Without him, there was an emptiness that had never been here before. It filled every fiber in her soul until all she wanted to do was run far and fast away from this place.

The knock on the door brought her back to reality.

“Miss T?” Mrs. Lawrence asked, leading Shaniquille into the room.

“Good morning,” Gabi said, trying desperately to appear cheerful but not at all sure it was working.

“I’m sorry I’m early, but I have an appointment with my guidance counselor before classes this morning, and I hoped it wouldn’t be a problem to drop her off early.”

“It’s no problem.” Gabi helped Shaniquille take her coat off. “Shaniquille, can keep me company while I wait for the others.”

Mrs. Lawrence smiled. “I really appreciate this.”

“Anytime,” Gabi said as a horrible thought stabbed through her mind. She pushed it away as Mrs. Lawrence left. Then she looked down at the little girl whose eyes held such trust. “So, what do you want to do?”

“May I color?” Shaniquille asked in her little girl voice.

“Sure.” Gabi brought the coloring supplies. “Here you go. You can sit right here, and I’ll even color with you. How’s that?”

“Great.”

Gabi folded herself onto the floor beside the little girl and began coloring.

Shaniquille was on her third balloon when she tipped her head. “When does Mr. Clark get here?”

Next to her, Gabi stopped in mid-stroke. “Mr. Clark?”

“Yeah. Will he be here soon? He sure is nice,” Shaniquille said as she ran the red crayon across the paper.

“Yeah. He’s nice.” Letting out a breath, Gabi wondered how to handle this situation. She hadn’t thought to prepare the children for his disappearance. “Umm, I’m not sure if Mr. Clark will be coming in today, Shaniquille. He has another job across town, and he may have to go to that job today.”

“Oh, well, that’s okay,” Shaniquille said thoughtfully. “He’ll be here tomorrow.”

Gabi’s heart twisted into a knot so tight she couldn’t breathe. How was she going to face this without him? How was she going to explain over and over again that he wouldn’t be here, that he wasn’t coming back? Worse, as silly as it sounded, and as much as she hated herself for it, she needed him here. The kids needed him, but she needed him, too. Suddenly facing the future without him was as frightening as any past she’d ever known.

Andrew smiled in spite of himself when he saw her car in the lot. It had been a productive two days since he’d last seen her, and he couldn’t wait to tell her the news. He ran up the steps and headed straight for her room. Of course, he would have to talk to Jerry, but that could wait. First, he had to tell her.

When he reached the door, he stopped with his hand on the knob. There she sat on the floor, coloring with Shaniquille. A picture of her sketches came back to him, and he smiled again. She was still making life beautiful for everyone around her. Quietly he opened the door and peered in.

Just then, Shaniquille looked up and caught sight of him.

“Mr. Clark!” Shaniquille shouted right in Gabi’s ear, and Gabi jumped a foot. Shaniquille leaped to her feet and was at the door and in his embrace in a second. Gabi followed her up and over with unbelieving, concerned eyes. Andrew? But how? Why?

“Hey, Shaniquille.” Andrew drew the little girl in to him, even bending to look her in the eye. He was back in his three-piece suit, a dark one with a light blue shirt and striped tie. He looked amazing.

“Miss T said you wouldn’t be here today,” Shaniquille said, her voice gravely serious as she took his hand and led him over to the tiny table, “but I’m glad you are.”

“So am I.” Andrew looked over at Gabi and smiled. “Good morning.”

“Andrew? What? Why? How?” she asked, knowing she should finish one thought before ten others flooded in on her, but that wasn’t working.

“Did anyone ever tell you you’d make a great reporter?” He laughed. “You have the five w’s down pat.”

Gabi laughed softly in embarrassment and shook her head to clear the questions away. “What’re you doing here?”

“Well.” Leaving Shaniquille coloring, Andrew stood. “I did a lot of thinking after we talked on Saturday, and I decided to take a two week leave from the paper.”

“A two week leave?” Gabi asking in ever-growing confusion. “Why?”

“Because I think I’m needed more here.”

Hope clawed for the surface, but she beat it back. Getting excited was a one-way ticket to getting crushed again. “I don’t understand.”

“Well, the truth is I want to do more than a couple of articles, and if you’ll have me, I’d like to see if I can help you keep this place open.”