Broken Things (Faded Photograph Series) (15 page)

“Here’s the jewelry store.”

Jack gave himself a mental shake and entered the shop right behind Logan. He eyed the sparkling diamonds inside glass cases while his son approached the salesman behind the counter. In Jack’s summation, the trinkets were far too pricey.

“Dad?”Logan waved him over. “This guy says he knows just the ring I described.”

“How much is it?”

“I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“That should have been your first question.”

The blond salesman, who looked no older than twenty, gave Jack a condescending grin. Then he set a black velvet-lined tray of rings in front of Logan. “All our wedding sets have names and are as unique as the artists who design them.”

Jack rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the pitch.

“The set you described is called
Here’s my Heart
. It’s fourteen karat gold with a sterling ribbon inlay.” He handed Logan a small magnifying glass. “The diamond is almost half a carat and as you can see, it’s heart-shaped. Notice, also, that the wedding band fits exquisitely around the engagement ring.”

Logan inspected the ring. “Pretty nice.” He looked over at Jack.

“How much?” Jack widened his eyes.

Logan gave the salesman a quizzical stare and the man flipped the price tag around.

Seeing his son blanche, Jack laughed. “That much, eh?”

“Too much.
Way
too much.”

Jack laughed all the harder.

“I’m a youth pastor,” Logan told the clerk. “I’m afraid I can’t afford this ring on my salary. Do you have anything comparable but less expensive?”

“No, nothing. Sorry.” The clerk put the ring back into its velvet crib.

“Logan, this isn’t the only jewelry store on earth.” Jack leaned toward him. “We can look around.”

With a resigned sigh, he nodded. “Hey, what about your friend at the pawn shop?”

“Last I heard he was doing twenty years.”

“Great.”

After another round of chuckles, Jack looked at the clerk. “Don’t you have any sales going on right now?”

“We-el…I suppose I could give you fifteen percent off. That’s our VIP discount which we give to only our best customers.”

Jack came around Logan. Lifting the magnifying glass, he inspected the ring, glanced at the price, and whistled. “This costs as much as the down payment on my first house.”

“Times they are a changin’,” the clerk crooned.

Jack gave him a sharp glance and set down the ring. He rapped Logan in the upper arm. “Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Nodding politely at the salesman, he thanked him for his time.

Jack led the way out of the store and into the mall. From there he and Logan visited two other jewelers, but found nothing to Logan’s satisfaction. They ended up in the food court with colas and slices of pizza so their trip wouldn’t be a total waste of time.

“How much money did you want to spend on a ring?”

Logan wiped his mouth this his paper napkin. “A thousand. I think that’s about how much I paid for…for Sarah’s ring.”

“Don’t tell me you still have feelings for that girl.”

“Sarah?” Logan shook his head. “No. It’s just that it was awkward having to ask her to return the engagement ring. I ended up selling it back to the jewelers and took a big loss. And then there was all the emotional junk that went along with the broken engagement. I just don’t ever want to go through something like that again.”

“I never did like her, you know.”

Logan’s eyes widened. “No, I didn’t know.”

Jack nodded. “I thought she was stuck-up and snooty.”

“I hope you like Marilee.”

Having just taken a large bite of pizza, Jack could only bob his head.

“That’s encouraging.”

He swallowed. “She’s seems down to earth and honest.”

“Yeah, she is.” Logan fiddled with the straw on his covered cup. “So what should I do about a ring? I doubt I’ll find just the right one for the price I want to pay.”

Jack set down his pizza and wiped his hands. “Let’s go back and buy that first ring. You put a grand toward it and I’ll pay the rest.”

A flash of surprise crossed Logan’s face. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. This idea has been floating around my head since we left that shop―in spite of its smart-aleck clerk.” Jack narrowed his gaze and regarded his son, noting his troubled expression. “Look, you might as well make Marilee happy right from the start.”

“I don’t know. You’d have to fork out an awful lot of money.”

“Consider it an early wedding present.”

Logan took a long drink of his cola. “I don’t want Marilee to think I’ve got plenty of cash. That would be like…” He searched for the right words. “…false advertising or something.”

Jack chuckled. “She’s smarter than that. Besides, I don’t think Marilee cares. In fact, I’d go so far as to bet she wouldn’t mind if her engagement ring came from a Cracker Jack box. She’s that crazy about you.”

“You think?” Logan seemed eager for encouragement.

“I’m a good judge of character. I’d wager that Marilee is in love with you.”

Logan’s demeanor lit up.

Glancing at his watch, Jack realized they only had a half hour before the mall closed. “Come on.” He stood and tossed his empty paper plate and cup onto the red plastic tray. “We’ve got a diamond ring to buy.”

* * *

Bone tired after a grueling week, Allie slept in on Saturday. When she finally roused herself, she made a light breakfast and phoned Nicholas. The two of them chatted away the rest of the morning as they caught up on each other’s busy lives.

“Just be careful, Mom,” Nick warned. “Sounds like you’re getting pulled into some muddied waters, and I don’t want to see you get in over your head.”

“Not to worry. I’m a big girl.” Allie smiled.

“I’m just trying to be a good son and look out for you,” he countered.

“And you know what? More than ever I appreciate it.” Allie sipped her coffee and thought of Cynthia Matlock whose daughters abandoned her and left her to die alone.

“So you’re seeing your stepsisters tonight?”

Allie snapped back to attention. “Yes, and for some weird reason I’m nervous.”

“Understandable.”

“Colleen seems very sweet, and we had no problems getting reacquainted, but Brenda and I never really got along. I’m hoping things will be different now.”

“Jen and I will be praying for you.”

“That’s a comfort to me. Thanks. Now tell me, what’s happening at church?”

“Nothing really new since I last emailed you…”

Nick gave her a few more particulars, none of which were all that exciting, although Allie had to admit to a sense of homesickness. She missed her friends and church family in California. But it wouldn’t be long and she’d be back home.

Minutes later, Allie hung up the phone, showered, and dressed. She spent the better part of the afternoon running errands, first to the drycleaners, next to the Laundromat, and finally a stop at the grocery store. She returned to her hotel suite in time to ready herself for her dinner date with Colleen and Brenda.

Dressing for the event, she pulled on an A-line navy skirt and a deep pink cotton sweater, ornamented with crocheted flowers of deep blue and white. Next she brushed out her hair. As she applied her cosmetics, Allie tried to remember the last time she’d seen Brenda. It had to have been the night her stepfather slapped her after she’d smarted off to him.

“You deserved it,” she recalled Brenda sneering while Allie sobbed in her bedroom after the assault. As a teenager, Brenda had been built more like a male than a budding female, with her broad shoulders and slim hips. “You think you’re such a princess, but you’re a stuck-up, spoiled brat. We all hate you!”

The following day, Allie’s stepfather apologized and forced his daughters to do the same. While Colleen expressed sincerity, Brenda had not, although she had muttered the word, “Sorry.” Even so, it was too late in Allie’s opinion. Her mind was made up. She planned to run away from home.

And that’s exactly what she had done―even though it meant wounding Jack, the man she’d said she would love forever.

With her make-up on, Allie slipped small gold hoops into her ears and slid a thick multi-colored bangle onto her wrist. She gave her reflection a final inspection, then walked to the edge of her bed and got down on her knees.

“Heavenly Father,” she whispered, “please bless this coming evening. Please soften Brenda’s heart if she still harbors any animosity toward me. Give me a chance to tell her―no,
show
her that I’ve changed. Allow her to see that I no longer resemble that confused, selfish, rebellious older stepsister, but that I’m now a God-fearing woman.”

Allie lingered over her short prayer before standing. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her purse and keys and left the hotel suite.

* * *

“What gorgeous roses!” After inhaling their fragrant scent, a horrible thought shot through Marilee. She whirled around and faced her parents. “Did I forget your anniversary?” She searched her memory.

“No, silly. Dad and I were married in March.”

Marilee sighed with relief and her mother chuckled softly.

“I just bought those…oh, just because.” Daddy wore a strange grin.

“Are you two all right?” Marilee stepped toward the pair. All afternoon, her parents had displayed rather bizarre behavior. Her mother invited her to dinner and, instead of a simple fare, she’d prepared a Thanksgiving-like feast. In addition, Mom and Daddy, both, had dressed in their Sunday best and they fussed over minor details as though they expected the President of the United States to make an appearance. And now her dad brought out a dozen long-stem red roses in a crystal vase and set them on the end of the baby grand piano in their living room.

“You two haven’t set me up with a blind date or something, have you?” Marilee eyed them with suspicion. “You know I’m serious about Logan Callahan.”

“Only serious about him, dear?”

“Well, I…”

“Love him?” Mom prompted.

“Yes.” Marilee strolled toward the roses and inhaled, wondering over this weird interrogation. “I just haven’t seen Logan all week and—” A horrible thought struck. She whirled around to face her folks. “He’s breaking up with me, right? You two found out? You’re trying to let me down gently or something. Is that it?”

“What are you talking about?” A deep frown creased Daddy’s brow.

“She’s joking.” Mom laughed again. “Aren’t you, dear?”

“Oh, right.” Marilee turned to the beautiful cut vase. Except for at the midweek service when she’d helped with the youth group, she and Logan hadn’t spoken even five words to each other. How could they, with all those girls vying for his attention?

To his credit, though, Logan handled things with his usual finesse. His challenge to all the teens that evening had been to obey God’s Word and do things to His glory, rather than trying to be a “pleaser of mankind” and impress others―namely their handsome youth pastor. Marilee could only pray the girls had taken his message to heart.

“Honey, come and sit down. You’ll find out what’s taking place tonight soon enough.” Mom moved to stand beside her and brushed several tendrils of hair off Marilee’s forehead.

“So something is really taking place?”

“We can’t divulge the secret.” Daddy’s balding head perspired slightly from his efforts at readying their condo to nothing short of perfection. “Let’s just say we’re in on the planning. This was someone else’s idea.”

“Whose?” Marilee squared her shoulders. “What secret?”

“Stop asking so many questions, Marilee.” Mom turned on her heel and reentered the kitchen.

The phone rang, and her father grinned. “Saved by the bell.”

Marilee rolled her eyes at the remark. In resignation, she plopped herself on the floral-upholstered sofa and grabbed a magazine off the coffee table. She eyed her faded denim skirt that had seen better days and suddenly felt underdressed. “You should have told me to wear something nicer if the Queen of England is coming to dinner.”

No reply came from the kitchen.

“Marilee?”

She looked at her father who extended the telephone toward her. “It’s Logan. He wants to speak with you.”

“Logan?” Mom fairly raced from the kitchen, wiping her hands on the red and white checked apron she wore over her dress. “Why is he calling? He should be―”

“Never mind, dear.” Dad gave her a pointed look. “Something’s come up. I’ll tell you about it in a moment.”

Accepting the phone from her dad, Marilee watched as he ushered her mother back into the kitchen.

What is with these two?
She raised the portable phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hi, it’s me.”

“Me, who?”

“Logan.”

“Logan? Do I know a Logan?”

“Very funny.” A pause. “I suppose I deserve it.”

Marilee’s heart lightened just hearing his voice. “Did you call my cell phone? How did you know I was at my folks’ place?”

“Can I explain later? I’ve got a situation here.”

“Of course.” Marilee heard the seriousness in Logan’s voice.

“I need your help. Susan Rushford was hit by a car this afternoon while riding her bike.”

Marilee gasped. “Is she okay?”

“For the most part. She’s got a few broken bones. I’m at the hospital with her parents and I wondered if you’d come down.”

“Of course. Which hospital?”

“St. Anthony’s.”

“I’ll be right there.”

“Thanks. I knew I could count on you.”

The comment warmed Marilee’s insides and somehow made up for this past week’s neglect. Pressing the OFF button, she unceremoniously tossed the phone onto the couch. “I gotta go,” she called to her parents.

Her parents appeared side-by-side at the doorway. Their expressions seemed a mixture of concern and disappointment.

“Sorry about running out on you like this. Logan needs me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Daddy said. “Logan told me.”

“We’ll be praying for Susan,” Mom added.

“Every prayer counts.” Marilee picked up her purse, draped its strap over her shoulder, and left her folks’ condo.

Chapter Twelve

Allie arrived at Brenda’s house on Pine Street in Oakland Park. Located in the center of the block in an older part of the community, the home was a typical Midwest duplex, complete with a wide front porch. Stepping up to the door, Allie ignored the fact that the wood siding and trim needed paint, as did the porch. She pressed on the bell, which set a couple of dogs to barking. Moments later, a rotund man in a white undershirt appeared. Through the rusty screen door, Allie could see that his brown hair looked disheveled and his trousers rumpled. He appeared as though he’d just awakened from an afternoon snooze on the sofa.