Hearts in Harmony (2 page)

Celeste somehow doubted that mass murderers gained the trust of their victims with photo I.D. and a major credit card.

She smiled politely, resigned to her fate, while she read the information on the driver's license. The walk back would surely kill her anyway, even if Braithwaite, Adrian Andrew, single male, age twenty-nine, 185 pounds, six feet one inch tall, dark-brown hair, hazel eyes, didn't. “You win,” she mumbled, trying to sound gracious. “I would be forever grateful if you could give me a ride back to the car.”

They walked in silence to his car, where in gentlemanly fashion, he opened the passenger door for her, then closed it firmly when she was settled in her seat. When he entered the driver's side, Celeste pressed herself against the door and watched his every move.

He sighed as she continued to watch him. “Please, don't be so nervous. Let me show you I really am a decent human being.” Instead of starting the car, Adrian reached between the seats, pulled out an envelope, and handed her the paper from inside. It was a phone bill.

“That's my mother's phone number. See how often I call her? You can even phone her yourself.” Triumphantly, he retrieved the cellular phone from under his seat and offered it to her again.

Celeste scanned the bill, showing a number of charges to the same number. “This bill is overdue.”

Adrian's smile faded as he snatched back the paper. “No it's not.” He studied it further. “That's an old bill. See where I tore off the bottom part to mail it in?”

“How do I know it's your mother? I only have your word for it.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “So then phone
your
mother.” He handed her the phone, then reached in front of her and flipped open the glove compartment, revealing a jumble of papers stuffed so tightly she didn't know how the small compartment hadn't exploded. He pulled out a plastic envelope, quickly pushed the papers back, and slammed the door shut. “Here's my vehicle registration. You've already seen my driver's license. Phone your mother and tell her who you're with so if you go missing the cops will come and arrest me.”

As she pressed the power button and waited for the phone to locate the signal, she could feel his eyes upon her.

Celeste didn't raise her head, only her eyes, and blatantly stared back. The privacy and confined quarters of his car allowed her to study his face closer than she had inside the gas station. He didn't turn away. He only smiled, openly inviting her scrutiny.

Even with him looking right back, she couldn't stop staring. Up close, his hazel eyes seemed more than friendly. They radiated sincerity and kindness. While he wasn't exactly movie-star handsome, he wasn't bad.

Summoning all her self control, she forced herself to quit staring and switched her attention to the phone. Quickly, she punched in her mother's phone number, then
held the phone up to her ear until it made the connection. While she waited she looked back up at Adrian.

He hadn't moved. It suddenly occurred to her that while she had been studying him, he had been studying her. As soon as their eyes met, he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, almost as if he could tell she needed more space.

Despite the fact that he'd been nothing but a perfect gentleman, her insides still quivered and she remained tense, ready to open the door and run.

“It's busy. I guess I'll just have to trust you.”

While Adrian started the engine, Celeste reminded herself that although it had taken hours to walk here, they would be back at her mother's car in approximately ten minutes. However, by the time they reached it, Celeste was filled with guilt at having been so rotten to him. He had remained with her to ensure her safety, and now he was going out of his way to help her again.

He watched from a respectable distance as Celeste stood beside the gas cap and fumbled with the opening to the gas can.

She didn't raise her head as she spoke. “I really appreciate all your help,” she mumbled, “especially after I was so rude when you were only trying to be nice.”

He answered her with a humorless smile. “Don't worry about it. I understand. I'm glad I was able to help. You must be tired after that long walk.”

“Yes. Pride has its price.”

After a few chugs and a puff of black smoke, the car started. She rolled the window down and leaned out. “Thanks again, Adrian,”

“You're welcome. Any time.”

She pulled onto the highway and watched in the rearview mirror as Adrian drove behind her. She stopped at the same gas station she'd just been at minutes ago, and waved at Adrian as he continued past.

It took so long to fill the car's large gas tank that Celeste nearly fell asleep on her feet. However, when the pump clicked off to indicate the tank was finally full, the amount of money on the display jolted her to full wakefulness.

As she walked into the building once again and waited in line to pay, she tried to calculate how much more her mother's sorry excuse for a car would cost while her mother was gone.

“I see you're back. Anything else you need?”

Celeste shook her head and pulled her wallet out of her purse. Since she didn't have that much cash on her, she was forced to charge the amount. As she ran her fingers over the slots in her wallet to pull out her credit card, her hand froze.

Tucked neatly in her wallet were Adrian Braithwaite's driver's license and credit card.

I
n the privacy of her kitchen, Celeste surveyed Adrian's driver's license.

Even though she hadn't lived in the neighborhood very long, she recognized his address as two blocks east and three streets north from her own rented duplex. Before she'd moved in, she'd checked out the neighborhood. She had probably even driven past his house. He lived that close.

Celeste shook her head. She had to return his things. Immediately. Just in case he hadn't gone straight home, Celeste gathered up her courage, looked up the number, and dialed.

“Hello?” Adrian's deep baritone voice answered.

She sucked in a deep breath to compose herself. “Hi. This is Celeste.”

“Who? I think you have the wrong number.”

“No! Adrian, don't hang up. It's me, Miss Never Mind.”

“Miss Never…” His voice trailed off. Silence hung over the line for a few seconds before he continued. “So
now I know your name, Celeste. You made it home safely, I assume?”

A nervous laugh escaped. “I seem to have accidentally kept your driver's license and credit card. I'm so embarrassed, and so sorry. Can I come over to return them to you?”

“I don't know if I'd trust that car if I were you. If you want I can come over to your place and pick them up.”

As nice as he seemed, she didn't want him to know where she lived. For now, she wanted to settle into her new home the same way she was settling into her new job—only concerning herself with what directly affected her. “I'm actually not very far away at the moment. Besides, it's illegal to drive without your license on hand. It's no trouble. It's the least I can do.”

“As long as you're sure. Do you need directions?”

“No, I know where it is. I'll be there in a few minutes.”

“You do? Well, okay… See you soon. Bye.”

Celeste tried to push back her nervousness as she hung up the phone. He sounded exactly the same on the phone as he did in person—friendly and likeable, but she was still going to take her own car rather than walk, so she could make a fast getaway.

She couldn't remember ever meeting someone who could be so helpful to a stranger when there was nothing in it for them. She wished she had met him at a different point in time. If she had, her life might have been entirely different now.

But that was just foolishness. Nothing would change her past, or who it had made her. All she could do was continue on, and hope her past would never catch up with her future.

As she walked from the house to the car, Celeste studied her new neighborhood. The houses were older and
fairly small, but well-cared for. Most of the people made tending the grass and flowers in their yards weekend projects. A few of her neighbors had waved at her as she hurried by, recognizing her as her landlord, Hank's new tenant.

She smiled and breathed the fresh green scents deeply. This neighborhood had been a good choice for a new beginning, everything was beautiful and taken care of with pride.

The only ugly thing here was her mother's car.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled the car door open, hoping the creaking hinge didn't draw too much attention, and slid in. The four-wheeled monstrosity started with a chug and a backfire, but it did start. Celeste arrived at Adrian's house in under two minutes.

Adrian lived in a small brightly painted bungalow with a well-kept yard. Celeste recognized his shiny black car in the driveway. Beside his car sat a small sporty blue model.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Celeste knocked on the front door and waited.

A deep male voice called from inside. “Hey! Adrian! There she is!”

The door opened. Adrian stood tall in the doorway as he smiled down at her. In the middle of the living room stood a rather handsome blond man about the same age. The man smiled as well and cocked his head to one side.

Celeste squirmed. She felt strange enough with Adrian looking at her. She didn't want to be analyzed by his friend, although she didn't know why she cared. After today, she would never see him again.

“Hi, Celeste. Or should I say Miss Mind?” Adrian grinned. She could see his eyes focusing over her shoulder, taking in her mother's scrap heap of a car parked on the street.

Celeste lowered her head and quickly reached into her pocket for his license and credit card. “I'm really sorry about this. Thanks again for your concern this afternoon. Bye.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, she shoved the two cards into his hand, turned and ran back to the car.

“Wait!” Adrian's voice sounded from behind her.

The second she inserted the key into the ignition, he appeared at the car door. With her heart in her throat and grateful for the shelter of the car, Celeste rolled the window down at the same time as she started the engine.

Adrian ducked his head toward her. “May I see you again?”

Celeste had to force herself to breathe. She would have been a fool if she didn't know what he wanted. She wasn't ready for that kind of relationship. She wanted to trust him, but she didn't know if she had it in her to do so. Maybe she never would. But even if she did, for now, she still needed time to hide and lick her wounds.

Celeste cleared her throat. “I don't think so, but I'm flattered that you asked.”

Adrian stiffened and stepped back, ramming his hands into his pockets. “I had to try. Take care of yourself, Celeste. If you ever need a hand again, you know where to find me.”

She drove away subdued. She didn't want to live her life as a recluse—that wasn't why she had moved so far from all that was familiar. However, meeting new people had turned out to be much more difficult than she thought it would be. The people she met at her new job were safe, because she would only see them at work. But this was different. Starting something with Adrian, even if it was only friendship, was too close to home. Literally.

When she pulled in front of her house, Celeste didn't get out of the car. She turned off the engine and stared at the home that had been hers for only four days. God had provided a way for her to start again—she had a new job and a new place to live. She'd also prayed for God to send her some new friends, people she could trust and with whom she could be safe.

God had put what had appeared to be a trustworthy man in her path, but she'd let fear get the best of her. He'd offered what could be the beginning of a friendship, and she'd turned and run. Now she couldn't go back without looking desperate.

Celeste lowered her forehead to the top of the steering wheel and shut her eyes.

God, I'm so sorry. I said I trusted You, but I blew it. I couldn't do it. But I really need a friend, I really do. The next time You show me someone I can trust, I promise I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, just because I know You're giving me what I asked for, and You know best.

Celeste sighed, picked up her purse, and went inside.

First she'd promised God, and now she promised herself that the next time God provided an answer, she would listen.

 

Adrian strummed the last chord of the final song for the service. As the pastor approached the microphone, Adrian placed his guitar on the stand. Along with Paul, Bob and Randy, his friends on the worship team, he quietly exited the stage.

Every Sunday he sat with his friends during the pastor's sermon, but this time, when they shuffled into their usual seats near the front, Adrian kept walking.

During the short break when the children had been dismissed into Sunday School, he'd done a quick double-take as he looked into the congregation. Sitting almost at the back, if he wasn't mistaken, he'd seen Miss Never Mind.

He'd been thinking about her all week. She'd hummed along to his favorite CD. For a couple of the songs, she'd actually mouthed the words to the choruses. That meant she'd heard them before, often enough to repeat them.

He'd taken it as a sign from God when she finally got inside the car. But then, the tiny tiger who had walked for hours rather than get in the car had turned into a frightened rabbit. He'd been almost afraid to look at her, for fear that she would fling herself out the door at fifty-five miles an hour to get away. He'd ended up chattering like a dripping tap, just so there wouldn't be silence in the car.

Things hadn't gone any better when she'd showed up at his door. She'd disappeared so fast he was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with him.

Now, here she was in church. He felt as though God was giving him another chance.

As he approached, her eyes fixed on him.

She wore a nice skirt and blouse with matching shoes, a far cry from the dusty jeans, T-shirt and battered sneakers she'd worn the last time he'd seen her. Some kind of pink fabric thing that matched her blouse adorned her hair. But what really made him take notice was the Bible beside her.

He stopped, then crouched down to speak to her. “Hi, Celeste. It's great to see you here today. Is this seat taken?”

Her pretty eyes widened at the question, holding his attention with their vivid jade-green color.

In the blink of an eye, she lowered her head, scooped
up her Bible and the bulletin and stiffened. Her voice came out in a tight squeak. “No, it's not taken.”

At the first scripture reading during the sermon, Adrian leaned closer to Celeste. “I left my Bible up at the front with my friends. Can I peek at yours?”

She paged to the correct passage and held her Bible between them. He could have read it better if it hadn't been shaking so much, but Adrian didn't dare move to steady it.

During the sermon, he tried his best to pay attention to the pastor's words, but Celeste's presence distracted him.

She was still scared of him. He wanted to know why, but this wasn't the time to discuss it, not in the middle of the service. However, if he waited till it was over, he'd be back up front, with the worship team, and she would be out the door before he had a chance to find out what was wrong.

When Pastor Ron drew his sermon to a close, just before everyone was instructed to bow their heads for the closing prayer, Adrian touched Celeste's arm. He tried not to feel hurt when she flinched. “Please,” he whispered as he leaned closer to her. “I'd like to talk to you after the service. I have to go up to the front now for the closing hymn. Promise me you'll wait. Don't be so nervous. I don't bite.”

Her eyes drifted to the front, then back to him. “All right,” she whispered.

He was the last one to arrive at the front, and he played terribly. Paul kept turning away from the congregation and toward him, going as far as nodding his head in rhythm to get Adrian to slow his tempo to match everyone else.

Adrian fought to slow his pace, repeating in his head that the music was to help everyone in the congregation
center their thoughts on God; they didn't want to be distracted by an impatient guitar player.

Still, instead of watching his music, he watched Celeste. The closer they got to the end of the song, the more Celeste kept glancing at the door. On the last repeat of the chorus, she began shuffling in her chair.

After the last chord, Pastor Ron closed the service and dismissed the congregation. Adrian should have kept playing as the sanctuary emptied, but he dropped his guitar into the holder and walked off as his friends stared at him. This time, he couldn't let her get away.

He arrived beside Celeste just as she tucked her bulletin inside her Bible. Her purse was already slung over her shoulder. All the bravado he'd worked up dissolved into a little puddle at his feet.

She looked up at him. “I really enjoyed the service. Your pastor is quite a dynamic speaker.”

Adrian nodded. A neutral topic. Perfect. “Yes, he is. Since this is your first time here, I'd love to introduce you to him.”

“Maybe another time. I think it's time for me to leave.”

Adrian stepped aside, but he couldn't let her go. He cleared his throat. “If you're not busy, why don't you join me for lunch? My treat. So we can talk.”

The chatter, background music, the scraping of chairs, and the voices of little children echoed behind Adrian, but between the two of them, the silence was almost tangible. She looked up into his eyes and studied his face as he'd never been studied before.

Finally, she gave him a weak smile. “That would be nice. I'm new to the area and obviously new to this church. I do have some questions.”

He tried not to appear too eager or too relieved. “Great. I just have to go get my guitar before we leave.”

Back on the stage, Adrian mumbled a quick apology for not helping pack up the sound system, slipped his guitar into the case and hurried away.

This time, Celeste's old car was running fine, and she insisted on meeting him at the restaurant. Since he'd left the building sooner than he'd ever left before, they arrived before most of the regular church crowd, and got a table right away.

The waitress quickly took their orders and left them with a decanter of coffee. Adrian folded his hands on the table, and smiled at Celeste. “Welcome to the neighborhood. I think you'll like it here. It's very peaceful. The residents are mostly people who have owned the same homes for years and have retired here, or younger families starting out with their first home.”

She nodded. “That sounds nice. Have you lived here long?”

“It depends what you call ‘long'. I bought my house five years ago, and I'm still here. Maybe I'll be the next generation to stay until I retire.”

“What about your church? What's it like?”

Adrian smiled politely. He felt more as though he was being interviewed than having a friendly chat. At least now, unlike a week ago, Celeste was talking openly. Interview or not, anything was better than the scared rabbit she'd been last time they talked.

“It's a good church, with good people, good fellowship and the pastor delivers a strong message. It's a church plant, started from the big church where I grew up, not far
from here. We've only been in this building a few months, but I guess I've been with the same crowd all my life. As I understand it, my mother brought me to my first service at the parent church when I was one month old. I became a Christian when I was twelve. When they started the church plant, the associate pastor at the old church, who is now the only pastor here, asked me and my friends if we would go with the core group and put together a worship team, because we all grew up together in the church and all play an instrument.”