How Sweet It Is (19 page)

Scrubbing her eyes with the
heel of her hand, she thought again of the words he’d said last
night. Delphine groaned. How could he have such a low opinion of
her? Did Brad, her Brad really believe she’d wheel and deal for the
loan with her
body?
It didn’t bear thinking about!

She shook her head, noting the wet spots
dotting the papers on the desk. Surely at some point the pain would
lessen. The shock and dismay would ease. Her head would clear and
she could become a productive citizen again—not this pathetic weepy
female crying over some womanizer.

Maybe his whole family was
in on it. Maybe they’d seen her at the airport and thought
Aha! There’s a pigeon just waiting to be plucked.
Let’s lure her in with familial kindness, loan her a little bit of
money and then have her make payments to Brad with her…

Delphine couldn’t finish the thought. She
gave a harsh bark of laughter at her lurid imagination. The notion
sounded like a cracked plot from a B movie. But what other
explanation did she have?

The sound of a knock on her door made her
jump. She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes. “What is it?”

Stephan’s voice came through the door.
“There’s a delivery for you.”

Delphine let out a sigh. “Can’t you sign for
it?”

“No, it’s not the kind you sign for.”

Closing her eyes for a moment, she summoned
her strength and rose to her feet. When she opened the door, she
came face to face with a large bouquet of red roses. Stephan peered
around the bouquet and held it out to her.

“How did these get here?” she asked more
unkindly than she intended.

“From the florist next door. Their employee
brought them over.”

Delphine didn’t know whether to be relieved
or even more hurt. “There’s been a mistake. Those are not for me.”
She shut the door.

Stephan glanced over at Minnie. She looked
back at him and shrugged. He took the bouquet to the front of the
store and set it on the counter near the cash register.

“Looks like the boss has a beau.”

Minnie stuck her nose in the petals. “Doesn’t
seem like she wants him anymore.”

“How do you know she doesn’t want him? Maybe
it’s the other way around.”

“Stephan, it’s obvious he’s sending her
flowers because he’s sorry he made her cry.”

“How does he know she was crying? He wasn’t
here today.”

Minnie put a hand on her hip. “Don’t be so
hard-headed.”

“I prefer to think of it as being
practical.” Stephan watched as she tapped her fingers on the
counter, wondering if she liked him. “Well, whatever is going on,
we’re not going to make Delphine happy by standing around wondering
about her love life.” He pressed a hand to his heart. “Besides, I’m
the one who is hurt. I thought Delphine had a thing for me, and now
I find she’s got someone else.” He sniffed.

Minnie rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a
dork. She doesn’t like you, besides she probably considers you a
child.”

“She’s only a few years older than me, but
rest assured, my marked maturity more than makes up for what I lack
in years.” He toyed with a rose petal and peered at her over the
top of the bouquet. “Besides, I know you have your heart set on me,
so I’ll willingly sacrifice Delphine for us.”

He smiled at the rush of color to Minnie’s
cheeks—and admired the shooting silver sparks from her eyes. She
looked about ready to deliver a stinging remark. Stephan reached up
and pulled the card from the plastic prong.

“What are you
doing?
” Minnie hissed, her
attention diverted.

“Shhh!” he said. “She’ll hear you.”

“You can’t open that!”

Stephan gave her a limpid look. “Why? It’s
not sealed and it’s not federally protected mail or anything.”

“But
still
—”

“We need to find out what’s upsetting
Delphine,” he said firmly. “And if it’s really scandalous, I just
won’t show it to you.”

Minnie bit her lip and stared at him with
wide eyes. Stephan felt a spasm of guilt at what he was about to
do, but neatly suppressed it. He lifted the flap, slid the small
card out, and scanned it.

Delphine,

I made a terrible mistake last night. Please
forgive me.

I love you.

Brad

Stephan handed it to Minnie. After a moment’s
hesitation, she read it.

“You were right,” he said in a low voice.
“Love troubles.”

Minnie handed him the card. Stephan slid it
back into the envelope and placed it in the prongs of the bouquet.
He looked at her with a teasing grin, “Allergies I can handle. This
is way out of my league.”

Minnie let out a gusty breath. “Oh, Stephan!”
She turned and stormed to the workroom in the back.

Stephan raised his hands. “Hey, what’d I
say?”

****

Delphine locked the shop door at the end of
the week and looked up at the sky. The horizon radiated from blue
to orange as the sun set in a gaudy display of frothy pink clouds.
She glanced at her watch and realized with annoyance the city bus
wouldn’t arrive for another fifteen minutes.

Not for the first time, Delphine wished she
had a car. Since she was paying employees and had yet to actually
sell anything, it would be some time before she could afford to buy
one. She made a noise of disgust and slumped against the door.

A brisk wind kicked up, sending old
newspapers in the alley scuttling across the pavement. Delphine
closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of worry and loss
drag at her.

She fought desperately against the swelling
tide of pain. Her throat hurt from the effort of holding back
tears. If she gave into it again, she might never recover. Delphine
swallowed hard. She wanted to pray, but the words lodged in her
heart.

It had been three days since she’d seen Brad.
Each day, he’d sent flowers and left messages on her answering
machine. She wasn’t ready to talk to him yet, if ever.

Delphine released a slow breath and closed
her eyes. She willed her mind and body to relax, concentrating on
practical things—like earning a living and paying off the loan.

The lyrics of a hymn started up in her brain.
It took her a moment to realize she actually heard the song playing
somewhere nearby. She opened her eyes and strained her ears.
Pushing away from the door, she began to walk in the direction of
the music.

Less than a block from her own shop, Delphine
found herself in front of a storefront door lettered with the words
Gospel Times Fellowship. Only a small neon cross in the window and
a sign listing service times gave any indication it was a
church.

Live music wafted into the evening air
through the open door. Delphine tentatively stepped over the
threshold and looked around. Inside, a small foyer had been painted
with bright colors and set about with vibrantly glazed ceramic
containers of bromeliads and ferns.

A man rose from a side chair as she entered.
He had a square, pleasant face, dark hair, and brown eyes. Delphine
judged him to be about thirty. She shook his outstretched hand and
couldn’t help but return his friendly smile.

“My name is Greg Manning. The service has
already started, but please join us.”

He ushered the way through a set of double
doors. Delphine walked past him into a large room, with rows of
upholstered chairs filled with about sixty people angling toward a
low platform in the front. A small band occupied the space,
complete with drums, piano, acoustic guitar, and an electric bass
guitar.

Delphine sank onto a seat near the aisle in
the back of the room, feeling a measure of her anguish recede. She
wondered if the band was a visiting musical group. As one hymn
blended into another, she realized it must be the worship team. The
songs were familiar to her but she realized they’d taken some
musical license and played them with quicker tempos and creative
arrangements.

She clutched her purse in
her lap.
Well, Brad. Here’s your rock band
leading the church service
.

Delphine closed her eyes against a new wave
of pain. She still burned with humiliation at their last encounter.
No scenario she could come up with explained away his horrid words.
And if he thought a flimsy excuse, as well as numerous bouquets of
flowers, would work, he had another think coming.

She no longer even cared about the loan
contract. If his dad saw fit to break it because of a personal
problem between her and his son, then she wouldn’t give him much
credit as a businessman. Somehow she’d come up with the money, but
what did it matter? Nothing mattered when Brad Larsen thought so
little of her.

Delphine blew out a shaky breath, exasperated
by her swirling, incessant thoughts. On calmer reflection, she felt
reasonably sure the contract would hold regardless. She’d fulfilled
her obligations thus far.

The musicians stepped away from their
instruments, making her realize she’d missed the remainder of the
worship due to her relentless mental grappling.

The man she’d seen in the foyer stepped up to
a low, wooden pulpit, with a Bible in his hands. Delphine decided
he must be the pastor. He led the congregation in prayer before
beginning his sermon.

“Please open your Bibles with me to Matthew
ten, verses twenty nine and thirty. My sermon will be about God’s
provision.”

Delphine reached into her purse for her small
New Testament. When she found the passage, she read silently along
with the pastor.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet
not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your
Father. And even the very hairs of your head are numbered. So don’t
be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

Delphine remembered when she’d sensed these
words on the bus. She thought about that little sparrow on the
branch. What if had fallen? If God was aware of the poor bird, why
had He not caught it before it hit the ground?

Clenching her hands in her
lap, she thought of all the times she’d ‘fallen’, times when she
had to leave behind what little she owned, to start over again with
nothing.
Where were you, God? Why didn’t
you catch me?

She glanced around through a haze of tears
and suddenly realized the service had ended and people were making
their way out of the sanctuary. She shoved her Bible into her purse
and readied to leave, embarrassed that she’d been so preoccupied as
to miss the entire sermon.

When she looked up, she become conscious of
someone sitting in the chair next to her. Delphine saw the pastor
smiling at her.

“I didn’t catch your name when we first
met.”

She stared at him, feeling her breath hitch
in her throat. Fresh tears clouded her eyes when she thought of
that scripture. “The sparrow,” she croaked.

The pastor’s brows knit together. “Your name
is ‘Sparrow’?”

Fluttering her hands in embarrassment, she
shook her head. “No, it’s Delphine.”

He grinned. “Well, you never
know. This
is
southern California.”

Looking down, Delphine tried to collect her
disruptive emotions. When she glanced up at him again, she
swallowed her tears. “Why—why did God let the bird fall when he
easily could’ve caught it? Why?” She put her hands up to her face
and sobbed.

“Ms…Delphine. Wait right here.”

Delphine inwardly writhed with humiliation.
Surely she’d cried more recently than the whole of her life. The
notion didn’t stop the flow of tears. She became aware of someone
else sitting near her.

“Delphine? This is my wife, Nan. She brought
you some tissues.”

She looked up and smiled wanly in the
direction of a pretty young woman who sat facing her in the chair
directly in front. “I’m sorry,” Delphine whispered, taking a tissue
and dabbing her nose. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“No one else is in here right now. So if
you’d like to talk, maybe we can help you.”

She didn’t think she could bear having
strangers hear her pathetic tale, yet the two pairs of eyes facing
her seemed warm and concerned. She opened her mouth to demur, but
began pouring out her troubles instead. Finally, she took a
breath.

“I guess I just don’t know which way is up
anymore. If God sees us like the sparrow, why does He just stand by
and allow things to happen, even if it hurts?” Delphine gave the
pastor a beseeching look, half-afraid of his answer.

He blew out a breath. “Well, you don’t ask
the easy questions, do you?” He glanced at his wife. “At the risk
of sounding pat, it’s a little known fact that scripture actually
promises hardship. I wish I could say life is a smooth ride to
eternity.”

He leaned forward. “Even in our own
congregation, we have families dealing with the death of loved
ones, with inexplicable circumstances, with illnesses. But we cling
to God through it, even when things don’t seem to get better. He’s
who we hold onto when we have nothing else.”

She bit her lip. Her worries seemed obscurely
selfish. How easy to forget others suffered. But a part of her
still longed for relief, longed for an easy way out. “So, we’re
just supposed to tough it out with no hope that things will
improve?”

The pastor’s wife spoke up. “It’s impossible
in our own strength. But we can find grace from God when we need it
most. The book of Hebrews says we can approach the throne of grace
with confidence, finding mercy and grace to help us in our time of
need.”

“Grace.” She shook her head wearily. “I
don’t even know if I really understand what that is.”

“It’s like unmerited favor—God giving us
something we can’t earn and don’t deserve.”