Love's Image (5 page)

As usual, Shannon was ready a half hour early. Her nerves had awakened her before the sun came up, so she’d gone ahead and taken her shower. Now all she had to do was wait.

To her delight, the knock came at her door at precisely seven fifty-five. Judd was early, too.

“Wow.” His face lit up the second she opened the door.

“Hi, Judd. Come on in.”

“Last night, I thought you were a mirage. I can’t believe you’re actually going out for coffee with me. You look beautiful.”

Shannon’s stomach knotted. She stood there staring at Judd Manning as he cast an appreciative gaze over her. Maybe she’d been wrong about him.

Judd felt an instant barrier form between them as soon as he spoke to her. Her eyes had glazed over, and her smile wasn’t nearly as bright as it had been last night.

“Do you like little diners, or are you the designer coffeehouse type?” he asked.

She shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter.”

Yep, something had changed. Her emotional distance was so obvious, it was slamming.

“Tell you what. We can go to the Dunk ‘n Dine this morning, and I’ll treat you to the best two-ninety-nine breakfast you’ve ever tasted.” He held the door for her as she slid into his car, then he leaned forward, hoping for some sort of reaction.

“That’s fine,” she said as she buckled her seat belt. No smile, nothing.

Judd ran around to the other side of the car, wishing he could start over. He must have said something, but what? That brightness was in her eyes when she opened her door to him, but she quickly put up her guard.

Once in his car, Judd started to crack a joke about the cat getting her tongue, but he decided to use a more direct approach instead. “What’s wrong, Shannon? Did I say something?”

Not looking him in the eye, Shannon shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

He knew that wasn’t the case. “Look, if I said something stupid, you need to tell me so I won’t do it again. I’ve always been pretty bad about saying the wrong thing because I talk too much.”

A smile tweaked the corners of her lips, but she still didn’t meet his gaze. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

Now he was worried more than ever. Based on his experience, when women said not to worry, that was when a man needed to start groveling.

“I see you brought your Bible,” he said, gesturing to what she was holding with a death grip.

“This is a Bible study, right?” Now that they were at the stop sign, she’d finally looked at him, but not with the cheerful expression he’d looked forward to all night.

“Yes, it is.” He felt dejected and more than a little frustrated.

There had to be some way to bring back the woman he’d met last night. He didn’t like the thought that something he’d said had cast a gloomy shadow over her, and he was certain she was pulling away from him because of something he’d said or done. Not being one to let things go, Judd decided to address the issue as soon as they arrived at their destination—before they went inside.

Once in the parking lot of the Dunk ‘n Dine, Judd turned off the ignition and turned to face Shannon.

“Okay, spill it, Shannon. I’m sure I said something that’s making you wish you’d stayed home, and I want to know what it is.”

“No.” Once again, she didn’t look directly at him.

“C’mon, Shannon, I’m not into playing games.”

Suddenly, as if he’d flipped a switch, she turned, daggers shooting from her eyes. “I don’t play games,” she hissed.

Frustration flooded Judd as he carefully pondered how to put his thoughts into words. “You can’t expect a guy like me to know what’s going on in your head unless you tell me what you’re thinking.”

Shannon pursed her lips and studied his face before turning to look away. He could tell she was contemplating something, hopefully an explanation that would let him know where he stood with her.

This is silly
, she told herself.
Just because he made a comment about my looks doesn’t mean that’s all he’s thinking about
.

“Judd, you really didn’t do anything wrong,” she said slowly. “It’s just that I’ve been ultrasensitive since the accident.” Instinctively, her hand rose to her cheek.

He reached out and caught her wrist, freezing her movement. His touch sent an electric current up her arm, and time seemed to come to a screeching halt. She wondered if he could hear her heart pounding.

“Shannon, I understand your feelings. If I looked like you, something like this would probably bother me, too. But you have so much more going for you, that even if you didn’t have a pretty face, you’ve got the world at your disposal.”

Her doubts about his motives had just been squelched, at least for the moment. She turned to face him, allowing the warmth to flow between them once again.

“Thank you, Judd. You’re a good guy.”

He snickered. “That’s what I keep trying to tell you. I’m glad you finally believe me.”

Once inside, Judd ordered a short stack of pancakes and encouraged Shannon to do the same. She started to tell the waitress she only wanted coffee then decided she might as well splurge. What did it matter if she put on a pound or two now that she couldn’t model?

“I’ll have what he’s having.” Shannon stuck the plastic menu back between the napkin holder and ketchup bottle.

“You’re full of surprises, Shannon McNab,” Judd said. “So you
do
eat normal food.”

“Yeah. What did you think I ate?” She remembered what he’d said earlier. “Rabbit food is in my past.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” he asked.

“What are you talking about, Judd? Of course I’m gonna be okay. Why does everyone keep looking at me like they’re afraid I’m about to shatter?”

“Maybe it’s because you have a lost look on your face,” he said softly.

“Lost?” Shannon cleared her throat as she slammed her Bible on the table. “I think we need to change the subject. I don’t like where this is headed.”

“I’m with you,” Judd agreed. He began flipping the pages of his workbook. “Now where were we?”

Pointing to the workbook, Shannon asked, “Where can I get one of those? Do I have to order it?”

“I think my uncle might have some in the storage room behind his office. I’ll ask this afternoon when he comes home.” Judd met her gaze and turned the workbook around where they could both see it. “In the meantime, I’ll share.”

Once they got into the lesson, Shannon was surprised at how many answers Judd had left blank. “I thought you were the pastor’s nephew. You should know these things.”

Judd tilted his head back and laughed out loud. “A lot of people are disappointed to find out how little I actually know.”

“I didn’t say that, did I?”

“In a roundabout way, yes, you did.”

“You probably know more about a lot of stuff than most people.”

Leaning forward on his elbows, Judd looked her in the eye for a long moment, giving her a rush that flustered her. “From what I’ve heard about you, Shannon, you’re a pretty smart woman yourself.”

“What have you heard?”

“Oh, things like you graduated at the top of your class. And you were considering going to medical school after you graduated from high school, but some modeling agency snatched you up and made you sign a contract.”

“That’s not exactly how it happened, but close enough,” she said.

“Wanna tell me the details?”

Shannon narrowed her eyes. “Why would you care?”

“That’s a good question. I don’t know why I care, but I do.”

“Let’s see,” Shannon said. “I wasn’t at the very top of my class. I was second.”

“Big whoop.”

Shannon chuckled. “I had one fleeting conversation with Janie about majoring in premed in college, but I wasn’t serious about it.” She paused and sniffled. “Janie’s the only person I had this talk with, so now I know who’s got a big mouth.”

“Cut her some slack, McNab. I called her and pounded the answers out of her. She didn’t want to talk, but I threatened bamboo torture.”

Once again, Judd made her laugh. “Janie’s tough. She’s not afraid of anything. She must have wanted you to know, or she wouldn’t have told you. I’ll have to have a talk with her. I don’t want her blabbing my personal life all over town.”

“Janie’s concerned about you. She’s not blabbing anything.”

“I know it,” Shannon admitted. “But she does need to be careful.”

“Does it bother you for me to know things about you?” he asked as he studied her face, making her squirm.

“Well, sort of,” she admitted. “I’m not used to letting people see into my life—at least not people I don’t know very well.”

“I can certainly understand that. I’m kind of the same way.”

“You are?” Shannon hadn’t seen Judd Manning as a particularly guarded person, so the thought intrigued her.

“Yes, my father was a career military man. He moved the family at the whim of a government that didn’t care much about my social life.”

“That must have been difficult,” Shannon conceded. “Is your father in Atlanta?”

“No, he and my mom live in Arizona, where they retired. I moved here because I always enjoyed staying with my uncle and aunt.”

“I’ve heard some good things about them from Janie,” Shannon said. “Janie also told me you’re teaching at a Christian school.”

“Your friend Janie
is
a big mouth,” Judd said.

Shannon laughed as she saw Judd crack a smile. The waitress arrived with two plates stacked with half a dozen pancakes each.

“Whoa!” Shannon said. “I’ve never eaten that many pancakes at one sitting in my life.”

“You haven’t lived.” He turned to the waitress. “Do you have any of that fabulous blueberry syrup?”

“Coming right up,” the waitress said.

“Well?” Judd asked as Shannon chewed her first bite of buttermilk pancakes laden with blueberry syrup. “Like it?”

“Mmm.” She stabbed another bite of pancake, stuck it in her mouth, and chewed very slowly. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“Told you.”

“We can’t come back here, or I’ll have to get a whole new wardrobe.”

Judd’s eyes lit up as he grinned. “Okay, we’ll go somewhere else.”

Her simple statement gave him hope. She’d said, “We can’t come back here,” as if she might be considering spending more time with him. If she’d told him, “I can’t come back here,” or “I don’t want to go out with you,” he wouldn’t have the hope that had quickened his heart. She’d said, “We—”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She put her fork down and studied him.

“Oh, nothing. How do you like fondue?”

“Love it.”

“Wanna try a new fondue place that just opened on Peach-tree Street?”

“Are you trying to make me fat?”

He shrugged. “Quite honestly, I don’t really care. You’ll still be beautiful.”