Pierced by Love (8 page)

Pierce tried hard to keep his focus on the speakers during sacrament meeting, but his mind kept wandering to Noelle. He’d looked for her before the meeting started but hadn’t seen her. Then when Kurt asked him who he was looking for, he replied, “No one,” and left it at that. But he couldn’t seem to stop looking around again, ignoring Kurt’s inquisitive glances.

Noelle hadn’t come to the institute dance. He knew because he’d seen Jessie and Hannah enter without her and make their way onto the dance floor. They never stayed on the sidelines for long. He’d known there was little chance of Noelle actually attending after she’d told him she wasn’t, but it would have been nice if she had. For her sake, she would need to move past this setback in her life, especially when she felt self-conscious about her new “single” status.

But then again, Pierce, if anyone, should know how difficult it was to actually do that after something had devastated a family. He wished that he could put his own family back together again, but his mom had been dating someone else for a few months. His older brother, Craig, kept him informed and said that Eric seemed to be a good match for their down-to-earth mom, Sarah. His younger brother, Gage, hadn’t said much about the situation, except to express his concern over their mom potentially getting trapped in another difficult marriage, dealing with stepchildren or other baggage. Pierce hadn’t met the man, so he wasn’t about to form an opinion based on his brothers’ observations. He’d wait to see how it all turned out.

After church, Pierce ran home to grab a bag of chips and salsa for the monthly Break the Fast gathering. He wasn’t much of a cook and, besides, everyone knew that the sisters in the ward brought the best stuff anyway. He drove to the home of Brother Ingleson, who was the first counselor in the bishopric. He and Sister Ingleson had a large home with enough room to accommodate a small army, which was what Sister Ingleson often said they were. She greeted Pierce with a warm welcome and showed him inside to the kitchen, where he deposited his offerings and left to meet up with the others.

He looked around the room, recognizing quite a few people. Brianna McCray and Kiersten Jones were conversing with Alec Trevor while it appeared that Ethan Kearney was regaling a small group of students with stories from his mission. Most of his audience was female. Pierce shook his head in annoyance. Why was it that some guys thought they needed to retell everything that happened on their missions to impress people? Chase Dunlop was another one of those guys like Ethan, who seemed to think that his mission outshined everyone else’s. His attempts to always be the center of attention at the two apartments’ get-togethers grated on his nerves.

Just then, Sister Ingleson rounded the corner and announced that dinner was ready. The room hushed and Brother Ingleson called on someone to offer a blessing on the food. The noise level immediately reverted to its former din when the blessing ended and they formed a line leading into the dining area.

“Hey, Pierce, how are you?” Brianna McCray asked him as she came behind him.

Pierce turned and met her smile with one of his own. “All right. How about you?”

Brianna was a friendly girl with curly blonde hair and a heart-shaped face. With her natural good looks and outgoing personality, she never lacked for dates. “I’m doing great. I haven’t seen you around much this semester.”

“It’s been a tough one for me,” he admitted. “I’m trying to cram the rest of my requirements in to graduate in May. By the time it ends, my brains will be fried,” he said lightly.

“It will be worth it, though, to finish. I hope it goes well for you.”

“Thanks.”

The line moved forward as they chatted about other topics; then Pierce happened to glance up and see Noelle over Brianna’s head quite a ways back in the line. She didn’t appear to be with anyone. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail, showing a pair of dangling earrings on her creamy complexion. She definitely looked better than she had last week, though her lips were still downturned and she kept fiddling nervously with the strap on her handbag.

Brianna snagged Pierce’s attention for the first half of his meal until another guy came up to her and engaged her in conversation. Pierce gulped down the rest of his food and edged away from them. He wandered into the adjoining room where he saw Noelle sitting next to Ethan Kearney, who appeared to be conducting a one-sided conversation as they ate. Noelle’s one-syllable replies, along with the long-suffering look she shot at Pierce when she saw him, convinced him to poach on the other guy’s territory.

He strode up to them and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Noelle. I’m glad you’re here. Would you mind coming with me? I need to ask you something.” Inwardly, Pierce winced. Okay, so it wasn’t a great opening, but it was all he could think of at the moment.

Pierce wasn’t sure if the visible change that occurred on her face was because of who he was or that he’d just become her rescuer. But seeing her taut features relax let him know that he’d made the right decision. “Okay.” She smiled and stood to follow him . . . where?

Now he had to come up with a plausible excuse.

They walked into the living room where a girl had begun to play a hymn on the piano. Glancing back to make sure that Ethan hadn’t followed them, he asked her, “Was Ethan bothering you?”

“Yes.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I mean, no, not in the way you’re asking. But I just . . . well, it feels weird to be here by myself.”

“Without Chase,” he clarified.

She nodded hesitantly.
It was almost like she couldn’t say the words out loud
, Pierce noted. Interesting. “I almost decided not to come. But an empty stomach can be a powerful motivator,” she said wryly.

He chuckled. “Yeah. This is the best meal I get every month, no question.” He studied her pensively. “I’m sorry I didn’t call and offer you a ride. I should have thought of that. Then you wouldn’t have had to come by yourself.”

She lifted one shoulder limply. “I made it here okay.”

Which was saying a lot because once again, the icy roads were slick. “I’m glad.”

His simple admission brought a full smile to her lips. The effect was dazzling.

Heck
, Pierce thought,
Chase Dunlop really was a fool to let Noelle Jensen go
. “You were a no-show at the dance. Are you planning on skipping the next one too?”

“Yep,” she answered cheerfully. “I’m taking a trip to Snowflake instead.”

“Oh, yeah? Are you visiting some relatives?”

“No. I’m leaving for the temple after work.”

“And driving back to Flag that night?”

She nodded. That didn’t sit well with Pierce at all. Some years, Flagstaff received a minimal amount of snowfall. But this had been one of its wettest winters in several years. “Would you mind if I go with you?” he asked.

Her brows furrowed. “Why?”

To make sure that you travel safely
, he thought, although he had a feeling she wouldn’t like that answer. He shrugged offhandedly. “It’s been a while since I’ve attended the temple. I missed last month’s ward night.”

Eyeing him speculatively, she said, “Sure. I guess.”

“What time are you leaving?”

“I figured I would drive to Snowflake early that morning if I can get the time off from work or leave by noon if I can’t. What about you? Do you have to work?”

He nodded. “Saturdays are a busy day at the store, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good, then it’s a date.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Noelle’s eyes bulged in mortification. Pierce would have laughed had he not realized what she was dealing with right now. “I-I-I mean,” she stammered, “we can go together as friends.” Her smile was forced, her cheeks blushing.

Pierce pretended not to notice her blunder. “Mind if we take my Explorer? I’d rather drive.”

“What? You don’t trust my driving?”

He cleared his throat, feeling awkward. “It’s not that I don’t trust your driving, exactly. I, uh,” he stammered, “just want to make sure you’re okay. As my mom would say, it’s the gentlemanly thing to do.” He winked.

Her brow spiked higher than he’d ever seen it. “Yeah, whatever. I’ll let you know when to pick me up, okay?”

“Sounds good.”

She readjusted her bag on her shoulder. “Well, I’d better jet. My roommates will probably be home from their own Break the Fasts.”

“Are they your keepers?”

“Are you?” she shot back, letting him know she was catching on to him.

Pierce felt mildly embarrassed, but he refused to let her see it. “Of course not. You’re a grown woman. But my mom taught me to take care of the little old ladies in our ward.”

She grinned. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a little old lady. But my roommates are also going a little nutty worrying about me. I just want everyone to treat me the way they did before all of this happened.”

Pierce hadn’t taken into consideration the probability of Noelle’s relationship with her roommates changing, with the exception of Melody. “Things should get back to normal soon.”

“I wish,” she muttered. “With Melody in the picture, it just isn’t that easy. And weirder still is the fact that Melody’s always been my second mother, even though she’s only a few years older than me. So now when she keeps asking me in her sugary sweet voice if I’m okay, I just want to grab her hair and yank on it for all I’m worth, like I did when we were kids.”

This time he did laugh. “You were an ornery child?”

“So my mom says. I prefer to call myself ‘spirited.’ ” A reluctant smile crossed her lips. “I’m awful, huh?” After a moment, she sobered. “I don’t think our relationship will ever be the same again.”

“Maybe not,” he confirmed. “But don’t give up on having a relationship with her at all. It will get better. I promise.” Inwardly, Pierce squirmed. His relationship with his own dad was still difficult, to say the least.

She looked at him quizzically. “How do you know?”

She was encroaching on personal territory. Deciding to be frank with her, he admitted, “I guess I don’t. I was trying to encourage you. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but keep praying and the Lord will help you.”

She studied him curiously for a moment, then her face relaxed. “Thanks. I’ll call you later this week. See ya.”

“Bye.” He watched her go, thinking she’d made some good progress in the past week.

“So you’re going out with her,” Kurt drawled, sending shivers down Pierce’s back. He hadn’t even noticed his friend come up from behind him. “Man, you move fast.”

“No, I’m not,” he refuted, wanting to squelch that idea before it turned into an ugly rumor. “We’re just friends.” Seeing Kurt’s look of disbelief, Pierce added, “What? She needs a friend right now.”

“And you just volunteered for the job. How noble of you.”

“Shut up,” he growled. “You know nothing about it.”

“Really?” he said sardonically. “She didn’t look too brokenhearted.”

“She was hiding it well.” He scowled in disgust. Sometimes Kurt could be so immature. But if it hadn’t been for him and his dad, Pierce was unsure of what kind of man he would have become. He definitely wouldn’t have become an Eagle Scout without their influence, nor would he probably have served a mission.

Come to think of it, Kurt was the person who had convinced Pierce to attend NAU. He’d been thinking along the lines of Stanford, close to Santa Clara, where his family had lived until he turned eight. After moving around the Phoenix area for a few years, they moved to Glendale, Arizona, when Pierce was ten. He had been a lost and confused kid, angry with his parents for relocating them and disappointed that he couldn’t gain his father’s attention. Acting out in school hadn’t helped. The only thing that had was when Pierce came of age in the Scouting program, with Kurt’s dad being the Scoutmaster in their ward. They’d taken him under their wings and shown Pierce not only how to set up tents and cook outdoors but how a real father-and-son relationship worked as well. They’d given him a sense of purpose, direction, and love. At times, Pierce had felt closer to the Levingtons than his own family. In fact, it was John Levington who had ordained Pierce to the priesthood because his dad had become inactive by then.

“I’ll see you later,” he told Kurt, slapping his back. He thanked Brother and Sister Ingleson and drove home, thinking about all of the things he needed to do the following morning. Tonight, however, there was someone he needed to call. He pulled his cell phone out and dialed her number.

SEVEN

H
ELLO?”

“Hi, Mom.”

“Pierce.” He could hear the smile in her voice as she greeted him. “How’s my handsome ‘middle son’ doing?”

Pierce recalled a time when he was about seven or eight years old and he was feeling overlooked by being the middle child. A mild complaint to his mom had prompted her loving embrace and the tender words that were whispered in his ear. “How could I ever forget my middle son? He’s my ray of sunshine when my clouds are gray.”

A laugh escaped his lips. “You don’t have to call me that anymore, Mom. I’m over it. How’s life going for you?”

“Couldn’t be better. I’m keeping busy with my job and my calling with the Young Women.” His mom was the Young Women president in her ward. “What about you, Pierce? How are your classes going?”