Route 66 Reunions (40 page)

He glanced at the address and nodded. “I’ll be there.”

She swirled away and stopped a moment by the door. “We always go out to eat after church. See ya.”

Twenty minutes later, Kevin knocked at John Parker’s office before entering. His boss greeted him with a smile and a firm handshake. “Sit down. I won’t take but a minute of your time. How are things going?”

“Fine.” Kevin wasn’t sure what else to say. His personal life had died a premature death, but Mr. Parker wouldn’t be interested.

“Good.” They talked shop for a while, until Mr. Parker leaned forward. “I’ve been watching you, Kevin. You take the initiative and get things done. I don’t worry when you’re out in the field, because I know we’ll have a satisfied client when you come home. I like that. Valerie has nothing but good to say about you. I appreciate you taking her to the open house for that girls’ home last night. Sorry the wife and I couldn’t make it. She filled us in though. From what she said, they got a nice place. My little girl may be a bit dingy sometimes, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders. She knows quality when she sees it, and I’m not talking about the house. I mean her escort.”

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.” Did the man know his daughter was pushing past professional limits? The kiss she’d given him was about as chaste as any he’d ever experienced, but he didn’t think Valerie intended to stop there. What would her father think then?

“So can we expect to see you Sunday?”

He’d obviously missed part of the conversation, but he caught the gist of it. He nodded. “Yes, I told Valerie I’d come.”

“Good.” Mr. Parker rose, signaling their time had ended. He extended his hand, which Kevin took for a quick shake. “Plan to eat with us at the club after.”

“Thanks, I will.”

Kevin went back to work, wondering at the turn his life seemed to be taking.

Two days later, he entered church with a beautiful woman on his arm, but she wasn’t Sarah, and the church wasn’t Sarah’s. He sat through the sermon, remembering the vivid word pictures Sarah’s pastor used to bring God’s Word to life. He looked down at his open Bible while the minister’s voice droned on. He turned to the now familiar Gospel of John and let the thoughts of the fourteenth chapter lift him to a higher plane. How he would love the assurance of a place in heaven. Jesus told His disciples He would go away and prepare a place for them. A place to belong sounded pretty good to Kevin. At the moment he wasn’t sure where he belonged.

Not with Sarah obviously. She’d told him to get lost when they were kids. She said she never wanted to see him again. Did she still feel that way? If so, she’d put on a good act, but for what purpose? Why had she led him on only to dump him for another man? To hurt him? His shoulders slumped with the heavy weight of his heart as he stood with the Parkers for the closing prayer.

The country club’s dining room buzzed with activity, and Valerie kept a firm hold on Kevin’s arm. She bestowed a sweet smile on him when he held her chair and sat at her side. Her parents sat across from them. While they ate, the hum of conversations and soft music over the speakers created background for a perfect meal of baked veal, fluffy mashed potatoes, and asparagus.

Mr. Parker mentioned his business with pride. “I started out as a CPA working for someone else. Decided I wanted my own business. The wife and I were newlyweds then, and I took a gamble. Everyone said I’d lose my shirt, but instead I latched on to a whole new wardrobe.” He laughed at his joke.

Kevin smiled with him. “You’ve done very well for yourself. That’s something to be proud of.”

His boss nodded. “True, but I’m getting older now and don’t figure I have the energy of a young man.” He jabbed his fork toward Kevin. “It takes a lot of stamina to build and grow. That’s for young men.”

“Daddy, why don’t you and Kevin continue this conversation at the office?” Valerie scooted her chair back. “I want to show Kevin around the grounds.”

Kevin stood to help her with her chair. She smiled at him. “I don’t mean to rush you, but Daddy can go on and on when he gets started.”

Before Kevin could respond, Mr. Parker waved them away. “No, that’s fine. You two take a walk. Mom and I may do the same a little later. I’ll see you in the morning, Kevin. Stop by the office sometime during the day. I need to discuss something with you.”

Kevin nodded. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow. If you don’t mind, I’ll see Valerie home after our walk.”

Mr. and Mrs. Parker both smiled and nodded. “Take your time. Show him the pool, Val. Maybe he likes tennis or golf.”

“Tennis might be fun. Too bad we aren’t dressed to play.” Just hearing the word
golf
brought back memories of Sarah at the miniature golf course. Memories that he shoved to the back of his mind now so he could continue to smile and appear interested in the walk Valerie wanted.

“We’ll come back later when we are.” Valerie smiled up at him, and he had to think for a moment what she meant.

“Oh yes, to play tennis. Do you have rackets, or should I stock up on a couple along with some balls?” He led her away from the table toward the door.

Her laughter sounded pure and real. “Daddy’s been a member of the club all my life, so we have plenty of equipment. Don’t waste your money. I love to play. Why don’t we bring a change of clothes next Sunday, and we’ll bat balls around for a while? No pressure. Just see how we do.”

“No showing me up, huh?” He smiled at her. “Okay, I’m game if you promise to go easy on me.”

“I do.” Her blue eyes twinkled with an emotion he didn’t want to decipher.

Late Monday afternoon Kevin tapped on Mr. Parker’s door. He’d been busy all day and had only a few minutes ago remembered his promise to stop by the boss’s office. Valerie must’ve been busy, too. He’d seen her once and scarcely had time to return her smile before she hurried off.

“Come on in.” Mr. Parker’s gruff voice called out.

Kevin stepped inside.

“I’ve been expecting you.” His boss motioned to the chair facing his desk. “Have a seat. I want to know what you thought of church. Our minister knows the Bible inside out, doesn’t he?”

Kevin nodded. “Yes, he seems quite knowledgeable.”

He couldn’t argue with that. The man seemed to have an extensive knowledge of the history of Egypt and ancient Rome including the customs of the time. So what if he hadn’t felt as if anything in the sermon applied to his life? A man would have to be egotistical to think every sermon he heard was preached for him alone. Maybe next week’s sermon would be different.

“So are you planning to attend this coming Sunday?” Mr. Parker watched him as if his answer mattered.

“I promised Valerie I would.”

A wide smile broke over the other man’s face. “Great. We’ll count on it then. That brings us to the reason for this meeting.”

Until that point, Kevin hadn’t thought much about his summons. Over the years he’d worked for Parker, he’d sat before him many times discussing one problem after another. Instinctively he knew this time was different. Not only from the gleam in his eyes but also by bringing church into the equation, Parker had more than business on his mind. As he talked, Kevin’s suspicion grew.

“Parker Enterprises has grown beyond the scope of my original vision. I first expected a small office of accountants servicing the Windy City. We’ve gone beyond that, as your trips into Michigan and Indiana prove. We’re right up there with commercial real estate, and our financial services are some of the best. There’s still room for growth, but we’ve done well for ourselves.”

He shifted in his chair. “I’ve had my eye on you, Kevin, since you joined our firm. You’re a bright, energetic young man. Valerie thinks highly of you. I’d be proud to welcome you into the family, and I want you to know a partnership is yours if that happens….”

Kevin heard the rumble of Mr. Parker’s words after that, but he didn’t try to listen. He’d heard all he needed to. Had Valerie put her dad up to this? She was spoiled enough to get away with such an underhanded trick, but why would she? She had her choice of men. She’d turned down two marriage offers he knew of. Why him? And why not? Sarah didn’t want him. He wasn’t getting any younger, and he’d like to have a family of his own someday. He liked Valerie and enjoyed her company. What more could a guy expect? Maybe he’d go along with her game and see where it took him. He didn’t have to make a commitment right now.

Sarah spoke into her phone at work. “Darlene, hello.”

She winced, knowing she’d neglected Marilee’s Home since the night of the open house. The night Kevin paraded his girlfriend in front of her. No, that wasn’t fair. He probably thought she was engaged to Harold. He had every right to be with whomever he wanted. He could marry her for all she cared. Tears welled in her eyes, and she brushed them away with more force than necessary.

“How have you been?” Darlene’s compassionate voice came over the phone, and Sarah straightened, bringing her thoughts back to her friend.

“Busy. You know how it is. Seems like there’s always something to do.” She picked up a pen and began doodling on a pad of paper.

“Oh, that’s the truth, but what’s it been? Two, three weeks? The girls have been asking about you. They want to show you what they’ve done to their rooms.” Darlene laughed. “It’s amazing how each room reflects the personality of the girl. I think this house is more home to these girls than the one we wanted to keep. How wrong a person can be.”

“Yes, that’s true.” She should have fought to keep Kevin, but she let him go twice. Now it was too late. It had been three weeks ago tonight since she saw him, but he’d stayed on her mind every second of that time. Twice she’d started to call him to explain, then couldn’t. Not with that dark-haired woman’s beautiful face standing between them. She’d been so wrong, and she lost him. He’d found someone else.

“So when do you think you’ll have time for us?” Darlene asked.

“How would tomorrow night work?” She really did want to see the girls.

“Fine. Plan to stay for dinner. What’s your favorite?”

Sarah stared in horror at her subconscious doodling. From every angle, Kevin Nichols’s name in hearts taunted her. She threw the pen across her office to land in the soft carpeting. “My favorite? Have you had hamburgers and homemade fries lately?”

“Nope, but we can tomorrow.” Sarah heard paper rustling. “I’ll make a note for Grace. The girls will love it.”

After Darlene hung up, Sarah retrieved her pen and tore the paper with Kevin’s name to shreds before throwing it away. Forcing her mind back to work, she shut everything else out.

Sarah drove to the girls’ home after work Friday. She was happy for the girls, and visiting them was no chore. They welcomed her with open arms and led her from one bedroom to another.

Cindy, her blond ponytail bouncing, pulled Sarah into her room. “What do you think? Pretty, huh?”

One of the other girls snickered. Sarah blinked at the intense pink glow dominating the room. Even the white walls took on a pink cast from the hot pink curtains hanging on the west window. The single bedspread matched the curtains, adding to the color.

“Oh my,” Sarah said. “You won’t get tired of this, will you?”