Surrendered Hearts (21 page)

“And you believe him?”

“Well, he’s here isn’t he?” She lifted her chin, and a stubborn glint shone in her eyes.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you should pack your bags and fly off with him.”

“He says he wants to marry me.”

Bill tossed his hand in the air. “Oh, yeah, I bet he does.”

“What?” she snapped. “You don’t think anyone in their right mind would want to marry me?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He rubbed his forehead, trying to straighten out his thoughts. Why had Phillip shown up now? It didn’t make sense. There must be more to it than a simple change of heart. “I don’t think you should trust him.”

“Why would you say that? You don’t even know him.”

“Well, he’s an actor, isn’t he?”

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“How can you trust someone who’s paid to play a part?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Bill, I’m an actor, just like Phillip.”

“No. You’re nothing like him.” Bill’s thoughts raced around in a circle. He wasn’t convincing her of anything except that he was a little crazy.

“I don’t understand why you’re giving me such a hard time. Why should you care if I go back to Oregon? You’re leaving.”

He groaned. “Come on, Jenn.”

“What? You want me to turn down a perfectly good marriage proposal just because it means moving across country?”

He rubbed his forehead, totally stumped at how to explain things to her. But he had to say something. “Please, just . . . don’t rush into this. At least wait until Wes and Lauren come home. Talk it over with them. See what they say.”

She crossed her arms and stared off toward the house, the struggle evident on her face. “I promised Wes and Lauren I’d keep the gallery open. I won’t leave before they get back.”

Two days. That wasn’t nearly enough time to convince her to stay, especially with Phillip hanging around every minute. Doubts came rushing in, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Jenn deserved to get married and have a family some day, but the thought of her marrying Phillip turned his stomach. How could a guy like that be good for her? He had an attitude as big as a house, and he wanted to take her away from Vermont and the only family she had left.

But what if he was wrong about Phillip? What if he was being totally selfish? He swallowed and looked at Jenn. “Do you love him?”

She pressed her lips together, lowering her gaze. “I thought I did. But so much has happened. I’m not sure any more.”

Her response sparked a tiny flame of hope. Maybe there was still a chance, at least to convince her to stay.

Phillip stepped out the front door of the gallery door, his eyes glued to them.

Bill tensed and looked back at Jenn. “Promise me you’ll give it more time before you turn your life upside down again.”

Questions shimmered in her hazel eyes, but she nodded. “I’ll wait until Sunday and talk to Wes and Lauren.”

Bill nodded. That was enough for now.

Saturday morning Jenn set the steaming plate of French toast and bacon on the table in front of Phillip. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Phillip looked up at her with an uneasy smile that didn’t look too convincing.

Jenn took her plate from the counter and joined Phillip at the kitchen table. He had been acting strange ever since he arrived that morning. Was he still bothered because she’d asked him to stay at a nearby bed and breakfast last night? Or perhaps he would’ve rather gone out this morning instead of eating with Tilley and Toby. She wasn’t sure, but for some reason she didn’t mind him being a little uncomfortable. After all, he was the one who had just shown up yesterday with no warning.

Tilley bustled toward the table carrying a red ceramic bowl. “We have peaches with whipped cream or warm maple syrup.”

Toby reached for the bowl. “I want peaches on mine.”

“Hold your horses, young man.” Tilley looked at him over the top of her glasses. “We’re going to pray first.”

“Sorry.” He grinned and slipped his hands back in his lap.

“That’s better.” Tilley sat down and smiled across the table at Phillip. “Would you like to pray?”

Jenn stifled a little gasp.

Phillip’s face flushed. “Well, I—”

“I’ll pray.” Jenn bowed her head, and closed her eyes. “Dear God, thank you for our breakfast and for everyone around this table. Please be with us and watch over us today. Amen.” Her cheeks flamed as she looked up.

Tilley wore a pleased smile as she poured orange juice into his glass. “So, Phillip, what are your plans for the day?”

“Well, I thought Jenn and I would take a drive and do a little exploring.” He ladled maple syrup on his French toast. “I’ve never been to Vermont before.”

Jenn swallowed and set her fork down. “I’m sorry, Phillip. I should’ve mentioned this last night. I’m working in the gallery today from ten to five.”

He sent her a puzzled look. “Isn’t there someone else who could fill in for you?”

“Not really. I’m the only one working until Lauren gets back.”

“When is that?”

“Tomorrow around six. But we’re closed on Sundays, so we can go for a drive after church if you like.”

His eyebrows rose. “Church?”

She nodded, feeling a little surge of mirth at his surprised expression. She’d enjoyed going the last two weeks, and she didn’t intend to miss tomorrow. “The service is over about twelve. So that gives us all afternoon. But I’d like to be here when Wes and Lauren get back.”

“They’re bringing me a surprise,” Toby added, his smile spreading wider.

Phillip ignored Toby, and a frown settled on his forehead. “Can’t you just close the gallery today? I’m sure you’ve worked extra hours while they’re away.”

She shook her head. “I couldn’t do that. Saturday is always our busiest day.”

Toby reached across and took another piece of bacon from the serving platter. As he brought it back to his p
l
ate, his hand bumped Phillip’s juice glass and knocked it over.

Phillip gasped and jerked back, but not in time to avoid the orange stream cascading into his lap.

“Oh dear.” Tilley hopped up and reached for a towel.

Phillip muttered a curse as he swiped his napkin at his pants leg.

Surprise rippled through Jenn. She hadn’t heard that kind of language for months.

Toby shrunk into his chair. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right, Toby.” Jenn narrowed her eyes and sent Phillip a sharp glance. “It’s just a little juice.”

Tilley and Jenn tried to engage Phillip in conversation through the rest of breakfast, but his answers were brief and his irritation obvious. Jenn couldn’t believe he would let a little accident spoil the meal. After they’d finished and cleared the table, Jenn turned to Phillip. “Well, I’m headed out to the gallery.”

“Already?” He glanced at his watch, a disgruntled look settling over his features again.

She lifted her key ring from the hook by the refrigerator. “I need to turn on the air conditioner and cool things off before we open.”

He cocked his head toward the mudroom, signaling that he wanted to speak to her alone.

She led the way out the back door and on to the porch. “What is it?”

“Darling, I understand you want to help your brother and his wife, but we need to make arrangements for our flight back to Oregon.”

“I told you last night, I want to talk to Wes and Lauren first, and I want you to meet them.”

“Of course. I’m looking forward to it. But I don’t want you to miss the audition on Thursday, and I’m not sure how long we can wait to make our reservations.”

Jenn smoothed her hand down her sleeve. “I’m not ready to make a decision. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

He studied her for a moment, a perplexed look lining his face. “You’ve changed, Jenn.”

A feeling of confidence rose in her heart, and she nodded. “You’re right. I have.”

* * * *

Bill checked his watch and hustled up the sun-splashed front steps of Tipton Bible Church. As he pulled open the front door, the sound of the congregation singing a lively praise chorus greeted him and confirmed he was a few minutes late.

People were going to begin wondering about him. He’d missed church the day after the wedding because he’d driven Wes and Lauren to the airport. Last Sunday he’d been called to take part in the search for a little girl who had wandered away from her family’s campsite near Mirror Lake. They found her a few hours later, and he was glad to help, but he wanted to be sure and touch base with Pastor Dan today to let him know where he’d been the past couple weeks.

Glancing into the sanctuary, he searched for a seat near the back then slipped inside as the song ended and everyone sat down.

Bill nodded to Howard Clarkson, Tipton’s postmaster and owner of the general store. His old friend scooted down and made room for him at the end of the second pew from the back.

“Good to see you, Bill,” Howard whispered. “Where’ve you been?”

Bill suppressed a chuckle as he settled into his seat. He supposed this was one of the advantages of attending a small church—people missed you when you were away. “I just got back from North Carolina on Friday.”

Howard lifted his silver brows. “Visitin’ your folks?”

Bill nodded. He wasn’t ready to spread the news about the other reason for his trip, and if he told Howard, that’s exactly what would happen.

The job offer from Hawk Mountain had come through yesterday. He’d thanked them and asked for a few more days to make a final decision. They’d been surprised by his request but agreed to give him until September first. He hoped six days was long enough to find out what Jenn planned to do.

He’d had a rough time sleeping the last two nights knowing Phillip was in town and Jenn was considering returning to Oregon with him. The decision about the new job also weighed heavily on his mind. Hopefully, he could fill in Wes and Lauren when he picked them up at the airport this afternoon. Maybe they could convince Jenn to send Phillip packing.

Pastor Dan opened his Bible and began reading Psalm Seventy-seven. As Bill listened, his gaze traveled around the sanctuary. He noticed Tilley sitting two rows in front of him. The woman next to Tilley turned and whispered something to her.

Bill’s eyes widened as he caught sight of Jenn’s familiar profile. Leaning slightly to the left, he spotted Phillip seated next to her and groaned under his breath. Charlotte Chambers, seated directly in front of Bill, lifted her fussy baby to her shoulder blocking his view. He scooted down the pew until his arm touched Howard’s. The older man turned and raised his silver brows. 

“Sorry,” Bill whispered. “I was just trying to see who’s sitting with Tilley.”

Howard squinted and then looked back at Bill. “Why, that’s Wes’s sister, Jennifer.” His forehead creased as he sent Bill a confused look. “You brought her into the store and introduced her to me, remember?”

“Of course I remember,” Bill whispered back. “I’ve just never seen her here before.”

“Oh, she’s been coming quite a while. At least three or four times, I’d say.”

Bill’s heartbeat kicked into high gear. “You sure about that?”

Arlene Clarkson tapped her husband on the thigh with her church bulletin. “The usher is going to ask you boys to step outside if you don’t hush.”

Bill nodded an apology and slid down to the end of the pew. He tried to focus on Pastor Dan, but his mind and eyes kept drifting back to Jenn.

Less than three minutes into the sermon Phillip draped his arm around Jenn’s shoulder. A playful look filled his face as he leaned closer and whispered something in her ear.

Bill clenched his jaw and forced his gaze away. Jenn was here, and she was listening to a great sermon. That’s all that mattered. But he had a hard time convincing himself that was true as he watched Phillip gently rub her shoulder and tickle her neck with a strand of her hair.

Twenty minutes later, Bill bowed his head and tried to concentrate on the words of the closing prayer. As soon as he heard “amen”, he stood and grabbed his Bible from the pew. He glanced at Jenn and Phillip, debating if he should hightail it out of there or wait to speak to Jenn. Before he could decide, Julia stepped across the aisle.

“Hey, Bill. How was your trip?” A warm smile lit up her face as she greeted him.

“It was good.” He swallowed and forced a half smile. He hadn’t noticed Julia sitting over there.

“What time are you going to pick up Wes and Lauren?”

“Around five.” He glanced to the right, checking on Jenn and Phillip. They stood together in the center aisle by their pew. Tilley’s hand rested on Jenn’s arm as she introduced her to a friend.

“I can’t wait to see them,” Julia bit her lip and leaned closer. “I’ve got some news.”

Bill focused on Julia again. “What kind of news?”

Her blue eyes twinkled. “I met someone.”

Surprise rippled through him. “Really?”

She nodded. “He came into the office last week to list a house he inherited on Ingram Road. His name is Tanner Winslow. He’s from New Jersey.”