The Healing Quilt (20 page)

B.J.’s eyebrows lifted. “That’s interesting. So did I.”

“I’m curious,” Noreen said, leaning slightly forward. “What does B.J. stand for?”

“Bruce Jensen,” he replied. “But I’ve gone by B.J. since I was in college, when some of my friends started calling me that.”

“Did you say Bruce Jensen?” Noreen’s mouth twisted at the corners, and she stared at him as though in disbelief.

He gave a quick nod.

“Did you by any chance have a girlfriend in high school whose name was Judy Hanson?”

B.J.’s face blanched. “Why, yes, I did. What made you ask that question?”

Noreen lips quivered. “Judy was my sister, and you’re obviously the man who broke her heart.” She pushed back her chair with such force that it nearly toppled to the floor. “I’m sorry, Emma, but I have to go!” Noreen quickly gathered up her things and rushed out the door.

H
ow many times are you going to clean things in here?” Lamar asked as he watched Emma scrub the kitchen counters. “I think they’re clean enough, don’t you?”

“You’re right, Lamar, but staying busy helps when something’s on my mind.”

“And what would that be?”

Emma dropped the sponge into the sink and turned to face him. “I’m upset with how things turned out today, and I’m beginning to think we’ll never be able to help any of our students.”

“Now don’t you go thinkin’ negative thoughts like that,” Lamar said with a shake of his head. “Things aren’t really that bad.”

“Are you serious?” Emma leaned against the counter and folded her arms. “Not only is Erika still being very negative, but Jennifer shared with me how depressed her husband has become because he’s still unemployed. All I could do was offer her some food.”

“I’m sure she appreciated it, Emma.”

“I know, but it just didn’t seem like enough. I don’t have any answers for her, and I wish we could do more.”

“Well, you said Jennifer invited us to their house for supper on Friday night, so maybe we can take them another box of food.”

“That’s a good idea, and I’m sure it will help some.” Emma sighed deeply. “I’m also worried about Mike. I could see how anxious he was about his health, yet he wouldn’t really open up and share his fears.”

“He talked some to me,” Lamar informed her. “I think he’ll feel better once he gets the results of his blood test next week.”

“I hope it’s nothing serious,” Emma said. “And with his wife away, I’m sure Mike feels even worse.”

“You’re probably right,” Lamar agreed. “I told Mike we’d be praying for him.”

“That’s good, Lamar. We also need to pray for B.J. and Noreen. He looked devastated when Noreen yelled at him, and she seemed terribly upset when she ran out of our home.”

Lamar tugged on his ear. “I wonder what was up with that.”

“Apparently B.J. did something to hurt Noreen’s sister, and Noreen’s angry about it.” Emma slowly shook her head. “We’ve never had a class like this, Lamar. Everyone has a problem, but no one seems willing to say much about it, or ask for our help.”

“They don’t need to ask,” Lamar reminded. “We just need to be there and offer our support. Remember all the other classes? Even though we had our doubts at first, in the end, things turned out for the best.”

“That’s true, and I have to remember that God seldom swoops down and fixes everything. Some things take time, and people need to be willing to allow Him to help them cope and manage their problems.”

“Well said. And you know, Emma, one good thing did happen today,” Lamar commented.

“What was that?”

“I do believe that Jan may have found himself a lady friend.”

Emma smiled. “I think you could be right about that.”

“What a beautiful day it is to be on the beach,” Kim remarked as she and Jan sat on a bench facing the water, eating burgers and fries. “For me, this is the best part of living in Florida, having the gulf and its beaches so close at hand.”

“Think I could get used to this kind of life.” Jan tossed a fry to a squawking seagull and laughed when three more gulls moved in and tried to grab it.

“If you like it here, why don’t you relocate?” Kim asked.

He shook his head. “I can’t. I’m a roofer, and my business is in northeast Indiana.”

“You could start over. That’s what I did when I left my home in Raleigh, North Carolina. Of course, I didn’t have my own business to worry about.”

Jan threw several more of his fries on the sand and watched as the hungry birds attacked. “It’d be hard to start over with a new business here. I’d probably have some stiff competition in an area as big as Sarasota and the surrounding towns, and it would take some time to get my name out there.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Kim finished her burger and leaned back with eyes closed and head tilted toward the sun. “My advice is to enjoy every moment of your vacation. By the time you leave, you’ll be nice and relaxed and probably go home with a really nice tan.”

Jan gave no reply. He didn’t give a rip about getting tan or being relaxed. When he’d first met Kim on the beach with her dog, he’d been intrigued. Now, he just wanted to spend the time he had left in Sarasota getting to know the perky little blond sitting next to him. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and almost choked on a french fry, seeing Kim’s face lifted toward the sun. Her smooth tan skin and those long, thick eyelashes lying against her cheeks were almost his undoing. Her silky hair coming loose from behind her ears and gently bobbing with the warm breezes made him wish once again that he could wrap a strand of it around his finger.

“Are you all right?” Kim asked when she opened her eyes. “You’re looking at me strangely.”

Jan coughed and swallowed to regain his composure. “Yep, I’m just fine. Those dumb seagulls made me laugh and I almost choked.”
Boy, did that sound stupid
, he thought.
But I couldn’t come right out and tell her the truth
.

“Yes, they are crazy birds.” Kim pointed toward the water. “Would you look at that?”

“What is it?” he asked.

“There’s a dog out there, standing on a paddle board, and a woman is pushing it along.” She giggled. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before.”

Jan smiled. “Guess it takes all kinds.”

“You’re right. That’s what makes the world such an interesting place.” Kim closed her eyes again. “It feels so good to just sit here and soak up the sun. I feel totally relaxed.”

“Same here.” Jan thought about how he and Kim had ridden their own bikes to Lido Beach, which meant they couldn’t visit on the way. It didn’t matter, though. Ever since they’d first stepped onto the sand, they’d been talking pretty much nonstop. They’d shared things about their families, jobs, and what kinds of things they enjoyed doing just for fun. Jan couldn’t remember when he’d felt this comfortable with a woman—not even with Star’s mother, Nancy, whom he’d nicknamed Bunny. He’d only spent part of a day with Kim, and already he felt as if he’d known her for years. He’d been attracted to Nancy physically, but their personalities were as different as fire and ice. Even better, he and Kim had a lot in common. They both owned motorcycles, liked to bowl, enjoyed eating pizza, and ironically, they each owned German shepherds.

What a shame they lived so many miles apart. Why couldn’t he have found a gal like Kim back home? Even if they established a friendship while he was here, it would probably end when he returned to Indiana. It would be too hard to have a long-distance relationship. Phone calls weren’t the same as spending actual time together.

Appealing as it sounds, I sure can’t pull up stakes and move down here
, Jan reminded himself as he took a drink of root beer.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Kim said, opening her eyes. “Are you bored with my company now?”

Jan jerked his head. “What? No! Just the opposite, in fact.”

She smiled. “Does that mean you’ve enjoyed being with me as much as I have you?”

He gave a nod, pleased that she’d said what he’d been thinking.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure thing. What do you want to know?”

Kim pointed to his arm—the one with “Bunny” tattooed on it. “I’m curious about that name.”

“It’s a nickname for someone I used to date—my daughter’s mother, in fact.” Jan slapped the side of his head. “I didn’t have much in the way of brains when I had that tattoo done. Guess I figured I’d spend the rest of my life with Bunny.”

“Things don’t always turn out the way we think they will,” she said.

“Nope, they sure don’t.”

They sat quietly for a while, watching kids squealing with excitement as they ran out to meet the water, and couples walking hand-in-hand along the sandy beach. Turning to Kim, Jan touched her arm briefly and said, “Would you be willing to go out with me again? Maybe we could go bowling, catch a movie, have another picnic on the beach, or take a ride on our bikes.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“Which one?” he asked, tipping his head.

“Everything you suggested.”

He snapped his fingers. “Great! Let’s do all four.”

“All in one day?” Her eyebrows lifted.

“Sure, why not? We could start by taking another ride on our bikes and come back here to the beach. We can lie in the sun, splash around in the water, and eat some lunch. Then we can take in an afternoon show and end the day at the bowling alley.”

“Whoa now! That all sounds nice, but maybe we should space those things out a bit. I have a job, you know, and don’t forget about Maddie. I don’t like leaving her alone for long hours.”

“Maybe we can do something together on your next day off, and either take Maddie along or just not be gone all day.”

“My next day off is tomorrow. Since it’s Sunday, the restaurant will be closed, but I did plan on going to church in the morning. Guess I could go to the early service, though.”

“Would you mind if I tag along?” Jan asked.

“No, not at all. I’d enjoy the company.”

“I hope you don’t think I’m bein’ too pushy,” he said, “but since I’ll only be here a few weeks before my daughter joins me…”

“Oh, that’s right. You did say something earlier about her coming here.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, of course not. I’d like to meet her.”

He grinned. “And you shall, ’cause I’m sure Star will enjoy meeting you, too.”

“Guess what, Randy?” Jennifer asked when she arrived home from class and found him sitting slumped on the front porch.

“I have no idea,” he mumbled. “And I don’t feel like guessin’ neither. Just tell me, okay? I’m not in the mood for guessing games.”

“There was a new guy in our class this morning—a friend of Lamar and Emma’s. He’s a big, rugged-looking biker, and he drove all the way down here from Shipshewana, Indiana.”

Randy lifted his head and shrugged. “So, what’s that to me?’

“Nothing personal, but I thought you might be interested in hearing about—”

“Sorry, but I’m not.”

Jennifer winced. She hated seeing her husband in such a sullen mood. And she didn’t have to ask the reason for it. He’d obviously spent the day job hunting and had come up empty-handed again.

“There’s a box in the trunk of my car,” Jennifer said. “It’s a gift from the Millers.”

“What’d they give you this time?” he asked, glancing at her car parked in their driveway.

“It’s full of food, but I didn’t look inside to see what all is in it.”

“Humph! You know how much I hate handouts.”

“I don’t like to accept charity from others, either, but in our situation, we need all the help we can get.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that. Guess we’d better have them over for supper to show our appreciation. Why don’t you give ’em a call and see if they’re free to come over one evening this week?”

“Actually, I already invited them. I suggested Friday night, and Emma said that would be fine.” Jennifer placed her hands on Randy’s shoulders. “We can just keep it simple, okay?”

“Sure, whatever.” He rose to his feet. “I’ll go get the box out of the car, and then we can figure out what I should fix for our guests.”