“All right, then. Come on,” her mother said, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go raid some of those dishes in the refrigerator. Maybe you can help me identify some of them.”
Andi forced a smile and followed her mother to the kitchen.
Chapter Fourteen
Justin sat brooding at the table near the window in the restaurant at Rockefeller Center, close to the ABC building where he’d spent the afternoon. He saw Madeline come in, and the hostess led her to his table.
“Uh-oh,” Madeline said when she saw him. “What happened? It fell through, didn’t it?”
He tried to snap out of it and shook his head. “No. Everything’s fine. Better than fine. Looks like we have a deal.”
Madeline punched the air and spun around, then composed herself and sat down. “That’s great, Justin! So great! So why do you have that I-lost-my-best-friend look on your face?”
He refrained from answering that it was because he’d lost his best friend. “I just have a lot on my mind. It’s all kind of overwhelming.”
“In a good way, though. Listen, I met some great people at the art school. Several of them are about to graduate.”
“Great. Hire them.”
Madeline sat back in her chair, as if surprised that it had been so easy. “Really?”
“Yeah. We’re gonna need everybody we can get. I trust you to pick good people. That’s why I brought you.”
She frowned and leaned forward on the table. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
He grinned.
“Really,” she said. “What’s wrong? If you don’t tell me within five minutes, I’m going to climb on this table and start singing ‘God Bless America’ at the top of my lungs. It won’t be pretty.”
He rubbed his face. “Nothing. It’s just a run-in I had with Andi before we left.”
“A run-in? It’s got you so distracted that you’re completely missing one of the most significant days in your professional life, and you call it a ‘run-in’?”
“All right. A fight, okay? We had a fight.”
“About what?”
“About … nothing.”
Madeline started to stand and began humming “God Bless America.”
“I’m telling you the truth,” Justin said, grabbing her hand and forcing her back down. “Now hush.”
“Don’t tell me it was about nothing,” Madeline said. “I don’t take evasions well.”
“Maybe it’s none of your business.”
“Maybe,” Madeline said. “But that never stopped me before. I’m feeling very patriotic.”
He looked back out the window. “The truth is, I don’t know what it was about. She just got a bee in her bonnet and started snipping at me about how she hasn’t been herself for the last few days.”
“Well, she hasn’t. Her father died. Who would be?”
“No, I mean … all the time we spent together …” He rubbed his jaw hard, then shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Wait a minute. You mean she cut you loose?”
He dropped his face in his hands. He was tired. So tired. “Yeah, something like that. Told me she didn’t need me anymore.”
“Oh, Justin, I’m sorry.”
He slid his fingers down his face and stared over his fingertips at a couple strolling past the window. “The thing is, something triggered it. Andi’s moody, sure, but not that moody. And when she feels things, she feels them deep. Too deep, I used to think. But she doesn’t turn hot and cold just like that.”
“What do you think it was?”
“Who knows? She’s sure not going to tell me.”
“Well, have you tried calling her since you’ve been here?”
“Nope. Not going to.”
“Why not?”
“The ball’s in her court, Madeline. She cut the strings. I don’t have to grovel to keep a woman’s interest.”
“No, you don’t. But playing these games isn’t going to help.”
“Who’s playing games?”
“She is. And you are.” She shoved her curls back from her face. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that what happened with her the last time? You were both playing games. You both lost. You disappeared out of anger, and she got the wrong impression, and then you came back, and she was still reacting to the disappearance, and she said some things she probably didn’t mean, and you said some things you probably didn’t mean—”
The words shot straight to his heart, because he knew they were true. Andi had been right from the beginning. There was no winning when they were together.
“Let’s just change the subject, okay?”
“All right,” Madeline said.
“So where are Gene and Nathan?”
“Nathan had a date with one of the artists he met at the school. And Gene … well, talk about losers …”
Justin’s eyebrows shot up. “All right, spit it out. What did Gene do?”
She looked out the window. “Nothing.”
Justin grinned and began to sing “God bless America.”
Madeline laughed and tried to quiet him. “All right, Justin. I’ll tell you everything. But only if you’ll take me out tonight. I’m tired of sitting alone in my hotel room waiting for the phone to ring.”
“I can relate,” he said. “Where do you want to go?”
“Everywhere,” she said.
Justin smiled. “All right. Tonight I’ll take you everywhere.”
Chapter Fifteen
I want you to come to a party tonight.” Laney sat across from Andi’s desk, her hand resting on her pregnant belly.
“What party?” Andi asked.
“I’m giving it, and it’s a last-minute thing, so I need everyone I can get to come. I have this secret fear, you know, of giving a party and having no one show up, so you’ll come, won’t you?”
Andi was secretly relieved that she wouldn’t have to spend the evening alone. “I’ll come, but why are you giving it at the last minute? Is there some special occasion?”
“Yes,” she said. “It’s an engagement party for Wes’s sister Sherry and Clint Jessup. You’ve met Sherry, haven’t you?”
“A couple of times.”
“Well, they’re crazy in love and have been seeing each other for a pretty long time now, and they just got engaged. She’s ecstatic. We all are. And I really wanted to do something special for them, but I’m scared to death the baby will come and put me out of commission for a few weeks. Since the date isn’t that far off, and neither is the baby, I thought I’d better go ahead and do it.”
“Can I help?” Andi asked.
“No. I couldn’t ask you. You’re too busy.”
“Really,” Andi said. “I’d love to.” It was the truth, for she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had any real female companionship. She had always told herself that she was a goal-setter, and goal-setters didn’t have time to spend on friendships. Now, with her father gone and her mother in Europe, she realized that she had been wrong. As both Wes and Justin had pointed out to her, she needed friends. And she needed to be needed.
“Well, okay. If you can be there around five, you can help. I’m inviting about twenty people. It should be fun. Very informal, though.”
“I’ll be there,” Andi said.
Andi was grateful for the distraction that night, and found that the fellowship among Wes and his family and friends was something she had not experienced since college. It had been too long. She didn’t know why she had let that part of her life fade into nonexistence.
Sherry was floating with the joy of her new engagement, and brandished her ring to everyone who came in the door. Clint seemed just as happy. As Andi watched them, she found herself wishing with every fiber of her being that she could experience the same joy and permanency.
So why did you treat him so badly the last time you spoke? Why did you let your pride dictate your behavior?
She had been hurt, but that was no reason to turn on h
im like she had. He had been nothing but kind to her after her father died. He didn’t deserve her treatment of him, even if he’d only acted out of a sense of obligation.
Laney sensed her melancholy in the midst of the laughter around them, and asked, “Is everything okay, Andi?”
“Yeah, sure. It’s fine.”
“Missing Justin?”
She breathed a disbelieving laugh. “Hardly.”
“But I thought you two were …”
“We’re not.”
There she went again, she thought, kicking herself. Cutting off the connections someone was trying to make with her. Maybe she needed counseling. Maybe she needed prayers. Maybe she needed repentance … again.
She watched, moved and envious, as Sherry gave Clint the engagement gift she’d gotten him, a fine gold chain that she said symbolized how precious his commitment to her was. He kissed her as she hung it around his neck. Then, in turn, he gave her a charm bracelet that he told her he intended to add to with the name of each of their children as they were born.
Still bubbling with excitement about her wedding plans, Sherry came over to join Andi and Laney. Andi began to relax again. It was easy to feel comfortable with people like these.
“So where’s Justin?” Sherry asked Laney. “I figured he’d be here.”
“No, he’s in New York.”
“Oh, well. At least he got to meet Clint the other day. We gave him a ride to that reception. He was late, and—”
“You gave him a ride?” Andi cut in, frowning.
“Yeah. He was a nervous wreck. He’d set out to leave forty-five minutes early and wound up being late.”
“Wait a minute,” Andi said. “I thought he was with Madeline. She said it was her fault he was late …”
Laney looked up at Sherry. “You’ve met Madeline, haven’t you? She’s the one who painted the cartoons on the wall in the baby’s room.”
“Oh, yeah! And it was her fault. Hers and the other staff members. All four of them left their cars parked behind Justin’s and took off to get something to eat. He couldn’t get out. He called and asked me to give him a ride. He was literally standing out in front of his house at the curb, in his tux and cummerbund and that cute bow tie, when we drove up. I guess everything worked out, though, huh?”
Andi stared down at the floor for a moment, trying to piece the evening back together. “I was awful to him. I treated him like he’d been late on purpose.”
Sherry lowered to the couch next to Laney. “You mean, he didn’t tell you why he was late?”
“No,” she groaned. “When I pounced on him the minute he walked in, he just clammed up. Justin’s not a man who grovels.” She closed her eyes and tried to sort it all out.
Across the room, Amy called for her mother, and Laney pulled herself up off of the couch. Andi watched her go to the child and bend over, as much as possible. Amy led her out to the pool to someone who’d been asking about her, and Wes joined them. What a sweet family, she thought. She wondered if she would ever have one of her own.
“You want to see the nursery?” Sherry asked Andi, distracting her.
“Sure,” Andi said.
Sherry led her up the stairs and down the hall. “Madeline did a great job. It’s all the Khaki’s Krewe characters. Justin was too busy to do it, but Madeline did freelance work on the side since Justin didn’t pay her very regularly. I guess that’s all over now. Glad Laney snagged her for the nursery when she did.”
They got to the doorway, and Andi gasped at the beautiful, bold portrayals of the characters she had come to know and love. “This is great. What a lucky baby.” She glanced at Sherry. “So you and Laney got to know Madeline pretty well?”
“It’s not hard. She’s never met a stranger.”
“How long has she been with Justin?”
Sherry shrugged. “I’m not sure. A few years, maybe.”
Her heart sank. She had hoped that Sherry would set her straight, tell her they weren’t an item. “Has she been working for him the same length of time?” she asked, just to clarify.
Sherry shot her a confused look. “That’s what I meant. What did you mean? Together, like Clint and me? Wow, I didn’t know they were a couple! Madeline never mentioned it.”
She felt a little relief at that. She started to dig a little deeper, when she heard someone bolting up the stairs.
Wes ran past them. “Laney’s water broke! We have to take her to the hospital!”
Andi caught her breath. “Wes, do you want me to call an ambulance?”
“No, we’ll be all right in the car. Sherry, help me get some things packed for her while I call the doctor. Andi, will you stay and close down the party?”
“Sure. Anything else?”
Wes looked a little uncertain for a moment. “No. I’m gonna have another baby!” His eyes filled with tears as he began to laugh. “Is God good, or what?”
Chapter Sixteen
Laney had a boy, and Wes was so thrilled that Andi suspected they heard his shouts of joy all the way to east Texas. As she stood at the nursery window looking in at the little wonder that had caused such commotion, she felt a deep sense of loss. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy for Wes and Laney. She was. It was just that the chances of her ever experiencing the excitement of motherhood were looking slimmer and slimmer. She wondered if God had called her to be single, if Promised Land was to be her only offspring. If that was the case, she should be happy, but her faith hadn’t been what it should be lately. Joy was difficult in the wake of grief and disappointment.
She leaned her forehead against the glass as a tear rolled down her cheek. What should I do, Lord? I’m so confused.
It came to her that she should stop thinking of herself and start concentrating on Justin. He had been kind to her in her time of need, for whatever reason, and now she needed to make amends for the fight they’d had before he left.
The least she could do was offer him some token of regret, some clue that she hadn’t meant the ugly things she’d said. Torn between fighting for him and fighting for control over her emotions, she at least wanted to be his friend.
“Hey, those aren’t tears, are they?”
She looked up and saw Clint Jessup, Sherry’s Embarrassed, she wiped her face. “Yeah. He’s just so sweet. I got a little emotional.”
He smiled and gazed through the window. “He’s gonna be a great nephew. I’m gonna be one of those uncles that spoils him rotten. And when Sherry and I have our own … man, I’ll probably strut around like the king of the world. Wes is so blessed.”
She dried her tears and grinned up at him. “Sherry’s the lucky one, Clint.”
“Yeah?” he asked. “Why do you say that?”
“To be marrying someone who looks so forward to the home and hearth stuff. It’s rare, these days.”
“Well, look at him,” he said, pointing at the baby. “How could you not want that?”
Her smile softened, and she shook her head. “I don’t know.”
They watched as the nurse took the baby out of his crib.
“You know who’d make a great mom?” Clint asked.
“Who?”
“You. With your organizational skills, you could probably handle a dozen kids. And they’d have such a cool backyard to play in.”
Andi laughed. “I think I’ll wait until I have a husband.”
“That shouldn’t be too far off,” he said. “I’ve noticed a glint in the eye of a certain animator …”
Her smile faded, but before she could answer, Sherry came running up the hall. “Clint, do you want to come hold the baby?”
Clint dashed toward her. “Are you sure? They’re not scared I’ll break him?”
Sherry waved for Andi to join them. “Come on, Andi. Laney wants you to hold him too.”
Surprised that she would be included in such an intimate family moment, Andi followed them to Laney’s room.
Andi gave Justin sufficient time after being back from New Y
ork to respond to the gift of apology she’d sent down to him. The little gold statue of Khaki Kangaroo had been custom-made in a frenzy when she’d ordered her jeweler to have it ready immediately.
Hoping the gift had paved her way back into his friendship, she rode the elevator to the sixteenth floor and smiled at the sounds of diligent activity that greeted her. To her left she could hear the tracks being recorded in the sound studio and unable to resist, she followed the high voice of Khaki Kangaroo and peered through the window to see a short, balding man with wild, laughing eyes reading the script. That’s Khaki? she thought with a laugh. Deciding not to disillusion herself by waiting to see the people behind the other voices, she tore herself away and hurried to Justin’s office.
His door was open, but there was no sign of him. Stepping inside, she saw the opened gift box on his desk and wondered where the statue was. Had she missed him on his way up to thank her? Or had he taken it to show his staff?
A woman’s gurgling laughter sounded outside and Andi turned around to see Madeline coming out of one of the offices, holding the statue for some of the employees to see. Pivoting in the corridor, she saw Andi. “Did you send us this?” Madeline asked in a lilting voice as she rushed into Justin’s office, brandishing the statue like a child with a new Christmas toy. Her thin eyebrows arched in delight and her dark eyes danced.
Andi forced a smile. “I sent it to Justin,” she said, tempering her voice with cordiality rather than animosity. “It’s kind of a congratulatory gift.”
“It’s great!” the woman said, straightening her pink headband over her unruly curls. “Wait until he sees it.”
“He hasn’t seen it?” The anger that she deliberately kept from her voice was apparent in the color rising to her tanned cheeks.