With a prayer of thanks on her lips, Kellie pulled up to the hotel’s valet parking area at 7:09. She checked her appearance in the rearview mirror one last time. She quickly applied a dab of soft pink gloss and climbed from the car. She tossed the keys to the attendant with a quick, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He tipped his cap in her direction then gave a whistle as his gaze fell on the car. “Wow. She’s a beauty.”
“Thanks.” Kellie pressed her way through the mob at the front door of the hotel and entered the grand foyer. Opulent light fixtures hung from the lofty ceiling and beautiful artwork framed the walls. For a moment, she nearly let herself get lost in the beauty of it all. Until she remembered her purpose in being here.
“Where is the ballroom, again?” Ah yes. Up the escalator and to the left. Or was it right?
She made it to the escalator in record time, but managed to step aboard just after an elderly couple, who stood their ground on the step above her. She glanced at her watch again. 7:11. Surely the banquet would start late. These things rarely began on time, after all.
At the top of the escalator, Kellie glanced to her left. Through the open doors to the ballroom, she could see her husband seated onstage next to his boss. His lopsided sandy blonde curls appeared a little more controlled than usual, but his long, gangly legs jutted out in front of the chair, as always. No hiding that tall, thin physique. Kellie couldn’t help but smile in his direction. Nathan’s beautiful gray-blue eyes met hers as she entered the room.
“Sorry I’m late.” She mouthed the words as she took her seat at the table nearest the stage.
Nathan shrugged and flashed a grin.
“At least he’s not mad.” Had she really spoken those words aloud?
“Kellie, it’s nice to see you.”
Kellie startled as she heard her mother-in-law’s words. For the first time, she realized she was not alone at the table. “Well, hello to you too.” She reached to give the older woman a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Glad you could make it.” Nathan’s mother smiled and turned her attention back to the stage. Kellie tried not to read too much into her words. Did she think I wouldn’t come, or is she scolding me for arriving late?
Kellie’s father-in-law reached to squeeze her hand and gave her a wink. She responded by gripping his hand a bit tighter. Then, with nerves a bit frazzled, she leaned back in her chair and focused on her husband.
***
Nathan sat at his appointed place on the stage, twisting his cloth napkin in nervous anticipation as his boss made the necessary introductions. Truth be told, he didn’t like it when people bragged on his accomplishments. It was hard to hear and even harder to talk about.
And yet, that’s exactly what he must do tonight. Tonight Nathan must stand before a roomful of his peers and discuss his achievements in the world of oil and gas accounting. That’s exactly what they expected. Why else would the firm have chosen to honor him as their Man of the Year? Why else would the big wigs from Dallas have come down to Houston to share in his moment of glory?
Nathan looked out to the front table, where Kellie sat with his parents. Lord, she’s beautiful—inside and out. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve her. On the other hand, he didn’t know what in the world he would do without her. They were truly one flesh, sharing common interests, common goals and common likes and dislikes. Not every couple could say that, and he didn’t take it for granted. He hoped he never would.
I’m not sure when I’ve ever seen two people more jointly fit. That’s what the pastor had spoken over them on their wedding day. And time proved him right. Kellie was Nathan’s equal in every way. In some ways, her head for knowledge and ability to play the role of chameleon when necessary gave her an added edge over him. She seemed to be moving up at the brokerage house almost as quickly as he stepped up the ladder at the firm.
Nathan snapped back to attention as his boss, Marvin Abernathy, turned to face him and loudly proclaimed, “Please welcome Nathan Fisher—a man with a head for numbers and a heart for the people. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met and he’s our Man of the Year at Siefert and Collins.”
Beads of sweat immediately popped up on Nathan’s brow. He wiped at them with the back of his hand, willing the lights overhead to dim.
As he stood and took the first step toward the podium, Kellie erupted in applause. Nathan threw a ‘please don’t do that, you’re embarrassing me’ look, but it did no good. She stood to her feet and applauded with great gusto. Others in the crowd followed her lead, and by the time he reached the podium, the whole place was on its feet.
“Congratulations, Nathan.” Marvin extended his hand. Nathan shook it warmly, and then reached into his pocket for the speech he and Kellie had written together.
His hands shook and he tried to still them as he spoke. “Thank you all.” He looked over the crowd as they took their seats once again. “I can’t thank you all enough for being here tonight. It’s an honor and a privilege to work for a company like Siefert and Collins, and an even greater honor to stand before you—my friends and peers—tonight.”
His hands continued to vibrate as he reached to unfold his notes. Lord, please help me through this. You know how nervous I get.
His gaze fell on Kellie, who smiled broadly and gave him a thumbs-up sign. Her encouragement and support, as always, motivated him. With Kellie on his side he could do anything.
He muddled forward into his speech, spending a few moments talking about his transition from Dallas to Houston, then diving into the many changes he had brought to the firm. None of the things he mentioned were fabricated or in any way exaggerated. He had accomplished a lot over the past several months. With the Lord’s help, of course. But listening to everything laid out in such a succinct, practical way now floored him, perhaps more than anyone else. It did seem a bit overwhelming that the Lord had blessed him so much.
By the time he finished his speech, Nathan’s armpits were a soggy mess. Droplets of water slid down the sides of his face and his throat felt constricted by his collar. As he moved across the stage to take his seat, he fought the feeling that he might be sick. Still, in spite of the obvious struggles, he couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction.
He looked out at Kellie, who dabbed at her eyes with a cloth napkin. She blew him a kiss and he winked in her direction. In a few moments, when this nonsense came to an end, he would take her in his arms and kiss away those tears—even if they were tears of joy.
two
Nathan mulled over the pastor’s words as he and Kellie left the sanctuary of the large metropolitan church. Relationships are like gardens. They need tending. Leave them to themselves and they’ll be overgrown with weeds in no time. Nathan contemplated the words as he made his way through the mob.
He looked over at his beautiful wife. Lord, I know I’ve been really busy. I can’t seem to avoid it. But I also know that things are changing in my relationship with Kellie. Even when we’re together, we’re not really. . .together.
They reached the spacious foyer hand in hand and stopped for a breather as the crowd thinned. “Where do you want to go for lunch?” Kellie tucked a loose blonde hair behind her ear and looked up at him with those crystal-clear blue eyes of hers.
“I heard some people in Sunday school mention that new Italian place on the Interstate. We could go with them. That might be fun.”
“I don’t know.” With a Sunday school class of 100-plus, there could be a potential mob scene if they all showed up at the same place. Besides, he had been looking forward to some alone time with Kellie. And it wasn’t like they’d had much time to develop friendships with others in the class. They were just too busy. In other words, they wouldn’t be missed.
“What were you thinking? I’m totally open.”
“Hmm.” An idea struck. “I was thinking Jason’s Deli. They’re close, they’ve got good food, and we can be in and out in less than an hour.”
&n
bsp; “Good point.” She gave him a suspicious look. “Do you have to work this afternoon?”
Nathan drew in a deep breath, knowing how many things needed to be taken care of today. “We’ll see. I’m really hoping for some down time.”
“Me too.” She nuzzled against his arm. “Sounds good.”
“Just a quick lunch then.” He smiled. “And maybe the afternoon will be kind to us.” Maybe there will be enough hours to accomplish everything and still spend some quality time together.
They chatted all the way across the parking lot as they searched for the car amongst the mob of other vehicles. It seemed every Sunday they spent more time searching for their car than listening to the message. One of these days they’d arrive at just the right time and get a really good spot. Today just wasn’t that day.
Kellie’s eyes lit up as she spoke. “Since we’re alone, I guess I should tell you something.”
“Really? What’s that?”
“I’ve really want to talk to you about our financial portfolio,” she explained. “I’ve got quite a few ideas for diversification.”
“I’m always open to new ideas,” he agreed. “As long as the payoff is good.”
“Not good.” Her eyebrows elevated playfully. “Great.”
“Speaking of great, I’ve got some great news about one of my newer accounts. It’s doing really well.” He dove off into a lengthy explanation, but stopped himself mid-sentence when he realized what he’d just done. I’m talking about work. Again.
They both grew silent at the same time.
Kellie broke the silence with a soft chuckle. “We’re a mess aren’t we? We don’t know how to talk about anything but work.” She climbed into the driver’s seat of her new sports car and Nathan took the passenger seat.
“Sure we do,” he argued. “We talk about all sorts of things.” All related to the future, of course. In his heart, he had to admit the truth. They rarely talked about what they were thinking, feeling, hoping in the here and now. More often than not, he and Kellie talked about 401k’s and stock options. They discussed the possibility of one day selling their newly renovated condo in favor of a brick home. They talked about the what-ifs of one day having a child, where that child would attend school and what sort of daycare options might be most viable during the formative pre-school years.
What they did not talk about, however, was today. But right here, right now, he would change that. “I’m starved.” He grinned in her direction. “I’m going to order the biggest sandwich they’ve got.”
“I love their salad bar.”
They dove into a lengthy discussion about the benefits of adding fiber to their diets, which led to a discussion about staying fit, which in turn led to an intense discussion about the recent stock surge amongst fitness centers on the west coast.
At some point along the way, Nathan stopped for a belly laugh. They couldn’t seem to win for losing.
***
“Catch!” Kellie tossed the keys in Nathan’s direction with a smile.
He caught them and gave her a curious look. “Is this your way of saying you want me to drive your new car?”
“If you don’t mind.” She pulled her cell phone from her purse. “I really need to call my mom. She left three messages this week and I haven’t had time to get back with her.” Something about her mother’s messages left an uneasy feeling, one she couldn’t explain. At any rate, she would feel better after talking to her. Her mind would be eased and her conscience relieved of the guilt she now carried—guilt over being too busy to stay in touch with the people she loved the most.
“No problem.” Nathan clicked the doors open and climbed inside.
“Whatever happened to the days when you opened the door for me?” She scooted into the passenger seat, punching numbers into her phone.
“Huh?”
“You used to. . .” Ah, never mind. She wasn’t one of those girlie girls who needed a man to open doors for her, anyway. And Nathan was far too busy—and too distracted—to remember a little thing like opening the door for her.
She finished entering the number and the phone rang once, twice, three times—and finally shifted to the voicemail.
“Great,” she mumbled.
“You’ve reached the Conway’s.” She recognized her father’s cheery, south Texas drawl immediately on the answering machine message. “We’re not here right now. Probably out back tending to the animals or up to the church singing in the choir. Leave us a message and we’ll get back with you.”
“Daddy.” She spoke with conviction. “Daddy, this is Kellie. I’m just calling Mom back. She actually called me a couple of times this week, but I’ve been swamped with work. Tell her I’m free this afternoon if she wants to give me a call. I love you both.”
Kellie clicked the phone closed and leaned back against the seat.
“Not home?” Nathan put the car into gear and pulled out of the parking lot.
“Guess not.” She shrugged. “I’m a little worried. According to my mom’s latest message, my dad hasn’t been himself lately. Lots of headaches, that sort of thing.” She closed her eyes and realized she had a bit of a headache coming on, herself.
“Probably just the change in weather.” Nathan shifted gears and headed toward home.
“Allergies always get to me too. Springtime is the worst, especially when during bluebonnet season.”
“Still. . .” Kellie drew in a deep breath and rubbed at her aching neck. “It’s just not like her not to be home on a Sunday afternoon. They’re pretty settled into their routines.”
“Just like us.” Nathan reached over to squeeze her hand.
Kellie shot him a hopeful smile. “I hope you’re not saying you’ve decided to spend this afternoon working after all.”
“Well. . .”
She groaned. “Nathan. It’s Sunday. Even the Lord took one day off.”
“I know, Kellie.” He focused on the road. “It won’t take long, but I’ve got some figures to go over. If I want to make partner this year. . .”
“I know, I know.” She bit her lip and fought to keep from saying more. “It’s fine.”
She could probably get some work done, as well. But that’s not really how she wanted to spend the day. She wanted to spend it cuddling with her husband. Watching a movie. Eating ice cream.
“Everything okay?” He looked her way as he shifted gears once more.
“Uh huh. Just lost in my thoughts.”
“I know things are crazy right now, Kellie.” He squeezed her hand again. “But we’re going to have so many chances to make up for it. Someday. We’ll take that trip to Europe. Just the two of us. Name the place and I’m there.”
“Austria.” The word slipped out before she had time to really analyze his proposition. She paused, thinking. “No. Germany?”
“Anyplace you like.” He nodded her direction as he headed onto the Interstate. “This will be your trip—the vacation of a lifetime. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do.”
“A boat ride down the Rhine? Touring ancient castles?” She smiled, remembering the television travel show that had triggered such lofty dreams.
“We’ll do it all,” he spoke with assurance. “And we’ll stay in the best hotels, too.”
Kellie shrugged. “I don’t care about that. It might be just as fun to find some quaint bed and breakfasts along the way. I don’t always need the best of everything, honey.”
He shrugged. “Agreed. But I still want to give you the best. Anything wrong with that?” His cell phone rang and he took the call.
“No. Nothing wrong with that.” Kellie muttered the words then slipped off into her thoughts for the rest of the trip. By the time they arrived at the condominium, she felt as if she could fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. They took the elevator up to the seventh floor, yawning all the way.
Nathan opened the door to their condominium and she stepped inside. No matter how sleepy, the sheer magnificence and beauty of th
is place captivated her. Granite countertops, recently installed, gleamed. Brand new stainless steel appliances looked right at home sitting alongside them. Wood floors, special-ordered, beckoned.
But Kellie only had one thing on her mind. She wanted. . . no, she needed. . . to spend time with her husband. Nothing else mattered right now.
“I know you have to work, but—” She teasingly unbuttoned the top button of her blouse. “I just thought maybe we could—”
His cell phone went off again just as she undid the second button. He answered it and she marched into the bedroom alone. Again.
Once inside, she changed into a worn nightshirt she had owned since high school and climbed into bed. She turned on the television, hoping for an old movie, something romantic. She settled on an old episode of the Andy Griffith show. At least it was in black and white.
Kellie had just dozed off when the bedside phone rang out, startling her. She answered it with the most ‘awake’ voice she could muster. “Hello?”
“Is that my Kellie?”
“Mama?” She sat up immediately, plumping the pillows to her satisfaction.
“How are you, baby?”
She leaned back against the pillows and yawned. “Sleepy right now. But good. How are you? How’s Dad?”
“I’m doing pretty well,” her mother responded. “But Daddy’s still not feeling very well. The headaches are getting worse.”
“You should take him into see Doctor Baker.” Kellie tried to sound firm. “There must be some reason for them.”
“We have an appointment for tomorrow morning, Honey, so don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be fine.” She paused a moment, and Kellie couldn’t help but notice a bit of a change in her voice. “Now tell me, how are you and Nathan?”
“We’re fine.” Kellie sighed as she looked across the empty bed.