Holly's Heart Collection Two (67 page)

He pulled out a chair and fell into it with a thud. “I could go for some waffles,” he said, yawning.

Saundra had just cleaned up her now-spotless kitchen and put everything away, and here was Tyler requesting a full-blown breakfast. I wondered how his mom would react to the request.

“Waffles or French toast?” she asked.

His reply was, “Waffles, with a side of scrambled eggs.”

This was so unbelievable. Saundra instantly set to work creating a made-to-order breakfast. She glanced at me from the counter where she was measuring the waffle mix. “What about Andie? Do you think she’d like something to eat?”

“I’ll check.” I dashed to the stairs to see if Andie was still in her former zombie state.

When I got downstairs, I looked for Andie in my room. She’d already made my bed and picked up her clothes. I figured she was back in her own room, so I hurried to the door and knocked. “Andie, you up?”

“Come in,” she said. Her voice sounded muddled, like she’d been crying.

I went in and closed the door behind me. “Are you okay?”

She sat on her unmade bed, her arms crisscrossed in front of her. “Not really.” She sighed. “It’s just…” Her voice trailed off.

“What’s wrong?” I sat at the foot of the huge bed, facing her. That’s when I noticed she was trembling.

She pulled the covers around her. “Oh, Holly.”

I rushed to her side.

She could hardly talk for the tears. “It’s…it’s Rico. And…you were right.”

“Shh,” I said, stroking her back. “Just relax.” But deep inside I was starting to suspect what I might be right about.

“Rico…uh, we…” She coughed, still crying. “I went to his beach party last night. After his band played awhile, he said he wanted to talk to me. Somewhere private.”

Yikes, such bad news.

I tried to listen, eager to help her through whatever seemed to be upsetting her. “What happened?”

She sniffled and reached for a tissue. “We were walking down the beach, holding hands, when he started kissing me.”

“You actually let him?”

She nodded slowly, watching me, testing to see if I was going to totally freak out or keep listening. I opted to listen because it was obvious Andie needed a friend.

She started talking again. “His breath smelled like beer. I pulled away, but he wanted me to sit on the beach with him.”

“What did you do?”

“His speech was slurred. I should’ve known better than to be alone with him.”

“You’re saying he was drunk? Oh, Andie.”

She nodded. “I was so scared. I pushed him away and said that you were expecting me here. Then I ran home as fast as I could.”

“Let me get you more tissues,” I said, worried sick about her.

Andie blew her nose, taking deep breaths. “You knew all along, Holly. Rico was no good.” She shivered.

I put my arm around her, and she leaned her head on my shoulder. “You okay?”

“Uh-huh,” she whispered. “Nothing worse happened.”

“Thank goodness,” I said, realizing how risky the whole situation had been. “I was praying for you late last night.”

“In my bed?” She blinked her big brown eyes, smiling. “You’re a wonderful friend, Holly, and I promise I won’t make you cover for me ever again.”

“That’s good, because I was running out of lies. Actually, I hated the deceit,” I confessed. “And I wish I had confided in your mom about all this.”

She nodded. “I know how you must’ve felt, Holly. It was
my
fault you didn’t…. I made you promise, remember?” She flung her arms around me.

After a quiet moment, I began to pray. “Dear Lord, thanks so much for protecting Andie. Forgive us both for our faithless words, and help us remember this very hard lesson. Amen.”

After the prayer, I tried not to think what might’ve happened to her out there—if God hadn’t answered my prayers.

“I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“You’re not the only one,” she said, smiling through her tears.

I heard Saundra calling, announcing brunch.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Do you want some waffles?”

“Sounds good.” She hopped off the bed. Together we went upstairs, my friend and I, both equally thankful for the end to the Rico nightmare.

LITTLE WHITE LIES

Chapter 18

Andie was pouring syrup over her second waffle when the phone rang. Tyler leaped out of his chair, fully awake now, and grabbed the phone. When he’d said “Hello,” he listened for a moment, then said, “For you, Mom.”

“I wonder who that could be,” Saundra said, making her way across the spacious kitchen.

I sat at the table, watching Tyler and Andie chow down, tuning out Saundra’s conversation. But suddenly I realized her voice sounded strained. Really tense. And when I looked at her, I noticed that her face had turned chalk white.

She was clutching the phone with both hands. “Yes, yes…oh dear, this can’t be. I’ll come right away. Yes, I’ll meet you there.”

Hands trembling, Saundra hung up the phone. “Your father collapsed at work,” she told me. “He’s being rushed to the hospital.

I gasped. “Is it his heart?”

Tyler held his fork in midair, staring up at his mother.

She said no more but headed down the hallway. I followed at her heels, right into her luxurious bedroom. “I want to go with you, Saundra,” I stated.

“I need you to stay with Tyler, dear.”

“What about Andie? Let
her
stay with him.”

She shook her head. “No, no, it’ll work out much better if you’re here.” And she literally shooed me out of her way.

“Please don’t do this,” I cried outside her door. “Please, Saundra, he’s my father.”

My emotions went crazy—anger and terror mixed together. Anger at Saundra for shutting me out, and absolute, total fright for Daddy and his condition.

How could she do this? How could she make me stay home while Daddy was probably having a heart attack…possibly dying. What a wicked stepmother!

I sobbed, replaying his words to me this morning.
You’re a darling girl, Holly…I’ll see you tonight.
What if those were his last words to me? What if I never saw Daddy alive again?

I choked back the tears. Back in the kitchen, Tyler was staring at his half-empty plate. “Somebody better pray,” he said, sniffling.

“Let’s go into the living room,” I said, leading the way. Tyler and Andie followed. It was Andie who offered to pray for Daddy, and I knew she did it out of love for me. Her prayer was a powerful one, and it took some of the sting away.

Just as she said “Amen,” Saundra flew through the house, grabbing up a sweater from the closet in the entryway. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”

“The second you know?” I pleaded.

“Yes, dear,” she said.

So, I had Saundra’s word on it. Not nearly as good as being there myself, but it would have to do. Saundra was stubborn sometimes, and since I was a guest in her house, I couldn’t actually throw a fit about it, could I?

The three of us stood in front of the window watching Saundra’s white sports car back out of the driveway. I glanced down at Tyler. Big tears rolled down his cheeks. “I hope Daddy doesn’t die,” he sobbed. “He’s the only real father I ever had.”

Kneeling down, I threw my arms around him and drew him near. “I know,” I said, trying to swallow the huge lump in my throat. “I know.”

It seemed important for me to be strong for him, letting his fears, and his tears, pour onto my shoulder.

Conscious of the passage of time, I felt the air going in and out of my nose, the pounding of my pulse—I was aware of Tyler’s little body heaving against mine. And of something else.

Andie. She wrapped her arms around both Tyler and me. It was the dearest thing she could’ve done.

When the phone rang, I was the first to break up our huddle. I dashed to the kitchen. “Hello?”

“Holly, I just heard the news.” It was Sean. “My older brother works with your dad. He just called. Are you all right?”

I couldn’t speak. Hearing Sean talk about Daddy and what had just happened made me want to cry.

“Holly?”

“It’s just…so…”

“I’m praying,” he said in a whisper. “We all are.”

I didn’t know who “we” meant, but I figured his family was. “Thanks,” I squeaked out.

“Anything I can do?” he asked gently.

“Yes…there is. Can you hold on a second?”

I covered the phone and called to Tyler, “Will your mom freak out if I show up at the hospital after all?”

“She’ll get over it,” he said. “She wasn’t thinking clearly, that’s all.”

“You’re sure?”

Andie piped up. “You go, Holly. I’ll stay here with Tyler.” Her eyes were serious, almost sad.

I turned back toward the phone. “Sean? I was wondering, would you mind driving me to see my dad? At the hospital?”

“Unfortunately I’m not old enough to drive passengers yet, but I’ll get a cab and ride with you. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, max.”

“Thanks.” He said good-bye, and I hung up.

I leaned against the kitchen wall, hoping and praying Daddy was going to be all right. Then, remembering what Saundra had said about Daddy’s prayer list, I felt compelled to locate his Bible. Hurrying to their room, I found it lying on the lamp table beside the bed.

Reverently, I turned to the back pages. There, I found his prayer list. Tears clouded my vision and I struggled to see through the blur. Saundra’s name was number one!

I thought of the many years I’d prayed for Daddy’s salvation. And God had answered. Now, Daddy’s desire was to see his wife come to know Jesus, too.

I decided to leave his Bible here at home where it belonged…where
he
belonged.

When Sean arrived, he came to the front door and rang the bell. He was wearing beige khakis and a light blue shirt. His warm smile comforted me.

Sean waited for me to say good-bye to Tyler and Andie. “I’ll call the minute I know something,” I promised.

Tyler stood on tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “Tell Dad I’m praying for him.”

Thrilled to hear these words, I hugged my stepbrother. “You better believe I will.”

Outside, Sean opened the taxi’s back door for me before hurrying around to get in on the other side.

We rode in silence for a while. Then, looking concerned, Sean asked if Saundra had told me about Daddy’s condition.

“Apparently he had a small attack about a year and a half ago. She didn’t say much more.”

He nodded. “How did Saundra take the news about your dad…today?”

“Frazzled, like she didn’t know what to do first,” I said, remembering how she’d hurried to her bedroom and then out to the closet to get her sweater and purse. “She’s probably in denial.”

“We need to pray for her,” he said quietly.

“Sometimes things like this pull people toward Christ,” I said, remembering how Daddy had reacted to his sister’s death.

“And your dad has several prayer partners who are remembering Saundra right now.”

I looked over at him. “Are you one of them?”

His face lit up. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

“I have to be honest with you,” I said hesitantly. “When I first met Saundra, I couldn’t stand her. She really bugged me. Everything at the house—her clothes, the way she talked—had to be perfect. But since then, I’ve discovered another side to her. She’s so caring, she’d give you the shoes off her feet, I think. Not that she doesn’t have a zillion pairs.”

He laughed at that.

“You know what I mean,” I said.

We went for several miles without talking. But the closer we got to the hospital, the more I realized the seriousness of Daddy’s situation.

Childhood memories began to flood back. Especially the times when Carrie and I were little. Daddy would read to us on Sunday afternoons. We’d snuggle into a big comfortable chair together in his upstairs study while he read the old classics aloud. Books like
Peter Pan
and
The Secret Garden.
To our delight, he would change his voice to match each character.

And there were those still, magical nights in deep summer when Daddy and I sang in harmony on the porch swing late into the night. Dear memories, never to be forgotten. How I loved my father. I loved him in spite of his leaving us. In spite of the divorce.

Quickly, I reached for my purse and pulled out a tissue, staring out my window. But Sean had seen the tears, and against my will my eyes filled to the brim.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked tenderly.

I tried to reassure him, forcing a weak smile. “It’s so scary to think that Daddy might…”

Sean reached over and took my hand, not saying more. His hand enveloped mine, and despite the fact that he’d asked me to be his girlfriend last night, I knew this gesture was meant to be purely comforting, nothing more.

We rode in silence as I composed myself, and a short time later the hospital came into view. The driver let us out at the main entrance. Inside, Sean asked for directions to the cardiac unit, and after a quick elevator ride, we arrived on the fourth floor. The smell of antiseptic was strong as the elevator door opened. I hated the thought of Daddy being here.

I told the nurse behind the counter who I was. “My father is Robert Meredith.”