Pierced by Love (19 page)

Pierce was astounded by his dad’s experience. Could it really have been as simple as he claimed? That Craig’s invitation, coupled with the Spirit prompting him, was enough to make him act? Of course, his dad had been humbled through the demise of his business first.

“How did you meet Tamara?”

A lopsided smile crept onto his face. “I was gradually becoming active again when I was called to work at the LDS Employment Center as an employment specialist. Tamara came in, wanting to find a job. She was working for a computer software company and was feeling pressured from the demands her boss was putting on her, so she wanted to go a different direction. I could see that she was trying to be brave, but with a house payment and her daughter serving a mission, she was worried about how she’d make it. I inquired about her home and she admitted that it was too big for the two of them and that she’d like to downsize, maybe even move back to North Carolina where she’s from. So I offered to list her house on the market. She was grateful.”

“What is it with you and Mom and missions?” Pierce muttered under his breath.

“Hmm?” His dad looked at him sharply. “What did you say?”

Ruefully, Pierce clarified, “It’s just that Mom is dating a guy who has a son on a mission. Tamara has a daughter on a mission. And you and Mom broke up while I was serving mine.”

“She is? Dating someone, I mean?”

“Yeah.” Now Pierce regretted his impulsive words. “Never mind. So then you asked Tamara out?”

Jared’s eyes lit up. “How could I resist? She’s beautiful, smart, sincere, and she’s a survivor. I was impressed with the way she rebuilt her life after escaping the clutches of her ex-husband and raising her daughter alone for the past nine years.”

“Why didn’t she go to North Carolina sooner?” Pierce asked dubiously.

“She’s a convert to the Church. She really doesn’t have much family support. She always counted that option as her last resort.”

“How did she end up here in the first place?”

“She and her ex-husband moved out here for a job opportunity. However, Tamara is convinced that he moved her out here for the sole purpose of isolating her from anyone she knew as a way of being able to keep her under tighter control, which worked in his favor for several years.”

“Why didn’t you invite us to the wedding?”

“It was just a civil wedding performed by her bishop. Hopefully, we’ll be sealed next year when we have our temple clearances worked out. We’d like for all of you to be there for that.”

His statement was nice as far as olive branches went, but Pierce wasn’t ready to reach for it quite yet.

“Now I have a question to ask you, Pierce.”

Instantly on alert, he responded, “What’s that?”

“What is Noelle to you, really, and why did you invite her? Don’t get me wrong. She seems like a nice girl, but I’m wondering about the true nature of your relationship.”

Short of telling him that it was none of his business, what could Pierce say? “She’s, um, in a tough situation with her sister, who is also her roommate at NAU. She needed a break from her.”

“And you care about how it turns out for her?”

“Yeah.”

“Why is that?”

Pierce shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re just friends.”

“Who can read other’s thoughts?”

“What?”

“I saw the look that passed between you and her at the dinner table last night. It reminded me of your mother and me.”

That was the last thing Pierce wanted to hear. “It’s been nice chatting with you, Dad, but I’ve got to hit the shower now,” he said abruptly.

“Pierce.”

With his hand on the doorknob, Pierce stopped midstride and pivoted. “What?” he asked warily.

“I didn’t mean to spook you.”

“You didn’t,” he denied.

A knowing smile crossed his dad’s face. “I think I did. But don’t discount her as a possibility. There’s something between you and her whether you want to acknowledge it or not. My advice to you would be to find out what it is.”

Wanting to tell his father to mind his own business, Pierce was surprised to hear himself say, “I’ll think about it,” instead. He opened the door and made his escape.

FIFTEEN

A
ND SO I’VE been living in So Cal ever since.” Noelle sat at the breakfast bar with Craig, Marissa, and Gage, listening to Tamara’s summary of her life. Tamara was a likeable person, in her opinion. Of course, Pierce was the one whose opinion mattered on that score. For the third time, she glanced back toward the entrance. Where was he, anyway?

“Has anyone seen Pierce this morning?” she asked casually before taking a bite of her bran muffin. She’d already polished off Tamara’s fruit salad, which was unlike anything Noelle had ever tasted, with tropical fruit and a wonderfully light yogurt-based dressing.

Negative responses followed her inquiry. While Noelle was surrounded by kind people, she really didn’t know any of them very well and was starting to feel uncomfortable. Where could he be? “Please excuse me for a moment.”

She left the room and found a seat on one of the identical couches that faced each other perpendicularly from the gas fireplace in the great room. Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed Pierce’s number. He answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

“Hi, Pierce. Where are you?” Noelle asked impatiently.

“Good morning to you too,” he said cheerfully.

“I didn’t know that you’re a late sleeper. I had you pegged as just the opposite.”

“I’ve been up for over two hours, I’ll have you know.”

“Then where are you?” she hissed. “We’re eating breakfast and you’re missing in action.”

“Noelle, Noelle,” Pierce chided. “Do you always have to be so dramatic?”

“Pierce!” She growled a warning.

“Okay. I take it
you’re
not a morning person. Have you ever been to SeaWorld?”

The unexpected question caught her off guard. “Once when I was a kid. Why?”

“How would you like to spend the day there?”

“I thought that we were all planning to go to the beach.”

Pierce replied, “The others can go. They won’t miss us. The water’s too cold to swim in during this time of year anyway.”

But there would be other things to do
, she thought. Beach volleyball, looking for shells, building a sand castle with Sophie, people watching—Noelle was definitely a people person!—and soaking up the sun, all while enjoying good conversation, sounded like fun to her. But SeaWorld was tempting too.

“Do you have tickets?”

“Yep. For the two of us.”

“Confident that I would say yes, were you?” she asked drily.

“Actually, I was hoping you would, but if not, then I’m sure I can find someone else to pass the tickets off to.”

Noelle knew that tickets to SeaWorld were not cheap. So how had he purchased them so quickly? And should she reimburse him for hers? What was the proper protocol in this situation? Noelle was beginning to wish that she had paid more attention to her mother’s lectures on propriety while growing up. “I’d love to go with you.”

Pierce wouldn’t hear of her paying for her own ticket. They chattered the morning away while they visited the exhibits. Noelle could honestly say that she’d never felt this comfortable around any other guy, including Mike or Chase. Feeling a little overwhelmed by that thought, she decided to keep it to herself. She was sure, however, that Pierce could tell that something was up from the way he kept glancing at her from his peripheral vision. When had they become so attuned to one another?

Noelle and Pierce enjoyed the dolphin show as well as the walrus and seal show. They walked for miles, it seemed, stopping every so often to look at the penguins, sharks, and beluga whales. They rode a few rides and then stopped at a vendor and grabbed some lunch before heading over to the show that thousands of people came to see every year: Shamu. Scanning the open arena, Pierce turned to Noelle. “Splash Zone or non-Splash Zone?”

It only took a second to decide. They’d already gotten wet on the Shipwreck Rapids ride. Though she’d brought a light jacket, it was still damp. Nevertheless, Noelle figured that she might as well get the full experience. “Splash Zone, definitely!”

Pierce grinned in agreement. They sat down and chatted while waiting for the show to begin. Soon, however, Noelle found it difficult to focus on what Pierce was saying due to the loud and somewhat offensive language of the people sitting directly behind them. Noelle glanced back to see two couples with their teenaged children eating their hot dogs, chips, and drinks. Noelle didn’t begrudge them a memorable experience, but she was feeling decidedly grumpy about the fact that their profanity, which easily trumped all that she’d heard from Gage thus far, was infringing on Pierce’s and her own enjoyment.
Oh well
, she thought, trying to calm herself.
The show will start soon and they’ll be forced to quiet down
.

Not so. If anything, the teens became louder than before when they saw the enormous mammals circling the aquatic arena. Noelle glanced at Pierce to see if he was as disturbed about their behavior as she was. She slightly shifted her head to indicate the commotion behind them. His brows dipped and he nodded almost imperceptibly. She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the trainers who were talking via microphone to the crowd.

Just then, the orca whale leaped into the air and dove under the water, creating a giant splash. Noelle and Pierce were soaked by the spray. It was exhilarating.

At the same moment, loud squeals were heard from behind. Noelle tried to squelch her growing annoyance, but then Pierce tilted his head toward the two families. Noelle turned to see every member scrambling to gather their food, clothing, and baggage before seeking higher seating. She turned back to Pierce with mixed emotions. The relief she felt was also reflected on his face.

She smiled at Pierce. He looked silly with his wet hair plastered to his scalp, yet Pierce was still one of the best-looking guys she knew. His mouth slowly relaxed and his eyes penetrated hers for what seemed an eternity before he lowered his head toward hers.

Time stood still. Noelle’s breathing stopped, yet her heart felt like it was going to jump from her rib cage. Noelle held onto her seat by sheer force of will, digging her nails into the cold metal, while her stomach did a flip-flop that almost matched the one the whale was performing in the air.

The water came again, the frigid force dispelling their trance. She pulled back and wiped her own wet hair from her skin, a frisson of fear mixing with regret. She tried to concentrate on the show, but her eyes kept darting to Pierce, trying to discern from his body language what he was thinking. Unfortunately, he was giving nothing away. Her breathing gradually returned to normal.

The show concluded and the audience stood to filter out of the arena. “I think I’m ready to go back to the house,” she said quietly. “I’m getting cold.”

He studied her for a long moment and nodded. “Okay.”

The ride back was filled with an awkward silence. Pierce had borrowed his dad’s truck, the same one that Gage had used to pick them up from the airport. “I hope the others had as much fun as we did today,” she said, trying to chase away the heavy atmosphere.

“I’m sure they did.”

Finally, Noelle couldn’t take the awful silence any longer. “Pierce?” she said quietly.

Turning his quizzical gaze on her, he answered, “Yeah?”

“Why did you almost kiss me?” Noelle wasn’t sure if bringing this topic up at the moment was a good idea, but she felt compelled to say something.

His mouth tightened as he turned his attention back to the traffic. He waited so long to speak that Noelle had given up on receiving an answer. “I wanted to kiss you yesterday in the garden, but I managed to talk myself out of it,” he admitted reluctantly.

“So why didn’t you this time?” she pressed, not sure why she was even asking. Even knowing that by kissing Pierce, their friendship would have skyrocketed into a new level—one that she was not feeling brave enough to try at this point—she couldn’t quite squelch the disquieting feeling that she had missed out on something really special.

He huffed in frustration. “Noelle, you have to know that I’m not going to kiss a woman who is still getting over her ex-boyfriend. Yeah, I have a reputation for playing the field, but I don’t play those kinds of games.” He was clearly offended by what she thought was a reasonable question.