Route 66 Reunions (17 page)

A faint touch of red flushed his neck and ears. “I’m only going because of you and my mom. She’s convinced God healed my dad. He’s doing really great. And look at you. You’re not the same girl you used to be, Tessa.”

“No, I’m not.” She spoke in a soft voice. “When I accepted Christ as my Savior, I turned from the old sins that held me captive. I haven’t looked back, and I don’t intend to, not ever.”

“Hey Blake, you’re going, huh?” Seth walked into the room. He shoved his glasses up on his nose. “Rob said you wouldn’t. Me and Derek knew you would.”

Blake chuckled. “Thanks for the confidence, buddy.”

Several minutes later, Tessa felt the stares behind the friendly handshakes as she introduced Blake to her church friends. Travis and Kasi gave him a warm welcome. Travis sat next to Blake in Sunday school, and the two families sat together later during the church service. Tessa listened to the sermon but couldn’t help glancing to see Blake’s reaction from time to time. She wished he would show more emotion, but at least he seemed absorbed by the message on faith.

After church, Tessa’s mother headed straight for them. She waited while Kasi and Travis said their good-byes; then she shook Blake’s hand. “We are so glad to have you join us today. I’m Deloris Stevens, Tessa’s mother. I don’t believe we’ve met?”

“Well, maybe a long time ago.” Blake smiled warmly at the older woman. “Tessa and I have been friends for a long time. I’m Blake Donovan.”

Her mother stared into his eyes as if she hoped to find something there that would tell her of his intentions. With a quick nod, she smiled. “I know you see the difference in Tessa, then. She isn’t the only one who has changed. If I met you years ago, I don’t remember, but that isn’t so surprising since I had more interest in a longneck bottle back then than I did in my only daughter.”

He nodded. “Tessa is teaching me that people can change for the better.”

The woman smiled at her daughter. “Yes, through the grace of God, we can put away those old things. Tessa taught me that, too.”

“We’re going out to eat. Would you care to join us?”

Tessa gave Blake a quick look. Since when had she agreed to go out to eat with him?

“Oh, that sounds like fun.” Her mother turned and drew forward a man whom Tessa hadn’t even noticed. “However, I have other plans.” She introduced Clark Albright, one of their fellow church members, to Blake. Mr. Albright had been leaning against the pew ahead, obviously waiting for her mother, who now smiled up at him. “Maybe we can all enjoy a meal together another time. You will be back, won’t you, Blake?”

“Yes ma’am, I believe I will.” Blake grinned at Tessa. “If your daughter lets me.”

“She will.”

Tessa watched her mother pat Blake’s arm. She could almost read her mind. If Blake accepted Christ, she would do all in her power to get her daughter married to him. The boys would help their grandmother, too. Of that, she had no doubt. She looked into Blake’s dark brown eyes and her heart picked up its beat. Maybe she would help, too.

Blake shook hands with Clark Albright, and Tessa wondered how she had missed a romance going on right under her nose. She might be upset with her mother for keeping a secret if she wasn’t so happy to see her taking interest in life again. For too many years she had grieved for her husband, shutting out the world. Mr. Albright was a nice man whose wife had died a couple of years ago. Tessa hoped her mother found happiness with him.

Blake took them to a sit-down restaurant. No pizza and no fast food today. As they ate, Seth asked Blake, “What’s the name of your restaurant going to be?”

“Yeah,” Rob chimed in. “You don’t have a sign up yet. I noticed that the other day.”

“That’s because I haven’t named it.” Blake held a forkful of mashed potatoes and looked around the table. “What do you think it should be?”

“Donovan’s Family Pizza and More,” Seth answered, as if he’d already decided.

“Now that’s a good idea.” Tessa lifted her eyebrows, challenging him to turn down the name. “Don’t you think so, Blake? A family restaurant where kids can come with their parents because no alcohol is served. A business where I won’t have reservations about letting Rob work.”

Tessa’s words hit Blake hard. When he added them to the hints his mother had been not so discreetly dropping, he was starting to get the picture. “You don’t like my store very much, do you?”

“I love the idea of your store, Blake. As far as I know, there isn’t another just like it anywhere around here. I’m sure it will be a success, but my boys won’t be there when you open the doors.”

“Because I’ll offer a few drinks that are too old for them?” He frowned across the table at her. “No one under twenty-one will be served, Tessa. The bar won’t even open until late.”

Tessa shook her head. “I know that. I just don’t want my boys near alcohol. Even if the bar isn’t open until later, you do plan to serve drinks with dinner, don’t you?”

His jaw clenched as he nodded.

“My mother and I both fought alcohol for years. I don’t want to be near it. I don’t want my boys thinking it’s okay to sell it. Do you really want the responsibility of selling something that can contribute to a person’s spiritual downfall? I know from experience what drinking can do to a person.”

Blake didn’t respond. He felt hurt that Tessa questioned his judgment. Between her and his mother, you’d think he didn’t know what he was doing. They both had more religion than a person needed.

“I’ll keep that name in mind, Seth.” He finished his meal in silence while the others talked about things he scarcely listened to.

Later, after dropping Tessa and the boys at their house, Blake drove to his store. Inside, he headed for the kitchen. He touched the gleaming stainless steel oven and ran his hand across the work area. He remembered the bare room before the equipment had arrived, when Tessa and the boys helped him paint the walls. He’d used a light blue because he liked a cheerful place to work. He liked his kitchen. Tessa could not object to anything in this room.

He strode out to the dining room minus the furniture he expected in this week. He walked over to the bar and ran his hand across the smooth surface as he rounded the counter to the inside. He looked at the shelves waiting to be filled with bottles. He could have a good income from the bar alone.

A mental image of Derek’s innocent young face looking up at him blocked his vision. What if Derek was his son? Did he want his son around hard liquor? Even if he didn’t open the bar until late when all the kids were gone, it would still be there as an example that drinking was all right.

If he had his way, the boys would become deeply involved in his businesses. Maybe all three would work for him someday. And then there was Tessa. Somehow he couldn’t picture her now with a drink in her hand. In fact, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want her to go back to the way she had been. Maybe he should rethink what he served. He walked into the center of the dining room, where he turned and stared at the bar as a new idea came together in his mind.

Tomorrow he’d order a sign to put above the door outside and another in lights for the street corner that could be seen in either direction. He could scarcely wait for Tessa to see the name of his new store. Donovan’s Family Pizza and More. Yeah, he liked the sound of that.

He spent the rest of the afternoon thinking of changes he wanted to make, taking measurements, and scribbling notes. Finally he ran upstairs to change into clean clothes. If he hurried, he should arrive at his mom’s table in time for supper. He figured she’d like the name. But even more, he wanted her input on his new bar and the changes she and Tessa would approve.

A
couple of weeks later, Tessa found supper waiting for her when she got home from work on Thursday evening. Since the boys had been back at school, they had missed cooking the evening meal only once when Rob had to study for a test.

Now he set a plate of spaghetti in front of her and grinned. “Hope you like this, because I’m not cooking tomorrow night.”

“Oh really?” Tessa hid a grin. “If your new job will interfere with your duties here at home, maybe I should rethink—”

“Don’t you dare.” Rob scowled at her and then slid into the seat across the corner from her. He leaned forward, his face serious. “You know Blake is crazy about you, don’t you?”

“What?” Tessa’s eyes widened. She shook her head. “No, we’re just friends. You know that.”

Seth sat across from his older brother. “Mom, he changed his store just to please you.”

“Yeah, Mom.” Derek placed a full plate of spaghetti on the table and sat down. “Why don’t you and Blake get married so we can be a family?”

“That’s why I named his store Donovan’s Family Pizza and More.” Seth pushed his glasses up with one finger.

“Right,” Rob agreed. “So we can all be the Donovan family. Has a pretty good ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Tessa looked from one boy to the other as they planned her life. And theirs. She had to admit, marrying Blake would affect their lives more than they knew. How would Rob and Seth feel when they found out Blake was Derek’s real dad? How would Blake react? Would he play favorites? She couldn’t take a chance of that happening. She had to leave well enough alone. She couldn’t marry Blake, and she couldn’t tell him the truth.

“Just think about it, Mom. That’s all we’re asking right now.” Rob grinned. “Maybe later we’ll start working on Blake.”

“No, don’t say anything to Blake.” Tessa didn’t figure Blake needed much encouragement. He’d already asked her to marry him and had hinted several times since she turned him down. “I promise, I’ll think about what you’ve said.”

“So what time will you show up for supper tomorrow night?” Rob asked. “I have to be at work at four. Blake offered to pick me up, but I told him I could ride my bike. That’s all right with you, isn’t it, Mom?”

“Can we pray before you talk any more?” Derek held his fork in his hand and looked longingly at his plate. “My food’s getting cold.”

Tessa smiled and reached for her older sons’ hands; when the circle was complete, she said, “Yes, Rob, you can ride your bike, if you’ll give me a quick call when you arrive safe and sound.”

Then she bowed her head and prayed.

Opening day. Tessa had scarcely been able to concentrate on her work for worrying about Blake’s store and restaurant. A dozen times she told herself worrying was wrong. Then she caught herself thinking no one would notice the store was open so there’d be no customers.

At noon a couple of women in the office stopped by her desk on their way out. “Are you coming with us today? We thought we’d try out a new place.”

“Oh really?” Tessa’s heart picked up speed. “Where are you going?”

“You know how we like pizza,” Barb said with a laugh. “There’s a new restaurant opening today not far from here. Donovan’s Family Pizza and More.”

“Sounds like a nice place,” Judy said. “I think I’ll see what kind of movies they have while I’m there. Maybe I’ll pick one out to surprise the kids. Isn’t that a neat idea? They have a video store and an arcade along with the restaurant. Oh, and an old-fashioned ice cream and soda fountain. We definitely don’t want to forget that.”

“Yeah, it sounds really nice, but I’m going to have to pass today.” Okay, so maybe her coworkers had heard about the grand opening, but she just couldn’t go. Not yet. After all, how would it look if she popped in for lunch and then again for supper with the boys?

She drove home for a cold sandwich and then headed back to work, using backstreets when she neared Blake’s store. After work, she again avoided the store, but with her two youngest buzzing with excitement, she couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer. She would be so disappointed if she didn’t find Blake’s restaurant bursting at the seams.

Tessa saw the balloons and streamers long before she reached her destination. Traffic coming and going from Blake’s business slowed her down, and she circled the building twice before she found a place to park. She waited for a red sports car to back out and grabbed the spot before someone else did. Her hands shook as she pulled the key from the ignition.

“Wow, Mom. I never saw so many cars in such a little parking lot.” Seth stared out the passenger window with wide eyes. He opened the door and stepped out.