The Healing Quilt (35 page)

“We understand, and we’ll be praying for your situation,” Lamar said.

Emma nodded in agreement.

Jan was tempted to call Kim and talk to her about this, but decided it would be best if he discussed things face-to-face. Rising from his chair, he turned to the Millers and said, “Guess I’d better head over to Kim’s house right now, ’cause there’s no point in putting this off. Then tomorrow morning, I’ll be heading for home so I can set things straight with Star.”

Kim had just brought Maddie inside for the night and was thinking of going to bed, when she heard the unmistakable roar of a motorcycle pull up out front. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Woof! Woof!
Maddie’s tail wagged when Kim opened the door and Jan stepped into the house. Kim smiled, thinking she wasn’t the only one happy to see Jan.

“This is an unexpected surprise. Did you forget something in my car, Jan?”

He shook his head. “We need to talk.”

“You so look serious,” Kim said, noting the deep wrinkles in Jan’s forehead. “Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid there is.”

With a sense of apprehension creeping up her spine, Kim motioned to the couch. “Let’s have a seat and you can tell me about it.”

“While we were at the beach today, my daughter got a plane ticket and flew back to Indiana.” Jan sank to the couch, scrubbing a hand over his bearded face. “She thinks I don’t care about her anymore.”

“Is it because of me?” Kim asked, dreading the answer.

He gave a quick nod. “Star’s jealous of our relationship, and I guess that’s my fault. I really blew it, ’cause I haven’t paid her enough attention since she came down here to join me for what was supposed to be our vacation together.”

Kim placed her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Jan. I shouldn’t have taken up so much of your time.”

“It ain’t your fault,” he was quick to say. “I’m the one who messed things up with Star.” Jan leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees. “There’s no easy way to say this, Kim, but I think it’d be best if you and I break things off before we get too serious about each other.”

It’s too late for that
, Kim thought. She knew it was probably too soon, but she’d foolishly allowed herself to become serious about Jan and had even fantasized about having a permanent relationship with him.

Deciding that it would be best not to let Jan know how crushed she was by this, Kim forced a smile, sat straight up, and said, “I understand. Your relationship with your daughter should come first, and I wish you both well.”

“This ain’t easy for me, you know,” Jan said, “because I really do care about you.” He leaned over and kissed Kim’s cheek. “Maybe someday, when Star’s more secure in our relationship…”

Kim held up her hand. “It’s okay. You don’t have to make any promises that you may not be able to keep.”

Jan didn’t say anything as he stood and moved toward the door. He’d barely grasped the knob, when he turned back around. “It’s been great getting to know you, Kim, and no matter what happens in the future, I want you to know that I’ll never forget you or the time we’ve spent together.”

Barely able to speak because of her swollen throat, all Kim could do was give him her bravest smile and whisper, “Same here. Take care.”

Jan bent to pet Maddie, as she had followed him to the door. “Take good care of Kim, now, you hear?”

As though understanding what he’d said, Maddie licked his hand, while her tail wagged furiously. When Jan went out the door, the dog slunk to the corner of the room, plopped down, and let out a pathetic whimper.

Tears streaming down her hot cheeks, Kim buried her face and sobbed, soaking the pillow she held. Like most dogs when they sensed things about people, Maddie got up and came to rest her head on Kim’s knee.

“Just when I thought I’d found the perfect guy, all my hopes and dreams have been dashed,” Kim cried. “Maybe I am destined to live with a broken heart.” She got down on the floor and, holding her dog tightly, continued to sob.

O
n Monday, after Mike fixed himself a high-protein drink as a mid-morning snack, he received a phone call telling him his boat was ready.

Mike smiled. His boat could finally be put back in the water. That meant he could start taking calls from people who wanted to hire him to take them fishing.

For the past several weeks he’d had to turn everyone away. He’d not only missed the cash flow but time spent on the water. Even sitting out on the deck of their house where he had a nice view of the bay gave Mike a sense of yearning to be on his boat.

Think I was born to be on the water
, he mused. But the example of his brother’s situation had made Mike realize that he couldn’t be on the water all the time just to make money. A lot of things in his life were going to change.

Glancing at his watch, Mike realized it was almost time to head to the airport so he could pick up Phyllis. She’d called Saturday evening to give him her flight details.

“Sure can’t wait to see her,” Mike said before hurriedly finishing his protein drink.

Kim’s hand shook as she turned in another customer’s lunch order. She hadn’t slept well over the weekend, and really wasn’t up to working today. But it wouldn’t be right to call the restaurant this morning and give them that excuse. She needed to save her sick-time benefits for when she was really ill, and not for jangled nerves, which she hoped to get under control. Besides, working and being around people might help take her mind off Jan and the fact that he’d left for Shipshewana yesterday morning. Kim knew that unless Star gave her blessing, there was no chance of her and Jan ever having a permanent relationship.

“Are you okay?” Anna Lambright asked as she joined Kim near the breakfast buffet. “I couldn’t help but notice that you dropped a bowl of soup awhile ago, and then soon afterward you spilled coffee on the floor.”

“Don’t remind me. I’ve been a ball of nerves all day, and I also messed up someone’s order and forgot to take ’em the beverage they wanted. In trying to make it right, I offered them a free dessert.” Kim sighed, bringing her hands to her forehead. “I was doing better, but now I fear that if I keep doing things like that, I really could lose my job.”

“What’s wrong? Just having an off day, or did something happen over the weekend to upset you?” Anna questioned.

“I can’t take the time to go into details right now,” Kim whispered, “but the bottom line is this: Jan and I won’t be seeing each other anymore.”

“How come?”

“His daughter flew back to Indiana on Saturday, and Jan headed out on his motorcycle Sunday morning. He’s probably getting close to home by now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Anna said, giving Kim’s arm a little squeeze. “You seemed so happy when you started seeing Jan.”

“I was, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I’ll be fine, though. You needn’t worry about me.”
Yeah, right. Who am I kidding?
Kim asked herself. She knew in her heart that losing Jan was not going to be an easy thing. With Jan, it was different from any of her other failed relationships. She guessed she’d just have to take one day at a time and try to make the best of her situation.

Anna looked like she was about to say more, when the new cook, Randy, stepped up to them. He stared at Anna with a peculiar expression. “Mind if I speak to you for a minute?”

Anna squirmed nervously but slowly nodded.

“I’ll see you later,” Kim said to Anna, before heading for the kitchen.
I wonder why Randy wants to talk to Anna. Could she have messed up someone’s order?

“Uh, unless it’s something important, I really don’t have time to talk,” Anna said, taking a few steps away from Randy, then glancing at one of her customers, who was obviously trying to get her attention.

Randy held his ground. The customer could wait a minute. “It is important. Someone’s been leaving things on our front porch. And the other day I found a box of food there, and someone who looked like you was running down the sidewalk and getting into a car. Was it you, Anna? Are you the one who’s been leaving things on our porch?”

Anna lowered her head. “Yes,” she quietly said.

“Really? How come?”

“Because I knew you’d been out of work, and I wanted to help out,” she explained, lifting her gaze to meet his. “I’d hoped that when I left them there, you’d either be gone or wouldn’t hear me step onto the porch.”

“But how did you know about our situation? I never met you till I came to work here.”

“I met your wife several weeks ago, when we were waiting to catch a bus. We started a conversation, and she ended up telling me about your job loss. She also mentioned that she’d wanted to take Emma’s quilting class but couldn’t afford it.”

Randy’s eyebrows shot up. “You paid for Jennifer’s quilting classes, too?”

Anna nodded.

“But why? You didn’t even know my wife.”

“That’s true, but when I lived in Indiana, I took Emma’s class, and it helped me in so many ways. I was hoping that if Jennifer took the class she would also benefit from it.”

“So you know Emma and Lamar Miller?”

“Yes.”

“Do they know about the things you’ve done for us?”

“Not everything. Emma knows I paid for Jennifer’s quilting classes. I wanted all the other things I’ve done to be anonymous.”

“How’d you get our address?”

“When I met Jennifer the day we were waiting for the bus, she pointed to your house, so I memorized the address and put the quilt class ticket in the mail, marked ‘Dear Friend.’ Then whenever I stopped to see the Millers, Emma kept me informed on how you and Jennifer were doing.”

“I see.” Randy scratched the side of his head. “I still don’t get why a complete stranger would spend their hard-earned money on people they don’t even know. Was it you, by chance, who got us those baby things? If it was, all that stuff must have cost you a fortune.”

“Not really. I entered a drawing at a store here in Sarasota, with the idea that if I won I would give the baby things to you and Jennifer.” Anna smiled. “I’ve never won anything before, so I was surprised when the store called and said my name had been drawn. Since I had no way of delivering the baby things myself, I asked a friend who has a truck to drop them off.”

Randy wasn’t sure what to say. He’d never had anyone who was almost a complete stranger do something so nice. “Thank you, Anna. I appreciate everything you did,” he said, blinking rapidly as his eyes grew misty. “But now I’m wondering, did you have something to do with me getting the job here, too?”

Anna shook her head. “Kim is the one who found out that they needed a cook, and I believe she told Jennifer about it during one of the quilting classes.”

“Then I guess I have her to thank, too, and I’ll do it right now.” Randy turned aside, feeling eternally grateful. It was nice to know there were still some people who cared about others and wanted to help out. Someday, when he got the chance, he would return the favor—if not to Anna or Kim, then to someone else who had a need.