My Hope Next Door Page 8

  Her mom picked through each of the boxes, alternately grabbing a handful of mangled necklaces and then dropping them. She’d attempt to detangle a few until her trembling fingers forced her to give up with a curse. This was her mother’s typical reaction when her body didn’t obey her mind.

  The side effects of the medicine had eased off a little, but the symptoms were getting worse. Two days ago, her mom’s vision had blurred so badly, her dad was forced to call her doctor. He said the flare-up was normal and caused by an inflammation in her nervous system. He assured them that the attack would eventually subside. The night before, her vision had returned to normal, to the relief of all three of them. Permanent blindness was still a real possibility, and her mother’s greatest fear.

  Even more reason for Katie to get the house in working order.

  “Why don’t you go check on your listings? That way I can take a trip to the post office and Goodwill at the same time.”

  Her mom would never say so, but she’d been noticeably happier since they’d created the work space downstairs. Aluminum cases lined the walls of the old dining room and were filled with inventory to sell. Katie had given her labels for tagging items once they were listed on eBay. The process was slow, but her mom had emptied two full shelves. A victory both of them needed.

  “Don’t patronize me. I’m not a kid who needs a task thrust at her. And I don’t want this stuff going to Goodwill. There’s a new shopping center out toward your dad’s factory. The right end has a thrift store that sends all the proceeds to help pregnant women who don’t have support. If we’re giving this stuff away, I want it to at least go to them.”

  Warmth seeped into Katie’s chest. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  “Don’t be so surprised.” Her mother’s lips hardened into a line. “Your fancy new church friends aren’t the only ones who help people.”

  Once. She’d gone to Fellowship that one time only, yet her parents had been relentless with their comments. “I never thought they were.”

  “Well, the way you’re fawning all over that Powell boy says otherwise. You can give up whatever fantasies you have. I’ve seen his type. She was tall, blonde, innocent as a daisy, and practically wore a halo.” She eyed Katie up and down. “We both know you ain’t seen a halo since your third birthday.”

  “Thanks for the reminder. But Asher and I are just friends.” Although a stirring in her gut argued this point.

  It wasn’t jealousy. No, it was deeper. He’d become a lifeline of sorts. Her place to fall when all her strength had dried up. He kept her focused, grounded, and encouraged. Kept her from losing her mind while she waited to see if Cooper would follow through on his threats. It’d been five days since she stood him up, and there’d been no sign of retaliation.

  “Friends, huh? I guess I shouldn’t worry about him sticking around, then. We both know how well you treat the people you supposedly care about.”

  “Don’t.” She’d warned her mom not to ask about Laila. Told her flat out that if she did, she would leave and never come back.

  “I’m not. That’s your own guilty conscience tugging at your strings.” Her mom slowly rose to her feet, her face dotted with sweat. She could only bear the heat for so long. The fatigue was bad enough on its own. But on days when she came outside, it seemed to hit with even more ferocity. “I’ll check the sales and print out what needs shipping.”

  Good riddance.

  Working the tension from her shoulders with one hand, Katie stretched her neck and waited for the sick churning in her stomach to subside. Asher’s advice continued to buzz in her ear, but she wasn’t ready to open herself up to more pain. She wanted to pack things away. Keep the good. Trash the bad.

  It didn’t take long to calm herself. She was a pro at pushing aside emotions. She’d been taught by two of the best.

  Katie moved the boxes out to her three tarps: one for selling, one for giveaway, and one for the dump, because broken items always seemed to end up in each box.

  The sun blazed overhead, sending ribbons of sweat down her neck. She twisted her hair into a high bun. It was only May, and it was already miserable outside. Rumor had it they were in for a record-breaking summer in Georgia. Great. Just great. The air conditioner barely kept the house below eighty.

  She’d never understand how her father had let things get so bad. It was as if he put on blinders every time he walked through the front door. All the sinks were leaking—the one in the master bathroom so badly, Katie had to bleach away the mold. Worse, since the couch incident, she’d lost any influence over him, getting only an “I’ll take care it” response every time she mentioned a repair. Yet in two weeks, he hadn’t taken care of one single thing.

  One task at a time.

  She examined a handful of necklaces. All but two were cheap and belonged on the giveaway tarp. She found matching earrings for one set and a “gold” bracelet that would probably turn someone’s arm green.

  Halfway through the second container, her heart fluttered. A jewelry box. She quickly pulled it free of the tangle of chains, her pulse beating wildly when she confirmed it was real. She touched every centimeter of the ornate pewter trinket. It was a rectangle, with decorated Queen Anne feet, just like the one she’d held that night. Hope rose up within her. Maybe this was her miracle.

  Her hands shook as she lifted the lid. Maybe . . .

  An empty red velvet liner. No ring.

  A clanking sound and subsequent thud broke Katie out of her free-fall of emotions. Asher stood across the tarp, a long cloth bag at his feet.

  “That’s pretty,” he said with a smile she was starting to crave. “You were stroking it like a genie’s lamp. Any chance we’ll get three wishes?”

  “No. Unfortunately not.” Katie quickly lowered the jewelry box to the “keep” tarp and stood. “What’s up?”

  “Well, I saw you from my nice cool office and decided you needed some shade. It’s supposed to hit ninety today.” He crouched next to the bag and unzipped it. “We use these for picnics at the church. Cuts the heat significantly.”

  Asher pulled out a portable shelter and began to set it up on the ground. He was dressed the same as he always was during the week. Tennis shoes, gym shorts, and a white T-shirt he sometimes covered with a button-up if he had an online meeting.

  “Thank you for doing this.” She didn’t add that no one had ever been so considerate to her, or that she’d already sweated through two shirts. “I really appreciate it.”

  “Here. Take this end and walk backward. Watch your fingers; the top slides up.”

  She walked around the tarp and took the end he offered. Seconds later, they were extending poles and positioning the tent over her work space.

  “Just hold it steady while I put the stakes in.”

  Katie kept her post and watched as Asher pounded metal rods into the ground. His muscles tightened with each strike, and she found herself mesmerized by the movement. So much so that Asher had to repeat himself twice when he told her to come around to his side.

  Her cheeks flared. “Sorry.”

  Asher pounded until the next stake was in the ground. “You weren’t at church Sunday.”

  A wave of tension washed through her. She’d felt guilty all day about not going, yet couldn’t make herself do it. “You noticed?”

  “Of course I noticed. You’re one of the few reasons I went. I couldn’t have you tearing out during another one of Dad’s sermons. You might give him a complex.”

  Katie knew he was teasing, but she still sensed an underlying disappointment. They’d spent enough time together that she was beginning to detect his actual mood, buried under the one he worked to portray.

  She considered making excuses. Telling him she’d been too busy, or was needed at home. But the truth was, she lacked the courage to go back.

  “I wasn’t quite ready to try again.”

  “I understand,” he said, and went back to his hammering.

  Once the shelter
was in place, the temperature beneath it felt ten degrees cooler. Katie pulled her shirt away from her body, in and out, creating a breeze along her damp skin. “I owe you big-time. Wow.”

  He chuckled. “Nah. It felt wrong to watch you sweat while I sipped iced tea and played on my computer.”

  “Play? Somehow, I doubt that’s what you’re doing.” He ran some kind of complicated computer system that went over her head every time he tried to explain it. She put her hands on her hips. “In fact, all I’ve seen you do is work.”

  “I enjoy my job and love fixing up the house. My work is my hobby.” He shrugged. “It’s the perfect life.”

  She didn’t believe him. Not when every stroke, hammer, or brush over his outdoor kitchen seemed to her like a therapy session. She would bet that he used construction the way she used organizing, as an escape.

  Unfortunately, her “escape” was beginning to feel stifling. “We should get you out. Go do something fun.” Her offer wasn’t just for his benefit. She needed a night away from her parents. They’d all been one step from igniting a bomb all week.

  “Fun, huh? What did you have in mind?”

  “I don’t know. What do sober people do around here?”

  “Well, there’s bowling.”

  “No.” Just the thought made her cringe.

  “Feller’s Gym has a climbing wall that’s pretty sweet.”

  Katie’s mouth twitched sarcastically. “Any idea that doesn’t involve strenuous activity or ugly shoes?”

  His laugh confirmed he was messing with her. “Personally, I love the drive-in. It’s one of the last working outdoor theaters in the nation.”

  “Sold. How does Friday sound?”

  He tilted his head and she made the grave mistake of looking at his mouth, the shape of his lips, the straight line of his teeth. He said something, but she forgot to listen to his answer.

  “I’m sorry.” She shook herself out of her daze for the second time. “What did you say?”

  His smile was indulgent. “I said Friday sounds perfect.”

  Katie told herself this wasn’t a date. They were just two friends who were planning to go see a movie together. Yet the pounding of her heart made the lie nearly impossible to believe. She felt a rush. A high she recognized and still often craved.

  She was getting too used to Asher being around. Too dependent on him. And that never led to anything good. He’s not like the other ones, she told herself. He wasn’t the type of man to yell or punch or throw things. He was calm, steady, kind.

  And above everything else, he made her believe in second chances.

  CHAPTER 14

  Asher peeked out the window for the third time. Katie had asked him to drive and politely implied it’d be better if they met at his house. He knew it was because of her folks. He’d seen her mom watching them through the side window the last time Katie came over to chat.

  His phone buzzed on the counter. Dylan.

  Asher smiled as he answered. “What’s up, brother?” He and Dylan had met in college. Both had been paired with miserable roommates their first year, and they had ended up sharing an apartment for the last three.

  “On my way to pick up Marissa. I wanted to see if you were still game for our October trip. Our OCD buddy is driving me crazy, trying to get us all locked down.”

  Will was a year younger than both Asher and Dylan, yet he still served as the father figure in their trio. He and Dylan had known each other since birth.

  “I already told him I was a yes.”

  “Yeah, but you bailed on us last year.”

  Asher sighed. Heavily. “You wouldn’t have wanted to be around me then. Trust me, I did you both a favor.” He’d just resigned from the church and was in full self-pity mode. Wallowing didn’t go well with primitive camping.

  “I know. Just wanted to check your current state of mind.”

  An image of Katie flashed through his head. He’d be lying if he said he was back to his old self, but he felt hope that he’d get there soon. He looked forward to her late-evening visits, had even noticed a new urgency to get his work done so they could just sit and talk.

  “My current state of mind is that camping sounds awesome. I can now be trusted with sharp objects and annoying friends.”

  Dylan laughed. “Good, because Will brought this guy from work last year and I swear he whined the whole time.”

  “Not everyone is cut out for Will’s definition of fun.”

  “Very true. Anyway, I’m at Marissa’s now. I’ll call when I have more details.”

  Asher heard Katie knock. “You mean: when Will sends our four-page itinerary.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Lord help us both. Tell Marissa I said hi.”

  “Will do.”

  He ended the call right as he opened the door, and had to actively concentrate on not allowing his phone to slip through his fingers.

  Katie stood opposite him wearing a short black-and-white striped dress with a red belt. Her usually ponytailed hair was down and super straight.

  “I know I’m way too dressy for the movies, but I found this outfit in my mom’s stuff, and I was dying to wear something other than my grungy work clothes.”

  His gaze lingered longer than was polite. Her transformation had created this contradiction of edgy and sweet that was not only fascinating but also striking.

  “You look great.” Asher stepped aside to let Katie into his house, a moment he’d anticipated since their first real conversation. As soon as he shut the door, the molecules in the air shifted. He’d expected her careful observation, expected her endless questions. But never this atmosphere. It had to be her, as if she was making the atmosphere by just being there.

  For months, his home had served as a kind of a security blanket. A place free from anyone who could hurt him. But here Katie was, filling the space with a presence much too large for her small frame, and he welcomed it. Enjoyed it, even.

  Maybe his ability to trust hadn’t been forever severed.

  “Wow. It’s so different than my parents’. I just expected the layout would be the same.” She walked around the open foyer in awe, running her hands over the new drywall.

  “It used to be.” He’d torn out two walls on the first floor to open up the living room more.

  She continued her silent perusal, periodically stopping to peek in a doorway or touch his new woodwork. At the fireplace, she spun around, the motion lifting her skirt up an extra inch. As if he needed something else to distract him. The way that dress draped over her curves had been plenty enticing.

  Asher adjusted his collar. “We should go or we’re not going to get a decent spot.”

  “Oh, okay.” Katie strolled out the door and leaned against the porch rail while he locked up. “So, I checked the movie listing, and it’s basically sci-fi action thriller, cartoons, or really bad chick flicks.”

  “Sci-fi.”

  “My thought exactly.” She hopped down the steps. “You know, I’ve never actually gone there before.”

  He clicked his key fob to unlock his SUV. “What? You’re kidding.”

  “Nope. By the time I could drive, the last thing I was interested in was hanging at the movie theater.”

  “So what kind of stuff did you do while the rest of us were gorging on popcorn?” He shouldn’t have asked. He wouldn’t like any of her answers, but he wanted to know her. Really know her. And her careful avoidance of any conversation regarding her life before coming home only added to his curiosity.

  She stood in front of him and fiddled with her belt buckle. “I’m sure you’ve heard all the rumors. Pick and choose.”

  He hated that answer more than any other she could have given. “Rumors are nothing more than fabricated lies that give people an excuse to ignore their own misery. I was asking you. You know, since it’s your life I’m talking about.”

  “My old life. And I don’t want to dwell on it.” A wave of annoyance rolled off her. “Tonight’s supposed to be f
un, remember?”

  He was smart enough to know when to back off. She may have changed her hair and attitude, but Katie had always been able to slay a person when provoked. “Okay, fun it is. And since you are a drive-in newbie and I am a pro, get ready to be hooked. I have a system so solid, you’ll want to go back every weekend.”

  Katie didn’t move and the intensity in her blue-gray stare made him wonder if he’d once again said the wrong thing.

  “Thank you,” she finally said.

  “For what?”

  “For treating me like I’m a good person.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and Asher had to ball up his fingers to keep them from reaching out and touching the soft skin her quick sweep had exposed.

  “Katie, I would have treated you this way always. You just never let me.”

  There was a beat of silence, and then she stepped close. Close enough that heat sparked up his spine. Close enough that when he took a breath, their bodies touched. Slender arms weaved around his torso, and before he could process what she was doing, Katie hugged him, pressing her head against his chest.

  Asher closed his eyes, felt the silky touch of her hair on his chin. He tried to define her smell, like citrus and flowers and delicate beauty. Intoxicating.

  It should have been a platonic hug. A simple gesture of appreciation from a person who was searching for answers. Only nothing about her embrace felt platonic.

  His hands followed the line of her waist and touched the rope leather of her belt. He could feel the heat of her skin, her chest rising and falling rapidly. He wanted to caress her face and graze her lips. The impulse was more than just physical. More than a fleeting moment.

  He wanted the freedom to love someone again.

  She pulled away, her smile self-conscious, as if she too felt the gravity of what had passed between them. “So, um, we should go, right?”

  Go. Leave. Yes. They definitely needed to do something. “Here. I’ll get the door.” He quickly slid past her and opened the passenger side, allowing her to step up and into the vehicle.