Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [14]
After she pinned a paper to the church bulletin board that would let others know she was looking for more work, she made her way toward the exit. The moment she stepped into the parking lot, Lil grabbed her arm.
“You did it, didn’t you?”
She shrugged away. “Shh! He might be following. Walk me to the car.”
“Well?”
“He’s taking me to the party.” Katy reached for her Chevy’s door handle. “Get those bids fast, Lil. Okay?”
“Of course. I can’t believe this is finally happening. I’ll see you at the party.”
Katy started to get in the car, but thought better of it. She jumped back out and leaned against the roof. “Lil!”
Her friend turned, and Katy motioned her back. “Be careful how you act at the party. Don’t give me away. And don’t tell anybody about this except Megan.”
“Duh. I’m not stupid.”
“Fine. See you later.”
Katy slammed her car door and looked in the mirror to straighten her covering. Her scheming reflection caught her off guard. Was she becoming a stranger to herself? What was happening? She reached up and gave the mirror an angry twist so that it only showed the rectangle of the back windshield. And there was David Miller walking behind her car.
She fastened her seat belt and started the ignition. When she backed out, David was already sitting inside his shiny black sedan. She edged her car onto the street when an angry thought shot through her mind. It’s all your fault, Jake Byler. You’ve ruined me for everybody else. She allowed a ball of resentment to expand in her throat. Yes, it was all his fault.
In Plain City, she braked for a red light. Jake was a rat, but it really wasn’t all his fault she hadn’t moved on with her life. Maybe this date was a good thing, and her dad was doing her a favor. It was time to test the waters and see if she could date somebody besides Jake.
If she gave David a chance, he might even grow on her. Maybe they’d marry and tell their children the funny story of how their mom tricked their daddy into a date. They’d laugh and say the joke was on their mom, because their daddy wanted the date all along. Wouldn’t that make a happy story?
Honk! The blare of a car’s horn brought her back to her surroundings, and she placed her foot on the accelerator. She needed to get home and get ready for her foolish date.
CHAPTER 4
Dashing toward the door before the bell disturbed her dad’s nap, Katy snatched up her skates. She didn’t need her dad telling David to take care of his dumplin'. As she passed, her mom looked up from her quilting frame and mumbled, “Have fun with that nice boy.”
“Sure.” Katy’s black, quilted snow boots pattered across the wood flooring. It was bad enough that earlier in the week she’d caught her mom staring at a double wedding ring pattern. Gratefully her siblings, who liked to tease, were sledding out back. Her pulse accelerated. She gripped the handle and swung open the door to be instantly thrown off balance by David’s hazel gaze—part warm and part mischievous, as if it held some secret.
David tilted his head, his wind-ruffled hair accentuating his boyish appeal. “Hi Katy.” When his mouth quirked at the corner, she realized he was waiting on her, probably expecting to get invited inside.
“Just a moment.” She ducked back inside and dove into her wool coat, throwing a scarf around her neck. David held the door for her as she stepped onto the porch. The crisp air nipped her cheeks, and she crunched down the walk with David toward a rumbling, black sedan puffing steam from its exhaust.
“Wow.” The word slipped from her mouth unbidden. Impressive, she kept to herself. She could have sworn the car was even shinier than it had been at church.
He grinned and opened its passenger door for her, and she slipped into its warm interior. While he went around the outside, she stroked the plush seat with her thumb, inhaling David’s intimate ride of leather and aftershave.
He hopped in and paused before placing a gloved hand on the gearshift. “You’re stunning in