One Chance To Love (Christian Romance) (2 page)

Chapter Two

Daniel’s mind went blank when the
woman stepped away from the window and collided with his chest. Sure, he’d had
people running into him almost every day on the streets of New York City, but
none of them were drop-dead gorgeous like this woman.

For a second, the natural
irritation of being interrupted had swept through him. Then he’d seen her face,
and his brain—his entire world—was suddenly suspended, as if time had stopped
for several moments.

She’d looked up at him, and he was
unable to speak. Sandy brown hair barely touched her shoulders and framed a
perfectly oval face that must have been lovingly sculpted by a team of angels.
Lips that seemed to beg for his kiss. But it was her eyes that stole the words
from him. They were the color of rain clouds on a stormy day, and held a deep
sorrow that cut him to the core of his soul.

He barely heard her mumbled
apology, though all he could manage was a small shake of his head to indicate
that he wasn’t offended by her stepping into his path. Somehow, his mouth
formed a smile and he hoped it looked sincere and delighted, rather than simply
polite.

Then her face changed. She appeared
to be caught by amazement for a moment and he knew that his grin had the effect
he’d hoped it would.

A thought struck him.

What was such a beautiful woman
doing here, gazing in the front window of Tiffany’s? He’d never known a woman
who
didn’t
go into a store, even if she had no intention of purchasing
anything.

As though she’d read his
mind, she turned her head toward the store window, and he followed her gaze. A
crystal angel stood on the other side in the midst of what he guessed were
cotton balls arranged to look like clouds, although their size seemed more
suitable for playing soccer. Was that what she’d been staring at? He couldn’t
blame her—the figurine was exquisite.

He returned his attention
to her, but her interest remained on the angel a moment longer before she
looked up at him again.

“Apology accepted, though
not necessary.” Removing his bare hand from his coat pocket, he held it out to
her. “Daniel Trotter. And whom do I have the pleasure of meeting today?”

The rosy color already
blooming on her cheeks intensified noticeably.

“Allison Benton.” Her voice
sounded almost musical to his ears.

She grasped his hand, and a
shock of electricity went straight to his heart. Why did he feel as if he’d
been hit with a fully charged, industrial strength taser? The expression on her
face told him that she’d had a similar—and maybe the same—reaction.

“Simply gorgeous.” He
hadn’t intended to speak aloud.

The pink in her cheeks
deepened further. “No. I’m not—”

“I meant the angel in the
window,” he said, thinking quickly. “Though the description fits you, as well.”

She diverted her attention
to the buttons on his coat. “Thank you, but I don’t think I deserve such a high
compliment.”

“I’d enjoy nothing more
than to continue talking with you. However, I’m late for an appointment.” The
desire to see her again was too powerful for him to ignore.

She simply smiled in
return.

Not knowing why, he pulled
a card from his pocket and handed it to her.

“If you’d like to talk more—and
maybe give your life some meaning—I’ll be at this address at one o’clock
tomorrow afternoon.” He wasn’t sure where those words came from or why he said
it that way, but it seemed like the right thing at the moment.

She accepted the card and bent her
head to peer at it.

As much as he didn’t want this
encounter to end, he knew it was time to go. If he was any later in getting to
the meeting, it would need to be rescheduled. He couldn’t afford to let that
happen.

While she was distracted, he strode
away. Moving at a rapid pace, he uttered a quick prayer, asking God to bring
Allison to see him the next day.

For the few moments he’d spoken
with her, his heart had felt at peace. He knew there was a reason they met, and
that she was meant to be in his life—hopefully for the remainder of it.

~~*~~

She stood there for several moments
staring at the card in her hand. At first she couldn’t read it. She was still
reeling from the aftereffects of the lightning bolt his handshake sent through
her body. It was a small miracle that her hair hadn’t caught fire from it.

What he’d said afterward only added
to her astonishment and confusion. Not the part about being at the address on
the card, but the part about giving her life some meaning. How could he have
known that she’d just prayed for that? And he used the exact same phrase. How
was that possible?

A recent memory floated to the
surface of her brain.

Nothing is impossible
.

Shaking her head to rid herself of
that thought—and to gain a little clarity—she looked at the card one more time.
The address was somewhere in the Bronx, and even though she’d had occasion to
be there from time to time, she’d never been near Baychester Avenue.

Her attention was lured to the
sketch at the top. It resembled a church. Oh, sure! Just what she was wanting
to avoid. But something about the man—did he say his name was Daniel?—squashed
that thought in less than an instant.

She looked up to ask him why he’d
handed her the card, and what she should expect if she were to meet him the
next afternoon. He was no longer there. How had he slipped away without her
noticing? Turning in every direction he could have gone, she was disappointed
to realize he was nowhere in sight. Had her attention been on the card that
long?

Glancing at her watch, she knew she
didn’t have time to catch her usual subway train. Great! Now she’d need to take
a cab. The perfect ending to a bad day.

Well, maybe it wasn’t
all
bad. She had just met a man who embodied nearly every physical attribute she’d
ever dreamed of. Even though he was in a hurry, he said that he wanted to see
her again, so the day wasn’t completely terrible.

Walking toward an area where she knew
she could hail a taxi, she felt the corners of her mouth curl up into a grin.
People might wonder what she was thinking, but she didn’t care.

Coming upon the spot where a cab or
two sometimes lingered, she marveled that luck seemed to be with her. One was
there as if waiting just for her. She climbed into the back seat and gave the
driver her address.

A feeling of contentment washed
through her. That was odd. She hadn’t felt this way for longer than she cared
to remember. It was nice, though, and she decided to enjoy it as long as she
could.

Before long, the ride was over and
she was standing outside her apartment building. The driver must have taken the
most direct route. Never had she been able to get home in such a short time.
She paid him, adding a generous tip, then began to turn away.

“If I may, ma’am…?”

She turned back to face him,
wondering what he could possibly want to ask her. For the second time that day,
a man was handing her a business card.

“I don’t normally do this, but you
look like a nice person, and I know all the shortest routes in this city. When
you need a taxi, I’d be happy to take you anywhere you need to go.” The smile
on his face seemed genuine.

Knowing how difficult it could be
to get a cab in New York, his offer was hard to refuse.

She took the card, noting his name.

“Thank you, James. I’ll definitely
keep this.” After a quick pause, she added. “In fact, I do have to be somewhere
at one tomorrow afternoon.”

“If you’d like, I can be here to
pick you up at, say, twelve-thirty?”

She glanced from the card back to
him. There was a youthful appearance to him, as though he were working as a
cabbie to pay off his college tuition. “That would be perfect.” Then a question
came into her mind. “Why do you want to do this for me?”

“I dunno, ma’am. It just seemed
like the right thing to do.” The color in his face deepened enough for her to
notice. “Besides, it’s not every day when a beautiful woman hops into my car.”

~~*~~

There was nothing Daniel could do
to keep Allison’s beautiful, troubled eyes from his mind. They haunted him from
the time he walked away, throughout the meeting, and as he left. Heading back
the way he came, he knew she wouldn’t still be standing in front of the window
at Tiffany’s, but he paused there for a moment anyway.

He turned his attention to the
angel displayed behind the glass. What was it about the figurine that caused
the woman to stare at it with such interest? Yes, it was beyond beautiful, but
it seemed as if she’d been completely mesmerized, so there must be more to it
than how attractive it was.

Although he’d only met her briefly
a little more than an hour before, he felt the desire to purchase it for her.
It was the kind of impulse he’d learned long ago not to ignore. Oh, he knew
where—or rather, Who—the signal was coming from. That’s why he always listened
and obeyed.

Walking into the store, he made his
way to the first salesperson he could locate.

“Excuse me. I’d like to purchase
the crystal angel in the front window.” He noticed the name tag on her blouse.

The young woman smiled politely.
“I’m sorry, sir. We just sold the last one about half an hour ago. I can try to
order another for you, but they’ve been a big seller this season.”

“That’s okay, Taylor. I’ll take the
one in the display.”

“Are you sure?” The expression on
her face made him wonder if he’d suddenly sprouted an extra set of eyes.

“Yes. I’m sure.” He hoped his smile
would put her at ease.

“Interesting. Most people wouldn’t
ask for the display piece.” It was as if she were stating a well known fact. “I
guess they think of it as a
used
item, or something.”

He chuckled. “In this case, I think
the one in the window is exactly what I need.”

Her eyebrows scrunched together as
she tilted her head to the left.

“You see, there’s this beautiful
woman who was admiring it about an hour ago. I’d like to get it for her.”

“Oh! I know who you’re talking
about!” Her eyes widened. “She’s come by almost every day for the past two
weeks to stare at that display.”

His left eyebrow headed up toward
his hairline. “Is that right?”

Her head bobbled in a vigorous nod.
“I could tell by the look on her face that she really wanted it. In fact, I
decided today that if she came back one more time, I’d just give it to her and
tell the manager to take it out of my paycheck.”

He smiled. “That’s very kind of
you.”

“Well, now it seems I won’t have
to—and the lady still gets the angel she wants.” Her eyes met his. “Miracles
happen every day, don’t they?”

Before he could respond, she’d
walked to a cabinet under the window display, removed a box, and began packing
the angel into it.

Daniel followed her to the checkout
counter when she was finished, and paid for the purchase.

“Have a wonderful day, sir,” she
called after him as he headed toward the door.

“Thank you, Taylor. I think I
will.” He paused and turned. “By the way, if the woman comes back and inquires
about it, please don’t mention that I bought it for her. I’d like it to be a
surprise.”

Taylor’s mouth turned up in a
conspiratorial grin. “She won’t hear it from me.”

Stepping back out into the cold
winter air, he turned and walked back to the parking garage to get his car. He
passed a spot where a few cabs seemed to linger, waiting for a fare to hop in.

A block further down, he retrieved
his car and headed home, but Allison’s eyes wouldn’t leave his mind. There was
such sadness in those gorgeous grey eyes. He knew what that looked like—he’d
seen it in his own eyes more than once in his life. He’d often wished things
had been different, but he’d long since learned that everything happens for a
reason.

“Thank you, Lord, for allowing me
to bump into Allison,” he whispered. “I know You brought our paths together to
serve a higher purpose. I will do what I need to do, but I ask You to lead me
in what You want me to do for her. Thank You for hearing my prayer, Lord.
Amen.”

Yes, he’d helped others in the
past, but he’d never forget the electricity he endured when she took his hand.
It was something that hadn’t ever happened—until today. He couldn’t help
wondering if God had brought Allison to him for a purpose other than just
helping her.

Chapter Three

New Year’s day held no joy for her.
She didn’t care one bit about some stupid ball coming down in Time’s Square,
either. That’s why she’d gone to bed early, and took the opportunity to get a
little extra sleep. Until her phone rang.

The caller ID showed it was her
friend and former co-worker. She pressed the Talk button.

“Hi, Marcy.”

“Happy New Year, Allison!”

She resisted the urge to groan.
“You know I don’t care much for holidays.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that. I just
wanted to call and see how you’re doing.” She detected an honest concern in her
friend’s voice. “Any new job possibilities since the last time we talked?”

“No.” She let out a heavy sigh.
“Not really. I don’t know what I’m gonna do, Marcy. I mean, I don’t wanna go
back to Pennsylvania, and Mom’s way up there in Maine, so I’m out of options if
something doesn’t come along soon.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.” A
momentary pause. “If it wasn’t for Bill’s job, I don’t know what we’d do. Thank
God we don’t have any kids yet.”

Allison wasn’t in the mood to be
thankful to that Deity for anything—especially when He seemed to want nothing
more than to keep her face in the dirt.

“Yeah, well, thank whomever you
want, but don’t expect me to do the same.”

“It’s just an expression. I meant
nothing more than that.”

“I know.” Allison was lucky to have
Marcy as a friend. She was a good woman with a good heart. “So… what about you?
Any luck with the job hunting?”

“Had a possible one last week, but
then they decided their budget couldn’t handle the hiring of a new employee.”

“Let me guess. It was Lockhart
Press, wasn’t it?”

“How did you know?” The timbre in
Marcy’s voice went up.

Allison chuckled for a couple
seconds. “I applied there, too, and they told me the same thing a few days
later.”

The women shared a congenial laugh.

“Well, I’m not giving up just yet.”
Marcy’s tone had become a bit defiant.

“And I can’t afford to do that.”
Allison glanced at the clock on her nightstand. “Hey, I have to hang up now.
It’s Mom and David’s anniversary, and I really should call her.”

“Okay. No problem. Talk to ya
later, then.”

Allison turned her phone off. She
made a quick trip to the bathroom, then headed into the kitchen to get a cup of
coffee and make herself an egg sandwich on toast to quell the rumbling in her
stomach. Not having her belly screaming at her, she could concentrate on other
things—like calling Mom.

A minor dread filled her heart,
quickly spreading throughout her body. Mom had nearly fallen apart when Dad
died, and David was there for her. But that wasn’t what caused Allison’s
trepidation. David was a preacher and Mom had been vulnerable. He’d
indoctrinated her in the ways of the church, and she’d fallen under his spell.
A little more than a year later they were married, and now Mom was as much a
Bible thumper as her second husband.

Taking a seat on the sofa, hoping
her mother wouldn’t bring up all the war-torn subjects again—“Have you found a
boyfriend yet?” “I’d like to be a grandmother before I die.”—she cautiously
dialed the number.

“Hello?” Ruby Springer’s voice
sounded cheerful.

“Happy Anniversary, Mom.”

“Allison! What a nice surprise!”

She wanted to snort, but held it back.
“Don’t act so shocked, Mom. I call you every year.”

A pause. “Well, that’s true. But
you
could
call a little more often, you know.”

“Why? So I can hear you preach
about how I should be going to church to worship some supreme being that may or
may not actually exist?” She hadn’t wanted to lash out, but some part of her
needed to rebel.

She heard Ruby’s sharp inhale. “I
don’t know why you have to be this way, Allison. Whatever your reason is, I
know that someday you’ll change your mind.”

“Okay, Mom. Can we stop this right
here before we both get upset.” She took a small breath. “I’m not sure why I
said that, but I didn’t call to argue with you.”

“Yes. I think that would be best.”
Allison could visualize her mother’s smug grin. “So… have you been promoted yet?
As long as you’ve been there, that’s the least they could do for you.”

She took a deep breath. Better to
tell her now than delay any further. “Elite Editing had to close up, Mom. I’ve
been out of work for about two weeks.”

“Oh, my!” Ruby sounded dazed at the
news. “Have you found other employment, dear?”

“Not yet. I’m still looking.”

“You’ll find a good one. I know you
will.” She sensed there was more to come, so she waited a few seconds for her
mother to continue. “You’re an excellent editor, Allison. The right job will
come along soon.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,
Mom.” She glanced at the time on her phone. Eleven o’clock. Where did the
morning go? Didn’t she have somewhere to be soon? “I have to go now. Hope you
and David have a Happy Anniversary.”

“Thanks, dear. We will. Call again
soon, okay?”

“I’ll try.” She hung up, tossed the
phone on the coffee table and headed into the bathroom for a good, long shower.

~~*~~

“Do you want to come with me
today?” Daniel pushed the wheelchair up to the table so the boy could eat the
breakfast he’d prepared. “Or would you rather stay here with Mrs. Woodrow?”

“I like her. She’s nice,” the boy
replied.

“That’s fine. I just thought you
might want to get out for a change.” He smiled, hoping it showed in his eyes.
Daniel loved his eight-year-old son more than anything in the world. He would
do whatever he could to help the boy, but there weren’t many doctors familiar
with the rare bone disease afflicting his only child. Sure, there were
experimental treatments, however, none of them had shown much hope of success
for Dylan’s diagnosis.

“Dad…” The boy trailed off as tears
began to form in his eyes.

“It’s okay, Dylan. I understand.”
That was true. The boy was sensitive—like his mother, may she rest peacefully
in the arms of the Lord—and he felt like a sideshow freak in public. People
were always stopping to stare at the kid in the wheelchair as if they’d never
seen anything like it in their lives.

“I’m sorry.” Dylan’s face twisted
and the hot rain fell down his cheeks.

Daniel knelt in front of his son’s
chair, pulled him close, and stroked his hair with a tenderness only a loving
father could impart.

“Please don’t feel that way. I
really do understand what it’s like. I didn’t mean to upset you, son.” Daniel
felt Dylan’s arms wrap around him as the boy simply sobbed onto his shoulder.

Minutes passed as Daniel continued
to soothe the boy the only way he knew how. He only wanted his son to be happy,
and he’d prayed for a miracle, but it hadn’t come. That fact didn’t quell his
desire for Dylan to have a normal childhood, so he continued to ask for that
one thing. Silently, he asked once again, knowing it wouldn’t be the last time.

Dylan’s arms relaxed as his weeping
subsided. Daniel released him, and the boy sat back in his wheelchair. He
stared into his son’s eyes, holding the child’s attention for several seconds.

“I apologize for making you feel
bad this morning. I didn’t mean to do that.” He let his gaze fall to his son’s
chest that seemed so thin and frail.

“It’s okay, Dad.” Dylan’s voice
hitched as his tears finally dried. “It’s not your fault.”

Daniel smiled, cupped the boy’s
face in both of his hands, and wiped his tears away. He moved the wheelchair
back up to the table, then seated himself.

“I made your favorites this
morning,” he said, piling his son’s plate with waffles, sausage patties, and
scrambled eggs.

Dylan’s eyes opened wide, and lit
up brighter than the Christmas tree in Central Park. “Wow! I wish it could be
New Year’s Day every day!”

Daniel chuckled. “Well, I didn’t
cook all this just because it’s New Year’s.”

Dylan’s face contorted with a
puzzled look.

“I made your special breakfast
because I’m so glad you’re my son.” He paused, gauging Dylan’s reaction. He
still seemed confused. “But that’s not all. I did it because you are the one
person in this world that I love more than anything.”

It was apparent to Daniel that his
words were exactly what his son needed to hear. The grin on the boy’s face—and
the gleam in those bright blue eyes that were so much like his mother’s—told
him he’d succeeded in cheering the child.

“I love you too, Dad.”

For the next several minutes,
father and son enjoyed their meal in the stillness of the morning. Dylan was
the first to break the silence.

“Dad? I’ve been thinking.”

Daniel glanced over at the boy.
“Oh? What have you been thinking about?”

“You’re right. I’d like to get out
for a little while, so I’m gonna go with you today.”

“Are you sure, buddy?”

“Yep. All the people there are
nice, and they don’t stare at me.”

~~*~~

Why did she allow herself to get
irritated with her mother? Allison knew that the woman hadn’t meant anything
other than what she’d stated. And she was right—Allison
could
call her
more often. But some part of her felt as though Ruby always attacked her. She
didn’t understand it—didn’t like it, either—but that’s the way it was.

She’d been a happy person until her
eighteenth birthday. That was when her father was killed by a drunk driver. Her
life was changed forever that day. And yes, she was still upset about it,
although it had been ten years.

Having showered and dressed for the
day, she wandered through the apartment that wouldn’t be hers much longer.
Strangely, she couldn’t help thinking about her life. Why was it that on this,
of all days, she felt compelled to reflect on it? And why did she have a need
to blame the only One who never stopped loving her? The One to whom she’d
always prayed—until that day.

The answer was simple. Thanks to
Him, her life was a mess. She was good at what she did for a living, but every
time she had a good thing going,
wham
! He’d make sure she fell flat on
her face. But was that really true? Was God really to blame, or was He just a
convenient target for her anger?

A better question was whether He
was the one she’d had that conversation with the previous day. It seemed
logical that it was Him, though a part of her still wanted to doubt.

Okay, that was more than enough
introspection. She had somewhere to go, and the cab would soon be here to pick
her up. Where was it that she was going? The card was in the pocket of her coat
hanging on a hook next to the front door. She pulled it out and looked at it.
Oh, yeah. A church in the Bronx.

Why would that man—Daniel?—want to
meet her at a church? On New Year’s Day? She couldn’t make much sense of it.
But then, he did say something about giving her life some meaning—the same
thing she’d inadvertently prayed for only moments before she bumped into him.
Her curiosity was piqued, so that was good enough reason to find out what he’d
meant. Besides, she didn’t have anything else to do, and it might even turn out
to be a good day. She could use a few of those.

There was another card in the same
coat pocket from James, the cab driver. Noting the time on her watch, she went
to the window to see if he was early. He wasn’t, but he’d be arriving within
the next ten minutes. Still enough time to check her hair and makeup in the
mirror. Yep, it was acceptable.

She made her way across the living
room one more time, heading toward the door, and grabbed her purse and keys as
she went. Slipping her arms into the coat, she spoke aloud.

“Okay, Allison. Time to go see what
this is all about.”

She’d intended the words to impart
encouragement to herself, though they sounded odd in the still, silent,
sparsely furnished apartment.

With a sigh, she pulled the door
open, stepped out into the corridor, made sure the door was locked, and headed
down the stairs from the second floor. She stood at the main door of the
building for a few minutes, waiting for James to arrive. Before long, the cab
pulled up at the curb and she hurried out to make the trip to the Bronx.

An excitement welled up within her.
The expectancy and anticipation of beginning a new journey enfolded her, and
she couldn’t help feeling like a child again. In the deep recesses of her soul,
she knew that today she’d take the first step of a new life.