Age Before Beauty (20 page)

Allie spoke cautiously. “There are some nice little houses over in Gram’s neighborhood that aren’t very expensive.”

Lines appeared beneath Betty’s carefully curled bangs. “Oh, I don’t think I could afford to buy a house. I’ve been frugal and made some wise investments, so Don and I have a comfortable nest egg. But I wouldn’t expect him to continue to support me forever. If I move out on my own, how would I pay the bills? I haven’t had a job since before Eric was born. The only thing I’m good at is being a housekeeper.”

Eric and I don’t want a housekeeper
, Allie wanted to shout. She didn’t expect Don to support her, but she expected her son and daughter-in-law to? The situation was far more desperate than Allie realized. Besides, how could Betty even consider leaving Don after being married more than thirty years?

“I understand what you’re going through,” she said slowly, “and I would love to have you nearby so Joanie can grow up knowing both of her grandmothers. But I’m not sure the answer is to leave your husband. I still think you should call him and talk about this. Tell him exactly how you feel.”

Betty pushed her cup and saucer away and leaned back in the chair. That secretive half smile returned to her lips. “Oh, I won’t need to call him. He’ll call me tomorrow.”

Considering Don had only called once in the two weeks Betty had been gone, Allie couldn’t imagine how she could be so sure he’d call tomorrow. “Did he tell you that the last time you talked?”

Betty shook her head, a glint of laughter lighting her eyes. “The electric bill is overdue. Tomorrow they’ll shut off the power.”

17

The dispatch center door opened a few minutes before five. Eric rolled backward in his desk chair so he could catch Ken’s eye and waved him into the room.

“I’m a few minutes early,” Ken said as he stepped through the doorway.

“Not a problem. I’m just wrapping up here.” He glanced toward the two women in the room. “Ken, this is Molly. She works day shift with me. And this is Rachel, who’s on second. Ken’s a doctor over at the hospital emergency room, so he treats most of the folks we send there.”

Ken stepped forward and shook each of their hands. Molly smiled politely, but Eric noticed a gleam of interest in Rachel’s eyes. She had good reason. Ken was an okay-looking guy, though Eric wasn’t the best judge of that. The second shift dispatcher held on to Ken’s hand about a second too long, her smile a fraction too wide, which made Eric feel the need to further clarify the doctor’s position. He caught Rachel’s gaze. “Ken’s a friend of my sister-in-law.”

The gleam faded as understanding dawned, and Eric turned back toward his computer screens to hide a grin. Not only did he work with a bunch of women, they were, for the most part,
single
. Several of them displayed a more-than-average desire to change their marital status.

He stood and bent over to log out of the various systems. If Ken were to break up with Joan because of someone he met through Eric, Allie would never forgive him. Better get him out of here before the other second shift dispatcher, a real looker, showed up.

They left Ken’s car in the parking lot and climbed into Eric’s pickup. Ken directed him to a neighborhood of high-priced homes on the other side of town. As Eric navigated through the streets, he kept his eyes focused on the road. This was the first time they’d ever been alone, since he’d only known the guy a couple of months. The only thing he had in common with Ken was the Sanderson sisters. And football.

Ken’s voice cut into the silence. “So who do you like for the Super Bowl this year?”

“The Steelers, for sure, and I’m betting the Seahawks.” Ken nodded. “I’m a New England fan myself. And I’m keeping an eye on the Seahawks this year too.”

They debated the abilities of various teams and players until Eric pulled into the neighborhood. Ken drew a slip of paper from his jeans pocket. “Says here to take the second right onto Glenellen Drive.”

Eric drove slowly down the street, admiring the beautiful and obviously expensive homes. “You know, Allie and I used to go parking in the back part of this neighborhood.”

Oops. Probably shouldn’t talk about that to a religious guy like Ken.

Ken laughed. “I could point out a few parking places around Indianapolis myself.”

That was a surprise. Eric got the impression Ken had always been superreligious. Maybe he’d been normal as a kid.

Eric turned onto the second street on the right, and then pulled into the driveway Ken indicated. Ken compared the number on the paper to the one over the garage. “Looks like this is the place. Mr. Carter is a widower in our church. His wife died a few years ago, and he said he has a few things he’d like to get rid of.”

As he followed Ken up the sidewalk, Eric admired the landscaping. Allie would love this place. The yard was immaculate, with all sorts of shrubs and fancy grasses and the like. Even this late in the year he couldn’t see a dead leaf in evidence anywhere, testimony to the fact that somebody spent a lot of time gardening. Of course, if you lived in an expensive house like this, you could probably afford to pay a gardener.

The door was opened by an elderly man in gray slacks and a sweater. “Come in, boys. I’ve been expecting you.”

Ken shook the man’s hand. “Thanks, Mr. Carter. We really appreciate your donation for the auction. This is my friend Eric.”

Eric stepped inside after Ken and Mr. Carter shut the door behind him. The house was immaculate, and as impressive as the yard. Eric tried not to goggle at the rich furnishings as they followed Mr. Carter down the hallway.

“There it is, boys.” Mr. Carter waved toward a desk against one side of the family room wall. “It’s not new, but it should fetch a good price. I’ve got a few other things to go as well, but that’s the big one.”

It should, indeed, fetch a good price. A beautiful piece of furniture, an antique. Eric didn’t know much about wood, but the surface gleamed with a warm, rich color like perfectly browned toast. It had curlicues carved all over the front and side panels.

Ken stepped close and ran an admiring hand over the top. Shaking his head, he turned to Mr. Carter. “Are you sure you want to donate this? It’s obviously worth a lot of money.”

The older man nodded. “I hope so. It’ll help you young people get down to Mexico where you can do some good. When I was younger, I had thoughts of going to Mexico, but I never got the chance. After my time in the army, I had no desire to travel anymore.”

Ken pointed to a framed photo on the wall. “You have children, don’t you? They might want this desk.”

Mr. Carter waved a hand in dismissal. “They’re not interested. Both of them have homes of their own, and they’ve decorated with newfangled stuff. Besides”—he glanced around the room—“if they want antiques, they’ll have plenty to pick from.”

Eric followed the man’s gaze. He was right. This house was loaded with antiques.

“Well, if you’re sure.”

Eric and Ken each took one side. They carried the desk through the hallway and out to the truck. It was a lot heavier than it looked. Mr. Carter gave them an old blanket to cover it, and a roll of masking tape to wrap around the blanket to keep it from flying off as they drove. Then he directed them to a couple of boxes in the garage, heavy with stuff he wanted to donate. Eric glimpsed an old mantle clock in the box that Allie would probably love.

After they’d gotten everything secure in the back of the pickup, they stood beside the cab. The sun was low in the sky and threw deep shadows across the yard.

“I can’t thank you enough, sir,” Ken told him. “You’ve been more than generous.”

He held out a hand. Mr. Carter took it and gave it a firm shake, then extended his toward Eric.

As he shook Eric’s hand, he said, “I appreciate what you young people are doing. About time that church got a fire going. You just go on down to Mexico and help those people.”

Eric gave an embarrassed nod and released the man’s hand. The old guy thought he was part of the church.

Ken grinned as he rounded the front of the truck toward the passenger side. “You could come with us, Mr. Carter. We’d love to have you.”

Mr. Carter laughed. “No, I think I’d better stay here. But thanks for the invite.”

As Eric backed out of the driveway, Mr. Carter stood on the sidewalk and watched until they turned off his street.

“He was a nice old guy,” Eric said. “I can’t believe that desk, though. He could probably sell that for a small fortune. And some of the things in those boxes looked like antiques too.”

Ken lifted a shoulder. “He doesn’t look like he needs the money. Besides, you heard him. This is a way he can be part of our work in Mexico.”

Eric let the comment pass. From what he knew of this trip the church was planning, they were going down there to build a house and give medical attention to the poor children. As far as Eric was concerned, those were admirable goals. A shame those people in Mexico would have to put up with a bunch of religious talk at the same time.

They rode in silence during the short trip to the church. Ken directed him to drive his truck around to a back entrance, where they could unload the stuff.

Carrying one of the heavy boxes, Eric followed Ken through a back door and down a short hallway. The last time Eric had been in this church was the day of his wedding. Ken opened the door and reached inside to flip on the light.

“Uh, let’s see.” He glanced around the room. “Put that over there, and then let’s move some of this stuff around so we have room for the desk.”

Boxes and bags lined the walls. Eric helped Ken shuffle them around until they’d cleared a big enough area. “Man, you guys have got a lot of stuff.”

Ken’s glance circled the room. “The members of the church have been generous. Kind of surprised me, to be honest. When I first started going here, I figured them for a bunch of Sunday morning pew-warmers.” He grinned. “They’re not as exuberant as the folks at my church back in Indiana, but the way they’ve supported this mission trip has really opened my eyes. They’re a great bunch of people who worship the Lord in their own way.”

Eric turned away and headed down the hallway before Ken could see him roll his eyes. Time to get the truck unloaded and take Ken back to his car. Eric could only take so much religious talk in one night.

He hopped up into the bed of the pickup. Ken joined him, and together they stripped off the masking tape and uncovered the desk. Eric took one side, Ken the other, and they lifted it toward the back of the truck.

As Ken hopped down, he commented, “I take it you’re not much on church.”

Eric let out a snort. “You got that right.”

“Why not? Not that it’s any of my business or anything.”

Eric almost said, “No, it’s not, so butt out.” But Ken was a nice enough guy, and Eric didn’t really have anything against him. No reason to antagonize him, especially since he had to stare at him over the dinner table every Sunday. Besides, if Eric told him how he really felt, it might shut the guy up about religion for good.

When Ken had a firm grip on his end, Eric got down from the truck bed and lifted the other side. They hefted it, and Ken walked backward into the building. They placed the desk in the spot they’d cleared, and as they were returning to the truck, Eric answered Ken’s question.

“We didn’t go to church all that often when I was growing up. My parents don’t have anything against church, but they’ve never really been into religion. We went with my grandmother every so often, mostly on special occasions like Christmas and Easter. When I was about eleven or twelve, the youth group had a party at the skating rink. The leader made a point of telling me about it and that he’d really like me to come. Sounded like fun, so I went.”

Ken’s face became guarded, almost as though he knew what was coming. He didn’t say anything, so Eric continued. “Turns out the guy was a pervert. I was pretty strong for my age, so I got away. Called my mother to come get me.”

“Did you report him?”

“I never told anyone.” Eric gave a humorless laugh. “Didn’t have to. The kid he tried it on after I left that night did, and then they started coming out of the woodwork. Last time I checked, his name was still on the child abuse registry.”

Ken’s expression did not change. “How did your church react?”

Eric shrugged. “No idea. I never went back. It kind of left a bad taste in my mouth for churches, you know?”

“I don’t blame you.”

Eric shot him a look of surprise. “You don’t?”

“Heck, no!” Ken pounded a fist into his other hand. “You better not let me catch somebody hurting a kid, church or no church.”

Eric gave him a grim smile. “I’m with you there.”

They were silent as they climbed into the pickup and Eric started the engine. He steered through the parking lot and turned onto the street. As the steepled building receded in the rearview mirror, Ken spoke. “You know, not everyone who attends church is like that guy.”

Eric glanced sideways at him. “I know. I just never saw much sense in the whole church thing. I’d rather spend my Sunday mornings relaxing with my family.”

“Well, that’s kind of the point of church too. Only it’s getting together with your church family.”

“See, that’s where you lose me.” Eric turned the steering wheel and guided the truck onto Fourth Street. “I’m not interested in claiming any sort of relationship to a bunch of people I don’t know. Especially when there are creeps like that guy hiding in the pews. Plus, I don’t see the need. I know how to act, how to treat people decently. I’m basically a good person. I don’t need a minister to tell me how to act.”

“I can see where it might be confusing. But Christianity isn’t just about being a good person. It’s about a relationship with God, and about how much he loves us.”

Whatever. Eric pulled the truck into the parking lot of the dispatch center. About time too. He’d about reached the breaking point with this conversation. In a minute he’d have a hard time being “good” himself.

He parked next to Ken’s Ford, and Ken hopped out. Before he closed the door, he leaned in, and for a minute Eric thought he was going to continue his church lecture. If he did, Eric would be tempted to put the truck in reverse and leave with Ken still hanging on the door.