Page 46 of With You Here
“I am so glad I can bring you amusement.”
Ben laughed again but reached for half of the boxes in the stack. “A picnic in the park, this I understand. But why all the people? It is as if this is not a date at all.”
“Oh, it’s a date.” Maybe not like any he’d been on before, but that was fine by him. Amber wasn’t like any woman he’d ever met. Just the fact she’d agreed to a date, hadcalledit a date, was all he needed. A first step in the direction he wanted to head. A definition that meant more simply because of the woman who’d defined it. He was her first and he was determined to be worthy of the privilege she’d given him.
Didn’t matter if practically everyone at the center would be there. He knew they’d all fade into the background. The only person he’d be able to focus on would be Amber. He would have said anything, offered anything, to make her comfortable spending time with him as more than just a friend.
They approached the van, and he balanced the boxes in one hand so he could open the back door. After Ben slid in his half of the food, Seth did the same. He rearranged the soft drinks and bottles of juice so they wouldn’t tip and squish the fruit and vegetable trays, and then he shut the door.
“You sure you remembered to pick everyone up?”
Ben rolled his eyes. “Yes. For the third time, yes.”
“Sorry.”
“If I did not know you, I would think you had never been on a date before.”
“I’ve changed, Ben, and Amber’s different. I’m not trying to get her to open her bedroom door to me. I want her to open her heart.”
“Okay, who are you and what have you done with my brother?”
Seth turned and found Kayla leaning against the van door. Her arms were crossed over the bib of her dungarees, her pant legs folded up. Her hair had been plaited to the side and cascaded over her left shoulder. She looked a little like she had as a kid, minus the paint splotches on the denim.
“The Seth Marshall I know wouldn’t be saying all these sappy things about girls’ hearts out in the open where anyone, especially reporters, could hear. He cares about exactly two things—football and family.” Her eyes narrowed as she pushed off the van. “But, as you said, you’ve changed, right?” The same flash of hurt he’d seen before streaked across her face, then she turned and stomped out of view. One of the van doors creaked open and then slammed shut.
Ben stared where Kayla had been, as if looking at the spot would help him process what had just happened. Seth knew because he was doing the same thing.
What was wrong with his sister? The little barbs she’d been throwing at him pricked. Was she upset for some reason that he’d given his life to Christ? It was as if the changes he’d made in his life angered her, but that was crazy. He’d stopped living like a selfish blighter. That should make her happy, not cause her to fuss and fume. It was chalk and cheese. Two things that didn’t go together. Didn’t make sense at all.
“Okay then.” Ben slapped Seth’s back. “Should we get your chariot on the road before it turns into a pumpkin?”
Seth stared at his friend. “I seriously wonder about you sometimes.”
“Wha-at?” He drew out the word in two syllables.
“Never mind. Let’s go.”
To continue the unconventionality of the date, Amber had said she’d meet him at the park. The city’s greenspace was only a short walk from the center, and since they were using the van to pick up the food and families, the plan made sense. One day, when she was more comfortable, he’d do things the more traditional way. He’d pick her up with a bouquet of flowers, take her to a fancy restaurant where light from the chandelier could make diamonds of her eyes, and he’d tell her how beautiful she was. How enchanted she made him feel…compared to the clod Kayla made him feel like with her stewing in the back seat.
The negative vibes coming from her charged the inside of the van. He took a deep breath and let it out. Soon they’d need to sit down and hash out whatever it was that had turned his sweet sister into a brooding pain in the backside. But not today. He wouldn’t let her attitude ruin his time with Amber.
They arrived at the park in minutes, and Seth scanned the area, his gaze stopping on the covered pavilion. Traditional date or not, he wanted today to be memorable for Amber. He already knew it would be for him. A couple of phone calls had ensured that pizzas in the park would be upgraded to date-worthy standards. White cloths covered the tables, a burlap runner decorating each down the middle. Mason jars dotted the center of each table, pale-blue hydrangeas popping with color spilling over their mouths. Triangle bunting hung in swags between the pavilion’s support beams. And milling around it all, a multitude of party-sized proportions.
Who knew? Maybe this would be a day they’d tell their children and grandchildren about. The thought, though early, settled into the nooks and crannies of his soul, fitting with a rightness that seized his breath.
Don’t get ahead of yourself there, Marshall.The reminder made him pause, his hand on the door handle. It was like him to go off halfcocked, to let his emotions dictate his actions. But the gentle nudge in his spirit caused him to breathe up a prayer.Not my time, but Yours. Not my will, but Yours.He sincerely hoped that, in the case of Amber Carrington, he and the Lord were on the same page.
He opened the door and rounded to the back of the van where Ben reached for the fruit and veggie trays. Seth scooped up the stack of pizza boxes and glanced behind him to see if Kayla had come behind to help carry some of the food over. Nope. He shook his head, but repositioned the pizzas so he could carry them in one hand and grab the drinks in the other.
“Let us help, Coach.” Two of the older boys sidled up, arms outstretched.
He smiled a thanks and loaded them up, then shut the back door of the van and followed them to the pavilion. Mila walked over to him, eyes dancing, as he slid the pizzas onto a table.
“You and Ben are enjoying this way too much.”
“Yes.” She laughed. “We are.”
He settled in for a good-natured ribbing but was surprised when she laid a hand on his arm.
