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“The wedding one is starting,” she said. “You need to come get ideas.”
Creed set the tray down on the coffee table and sat next to Izzie. He handed out the coffee, turning around to offer one to Amelia. Seeing the couch was full, she pulled up a chair next to it and accepted the mug from Creed, waving him away when he offered her his seat on the couch. The adults humored Izzie as they watched the short cartoon. Rapunzel and Flynn Rider were finally getting married and their animal friends were on a desperate scramble through the village to catch their runaway wedding rings.
Lucy and Amelia noticed little touches on the screen and made comments to Izzie as they watched.
“Look, Sis, you could have those lanterns released afterwards.”
“I sure could. And look at that veil. I definitely need one that long.”
“Aunt Lucy, do I get to carry the rings?”
“Well are you going to just toss them out for an adventure?” Lucy tossed a wink to Amelia.
Izzie, missing the wink, turned toward the adults with rounded, somber eyes. “No, Aunt Lucy. Never. I would take my job very seriously if I got to carry the rings.”
Lucy smiled. “I bet you would, Lucy. My nephew is the ring bearer, though. You get to carry a basket of flowers.”
It was clear this news was not what the young girl wanted to hear. She crinkled her nose and sighed loudly as she turned back to the cartoon, flopping back into the cushions.
Amelia bit back a grin and leaned over to pat Izzie on the top of her head. “Well how about this, Sweetie? If I ever get married, I’ll let you carry my rings. And that’s a big job because mine is a really old, really special one.”
“You already have your ring?”
“Can I see it?”
Izzie and Creed both turned to Amelia in surprise. Although the look on Creed’s face was less than pleased. Amelia crinkled her brow at him in confusion, but turned to answer Izzie.
“Well, I don’t carry it with me. It was my grandma’s and I had it resized, because, well…” she faltered, embarrassed suddenly to admit that she had her wedding ring all ready to go.
“Wow, Amelia,” Creed murmured with a slow shake of his head. “Did you leave nothing for the man to do? Will you cut up his food for him as well?”
It was a low blow. And he knew it. The shocked flash in his eyes told Amelia of his immediate regret, but her shame was too great to bear.
“Um, well, I, uh…” Amelia blinked rapidly. She stood and set down her coffee cup on the kitchen table behind her. She took a deep breath and offered Izzie, Lucy, and Chad a wobbly smile. Lucy and Chad wore matching expressions of pity.
Amelia rolled her bare wrist, feigning a glance at her watch. “Wow, I didn’t realize how late it is. I better get going,” she whispered past the hot rock that had settled in her throat and pointed over her shoulder toward the door.
She quickly gathered her purse and coat with shaking hands and left the apartment. The hall seemed to stretch for miles until she finally reached the exit. Once outside, Amelia shrugged into her coat and walked swiftly to her car, swiping at the tears that fell from her eyes.
The door opened.
“Amelia!” Creed called.
But she turned the corner, ignoring him.
Chapter Thirty-Six
“What is your problem?” Kate stood on Creed’s front step the next morning. He had just returned from walking Izzie to school and had barely begun to filter through his pile of emails. Somehow the news of him owing the IRS money hadn’t done much to damage his business. That could have a lot to do with the statement given by his lawyer the day before that the tax evasion was not something Creed had knowingly been a part of and that the truth would soon be revealed. That, and the video of him and Izzie had reached over one million views.
He sighed. “Good morning, Kate. Won’t you please come in?” though his tone dripped with sarcasm, he opened the door wider.
“Here, I thought you could use this,” Kate handed him a paper coffee cup and brushed past him.
“Thanks,” Creed said, shutting the door against the blast of cold from outside. When he turned to his sister, the look on her face spoke of disappointment and disdain. She faced him, arms akimbo, one eyebrow arched high, wrinkling her forehead. So maybe the cold front wasn’t coming from outside after all.
“Whoa. Looks who’s suddenly Old Man Winter,” he said.
Kate squinted her eyes at him. “Excuse me?”
Creed took a sip of the coffee before he gestured to her rigid stance, “You’re about as warm and comforting as a porcupine. Let me guess, Chad called you.”
“Of course he did. We talk about you all the time.” Kate huffed. “What were you thinking? Amelia has been amazingly supportive of you and patient with you. How could you knock her down like that?”
Creed slumped onto the couch and set the coffee on the side table. He rested his elbows on his knees, hands hanging down between them.
“I know she has, Kate. I wasn’t thinking. I certainly never meant to hurt her. I’ve just—I’ve been in a funk. I had a long talk with Chad last night and he really did set me straight.” He worked a muscle in his jaw, at once both defensive and subdued. He hadn’t slept much the night before. Amelia’s fallen expression played over and over in his mind. What was he thinking?
He’d texted her, but she hadn’t answered.
Chad’s lecture had been straight and to the point. “Creed, you know I love you and I know you love the Lord. But you’re being a real jerk, dude.”
Although it was hard to hear, Creed knew it was one of those “iron sharpening iron” moments. He realized that although he had told Izzie time and again that they were going to trust the Lord through everything, he had hardly been depending on the Lord himself. He had spent hours in prayer the night before, surrendering the situation to the Lord, repenting of his attitude. It was raw and humbling. But he felt like a weight had lifted from his shoulders that had pressed him down since Hailey walked onto that television set.
“If I were you, I would offer Amelia an apology as soon as possible. But that’s not why I’m here,” Kate finally relaxed and sat next to him on the couch. She picked up his coffee cup and sampled it.
“You’re right. And I will. So why are you here? Other than to bring me coffee only to steal it back again?” he gave her a small smile.
Kate took a deep breath. “I got a call from the producers of This is You, America.”
Creed sat up, alert. In the past few days he had done what he could to secure a loan, but had been unable to find a bank willing to loan him such a high amount without a mortgage or car title as collateral. He couldn’t bear to ask his parents for the money—not after all they had done for him and Izzie. He would rather take his chances with the IRS. At some point he had stopped praying about it and started putting all of his hope in the contest that got him in this mess in the first place. If he and Izzie won the prize money, all of their problems would be solved. He was convinced of it.
“And?”
Kate averted her eyes. “Creed, they have decided to withdraw your video from the contest.”
Creed’s heart began to pound. “Why?”
She finally met his gaze. She lifted a shoulder and let it fall again. “They said the news surrounding you and Izzie and Hailey isn’t ‘family friendly’. They don’t want to send the wrong message.”
“Kate, one of the competing videos is of some drunk guy singing Shake it Off while wearing a tutu,” he deadpanned.
“I think for some reason they believe all of your drama will bring down the heart of the show. I’m sorry, Creed. I tried to talk them out of it, but…”
Creed stared blankly ahead and nodded slowly. He swallowed down the panic that bubbled inside him, wondering how much more he could take. Now what was he going to do?
You’re going to trust Me…
A calm settled over him. He had read through Ezra seven and eight that morning in his quiet time and underlined every reference to the hand of God being on the prophet. Six times. He’d almost texted Amelia, wanting to share the encouragement and insight from the Word, but how could he when he had been such a jerk?
“What will you say to Amelia?” Kate wanted to know. Was it that obvious he had been thinking of her?
Creed snorted. “Kate, be serious. How can I say anything to her? What can I offer her? I am a self-employed photographer staring down the barrel of an enormous debt with the IRS because of my own stupidity. I was reckless in college and as a result have the most wonderful daughter. But that still makes me a single dad with an extraordinarily complicated life,” Creed raked his hands back through his hair in desperate frustration.
“Amelia, on the other hand,” he continued, “has practiced restraint and wisdom. She has carefully laid out her life waiting for her dream husband to step seamlessly into it. She has made every decision for his welfare and I am not worthy to be that man. What could I possibly offer her?”
The clock that hung on the wall ticked loudly over the silence, counting the seconds.
Finally, Kate punched him lightly on the arm. “Creed. You, more than anyone, know that life is full of hiccups and bumps. So Amelia thinks that she has life figured out. Just because she is a master planner and executer of those plans does not mean that all that she has set out to do was from the Lord. Who knows the plans He has for her, but Him? And who’s to say you and all that is happening around you right now is not part of that plan? To teach you humility and to teach her to let go of her own ideals? From the time you were kids in high school, I have seen a special spark between you two. You both went your own ways and got lost in them. Looks to me like God is giving you the go ahead to find yourselves in Him and each other. Don’t blow it again, Creed.”
Long after Kate let herself out, Creed sat with his head in his hands, his thoughts chasing each other in reckless circles. Hope and desperation finally collided and he sank to his knees on the ground.
As he had done the night before, Creed called out to the Lord for direction. Over the next few days, instead of acting on impulse, he would stop and pray.
About the changes he and Izzie were facing.
For a heart that was soft toward Hailey.
For wisdom in the IRS situation and custody challenge.
About whether or not he should call Amelia and ask if they could go just back to their easy friendship.
The answer to all time and again was “Wait. Trust.”
There was little else he could do.
* * *
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lucy asked at a quaint breakfast cottage days later.
Lucy had dressed for their mission in a smart blazer and dark slacks. She had expertly applied heavy make-up to smolder her blue eyes and neatly styled her blond hair in long, precise curls. She looked like she belonged in Hollywood, which was exactly the idea.
Amelia, on the other hand, wore a baseball cap pulled low over her eyes, a black scarf high on her neck to cover her face, a long sleeved gray t-shirt and skinny jeans tucked into high boots. She brought old textbooks and notebooks from college and arranged them on the table. She looked like a college student cramming for finals, which, again, was exactly the idea.
They had ordered coffee and cinnamon rolls half an hour ago, though Amelia was so amped up she soon realized that caffeine and sugar had been a bad combo. One knee bounced wildly under the table. She tapped her pen in rhythm with her leg on the top of the table. Lucy had finally smacked her own hand on top of Amelia’s to stop the wild tempo.
“Yes, I really am,” Amelia answered, surprised that it was true. The table shook from the bounce of her leg and she gave a soft laugh. “Well, maybe I am a little nervous.”
“I mean are you okay doing this even though Creed hasn’t reached out to you at all? With everything going on in your own life, you certainly could back out,” Lucy blinked hard and looked up at the ceiling before blinking a few more times.
“Fake lashes bothering you?” Amelia guessed with a slight giggle.
“You have no idea,” Lucy blinked her eyes again before she jabbed a finger at Amelia. “Don’t change the subject.”
“Lucy, Creed is going through a lot right now. And honestly? He’s right: I didn’t save much of anything for my future husband to do. I built up this idea of what he would want and be like and, truly, I don’t think it was realistic at all,” Amelia said softly, fidgeting with the pen in her hands.
“Seemed like you and Aaron were having fun Wednesday night at Bible study,” Lucy observed.
“Yeah, he’s a really nice guy. I don’t think either of us felt fireworks so no dates or anything in our future, but we both like hiking and have plans to go next week.”
Lucy ducked her chin and looked up through her fake lashes. “Really.” Her tone spoke of disbelief.
Amelia laughed. “Honest. He’s just a nice guy. It’s nice to be friends with a guy again—one that has no complications and doesn’t get me all twittery with emotion,” she rushed to add. “I’m enjoying the freedom of waiting on the Lord. I think all this time I was burying myself behind these walls of planning and efficiency to hide away from love,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to run after just any male that happens across my path, you know? Besides, I’m having too much fun being a homeowner and planning for my new class and just generally being a normal, twenty-something single gal,” she laughed, averting her eyes.
“Why would you hide from love, Amelia? Do you think it’s because you were spooked after what happened to me?” Lucy placed a palm to her chest, clearly horrified at the thought.
Drat. Amelia hoped they would skim over that part.
“A couple weeks ago I thought that was the only reason. But Lucy,” Amelia leaned forward, afraid to say the words too loudly, lest it make them true. “I think I’ve loved Creed for all of these years. And once he disappeared from my life for good, I just…hid. I didn’t want to fall for anyone else. Even C.B. was just some pathetic distraction. I’m so glad he saw that before we did something stupid like get married. I think I would have been dreaming of Creed while married to someone else and that would have been awful. But back then I was just hurting so badly I was willing to do anything to forget about him,” she imitated Lucy’s wild blinking to ward off the sudden sting of tears.
“And now?” Lucy asked, her eyes shimmering to match her sister’s.
The bell above the front door jingled.
They turned to watch Hailey glance around the restaurant. She was dressed nicer than the last time Amelia saw her and looking slightly more put together. Though she was mostly hidden by a fake Christmas tree, Amelia ducked her head further out of sight, watching through the branches. Hailey spoke with the hostess, who was twenty dollars richer thanks to the Howard sisters, before she was led to a small table in the corner, far away from Amelia’s.
“It’s go time,” Lucy whispered. She pulled out her phone and carefully adjusted a small device into her ear. Hailey would think it was just a Bluetooth device. She should have no idea that their conversation was being recorded. Lucy took a deep breath and released it with a wink at Amelia before she snuck out the door that led through the kitchen and out into the alley.
Minutes later Lucy, carrying a large purse in the crook of her arm, her phone cradled in a delicately manicured hand, swept into the restaurant. She spoke loudly, seemingly to no one, about a deal she had just closed as her gaze swept across the handful of patrons enjoying their coffee and breakfast. She rolled her eyes and strode to the hostess stand, tapping the side a few times to get the young girl’s attention.
“Yes, I’m here to meet a Miss Anderson?”
“Ms. McKinley?” Hailey asked tentatively, rising from her chair.
Lucy turned toward Hailey, a slow smile spreading across her face. She brought the phone to her mouth.
“I’ll call you after the meeting,” she said before she took a seat and set the phone on the table. The women shook hands and Lucy ordered a coffee for herself and encouraged Hailey to order whatever she wanted. They chatted for a few moments, Lucy pretending to be distracted by her phone, Hailey leaning close to see what she was looking at. Once their coffees were delivered, as had been rehearsed earlier, Lucy asked to be left alone with her “client.”
Amelia’s chair faced them, and with Hailey’s back to her, she chewed her thumbnail anxiously. Again, she wished they had found a way for Amelia to hear the exchange. Hailey and Creed were set for their first court appearance the next day; this had to work. But suddenly she wasn’t so sure that she wanted it to. Were they doing the right thing? What was best for Izzie and Creed in the end? Of course Amelia knew Izzie’s place was with Creed. But would it really be so awful for her to have some contact with her mother?
She watched as Lucy pulled papers from her large bag and spread them on the table before Hailey. Izzie’s mother visibly tensed and pushed them away, shaking her head adamantly. Lucy leaned back and crossed her legs, cool as a cucumber. Or, rather, as an executive that could take or leave the potential client in front of her. She gestured to something on her phone and again to the papers. Hailey’s knee began to bounce. She looked out the front door, wringing her hands in front of her in panicked frustration. Amelia sat up straighter and folded her own hands to keep from shaking.
Lucy spoke again and crossed her arms with a shrug. She swung her high heeled foot in slow circles, waiting for Hailey to respond. Finally, Hailey pushed the papers across the table hard enough to send a few floating to the floor. She cursed loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to turn in shock. She stood and stormed out into the cold November morning. She passed the wall of windows, air escaping in stormy wisps from her mouth as she muttered something angrily. Amelia’s breath caught at the look of pure hatred on her face.
All doubt about what they had done vanished.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Creed had borrowed one of his Dad’s suits, thankful they were the same size. He dressed in cool grey slacks and matching jacket with a crisp white button down shirt and navy blue tie. He had read somewhere that blue signified peace. The bottom of the tie, hidden, though not purposely, behind the buttoned portion of his jacket, was a dove, the symbol of peace. Creed hoped the judge would see him as a man of peace, not of chaos as his life seemed to shout these days. With any luck Hailey would show up looking as disheveled as she had a few weeks ago.
