Dearly Loved Read online

  “I want to watch this, Merrie. In fact, I often see myself as the swashbuckling Percival.”

  Meredith stared at him and then laughed. “Oh, brother.”

  Gratified to see her relaxing, he kept up the light banter until he became engrossed in the movie himself.

  ***

  Long after they’d finished their dinner, the movie came to an end. David looked over at Meredith and saw she’d drifted to sleep, her chin resting on her chest where she sat propped up against the headboard. Poor thing. He figured she’d been on the go for nearly twenty-four hours straight.

  He allowed his gaze to travel over her features and felt a tightening in his chest. The light fragrance of her perfume and the way the lamp light made her hair glow mingled with honey-toned images and emotions from the past. From being curious to see her after all the years to spending this time with her, however brief, had caused long-buried feelings to burgeon within him. He could admit surprise at his strong response—but he knew this was more than nostalgia. Merrie Ambrose was a woman worth wooing. Do I have a chance? He wondered why she’d come today. Pity? Does she find me attractive, or will her view of me be colored only by my past treatment of her?

  One thing was for certain. If he wanted to get reacquainted, she needed to stay in one piece. As carefully as possible, David got up from the bed and limped to the linen closet. He knew he was taking a risk in what he planned to do, but he didn’t want an exhausted Meredith driving home at midnight by herself. One of us in a car accident is quite enough.

  Bitsy lifted his nose and watched as David gently covered Meredith with a comforter. Her eyes snapped open.

  Uh oh.

  She looked around, seeming disoriented. When her gaze landed on him, he swallowed.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice raspy.

  “It’s late and you, um, looked cold.”

  She blinked several times and sat up, pushing her hair from her eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “I didn’t want you driving this time of night in your condition.”

  “Condition?”

  “Exhaustion. I know you came here straight from work.”

  Her cheeks flooded with color. “So you assumed I’d sleep here all night?”

  He raised his hands. “Just thinking of your safety, Merrie.”

  Meredith pulled off the comforter and stood, her eyes shooting sparks. She yanked on her shoes, gathered her things, along with the dog, and headed to the door.

  “I suggest you hire a nurse,” she said repressively, “And it’s Meredith, not Merrie!”

  David watched her go with a sigh of regret.

  ***

  The phone rang, waking Meredith from a deep sleep. She blindly groped for the receiver and pulled it down under the covers with her. “Hello?” she croaked.

  “Hi, Meredith. This is Clay.”

  “Oh, hi,” she said, trying to banish the sleepiness from her voice. “How are Tiffany and Snowflake?”

  “They’re great. I’m calling to ask if I can take you to dinner tonight. I know it’s late notice, but I’m leaving town unexpectedly and wanted to see you before I left.”

  She sat up in bed, her mind whirling. “Um, yes, that would be great. What time?”

  “How about seven?”

  “Okay, I’ll see you then.”

  After he hung up, she glanced at the clock. Four thirty in the afternoon! The events of the previous night flooded her brain. I can’t believe I fell asleep at David’s! And that he had the gall to assume I'd stay! Her mortification drained some of the pleasure at spending time with Clay.

  She jumped out of the bed. “I won’t let it. David is just someone I used to know. He will not intrude and spoil my life again.”

  Bitsy inched forward on his belly to take up the spot on the bed she’d just vacated. He rested his head on his paws and looked up at her with beady puppy eyes.

  “What?” she demanded, hands on her hips. Bitsy let out a sigh.

  Meredith sent him a gimlet look and headed for the shower. As her anger cooled, uninvited concern for David took its place. I wonder how he’s doing. What if he trips again and gets hurt? What if he develops a fever? A raging infection? She hardened her heart. If he can dial for take-out Chinese food, he can dial 911.

  She let out a disgusted snort. I will not think about him one more time today. I’m going to spend some time with a man who’s not prone to involving me in morally murky situations like…that other guy.

  ***

  “Merrie.”

  Meredith spun around, wrapping her blue cover-up around her frame. She’d know that voice anywhere, whether it had been twelve years or...two weeks.

  “David!”

  He leaned negligently against the side of the pool and regarded her. “I’m surprised you remember my name.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “I haven’t heard from you in so long, I thought maybe you’d forgotten who I was.”

  Lowering herself to the edge of the pool, she let her feet dangle in the water. She avoided David’s eyes and it took all her self-restraint not to say so how does it feel to be forgotten?

  Meredith was surprised at the vehemence of her feelings. She raised her gaze to look at him. He was waist deep in the water in a pair of black swim trunks. His wet hair was smoothed away from his face and drops of moisture glistened on his skin, highlighting a livid scar from his surgery. She swallowed.

  “You seem to be out and about rather soon,” she said, trying for an air of nonchalance.

  “Hydrotherapy for my leg. I’m waiting for my physical therapist.”

  Was it her imagination or was there an edge to his voice? “Well, you’re recovery seems to be going well.”

  “Do you swim here often?”

  Glad for a benign subject, she nodded. “Yes. Usually about four times a week.”

  “That’s interesting. This is my fifth time here and the first time I’ve seen you.”

  Meredith’s face heated. “I’m glad to hear you’re doing so well, David. By the way, it might be a shock to you, but I do have a life.”

  She shrugged out of her cover-up and tossed it onto a nearby railing. Without looking back, she slid into the water and swam in the opposite direction of David Steller.

  ***

  Forty-five minutes later, Meredith grasped the side of the pool. She’d swum hard, fueled by her vexation with David. Does he have any idea how rude he sounded? The man had no clue. No clue how he’d hurt her those years ago. If he thought he could just sashay, well limp, back into her life and act like he’d done nothing wrong, he had another think coming. The adoring teenager she’d been had grown up—and grown wiser.

  Besides, she was seeing someone. Well, kind of seeing someone. Clay had gone out of town but hadn’t mentioned if he wanted to start dating. They’d had a pleasant time at dinner. He seemed like a nice man who wouldn’t just drop a person when someone else suited his fancy.

  Meredith glanced over to where she’d seen David earlier. A petite brunette in a fuchsia swimsuit was helping him out of the water. Nice physical therapist. He was twice her size and would’ve squashed her like a bug if he fell. The woman wrapped her arm around his waist and led him to the locker rooms. Good grief, is she going to help him get dressed, too?

  But she only retrieved a pair of crutches that leaned up against the wall and helped to get them under his arms. Meredith could tell by the dewy expression on the therapist’s face that David was flirting with her.

  Disgusted, she was just about to head for the women’s locker room when David looked over at her and winked. A slow burn crept up her cheeks. She lifted her chin. Don’t trip now, David dear!

  ***

  Meredith took a nap after returning from the health club. When she awoke, she discovered a message on her machine in the kitchen. She hit the play button and poured herself a glass of orange juice.

  “Mer, Rosa here. I got that info for you about alternative church
services. Tuesday nights the pastor’s wife is holding a ladies Bible study at her home. You might notice this is Tuesday. I’ll be there. Try and come, okay?”

  Meredith looked at the clock. It was five now. She could grab a quick bite and be there no problem. Butterflies rioted in her stomach at the idea of trying something new. She’d existed for the last year in a shadowing world of fatigue and a feeling of being disconnected. Maybe things were about to change. And Tuesday evenings worked regardless of whether she worked days or nights.

  Don’t forget it’s a ladies Bible study. No guys. Which is fine. I need to re-plug spiritually, not romantically.

  For some reason she thought of David. Despite her best efforts to the contrary, she’d thought of him endlessly over the last two weeks and had been plagued by worry that he might not be receiving good home care.

  She thought of the little princess therapist in Spandex and frowned. He’s obviously doing just fine. More wasted emotion spent on David. When will I learn? She let out a ragged sigh. I must stop thinking about him!

  ***

  Meredith arrived at the Bible study at seven on the dot. After greeting the pastor’s wife, she found a space left on the sectional couch, which dominated the room decorated in earth tones and greenery. Rosa arrived a few minutes later and sat on an ottoman. She wiggled her fingers and grinned, obviously delighted her friend had come. Most of the other women were unfamiliar to Meredith, and after making the introductions around the group, she discovered many had odd schedules as well.

  A young woman with a guitar opened the meeting with several simple choruses and Meredith felt some of her recent strain lessen while she worshiped. Getting my eyes off myself sure helps!

  When the singing came to an end, an older woman instructed everyone to open their Bibles to the first letter to the Corinthians, thirteenth chapter. The love chapter. As Meredith listened to the words read aloud, she groaned inwardly, realizing her reaction to David earlier had been silly. Envy, rudeness, and anger were the antithesis to real love—real love being God’s love—not man’s.

  No matter how David had treated her in the past, she needed to put that aside and have a forgiving attitude. Easier said than done. Meredith perused the text in her Bible as the pastor’s wife continued with her lesson. Having David back in my life has somehow brought out an unpleasant side of me. All the more reason to avoid him.

  Which shouldn’t be hard. He’s got a new little female friend.

  Bad Meredith!

  Someone cleared their throat. She looked up to see Rosa giving her the eye, as if to say pay attention! She offered her a rueful smile and turned her attention back to the lesson.

  Eight

  Meredith went back to the health club the next day, but didn’t feel quite up to testing her resolution concerning David just yet. Avoiding the swimming pool and wearing an old cotton T-shirt and baggy sweatpants, she headed to the weight room for a go at the exercise machines. When she entered the room, she let out a little gasp.

  David lay on his back on a padded weight bench, wearing shorts and a black shirt, which was stained with sweat. The brunette physical therapist, wearing a clingy aqua tank top with matching biker shorts, bent and straightened his injured leg with smooth, repetitive motions. She spoke encouragement in soft tones, blushing with pleasure at whatever David said in response.

  Meredith suppressed a frown. Her plan had backfired. But she wasn’t about to let the sight of David scare her away. She looked around at all the weight machines. More like various instruments of torture. While she considered her options, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the therapist leave the room.

  Peeking over at David, she watched him raise himself to a sitting position. He scooted forward on the seat and hooked his leg under the padded bar of the leg curl machine. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to pull up his leg. She watched in dismay when he was only able to raise the bar a few scant inches. Those inches cost him. Streams of sweat dampened his hair and ran down his pale, pinched face.

  Meredith’s angst dissolved as she witnessed his struggle. She longed to speak to him, to encourage him in some way. She took a step toward him to do just that when the physical therapist returned. The brunette gently chastised him for pushing himself too hard and fast. David gave a weak grin and shrugged.

  Feeling a rush of affection for him, a little smile quirked Meredith’s lips. Still as stubborn as ever. Another part of her grieved his soccer career had been cut short so soon.

  A minute later, the brunette helped him up and they left the room. Meredith blew out a breath and sent up a little prayer for David. He had a long road ahead of him.

  She looked around the room. Might as well actually exercise now that I’m here. Meredith spied a stair-stepping machine and decided to give it a try. She’d heard it was great for hips and thighs. What woman didn’t need help with that part of the body? With confidence, Meredith climbed on. She was in great shape—at least cardiovascularly—so this should be a snap. After a few tries, the stair-stepper didn’t budge. She decided it was broken.

  “Here, let me show you how it works,” said a woman two machines down. As she came over, Meredith noticed the woman’s Spandexed hips were lean indeed.

  “You have to adjust the tension like this,” she explained, turning a knob down. “Now try it.”

  Meredith gave it a try. If she used all her strength, she could just get the steps to shift a fraction. She gave the woman a sheepish grin. “Thanks. I think I have it now.”

  As the other woman went back to her own machine, Meredith quickly turned down the resistance even more. Soon, she could mimic the up and down motions of her neighbor. After a few minutes, her backside began to quiver like Jell-O. She took another swipe at the knob, adjusting the tension even lower. As her hips began to feel as if they’d gone up in flames, she turned the knob lower and lower until it couldn’t go down any further.

  Meredith sagged against the handles of the machine, wishing for the days of corsets, girdles and ankle length skirts. As she climbed down on unsteady legs, she heard a familiar voice.

  “I miss you.”

  She turned around and looked up into David’s dark brown eyes. Feeling off balance when to find him standing so close, she took a step backward. “Excuse me?”

  He smiled. “That’s what I was trying to tell you the other day before you took off in a huff.”

  “I did not go off in a huff!”

  He reached up and gave a light tug on her braid. “I was trying to tell you that I’ve missed you these last two weeks. I hope you’re not still mad at me about that night at my apartment.”

  Meredith’s heart turned over at his gentle tone of voice. Her annoyance with him seemed childish in retrospect. She noticed he was freshly showered, wearing Levi’s and a dark blue Polo shirt. He watched her with an amused expression on his face. It made her realize she must look like a wreck. Perfect.

  Remembering the recent lesson from the Bible study, she took a breath. “Sorry I was so defensive.”

  David sent her a sweet smile that made her knees go weak. Combined with weak hips and derrière, she feared she might collapse in a heap onto the floor.

  “I never got a chance to thank you for all you did at my apartment. I couldn’t have made it without all your help unpacking and everything.”

  “No problem.” She cleared her throat. “Uh, how is your therapy going?”

  “Okay, but of course not fast enough. I spent nearly a year in therapy from my knee injury last time. Doing it twice is almost too much to bear. My impatience got the better of me today. Had to take extra pain medication.”

  “I saw your therapist—”

  “Darla.”

  “Um, I saw Darla give you a piece of her mind.”

  “She did.”

  “I didn’t know the hospital provided a physical therapist.”

  “They didn’t. I’m providing for it.”

  Meredith bit her bottom lip, wondering what to say next.<
br />
  “Why didn’t you come over and say hi?” David asked.

  “I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  “It was a therapy session, not a romantic tète-a-tète.”

  Could’ve fooled me. Meredith shrugged. “Next time I’ll say hi.”

  “What are your plans after you’re done here?”

  “Nothing much. Go home, feed my dog, continue in my jet-set lifestyle.”

  David’s eyes twinkled. “Can I take you out to lunch before you head home?”

  Meredith gazed at him. Is God testing my resolve to be nice? Guilt at the way she’d been avoiding him came to the fore. Obviously he’s survived without my professional care. Maybe this is an opportunity to end things on a good note. “Sure. That sounds nice. I can be ready in about half an hour. Is that okay?”

  “That’s fine. It will give me time to rest my leg. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

  While watching him go, Meredith knew she wasn’t kidding anyone. Regardless of her contradictory feelings for David, there was no denying he was an attractive man who wanted to spend time with her.

  Ack! Don’t think about that.

  ***

  When Meredith entered the lobby thirty minutes later, she found David seated on a wooden bench near the door. He stood, with the help of a cane, as she approached.

  “You look fresh as a daisy,” he said.

  She managed a cautious smile, still not entirely trusting him. “Thank you.” She wore a purple T with frilled edging and a pair of blue jeans, but wished she’d brought along something nicer.

  He went ahead and held open the door for her, following her out as she preceded him. David led her to a shiny new black Jeep Cherokee. He waved away her attempt to help him. Once they were settled inside, he patted the dash.

  “Insurance bought this baby. Nice, huh?”

  “Very nice. I didn’t think you’d be driving so soon.”