“I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn.” The truth was, she didn’t know why she was being so insistent or why it suddenly seemed so important to her. Rationally, she could think of a dozen reasons why she should be helping David locate a sitter. But her heart kept reminding her of how perfectly Isabel fit in her arms, how satisfying it was to feel chubby hands grasp her neck and how invigorating she found the child’s fresh powdery scent. “I guess you just have a hard time accepting help.”
“Yeah, I guess I do.” David sounded grumpier by the moment.
“If you can’t find anyone else, I assume you’ll have to call your parents or sisters.” Though he hadn’t elaborated, she assumed he would go to great lengths not to call upon his family. And she understood that. After she’d moved back to Springfield, her parents had tried to take her under their protective wing. It was only natural. And there’d been times when it would have been so easy to call them for help—when the washing machine had flooded the house or when she’d sprained her wrist or when her car had broken down in a busy intersection. However, she’d been determined to take care of herself, and in the long run she’d been right. With every situation she’d tackled, independence had grown a little easier.
“Calling my parents isn’t an option.” He spoke sharply, and then apologized. “Of course, they’d take Isabel in a heartbeat. And that’s the problem. I won’t ask them to do that. In the past year, I’ve relied on them far too much. When I first moved back to town, I couldn’t have made it without them. But it’s time I started standing on my own two feet.”
“Then, I guess that leaves me. It’s just one night.” Which was exactly what she’d said when he’d been admitted to the emergency room the previous day.
Though his frown irritated her, she respected his determination to take care of his daughter without his family’s assistance.
David replaced the receiver. “I suggest you catch your breath, then, because as you know, a few hours with Isabel can wear out the fittest woman.”
When Jessie laughed, David did, too. They relaxed in the conspiratorial moment.
“Are you going to take a few vacation days?”
Turning the tables on her, David said, “What would you do?”
Before she could respond, her cellular telephone rang. Raising her eyebrows, she conceded his point, and answered the call from her office.
“Let me get back to you,” she said, quickly ending the call and turning her cellular phone off. Meeting David’s gaze, she said, “Do you mind if I use your phone? I forgot I wasn’t supposed to have my cell phone on in the hospital.”
David nodded, and she dialed her office.
She efficiently defused the problem at work, then went over telephone and fax messages, as well as the mail she’d received that day. Positive nothing urgent needed to be handled, she told her assistant she’d check in with her later in the afternoon.
The bemused light in David’s eyes provoked her into a smart remark. “You made your point earlier. Like you, my family thinks I spend way too much time at the office.”
“But what do you think?” David asked, as if he genuinely cared.
“I think I’m lucky to have a company and a work environment I love, and I don’t take it for granted.”
But what she wouldn’t admit was that as much as she thrived at Gifts of Love, her company didn’t begin to fill the emptiness inside her heart. Gifts of Love couldn’t give her the love and companionship she longed for. And most importantly, it couldn’t give her the one thing she wanted most in the world—a child of her own.
“You must have a pretty flexible schedule or an understanding employer, to be able to take off work in order to watch my child,” David said. “Please, don’t tell me you’re using vacation time to do this.”
“I have a great boss. The best, if I do say so.”
His puzzled look said he believed this was a clue he should have understood.
“I own the company,” she explained.
“Really?”
He’d weighted the word with curiosity and admiration, instead of the disbelief she so often heard.
“Gifts of Love. We’re an Internet bridal registry company.”
“Then, that explains why I haven’t heard of it,” David quickly added.
Though the message was subtle, Jessie received it loud and clear. David Akers wasn’t looking for a bride. And that suited Jessie just fine. She’d had her heart broken one too many times, and marriage definitely wasn’t in her near future, either. However, her reluctance to fall in love did complicate her desire to have children. For the time being, she’d resigned herself to believing God might not make all her dreams come true.
As if he felt the same awkwardness she did, he pushed the conversation forward. “What exactly do you do?”
Thankful to have the subject shifted to safer territory, Jessie launched into a description of Gifts of Love. Though she spoke with pride, she wasn’t egotistical. Hard work, a few lucky breaks and a lot of prayer had held her company together during its tenuous beginning.
“So basically, we build a personalized Web page for each engaged couple. From the site, family and friends can review the gifts the couple have registered for and place online orders, as well as send e-mails, post photographs, and even set up a family chat room.”
David folded his arms over his chest, his dark eyes intrigued by the business scenario. “But how do you make money?”
Jessie understood he wasn’t being nosy or prying into her personal finances. He was genuinely interested in the concept of her business.
“Through advertising. Plus, we negotiate incentives and percentages with the department and specialty stores we’re linked to, based on the sales we generate.”
Nodding his head, he added, “In other words, you can link your customers to any business that ships. Amazing.”
“Exactly,” Jessie said, feeling the same excitement she’d felt the day she incorporated. “I originally thought we’d appeal most to people who have a significant number of out-of-town wedding guests, but people who live across town from the wedding couple use our service just as much.”
“Wow,” David said. “I’d like to hear more about what you do, but I’m afraid if we don’t rejoin your family, they’re going to come looking for us.”
“I’d like to hear more about what you do, too.” While she spoke the truth, what she’d really like to hear more about was the man.
“I still owe you that free cup of coffee next time you’re in the deli.”
She started to say, That’s a date, but stopped herself just short of embarrassment. “I’m going to take you up on that.”
As soon as Isabel saw David, she started to whine and reach for him. When he didn’t move fast enough to satisfy her, little tears fell down her cheeks and she wiped them away with pudgy fingers. Once David settled on the sofa, Helene gently set Isabel on his lap, and all was right with the little girl’s world again.
“Your daughter thought you’d gotten lost,” Helene said as she glanced from David to Jessie.
Jessie blushed, eager to explain their absence. “I needed to ask David a question, and then I got a call from the office. I shouldn’t have had my cellular on in the first place.” The faster she spoke, the guiltier she felt. But