Chapter 7
On Sunday the family went to Bible Study and church together. Kelly and Mike hadn’t been to Bible study in a while, and their friends in class were glad to see them. The lesson that morning was about faithfulness. It centered on God’s faithfulness and the faithfulness he desired from his children. Often, during lessons like these, Kelly thought about her own life and whether she was being faithful in her walk with God. She knew that she hadn’t been as faithful to church or in her Personal time with God. Honestly, it had been months since she had opened her Bible. But as she sat there, she dismissed those thoughts. She was busy. Besides, she had asked God to change Mike, and it hadn’t happened. If God really cared about their marriage and her happiness, why were things so difficult? A voice from somewhere deep inside her pricked her heart, telling her that the key was to be faithful, but Kelly shook the thought away.
After church, they decided to eat lunch out. Reyes’ Mexican Restaurant was one of their favorite places. Mikey and Sam could eat their weight in cheese dip, and Kelly loved their salads. The lunch was pleasant, even fun. It was one of those moments when Kelly was able to glimpse how things could be. During those times, Kelly allowed herself to open just a little, hoping for something different, some sign that her relationship with Mike would change somehow. However, after lunch, the boys went outside to play, and Kelly and Mike took their places at opposite ends of the house. They didn’t even mention going to church that night; they usually didn’t go anyway. At around 7:00 Kelly decided to work on getting a ride to work. Megan had a breakfast meeting, and Brenda was out of town. Finally, Kelly dialed Andrew’s number. He had been to her house before, for one of the company parties.
“Hey, this is Andrew,” He answered the phone.
“Hey Andrew, this is Kelly Bowling.”
“Hey! What’s going on?”
“Well,” Kelly began, “Mike’s car has transmission problems, and he needs to take mine. Are you planning on going into the office first thing tomorrow?”
“Sure, want me to come pick you up?”
“That would be great, thanks. And I’ll do whatever your schedule requires, even if it means staying late or leaving early. I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
“It’s no inconvenience. What guy wouldn’t want to be seen with an attractive older woman?” he teased.
“Oh please,” Kelly deflected his compliment. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kelly blushed as she hung up the phone. Andrew was ten years her junior, more likely as a little brother than anything else. But he was always thoughtful, giving encouragements and compliments freely. It made Kelly feel good to hear him say she was attractive.
On Monday morning, Andrew was right on time, honking his horn at 7:45. Kelly said goodbye to the boys and Mike and headed out the door with her briefcase, her laptop, and a sack lunch.
“Thanks again for the ride, Andrew,” Kelly said, throwing her things in the back seat.
“No problem,” Andrew answered, backing out of the driveway.
Andrew had a nice sedan that he drove when he was going to meet with a client or take them out to dinner. But his first love was a 1976 Chevy SS. It was black with two white stripes. Kelly pulled the seatbelt to fasten it, but it only moved a couple of inches. She let it spring back and tried again. Still, it only moved a few inches.
Andrew sighed. “Sorry. It does that sometimes. Let me get it.” He reached across her and pulled the strap with one hand while holding the loop with the other. His arm touched Kelly, and when he fastened it their hands touched. Kelly felt an unfamiliar shock of electricity, and she looked out the window, aware that she was blushing. They drove in silence for a few minutes.
“So, “Andrew said. “How is Mike’s business going?”
“Well, he’s still working on getting it going, but it’s showing a regular profit now, and he’s been able to hire a couple of new people. I think it’s going to do really well.”
“That’s great, Kelly. Going out on his own took a lot of guts.” He looked at her. “Have you enjoyed being at home more since Sam was born?”
Kelly looked out the window and thought for a moment. “Well, at first it was great. I was so overwhelmed with two small boys. But after a while I started to feel useless, you know? It put a financial strain on us, and staying home all day made me feel sort of trapped at times.” She winced. “I guess that sounds terrible. I didn’t mean that I don’t love being with my boys. I love them so much. But I need another purpose, something fulfilling for me.”
Andrew smiled. “See, I told you that you’d be back to stay.”
“I think that’s going to be Bob’s call, not mine,” Kelly laughed.
“Give me a break. He went into mourning when you decided to work at home. After you wow the Once Upon a Time group on Wednesday, he’ll probably get on his hands and knees and beg.”
“Yeah, right,” Kelly said, flattered. She blushed again, which made her uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat, crossing her other leg. When she did, her skirt moved just enough to reveal the upper portion of her legs. She reached down to pull it, looking at Andrew out of the corner of her eye. He was watching her closely, but he didn’t comment.
Once they reached the office, they said a quick “see ya later” and went to their offices. Kelly felt the pressing deadline of the presentation. There were so many details to cover in this type of presentation. Even though Kelly had worked with Janice and her people before, she knew that the stakes were higher this time. They were taking a bit of a risk expanding, and the advertising would have to be just right. Kelly made calls, worked on graphics, and prepared a PowerPoint presentation. Before long, Megan was knocking on her door.
“Hey, aren’t you going to break for lunch? I’m going down the street to the sandwich shop. Want to come?”
“Thanks, but I’m on a roll. I brought my lunch. Rain check.”
Kelly was getting her lunch out of the mini fridge when she heard the small bell sound indicating that she had a new email.
“Hey, I’m hungry. Want me to give you a ride to lunch?”
Kelly was about to say no, especially since she had just turned Megan down. But then she changed her mind. It was fun to spend time with Andrew. She responded, “Sure, just pick me up whenever.”
A few minutes later Andrew knocked on her door, and they headed to a little spaghetti place a few blocks away. After they had placed their orders, Kelly took a sip of her water and asked, “So how’s it going with Regina? You in love yet?”
Andrew took a long sip of water and looked out the window. “Actually, we broke up last week.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kelly said. “That was none of my business.”
“It’s okay. I was no big deal. It wasn’t really working. Regina wanted to be serious, and I’m not up for serious right now. Plus, she was really pressuring me.”
“You mean to be serious?” Kelly asked.
Andrew’s face colored. “Well, not exactly. She wanted to…well, get to know me in the Biblical sense if you know what I mean. I was really disappointed. I mean, we’re both supposed to be Christians.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Kelly said. “But I admire you. Not many guys these days would turn down a pretty girl.”
“What makes you say she’s pretty? You never saw her.”
“Andrew, I’ve worked with you for two years. You like beautiful women,” she winked. “Which is why I know I’m safe from your wiles.”
Andrew looked at her, puzzled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, you know,” Kelly said casually. “I’m not putting myself down. I’m just a realist.”
“Kelly, you’re crazy. Don’t sell yourself short.” He looked down, flustered. “Don’t sue me for harassment, but I would be willing to bet that every guy in the office thinks you’re beautiful. We men talk
about things like that.”
“Oh do you,” Kelly teased, but she was a little taken aback. Did the men in her office really sit around and comment on the looks of the women.
Andrew seemed to read her mind, and he laughed. “Relax, Kelly. I was just kidding…I mean, not about the attractive part, but about the men all sitting around talking about it,” he laughed uncomfortably.
Kelly decided to rescue him and change the subject. “Well, I hope this presentation goes well on Wednesday. Because, to be honest, I really hope Bob wants me back full time. These past few weeks have made me feel at home again.”
They spent the rest of their lunch talking about work. After about an hour, they each paid for their lunch and walked back to the car. Kelly yanked on the seatbelt, expecting it to catch again, but this time it gave way and she was able to fasten it. For just a second, she felt a twinge of disappointment. When they reached the parking deck, Andrew turned off the car and looked at her. “I enjoyed lunch. But let’s keep that Regina thing and the ‘you’re beautiful’ embarrassment to ourselves.”
Andrew knocked on Kelly’s door around 6:00 and asked if she was ready to leave. She saved her work on the computer, grabbed her briefcase, and followed him out.
“No laptop?” Andrew asked. “You’re famous for having that thing strapped to your hip when a presentation is looming.”
Kelly laughed. “No, I just thought I might suggest to Mike that we all go out tonight. We don’t get to do that very much anymore. Life is busy.”
“Yeah,” Andrew said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m not married yet. It’s a big commitment to work and ‘love, honor, and cherish’ and all that stuff. I’m not sure I’m ready to be a good husband yet.”
Kelly didn’t comment. They rode in silence all the way to Kelly’s driveway. “Thanks again,” Kelly said as she got out of the car. She walked up the stairs and then turned around and waved.
Andrew waved back and pulled out of the driveway. He looked at the passenger seat and smiled to himself. Before he put the car into drive, he reached across and yanked the seatbelt. It caught after about three inches again. “Figures,” chuckled.