CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rori hurried to change out of her work shirt and into a dusty rose T-shirt. She was tempted to change into one of her nicer blouses, but she reminded herself that this wasn’t a date. This was an evening with friends… Well, acquaintances.
She ran a brush through her hair, then swiped on a little concealer to cover the darker than usual smudges beneath her eyes, thanks to her shortened night of sleep. After adding a bit of lip gloss, she considered herself ready.
Once Rori was in her car, she pulled up the map app on her phone so she could input the address Lee had given her.
His invitation had come as a surprise, and her heart had definitely fluttered with excitement at the prospect of spending time with him. She had expected that any further invitations would come from Charli, so it was hard not to want to read something into the fact that this one came from Lee. But that would be a waste of time and emotion.
However, the invitation made her feel… hopeful that these people actually wanted her around. That they weren’t just tolerating her presence because she and Lee worked together.
There was no reason they had to include her. From what she’d seen so far, Lee hadn’t invited Alys or anyone else from the clinic to join him and his family.
So maybe it wasn’t a pity invitation, and they really did want her to be there with them.
If that was the case, the last thing she wanted was to do something to make them change their mind. It was why she wished there was something she could contribute to the meal, so they didn’t feel like she was leeching off them.
These were the first people who didn’t seem to have their fill of friendships already. In Denver, the people around her had apparently assumed she had a set of friends outside of work, just like they did.
Here, however, they must have realized that she wouldn’t have friends close by since she was new to the area.
Rori hoped with all her heart that they weren’t assuming that she’d move on to other friendships once she was settled in Serenity. Because she wasn’t sure she’d have any better luck making friends on her own there than she had in Denver.
After she came to a stop in front of the address Lee had given her, Rori stared out the passenger side window at the house. She’d wondered about the living situation when Lee had mentioned he and Janessa both lived with Charli. Now she could see that even with all of them living together, they had plenty of room because the house was huge.
It wasn’t like the mansion her mom currently lived in, but it looked spacious and homey. There was an abundance of flowers growing in elevated beds along the front of the house, and there were several large trees in the front yard. It was beautiful.
Pushing aside the feeling that she didn’t belong there, Rori climbed out of the car and headed for the front door. She’d barely pressed the bell when the door swung open to reveal Layla and Amelia. The younger girl held a squirming Elsa.
“Hi, Rori!” Layla greeted her with a wide smile.
When the girl motioned for her to come inside, Rori stepped into a large foyer. It had shiny wood floors with a carpet runner leading away from the door. There was a narrow table set against the wall to her right with flowers and several framed pictures, and a large mirror above it with more framed photos surrounding it. The space was warm and welcoming.
After Layla closed the door, Amelia put Elsa down on the floor and the puppy approached Rori for some petting. Once she’d straightened from that, Layla surprised her by giving her a quick hug. Emotion swamped Rori as she wrapped her arms around the young girl.
How long had it last been since someone had hugged her? The way-too-short hug was like getting a single gulp of water after being in the desert.
Rori clenched and relaxed her hands, then took a deep breath as she followed the girls into the kitchen.
The large, sunny space was a hub of activity. Lee was there along with his sisters, and the baby was in a swing off to the side and out of the way of the adults. Lee had changed into a pair of long basketball shorts and a black T-shirt and looked very relaxed and at home in the kitchen.
“Hi, Rori,” Charli called out with a smile. “Welcome to chaos.”
“We’re trying something new,” Janessa said. “Someone at church was selling an outdoor pizza oven, and for some reason, we thought it would be a good idea to buy it and start making our own, since we eat pizza at least once a week.”
“So not only do you get to eat pizza tonight,” Lee said. “You also get to make it.”
Rori smiled. “That sounds like fun.”
“Well, come wash your hands, and we’ll put you to work,” Charli told her.
Once she’d washed up, Lee handed her a hand towel to dry her hands. Touching her back lightly, he guided her over to where pizza crusts were set out.
“We’re not doing fancy toppings,” Charli said. “Maybe in the future. But tonight, we’re sticking to the basics.”
Rori looked at the variety of toppings sitting on the counter and thought that her definition of basic clearly differed from Charli’s.
“Do you want to help me spread the sauce?” Lee asked. “The girls are in charge of the cheese.”
“Sure. Just tell me how much I need to put on.”
Lee’s arms brushed hers as he reached for a bowl that contained the sauce. Charli held out a couple of ladles, which Rori took from her. Rori gave one to Lee, then watched as he put a couple of spoonfuls on the pizza crust in front of him and then spread it around.
Rori was working on her first crust when Blake and Will came through the back door.
“I think the oven is hot enough,” Blake said. “Do we have a couple of pizzas ready to go in?”
“Just give us a couple of minutes,” Charli replied. “We’re working on them now.”
When Rori finished with the sauce on her pizza, she slid it to where Charli and the girls stood with the cheese. After they were done, Janessa added some pepperoni.
“There you go, love,” Janessa said as she turned to smile at Will. “Don’t burn them.”
“I make no promises,” Will told her as he took the pizza pan from her. “These first ones are an experiment.”
“Are we eating out there?” Blake asked as he took the second pizza from Janessa.
“I think it would be nice,” Charli said. “I’ll bring the plates and stuff out in a minute.”
They had just sent out the next two pizzas when more people arrived. Jay and Misha followed Peyton and Ciara into the kitchen, and Gareth and Aria weren’t far behind them with their son, Timothy.
Soon after, the two guys who’d been at the park with them showed up. Thankfully, the guys gravitated to the new pizza oven in the backyard, so the chaos in the kitchen didn’t increase too much.
Lee, however, stayed right at Rori’s side, even when Misha offered to take over so that he could hang out with the guys. After what had happened at the park, Rori hadn’t expected him to stick close to her, but she appreciated it. She was still getting used to being around this group of people.
With everyone pitched in, soon the whole gang was gathered around a large picnic table on the back deck. As they formed a circle, Lee came to stand next to her.
“Why don’t we hold hands as we say grace?” Gareth said as he reached out to Aria. She shifted Timothy so she could take her husband’s hand.
Rori wasn’t sure what to do, but when first Layla on her left, and then Lee on her right, held out their hands, she took them.
Even though there was no romantic purpose behind Lee holding her hand, butterflies still erupted in her stomach as she held it. She loved the strength in his grip, and what she loved even more was knowing that he would never use that strength against her.
His thumb brushed across the back of her hand as Gareth began to pray.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us together once again. I pray that you will bless those who aren’t here with us. Keep them safe in the palm of Your hand. Thank you for the food we’re about to eat and bless those who have prepared it for us. May our conversations bring honor and glory to You. In Jesus’ name.”
Everyone there chimed in with an amen.
Rori fought the urge to hang onto Lee’s hand even as everyone else let go. He gave her hand a squeeze, then his fingers slipped from hers as he turned to Janessa, who said something to him.
Clasping her hands together, Rori tried to keep hold of the warmth of Lee’s hand.
“Here you go, Rori,” Layla said as she held out a plate to her. “I can’t wait to try this pizza. Do you think it’ll be better than the restaurant stuff?”
“I think it will be. It looks and smells delicious.”
Layla nodded as they approached the pizzas that were all lined up on a table next to the pizza oven. Rori decided on a slice of cheese and a slice of pepperoni. After adding some salad to her plate, she looked around for a place to sit.
“Come on over here,” Lee said, motioning to a group of Adirondack chairs that sat on the deck near a large picnic table. He set his plate down on one of the chairs. “I’m going to grab a drink. What can I get you?”
“Uh… A bottle of water?”
“You don’t want a soda?”
She considered it for a moment, then told him her favorite. “If there’s a can of that, I’ll take it.”
“Be right back.”
Rori took the seat next to where Lee had put his plate and balanced hers on her lap. The adults with kids were taking seats at the picnic table, so Janessa, Will, and the two guys sat down in the other chairs where Rori was.
“So, you’re Rori, right?” one of the guys asked. The smile he aimed in her direction was friendly.
She gave him a quick smile and a nod. “Yep.”
“My name is Jackson. I’m Blake’s cousin, and Gareth’s best friend.”
“Leave her alone, Jackson,” Janessa said from where she sat near Rori. “She’s not fresh meat.”
“I’m not looking at her as fresh meat,” Jackson responded indignantly.
Janessa scoffed. “Sure.”
“What’s going on?” Lee asked as he rejoined them, holding out a soda can to Rori.
She glanced up at him as she took it. “Thanks.”
He gave her a smile, then bent and picked up his plate. As he sat down next to Rori, he glanced at Janessa. “What’s up?”
“Jackson is introducing himself to Rori.”
Lee looked at the other man with lifted brows. Rather than responding, Jackson stared back at him as he picked up a slice of pizza and chomped off the end.
Wondering what she was missing, Rori took a bite of her slice of pepperoni pizza. The other guy there—Rori thought his name was Wade—just chuckled and shook his head.
“Jackson is on the search for a wife,” Will said, apparently deciding the stare down between Lee and Jackson had gone on long enough.
Rori waited for Jackson to deny it, but instead, he just shrugged. “What of it? You never know when God might bring the right woman to me. I’ll never know if I don’t get to know them.”
He was actually interested in getting to know her? That made Rori lift her own brows. That was flattering, but she had no interest in the man.
“He’s dated pretty much every eligible woman in Serenity,” Janessa said.
“Every woman in Serenity?” Rori asked, certain she was exaggerating. “That’s a lot of dating.”
“Not every woman,” Jackson protested. “Just the single Christian ones.”
The bite of pizza she’d taken suddenly lost its taste as she realized she should tell him she wasn’t the eligible woman he thought she was. She wasn’t a Christian.
If it made her ineligible for Jackson, then it made her ineligible for Lee, too. That made her heart hurt. Of all the things she’d thought would make her not good enough for someone like Lee, her lack of faith hadn’t even made the list.
“I think we’ll all know when your perfect woman shows up,” Will said.
“I don’t know,” Jackson said. “It took you years to realize Janessa was the perfect woman for you. I mean, you’ve known her since you were like ten years old.”
“Better late than never,” Janessa quipped.
Rori sensed that there were stories behind each of the couples there, and she wondered if she would ever hear them all. Once she revealed she wasn’t a Christian, even though she’d gone to church, would they stop inviting her to things?
She couldn’t focus on that right now. They’d invited her to this, so she was just going to enjoy the time. And if they ended up deciding they didn’t want her around in the future, she would accept that.
She’d deal with rejection before, and she could accept it again if necessary.
But for the time being, she was going to relish these moments and not think about possibly losing the opportunity for more of them.
“Listen, I think Rori is old enough to answer for herself.” Jackson turned his attention to her. “So, what do you say? Want to go on a date?”
Anxiety filled Rori, leaving her uncertain of what to do. She didn’t know this man. If she turned him down, would he make her life miserable? Would every time they were present at the same events be awkward?
She glanced at the others gathered around her. Janessa and Will had exasperated expressions, while Wade, when their gazes met, gave a subtle shake of his head. Lee was staring at Jackson with narrowed eyes and his lips pressed into a tight line.
When her gaze went back to Wade, he said, “You can tell him no, and everything will be fine. He’s learned to take rejection well over the years.”
“I’m very flattered by your invitation, Jackson, but I just…” She fumbled for a reason to not accept without having to tell him that her interests currently lay in another direction. Also, she didn’t want to give him hope that maybe if they got to know each other that he’d have a chance. But on top of that, she didn’t want to give Lee the impression that she was saying no to all dating. “I’m just not interested. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Jackson said with a wave of his hand. He didn’t seem heartbroken, so that was a plus. “At least I didn’t have to cough up the money for a date, only to be told there would be no second one. That’s happened far too often.”
Rori wondered what was wrong with the guy that he hadn’t been able to find a woman who wanted to date him.
“Dial back the desperation,” Wade said. “If it’s meant to happen, it will happen without you madly chasing after every woman, hoping she’ll be the one.”
Jackson glared at him for a moment, then turned his attention back to the food on his plate. Rori felt a little sorry for the guy. She knew what it was like to crave love and acceptance, only to be rejected.
But that didn’t mean she was going to go on a date with him. Pity wouldn’t be a good foundation for a relationship, she didn’t think. But then, what did she know?
The meal continued, with the conversation moving in a different direction. Lee seemed to have let go of his annoyance with Jackson because they went on to talk about something that had happened with mutual friends.
“Hey, Lee,” Charli said as they stood in the kitchen after cleaning up the remnants of the meal and getting the coffee and dessert ready. “Why don’t you get the guitars? We could have a time of singing after dessert.”
“Sure. I’ll go grab them,” he said, then left the kitchen.
When Rori followed Charli back out to the yard, she discovered that the guys had been busy. Chairs had been moved to form a circle around a stone fire pit, which now had fire crackling in it.
Was this what friends and families did all the time?
There was laughter and conversation as they settled around the fire with cups of coffee and cookies. The kids had asked for s’mores, so Blake was helping them put marshmallows onto sticks while Misha and Charli set out graham crackers and chocolate bars.
“Did you want a s’more?” Lee asked as he settled into the seat beside her, setting the guitars down on the grass next to his chair.
“I’ve never had one.”
Lee’s brows rose, and an expression crossed his face that she didn’t recognize. “Everyone should have at least one s’more in their lifetime. Want one?”
She glanced at the kids, then back at him. “Not if it’s too much trouble.”
“It’s not.” He grinned. “I enjoy roasting marshmallows. I’m a pro at it.”
Lee got to his feet and went to Blake to get a stick and a couple of marshmallows. Rori watched as he dropped to a knee next to Peyton and held out his stick with the marshmallows on it. Lee was careful to keep it above the flames, and he helped adjust Peyton’s stick as well.
Soon, he got to his feet and carefully carried the stick over to where Charli and Misha sat with TV trays in front of them. They helped him assemble the s’mores, and then he carried back a plate with two of them on it.
“I decided I wanted one too,” he said as he sat down in his chair. “It’s been awhile.”
When he held the plate out to her, Rori took one, immediately getting marshmallow stuck on her finger. She couldn’t help but laugh as she made a bit of a mess while eating her s’more. The kids solved that problem by licking it off their fingers, so she followed suit.
Lee grinned at her. “Tasty but messy.”
He offered to make her another one when they finished the ones he’d already made, but Rori declined. It had definitely been delicious, but she didn’t want to get any messier.
“The good part of having a baby is that there are always wipes around these days,” Charli said as she handed them out to everyone who’d had a s’more.
Once they were done with the dessert, Lee got to his feet and picked up the guitars. He made his way to the other side of the fire and handed one to Jay. The two men strapped the instruments on, then tuned them.
Lee wasn’t a short man, Rori didn’t think, but still, Jay was taller than him by two or three inches. She’d thought she’d heard someone saying he played basketball, perhaps professionally.
“Too bad your drums aren’t portable, Gareth,” Will said.
“I suppose I could bring a cajon to play,” Gareth replied. “Maybe next time. If we make this a regular thing.”
“It took Lee coming back to Serenity for Jay to agree to play,” Charli reminded him. “We could have been doing this sooner.”
“You both know that Lee is better than me,” Jay said as he strummed the strings. “It’s better to have him to lead.”
“Well, what are we going to start with?” Lee asked.
“This Is the Day!” Layla called out.
“How about we follow that up with I Will Enter His Gates?” Charli suggested.
Lee turned to Jay. “We’ll do This Is the Day in C, then G for I Will Enter.”
Jay nodded, but he waited for Lee to start playing first. When Lee began sing, the kids enthusiastically joined in and the adults did as well, though a little less energetically. Lee had a nice voice, and he did a good job leading the group.
Gareth had his son on his lap, and Timothy clapped his tiny hands as his dad bounced him on his knee. Rori recalled seeing Gareth seated at the drums during the worship service the previous Sunday, so clearly, they were a family of talented musicians.
Though Rori didn’t know any of the songs they sang, she still enjoyed herself, clapping along with them. Since they repeated parts of the songs, she was able to pick up on some of the lyrics.
There was joy in the songs they sang, and it amazed Rori how they knew all the words by heart. And as she’d noticed previously, the songs revealed their love for God and the hope they had in Him. Maybe if she heard the songs enough, she too could sing as freely and joyfully.
But as much as she enjoyed the music, she also enjoyed watching Lee as he sang and played the guitar. His whole body moved, swaying as he strummed the strings. His talent was apparent in how he led them from one song to the next as suggestions were called out, pausing only to let Jay know the key for each song.
It was just one more thing that drew her to Lee and made her wish that she had something to offer him. He was musically gifted, smart, and so friendly and caring to those around him.
And there she was… barely qualified to answer telephones and sleeping on an air mattress.
He’d definitely get the short end of the stick with her—even as a friend—and Rori really didn’t like that thought. Who she was hadn’t been enough for anyone in her life yet, and she wasn’t sure that would change once Lee and his family had a chance to get to know her.