The Price of Trust Read online

  "Hey, Sam. Carly off break yet?" Joe called as he walked inside.

  "Oh yeah. She's back, but you won't find her here. Sue called and needed her help at the house for a while. I told her you came in earlier," Sam said, peering over his gold-rimmed glasses. " Carly's been jumpy as a cat today. She couldn't seem to settle down and was real nervous like."

  "Jumpy? Why would she be jumpy?" Joe puzzled. "We had a great dinner, and I thought she really enjoyed herself."

  "I know she enjoyed herself, 'cause she told me all about it. Her face positively lit up like a candle talking about it. I don't know why she's so jumpy today. There have been a few crank calls, but I don't see why a few pranks would work somebody up like that."

  Joe's curiosity was piqued. "Phone calls? What kind of phone calls?"

  "Oh there were about four prank phone calls that she answered today. They didn't say anything, they would just breathe, and then after awhile, they'd hang up. I think it's just Billy tormenting her."

  "Did you answer any of them?"

  "Yes, I did. But when I answered someone would just say, 'Sorry, wrong number' and hang up. Carly quit answering the phone, and they just stopped after I started to answer. You leaving?" Sam asked as Joe started toward the door.

  "Yeah, I've still got to get some bread and cheese from the store for Mom. Have a good evening, Sam," Joe called over his shoulder.

  He was sure now that someone was purposely bothering Carly, and he suspected those two men had a part in it.

  Chapter 7

  Carly was successful in avoiding Joe, Kelly, and Todd the following couple of weeks.

  She didn't answer the store phone on the pretense that she was afraid it was a prank call. She was always out when Joe or Kelly came in, and she was purposely late for church and left early before anyone could stop her.

  One such Sunday afternoon, Joe left his seat as soon as the services were over and almost ran outside, looking for Carly. She was nowhere to be seen. Frustrated, he turned to find Angie standing behind him.

  "Hi, Joe. What are you looking for?" she asked, batting her eyes flirtatiously.

  He wasn't in the mood.

  "I was looking for Carly. Excuse me," he tried to pass her, but she stepped in his way.

  "I don't know why all the guys seem to like her. I find her pretty boring and uninteresting myself. You can't be too careful with people like her, you know."

  Joe’s brow glowering, he turned his attention to her, wishing he could swat her away like a pesky fly. "What do you mean, 'people like her'?"

  "Well, no one knows anything about her.” She stepped a little closer to him and lay her hand on his arm. Forcing himself to be nice, he stepped away, making her to lose her grip. “Billy likes her pretty well, and that should tell you enough. I heard that she's running from the law. It could be true you know. She doesn't talk to anybody. She just stays in her dumpy little apartment all the time or hangs around Sam and Sue. Don't get me wrong, they're nice people and all, but she doesn't have any friends."

  "You know, I find that amazing. I find her extremely interesting and very pretty, and I'm certain she's got quite a few friends that are worth having." He walked back inside to join Todd and Kelly, leaving a fuming Angie behind.

  "I didn't see Carly here today," Kelly said, worried.

  "She was here. She sat in the back again and left right before church ended." Joe grabbed his coat and swung it over his shoulders.

  "Why didn't she sit by us?" Kelly wondered, more than a little hurt. "Do you think she's mad? It’s been a while."

  "No, I think she doesn't want to see me.” Taking his keys out of his pocket, he headed toward the door.

  "What do you mean? I thought you two got along great that Thursday night!" Kelly was talking to Joe's back, so she turned to Todd. "Did something happen?" He just shrugged his shoulders and followed Joe, Kelly tagging behind.

  "What are you doing, Joe? Where are you going?" Todd asked, putting his hand on his arm.

  "I'm going to go to the hardware store, break down her door, and make her talk to me," he said through gritted teeth, striding down the aisle.

  "I don't think that's a good idea." Todd restrained him. "Let's go outside."

  They noticed Angie watching them angrily, but Joe didn't care. He tried to shake off Todd's hand, but he held on. Kelly put her hand on his other arm and whispered, "Do you think she was jealous that Angie sat next to you last week?"

  "I don't know; she won't see me or talk to me. Every time I go near her, she runs the other way. I don't know what's going on," he said as they walked to the truck.

  "Joe, I think you should leave her alone," Todd said quietly. Joe looked at him crossly. "No, I think you should think about this before you do anything."

  "Why?"

  "Do you want her to trust you?"

  "Yes." He paused. "But I don't want her to leave either."

  "Why would she go anywhere?" Kelly asked, looking at Todd. He gave a slight shake of his head.

  "She wouldn't tell me." Joe rubbed his forehead, and leaned on the truck. "She said that maybe it wasn't good for us to get to know each other, and that she might have to leave."

  "Do you think you might have scared her?" Todd asked, looking at him thoughtfully.

  "No. I didn't scare her. She was comfortable with me, and I think she liked being with me."

  "I did too. That's why I'm surprised at this change of heart so quickly," Todd said, bemused.

  "I don't think she had a change of heart." Kelly defended her friend. "I think it's just what Joe said. She told Joe that maybe it's not good for them to get to know each other better. That sounds like she's scared to me."

  "Yes, that's what it sounds like to me too. Now we need to know what she's afraid of. Maybe it could be those two guys we saw," answered Todd. "Joe, I think you should leave her be for now. Let her think about things. We'll pray for her if you want us to."

  "Two guys? What two guys?" asked Kelly, her eyes wide.

  Todd took her hand. "I'll tell you about it later."

  "All right. I'll leave her alone for a little while, but not too long. I'm going home. I'll see you both later." Joe got into the truck and drove away slowly.

  "Todd, do you think he's afraid of Carly doing the same thing Amy did?" Kelly asked anxiously.

  "Maybe. But I don't think that's what's bothering Carly. I think she's really scared about something. I don't think it would be a bad idea for you and her to be really good friends." He looked down at her and gave her hand an affectionate squeeze.

  "I agree. I'll see what I can do." She smiled up at him. "Maybe if she felt that she had friends here, she could tell us what's bothering her."

  Later that night, Penny woke up. A light was on in the kitchen. She squinted at the clock. One-thirty.

  What in the world… she wondered. Draping her robe over her shoulders and sliding her feet into her slippers, she went to investigate.

  "Joe! What are you doing up at this hour?" she asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down across the table from him, yawning.

  "I'm eating some of your delicious pie," he answered between mouthfuls. Penny looked at him. She could always tell when something was bothering her boys. It showed up in their appetites.

  "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, propping her chin up with her hands. Joe chewed slowly and carefully, weighing his options. He looked up at Penny and gave her a miserable grimace.

  "Mom, what do you think of Carly?" He was curious, as neither Tom nor Penny had talked about her while he was around.

  "Well, I think she's a nice girl," Penny answered evasively.

  "Yeah," Joe said, before taking another huge bite of pie. Penny waited.

  "You know, there are other girls out there. She's not the only one in town. What about Angie? She likes you." Penny knew that she was not telling Joe what he wanted to hear, but she wanted to know how much he was interested in Carly.

  "Angie? I'm not interested in Angie," he an
swered with a frown.

  "Why not? She's cute, friendly; she goes to church." She could tell she was starting to exasperate him.

  "Mom, Angie isn't my type. She's got a mean spirit, and I don't want to be around someone like that." The scene after church flashed in his mind. "I'm interested in Carly."

  There it was. He'd said it. Penny smiled knowingly. "I know. I knew that the first time I saw you around her. If you're interested, what's the problem?"

  "I thought the night she was here that she liked me too, but now she acts like I've got the plague. I don't know. Maybe I misinterpreted something," he said glumly, pushing his plate away.

  "Huh. I'm shocked. I thought she liked you pretty good too. Maybe you should just give her some room, and she'll let you know in time." Penny smiled. "She's not been here very long. Are you sure you like her? You don't know much about her."

  "I know. That's the weird part. After Amy, I didn't think I could ever be interested in anyone again. I thought Amy was perfect. I'd rate every woman I met with her, and they just never came close. Then I gave up and decided God just didn't want me to have a wife. So I was fine with that. Then I met Carly, and somehow we fit. It's almost like home; you know where it is, and you're happy when you're there. Carly was like that. I could be myself with her, and she'd laugh. It wasn't like that with Amy. She was always trying to change me to fit what she thought I should be like. I didn't see it until she left, but looking back, I can see it all pretty clearly now. And you know the weirdest part?"

  Enthralled, Penny shook her head.

  "I'm glad Amy left. I am so thankful God didn't allow me to make the biggest mistake of my life. I'm glad we didn't get married. Amy doesn't hold a candle to Carly." Joe sat back in his chair and looked at his mother. "It was pretty hard on you too, wasn't it?" he asked softly.

  "Amy treating you like that? Yes. It was hard, and it’s made it a little harder to trust anyone else too. Joe, I'm glad that you like Carly. I like her too, just do your poor mom a favor and be careful. Don't forget to ask for God's will to be done. No matter what, okay? I'm going to bed." She stood up, put his plate in the sink, and went to bed.

  Joe watched her leave then prayed fervently for God to take care of the whole situation and that his will would be done—even if it meant that he would lose Carly like he'd lost Amy.

  Carly was at the counter the next morning checking out a customer when Kelly walked in and waited patiently for her to finish up.

  "Carly, are you mad at me? I haven't seen you in a while," Kelly asked, concerned.

  She looked at her sheepishly. "Mad? At you? No way. I've just been running late a little bit, that's all." Carly looked down at her nails and started to pick at them.

  Kelly studied her. "Good. I was wondering if you would want to have lunch with me today at the diner?" She had her cornered.

  After a few seconds of silent battle, and just enough time for Kelly to think she was going to refuse, Carly finally smiled. "Yes. I'd like that. Thank you."

  Excited, Kelly clapped her hands in glee. "What time is your lunch? Mine is at one."

  "That's fine. Sam's pretty good at letting me go whenever I need to." She blushed, remembering all the times she'd taken off because Joe was coming in.

  "All right. It's all settled then. I'll see you at the diner at one! Bye!" Kelly waved as she walked out the door.

  As soon as the door closed, panic struck Carly. What if Kelly had set her up? What if Joe was there?

  "Sam, is it okay if I take my lunch at one today? Kelly wants me to meet her at the diner," she asked, as he walked out of the office.

  "No, I don't mind. In fact, I've noticed that you haven't been sitting by Joe at church lately, and I thought maybe you two were fussing. So where've you been?" he inquired easily, leaning on the counter.

  "Oh, you know how women are. We're always running late for something," she said off-handedly.

  "Oh. So why don't you sit by Joe anymore?" He wasn't letting her off the hook.

  "Well, I didn't want everyone to think we were an 'item,' so I just figured I'd give Joe a break." She hoped he’d be convinced.

  He raised his eyebrows. "Ah, I see. So is that the reason you're always on break when he comes into town?" Luckily, the door opened before she had the chance to answer, and she just gave him a sweet smile.

  "Excuse me," someone rasped behind them.

  Carly looked toward the door, and her smile faltered. The ugly man. He came in every day, always stared at her, and always bought one box of nails after fifteen minutes of looking at them.

  She shuddered and thanked God Sam was still next to her.

  "Yes, sir?" asked Sam, standing up and straightening his shirt. "May I help you find something?"

  "I was wondering if you could show me where the nails are," he asked Carly, completely ignoring Sam.

  "I'll show you where they are, sir," Sam said firmly. He didn't like this guy almost as much as Carly.

  "I wasn't talking to you," he snarled.

  "Sir," Sam said quietly but firmly, "I have seen you in this establishment for a couple of weeks now, and you've bought enough nails to know where you could find them. My assistant is busy at the moment."

  The ugly man stared at Sam and smirked. "Yeah, I know where they're at; I just wanted her to go with me." His grin made her skin crawl.

  "I'm sorry, but she's supposed to be doing the accounts in the back right now. If you need any help, you'll have to ask me," Sam said. She walked back to the office, glad to get away from him.

  "Sure, I understand. I wouldn't want to stop Carly from doing her job." He laughed as he walked back out the door.

  Carly froze. How does he know my name? Maybe someone told him, she thought. Like Ian? a tiny voice seemed to whisper in her ear. All the other times when Ian found her, he’d sent someone after her right away. She'd been here longer than anywhere else.

  Too busy to puzzle over the situation while in the back office, it was soon lost in the glories of accounts payable and accounts receivable, and she was surprised when Sam called her to the front at a quarter to one.

  "Carly, Kelly's here, and was hoping that you'd be able to go a little early. You ready?"

  "Oh my goodness, I can't believe how fast time flies when you're doing paperwork!" Carly joked. "I'll be back in a minute; I've got to get some money," she called over her shoulder as she went up to her apartment. She was there only a moment when she heard a small knock on the doorjamb. Not having closed the door behind her, she looked up to see Kelly standing in the doorway.

  "Kelly, hey there. Come on in," she said kindly. "Welcome to my home." She was a little bashful about her place. She hadn't had anyone in it since she moved in, and she wasn't sure how Kelly would react.

  "Wow, you live here?" Kelly asked in amazement. "It's so tiny," she said as she looked around the minuscule apartment.

  Carly chuckled at her astonished look. "Yeah, it's small, but it's cozy. I don't have too much to clean up. Sorry it's not as tidy as usual."

  "Don't worry about it. I just came up to let you know that you're going to need a coat. It's really kind of chilly out there. I've always loved this time of year, but it really gets cold fast if you're not used to it."

  "All right, I'm ready," Carly said, grabbing her denim jacket. They talked about everyday things as they walked to the diner together. Weather. Colleges. Todd. Carly was completely comfortable with her and enjoyed her company.

  They seated themselves at a booth in the back of the diner as she looked around. No Joe. Feeling a little silly and a lot disappointed, she turned to Kelly and smiled.

  "No, he's not here. I didn't want you to be mad at me," Kelly said, looking at her menu.

  "Who?"

  "Joe. You know who I mean."

  Carly blushed. "Why would I get mad at you if Joe was here? He can come eat here whenever he wants to."

  Sandy came and took their order. Burger and soda for Kelly and soup and water for Carly.

  "I m
ust say that I never met anyone who liked soup and water as much as you do. That's all you ever order!" Sandy said, exasperated.

  Carly laughed. "It's my favorite."

  "Why don't you sit with us anymore?" Kelly asked after Sandy left.

  "I've just been running late." She looked down, placing her napkin in her lap, avoiding Kelly's frown.

  "I'm not convinced. You live three minutes at the most away from church, and you're late? I don't think so. Are you trying to avoid Joe?"

  Sandy brought their food, and there was an awkward pause before Carly could answer.

  "Why would I want to avoid Joe?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders after Sandy had left.

  "I don't know. Maybe you're scared of something; maybe you don't like him; maybe you've been abducted by aliens, and I'm just talking to your look-alike. But for whatever reason, I wish you would tell me."

  Carly took a deep breath and pushed her soup away.

  "Why am I trying to avoid Joe? Where do I begin? Because last time I saw him in church, he was busy with Angie."

  Kelly eyes widened. "Are you jealous of Angie?"

  "No. Yes. I don't know." She sighed. "All right. I guess I am," she admitted.

  "But you don't have to sit in the back. He really wants you to sit by him instead of Angie. He can't stand her. Don't be a noodle."

  "That's the problem. Kelly, I can't stay here. I'm going to have to leave again, and I don't want Joe to feel bad. He's too nice to hurt." Carly sighed heavily. "Trust me. It's better for everyone this way."

  Kelly was unconvinced. "Why can't you stay? I don't understand."

  "I can't stay because I have a problem to deal with," Carly answered evasively.

  "A problem to deal with? Oh my. Oh wow," Kelly breathed, her eyes wide, her face pale. "Carly, are you married?" She squeaked the last word out.

  Carly burst out laughing. "Married? No way, trust me. You should see your face. If you opened your eyes anymore, I think they'd fall right out!"

  "Are you sure you're not married?" She eyed her doubtfully.

  "Positive. You remember me telling you all at the Bairds' that I was engaged once?" Kelly nodded, not taking her eyes off Carly's face. "Well, when I broke off our engagement, my fiancé was less than pleased. In fact, he was furious."