style="font-size:15px;"> Jolie burst out laughing. “In other words, God will have to drop her on his head.”
“Something like that.” Connie grinned.
What neither of them said aloud was that Nicole Archer couldn’t possibly be the one. Indeed, it went without saying. Just as well then, that Marcus would probably never even realize that quirky little Nicole was developing a crush on him.
“I don’t get home until almost ten. The restaurant closes at nine on Fridays, but we have to clear out the electronic till and help clean up before we go.”
“No problem,” Marcus told her.
They’d met on the sidewalk in the midst of the church compound. He’d pulled in just ahead of her, having returned from the office supply store. His heart had leaped when her little jalopy had nosed into the space beside his dependable, late-model sedan and again when she’d clambered out to smile at him, costumed in the most outrageous stripes he’d ever seen. He could hardly look at her—and couldn’t look away.
Nicole gusted a huge sigh of relief and turned those big, tilted eyes up at him. “Thank you so much. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders. We need the extra money, you know, but right now Beau can’t be home with…out me,” she finished weakly.
It was cold out, but Marcus set the bag of office supplies on the hood of his sedan and leaned a hip against the fender, crossing his arms. “Have you given any more thought to what I said about calling the authorities?”
She shook her head. “It’s just not an option.”
“Nicole, it’s not going to get better until he’s faced with reality.”
“Look,” she said, skipping closer. “I’m less than two semesters away from graduation. Then Beau and I can afford to take off on our own.”
“Just like that?”
“No, not…I mean, we’re making real plans.”
Marcus didn’t have the heart to point out that their father might have a good deal more to say about that than either of them realized.
“Well, we can talk about this later. You just go on to work and leave Beau to me,” Marcus told her. “Which school is it?”
Nicole told him the name of the middle school where Beau was an eighth grader and launched into directions. “You go out here and turn right.” She pointed toward the street. “Then it’s the third light—”
“I know it well,” Marcus interrupted. “Several of our youngsters attend there, and some of our adult members are on the staff.”
She clapped her gloved hands together. “Great! I’ll call from work and let them know you’ll be picking him up.”
“Just have him wait in the office.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind entertaining him for the evening?”
“Not at all.”
She dug a toe into a crack in the pavement. “I thought maybe you had other plans or something.”
“None. I’m looking forward to the company.” He leaned toward her, aware that it wasn’t a gesture he normally employed and a little puzzled by the urge to do so now. “Gives me a good excuse to play video games.” She laughed, and the sound made him smile.
“As if any guy needs an excuse to play video games.”
“Hey, you reach a certain age,” he said with a helpless shrug.
“Puh-leeze.” Reaching out, she gave his shoulder a little shove. “You’re not exactly a grandfather.”
His first impulse was to playfully shove back, but he kept his arms tightly folded, surprised by the discipline required to do so. “I’m not exactly a kid, either.”
“Not exactly.”
She didn’t sound as if that was a bad thing. He didn’t want to think about why. Instead, he reminded himself what his purpose was.
“I do have a favor to ask in return, though,” he said.
She spread her hands. “Anything I can do. Anything at all.”
“I’d like for you and your brother to attend church.”
“Ah.” She dropped her gaze and rocked back on her heels.
“You said you might,” he cajoled.
She shined a blindingly bright smile on him. “I’d already planned on it.”
“Excellent.” He pushed away from the car and reached for the shopping bag. “This is what I call a real win-win situation.”
“Yeah, well, don’t be surprised tonight if Beau’s not quite so…enthusiastic.” She wrinkled her nose. “He is thirteen.”
Marcus chuckled. “He doesn’t like to be babysat.”
“Exactly.”
“Fine. I won’t babysit him. I’ll just pick him up, feed him and allow him to keep me company until I drop him off at your house.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’ll pick him up.”
Marcus shook his head. “No way. Not at that time of night.”
“But I’m out at that hour all the time.”
“Not if I can help it.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not the thirteen-year-old.”
“I’m aware of that. Nevertheless, I’d feel better if you’d go straight home after work.”
Nicole flattened her mouth. It was a very pretty mouth, too pretty to appear stern. He smiled, and she threw up her hands.
“Oh, all right. But don’t think I’m going to let you get away with treating me like a child, Marcus Wheeler, because I’m not.”
“You are, however, young and female and too pretty for your own good.” He snapped his mouth shut, wondering where on earth that had come from.
She had beamed before. Now her smile could have warned ships at sea.
He gulped and said, “I—I wouldn’t let my mother wander around on her own late at night. In fact, if I could have stopped that, she might still be alive.”
Nicole’s smile softened. “It’s terrible to lose your mom, isn’t it?”
He nodded, suddenly swamped with emotion. “She died in an auto accident.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“No sorrier than I was to hear about your loss. I was only seven when she disappeared. We didn’t know she’d
