Chapter Seven

“Oh, good, you’re home,” Sophie said, pausing the TV. “I was getting a little worried. It looks like the snow is really picking up.”

Valerie heard her roommate’s words, but she wasn’t able to concentrate on any of them as she tugged her coat off and jammed it onto one of the hooks by the door, her purse on top. It slipped off, and she gave a huff before she picked it up and slammed it back on.

“Val? What in the world?” Sophie asked. “Are you okay?” She was sitting on the edge of the couch, the blanket on her lap cascading onto the floor.

Swallowing hard, Valerie took a deep breath and a moment to compose herself. “I’m fine,” she finally managed. “It’s just… my stupid car wouldn’t start, so Alec said he’d give me a ride home, which was really nice of him, except we started talking about Joe, and I don’t know why everyone seems to think they know Joe so well, but he seemed to think he did, and he had to stick his nose into my business—which is really none of his business to begin with—and gah, I’m just so… perturbed.” Once she’d finished, Valerie crossed to the other end of the sofa and tossed herself down, chewing absently on the skin around the nail of her thumb.

“Oookay,” Sophie said slowly. “I think I only caught about half of that.”

Valerie shook her head in frustration. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is my car wouldn’t start. Do you know when it’s supposed to stop snowing?”

Sophie didn’t answer the question. “Did you say Alec brought you home?”

“Yes.”

“Alec O’Connell?”

“Do you know another Alec?”

“No,” Sophie admitted. “And he said something nosy?”

Valerie would admit it was hard to believe. Alec hardly ever said anything at all. “Yes,” she repeated.

“About Joe?”

“Yes!” Sophie’s eyes widened. “Sorry. I’m not angry at you. I’m just… frustrated. I mean… why does everyone seem to have an opinion about whether or not Joe could be my Cupid. After all, he admitted it, right? So it has to be him.”

Sophie shrugged. “You know how I feel about it.”

Her roommate hadn’t wasted any time telling her she didn’t think it could possibly be Joe and that he was lying. Maybe she wasn’t the one with whom Valerie should be discussing the conversation she’d had with Alec. Valerie realized she was chewing on her thumb and stopped. “He can be so… infuriating.”

“Joe?”

“No. Alec.”

Sophie let out a little chuckle. “I didn’t know Alec could be anything except for silent.”

“He actually said quite a bit tonight,” Valerie said, turning to face her friend. “I was surprised.”

“Really?” Sophie asked, leaning back and pulling the deep blue blanket that had fallen mostly onto the floor back around her.

“Yeah. I guess Joe isn’t the only one people misunderstand.”

Sophie snorted this time. “But that’s a little different. Alec might not have much to say, but he’s always a perfect gentleman. He moved back here to help his dad out when he could’ve stayed in the city and made a huge amount of money working for a giant accounting company. The way he and Erin rely on each other it’s just… heartwarming.”

Valerie had no idea Alec had given up an opportunity with a firm to help his family out, although it did seem like the sort of thing he’d do. It seemed like Sophie knew him better than she did, and for some unknown reason, a little pang of jealousy hit. “Sounds like you know him pretty well.”

“I only know what Erin’s said,” Sophie replied. “I haven’t talked to him much at all since I had Algebra II in high school and Erin said he’d tutor me.”

“He tutored you?”

“Yeah. Mostly through showing me how to do it, though. Not exactly a lecture each session.”

Valerie giggled. That seemed about right. “Well, I know he’s a pretty nice guy. I guess I should appreciate the fact that he gave me a ride home. He did say some really nice things about me.”

“Like what?”

Looking at her roommate, she could see a little glimmer in her eye, like she wanted a scoop, and Valerie wasn’t sure she was ready to admit all the nice things Alec had said to her, while she was growing more and more furious at him for butting in. “Nothing,” Valerie shrugged.

“Oh, come on! You can’t say that and then not tell me.”

With a sigh, Valerie tried to remember exactly what he’d said. She’d been so focused on defending Joe, she hadn’t even let it sink in. “Basically, he just said I deserve someone who would appreciate me. That if it turns out Joe is lying, I shouldn’t see him anymore.”

“That sounds like some stellar advice,” Sophie nodded. “And… the fact that Alec actually told you he thought you deserved better…. Valerie, that must have taken a lot of courage on his part.”

She mulled over her friend’s words. Sophie had a point. It wasn’t like Alec to speak up at all, particularly about emotional situations such as this, and he had paid her a very high compliment.

“Val… do you think it’s him?”

It took her a moment to register the question. She turned to look at Sophie, knowing her forehead must be crinkled with inquiry. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, maybe the reason he’s so upset that Joe is taking credit for this is because it’s actually Alec sending you the gifts.”

“What? No way.”

“Why not? It makes sense! I’ve seen the way he used to look at you. Maybe he still does. I don’t know. I haven’t seen the two of you in the same room for a while. But, if he didn’t want to talk to you, and he still wanted you to have a happy Valentine’s Day, this would be a great way to do it.”

Valerie began to shake her head before Sophie was even done talking. “No, Sophie. Joe is the one sending me the gifts, not Alec. I’m sure of it.”

“Okay,” Sophie said, but the conviction was still in her voice. “But if you find out it’s not him, then I think Alec becomes our next suspect.”

“This isn’t one of your crime dramas,” Valerie said, gesturing to the TV where one of the actors from Criminal Minds was frozen mid-sentence. “This is my reality we’re talking about, Soph.”

“I understand that. Maybe that wasn’t the best word. Look, while you’re out with Joe tomorrow, see if he can tell you what your gift was today. That’ll let you know if he’s for real.”

“I don’t have to trick him into telling me what my gift was to know he’s for real,” Valerie replied, crossing her arms, though she actually thought it was a pretty good idea. She did have some suspicions now that perhaps Joe wasn’t being completely honest with her. Dismissing those doubts as being planted by her friends didn’t make them completely vanish. If he could tell her what kind of candy had been sent, she’d know for sure.

“It’s not a trick,” Sophie continued. “It’s just a… confirmation.”

Valerie blew out her breath through her mouth loudly. “Fine.”

“Oh, good!” Sophie exclaimed. “Then, we can solve the mystery of whether or not Joe is the Cupid once and for all.”

“We don’t need to solve that,” Valerie replied, standing. “We already know he is.” She suddenly remembered Mrs. Gregory had made her take a cookie home, and she crossed back over to where she’d hung her belongings to get it. She couldn’t remember if she’d put it in her purse or her pocket, so she stuck her hand into her bag and felt the pen she’d borrowed from Alec. She drew it out and silently reminded herself to return it, although holding something that had been his suddenly made her feel more at ease. Rather than shoving it back inside, she kept it and felt around in her coat for the cookie, which she pulled out, along with her cell phone.

“What’s that?” Sophie asked, her mouth practically watering as Valerie brought the cookie over to her.

“From Mrs. Gregory.” It was a little smooshed, but that didn’t stop Sophie from grabbing it and biting right in. Valerie couldn’t help but laugh. Mrs. Gregory’s cookies really were delicious. “I’m going to bed.”

“Okay,” Sophie called after her, a mouth full of cookie making it come out a bit indiscernible. “We’ll go check on your car in the morning. But I can’t be late.”

“Okay. Thank you!” Valerie shouted down the hallway. All she really wanted right now was to go to sleep and face things with a better perspective in the morning. Even though it wasn’t even 9:00, she decided to change into some cozy pajamas and settle in for the night. She plugged in her phone and set the pen next to it on the nightstand, wishing she could go back and change the way she’d talked to Alec about Joe. It seemed that he just had her best interests at heart, and she hadn’t been very polite. Hopefully, she’d get a chance to apologize before it was too late. She couldn’t bear the thought of having Alec mad at her.

***

“Val? Val?” The nudging was annoying, but the shaking was even more so. Eventually, Valerie gave in and opened one eye to find Sophie, dressed for work, sitting on the edge of her bed. “Would you wake up?”

“I’m awake,” she finally croaked out, rolling over to face her friend as she did so. “I set my alarm for 8:00. What time is it?” The familiar sound of the ringtone she’d selected went off even as she was speaking, and Sophie reached over to turn it off before Valerie could untangle her arms from her blankets.

“Sorry,” Sophie replied. “I just came to tell you you could reset your alarm. We don’t need to go get your car.”

It took a few moments for her roommate’s words to process. “What do you mean?”

“It’s here. It’s in the driveway.” Sophie stood as if she was going to walk out without an explanation, but Valerie managed to shoot a hand out of her bed linens and clasp her friend’s wrist.

“What do you mean? The keys were in my coat pocket.”

“They were. And they are again.”

“Sophie? Who went to get my car? And when?”

With a sigh, Sophie sank back down on the mattress. “I got a text last night asking me to put your keys out on the porch, under the welcome mat. Someone said they’d come by this morning after the snow let up and get them so your car could be retrieved.”

Valerie glanced out her bedroom window and saw that the snow was no longer falling. The sun wasn’t quite out yet, but the soft glow of morning illuminated the snow on the tree branches she could see at that angle. “Who?” she asked, returning her attention to Sophie.

“I promised I wouldn’t say,” she replied. “A friend.”

It didn’t make any sense. Why would whoever was nice enough to get up so early and bring her car to her not want her to know? “Look, I’m tired of secrets. Who was it?”

Sophie sighed and scrunched up her face so her lips were angled over to one side of her mouth. She peered at her roommate scrupulously. “Who do we know that is always up well before the roosters and would’ve been nice enough to help out a friend at the request of a sibling?”

It was a bit too early for Valerie’s mind to play word puzzles, and yet it only took her a second. “Erin? And Alec?”

“I didn’t say that,” Sophie replied, standing.

“But why wouldn’t Erin want me to know?”

Sophie was already in the hallway. “I didn’t say Erin didn’t want me to tell you!”

Valerie hadn’t quite been sitting up, but she collapsed back onto her pillows, running a hand through her tangled blonde curls. Alec had gone to the trouble to recruit his sister to go get her car before daylight when there was probably six inches of snow on the ground? Who was this guy, and why did he care so much about her having her car?

Answers escaped her, so Valerie decided to reset her alarm for 9:00. That should give her enough time to run by the antique store and the florist before she met Joe for lunch. He’d asked her to meet him at a fast food restaurant near the pet clinic, which she wasn’t thrilled about since they likely wouldn’t have too much for her to choose from that was on her “trying to eat healthier for Valentine’s Day” regimen. Still, since he only had thirty minutes for lunch, it made sense.

She rolled over and tossed a pillow over her eyes, hoping to block out the increasing rays from the sun and the thoughts rippling through her mind, but it didn’t seem to help with the latter. How would she thank Alec for returning her car if she wasn’t supposed to know it was him? What if Sophie was right and Joe wasn’t her secret admirer at all, but Alec was? As much as Valerie was beginning to like Joe, as she finally started to fall back to sleep, she began to realize she secretly hoped it wasn’t the disheveled vet tech at all, but the quiet DJ with the sparkling emerald eyes.

***

Valerie was up again before her alarm went off the second time. She dressed in thick black leggings, a long red sweater that went almost to her knees, and her black boots that went just past her calves. Once she had on her coat, hat, and gloves, her handbag over her shoulder, she braced herself for what she was sure must be a chilly day.

It was actually even warmer than she expected, and the wind had died down quite a bit. She was glad; Valerie would be happy when winter was over.

She eyed her car suspiciously, wondering if it would start this time. Since the temperature seemed to be quite a bit higher than it was the night before when it had failed her at the church, she was hopeful it would turn right over. She climbed inside and instantly smelled the scent of sandalwood, a smell she’d picked up from Alec the night before. Even if Sophie hadn’t let her know he and Erin had been the ones to retrieve her car, the scent of his cologne would’ve given him away. That was enough to make her contemplate calling him later to thank him for his thoughtfulness.

The engine took two tries, but eventually, it did start, and Valerie looked up at the sagging, pinned up cloth of her roof and silently thanked the Lord for His help before cautiously backing out of the driveway. The roads weren’t slick, and she was feeling cheerful as she headed toward the downtown area.

She found a spot near the antique store and decided to go in there first, absently thinking she should stop by and say hello to Delaney if she had a chance as well. The bell over the door chimed as she made her way into the warm interior. The smell of antiques overwhelmed her; well-worn book pages, varnished wood, musty clothing items. She knew Melody loved that smell, and although it didn’t bother Valerie too much, she didn’t think she could ever work there.

“Hey, Valerie,” Melody called, stepping out from between two old armoires, a duster in her hand. “How are you?”

Melody’s blue eyes were twinkling, and she had a glow about her face like Valerie had never noticed before. Thinking this must be the effect of finding her true love, Valerie couldn’t help but feel both happy for her friend and more than a little jealous. “I’m good, Melody. How are you doing?”

“Wonderful,” Melody gushed. “I really couldn’t be any better. It’s so nice to see you.”

“You, too,” Valerie replied as Melody stepped toward her. “Is your mom around?”

“No, she had a doctor’s appointment today,” Melody explained.

“Oh, is everything all right?”

“Yes, just a routine checkup,” Melody assured her. “But Mrs. Gregory spoke to Reid last night, so I think I know why you’re here.”

Valerie realized she shouldn’t be too surprised that Mrs. Gregory had gone ahead and called before she’d had a chance to go in person. Technically, she hadn’t called Sarah, but still, telling Reid their plans was just as good as telling Melody, Valerie knew. “Well, do you think you have any clocks we can borrow?” She looked around the store, still standing just a few steps inside, and already saw several pieces she thought would look lovely on the tables as centerpieces.

“Yes, we do,” Melody nodded. “Mom took a look around this morning before she went to her appointment, and she counted ten we could loan out.”

“That’s awesome,” Valerie gushed. “That should be just about perfect.”

“Do you want to take a look at them?”

Valerie thought having an idea what each of them looked like so she could plan out the arrangements in her mind made sense. “Sure,” she replied, following Melody as she pointed out the first clock.

“There’s this one,” she began. She went into a full description of the origin of the clock, but Valerie knew absolutely nothing about clocks, nor was it high on her list of priorities to learn, so she nodded and smiled as Melody took her through each of the timepieces. All of them looked to be the right size for centerpieces, and Valerie was certain they would work out quite well.

“I think those will do nicely,” Valerie said once Melody had reached the last of the clocks. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem,” Melody replied. “Reid and I can bring them over that afternoon. I’m afraid we won’t be able to stay and help. This is our first Valentine’s Day together, after all. And Mom will be attending the dance, so I talked her out of volunteering. I hope you didn’t need her help.”

“We should be fine,” Valerie replied. She knew that Melody’s mom had recently started dating a gentleman from church, and she understood she wouldn’t want to help decorate and then come to the dance. She may as well enjoy herself. “Who is watching Michael?”

“Oh, one of the ladies from our church is going to keep him for a few hours. She has four kids of her own, so she and her husband never really go out on Valentine’s Day. But I volunteered to watch them the weekend after so they can go out.”

“That’s nice,” Valerie nodded. It was hard for Valerie to imagine suddenly having a child to account for, the way that Melody now did. But she knew Melody loved Michael just as much as she loved Reid.

“I’m a little nervous about having four kids, plus Michael, but Reid is a great dad, so I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it.”

The word “we” struck a nerve with Valerie, and she wasn’t even quite sure why. What must it be like to be part of a “we?” To have an understood “him”? Valerie forced a smile on her face. “I’m sure you’ll be just fine.”

Melody’s forehead crinkled. “Is everything okay, Val? You look a little… not yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Valerie replied, trying to take a few deeper breaths. “I’m just trying to get everything squared away for the dance.”

Melody’s head bobbed up and down, but she didn’t seem to believe her friend. “I think it’s amazing you volunteered to help. I wish I had more time.”

“Right,” Val said, thinking the only reason she had more time than Melody was because she didn’t have a significant other. “It’s really not that big of a deal. There are a lot of people pitching in.”

“Still… you’re doing a lot of the legwork, and that’s awesome.”

“Thank you,” Valerie replied with a shrug. “I’m just doing what I can.”

“Erin said Alec volunteered, too, which is amazing. I’ve never seen him put himself out there like that before.”

Valerie suddenly had no words. She had asked herself a thousand times why Alec had volunteered. She knew why he was prepared to help with the music, but why had he agreed to be on the committee? “He’s been a lot of help,” Valerie nodded.

“Cool. He’s such a great guy.”

Valerie nodded again. “Well, I need to run by the flower shop and speak to Macey, so I better get going.”

“Okay. If anything changes, let us know. Otherwise, we’ll bring them by Wednesday afternoon.”

“That’ll be perfect,” Valerie smiled. She took a few steps back toward the door. “Please tell your mom we said thank you.”

“I will,” Melody replied.

Pausing with one hand ready to push the door open, Valerie looked at the glow on her friend’s face again. “And, I’m sure I’ve said it before, Melody, but congratulations on finding Reid. The two of you really are just perfect together.”

A blush took over Melody’s cheeks. “Thank you. I know your perfect guy is out there, Valerie. I can feel it.”

She hadn’t been looking for any reassurance, but coming from Melody, the comment was nothing but sincere, even if Valerie wasn’t certain it was true. “See you later,” she said as she pushed out of the door, hearing Melody call goodbye as the chilly air hit her face. She hoped it would dry the solitary tear that slipped down her cheek before she reached the flower shop across the street.

***

Alec had his computer open, but he wasn’t really working. Luckily, no one else in the entire company had any idea what he did or how he did it, so if someone came in and saw his spreadsheet, they would have no way of knowing that he hadn’t updated a single cell for close to an hour.

As much as he wanted to focus on the task at hand, he couldn’t help but think about Valerie. She’d seemed so irritated when he’d walked to her to the front door the night before. Now, she was probably getting ready to go out on her lunch date with Joe, a guy he was certain was lying to her about being her secret Cupid. Erin had heard from a few girls at church that Joe had cheated on his wife, and even when he was caught red-handed, had tried to deny it. Anyone who would treat his wife that way wasn’t worthy of spending two minutes in Valerie’s presence, and yet, here he was taking her out on a second date.

The gifts couldn’t really be from a guy like that, could they? Surely, Valerie would see through his little game soon enough. But when she did—would she be heartbroken? Valerie didn’t deserve that either.

When he’d called Erin the night before and asked if she’d be willing to help him go retrieve Valerie’s car, she was all for it, especially since all she had to do was swing by Valerie’s and pick him up from retrieving her keys—which were exactly where Sophie had said they would be—and then drop him off at the church. He was able to get the Bug started without even opening the hood. The warmer weather after the storm passed must have been enough to fix whatever was frozen up the night before.

He hoped Sophie hadn’t told Valerie he was the one who’d arranged getting her car back. He hadn’t done it for any sort of credit. Valerie’s happiness was all he had in mind, even if he was making it easier for her to meet Joe for lunch.

Alec was staring absently out the window at the snow as it continued to melt into slushy piles along the edge of the street. Occasionally, a car would pass by, sending splashes of mud and sprinkles of water onto the cars in the lot parked closest to the street. The trees weren’t blowing at all, a far cry from the night before which had brought plenty of branches down around town.

A soft knock at the door brought him back to his office and out of his thoughts about Valerie and the passing storm. He turned to see his dad standing there. “I’ve got those receipts you requested, Son.” He held a few slips of paper in his hand and proceeded to bring them into Alec’s office, dropping them on top of his “in” box. “That should be everything you needed for last week’s report.”

“Thanks,” Alec mumbled, barely looking at them. He’d check them out later. If his dad said it was everything he’d asked for, chances were it was.

“Everything okay?” Bruce asked, the look on his face showing a bit of concern.

“Oh, yeah. Fine.” Alec managed to stick a small smile on his face. “Just… going over the numbers.”

“Right,” Bruce nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. He crossed his arms and stared at Alec for a moment. “Your sister left the house early this morning. She said she was going to help you out with something. Anything you want to talk about?”

“It’s nothing. A friend’s car wouldn’t start last night at the meeting I went to for the Valentine’s dance. I just wanted to help her.”

Bruce nodded. “Then why do you look so… glum?”

Alec knew there was really no use trying to hide anything from his father. Bruce O’Connell could always see right through either one of his kids when they tried to play something off. It was one of his gifts. “Dad… I don’t know what to do. She’s seeing this guy. And I know he’s just not right for her. But she won’t listen. I’m afraid she’s going to get hurt.”

Bruce dropped down in a chair next to Alec’s desk. “How do you know he’s not right for her?”

Picking up a pencil and absently tapping it against the desk, Alec said, “Honestly? He’s just not a nice guy. He was married once, and Erin says he cheated on his wife. He treated her… terribly. I know Valerie doesn’t deserve a guy who would act like that.”

With a nod, Bruce asked, “Have you told her?”

“Sure. But that just made her mad at me.”

He gave a quiet knowing chuckle, as if he’d been in a similar situation. “Well, Son, if what you say is true, and he will end up breaking her heart, then all you can do is be there when she needs you. Even if it’s just as a friend, that will be better than nothing. But I honestly think it’s about time you tell Valerie how you really feel.”

Alec’s eyes widened. His father was even more perceptive than he thought. “I don’t know if I can do that, Dad.”

“Why not? You’ve had feelings for her for years. Wouldn’t you like to know once and for all if she feels the same way about you? Alec, you’re at an age now where you need to start thinking about settling down, starting a family. I think you would’ve done that by now if you hadn’t held every single girl you’ve ever dated up to the yardstick of Valerie. And if she told you she wasn’t interested in you that way, well, at least you could honestly look for someone else without wondering what it might be like if she someday admits she has feelings for you, too. But honestly, Son, I don’t think it’s ever occurred to her that you are an option. I don’t think she has any idea.”

“That might not be the case anymore,” Alec admitted, the tapping of the pencil continuing. “I told her last night that I felt like she deserves someone who would treat her like a queen. I’m sure she knew I wouldn’t say something like that if I didn’t have feelings for her.”

Bruce seemed to consider what his son was saying about the conversion for a moment before he shrugged and said, “Maybe. Maybe not. You could’ve just been giving her some advice as the older brother of one of her closest friends.”

Alec considered that. Is it possible that’s why Valerie thought he was being nosy? Was she thinking of him as a meddling older brother and not someone who honestly had her best interests at heart? He let out a sigh. “I know you’re right, Dad. I actually did try asking her out last night. Sort of. I mean… I told her she should come to one of my DJ events. But she must not have realized what I was saying because she wanted to ask this guy she’s seeing along.”

“Ouch,” Bruce said, shaking his head. “I’m guessing she didn’t realize. I don’t think Valerie’s that heartless.”

“I know she’s not. But as long as she’s seeing Joe, I won’t be able to tell her how I really feel.”

“Sounds to me like the relationship with this Joe fellow hasn’t got long to live. Chances are, he’ll mess it up himself quick enough. Then, you can ask her out.”

Alec shrugged. “Maybe. Somehow guys like that seem to stick around a lot longer than expected, though.”

“Listen, Son,” Bruce said, leaning forward in his chair and patting his oldest on the shoulder, “Valerie is a smart gal. She’ll figure out he’s not the right one soon enough. Then, you’ve just got to be brave enough to let her know you’re interested.”

Alec nodded as his dad stood. That was a lot harder than he made it sound. “Thanks, Dad,” he muttered.

His father paused in the doorway and turned back to look at him. “Pray about it, Alec. It will help. Even if it just makes you feel better about the situation, gives you some clarity, it’ll be worth it.”

His dad turned and left, and Alec thought it was just as well. He’d been praying about it—for years. So far, it hadn’t gotten him anywhere.

And yet, that wasn’t true. He’d had an actual conversation with Valerie yesterday. She’d been in his vehicle. They were working on a Valentine’s Dance together—and even though the dance was meant for the seniors, she’d still be there. Hopefully without that awful Joe. Maybe praying actually was helping. It might not be as quick as he wanted, but all good things come to those who wait, right?

Alec said a prayer for clarity, for Valerie to see Joe’s true self, and to have the right words should he have a chance to talk to her about his feelings. Each request seemed daunting, but he knew it was nothing to the One who’d created all things.