Chapter Eight

Macey had been more than happy to donate whatever Valentine’s flowers she had left over to the dance committee. She said she didn’t know how many there might be since she had a lot more orders this year than she was used to, but she’d bring them by as soon as the shop closed at 5:00 and help arrange them, which was awesome news to Valerie since she’d never tried to arrange flowers before. Macey even had some vases she’d be willing to let them borrow.

After dropping in to say hello to Delaney and getting caught up in a story about how her friend had been out with Josh to see a movie and have dinner the weekend before, which took a lot longer to tell than it should have because Delaney was so busy waiting on customers as she retold the tale, Valerie finally headed out to the fast food restaurant. There weren’t too many in Charles Town—which was good for the diner—but she pulled into a spot outside of McDonald’s and waited for Joe. A glimpse at the time told her he should be there in about five minutes.

Valerie felt like she’d gotten quite a bit accomplished for that day. While she waited, she took out her notepad and jotted down some updates on her list from the committee. Doing so made her think of the meeting the night before, which ultimately led to thoughts of Alec. What if he was right, and Joe really was no good for her?

If she followed through with her promise to Sophie, she’d find out in a few minutes. It shouldn’t be too hard to find out if Joe knew what he’d sent her the day before. She would try to do it in a way that didn’t seem suspicious. If he really was her secret Cupid, she didn’t want to sound ungrateful.

Another look at the time told her he was late—again. She honestly wasn’t surprised. But since he only had a half-hour for lunch, she was more concerned about him not having time to eat than herself. She had nowhere else to be that day except for curled up on the couch with a book. She decided to send him a text to see if he was on his way, but once he was ten minutes late, and there’d been no return text, Valerie started to feel very frustrated. Hopefully, once he arrived, he’d have some sort of an explanation.

A few minutes later, Joe’s Camry pulled into a parking spot nearby. She grabbed her handbag and turned her car off, dropping her keys in the bag before she got out. “Hey!” he called, a big smile on his face. “How’s my Valentine?”

“Worried,” she admitted, though she did so with a smile. “I thought you said noon?”

“Oh, yeah, well, we were busy, so Doc wanted me to stick around an extra few minutes. You ready? I’m starving.” He took her hand and led her toward the golden arches with no more of an explanation and certainly no apology.

Valerie wanted to say she’d been starving since she’d been sitting there waiting for almost fifteen minutes, but she saw no point. Why hadn’t he called or answered her text? He didn’t even seem to feel bad about making her sit out in the cold and wait on him.

The scent of french fry grease hit her nostrils, and she wasn’t sure if she should revel in it or be disgusted. She’d been trying not to eat greasy food lately, which was hard at a diner, and the familiar smell did make her mouth water, but she decided on a salad instead. She really wanted to look her best for the Valentine’s dance.

When it was their turn, Joe stepped up to order first, asking for a Big Mac, large fries, and a large soda. When the cashier asked him if that was all, he said, “Yes,” and pulled out his wallet.

“Guess we’re back to me paying for myself,” Valerie thought. The cashier next to them was free, so Valerie stepped over to that one and ordered her salad with an unsweet tea. It took the older lady with large glasses just a moment to grab her salad and a cup for the soda fountain and take her payment. Once she was done, she met Joe over by the drinks. She filled her cup and waited on him to grab some ketchup before he led her to a booth near the entrance.

Joe sat down and dug into his burger ferociously. Valerie had watched him eat dinner several times a week for months, but she’d never seen him bite into a meal quite like that before. “You must be hungry,” she said as she popped the lid off of her salad container.

“Starving,” he said, food still in his mouth. He finished swallowing and then said, “I didn’t have any breakfast.”

“Oh,” she said, drizzling the dressing on her salad sparingly. “You know you’re not supposed to skip that. Most important meal of the day.”

“I know. But I got up a little late,” he replied. “And Doc hates it when I’m not there on time.”

“I see.” Valerie thought it must be a chronic problem for him since so far he’d been late two out of two times when he was supposed to be meeting her. She took a bite of her salad and was glad it tasted better than she’d expected, thought it wasn’t as good as the chef salad Frank had on the menu. This one had corn, black beans, and tortilla strips with a spicy southwest dressing.

“Salad, huh?” Joe asked as he dunked a pair of fries into his ketchup.

“Yeah,” Valerie shrugged, wondering what might come out Joe’s mouth next.

“That’s a good idea,” he replied before shoving another large bite of beef and bun into his mouth.

Valerie raised her eyebrows but waited for him to mostly finish chewing. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” he replied, remnants of the last chunk of hamburger still evident in his mouth. “Just… eating healthy is a good idea. You know, you don’t want to put on any extra pounds.”

She set her fork down and watched as he shoveled two more french fries into his mouth. “That seems a little ironic coming from you,” she said.

“What do you mean? I’m a guy. I can afford to eat all this.”

Valerie held back a chuckle at his crass remark. “That’s not what I meant.”

Joe was clearly confused. He stopped eating and looked at her. “What are you talking about?”

Her eyes wide, Valerie cleared her throat. “After the gift I got yesterday.”

“What gift?”

“My Cupid gift.”

“Your what?” he asked, and then his demeanor changed. “Oh, right. Your Cupid gift.”

Valerie couldn’t believe her ears. She hadn’t even needed to ask him what she’d gotten the day before. He didn’t even remember she’d been getting gifts from anyone, let alone that he was supposed to be the sender. “Joe, you aren’t my secret Cupid, are you?” she asked, crossing her arms and trying to control her anger.

“What? No, of course I am. I just… forgot. I’ve got so much on my mind with the clinic… and getting evicted….”

“Evicted?” Valerie echoed, momentarily shocked off topic. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “Okay—if you’re my secret Cupid, what did you get me yesterday?”

Joe stammered for a few minutes before finally saying, “That sparkly bracelet on your arm.”

Valerie glanced down at the bracelet with the heart on it, the one she’d been wearing the last few days, thinking it was from him. “Why would that be ironic?”

He shrugged. “I’m not even sure what that word means.”

Trying to remain calm, Valerie put the lid on her salad. “Well, this has been… enlightening, Joe. “

“Where are you going?” he asked around another full mouth.

“Away. From you.”

“Wait, you can’t go,” Joe said, still chewing. “Come on, Val. Just because I didn’t get you a bunch of stupid Valentine’s gifts doesn’t mean I can’t be your Cupid.”

Valerie wasn’t sure which remark stung more—the fact that he’d called all of her gifts “stupid” or that he thought he still had a chance with her. “Joe, if you don’t understand why this is so important to me, then I guess that answers both of your comments.”

“But, Val, wait. Come on Val!”

She was up and had her salad and drink in her hands, her purse slung over her shoulder, thankful she hadn’t bothered to take off her coat. As she walked, she managed to dig her keys out of her pocket. A glance behind her made her think Joe had chosen his cheeseburger over her.

However, as she attempted to get her car to start, he came flying out of the restaurant. Tapping on her window, he shouted, “Come on, Val! Don’t leave like this!”

Reluctantly, Valerie rolled her window down. “Why did you lie to me about this, Joe?” she asked, the one question she couldn’t seem to get an answer to.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I didn’t mean to. When I first said it, I didn’t remember what you were talking about. I was just hoping we could find love before Valentine’s Day. But then… when you seemed so happy to think I was the one giving you all the gifts, I thought you wanted it to be me. So I just went with it.”

“And what were you planning to do when my real Cupid came forward and told me it was him?”

“I hoped by then you’d be in love with me so it wouldn’t matter.”

The answer made her furious. Without another word, Valerie rolled up her car window, seething. She was certain she barely missed his toes as she pulled away, but she didn’t care. He yelled after her, but Valerie didn’t slow until she was sitting in her driveway. Then, tears stung the backs of her eyes, which made her even more angry because she didn’t want to be sad about Joe. She didn’t want to face Sophie and Alec and everyone else and let them know they were right, even though they clearly were. She knew no one would blame her when he’d outright lied to her, but she still felt like a fool.

When she finally managed to pull herself together and climb out of the car, she noticed a small package sitting in front of the front door. She looked around, as if the deliverer might be hiding in the bushes, but as usual, she saw no one. It was difficult to manage everything as she unlocked the door, but she got it done and dropped her handbag on the floor in the entryway before setting her drink, salad, and the carefully wrapped pink box with white polka-dots on the coffee table.

She went around to the other side of the table and sat down before pulling the card off of the box. Once again, the message was pasted inside. It read:

On the Seventh Day of Valentine’s

What will your Cupid bring?

Something to which

You can sing.

Valerie opened the box to find a CD tucked inside. It was Elvis Presley’s greatest hits, which included her favorite song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”

With a gasp, Valerie spun the CD around in her hands. Who had she mentioned this to? Not very many people know that was her favorite love song of all time. She leaned back into the sofa, thinking about the conversation she’d had the night before at the Valentine’s Dance committee meeting. Was it possible? Could Alec really be her secret Cupid? Valerie had no idea if it was him or not, but the thought made her heart happy.

***

Alec had just made it home from work and was finishing changing his clothes when his cell phone started ringing. Checking the time, he saw he had about ten minutes before Erin would be there to pick him up. As usual, they would stop by Bishop’s and pick up dinner before heading to their parents’ house. He decided to see who was calling before he let it go to voicemail; if it was important, Erin would be happy to wait.

When he saw the caller ID, he nearly dropped his phone. Why would Valerie be calling him? He took a deep breath and answered, praying he didn’t say anything stupid. “Hello?”

“Hey, Alec. It’s Val.”

The sound of her voice made his knees a little weak, so Alec took a seat on the edge of his bed. “Uh, hi. How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks.” Her words and her tone were a little off, and he wondered if something was bothering her. “How are you doing?”

“Not bad,” he replied, thinking the less he said the more likely he was to get off the phone without saying something idiotic.

“Good. Well, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you and Erin getting my car for me this morning. I know you didn’t want me to know it was you, but I figured it out, and that was an amazing thing for you guys to do.”

Alec wasn’t sure what to say. He’d hoped she wouldn’t know it was him, but he supposed it was difficult for Sophie to keep that a secret. “Oh, it was no problem.”

“It seems like a lot of trouble to me,” she continued. “Getting up that early, going out in the cold, not to mention recruiting Erin. I mean, I know how she is, and I’m sure she was happy to help, but that was really sweet of you. And I’m so glad that Sophie and I didn’t have to mess with it first thing this morning. So thank you.”

“No problem, Valerie. Really.” He didn’t know what else he could say to make her understand that he was truly happy to help. He gladly would’ve walked to the church in a blizzard to get her car if he thought it would make her day better.

“Also…” Valerie’s voice sounded a bit morose now, and the tone he’d picked up on earlier was coming through much stronger than the happiness she’d managed when she was thanking him for getting her car, “I thought I should let you know you were right.”

Alec was puzzled, not certain what she might be talking about. “Right about what?”

“About Joe,” she replied with a deep sigh. “He wasn’t the one giving me the gifts after all.”

“Oh.” That was about all Alec could manage. He wasn’t surprised to hear her say that Joe wasn’t the one, but he was a little shocked she’d found out so quickly. And he hadn’t forgotten that was one of the prayers he’d been sending out all day—that she would find out the truth before she was too attached.

“Yeah, he was trying to take credit for someone else’s kindness.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” What he really meant was that he was sorry to hear the sadness in her voice, not that she’d discovered Joe was a fraud. As much as he knew it wasn’t his business, he couldn’t help but ask, “Did he confess?”

“Not exactly,” Valerie said. “We met for lunch today, and he couldn’t tell me what the gift was I got yesterday. He said he thought I wanted him to be the one, so he just went with it.”

“You’re kidding?” There were at least half a dozen rude names on the tip of his tongue, but since Alec knew saying them aloud would be unkind, he shoved them to the back of his mind, realizing Joe needed sympathy not scorn. “Wow. Well, at least you found out now and not once you were more… invested.”

“That’s so true,” Valerie replied, her voice sounding a little livelier. “Still… I just don’t understand the nerve of some people. I guess y’all were right.”

“I didn’t want to be right if it meant you were going to have your feelings hurt.” He wasn’t sure where those words came from, even though he knew they were true. If being with Joe made Valerie happy, then that’s what he wanted for her, even if it ended up breaking his own heart in the end.

She seemed just as surprised to hear that sentence as Alec was. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Sure,” was about all Alec could muster. He heard a quiet knock on his front door and then it opened. His sister called his name, and he stood to go out into the living room to meet her. Once Erin saw he was on the phone, she just waved and smiled, patiently waiting.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you’ve got plans.”

“Oh, Erin’s here now, and we’re just about to go grab dinner.”

“At Bishop’s?”

“Is there anywhere else?” he joked. Obviously, she knew they came in almost every night.

Valerie giggled. “Not that’s any good. I was just about to call Erin to thank her for her help this morning. I guess I’ll catch her later.”

“No, wait. You can talk to her,” Alec insisted. Before Valerie could reply, he handed the phone to his little sister. “It’s Valerie.”

Erin’s eyes grew large and a smile spread across her face. Alec was sure he knew what that meant, but he didn’t say anything, and he hoped the color in his face stayed neutral, though he was pretty sure he was turning red. “Hey, Val!” Erin said. “How are you?”

Alec couldn’t hear what Valerie was saying, but he was sure she was thanking Erin for her role in getting her car back that morning. Erin was nodding and occasionally would say something like, “It was really no trouble,” and, “I was happy to help.” Eventually, she said, “Okay, sweetie. I’ll see you soon. Here’s Alec,” and handed the phone back to him, still beaming.

He wasn’t expecting to talk to her again, assuming Erin would just hang up when they were done, so Alec took the phone with a bit of a tremble in his hand. If Erin noticed, she didn’t say anything. “Hello?” he said again, not sure what he was supposed to say when he’d just talked to her and could think of absolutely nothing else to mention.

“Well, I’ll let you go,” Valerie said. “I hope y’all have a nice dinner.”

“Thanks,” Alec muttered, wishing he could think of something clever or entertaining to say. As usual, words escaped him.

“I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”

“Yep.” Yep? How about, “I hope so,” or even, “Have a good evening.” No—all he could come up with was, “Yep.”

“Bye, Alec.”

“Bye, Valerie.” He disconnected the call before he could say anything else ludicrous and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans as if he were banishing it for bad behavior. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It took him a minute to realize his sister was bouncing up and down with glee, squealing as she did so.

“She called you!” Erin exclaimed, grabbing the sleeve of his blue sweater.

Alec couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at her. “Yes, she did. But only because she wanted to thank us for moving her car. She was going to call you, too.”

“Oh, she calls me all the time. But she called you. First.”

“Erin, I don’t think that means anything,” he reminded her, crossing to the door to get his jacket, forcing her to let go of him as he did so.

“I don’t know….” Her voice was singsong, and as much as he found his sister’s enthusiasm cute, he definitely didn’t see the point. “And you know she found out Joe was a total phony, right?”

“Yes.” Alec grabbed his keys and stuck them into his pocket, holding the front door open for Erin before locking it and closing it behind them.

“So who do you think it is?” Erin asked. The snow that had melted during the day was beginning to refreeze now that the sun was disappearing beneath the horizon. He took hold of his sister’s arm to make sure she didn’t fall on any of the slick spots. “Any ideas?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Alec admitted. He climbed into the passenger side of his sister’s black Jetta. “But I’m glad it wasn’t Joe.”

“I knew it wasn’t him,” Erin said, clicking her seatbelt. She’d left her car on, and it was nice and warm inside.

“Me, too.”

“I bet it’s someone from church. Probably some nice soul who just wants to see Valerie happy on Valentine’s Day for a change.”

“Maybe.” He wasn’t sure how Erin had come up with that theory, but he liked it. If it wasn’t another guy their age, that might make telling Valerie how he really felt about her easier—if he ever got up the nerve to do so.

They were quiet the rest of the short drive to Bishop’s. When Alec pulled open the door for his sister, there were several familiar faces, though Alec missed seeing Valerie’s. He knew she wouldn’t be there, of course, but he missed her just the same. Joe was seated in his regular spot at the counter, and Alec was tempted to say something to him, but it really wasn’t any of his business, and he had no idea what might come out if he even tried.

Over to the left, in the back booth, he spied Mr. Nelson. He had a book in front of him and a plate mostly still full of some sort of chicken Alec couldn’t quite make out from here. But the older man was staring out the window, looking a little lost. Alec understood why Valerie wanted to reach out to him.

As Erin stepped toward the counter where a waitress Alec didn’t recognize was ringing out another customer, he gently put his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.” Erin nodded and took her place in line, waiting to let the waitress know they were there to pick up their to-go order.

Mr. Nelson didn’t look up as Alec approached his table. He cleared his throat but still got no response. “Mr. Nelson?” Alec asked gently. That finally got his attention. He slowly shifted his gaze to Alec’s face. At first, he looked confused, but then recognition set in, and he broke into a friendly smile.

“Well, if it isn’t the younger Mr. O’Connell. How are you Alec?”

“I’m well, Mr. Nelson, thank you. How about yourself?”

Mr. Nelson shrugged. “Can’t complain.”

“How’s that new kitchen floor working out for you? Still holding up?”

“Sure is,” he replied. “Not that I use it too much.” He gestured at his plate, and they both had a chuckle. “Your father’s fellows sure did a nice job.”

“Oh, well, thank you,” Alec said. “In a house as old and nice as yours, it’s important to take great care.”

“It’s seen its fair share of fixin’ and patchin’,” Mr. Nelson said, still smiling. “That old place sure served us well. Made my Lilly so happy.”

Alec nodded, a sympathetic smile on his face. “She was a great lady.”

“Sure was.” Mr. Nelson turned his head back to the window, that far off look in his eyes.

“Mr. Nelson, would you mind if I sat down for a moment? There’s something I’d like to ask you about.”

With raised eyebrows, Mr. Nelson gestured for Alec to take a seat, and he slid into the other side of the booth. “What’s on your mind, son?”

“Well, sir,” Alec began, thinking about all of the ways he’d rehearsed this conversation in his mind over the last few days. All of those approaches seemed silly now, and he just decided to be honest. “There’s this girl I’m trying to impress, you see. She’s a pretty special gal, and I would really like to do something nice for her—for Valentine’s Day.”

Mr. Nelson was nodding along. “And you think I know about these things because…?”

Alec couldn’t help but laugh. “I know a couple in love when I see one, Mr. Nelson, and I’d say there wasn’t a pair in town as crazy about each other as you and Mrs. Nelson.”

The smile on Mr. Nelson’s face spread to his weary eyes. “I’d say that’s probably true.”

“So… I’m in charge of the music at the Senior Citizens Valentine’s Day Dance, and she’s in charge of decorations and things like that. I know how much she loves all the twinkly lights Frank hangs up in here, and I was thinking, if I could do something special with the lighting, well, that might help me win her over.”

“I see….”

“But the thing is… I’m not really good with that sort of thing. But you—you know all about wiring and that stuff, right? Didn’t you do the wiring on your kitchen remodel? And you worked for the electric company for years, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, son, but….”

“Mr. Nelson, do you think you could help me out? As your friend and someone who looks up to you? I know it would mean a lot to her, too, and if you don’t mind me saying, I’m pretty sure this particular gal goes out of her way to make your night special every time you come in here and she’s working.”

The older gentlemen looked puzzled for just a moment before his eyebrows arched. “Are you talking about…” he leaned in closer and lowered his voice before finishing, “Valerie?”

Alec also leaned in and whispered, “Yes.”

Once again, Mr. Nelson’s face was beaming. “That girl sure is sweet, isn’t she? Why, she always has a way of making me feel better, even when I’m so upset about Lilly I could hardly drag myself in here.”

“I know. She’s… amazing. What do you say, Mr. Nelson? Will you give me a hand—for Valerie?”

Mr. Nelson stroked his chin, as if he was having trouble deciding. A few long moments later, he said, “Well, I haven’t done much of anything since Lilly’s passing. I suppose… it wouldn’t hurt to get involved a little more. Especially since it’s for a good cause. And if Valerie would appreciate it—sure. I’m happy to.”

Alec couldn’t believe his ears. “All right!” he exclaimed. “That’s great, Mr. Nelson. Our next meeting is Saturday at 4:00. Your house isn’t far from mine. I’ll swing by and pick you up. It should only take an hour or so.”

“Sounds good to me,” Mr. Nelson nodded.

“Thanks again, sir,” Alec said as he slid out of the booth. He offered his hand to Mr. Nelson who shook it, giving a hearty laugh as he did so.

When Alec turned around, he practically ran into his sister who was holding their order in her hands. “Are you ready to go?” she asked, stepping aside to avoid the collision.

“Yes,” Alec nodded. He felt like he needed to get away from the gentleman before he changed his mind.

Erin called over his shoulder, “Hi, Mr. Nelson! How are you?”

“Just fine, dear. How are you?” he asked, politely.

“Wonderful, thank you. Take care!”

“You, too, dear.”

Alec was already halfway down the aisle before Erin was done with her conversation, and she hurried to catch up with him. “Why are you leaving so quickly?”

“Gotta get out before he changes his mind,” Alec said quietly over his shoulder as he opened the door for Erin, taking the bag out of her hand as she went past him.

Once in the car, Alec pondered calling Valerie to let her know of his success with Mr. Nelson, although part of him also wanted it to be a surprise. Since he’d already talked to her once that day—and not that long ago—he decided it might seem a little odd for him to call her now, so he decided not to. But that didn’t prevent him from longing to hear the sound of her voice.