Twice Upon a Time. Lois Richer

      “Are you applying for the job, Olivia?” he asked quietly when time had elapsed and she hadn’t spoken or looked at him again.

      She lifted her head, met his stare.

      “I’m definitely interested.” Her back straightened. “But I do need to pray about it and learn God’s will on the matter before I make a final decision.”

      “Okay.” Reese rose, gathered their cups and placed them in the sink.

      “But.”

      “But?” He whirled around unable to keep hope from sneaking into his voice. “What does ‘but’ mean?”

      “I would like to learn more about Byways, about what’s worked in the past and what has failed. I want to get the feel of the operation and hear a little more about the board’s expectations.” Her voice dropped, but her hazel eyes did not avoid his scrutiny. “Mostly I want time to pray about it, make sure Byways is where God wants me to be.”

      “And then?” he prodded.

      “As soon as I’m certain, I’ll give you my decision.” Her shoulders lifted, her spine straightened. “I don’t know why your other applicants quit, Reese, but if I don’t take this job, my reason will be because I do not feel this is where God wants me.”

      “You’re a person of strong faith, aren’t you?” He didn’t need to ask, but Reese did anyway because he wanted Olivia Hastings to talk and he wanted to listen to the smooth soft lilt of her voice. He wanted to see her eyes flash from green to gold again, as they did every time she spoke of God.

      Most of all, he wanted to know what situation had brought her to Denver and how God had helped her. Maybe then he’d understand why God never seemed to be there for him or his boys, though the family would be shocked to hear him say that.

      “Strong faith?” Olivia raised her eyebrows as she considered the term, then nodded. “Yes, I guess you could say that. I believe in God. I believe I am His child and that He will show me the way I should go, if I pay attention and wait for His leading.”

      “And do you always do that—wait?”

      “Always,” she said with a smile. “I’ve learned it works better that way.”

      Was that his problem? Reese wondered. Did he not wait long enough for God to show him which way to go? But it had been almost three years since Taylor had been hit by a drunk driver on her way home with a quart of milk.

      Couldn’t God have gotten in touch once in three years?

      Anger bubbled to the surface, but Reese was sick of being angry. It never did any good. He pushed it away, wishing he had the same solid confidence in God as Olivia.

      “How long do you need?”

      “I’m sorry, but you see that’s where the waiting part comes in. I don’t know how long it will take.” She smiled. “If someone else comes along in the meantime, I’ll gladly step out of the way. But I have to be sure.”

      “You do realize we’ll need to do a background check in either case? It’s policy,” he added when she seemed to freeze for a second.

      “Yes, of course. The safety of the children is always paramount.” Olivia recovered quickly and led the way out of the room. She walked beside him out of the building. “I’m sure you have things to do. I’ll fax you my information if you’ll give me your number.”

      Reese pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her.

      “That’s my e-mail address and fax at Weddings by Woodwards,” he explained. “I’m not usually at Byways every day.”

      “I’ll send you my information soon. I’m sure you’re anxious to get home to the twins.” She tucked the card into her pocket and asked, “How are they?”

      “Busy.” Reese sighed. “Their nanny quit today. Brett ‘colored’ her sandals.”

      Olivia held her hands up as if to hold him back. “I’m not even going to ask.”

      “Thank you for that.” He unlocked his car. “You’re parked nearby?”

      “My car recently retired. I’m looking into a new one. I took a cab here.”

      “You need a ride then.” He moved to open the passenger door, but she stopped him.

      “No. I told the driver to come back in—here he is,” she said as a taxi rolled up beside them. “Thanks for meeting me, Reese. I’m glad I came.”

      “Great. Thanks a lot, Olivia.”

      “Thank you. This might be just what I need.” With a funny little smile that roused his curiosity, Olivia waggled her fingers then left.

      Reese drove toward Weddings by Woodwards and the briefcase of work that needed to be finished before his meeting tomorrow morning. He had yet to hire a nanny. Day care and preschool couldn’t begin to cover the hours he worked or the emergencies that sometimes came up.

      The parking lot at Weddings by Woodwards lay empty when he pulled into his spot. He’d barely opened the back door when someone called his name. His guard went up automatically. The parking lot was out of the way. No clients came back here.

      Frowning, he waited as a young woman he didn’t recognize walked toward him.

      “Were you calling me?”

      “Reese Woodward?”

      He nodded. “Yes.”

      She drew an envelope out of her jacket and held it out.

      “I was asked to see that you got this personally, ASAP.”

      He glanced from the paper to her disappearing figure, surprised.

      Using his finger, he slit open the letter and drew out the papers inside. He caught his breath.

      Weddings by Woodwards had plans to open a new store in Chicago. Reese had scouted the location, chosen the perfect site on Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile. He’d lobbied the owners for a long-term lease and revised his terms several times. In fact, just yesterday he’d requested more changes to ensure his grandmother’s requests for the new store were met on every level.

      Apparently he’d hesitated too long.

      Dear Mr. Woodward:

      I apologize for taking this extreme measure to contact you, but I felt you should know immediately of Mr. Garver’s untimely passing this morning. You will understand that the family is extremely emotional at this time, but Mrs. Garver is most insistent that I notify you at the earliest possible date of her intentions. Those intentions include liquidating all her real estate assets, meaning she will put the Chicago property up for sale. Because of the amount of time you and her husband spent discussing a possible lease, and because Mr. Garver thought very highly of you, Mrs. Garver is granting you first offer of sale. I have enclosed the amount and terms she’s requesting. You should know that she intends to move to be nearer her daughter in France as soon as can be arranged, and thus wishes to close the sale on the property this month. I would be most appreciative if you could let me know your decision as soon as possible…

      Reese’s breath whooshed out of him as if someone had plunged a fist into his solar plexus.

      His family was counting on a smooth transition. He’d reassured his grandmother only this morning that he would get everything she’d requested, that there would be no problems with this property, that he’d chosen the best possible building. Because of him, they hadn’t even looked at other possibilities, content to let him nitpick over every detail because they trusted him.

      If only he’d stopped haggling and agreed to sign the lease sooner!

      There was no way they could buy the property. Renovations on the Denver store had exceeded their budget. A tripling in costs of organza and silk had affected Winifred’s latest