When There is Love: A Christian Romance (The McKinleys Book 3) Page 12

  Eric’s brows drew together. “I’m not sure what to say, man. Why didn’t you just ask her out?”

  “I did. Several times. She shot me down each time, but it was never an angry don’t ever ask me again type of refusal. I kinda figured she just had some reservations about me because she’s a little person and I’m not. That’s why when I had the opportunity to spend some time with her because of the computer issue and then going to the gun range, I jumped at it. I thought it would give her a chance to get to know me a little more, and maybe it would help her push past those reservations to give us a shot.”

  “Maybe this isn’t a date.” Eric shrugged. “You know how Mom gets when a guy comes around her daughters. And now that she doesn’t have Brooke to worry about, she’s focusing on Victoria and even Alicia.”

  Trent shoved his hands into the cargo pants he wore. He stared blankly at the grill, wondering if he’d really lost his chance with Victoria. The food that had smelled so enticing just minutes ago now turned his stomach.

  “Don’t give up yet, dude. You’ve got one thing this other guy hasn’t.”

  Trent glanced at him. “And what’s that?”

  Eric grinned and lifted an eyebrow. “Big brother’s stamp of approval.”

  “Yeah, something tells me that doesn’t exactly rank high on Victoria’s list of things a guy should have.”

  Eric chuckled, but for once Trent didn’t join him. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

  Doug McKinley appeared then with a platter of hot dogs. “Let’s add these in, son.” He glanced at Trent. “How you doing, young man?”

  “I’m doing fine, sir.” And now he was lying to his best friend’s dad. “And you?”

  “Doing well. Doing well.” He set the empty platter down on the table beside the grill. “So I hear you’ve been teaching my baby girl how to shoot a gun.”

  “Actually, Justin was the one who did most the teaching. And she’s quite a natural at shooting. Picked it up really quickly.”

  The older man smiled. “That’s my girl. She mentioned how much she enjoyed it and that she appreciated you taking her to practice.”

  “Well, that’s what friends are for,” Trent said, choking a bit on the word friends.

  Doug sent him an unreadable glance. “Well, I appreciate you looking out for my girl.”

  “I’m not sure she’d agree with you on that. She seems to feel she doesn’t need anyone looking out for her.”

  Eric’s father grinned. “You do know her well. But hey, I’m her father. I’m allowed to look out for her. And I appreciate anyone who also does so.”

  “Are you ready over there?” Caroline McKinley asked from where she and the other women were seated.

  “Nearly,” Doug called back to his wife.

  Caroline and Brooke stood and went to the house, disappearing into the kitchen. They quickly reappeared with several bowls on trays.

  “Hey!”

  Trent heard Danny’s shout and turned to see Lucas walk into the backyard. The man caught his nephew in a tight hug when he tackled him, then he made a beeline to where Brooke stood. Lucas reached out to snag her around the waist and draw her close. Trent watched in envy as Brooke’s arms crept around Lucas’s waist and she lifted her face for his kiss.

  Trent let out a sigh. If Victoria wasn’t the woman for him, he could only trust that God had someone better in mind. He couldn’t think who that might be, but for now he needed to just put aside his hurting heart and deal with it later.

  When the family gathered to pray, he stood next to Danny and bowed his head. There was no mention of Victoria as they ate, which was probably a good thing. He noticed Alicia watching him off and on and wondered if Victoria had confided anything in her about the times they’d spent together.

  They had just finished the meal when Doug’s phone chirped. He pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at the message before standing up. “Be back in a bit.”

  Trent watched as he walked to the gate and swung it open. His heart clenched and his stomach heaved when he saw Victoria walk through the gate with a man not too much taller than her. So, she had ended up choosing a man closer to her own height. Though she’d said it wasn’t something she used to determine whether or not to date someone, it was apparent that, in this case, the shorter man had won.

  Doug shook hands with the man and then motioned to the back door. Without coming over to the group, the three of them disappeared inside. Trent sat for a moment, not unaware of the silence that had just descended over the group.

  Was he strong enough to stay and watch Victoria with her new boyfriend?

  Absolutely not.

  He glanced at Eric and then stood up, his gaze going to Mrs. McKinley. “Thanks so much for dinner, but I’ve gotta run.”

  “Don’t you want dessert?” Caroline asked, her brow furrowed.

  “Very tempting, but I’ll have to take a rain check on that.”

  Turning back to Eric, he said, “See you at church on Sunday.”

  He tried not to look like he was running as he walked quickly to the gate, but he needed to be out of there before the trio reappeared. He couldn’t quite figure out why Doug would have taken them into the house without introducing the new guy to the rest of the family, but as he strode along the driveway to where he’d parked, he decided it didn’t matter. Victoria had made her choice and it wasn’t him, so what she did was no longer his concern.

  If he’d been a drinking man, he likely would have headed to the nearest bar to drown his sorrows. Instead, he decided he would go home and immerse himself in a virtual world where he could kill things and vent his hurt and anger.

  “Wasn’t Trent here?” Victoria asked as she approached the table where the family sat. Seeing the curious looks on their faces, she said, “Oh, sorry, this is Dan Stanridge. Dan, this is my mom, Caroline. And that’s my brother Eric, his wife Staci, my sister Brooke, her boyfriend Lucas and my sister Alicia.”

  No doubt he wouldn’t remember all their names, but he’d come to know them soon enough. As he shook hands with each of them, Victoria looked back at Eric. “Trent?”

  “He had to leave,” Eric said curtly.

  Victoria frowned. She had hoped to be able to talk to him for a little bit. So much was happening in her life, and for the first time she felt like she was in control and moving it in the direction she wanted to go.

  “Dan is going to be my new partner in TASC,” her dad announced as he sat down beside his wife. “Victoria has decided she wants to focus on some other things, so Dan is going to buy her out.”

  “Really?” Eric said as he looked at her, his brows drawn together. “I didn’t know you wanted out of the company.”

  Victoria shrugged. “The last few weeks I’ve been thinking more about what I want to do with my life. The company has been good, but it’s Dad who has been the driving force behind it. It’s his inventions that have really made it what it is. I think he and Dan will work well together. They’re both passionate about it in a way that I haven’t really been in the last couple of years. Plus, the money from the sale of the company will allow me to finally get the surgery on my other hip.”

  “Is that the main reason you’re selling your portion in the company?” Lucas asked.

  Victoria was a bit surprised to hear him join the conversation. He was usually a man of few words. “Not really. It definitely has played a part in it, but there’s a lot more, too.”

  “Well, don’t use the money from the sale of the company for your surgery. I’ll take care of that.”

  Victoria stared at him in shock. It was easy to forget that Lucas was basically made of money. He never flashed it around though he had been generous in allowing the family to make use of things like his cabin. “I couldn’t take that. But thank you for offering.”

  A smile spread across Lucas’s face as he slid an arm around Brooke’s shoulders. “What good is it to have money if you can’t use it to help people out? Especially when
those people are important to the woman I love.”

  Victoria blinked back tears as she looked at her sister and saw her nodding.

  “Tori, take the offer. You deserve it.” Brooke smiled. “I know it’s hard to accept such a large gift of money—ask Lucas how many times we’ve argued about it—but, in this case, I agree with him.”

  “I don’t know what to say. If you’re sure…”

  “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure,” Lucas said. “Just send me the information and I’ll have it taken care of.”

  If she hadn’t already been feeling overwhelmed by all the things that had transpired lately, Lucas’s offer would have pushed her over the top. Tears flooded her eyes as she went to give Lucas a hug and then Brooke. “Thank you. I know that’s not enough…but, just thank you.”

  Lucas smiled at her, his gaze warm. “It gives me joy to be able to do this for you. We’ll get the ball rolling on this as quickly as I can so you can get on the road to recovery.”

  Her heart was almost bursting with joy over everything. Her dinner with Dan had gone well as they’d discussed things regarding the sale of the company. And spending time with him had also reinforced a few other things in her heart and mind. And now Lucas had agreed to cover the cost of her surgery.

  If only Trent were there to share in the joy, it would be perfect. She was sure he would be happy for her, too.

  For the first time in a long time, Victoria found herself excited about life and what was to come. She still hadn’t decided exactly what she was going to do when she was no longer working for the company. But now that she didn’t have to use the money for her surgery, she had a little bit more breathing room to figure it out.

  She just wished that Trent had hung around long enough for her to tell him about it. But she’d already planned to call him the next day to see about going to the range. And hopefully he’d agree to dinner so she could share it all with him. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of spending time with him again. It seemed like forever since they had talked.

  “Well, I promised Victoria some cheesecake to finish off our celebration of the sale,” Dan said. “So if you’ll excuse us, we should probably head out.”

  “Give me a call, sweetheart,” her mom said as she pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  “I will.”

  She and Dan made their way to his car and then to the restaurant that he’d promised her had served fantastic cheesecake. He was right, but by that point, she was ready to go home. It had been a long day, and she wanted to make sure she was in bed at a decent hour so she was ready to go out with Trent the next day.

  The ringing of his phone woke Trent the next morning. He groaned and rolled over to reach for it. But he came up with air as he slid onto the floor. It took a second for him to orientate himself as the phone rang again.

  He grabbed it from the coffee table and moved his thumb across the screen, hoping it was in the right place to accept the call. His head hurt, and it was easier to keep his eyes closed.

  Pressing the phone to his ear as he leaned back against the couch, he said, “Hello?”

  The word came out more abruptly than he’d planned, but the pulsing pain behind his eyes was distracting him. When there was no response, he cleared his throat and repeated his greeting.

  “Trent?”

  Trent sighed. Well, at least if he was dreaming, the headache would go away as soon as he woke up.

  “Trent? Are you there? What’s wrong?”

  Maybe this wasn’t a dream. “Victoria?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why are you calling me?” As soon as he said the words, Trent wished he could take them back. It was what had passed through his mind, but he shouldn’t have said them. In spite of everything, he did still consider her a friend and once he got over the heartache, he hoped they could continue to be friends.

  Maybe.

  “I, uh, was just calling to see if you were going to go shooting today. If so, I’d like to go as well.”

  Shooting? He could only imagine what that would do to his head. And what spending time with her would do to his heart. “Sorry, I’m not going today. I’m not feeling well.”

  “Oh no. Can I do anything for you?”

  The concern in her voice was almost his undoing. He almost gave in to her offer. Almost. “No. I’m sure I’ll feel better once I’ve had some sleep.” His head would anyway.

  “Okay. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

  “No problem. Have a good day.”

  “You, too. Hope you feel better.”

  “Thanks.” And then the conversation was over.

  Trent leaned his head back against the seat of the couch. Even though nothing he’d drunk had been alcoholic, he felt like he’d really tied one on. The headache was no doubt due to him having spent almost twelve hours playing video games, drinking soda and then falling asleep at an odd angle on the couch.

  It had been a stupid, stupid thing to do. If the alarm had gone off for another hacking attempt, he would have been in no shape to handle it. He was a grown man and needed to pull himself together.

  Sure, the pain in his heart hurt more than he could ever have imagined, but he still needed to make sure he could function. And somehow he needed to figure out how to keep the pain from flooding him every time he saw Victoria and her new guy. In the McKinley family, he’d found what he’d missed out on for so many years of his life, and Trent hated to think he would have to give them all up if he couldn’t get past this pain. He could still hang with Eric away from the family if worse came to worst, but he wanted to keep them all.

  Gripping the phone in his hand, he pushed to his feet and moved toward his bedroom. He dropped the phone on his nightstand and went to the bathroom. He downed some painkillers, stood in the shower letting the hot water beat down on his sore neck and shoulders before falling into bed. The pain pills had taken the edge off his headache, and exhaustion still pulled at him since he’d only had about three hours sleep when Victoria had called.

  He prayed sleep would come quickly so he could get past this period of weakness and get back to life as an adult.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  VICTORIA was disappointed that Trent hadn’t been up to going to the range, but more than that, she was worried about him. He hadn’t sounded like himself when she’d called and then hearing he wasn’t feeling well had immediately brought her concern. She wished he’d let her do something for him, but understood why he hadn’t agreed to that.

  She sighed as she climbed onto a stool at the counter and stared at the preparations she’d been working on before phoning Trent. Supper was once again underway in the crockpot. From now on, she was going to wait for definite confirmation before starting a dinner for him. Twice now, she’d jumped the gun.

  Frowning, Victoria’s thoughts went to the previous night. Something didn’t add up and that worried her. She’d never known Trent to not at least acknowledge her presence if they were at the same event. But he’d left her folks’ place the night before without even saying hi or goodbye. And then—in addition to just sounding bad—he had been almost curt with her. She supposed if he wasn’t feeling well that would make sense. She knew from experience that sometimes she was more abrupt with people when she was dealing with pain. Hopefully that was all it was.

  But what if it wasn’t?

  After a somewhat restless night, Victoria gathered all her medical information and sent it to Lucas. She was thankful for how God had provided a way for her to get this surgery without having to deplete her savings. It had been hard not to view it as a handout, but the reality was, she’d been praying and trusting God to provide the money she needed for it. She’d thought the sale of the business had been His answer, but it was almost as if He’d given her that to test her. To see if she would still be thankful even knowing that paying for the surgery out of the sale money would leave her with very little for the future. And in seeing that she had, indeed, been thankful, He’d provided in such a way
that her financial future was a bit more secure.

  Victoria just wished she could share the news with Trent. Even if he’d changed his mind about being interested in her romantically, she still considered him a friend. And she wanted to share this blessing with him.

  Her doctor had warned her that once things were in place financially, he would make sure the surgery happened quickly. That wasn’t surprising since he hadn’t been happy with her putting off the surgery as long as she had. With that in mind, she spent the next few days getting things in order. Though she’d been through it before with her other hip and knew what to expect, she still found herself fighting a case of nerves. Surgery was surgery. It always held a risk, and she couldn’t put that thought from her mind, though she tried to not let it overwhelm her.

  She knew her whole family would be praying for her and that in itself was a comfort. But when the call came on Thursday that her surgery would be the next Monday, Victoria’s worry kicked up a level. She’d had no idea that things would move that quickly. Lucas must have pulled some strings along with getting the ball rolling. In addition to calling her about the date, the doctor wanted her to have some blood tests done before the surgery so she’d had to make time for that in her day.

  On Friday night, the family gathered at her folks’ place once again, but this time Trent wasn’t present. Victoria didn’t know if he hadn’t been invited or if he’d declined the invitation.

  “No Trent tagging along tonight?” she asked when Eric sat down next to her at the table.

  “Nope. He and Than have been in Denver most the week doing an onsite evaluation for a company. They’re supposed to get back tomorrow afternoon, I think.”

  Victoria was relieved to hear that it wasn’t him avoiding her that had kept him away from the family dinner, though she still wasn’t sure what was going on with him. She’d been so tempted to text him the night before to let him know about her surgery date, but something had held her back. Their last few interactions had been…off, and until she knew why, she didn’t feel comfortable reaching out to him like that.