Beauty from Ashes: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 5) Read online

  When it finally came time to call it a day, Adrianne breathed a sigh of relief. After being snappy with a couple people, she’d ended up with her door closed for the remainder of the day. It wasn’t long after she pulled through the gate that she realized her evening wasn’t going to the low-key one she’d hoped it would be.

  As she walked into the kitchen, Adrianne greeted her mom and her dad. Tyler and Ryan showed up a short time after that. The larger group meant that they had to eat at the dining table instead of the breakfast nook. On the one hand, it was kind of nice to have a larger crowd since she didn’t feel the need to participate in conversations quite as much. However, her mother had a look in her eyes that never boded well for Adrianne.

  She’d hoped that with Melanie dating Tyler and Alex and Rebecca coming back together again, her mother would leave her alone for a bit. But it kind of looked like her mother wasn’t about to give up.

  “You interested in going to a basketball game?” Tyler asked Connor.

  “I’ve never really had the chance to develop an affinity for any particular basketball team,” Connor said. “But I guess now’s as good a time as any to learn.”

  “Are you going too, Melanie?” her mom asked.

  Melanie shrugged. “Depends on the ticket situation.”

  “Well if you have enough tickets, you should have Adrianne go with you.” Adrianne shot a warning look at her mother, but the woman only smiled serenely and continued to lob grenades into the dinnertime conversation. “You know, go on a double date.”

  Adrianne wished that the floor would open up and give her an escape out of this horribly uncomfortable conversation. She opened her mouth to say something, but Rebecca interrupted her.

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Adrianne looked over at her sister-in-law, horrified at the delighted look on Rebecca’s face. “I definitely think the four of you should go together.”

  Adrianne wondered if her mother had somehow gotten hold of Rebecca and began to conspire about this. She tried to come up with an excuse so she could derail her mother’s intentions with regards to Connor. Being completely unaware of all that had transpired in the past, her mother no doubt thought she was doing her a great big favor by setting her up with some nice handsome guy.

  “I don’t think we’ll have enough for all four of us to go together,” Melanie said.

  Adrianne wanted to hug her sister for coming to her rescue. “Actually, I’m not really a basketball fan myself. Better off giving the ticket to somebody who really wants to be there.”

  “Well, if not basketball, surely there’s something else the four of you would enjoy doing.” Her mother had returned to her relentless pursuit of a boyfriend for Adrianne. She had hoped for more of a reprieve with Alex and Rebecca having gotten together, but apparently, her mother wasn’t going to be happy until all three of her children were involved in serious relationships.

  Normally, Adrianne would’ve just brushed off her mother’s attempts at matchmaking. But it was much more difficult when the person she was trying to set her up with was sitting right there. That wasn’t even taking into account the history they shared. A history that neither her mother nor Rebecca had any idea about.

  And she planned to keep it that way.

  Adrianne had anticipated that Connor might have some input into the situation, but he just sat with his attention on the salad on his plate. As the thought crossed Adrianne’s mind that Connor should be stepping up and saying he wanted no part of it, another part of her cringed at the idea of being rejected by Connor once again.

  Perhaps it was best that the man kept his thoughts and opinions to himself.

  “Maybe you two could come with Alex and me to a movie or something,” Rebecca offered as if it was the most natural thing. “We could even grab dinner beforehand.”

  Adrianne’s mother beamed at Rebecca. “That sounds like it would be a lovely evening.” She turned to Adrianne, her smile still brightly in place. “I really think you’d have a nice time, don’t you?”

  No, she absolutely did not think she’d have a nice time. Adrianne looked to Melanie for some help. Obviously, she couldn’t give the real reason she was objecting.

  “I thought Adrianne was already seeing someone,” Connor said, speaking for the first time since the conversation had started.

  Of all the things he could have said, that wasn’t helpful in the least.

  “Oh, Hank Williams?” Adrianne’s mother waved her hand in the air dismissively. “I tried to get her to stick with him—he’s a doctor, after all—but apparently the two of them decided they were better off as friends.”

  Adrianne wanted to roll her eyes. Her mother had harped on her continuously in the weeks following her and Hank deciding to call it quits on their romantic relationship. She’d somehow felt that reminding Adrianne that Hank was nice, handsome, and a doctor would somehow change her mind. Perhaps if she’d been the one to end the relationship, her mother might have been successful in getting her to give Hank another chance. But since it had been a mutual decision, there was nothing more her mother could say to change the situation between Adrianne and Hank.

  “I’m just not sure what you’re waiting for, Adrianne sweetheart,” her mother said. “It’s not like you’re getting any younger, and as you get older, single men are harder to come by.”

  Adrianne stared at her mother, wishing for all the world that she could communicate with her through thoughts alone. Because if she could, she’d be telling her to not continue this conversation when they were seated at a table with people who weren’t family. She knew her mother would never completely give up trying to marry her off, but she didn’t have to do it in front of people like Ryan and Connor.

  “Actually, I quite admire Adrianne for not feeling pressured to settle for just anyone,” Tyler said as he sent a smile in her direction. “Sometimes it takes awhile for God’s right person to come into our lives. I definitely know that that was the case for me.” This time, his smile was for Melanie. “I think that Adrianne will know when the right man comes along. Trying to match her up with someone just because the man happens to be the right age and unattached will only lead to frustration and, perhaps, hurt feelings.”

  Adrianne was extremely grateful to Tyler for stepping in and diffusing an awkward situation. She watched as Melanie reached out to stroke Tyler’s cheek as she smiled at him. Her gratitude turned to longing as she watched the interaction between her sister and her boyfriend. That was what she was waiting for. Seeing the happiness in each of them that only shone brighter when the two were together, Adrianne knew it would be worth the wait.

  She tried to ignore the voice in her head that wanted to point out that not every woman who wanted to be married ended up that way. Not every woman who dreamed of a husband and children got them. Maybe she was destined to long for something she’d never have. But having seen both good and bad relationships, Adrianne knew that just settling for anyone wouldn’t bring her the joy she wanted in a relationship. So wait, she would.

  Her mom seemed to get the point that Tyler was trying to make, and Adrianne felt the knot of tension between her shoulders loosen as attention shifted away from her. If Connor hadn’t so thoroughly crushed her heart all those years ago, she would’ve been more than willing to go on double dates with either of her siblings. But he was the one man she couldn’t allow herself to think about in those terms, or worse yet, allow herself to feel anything for. Not that that was easy, however, since what she’d seen of him so far reminded her of why she’d fallen for him even at the tender age of seventeen.

  As soon as etiquette allowed, Adrianne escaped to her rooms. She had done well over the past few weeks ignoring—for the most part—the fact that Connor still had many of the characteristics that she had found attractive in him so many years ago. But now that her mother’s determination to marry her off had cast Connor into that light, Adrianne couldn’t seem to keep him out of her mind.

  Needing to relax, Ad
rianne went into her bathroom and began to fill the large whirlpool tub. She dropped a bath bomb into the water and watched it fizz for a minute before dimming the lights and setting her phone to play her most gentle playlist. Between the warmth of the water, the music, and the scent of the bath bomb, she should have been able to let it all go. But instead, her mind just kept returning to Connor.

  Why were her thoughts still so caught up in this man? By today’s definition, he’d have been considered a bully because of his behavior towards her. She’d invited him to go with her to that dance, but instead of just saying no, he’d gone on to say things that had shaped how she looked at herself for years. And not in a good way. That alone should make her want to stay far, far away from him.

  Maybe she’d made a mistake in telling him that she’d be okay with him staying in the Twin Cities. Of course, at the time, she hadn’t known that her mother and Rebecca would have their sights set on matchmaking the two of them. Had she known that, she would never ever have suggested that Connor stick around. But now it was too late. She couldn’t exactly tell him that she had changed her mind.

  She was just going to have to make it seem like none of it mattered. Because getting upset about it would only prove that she was bothered by it. They had teased her about dating Ryan at one point, but both of them had been able to laugh it off because it really wasn’t anything that either of them was interested in. And they had just moved on as friends. That wasn’t the case with Connor, however. There could be nothing between them. Not even friendship.

  ~*~

  Connor lay on his bed, staring at the screen of his phone. He was trying to figure out the best way to deal with the awkward situation that had developed over dinner. Part of him wanted to just ignore it and hope that it never happened again. However, he could see his sister being eager to help him find love since she was happily married to Alex now. Living so close together, she would likely see it as her duty to do what she could to help him along in that department.

  While his previous job had not been conducive to a long-term relationship, he had actually dated off and on over the years. He knew how to ask a lady out. He also knew how to tell when one was actually interested in him. There had been none of those telltale signs from Adrianne. And that was no surprise.

  He had a feeling that Rebecca would continue to encourage him to pursue Adrianne. Perhaps not in the obvious way Adrianne’s mother had, but Rebecca had clearly agreed with the woman. So if he decided to tell Rebecca to back off, what would he give as his excuse? He really didn’t want to have to reveal what had happened years ago.

  If truth be told, he couldn’t have cared less about the not-so-subtle matchmaking attempts by Adrianne’s mother. Saying anything to Rebecca would simply be to put Adrianne at ease. He could tell how uncomfortable she was by the whole exchange even though she didn’t protest too much. No doubt she realized that the more she protested, the more likely they were to continue their matchmaking efforts.

  With a sigh, Connor tapped the contact screen for his sister and put it on speaker phone. He set the phone on his chest and laced his fingers behind his head as he waited for her to answer.

  “Hey, Connor. What’s up?” Rebecca asked as soon as she answered his call.

  Figuring they both had better things to do than beat around the bush, Connor went straight to the reason for his call. “I’m calling to ask a favor.”

  Rebecca paused then asked, “What kind of favor?”

  “You know how you want me to hang around the Twin Cities instead of heading back to Chicago or going off traveling?” Connor decided he wasn’t above playing a little lowball.

  “Uh, yeah?”

  “Well if you really want me to stick around, I need you to promise me something.”

  “Promise you something?” Rebecca sounded less and less certain with each response.

  “Yes. I need you to promise that there will be no more awkwardness like there was at dinner tonight. I am more than capable of asking a woman out on a date by myself. I definitely don’t need your help.”

  Rebecca laughed. “Oh come on, Connor. You’re in your mid-thirties, and you’ve never had a serious relationship.”

  “That you know of. And even if I haven’t, that had more to do with my job than it did with my ability to ask a woman out on a date.”

  “I was just trying to help you out. Adrianne is nice. I thought maybe you two could see if you hit it off.”

  “There’s more than just me in this situation, Becca. I don’t think Adrianne appreciated the matchmaking efforts of her mother and you any more than I did. I know she’s nice, but I think you need to leave it up to us to decide if we want to spend time together or not.”

  Rebecca fell silent for a moment, and Connor wondered if she’d somehow picked up from his tone and the words he’d used that there was more to why he was asking her to lay off her matchmaking efforts.

  Finally, she sighed. “Okay. Fine. But I’m not promising that I won’t try to introduce you to some nice women as I meet them. Also, I have absolutely no control over Alex’s mom. If she continues to try to set you and Adrianne up, that’s beyond me.”

  Connor frowned as he recalled that Alex’s mom had been the one to instigate it all. “I understand that. I’ll let Adrianne deal with her mom as she sees fit, but it might not hurt to have Alex talk to her about it as well.”

  Again Rebecca sighed, but this time, it was more audible. As if she definitely wanted him to hear it. “You really are no fun. Just don’t blame me if you end up a lonely old man.”

  “Well, rats. That’s been my plan all these years.”

  Rebecca groaned. “I’m going to hang up now. I’d much rather spend time with my husband than listen to you shoot down my good idea.”

  Once the call had ended, Connor stared up at the ceiling, wishing he had some friends close by that he could hang out with. In the end, he settled for calling one of his buddies from Florida. Thankfully, several of them were hanging out together and put him on speaker phone so that he could sort of be a part of their evening.

  It wasn’t the perfect solution. But it kept his thoughts off Adrianne so it would do for now.

  7

  Adrianne stared down at the paper in her hand, reading through the latest fundraising results as she walked toward her office. This had to be the best part of her job, seeing people give to the BlackThorpe Wellness Center. The Center continued to grow year after year, and it was all because of the people who donated to it. BlackThorpe itself funded a large part of the Center’s activities, but it was donations from people like Tyler’s stepfather that enabled them to pursue special projects like the service dogs for people suffering from PTSD. She couldn’t wait to share the information with Melanie since the Center was her responsibility.

  “Hey, Adrianne.”

  Adrianne looked up to see Kelsey smiling at her from behind the receptionist desk. Two large bouquets sat on her desk now, and Adrianne once again felt what was becoming an all too familiar pang of longing. Shoving her feelings aside as best she could, she approached the desk to talk to Kelsey.

  “Looks like that man of yours is definitely keeping the florist in business,” Adrianne said as she gestured to the newest bouquet. It looked a bit different than the other one, but it was just as lovely.

  Kelsey beamed at her, a dreamy smile on her face. “He doesn’t just give me flowers.” She reached up to touch one of her earlobes where a shiny earring glistened. “He gave these to me last night. Aren’t they beautiful?”

  Adrianne hoped her smile looked genuine because she really was happy for Kelsey. “They’re just lovely.”

  Before Adrianne could say anything further, the phone on Kelsey’s desk rang. Holding up a finger, Kelsey whispered for her to wait as she picked up the receiver. Though Adrianne would rather have escaped back to her own office, she waited while Kelsey quickly dealt with the call.

  When she was done, Kelsey turned her smile on Adrianne again. “By the way
, these bouquets aren’t both mine.” She gestured to the one that Adrianne had identified as being the newer one. “That one came for you.”

  Adrianne frowned as she stared at the flowers and moved closer. “Was there a card or anything?”

  Kelsey shrugged. “I didn’t look since it was for you.”

  When the woman held the bouquet out to her, Adrianne reached to take it. She would just wait until she was back in her office to try to figure out who had sent it to her. “Thank you, Kelsey. Talk to you later.”

  “You’ll have to let me know who it’s from,” Kelsey called after her as Adrianne walked away from her desk.

  Once back in her office, Adrianne realized that she wouldn’t be able to tell Kelsey any such thing. There was a card, but all it said was Dear Adrianne, you are beautiful. There was nothing more on it. Not a single clue as to who might have sent the lovely flowers to her. It didn’t look to be a cheap bouquet either, especially given that it came in a gorgeous vase. She touched the petals of the flower closest to her, wondering who could’ve sent such a thing to her and why.

  Receiving an anonymous bouquet was both exciting and somewhat weird. Adrianne had only gotten one anonymous bouquet, but it was a long time ago. She was too old to play those types of games now. If someone was interested in her, they just needed to come right out and let her know. The qualities she wanted in a man had less to do with the type of flowers he gave her, and more about how he made her feel when they were together.

  Maybe this was just some joke or something someone did because they thought she needed cheering up. She picked up her phone and took a picture of the flowers and sent a text to Melanie and Alex asking if they’d sent them to her.

  Melanie: Those are beautiful. Sorry, I can’t take the credit.

  Alex: Sorry, sis. They’re not from me. When I send flowers, I like people to know they’re from me.