Stand-In Groom

lemon juice in the eye.

“Look at the time.” Anne jumped up from the lounger. “I’m going to be late.” She rushed inside and took the stairs to her second-floor apartment two at a time. Coward. The passage she’d read from Matthew in her quiet time that morning came back to haunt her. “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

She had no right to withhold her forgiveness from Cliff for what he’d done to her. After all, Jesus was willing to give His life to forgive her for all of her sins.

She slammed the apartment door behind her. “Okay, Lord! I forgive him! Does that make You happy?” She felt stupid even as she yelled at the ceiling. Of course her outburst didn’t make Him happy. She said the words, but her heart wasn’t in it. She just wanted the Holy Spirit to leave her alone with the whole guilt thing.

Halfway through changing clothes, she sank onto the edge of the bed. “Jesus, You’re going to have to teach me how to forgive him, then give me the strength to do it. I’m not going to be able to do this on my own.”

George’s image flashed in her mind. “I can’t be with George until I rid myself of Cliff once and for all. I don’t know what’s going on with him right now, Lord, but give me the strength to resist my attraction to him until I’ve worked through the Cliff issue and can approach the relationship without baggage.”

* * *

“Why don’t we go back to the church for your car later?” Jason handed Anne her duffel bag. Behind them, the wedding reception limped on, not as much fun for the guests now that the bride and groom had left. “We’re already at the park, so we might as well take my Jeep over to the pavilion, have dinner, watch the fireworks, and then get your car on the way home.”

Her change of clothes was in her tote bag in the backseat of Jason’s vehicle. She glanced at her watch. “You’re right. Papere would have fired up the grill about half an hour ago, so the first hamburgers and hot dogs should just now be coming off.” She slung the duffel’s strap over her shoulder. “Let’s go.”

On the other side of Schyuler City Park, she dashed into the public restroom, changed, and then tossed everything into the open-top Jeep. Mamere reserved the same pavilion every year for their Independence Day cookout—the one between the playground and the privy, with an unobstructed view of the fireworks.

Her mouth watered at the smoky barbecue aroma that wafted over from Papere’s huge charcoal grill. She jogged straight toward the gaggle of children running amok in the grassy field.

“An-Anne! An-Anne!” Seven girls under the age of ten surrounded her.

“We saw the wedding people when we drove into the park.” Ten-year-old Jordyn Babineaux hooked her arm through Anne’s. Slim with long dark hair, the tween would be unintentionally breaking hearts in a few years. “Was it a beautiful wedding?”

She tweaked the girl’s nose. “Of course it was. I planned it, after all.”

“An-Anne, when are you gettin’ married?” eight-year-old Kaitlyn Guidry asked.

“Probably not for a long time, sweetie.” At a tug on her shorts, Anne turned.

Six-year-old Megan’s brown eyes beamed up at her. “But Mama said you’re gonna marry Mr. George, sooner better than later.”

Kaitlyn covered her younger sister’s mouth none too gently. “Shush, Megan. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Anne’s cheeks burned. She knew if the girls’ parents had been discussing her at home, the rest of the family was, too.

“Do you like him?” Jordyn ducked her head and kicked at something in the grass.

“Sure I like him. He’s a very nice man.”

The adolescent heaved a dramatic sigh. “That’s not what I mean. Do you like…like him?”

Good grief! Even the children were getting in on the matchmaking. “I’m not sure, Jordy. I need to get to know him better.”

“He’s here.” Megan tugged on Anne’s shorts again. “Over there with the boys, fishin’ in the lake.”

Anne shielded her eyes against the setting sun. Her heart thumped. George sat on a pier between Cooper, seven; and Christian, four; kicking his feet back and forth in the water. The boys giggled and yelled as the water sprinkled them.

Lord God, I want this man to be the father of my children. She stopped dead in her tracks. Never in her life had she given serious thought to having children of her own. Just the opposite. She’d never wanted children of her own.

A bell clanged at the pavilion. With war cries Geronimo would have been proud of, the girls beat a path to go get their supper.

George sprang lightly to his feet and helped the boys gather their fishing poles, shoes, and tackle box. She should turn around now and go into the pavilion. Shoes tucked under his arm, he stopped when they made eye contact.

She smiled and raised her hand in a weak greeting. She couldn’t let him see how he affected her. She had to remain distant until she got the rest of her life sorted out.

He smiled and angled over toward her.

What to say to him? Should she tell him about Cliff? What if Meredith was right and he’d be jealous or upset to hear it? He was within a few feet. She had to say something. “There aren’t any fish in that pond, y’know.”

He shook his head and laughed. “I’d surmised as much. But there’s more to fishing than catching fish.” He motioned toward the pavilion.

She fell in step with him. “More than catching fish? I thought that was the whole point.” What an inane conversation…inane but neutral, casual, easy.

“For a professional fisherman, yes, I suppose that would be the general idea. However, for the man of leisure, fishing is an exercise in relaxation, in getting to know oneself and one’s companions better.”

She laughed, relaxing. “Except for the accent, you sound like one of those fishing show hosts on TV.”

“You don’t fish?” He clasped his hands behind his back.

He clasped his hands behind his back. Five days ago, he’d taken hold of her hand as they’d walked out of church. Something had changed between them. Focus. Keep things casual. “I’ve only been on one fishing trip with my family, and I got yelled at for talking too much when we were sitting there in a boat in the middle of the lake. How can you get to know your companions better if you can’t talk?”

He chuckled, a deep, rich sound that tugged at her heart. “Men don’t need words to bond.”

“Ah, so it’s a male-bonding ritual, then.” She stopped when they reached the edge of the crowd gathered in the pavilion.

“Precisely.” In the waning sunlight, his eyes took on a coppery glow.

Papere called the family to order to say grace, for which she was grateful. Around them, everyone joined hands. George enveloped hers in his. She hadn’t noticed Sunday how large and strong his hands were. During the prayer, she stole a glance at him. Don’t you hurt me, George Laurence. If I give you my heart, please be the man who’s going to watch over me and protect me from pain. Don’t break it the way Cliff did.

When the prayer ended, Jenn and Mere grabbed her by each arm. “How’d you do it? You said no one could come out today.” Jenn waved at someone over Anne’s shoulder.

Anne laughed. “I called in a favor.”

Meredith pursed her lips. “Let me guess…a classmate from high school.”

She shook her head. “Nope, college. I didn’t tell you earlier because he didn’t know for sure if he’d be able to come out today.”

“ ’Grief, Anne, you know everyone in this city. We should have known you’d know someone who could fix the swimming pool.” Jenn kissed her cheek. “Thanks. We enjoyed it this afternoon. It sure was hot outside.”

“Tell me about it. I had an outdoor reception to work—” She shoved Jenn when her cousin rolled her eyes. “Quit rubbing it in. I plan to make full use of it tomorrow and Sunday.”

When she’d filled her plate, she turned and scanned the long tables under the open shed. George stood and waved her over. She laughed when she got closer. On each side of him were his two fishing buddies. She went