Idle Hours (6 page)

“An offer?” That shifted his attention back to her, and fast.

Ben drummed his fingers on the counter and affected a broad grin. Outside the dog barked twice. “Just what kind of offer are you talking about? And before you tell me, don’t think I entertain offers from just anyone.”

* * *

Lia ignored his jibe to pull her checkbook from her purse. With a flourish, she wrote a check that would significantly drain her savings account. Adding a prayer that the Lord would stop her should she be misunderstanding His will, Lia slid the check across the wooden counter, all the while trying to keep from looking at the live bait swimming around in the tank behind the register.

There would definitely be some changes around here once she owned the place. Gone would be the rods and reels, except possibly for a few artfully placed antique ones. And the slicker suits and bait buckets would be history, as would the shelves of tackle boxes and bobbers and sinkers. How she would remove the scent of fishing from the air remained to be seen.

She forced her mind off the redecorating and onto the negotiations. Ben’s fingers stopped their motion. He looked down then quickly back up at her, his face pale.

“What’s behind this? And give me the short version.”

“I’ll skip the formalities and go right to the point. You have the perfect spot in town for a restaurant. I want to purchase this bait shop and make my mother happy. How’s that for the short version?”
 

“Well, now, that is a might short.” His jaw went slack and he rubbed it with his right hand. For a moment he seemed to be at a loss for words. Finally, he added, “That’s a lot of money, Lia. How come?”

“Excuse me?”

Ben leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “How come you to want to do this for your mama?”

Good question. Where to begin?

“I’m thirty-eight years old, Ben, and all my mother has left. And I’m not getting any younger. At this rate there will be no grandchildren to dote over, no son-in-law to handle her affairs, and no knight in shining armor to sweep her away and fill the empty spot my daddy left in her life. I’m it, and if I can do this one thing for her, I’m going to do it.”

The man barely blinked.

Apparently, he needed a nudge. She put on her best businesswoman look, the one used to reserve for authors who missed deadlines.

“Do we have a deal or what? I’ve already made a call to a real estate agent. Once I let her know you are in agreement, she’ll draw up a sales contract for that amount.”

His posture stiffened. “You didn’t tell anyone I was sellin’, did you? ‘Cause I haven’t agreed to nothin’.”

“Relax, Ben. She won’t say a word. But no, we only discussed the idea in general terms.”

He seemed to think about it for a moment. “A man doesn’t just walk away from his life’s work because a pretty lady writes him a check.”

A pretty lady?
He thinks I’m pretty. Get your mind back on the business at hand.

“Are you angling for more money, Ben? Because if you are, you ought to know that this is all there is.” She touched the check with her index finger. “I’ve researched the price of commercial lakeside real estate and this is the top of the price range, but I figure with that view it’s worth every penny.”
 

“Well, yeah, that is quite a view.” He placed his finger beside hers, his gaze capturing hers. “But why, really, are you here? Who sent you?”

Odd, but in that moment, Lia knew exactly how to answer that. “I believe the Lord sent me, Ben.”

CHAPTER TEN

“Is that a yes?”

“Well,” Ben said slowly, “its not a no, Lia.”

The door opened and the bell jangled. A nice looking fellow walked in with Skipper on his heels. “Hey there, Ben. I’m fresh out of…say, hello there. I’m Mitch Tucker. A friend of Ben’s.”

Lia heard the cash drawer close. She turned to see that the check was gone.

“Mitch, this here’s Lia Stephanos. Friend of Cara’s,” Ben said. “She bought the Terro place.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lia” Mitch said.

Pleasantries aside, the men soon became deeply embroiled in a technical discussion regarding the different weights of test lines that might be used in the upcoming fishing tournament. Skipper edged close and offered her his snout while Ben said something to Mitch about a silver something or other that he’d lost.
 

Lia scratched the Lab’s ears then stepped back when the dog fell at her feet and offered his belly. “Not this time, Skipper, but I’ll owe you one.”

 
While the men talked, Lia slipped outside and headed for her vehicle, her heart racing.
 
What have I done?

“You’ve just made your mother very happy,” she whispered as she climbed into her SUV and cranked the engine.

Just as she shifted into reverse, her cell phone rang. Her mother found another recipe and needed ingredients purchased. Lia rummaged for a paper and pen, lifting her head in time to see Mitch drive away.

The extras added to the list, Lia hung up the phone and tossed it into her purse. Before she could grab the wheel, she saw Ben coming out of the bait shop and heading her way. A press of the button and the window rolled down.

“I’m glad you’re still here,” he said. “I need to talk to you.”

“Sure.” She unlocked the passenger door and he climbed in.

“I didn’t agree to your deal.”

Her heart sunk. “But I thought…”

“See here. I’m not saying no, but I can’t say yes just yet.”

She nodded. “All right. I’m listening.”

Ben studied her a moment, barely blinking. “I agree to your terms as long as you’ll do one thing for me.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t tell a soul that I’m selling out until after the fishing tournament.”

“Why?”

“This here’s a small town, Lia. I’d rather keep my peace as long as I can instead of answering questions about where I will go and what I’ll be doing.” He paused to release a long breath. “I’d rather this be between you and me until then. I feel strong enough about this to give you back the check if you’re not willing to abide by it.”

His expression to her he was serious.

She gave the matter some thought. “All right, I suppose I can do that, but I will need to do some renovating and it would help if I could bring in someone ahead of time just to give me some estimates. I promise the actual work won’t be done until after the tournament.”

“No.”

“But no one will know they were here. I promise.”

“Then it’s no deal.” He fished out the check from his shirt pocket and handed it to her. “I’ll still be by to pick you up Wednesday for that fishin’ lesson though.”

Lia watched him disappear into the bait shop. Now what?

Suppressing a groan, she turned off the engine and stuffed the keys in her purse. “What a stubborn man.” She marched back into the bait shop and laid the check on the counter in front of him. “Have it your way.”

The irritating bait shop owner took an eternity to respond. First he seemed to study her then he looked to be studying the check. Finally, he met her gaze and thrust his hand in her direction.

“How come you never married?”

“What?” She felt a flush rising in her cheeks. How dare the impertinent man ask such a question. “Mr. Corbin-”

“Ben.”

“All right, Ben, I fail to see how the answer to that question is any of your business.”

He shrugged. “Probably isn’t, but I’m askin’ all the same.”

Lia studied the man a moment then looked past his red plaid shirt sleeve to the stack of fishing magazines on the counter. A headline emblazoned on the cover gave her the words to answer the arrogant man.

“Well, Ben,” she said slowly. “I guess I just haven’t found a keeper yet. So do we have a deal or do I go next door and make an offer on the craft shop?”

Ben stared at her with what had to be admiration then slowly a grin grew into a full blown smile. “Little lady, we have a deal.”

* * *

Just like Mitch said, the Lord had been waiting for him to sit still long enough to listen. Now Ben had to go tell Mitch about it like he promised he would.

“Well, it looks like I lost that fancy lure.” His friend chuckled. “But I have a feelin’ I just gained something much better.”

Ben exhaled a long breath. “Who would have figured the good Lord thought I was a keeper?”

That evening, Mitch sent him home with more than just a slap on the back and handshake. He had a Bible. Not one of those fancy ones like you keep on the shelf or read from the pulpit, but an honest to goodness Bible written in words he could read and understand.
 

Mitch must have been pretty sure this day would come, because he had already seen to it that Ben’s name was written across the bottom of that Bible’s front cover in neat silver letters. The best part was the envelope Mitch had tucked inside at the place where the book of John started.

“Don’t open that until you get home,” Mitch said.

So he waited until he reached the back stairs of the bait shop before he pulled the envelope out of the Bible and gave it a shake. Something other than a letter was in there, for the lump in the middle of the thing was a plain as the nose on his face.

Ben settled on his coffee drinking step – the third one from the bottom – and held the envelope up to the fading light of the evening sun. A dark blob of a familiar size and shape was visible beneath the white paper.

Skipper nudged his leg with his favorite chew toy. Ben took the bait and wrestled the plastic bone from the Lab’s jaws then threw it in the direction of the lake. The dog’s oversized feet threw up chunks of sod as he headed toward the toy at high speed.

Smiling, Ben ripped off the end of the envelope and tipped the contents into his hand. Out tumbled a Silver Thorn Dressed lure and a folded piece of paper.

On it Mitch had written, “Ben, if you are reading this, you’ve finally realized that God thinks you are a keeper. Start with John and see why.”

He wrapped his fingers around the lure, careful not to stab himself on the hook. A few yards away, Skipper danced around the toy, yipping and nudging until he settled in a shady spot to chew happily.

That dog looked like he felt: content. Well, almost content. He and the Lord still had some unfinished business.

“Lord, I sure am sorry I waited fifty-two years to get around to understanding that You’re right here and not up floatin’ around on some cloud not caring what’s goin’ on down here.”

Saying the words should have made him feel silly. The knowledge that they were being heard made him feel good.

Real good.

Climbing to his feet, Ben tucked the lure back into the Bible and headed for his apartment over the bait shop with Skipper at his heels. Tomorrow he would begin planning this summer’s fishing tournament. Tonight, however, he had some questions that had been pestering him and there seemed no better place to turn for an answer than to the Lord.
 

Skipper nudged him once more then headed for the kitchen, returning with his supper dish in his teeth. Setting the red plastic bowl at Ben’s feet, the dog looked up at him with woeful eyes.
 

“All right then, let’s find us some supper. Guess you go first.”
 

Ben took the bowl to the kitchen and scooped out a measure full of food then set it on the floor. The dog went at the familiar kibble with the gusto of a starving man at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

 
“Enjoy yourself with that now. Once you and me get to travelin’ light, you might not be so well fed.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Their fishing trip had been postponed twice, so it was nearly two weeks later when Ben finally set off toward Lia’s place with a grin and a gift. He doubted she had a fishing pole of her own that would be up to standard, so he decided he would bring one. The canoe went in the back along with a pair of oars and two life vests. He also threw a cooler filled with water, bait, and a roll of garbage bags in case Lia wanted a dry place to sit. The last thing he did was throw his lucky fishing hat in for good measure.

Perfect.
 

“What’s that smile for, Ben?”

“You,” he said to the pretty gal sitting beside him.
 

At her grin, he groaned and turned his attention to easing the truck over the rutted road without jostling the canoe. In no time they’d reached the dock and unloaded their supplies. As Lia adjusted her life jacket, Ben put in the canoe then set the cooler in the center.

Time could have stood still right then and Ben wouldn’t have complained a bit. Instead, Lia spied a fish jumping in the shallows.

“I brought you a little something.” Ben lifted the rod and reel up to hand it to Lia. “Thought you might want one of your own if you’re gonna learn to fish.”

She looked up at him as if he’d just given her the Hope diamond. “Thank you. Now let’s see if I can catch anything with this.”

He helped her get the line cast then settled to his spot. A glint of gold caught his eye and he looked up. “Say, that’s a pretty cross you got there.”

She met his gaze. “Thank you. It was my grandmother’s.”
 

“So do you go to church around here?” It was a bold question but one that mattered to him a great deal. While he was learning what it was to give a life to Jesus and walk His way, he knew enough to realize anyone he was interested in ought to at least be treading the same path.

And to his surprise, he was definitely interested.

“Actually, I do.”

Pretty as a picture and a Christian to boot. Well, how about that?
 

When Lia said the name of the church, he frowned. “Well now, that’s where I go. How come I haven’t seen you there?”

“I’m somewhat of a morning person,” she said. “Mother and I have been attending the contemporary sunrise service. What time do you go?”

Well he did feel sheepish admitting he liked to sleep as long as he could on Sunday mornings, that being his only real day off. “Eleven,” he said slowly.
 

“The traditional service.” Her grin broadened as she curled her index finger around the little gold chain. “I’ve been thinking of trying that one.”