Sunday Morning

If you are new to my blog, you can begin HERE with Chapter One of Romance by Design.

Chapter Eight

Since the back of Ryan’s car was smashed in, Goldie offered to drive them to church in her Volkswagen bug on Sunday morning. Ryan sat on the passenger’s seat and enjoyed the whirring sound of the engine every time Goldie shifted gears.

He enjoyed the view of the driver, too.

         The sun slanted toward Goldie as she sat behind the wheel, dressed up for church in a green and white striped dress. Her golden hair was pulled up into a loose bun on top of her head, with tendrils of blonde trailing down the sides. On anyone else it might have looked messy, but on Goldie it looked good.

She drove her car with the same exuberance she had for life, talking all the while.

         “This was my brother’s car in college.” She pulled into the church parking lot and parked between a white Dodge truck and a blue Buick. “When Mike got engaged, he bought a bigger car and gave this one to me.” Turning off the engine, she smiled at Ryan. “I didn’t have a car at the time, so I was glad for it. And no car payments, either.” With a little laugh, she opened the car door.

“Nice of him.” Ryan opened his door and got out. He would know Goldie’s total history within a week—everything about her family, her work, her life. Everything there was to know.

Except, probably, for her real name. 

Ryan looked up at the church as they walked to the entrance. It was a small country church with a tall white steeple. He held open the door for Goldie, and they entered the church lobby. Clusters of people stood around, talking.

“Well, and look who’s here!” Frieda smiled at them, the light glinting off her glasses. “So yous are both joining us this morning?”

“Hey, Frieda!” Goldie gave the older woman a hug. “I talked Ryan into coming to church with me. You know, he usually attends Mike’s church in Stroudsburg.”

Oh yeah…Mike’s church. Ryan’s smile slipped as he shook Frieda’s hand. He would have to get that blind date thing cleared up with Goldie. As soon as church was over.

A tall man with thinning blond hair stood beside Frieda, and she motioned to him. “Yous know Dirk.”

“Dirk!” Ryan thrust out his hand. “You’re the chef at the Kaffee Klatch. Right?”

The man grinned as he shook Ryan’s hand. “I cook the food. Don’t know if you’d call me a chef. That’s for more fancy restaurants.”

“I want to talk to you about those Pennsylvania Dutch dishes you make. I love cooking and trying out new recipes. Can I come by the restaurant some time?”

Dirk gave a little shrug. “Sure thing. How about tomorrow night? Say, seven-thirty.”

Ryan thought a moment. He was off tomorrow at the Blue Haven. “Works for me. I’ll be there.”

Goldie gave a little wave to Frieda and Dirk. “See you later.” She grabbed Ryan’s arm and turned him toward the sanctuary. “You’re really into cooking, aren’t you?”

“It’s an avocation. I’m hoping to make the big bucks with my creative architectural drawings.” He laughed. “If someone will hire me.” He was still waiting to hear back from Stratton, Moss, and Klein.

“Speaking of creative…” Goldie steered him over to a large map of the world. Individual photos surrounded the map. “I want to show you our missionary display.” Letting go of his arm, she touched one of the photos. “These are the missionaries our church supports financially. Each missionary has his own photo with the outline of the country where he ministers, and his favorite Bible verse.”

Ryan’s eyes traveled around the board. “I’ve seen a lot of mission displays in my life, and this one is at the top. Very creative, as you said.”

“Thank you.” Goldie smiled, her face taking on a pink glow. “I made it myself. I’m the secretary here, if you remember.”

“Ah! Very nice, Goldie.” He continued to glance at all the pictures until his eyes caught on one missionary couple at the bottom. He drew in a quick breath, then cleared his throat. “Um, we should grab a seat in the sanctuary, don’t you think?”

Goldie glanced at her watch. “You’re right! It’s about time for the service to start, and we usually have a packed auditorium. Our little building is barely big enough to seat all the members.”

Ryan followed her, thankful Goldie’s conversation had moved off the mission display. Hopefully she wouldn’t make the connection between himself and Spenser and Mary Jane Collins, missionaries to Tanzania in East Africa.

He didn’t realize this church supported his parents.

A small sigh escaped as he squeezed in the pew beside Goldie. How long had it been since he’d talked to Mom and Dad? His mom always begged him to call, but he seldom did. Besides the expense, he didn’t like the question Mom inevitably asked: “Are you attending church?”

Well, here he was—sitting in a bona fide church. One that even supported his parents.

Since he’d be home all day tomorrow, he’d give Mom a call. This afternoon he had to go into the Blue Haven at two o’clock, not getting off until ten. He wanted to take Goldie out somewhere for lunch, although his money was quickly disappearing. Fortunately, his first paycheck from work would come this Friday.

He had been thankful when Frieda gave them a free meal at the Kaffee Klatch.

         It wasn’t until he was standing behind the huge grill at the Blue Haven, a chef’s hat covering his hair, that he realized he had forgotten—again—to tell Goldie about the blind-date mix-up.

And they still hadn’t exchanged phone numbers.

* * *

         Next week, we’ll find out what happened to Brian, Goldie’s real blind date.

         May the Lord bless your weekend!