Time to Laugh Romance Collection Read online

  Lois swallowed hard. Michael first postponed their wedding because he thought she was too young and they hadn’t known each other long enough. But later, after she became a Christian, he had forced her to choose between him and God. When she told him she wouldn’t give up her relationship with Christ, he’d said some choice words and stormed out of her apartment. He had called a few weeks later, informing Lois she was acting like a confused little girl and that she should call if she ever came to her senses. That had been two years ago, but even now it hurt. Especially with Michael looking at her as if she’d been crazy for choosing God over him. She certainly didn’t want the man back in her life. She had tried hard enough after her conversion to get him to attend church, but it always caused an argument. Michael had been adamant about not needing any kind of religious crutch, and he’d told her he wasn’t going to church, no matter how many times she asked.

  “How about joining me for a cup of coffee?” Michael asked. “We can try out that new place on the other side of the mall.”

  Lois opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “It’ll be like old times, and you can fill me in on what you’ve been up to lately.” He gave her a charming smile. “Besides, you look kind of down. Hot coffee and some time with me will surely cheer you up.”

  Lois shook her head. “You know I don’t like coffee, Michael.”

  “You can have tea, soda, whatever you want.” He took hold of Lois’s arm and steered her toward the door.

  “What about the gift you were planning to buy your mother?” she asked.

  “It can wait.”

  Why was she letting him escort her along the mall corridor? Was she so lonely she’d allow him to lead her away like a sheep being led to slaughter?

  When they reached the café, Michael found a table. He ordered a mocha-flavored coffee, and Lois asked for a glass of iced tea.

  As they waited for their beverages, Michael leaned across the table and studied Lois intently. “Tell me why you quit working for Thorn and Thorn.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “News sure travels fast. When did you hear I’d quit?”

  His lips curved into a smile. “I’m a lawyer, remember, sweetie? Ray Thorn and I had some business dealings a few weeks ago, and he filled me in.”

  “I’m working as a secretary for Bayview Christian Church.”

  He grimaced. “That must mean you’re still on your religious soapbox.”

  Lois glanced down at her hands, folded in her lap. Her knuckles were white, and she was trembling again. Did Michael think it would help if he brought up her faith?

  “I’m not on a religious soapbox,” she said with clenched teeth. “I love the Lord, I’m enjoying my new job, and—”

  He held up one hand. “And you obviously care more about all that than you do me.”

  She sucked in her bottom lip. “What we once had is over, Michael. You made it perfectly clear you weren’t interested in marrying a religious fanatic. And from a scriptural point of view, I knew it would be wrong for us to get married if you weren’t a Christian.”

  Michael’s face grew red, and a vein on the side of his neck began to pulsate. “Are you saying I’m not good enough for you?”

  “It’s not that. With our religious views being so opposite, it wouldn’t have worked out. We would always be arguing.”

  “As we are now?”

  She nodded.

  The waitress arrived then, and Lois and Michael sat in silence for a while, sipping their drinks. Lois wished she hadn’t come here with him. Nothing good was resulting from this little meeting.

  “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for us, Michael,” she murmured, “but, as I said before, I could never have married someone who didn’t share my belief in God.”

  The waitress brought the bill and placed it next to Michael’s cup. He gulped down the rest of his coffee and stood, knocking the receipt to the floor. “Some things never change, and you’re obviously one of them!”

  He bent down to pick up the bill. “Nice shoes,” he said in a mocking tone, as he pointed to Lois’s sneakers. “Real stylish.”

  Lois blinked back the burning tears threatening to spill over. So much for her afternoon shopping spree making her feel better. Michael had a knack for getting under her skin; he’d made her cry on more than one occasion, even when they were dating and supposed to be in love. Lois still found him physically attractive, but now she was even more convinced that he was not her type.

  Michael stalked off, but a few seconds later he returned to the table with a grim expression on his face. “I just want you to know—I harbor no ill feelings toward you. I’m getting on with my life, and apparently you are, too.”

  Lois only nodded. Her throat was too clogged with tears, and she was afraid if she tried to speak she would break down. She didn’t love Michael anymore, but seeing him again and hearing the way he talked about her faith made her know for certain she’d done the right thing. Her unshed tears were for the time she’d wasted in a relationship that had gone nowhere. She also ached for Michael, that he would discover the same joy she had in a personal relationship with God. Only then had she found freedom from the pursuit of wealth and power, and she wished the same for him. She thought of the people lost in their sin, refusing to acknowledge they’d done anything wrong and turning their backs on God and the salvation He offered through the shed blood of Christ. She sincerely hoped Michael would choose to receive this gift.

  Suddenly Michael leaned close to her ear and whispered, “If you should ever come to your senses, give me a call.” With that, he kissed her abruptly on the cheek, turned, and was gone.

  Lois was too stunned to move. She could scarcely catch her breath.

  A half hour later Lois unlocked the door to her apartment and heard the phone ringing. She raced to grab it before the answering machine picked up. “Hello.”

  “Lois, is that you?”

  “Yes. Who’s this?”

  “Joe Richey—the goofy gospel clown who fell into your lap a few weeks ago.”

  Lois’s heart pounded, and she drew in a breath to steady her nerves. Since he hadn’t called, she’d given up hope that he might.

  “You still there, Lois?”

  His mellow voice stopped her thoughts. “Yes, I’m here—just a little surprised to hear from you.”

  “I said I’d call, and you did give me your phone number,” Joe reminded her.

  “I know, but it’s been over two weeks, and—”

  “And you gave up on me.”

  “I—I guess I did.”

  “I’ve been to Ocean Shores, taking a much-needed vacation.”

  “Did you have a good time?”

  “It was okay. I did a lot of walking on the beach and slept late every morning.” Joe chuckled. “Something I hardly ever do when I’m at home.”

  Lois twirled the phone cord around her finger, wondering what to say next.

  “Listen—the reason I’m calling is, I was wondering if you’d like to go bowling this Friday night.”

  Lois paused as she tried to absorb what Joe had said.

  “You do know how to bowl, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but not very well.”

  “Maybe I can give you a few pointers. I’ve been bowling since I was a kid and have a pretty good hook with my ball.”

  Lois giggled. In her mind’s eye she could picture Joe lining up his ball with the pins, snapping his wrist to the left, then acing a strike on the very first ball.

  “So what do you say? Would you like to go bowling?”

  “Sure—I’d love to.”

  Chapter 6

  Lois paced between the living room window and the fireplace. Joe should have been here fifteen minutes ago. Had he encountered a lot of traffic on the freeway between Olympia and Tacoma? Had he forgotten the time he’d agreed to come? Maybe he’d stood her up. No, that wasn’t likely. Joe seemed too nice a guy to do something so mean. He did appear to be a bit irresponsible, though. He’d said he would call h
er after they met at the coffee shop, but he’d gone on vacation and hadn’t phoned until two weeks later.

  “Sure hope I’m doing the right thing by going out with Joe,” Lois murmured. “He’s funny and cute, but not really my type.” What exactly was her type? She’d once thought Michael fit the criteria—charming, good looking, smart, and financially well off. Weren’t those the qualities she was looking for in a man?

  “That was then, and this is now,” Lois said as she checked her appearance in the hall mirror. She had a different set of ideals concerning men now. The most important thing was whether he was a Christian or not, and next came compatibility.

  The doorbell rang, and Lois jumped. She peered through the peephole in her apartment door and saw one big hazel-colored eye staring back at her.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Joe apologized when she opened the door. “You gave me your address the other night, but I forgot where I laid it and spent fifteen minutes trying to locate it.” Before she could reply, he pulled a bouquet of pink carnations from behind his back and handed them to her. Their hands touched briefly, and Lois was caught off guard by the feelings that stirred deep within.

  “I hope these will make up for my forgetfulness,” Joe said with a big smile.

  Lois smiled, too, and inhaled the subtle fragrance of the bouquet. “Thanks for these. Carnations are my favorite. Come inside while I put them in water.”

  Joe followed her into the kitchen, and after she’d filled a vase with water and inserted the flowers, she turned to him and smiled. He was dressed in a black knit polo shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Nothing fancy, yet she thought he looked adorable. It must be that crooked grin. Or maybe it’s his curly brown hair. I wonder what it would feel like to run my fingers through those curls. Lois halted her thoughts. She barely knew Joe, and after being hurt by Michael she hoped she was smart enough not to rush into another relationship.

  “You look great tonight,” Joe said. “In fact, we resemble a pair of matching bookends.”

  Lois glanced down at her black tank top and blue jeans. “Let’s hope we match as well at the bowling alley.”

  “No big deal if we don’t.” Joe’s eyebrows wiggled up and down. “That’ll make it more interesting.”

  Joe sat on the bench, with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face, watching Lois line up her ball with the pins. Her golden hair, held back with two small barrettes, glistened under the bowling alley lights and made him wish he could touch it and feel its softness. He had no plans of becoming emotionally involved with anyone right now, but something about Lois drew him in a way he’d never experienced with other women. Was it merely her good looks, or did Lois have the kind of sweet spirit he desired in a wife? Wife? Now where did that thought come from?

  Lois squealed with delight when she knocked down half the pins on her first throw, forcing Joe’s thoughts back to the game. “Good job!” he exclaimed, pointing both thumbs up in the air.

  She pivoted and smiled at him, revealing two dimples he hadn’t noticed before. “Not too bad for an amateur, huh?” She grabbed her ball when it returned to the rack and positioned herself in front of the alley. This time her aim was a bit off, and the ball made it halfway down before it veered to the right and rolled into the gutter.

  Lois returned to her seat, looking as if she’d lost her best friend. “That little boy a couple of lanes over bowls better than I do.”

  Joe patted her on the shoulder. “It’s only a game, and you’re doing your best.”

  She shrugged. “My best doesn’t seem to be good enough.”

  “You know what they say about practice.”

  “I don’t bowl often enough to get in much practice.”

  “Guess we’ll have to remedy that.”

  She tipped her head to one side, and her blue eyes sparkled in the light. “Is that your way of asking me out again?”

  He grinned. “Sure—if you’re interested in dating a goofy guy like me.”

  Lois giggled and poked him on the arm. “You did look pretty silly a while ago when you were trying to bowl with your back to the alley.”

  He tweaked her nose. “Don’t slam the technique. I knocked four pins down that time.”

  “Next I suppose you’ll try to juggle three bowling balls at the same time.”

  “I think they might be a bit heavy,” he answered with a smile. “I could see about juggling three or four pins, though.”

  She jabbed his arm again. “You would, wouldn’t you?”

  Joe stood up, retrieved his ball from the return rack, then turned back to face Lois. “Hang around me long enough, and you’ll be surprised at what I can do.”

  After bowling three games, they walked over to the snack bar for hamburgers and french fries. Joe ordered a cherry soda and Lois a glass of lemonade before finding an empty booth.

  Lois eyed Joe curiously as he poured ketchup on his fries. He looked like a little boy in a man’s body, with eyes that twinkled like stars, a mouth turned up, and freckles spattered across the bridge of his nose.

  He glanced up then. “A nickel for your thoughts,” he said, smiling.

  She could feel her cheeks grow warm. “Oh, uh, well, I was just wondering about something.”

  “What is it?”

  “Well, I realized I don’t know much about you. I know you’re a gospel clown and you live in Olympia, but that’s about all.”

  Joe shrugged. “There’s not much to tell.”

  “What about your family?”

  “What about them?”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “Just a brother who’s a few years younger than I am.”

  “Where do your folks live?” she asked.

  Joe stared at the table. “They’re both dead.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it right now, if that’s okay,” he said, looking down at the table.

  “Sure,” Lois said, suddenly uncomfortable with the direction their conversation had taken. She hesitated before speaking, hoping she could find a better topic to discuss. “Do you work at any other job besides clowning?”

  “I went to trade school right out of high school and learned how to be a mechanic,” he answered. “I worked at a garage not far from home for a while, but after I started clowning, the job turned to part-time; finally I quit altogether.”

  “You mean you make enough money clowning to support yourself?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but I’ll never be rich. Besides crusades, Bible camps, and other church-related functions, I do birthday parties for kids of all ages. I’ve also entertained at some senior centers and have even landed a couple of summer jobs at the Enchanted Village near Seattle.”

  She nodded. “I know where that is. My dad used to take me there when I was a kid.”

  “What about your sister? Didn’t she go, too?”

  Lois swallowed hard. How could she tell Joe about her childhood and Tabby’s without making him think she was a spoiled brat? The truth was that until she trusted the Lord with her life, she’d been exactly that. “Let’s just say Tabby was afraid of most of the rides there, and our dad had no patience with her fears.”

  Joe shook his head slowly. “She sure doesn’t seem afraid of much now. In fact, I’ve seen her do some routines that would rival anything the big-time ventriloquists have done. And she didn’t act one bit nervous, either.”

  “Tabby has come a long way in the past few years. All she needed was to gain some confidence, and now she’s using her talents to tell others about the Lord.” Lois paused. “In the past we weren’t very close. I was often critical of her. Things are much better between us now, and I can honestly say I love my sister to pieces. I owe that to the Lord.”

  Joe leaned across the table and took Lois’s hand. A jolt of electricity shot up her arm. “I’m not trying to change the subject, but I’ve tried calling you a couple of times during the day, and I always get your answering machine. Do
you work or go to school someplace in Tacoma?”

  “For the past couple of weeks I’ve been working as the secretary at Bayview Christian Church in the north end of Tacoma,” she said.

  “And before that?”

  “I was a lawyer’s secretary.”

  Joe whistled and released her hand. “Wow! You must have been making some big bucks! What prompted you to give up such a job and take on a church secretary’s position, which I’m sure doesn’t pay half as much?”

  Lois paused. Should she tell Joe about Michael and their broken engagement? It was part of the reason she’d decided to leave her job. The junior partner at the firm was a friend of Michael’s, and Lois knew he kept her ex-fiancé updated on her comings and goings. Michael had said as much when they’d run into each other at the mall the other day.

  “You’re right,” she replied. “My job at the church isn’t very lucrative, but it does pay the bills, and I consider it to be a ministry of sorts.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “How so?”

  “Many folks call or drop by the church, needing help with food, clothing, or spiritual matters. I’m not a trained counselor so I always send people with serious problems to one of the pastors, but I do pray for those who have a need.”

  “How long have you been a Christian?” he asked.

  “Almost two years. Tabby and I went to church when we were kids, but I never took it seriously until shortly after she and Seth got married. I think seeing how my sister changed when she started using her talents to tell others about the Lord helped me see the emptiness in my own life.” Lois lowered her gaze. “I wasn’t a very nice person before I became a Christian. The truth is I was spoiled and self-centered and mean to my sister most of the time.”

  “But, as you said earlier, you and Tabby get along now, right?”

  She nodded. “We’re as close as any two siblings could be.”

  A strange look crossed Joe’s face, and Lois wondered what he was thinking. Before she could voice the question, Joe said, “When I was eight years old, I went to Bible school. That’s where I realized I had sinned and asked God to forgive me.” He smiled. “Ever since then I’ve wanted to serve Him through some form of special ministry.”