Page 32 of A Heart of Little Faith
“Gideon told me you were a good eater,” Tony mentioned as they headed to the office.
“Excuse me?” She stared at him. Her face heated.
“I meant it in a good way. Neither Gideon nor I can stand those women who starve themselves. Especially when they’re thin, like you.” Lily continued to stare at him and Tony flushed. “I’m making a mess of this, I know, but Gideon was telling me how great you were and this was one of his examples. And I was complimenting you, too.” He pulled at the collar of his shirt and tipped his head from side to side.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “You don’t have much experience complimenting women, I take it,” she observed as she resumed her pace, her heels clicking on the cement sidewalk.
Tony choked. “He also said you had a good sense of humor.”
“So the two of you talk a lot about me?” Lily whirled around and pinned her gaze on Tony as she dared him to tell her the truth.
“You’ve been mentioned a few times.”
The thought of Gideon talking about her tickled her insides. “I guess you’ve heard about our little arrangement?” They entered her office building and waited for the elevator. Voices echoed in the marble lobby and Lily shivered at the artificial air blowing from ceiling vents.
“If you mean that ridiculous agreement he made with you, yes, I’ve heard of it.”
“You don’t approve?” Lily winked. Tony could prove useful for figuring out Gideon.
“Let’s just say I think he’s taken complications to a whole new level.”
Lily sensed an ally in Tony.
****
“I wonder if Lily knows she has such a faithful keeper.” Tony chuckled, not bothering to say hello when Gideon called him that night.
“Shut up, Tony, and tell me what happened today,” he demanded. He longed to have been with them, feeling her presence, listening to her voice.
“Hey, is that how to treat an old friend, one who’s doing you a favor, I might add? No, hey Tony, how are you, or gee, thanks Tony for your help?” He sounded like a game show host.
Gideon removed his glasses and gritted his teeth. He was more concerned than he’d care to admit to himself. For someone who wasn’t supposed to be more than a casual friend, Lily had worked her way into his heart but good.I’m only showing the concern I’d show for any friend. Yeah, right, said his heart.Shut up. “Tony.” The word was a near growl.
“All right, all right, chill out my friend. So far, everything looks okay. I haven’t found out anything different from what the cops know. It’s sounding like a random burglary. I can see why you like Lily so much, though,” he said. “She’s great, and funny. Quite a looker, too. Odd you never mentioned that to me before.”
Despite Gideon’s attraction to her, and a chaste kiss or touch here or there, he and Lily were friends, nothing more. Yeah, there was a part of him that hoped for something else to develop, but he was a man who was led by his head, not his heart. And as much as he might wish for it, they never would be more than friends. Why shouldn’t she and Tony get together? He would be great for her, even Gideon could see that. Handsome, strong, dependable. As he heard Tony’s words, and admiring tone, jealousy crept into him like an insidious snake, wound itself around his heart and squeezed his lungs until he could barely breathe. The more he thought about it, the sicker he felt. It should be him, not Tony.
He made a rude reply to Tony, who snorted. “Later, Gideon.” They hung up the phone and Gideon attempted to work on the papers he’d brought home from the office. Unable to concentrate, he called Lily.Just to check on her. She answered on the second ring, Claire’s giggle in the background.
“Hey, Lil, it’s Gideon. I just wanted to see how your day went with Tony.”
“I was going to call you later,” Lily said. Scraping, like a spoon stirring a pot, came through the phone. “Hold on a sec, Gideon. Claire, dinner’s ready! Sorry, we’re just about to eat. I’m much better. Tony stopped by to check on me and to ask me a few questions. He’s terrific. Thank you for convincing him to help me.” She was breathless. Was it from doing too many things at once, or the thought of Tony?
Nothing like shooting myself in the foot. Did she mean much better with Tony rather than me, or much better in general? Aargh. “You’re welcome. Glad I could help. Well, I’ll let you go, you sound busy. Tell Claire I’ll see her tomorrow, okay?”
He hung up the phone, and as he went to work, he cursed himself out for screwing up his life.
****
When Gideon arrived at the front desk of the community center, Claire let out a squeal, ran over, jumped in his lap and hugged him.
“Hey ClaireBear, I’m glad you’re here.” Her thin arms were like wires wrapped around him, and he squeezed her. “Come on; let me introduce you to the boys.”
They went into the all-purpose room. The kids decorated the large, yellow, cinder-block walls with their artwork. The center’s staff hung inspirational posters and anti-drug/anti-violence messages. Comfortable couches and beanbag chairs faced a unit holding a TV, DVD player and a Playstation, and a large table sat in the back for homework. The noise level precluded any studying though. Whizzes, bangs and bleeps burst from the TV screen as Gideon’s boys played a video game. They yelled at the screen and each other, trying to beat the clock and defeat the bad guys. They barely noticed as he and Claire came in, their focus glued to the psychedelic-colored screen. He went over and turned off the game and plunged the space into a mind numbing silence. The boys started to argue, but a look from Gideon stopped them.
“Boys, I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Claire. Claire, this is Philip, Jonathon, Paul and Angelo. They’re eleven years old and they’re my buddies.” They slouched and stared at the floor. Gideon hoped the awkwardness would pass and they’d all have fun after a little while. He went over to the boys and ruffled their hair. The boys stared at Claire and naturally, it was Angelo who sauntered over to her and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Angelo. Want to play dodge ball?”