A Valentine's Wish by Betsy St. Amant Page B

grinned, jammed her iPod buds back in her ears and resumed sweeping.
    Lori shook her head with a laugh and began stacking several chocolate bars on top of each other in a pyramid. Despite her claim, Summer had changed toward Lori in the past several days—all because Lori confided in her and made Summer feel needed. Lori had seen it a thousand times with the teens at the church—show a little interest, trust them with yourself and they opened right up. Lori might not know how to have a romantic relationship, but she knew how to be a friend.
    Apparently that was her whole problem with Andy in the first place.
     
    Andy signed his name at the bottom of the budget proposal and slid it across his desk with a satisfied sigh. Finally. One thing crossed off his never-ending to-do list. Now that the overdue budget proposal was ready to turn in, he could concentrate on the spring retreat for the youth group. This year it had to be a success or his job would really be at stake. Andy still needed to find a speaker—and the event was in less than two months.
    His mind definitely wasn’t where it should be. The church staff thought being single was a distraction? He scoffed. Wooing a woman was a distraction—not to mention hard.
    The added pressure from the staff certainly wasn’t helping. He was tempted to lock his office door to prevent Pastor Mike stopping by with another “suggestion.”
    Andy tapped his pen against one hand and stared out the window. A mild winter breeze drifted through the open pane and rustled the edges of his desktop calendar. Dried, dead leaves still clung stubbornly to the branches of the trees outside, testifying that autumn had passed and winter was attempting the same. All too soon, winter would turn to spring and those same trees would blossom with fresh life. One more season on its way out, one more season on its way in.
    One more season spent alone.
    A knock sounded on his open office door. Pastor Mike onceagain stood in the frame like a bad case of déjà vu. Andy swallowed and gestured for him to come inside. Hopefully this impromptu visit wouldn’t carry as big a shock as the last two. He mentally braced himself.
    “I can’t even see your desk for all the paperwork.” Mike settled into a chair opposite Andy. “You should tell your boss you need a raise.” He winked.
    “Hey, Boss, I need a raise.” Andy grinned.
    “Take it to the board.”
    “Never mind.”
    Mike laughed. “How’s that youth retreat coming along?”
    Andy glanced at his paper-strewn desk and winced. “Slowly.”
    “It’ll work out. You always pull something out of your hat.” Mike steepled his fingers under his chin. “Speaking of, have you given any more thought to our previous discussion?”
    It’d only been two days since the last discussion. Fighting a grimace, Andy plastered what he hoped was a casual smile across his face. “I have, actually. I’ve been working on a project of sorts.”
    “Project,” Mike repeated slowly. He grinned. “Does the lady in question know she’s being referred to in such a manner?”
    The lady in question didn’t even seem to want to talk to him lately, much less care about how she was referenced, but that wasn’t worth mentioning right now. Andy shook his head. “We’re getting there.”
    “I see.”
    No, he didn’t, but again, not worth mentioning. Andy glanced at the framed photo on his desk of Lori and the rest of his youth-group volunteers, then away. He didn’t want to tell the pastor who he had in his sights—not until Lori was acting more like her old self and Andy could determine if he actually had a chance.
    Mike leaned forward. “In the meantime, have you considered meeting my niece?”
    Andy shifted in his chair. He couldn’t lie. But he hadn’t considered dating her, and wouldn’t. How could he make that sound anything but offensive? Andy swallowed. “I, uh…”
    Lori appeared in the hallway at his open office door, all smiles and shiny hair, and