01_The Best Gift Read Online Free PDF Page B

have to leave Eileen with Mrs. Cook all afternoon. I guess, if I had a choice, I’d prefer to have Sundays off so I could spend a little more time at church and with my daughter. Six days of work ought to be enough for anyone. Even God rested on the seventh day.”
    Blake stared at Nancy. “You never said anything to me about not wanting to work on Sundays.”
    “I didn’t think it was an option.”
    He expelled a frustrated breath. “Okay, fine. I don’t mind working. We can surely find someone to fill in every other weekend for those few hours.”
    “I’m sure we can, Blake,” A.J. replied calmly. “But that’s not the point. I’m talking about principles here. And if you’re worried about losing sales, I’m sure we can find a way to make up the difference.”
    “Such as?”
    “I’m working on it.”
    He looked at her, and the determination in her eyes told him that she was dead set on this. He didn’t agree, but he wasn’t sure it was worth waging a major battle over. Yes, they’d lose some sales. But she was right. The decision wouldn’t make or break the shop. Besides, he suspected there would be bigger battles to fight down the road. Maybe the best strategy was to let her win this one.
    “Okay. If that’s what you want. I just hope you don’t regret it,” he capitulated.
    “I don’t waste my time on regrets, Blake. They’re all about the past. I try to focus on today and make the best decisions I can.”
    “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to think a little bit about tomorrow, too.”
    A shadow crossed her eyes, so fleeting that he thought perhaps it was just the play of light as she turned her head. “Tomorrow has a way of surprising us, no matter what we plan,” she said quietly.
    Blake didn’t know what to make of that comment. So he simply turned away and headed back to the office.
    Nancy watched him go, then moved to the counter beside A.J. “I applaud your position.”
    A.J. turned to her with a rueful smile. “I’m glad someone does.”
    “Don’t mind Blake. It’s been a hard transition for him. He and Jo went way back, and he took her death pretty hard. Plus, he’s more or less run the shop for the past couple of years, so having a partner is a big adjustment for him. But he’s a great guy when you get to know him. He’s really conscientious, and you won’t ever meet a kinder, more considerate person. He even came over to my apartment one night last winter at three in the morning when I was worried about Eileen, and then drove us to the emergency room.”
    A.J. frowned. Were they talking about the same Blake? She didn’t doubt the conscientious part, but kind and considerate? She hadn’t seen much evidence of those qualities.
    When A.J. didn’t immediately respond, Nancy smiled knowingly. “You’ll find out after you get to know him. But what I really wanted to ask was if you’d like to join me for church on Sunday. After your comments about closing, I figured you must be in the habit of attending church, and since you’re new in town I wasn’t sure if you’d had a chance yet to find a place to worship. We have a great congregation, and our minister is wonderful. You’d be welcomed warmly.”
    In fact, A.J. was in the habit of weekly worship, but so far she’d been too busy settling in to have a chance to seek out a new church. Nancy’s invitation was perfectly timed. “Thank you. That would be great.”
    Blake came out from the office, but on his way back to the front counter, he was waylaid by a customer. Nancy glanced his way.
    “I’ve invited Blake a few times, too, but so far I haven’t had any luck,” she offered, lowering her voice.
    A.J. thought about his comments to her when she’d mentioned God. “He doesn’t strike me as a religious man.”
    “I think he believes in God. But he wasn’t raised in a religious environment. It’s hard to convince someone who is so self-reliant that the plans we make for our life don’t always match God’s.