© Copyright 2003
by Elizabeth Delayne
Part II in the Store of Love Trilogy!

Jason sat outside the nursing home and stared at the solitary building. Despite the pink brink, white trim, and immaculate landscape, it still seemed dismal, closed in.

He crossed his arms across his steering wheel and studied the blue sky. He needed a moment to process things, a moment to pray.

He loved Haley. He was thankful that God had given Jimmy the wisdom to tell him to step back, to look at the gift he almost let go. In the middle of the emotion, he’d discovered a treasure within her that he’d never known that they could have together.

Since that night under the stars, Jason had been in and out of town constantly, seeing her, dreaming of her, making plans to keep her in his life. He was becoming impatient.

He watched the flag flying high in the breeze as he said a quick prayer of thanksgiving, then back at the building where he saw her, carrying her camera bag at her side. She was wearing overalls over a shirt the color of the sky, her eyes a mirror of blue.

He opened the door to his SUV and stepped out.

“Beautiful day, beautiful woman,” he said as he approached. She was smiling. He had not expected such a dazzling smile.

“We saw you drive up from the inside.”

“Are people watching us again?”

She looked toward the window that gleamed under the sunlight. “Probably.”

“You bring your camera to the nursing home?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes I take pictures,” she said and looked back at the building. “There’s such life in that room. They have so many stories.”

He reached out and ran a gentle hand down her hair, “It’s what bothers you so much about your grandfather. The Alzheimers took your grandfather’s life.”

She nodded. “I’ve learned it keeps me going, I guess, to see so much life in the others. All those people. They’ve got so much to tell.”

“Speaking of which, I thought we had a date. Wasn’t I supposed to be joining you for a rowdy game of BINGO?”

She smiled so that he spotted her dimples. They were tiny. It was like her smile sparkled.

“They’re having a surprise inspection or something ludicrous like that-or so I was told. Ms. Mary ordered me out. She said I needed to see my young man who I haven’t seen in a month.”

“Ordered you out?”

“She told me I had a smart, eligible young bachelor.”

“Maybe I should meet this Ms. Mary.”

Haley linked her arm through his. “Maybe we could drop by tomorrow. Besides, Carmen and Jimmy are emerging from their newlywed cocoon and they want to go down to that restaurant in Sylersville. It’ll take us awhile to get there.”

“Then I guess I have a date with my fiancé.”

Haley stopped, stared at him. Her hand dropped from his arm.

For a moment he nearly backtracked, seeing the shock on her face.

“Your fiancé?”

“If she’ll have me.”

She was stunned as he dropped to his knee, in front of the nursing home. In front of, he reminded himself, another group of people watching out the window.

“I was going to ask you tomorrow, but as we’ll be here anyway…”

“Jason-”

“I can’t wait. I can’t wait any longer. I can’t stand looking at Jimmy and Carmen, knowing I need to ask you. I love you, Haley, not because … I don’t know … not because of what I expected love to be. For three years without you, I missed you. Not just your eyes, or your kiss, or the way you rub your thumb against mine when you hold my hand … though I like each one.”

“You’re my best friend. You’ve never let anything come between that and our future-when you could help it.”

He felt the pressure in his chest. His fingers fumbled as he reached into his pocket, pulled out the ring box.

“I’m asking my best friend to be my wife. Will you have me?”

Haley swallowed and smiled as she laughed. “Hold it,” she told him, “just hold on.”

She knelt with her camera bag and opened it.

“Haley-“

She pulled out her camera and focused as she stood.

“Right there.”

The shutter closed as he knelt before her, holding her ring. And again.

And again.

As his expression changed to aggravation, then precious understanding.

“Is that a yes?” He asked as she snapped the shutter again.

Slowly she lowered the camera and held it to her heart.

“Yes,” she said and held out her left hand. He took the ring from the box and carefully slid it on her finger.

“Who else was going to save the moment, right?”

“Someone had to,” she said and held her hand so that the diamond sparkled bright in the sunlight.

He rose, and held out her arms for her to move in.



Nearly six months had passed since Haley had agreed to marry him. He’d found a job, close to her, so she could continue photography with her client base and teach at the University. He was moving his things into their new home.

Haley was a little stressed, missing her father, whose death had rocked her world so much that it had nearly ended their relationship. Tonight they were going over to Jimmy and Carmen’s to watch a movie and relax.



Plans and dates were moving quickly, but not fast enough. He was ready to be married; ready for Haley.

A week from now, she was would his.

But when he arrived at her apartment to pick her up for a date, he found a photograph stuck into the edge of the brass knocker. He knocked, as he studied an off-kilter picture of the softball field.

Her roommate answered the door, “Hey Jason.”

“Is Haley ready?”

“I think so, but you’re going to have to find her, if you’re up to the challenge.”

The smile was quick, automatic. “What challenge?”

Molly plucked the photo from the door and handed it to him.

“What is special about this place?”

“Ah-it’s where Haley played all her softball games.”

“Every single loosing one,” Marcy agreed. “And just about every time you were there. I remember. Do you have any idea where your next stop should be?”

“The softball field?”

“Very good. Have fun tonight.”

He had no doubt. No wonder, he thought as he jogged to his car, Haley had told him to fill up his gas before picking her up.



The softball field was empty, except for the lone car and Jimmy, who sat leaning back on the bleachers.

“How’s it goin’ man?” Jimmy asked when Jason walked up.

“Not bad. I don’t suppose Haley is here?”

“Not yet.”

He handed Jason a photograph of their church, seen through an angle from the back parking lot.

“It’s our church.”

“And?”

“And … that’s my next stop?”

“This is about memories-and I have been ordered to reminisce with you. It’s the parking lot. What was something memorable about this spot?”

“We were there one night. You, me, Haley, Carmen and a ton of others … until like two in the morning. The pastor’s sermon had grabbed us. We sat around talking about it, then laughing about everything … until the cop came and you told him we were there for the meteor shower so we could return to the planet Zyron.”

“He laughed, didn’t he?”

“After Carmen told him the real reason and he told us to go home.”

“And you’ve passed.”

Jason took the photograph and felt the smile tug the edge of his lips. “So I head here next?”

“You’re quick at figuring things out, aren’t you?”



Haley had him going all over the place. At the church he received a photo of the restaurant, Amore’, where he and several of his friends had danced the Macarena to prove to their girls why they didn’t need to take ballroom dancing with them. But he had taken ballroom dancing when Haley asked again, later in the lobby of her dorm room and used her secret weapon-those cute little dimples that made her smile sparkle while her friends looked on laughing.

The next stop was the student Union building where he had asked Haley out for the first time. She left him a photo of a chair taken from behind, in the Eatery, because he’s straddled it when he sat down in front of her friends to lay on the charm.

The courtyard was easy. They’d been there with friends, dancing and laughing, high on friendship. It was the night he had realized that he loved her.

The next stop was Carmen’s sister-in-law’s house, a special place in his heart. As he drove he thought about the memories Haley had chosen to highlight, and realized that each one of them had involved their friends. In fact, he couldn’t really remember many times they had dated outside of their group.

At Carmen’s house, he found Haley. He stopped his SUV and took a moment to look at her. She was wearing her overalls again, standing alone in the yard, looking very pretty.

He got out, shut the door, and stood studying her.

“You know what?” he asked.

“What?”

“I’m crazy about you.”

She smiled then, dazzling him with her dimples.

“I wish it was next week.”

“Me too,” she said as he walked toward her. “I have something for you.”

She handed him an envelope and stood patiently as he opened it and took out the photo. He frowned a bit, studying the photo of her hand holding a key. Her left hand, he thought, as he noticed her engagement ring on the hand.

“You are my best friend,” she said at last, mirroring his words when he had asked her to marry him. “It was always important to me that nothing came between that and the future. I didn’t want to give you too much romance until we had a right to act on it.”

“This is a picture of my copy of the key to our house. It represents the key to my heart. Next week, when we’re married, I’ll be able to give you everything I have saved for you, but tonight, I wanted to give you the words I have waited to give.”

“I love you, Jason ---. I have for a long time. It occurred to me that I had not told you yet. It was always important for me to wait.”

He took in a deep breath, took in those words, and smiled as he let the breath out.

“No pictures this time?”

She shook her head, “I have the photo Carmen took that night. You came for me. You put the bitterness aside. I mattered to you. This is a night for memories. I have it all right here.”

She held a hand to her heart, the heart, he thought, in which she had given him the key.

HEY! and don't forget to e-mail me if you have a comment!







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