Free Secret Admirer by Gail Sattler Page B

a couple of times. I get the impression that something in the church has hurt her, and she’s stepped back. She doesn’t want to talk about it, but I think she just needs some time to work things out, and she’ll be fine.”
    â€œI can understand her situation, but that doesn’t change the way I feel. I have to figure out a way to tell her gently I’m not interested. It wouldn’t be fair to go out with her when I know nothing would come of it.”
    â€œYou don’t know that.”
    â€œBut I do know that.” Todd raised his fork in the air with his right hand and placed his left hand over his chest. “Because my heart already belongs to someone else.”
    Shannon nearly choked on her food. Despite how ridiculous he looked, she knew he was serious. Todd may have been a lot of things, but he had never been a liar. The more she was getting to know the new Todd, the more she knew he wasn’t a liar now. “I didn’t know. Aren’t you going to tell me about it?”
    With his hand still over his heart, Todd shook his head. “Nope. It’s a secret.”
    â€œI think there are too many secrets around here,” Shannon grumbled as she stuffed the last bite of lasagna into her mouth. First she had a Secret Admirer, and now Todd had secrets, too. All those secrets were going to drive her insane.
    Todd settled back into position and began eating again. “By the way, Craig tells me you’re coming to the open house at church on Saturday.”
    â€œYes, I am. Are you going?”
    He grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Seven
    Todd straightened his tie, fixed the knot, and stood back to look at himself in the mirror, trying to get some satisfaction from his pristine appearance.
    He yanked off the tie. It was his face, but he wasn’t the man in the mirror.
    The man in the mirror was dressed up in a neatly ironed shirt and black dress slacks, now minus the perfectly matched tie. He had just had a haircut and was freshly shaved.
    He didn’t know why he was trying so hard. Nothing he changed on the outside was going to make a difference to Shannon. She was never swayed by outward appearances. When she looked at him, she saw only a man who used to taunt and tease her when she was dressed up in her finest to go on a date. A man who frequently rummaged through her parents’ refrigerator and ate the leftovers she had intended to take for her lunch at work. A man who made rude remarks to her in any situation.
    In her position, he wouldn’t have liked that guy, either.
    He had to make up for every ignorant and stupid thing he’d ever done to her, and clothing and a haircut weren’t going to do it. More than anything, he wanted to tell her how sorry he was, but he’d learned the hard way that talk was cheap.
    Todd covered his face with his hands. “Lord God, I don’t know what to do,” he mumbled between his fingers. A million thoughts roared through his mind, none of which would be helpful.
    He walked into the kitchen to sit at the table where he had the rhyming dictionary, a pen, and a piece of paper handy.
    Soon he had to leave for church, but he had enough time to write down his thoughts.
    Dearest Shannon,
    My heart longs for the day we can be together
    In either fine or stormy weather.
    In every way it’s you I adore,
    Because every day I love you more.
    Your Secret Admirer
    Without analyzing his words, Todd rolled the note, tied it with a ribbon, and attached a chocolate kiss. He’d already left the note she would find Monday, but this one he would leave for her Tuesday.
    He didn’t know if she could ever love him as much as he loved her, but so far, the fact that she was tolerating him gave him hope. He hadn’t considered how he’d feel about writing the notes every day, but it made him feel good to know she appeared to enjoy reading them. But there was a benefit he hadn’t