Changing Her Heart Read Free

until the day before the party. That way you don’t have to worry about spoiling the surprise.” He smiled and tried to turn on his “salesman patter.” “You’ll get a surprise, too, with how good a deal I’m going to give you on this computer. I’ll even throw in a bunch of extras.”
    Lacey smiled back weakly. “I honestly don’t know what’s standard. I’m just going to have to trust you.”
    â€œDon’t worry. I won’t take advantage of you.”
    â€œJust remember that if I do find out one day that you charged me too much, I’m right next door, all day, every day.”
    Randy opened his mouth, but no words came out. He didn’t know if she was teasing him, or if this really was some kind of warning. Either way, it intrigued him. The woman had guts, and he liked that.
    He sipped his coffee, speaking over the rim of the cup. “You go right ahead and do all the comparison shopping you want. Then you’ll know how good a deal I’m going to give you.”
    â€œThat’s fine. And the next time you come in to buy more panty hose, I’ll do the same for you.”
    Randy choked on his coffee, then lowered the cup to the saucer. “Now just a minute. Those weren’t forme, and I never…” His words trailed off when Lacey’s stifled giggles broke through.
    â€œGotcha,” she said from behind her coffee cup.
    â€œNot funny,” he pretended to grumble, struggling not to laugh back. He suddenly became very serious. “I need to know one more thing, and that’s how much time you and…Bryce, was it? are going to spend together on it.”
    Lacey looked puzzle. “Together? None. I frankly don’t see how some people spend hours and hours on the computer every day.”
    Randy smiled. “I couldn’t be without my computer. Computers are my only source of income, so I have to keep up with all the latest and the greatest.” He grinned wryly. “Sometimes my online activities make me late for practice on Wednesday nights, but, of course, I’m never late for work.”
    She stared blankly at him. Randy hadn’t meant to get so personal, but his computer and all that went with it had played a big part in his recovery.
    â€œWhat is it you’re practicing? Are you in a league?” Lacey asked.
    â€œUh…” Randy felt his cheeks flush. “Actually, it’s not sports, it’s music, and it’s my friends who are really practicing, not me. When we first started I tried to learn to play keyboards from a book, but that went about as well as you might expect, so they found someone else to do it. But Celeste is phenomenal.Maybe even the best piano player I’ve ever met. So now I work the sound system and do all the computer stuff, which is right up my alley.”
    She smiled. “That sounds like fun. Does your band have a CD out?”
    Randy laughed. “No. It’s nothing like that. It’s just the worship team for church.”
    â€œJust? Don’t say that. The worship team is important. I think it’s wonderful that you’re utilizing your talents. I wish I could do something like that, but I don’t seem to be good at anything besides sewing.”
    â€œThat’s a skill not everyone has. Maybe you can…” His voice trailed off. “Wait—you go to church?”
    â€œYes, I do.”
    Randy smiled. “Great! Would you like to join me in a short prayer before we eat? It’s always awkward to ask that in work situations, or when you don’t know someone very well.”
    â€œI was just thinking the same thing. I’d like that.”
    Just at that moment, the waiter arrived with their meals. Randy led with a short prayer, and they began to eat.
    â€œSo, did you move to Appleton recently?”
    â€œNo. I live downtown, where I just rent an apartment. Now that I have the new job, I think I’m