Valentine Charms by Anne McAllister

Author:Anne McAllister
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2018-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

Jane hadn’t known what to expect when they were ushered into the convent sitting room, and apparently neither had Zack.

He looked almost apprehensive when the tiny nun on the sofa patted the seat beside her and said, “Sit down! Sit down, dear boy! I’m Sister Lucy! Don’t tell me you don’t remember?”

Zack blinked in apparent astonishment that the martinet of his fifth grade class was so happy to see him. But he sat beside her on the sofa, and Jane had pulled up a chair as well, and they both learned very quickly that for all that he had been a dreadful little boy, he was a current convent hero.

A fervent football fan (who knew? Jane thought), Sister Lucy didn’t want to talk about St. Phil’s history or anything about the school or the past hundred years. She wanted to talk about Zack’s career, then demanded to know why his team hadn’t made the Super Bowl this year.

But before he could reply, she answered her own question. “Because you retired! You weren’t there!”

“It wasn’t all me,” Zack protested. “They’ve got other good players.”

“None better than you, my boy,” Sister Lucy declared firmly. She clasped his big hand in hers and just beamed at him. The look on her face was one Jane had only seen before on plaster saints and holy pictures. Pure adoration.

Sister Lucy wasn’t the only one who felt that way, either.

“You just get better and better.” Sister Paulus’s bright blue eyes snapped with enthusiasm as she thumped her walker on the floor for emphasis and beamed up at Zack from the chair in which she sat. “First football, now commentating, and doing a wonderful piece on our dear school. Dear boy –!” she stopped, overcome with emotion.

Was Zack blushing? Jane looked at him more closely.

Yes, he was. In fact, she realized, he had been red-faced to some degree ever since he had talked to Sister Lucy.

Sister Clementia was also delighted to see him, and even Sister Mary Margaret took one look at him, sighed and said, “Saints preserve us. Zachary Stoner! Now I can die justified.”

Zack looked horrified until she smiled and patted his cheek. “Don’t worry, dear. There’s a fair bit of life in the old girl yet.”

Zack didn’t look too sure. He fidgeted under her gaze, and made small talk until Jane said, “I think we’d better move on now,” for which he had given her a grateful look.

“You all right?” Jane asked him as they headed down the hallway to the infirmary wing. His ears were still a bit red and he seemed a little rattled.

“I’m fine,” he said gruffly. But when Jane impulsively reached out and squeezed his hand, his fingers were cold, and he squeezed her fingers back so hard she had to swallow a yelp.

He must have heard something because he loosened his grip. “Sorry,” he muttered. But he didn’t let go of her fingers. “Who’s here?” he asked when they got to the infirmary door.

“Sister Immaculata. She had hip surgery recently, so she’s in a wheelchair part of the time.

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