David was waiting for her to answer his question, but she didn’t know if she could. Apart from her mom and her boys, most of her life had been empty of any genuine affection, let alone love. “Everyone wants to feel as though they’re loved. But, for some people, that’s all it will ever be. A feeling. Finding someone who wants to support you through the ups and downs of life is difficult, especially when you don’t love yourself.”
Instead of being surprised by what she’d said, David looked sad. “Have you ever thought you might be being too hard on yourself and the people who care about you?”
“In what way?”
“Love doesn’t have to be full of grand gestures and expensive gifts. For most of us it’s the little things that matter; a hug when you see each other, a hot cup of coffee when you’re tired, or an unexpected phone call to make sure you’re all right. That’s what love is to me.”
“I never wanted the grand gestures,” Andrea said softly. “All I wanted was to be happy.” Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile. It hurt too much to talk about what could have been. She’d made a mistake marrying Scotty and it had changed everyone’s life. “Where are we going next?”
“I’ll take you into the room where miracles happen.”
Her smile softened when she saw the light in David’s eyes. He was a good man with a big heart. “And where is this miracle room?”
“Straight ahead of us.” He walked toward a set of double doors. “This is where the prosthetic prototypes will be attached to our clients’ limbs. Witnessing the joy on another person’s face is something you never forget.”
Andrea walked into the room. “It must be rewarding working for a company like BioTech.”
“Using technology to make someone’s life better is always rewarding.”
“Are you disappointed you won’t be here to see the building being remodeled?”
“I’ll see more of it than I thought. The board of directors want me to oversee the project until it’s finished.”
Her eyes widened. “Does that mean you’ll be living in Sapphire Bay?”
“Only visiting. I’ll be here for a couple of days each month. If I book my flights to include the weekends, we could have our business meetings at the same time.”
Andrea ignored the rush of happiness that hit her chest. David was her business partner, nothing more. “That sounds great. It’ll be easier to show you what’s happening in the café if you’re here.” She walked to the center of the room and turned in a slow circle. “This area is enormous. Will the entire space be used for fitting the prosthetics?”
“It will be divided into three fitting rooms and six offices. We’re standing in the fitting room for the lower limb prosthetics. There are other rooms for the upper body and facial reconstructions.”
David handed her the architects’ drawings. With the tables and chairs, parallel bars either side of wide walkways, and computer workstations, it was a high-tech Santa’s cave.
Andrea turned to the next page. “I’ve only seen two areas and I’m impressed. Remodeling the entire building will take a long time.”
“It could, but I hope not. The quicker we can move the staff to Montana, the more settled everyone will be. Otherwise, we’ll lose valuable time.”
“And time is worth money.”
“Something like that. I’ll take you through to the staff recreation area and then show you where the landscaped gardens will be.”
“You really are doing everything you can to make the staff feel comfortable.”
David opened another door. “BioTech’s staff are our most valuable asset. If they aren’t happy, they won’t reach their full potential and neither will our business.”
“And that’s important to you?”
He stopped and nodded. “Being the best you can be should be important to everyone.”
Andrea stared into his serious blue eyes. She wished they’d met sooner. He believed in love, in the miracle of human kindness, and helping people succeed. With David beside her, she could have accomplished so much more in her life. Been so much more. But then she wouldn’t have had Andy and Charlie, and they meant the world to her.
Maybe, despite all the horrible things that had happened, she was exactly where she needed to be. Even if she was a little mixed up and worried about the future.
After they’d finished looking at the building, David drove Andrea to The Welcome Center. She had to take Andy and Charlie home after basketball practice and he had a meeting with Pastor John.
Before they went their separate ways at the entrance, he turned to her. “I’m glad you came to the old warehouse with me. I hope you enjoyed seeing what the building will look like.”
“It was amazing. The staff who move to Montana will love working there.”
