Samantha gazed across the store as she folded the remaining sweaters in the pile. Melanie’s voice startled her.

            “Caught you staring.”

            Samantha’s cheeks grew warm. “I’m not staring.”
            “When are you going to tell him how you feel?” Melanie asked.

            “It’s not that simple,” Samantha said.

            “Why not?” Melanie asked. “Don’t you spend every Saturday together?”

            Samantha sighed. “For the last month, yes.” She moved to the rack by the fitting room and began gathering clothes. As she returned the clothes to the racks, Melanie followed suit, keeping up the dialogue.

            “So you spend time together, you like him, he likes you…”
            “He’s never treated me as anything more than a friend.” Samantha said. “Every Saturday we go to garage sales looking for treasures together and then have lunch.” A smile crossed her face. “He’s so sweet and charming, and he has no idea.”
            “I think that’s because he’s a bit of a dork,” Melanie said, then threw her hand up to her mouth. “Sorry. I don’t mean anything by it.”
            Samantha giggled. “I know he’s a bit of a dork. It’s part of his charm.” She draped another pile of clothes over her arm. “We’ve gotten to be such good friends the last few months. I don’t want to do anything to ruin it. What if I tell him I like him and he doesn’t feel the same way?” Her eyes sought Quentin, who was speaking to a customer in the men’s department.

            Melanie’s voice was gentle. “I understand, but I still think a guy like that might need a little nudge.”

            Saturday morning dawned, and Samantha’s stomach twisted with excitement. The next several hours she’d travel with Quentin from one garage sale to the next, searching for hidden gems amongst the piles of old records, out-of-style clothes, and vintage tools. As she finished brushing her teeth, the familiar rumble of his pickup truck filled her ears. She finger-combed her hair, grabbed her jacket, and threw open the door before he knocked.

            “Good morning,” she said, smiling at the surprise on his face. His hair was still damp and the scent of soap floated around him. He broke out into a wide grin.

            “Ready for some treasure hunting?” he asked. He offered his arm, and Samantha took it.

            “Absolutely. Do you feel lucky today?”

 A gleam shone in Quentin’s eye, and Samantha’s pulse fluttered. “I do.”

            Hours later, with their purchases stowed in the truck, Samantha and Quentin pulled through the drive-through of their favorite fast-food restaurant and carried the bags to the picnic table in the park.

            After polishing off their burgers and fries, Quentin stood to throw away the trash. Samantha’s mood dropped. This was the unofficial signal their time together was ending. She’d spend another week making small talk with him at the store and have to wait until next Saturday to spend time with him again. This was her chance.

            “Quentin?”

            He stopped on his way to the trash can and turned. “Yes?”
            “I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy our Saturdays together.”

            Quentin’s lip lifted in a half-smile. “Me too. I’ll be right back. I want to show you something.” He tossed the trash in the can and headed back to his truck. Samantha watched his casual stroll. He had no idea how adorable he was.

            A moment later, Quentin approached the picnic table with his hands behind his back.

            “What do you have there?” Samantha asked.

            Quentin’s eyes sparkled. “I found something for you.” He set a beautiful jewelry box on the picnic table in front of her.

            “When did you pick that up?” Samantha asked.

             “When you weren’t looking.” Quentin shrugged. “They said all the jewelry was included.” He bit his lip, and reclaimed his seat across from her. “Why don’t you look?”
            Samantha’s heart beat with excitement. He bought her a jewelry box. She slowly lifted the lid and pulled out several pieces of costume jewelry. She lifted a string of gaudy beads and held them up to her chest. “What do you think?”

            Quentin wrung his fingers in his lap. “Um, it’s great. Anything else interesting in there?”

            Samantha narrowed her eyes at him. “Why? Did you already check this out? Is there a real treasure in here?”

            Quentin shifted in his seat, but kept silent. Samantha’s eyes fell on a small velvet box. She opened it to find a gold heart-shaped pendant. “Look at this.” She held up the pendant. “It’s lovely.” She turned it around and looked at it more closely. “Oh. It has initials on it. That’s a shame. No one else would ever…” Her pulse skittered when she looked closer. SK + QV. Their initials. She lifted her eyes to meet Quentin’s. From the sweat beading on his forehead to the furious tapping of his foot, it was clear something was up.

            “Do you like it?” he asked, his eyes looking everywhere but at her.

            Understanding dawned. Depending on her response, he could pretend it was a coincidence, and they’d continue to be friends. This was his way of safely telling her his feelings. Love swelled in her heart. “I love it,” Samantha answered. “Would you help me put it on?”

            Quentin moved around behind Samantha, gently lifted her hair, and latched the pendant around her neck. Leaning close, he whispered in her ear. “I think we found genuine treasure today.”

Matthew 13: 44

 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Lord, As unbelievable as it is, we are precious treasures to You. You gave up Your life for us. Thank you for the example of true love. Help us to remember the real treasures in life aren’t things, but the people you place in our lives to love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.