saying good-bye.
That couldn’t be a good sign. Not a good one, at all.
So many regrets. He disliked every single one of them.
Images of their afternoon together stuck in his mind. How she’d dazzled him when he’d pulled her up out of the water. He could still hear her laughter. How tender she’d made him feel. How right she’d been in his arms. The vanilla scent of her shampoo.
How could it be that the day wasn’t yet over and he already missed her?
This might have been God’s leading, but Mitch also knew with absolute certainty that she was his heart’s choice.
In the well-lit apartment parking lot, Kelly locked her car door and glanced around the dark vehicles to make sure she was safe. The only movement was the shadows of the trees when the breeze rustled them. She sorted through the keys on the ring as she walked up the sidewalk. High overhead an airplane rumbled. It was a passenger jet from the local airport, not a military plane, but she thought of Mitch heading toward places unknown. Toward dangers unknown. And that made her feel as vulnerable as an exposed nerve.
There was no comfort in the hot, still night as she unlocked the front door and stepped into the darkness. Cool air blew over her as she crept into the kitchen, careful not to make a noise. Lexie was probably asleep by now, she thought as she opened the fridge and pulled out an orange soda.
But there was no comfort from the sugary drink. While the bubbles hissed and popped in the stillness, she curled up in the overstuffed chair in the living room where the moonlight and the glow from the streetlights fell through the window and onto her.
Mitch’s words came back to her, rubbing on the exposed nerves in her heart. I get awfully busy. I— I’ve got to go.
In other words, she shouldn’t count on him writing to her. She remembered his saying it was rare for him to have much free time. So, he was going to be way too busy to keep in touch. And, in time, too busy to remember her.
And if that made her sad, it wasn’t like she was going to admit it. This was just as well—and how things were meant to be. The way she wanted it. She was keeping herself here on the riverbank of life. And she was afraid that if she reached out for those good, rare blessings she wanted, they would be whisked from her grasp.
Just like always.
Just like Joe had been.
Her devotional was in her backpack, and she dug it out. She couldn’t remember the morning’s passage—it had been such a long day. She felt a craving for the Scripture and flipped to the morning’s text.
I teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.
She gazed out at the night stars. Mitch was out there somewhere.
Keep him safe, Lord. He’s a good man. Please give him a piece of the happiness You have in store for me.
It was all she had to give him. Mitch had his life, she had hers. That was the way it was. But she would always hold close the memories of their friendship. She would always treasure the chance to have gotten to know such a good man.
Chapter Nine
K elly sat in a quiet corner of the campus cafeteria in the wash of the early-fall morning sunlight. Outside the sparkling windows other students hurried to their classes. She took a sip of coffee and turned the page of her sociology book.
Deep in the pocket of her backpack, her cell phone began to ring. Probably Amy calling to confirm—or to cancel—babysitting for a few nights this week. Kelly flipped open her phone. It wasn’t Amy. She didn’t recognize the number, but it wasn’t a local one.
She answered it, and popping static filled her ear. “Hello?”
“Can you hear me okay?” asked a deep, familiar baritone that sounded very far away.
No, it couldn’t be. “Mitch? Is that you?”
“The one and only. I’m just glad you remember me. It’s been a while since I’ve talked to you.”
How did she tell him that the days of September had slipped away like water down a drain, but
That couldn’t be a good sign. Not a good one, at all.
So many regrets. He disliked every single one of them.
Images of their afternoon together stuck in his mind. How she’d dazzled him when he’d pulled her up out of the water. He could still hear her laughter. How tender she’d made him feel. How right she’d been in his arms. The vanilla scent of her shampoo.
How could it be that the day wasn’t yet over and he already missed her?
This might have been God’s leading, but Mitch also knew with absolute certainty that she was his heart’s choice.
In the well-lit apartment parking lot, Kelly locked her car door and glanced around the dark vehicles to make sure she was safe. The only movement was the shadows of the trees when the breeze rustled them. She sorted through the keys on the ring as she walked up the sidewalk. High overhead an airplane rumbled. It was a passenger jet from the local airport, not a military plane, but she thought of Mitch heading toward places unknown. Toward dangers unknown. And that made her feel as vulnerable as an exposed nerve.
There was no comfort in the hot, still night as she unlocked the front door and stepped into the darkness. Cool air blew over her as she crept into the kitchen, careful not to make a noise. Lexie was probably asleep by now, she thought as she opened the fridge and pulled out an orange soda.
But there was no comfort from the sugary drink. While the bubbles hissed and popped in the stillness, she curled up in the overstuffed chair in the living room where the moonlight and the glow from the streetlights fell through the window and onto her.
Mitch’s words came back to her, rubbing on the exposed nerves in her heart. I get awfully busy. I— I’ve got to go.
In other words, she shouldn’t count on him writing to her. She remembered his saying it was rare for him to have much free time. So, he was going to be way too busy to keep in touch. And, in time, too busy to remember her.
And if that made her sad, it wasn’t like she was going to admit it. This was just as well—and how things were meant to be. The way she wanted it. She was keeping herself here on the riverbank of life. And she was afraid that if she reached out for those good, rare blessings she wanted, they would be whisked from her grasp.
Just like always.
Just like Joe had been.
Her devotional was in her backpack, and she dug it out. She couldn’t remember the morning’s passage—it had been such a long day. She felt a craving for the Scripture and flipped to the morning’s text.
I teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.
She gazed out at the night stars. Mitch was out there somewhere.
Keep him safe, Lord. He’s a good man. Please give him a piece of the happiness You have in store for me.
It was all she had to give him. Mitch had his life, she had hers. That was the way it was. But she would always hold close the memories of their friendship. She would always treasure the chance to have gotten to know such a good man.
Chapter Nine
K elly sat in a quiet corner of the campus cafeteria in the wash of the early-fall morning sunlight. Outside the sparkling windows other students hurried to their classes. She took a sip of coffee and turned the page of her sociology book.
Deep in the pocket of her backpack, her cell phone began to ring. Probably Amy calling to confirm—or to cancel—babysitting for a few nights this week. Kelly flipped open her phone. It wasn’t Amy. She didn’t recognize the number, but it wasn’t a local one.
She answered it, and popping static filled her ear. “Hello?”
“Can you hear me okay?” asked a deep, familiar baritone that sounded very far away.
No, it couldn’t be. “Mitch? Is that you?”
“The one and only. I’m just glad you remember me. It’s been a while since I’ve talked to you.”
How did she tell him that the days of September had slipped away like water down a drain, but
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