Dearly Loved by Bonnie Blythe

to do.”
    She nodded her heard jerkily, then switched her attention to her sandwich. They ate in silence for several minutes. Meredith’s seesawing emotions kept her from tasting her food. One minute she wanted to throttle David for his insensitivity, the next, she wanted to weep with joy at his conversion. That’s the way it is with David—always able to whip me up into a lather over one thing or another .
    She felt mental and emotional exhaustion taking hold. Sleep. I need a good eight hours before I can process all this . Thankfully, the conversation for the remainder of their visit stayed light.
    David dropped her off back at the athletic club an hour later next to where she’d parked her car. She came around to the driver’s side to say good-bye. Leaning his arm along the window of his Jeep, he seemed reluctant to part.
    “I’ll be starting at KVL in a week.”
    “Channel Nine is my favorite news station. I’ll look forward to watching you.”
    “Hey, my first fan!”
    Meredith thought of all that fan mail. “Just one of the multitude, I’m sure.”
    He smiled. “Maybe we could get together again before I start.”
    With her heart in her mouth, Meredith avoided his gaze and pulled a strand of hair from her face. David represented a swirling vortex of painful memories, unrequited yearning, and present attraction. She’d worked hard over the years to bring order her life. Spending time with someone like David promised havoc of one form or another. Besides, he was new in town and probably lonely. After he settled into his new life, he’d also have plenty of new distraction—female ones.
    And history would repeat itself all over again.
    She looked back at him and shook her head. “I don’t think so, David.”
    David look surprised. Then his expression went blank. “Oh—okay.”
    Meredith lifted her lips in a small smile, and with a little wave, walked away to her car.
    David Steller is trouble and any close association with him only means more heartbreak, despite the fact that he’s a Christian. I’m doing myself a favor to stay away from him.
    When she saw him drive away, Meredith slumped against the side of the Saturn. So why did she feel a sudden urge to cry?
     
     
    Nine
     
     
    David banged his bad leg on the coffee table, sending mind-numbing pain up his thigh. Grinding his teeth, he threw his cane across the room. It skidded harmlessly along the kitchen floor as he collapsed onto the sofa. As the pain subsided, so did his temper, making him feel like an idiot. 
    David gave his face a harsh rub and closed his eyes against the black wave of depression that had been plaguing him the last several days. He didn’t know if it was a kind of backlash from the accident, combined with chronic pain and endless therapy, as his doctor had suggested—or the fact that Merrie Ambrose wanted nothing to do with him.
    He could still see the grief in her eyes when she asked him why he hadn’t made it to her mother’s funeral. Guilt, mingled with an edge of anger at her expectations, made him feel miserable. When he’d received Meredith’s letter about her mom, David had grieved, but he preferred to remember her mother when she was alive, not attend some gloomy funeral service. Still, he should’ve written at the very least. Time had slipped away the way it always did in his hyper-paced lifestyle. Besides, I was a self-centered jerk in those days .
    David shook his head as if to clear it. The resulting headache made him wince. He groped for his bottle of medication and swallowed a couple of pills. Leaning his head on the back of the sofa, he let out a deep sigh.
    The accident, along with his convalescence, had completely diverted him from his usual routine of church attendance and Bible study. Perhaps that was part of his problem. He knew fellowship with other believers was crucial to maintaining spiritual equilibrium. And I just plain miss the friendships.
    David glanced at his watch. Today was Friday. On