Found by Karen Kingsbury Page B

wanted to.
    He took up his place, the spot where he’d stood next to Katy a month earlier.
    How had everything changed so quickly? Katy was gone, probably for good. He’d called her twice-to see how she was and to apologize for the hurried way their goodbye had ended. She hadn’t returned either call.
    The seagulls were quiet now, lined up along the base of the bushes, heads tucked under their wings. But the waves were relentless, crashing against the shore time and time again. He lifted his eyes to the moonlit sky and breathed in long and slow.
    Where was God in all this?
    Everyone who had ever mattered to him believed in God-the God of the Bible. But how was he supposed to connect with that God now, even if he wanted to? The woman he loved was out of his life forever, and the mother of his child was determined to party and club her way through her sixth month of pregnancy.
    What was he supposed to do in the meantime? Look for baby furniture? Pick out names?
    The breeze was cold against his face, but he didn’t care. No matter how he sorted the details of his life, one truth seemed to resonate in his heart: God had never been in his corner. He’d lost everyone who had ever mattered to him, and all of them had an amazing faith. His parents had been forced to give him away, his adoptive parents had died on the mission field, and Katy Hart had walked away believing he was little more than a playboy.
    The summary of events made Dayne utter a quiet, sarcastic laugh. No, God had never really been on his side. But even so, here he was-lost and alone-and wondering the way he’d wondered his whole life whether God was real, whether it really mattered how a person lived his life. And why the nicest people always put their trust in a God they couldn’t see.
    Dayne gripped the railing tighter.
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    In all his life, there was one person who should’ve felt the same way, someone who had shared his upbringing and yet came out on the other end with a complete understanding and love for God.
    His best friend from boarding-school days-Bob Asher.
    Without overdrinking the idea, he went back inside, grabbed the phone, and called the Indonesian boarding school for his missionary friend’s number.
    Eunice-the same secretary who had been there when Dayne and Bob were students-answered. “Ah, yes. Dayne Matthews.” She didn’t seem to know about his celebrity. “You and that Bob Asher were quite a pair. Thick as thieves, the two of you.”
    Dayne had no trouble getting the phone number for Bob and his wife in Mexico City. The guy worked as a missionary, of course. Same as his parents.
    Dayne dialed the number and waited.
    “Hello?” The voice on the other end was groggy.
    Dayne squeezed his eyes shut. “Oh, man. Sorry. I forgot how late it was.”
    There were muffled sounds, and Bob yawned. “What time is it?”
    “Almost eleven.” Dayne winced. “How ‘bout there?”
    “Hold on.” Bob must’ve sat up to see his alarm clock. “Almost one.”
    “Hey, let me call you back tomorrow.”
    “Is this Dayne?” The fog was obviously clearing from Bob’s brain. “Dayne Matthews?”
    “Yeah, but, buddy, 1 didn’t mean to wake you.’\p>ayne slipped out through the deck door and sat on the sofa, the one he and Katy had shared when he told her the news. “I’ll call later.”
    “Don’t worry about it.” Bob chuckled. “I’m awake now.” His tone was easygoing, the way it had always been. “What’s up?”
    Dayne raked his fingers through his hair, and for a moment he was too choked up to speak. “A lot.” He bent over his knees and 81
    stared at the slats on his deck. “I have questions, Bob. About God.” He drew a long breath. “About a lot of things, I guess.” He shaded his forehead and pressed his thumb and forefinger against his temples. “I’d sorta like to see you, man.”
    “Okay …” Bob didn’t sound surprised or overly anxious. The two were boyhood friends. No amount of fame could change that. Bob