Redeeming Heart by Pat Simmons Page B

home?”
    The cliché “home is where the heart is” was
true, but he had to find his heart before he could be at home.
“Nah, Grandpa. I’m at a place in my life where I’m starting over. I
can’t live in Boston anymore.”
    Moses was silent, which made Landon wonder
what he was thinking. “That’s your decision alone to make, but you
can’t make a new frontier every place you go. Women desire love and
respect. Haven’t I proved that with your grandmother—fifty plus
years of marriage—then your parents? You’ll never be able to love a
woman until you love God first and then your own soul.”
    This time, Landon let his grandfather’s wise
counsel sink in—something he had never done before.
    “I know that now. I met someone, and God
knows I don’t want to mess it up.”
    “Does this young lady know about your
past?”
    “Not yet—”
    “Let’s pray,” his grandfather cut him off,
and without any preliminaries began to call on Jesus until Landon
ran out of minutes.

Chapter 16
     
     
    Octavia would never grow tired of seeing souls
repent. It was the highlight of any church service.
    As she watched in awe, souls flocked to the
altar for prayer or baptism. Landon’s shaved face flashed in
Octavia’s mind. What was his story? If he was here, would he be
in that line? she wondered. Once she was finished with her
house showing that afternoon, Octavia would pay Landon another
visit.
    After the benediction, Octavia had only
enough time for a sandwich from a drive-thru restaurant. With her
immediate hunger quenched, she directed her attention on the
Colemans. They were first-time home buyers with demands that were
unrealistic.
    She and her colleagues preferred listing a
property. Other agents besides her would show the home, which would
increase the chances of it being sold faster and with less work on
the listing agent’s part. As a buyer’s agent, Octavia was solo.
There would be a lot of legwork to get the Colemans into a house
they would call home.
    The couple didn’t have a lot of money to
spend; the commission would be lower and after the agent’s rental
fee to the broker for office space, training and materials, the
agent was lucky to have lunch money, which was the reason Terri was
always hounding her about changing “the company she kept” to
upper-end clients.
    The Colemans’ loan had been approved for a
ninety-thousand-dollar home and not a cent more. Unfortunately,
they were adamant about seeing a house with a listed price of
$102,000. They didn’t want to live in the city, but could barely
afford residence outside the city limits.
    Octavia believed in options, which was why
she dropped by the office the day before to print three additional
listings. She had been surprised to see James’s Benz parked outside
the agency the day before and even more surprised at the
conversation she overheard as she neared the entrance.
    “James, be patient,” Terri stated.
    “I have been, but she hasn’t called.” James’s
deep voice was a tie between disappointed and annoyed.
    “Tavie fills up her social calendar with
church activities,” had been Terri’s defense. “We can double date
again.”
    “No. She was like a mouse caught with cheese
last time. She has to want to get to know me. She’s sexy, beautiful
and the type of woman with just enough church in her to take home
to meet my mother…”
    Octavia frowned and mouthed just enough
church . Was that a compliment? That was akin to someone wanting
just enough of Jesus to get into heaven. She shook her head. People
who didn’t go to church and folks who did never would understand
the others’ reasoning. The bigger question was how much of Jesus
did James have. She didn’t have time to find out as she fumbled
with the knob to alert them that someone was coming in.
    Their heads whipped around. Despite their
smiles, guilt was written on their faces.
    James stood. “Octavia, hi. Terri said you
were stopping by. I hope you’ll let me treat