by Karen Malley
Adam brightened a little. “You’re right. I found a place you’ll love. I wanted to give you a first date to remember. Forget about Boston. I’ve got you here with me now, and I want to enjoy every minute of it. And I hope you do too.”
Kathryn laughed. “If I’m with you, I will.”
Thirty minutes later, the hostess seated them in a small circular booth. Kathryn scooted in and Adam balanced his crutches on the other side of the booth. The restaurant was warm and cozy, with candles flickering, the booth isolated from the other diners.
“Have you been here before?” Adam asked.
“No, I’ve always wanted to try out a fondue restaurant, but never got the chance.”
Soon they found themselves laughing as they fed each other cubes of bread and veggies dipped in warm cheese. With each forkful, Kathryn found herself more at home with this man. “Adam. I have so much to tell you.”
Adam wiped a spot of cheese from her chin. “Has so much happened since our two-hour conversation while you were stuck in traffic last night?”
“Yes. I’ve made some decisions.”
Adam straightened in his seat. “I’m listening.”
“I found out this morning I got the job teaching at the community college.”
Adam’s eyebrows raised. “And?”
“And, I decided to trust God and take it.”
Adam’s smile lit his whole face. “You’re staying here? No more plans to move?”
“Yes and no. I do plan to stay here, but I will be moving. I’m going to sell the house.”
“But…”
“After I made the decision to take the job, I found Robert’s life insurance policy.” She paused to let that sink in.
Adam’s grin got even wider, if that were possible. “Let me get this straight. It wasn’t until after you made the decision to take the job you found out God was taking care of the finances?” His smile was contagious.
Kathryn beamed right back at him. “That’s right. I guess once I took the step of faith, God proved to me He would take care of me. I won’t be rich or anything, but I can get out from under the mortgage I shouldn’t have taken on in the first place.”
“Do you mind if I pray for you right now?”
Kathryn shook her head. “No, please do.”
He took her hands.
She fought hard to focus on his words instead of the feel of his hands surrounding hers. They were warm and rough, hands that earned his keep for the past few years. At the sound of his voice, soft and gentle, she closed her eyes and listened.
“Dear Father, thank You for showing Kathryn the first step on the path You have for her. Thank You for Your amazing faithfulness. Thank You for protecting me at the construction site so I could share in witnessing her journey. Please continue to guide her as she makes decisions. Please help me to support her in whatever she decides. Amen.” He opened his eyes and met hers, which were moist. “What?” he asked, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
“How are you for real?”
“What do you mean?”
“You suffered a terrible injury where you lost your leg, and you thanked God for protecting you.”
“I’m still here, aren’t I?” He answered, grinning at her. “God did protect me. Yes, this will be an adjustment, and it will take a serious outlay of cash for the prosthetic, but He spared my life, and that means I can still sit here and enjoy this meal with a beautiful lady and hear about His faithfulness in her life.”
“All week, you didn’t ask me about turning myself in. I know you’re waiting to hear my decision, but you haven’t pressured me at all. Thank you.”
“It wouldn’t help. You need time to pray and listen to what God leads you to do. He’ll make it clear to you in time. I don’t want you to turn yourself in because I suggested it. I want you to continue to trust in what you’re hearing from Him.”
“That’s the problem. He gave me this job, and I feel such peace I should take it.” She balanced her fondue fork on the edge of her plate. “Did I ever tell you Robert was a teacher?”
“Yes, at the high school. English, right?”
“Right. I went through his desk today and found so many letters from students telling him how much he meant to them. That’s what I want to do. I want to encourage students while they are learning.”
“That’s fantastic. If you feel God is leading you to take the job, and he confirmed it by showing you the life insurance policy that makes it possible, what is the problem?” Adam asked.
“How can I take the job if I might end up going to jail? If I have a conviction on my record, I’ll never get another job again. I could be in jail for twenty years, like Charlie.” She slipped her hands from his and wrung them in her lap.
“It’s all about trusting God’s plan. I don’t think He’d give you this job, give you such peace, and take it away from you. I honestly don’t believe you’ll get jail time for your part in all of this. I told you I spoke to two different lawyers, and they agreed.”
“But I still don’t think they’d hire me.”
“They already have. Besides, you happen to live in one of the states with laws that protect people with criminal records from hiring discrimination. A past crime cannot be used against you in Pennsylvania.”
“I guess your lawyer background comes in handy occasionally.”
“True,” Adam agreed. “Still, you’re getting ahead of yourself. As I said, you’ve been hired. Now all you need to do is accept.” He paused. “You’re still accepting the job, right?’
She sat back against the booth. “Yes. I’m not sure what happens next, but yes.”
“Be honest with them. Whatever happens, you’ll be able to live with their decision if you’re honest.” He cocked his head at her. “Tell me something.”
She looked up from the fondue fork she was holding. “Haven’t I already told you enough?”
“Seriously, Kathryn. This could be over. Charlie and the dealers are in jail on the other side of the country and have no reason to ever implicate you in what happened. You don’t need to worry anymore. Aren’t you ready to put it all behind you by now?”
“Of course, I am. But there’s still always the chance I could be caught. I’m still living with fear. I deserve to be caught.”
“If that’s the way you feel, you don’t have any other choice.”
Kathryn blew out a breath. “You’re right. I need to close this chapter in my life. It’s time the truth came out.”
“Are you sure this is what you want to do? I only want you to be at peace.”
Kathryn saw only compassion and caring in his eyes. “I know you want what’s best for me. I’m just scared.”
“I promise to be right by your side through the whole thing.”
39
Monday morning, Kathryn closed her office door and picked up the phone.
“Dr. Clark? This is Kathryn Baker calling.”
“Ah, yes. Ms. Baker. Good to hear from you. Everyone on the committee was impressed by your interview, and we’d love to have someone with your experience teaching our students some real-world skills. Have you considered our offer?”
“Yes, sir. That’s why I’m calling. I would be delighted to accept the position teaching at Pine Springs.”
“Excellent!” Dr. Clark’s voice boomed through the line. She could picture his ample belly shaking and his cheeks flushing. She’d taken an immediate liking to the man who was so unlike her current supervisor.
“You applied for the fall, but we could use you for the summer session, if you’re available. The ten-week summer session will start at the end of May. The first week of September we’ll get rolling with the fall schedule. Depending on how things work out over the summer for you, we may be able to open an additional lab class in the fall. We can discuss that later. For now, I’m delighted the search is over. Now I can focus on the current semester. Will you be able to stop by sometime this week to fill out the paperwork?”
“I’m in Boston right now, but I’ll be wrapping things up here soon. If you send me the forms, I’ll sign them and scan them back to you. I’d love to get started this summer.”
“Fantastic, Ms. Baker. Do come by when you’re back in town. There are a few other faculty I’d like you to meet.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you.”
Kathryn shot off a quick text to Adam.
Accepted the teaching job! Wish me luck with the boss.
Now the easy part of the day was finished. Kathryn dreaded what was next. She did not want to face her boss and tell him after only a few weeks at the job, she was quitting.
God, this is so unlike me. I’m a lot of things, but a quitter is not one of them. Please help me with this conversation. I never should’ve come here in the first place. Forgive me for not following the clear path You set out for me in Pine Springs. I know this is not where I am meant to be, but now I need to face the consequences of not trusting You enough to stay in Pennsylvania. Please give me the strength.
Kathryn pushed back from her desk and opened her office door. Taking a few deep breaths, she walked to Jack’s office.
He glanced up at her knock. “Kathryn. Did you hear already? I was going to call you in, but you beat me to it.”
Surprised, Kathryn took the seat in front of his desk. “Hear what?”
“They’re shutting down the metabolic disease program. I’m still working on shuffling resources, but we won’t need you on that project any longer. I’m not sure yet how we’re staffing the other projects, but...”
“Jack. Before you get too far, I need to tell you something. I’m putting in my notice.”
She had his full attention now. “You’ve been here what, three weeks?”
“Yes. I’m sorry to do this to you, but maybe this is not such a bad time, now that you’re moving people to other projects anyway. A situation came up in Pennsylvania, and...”
Jack cut her off with a wave of his hand. “It doesn’t matter. I never felt you were the best fit for my team anyway. Good luck to you.” He turned back to his computer.
Kathryn clenched her fists. Not a good fit? He was the problem, not her. She rose to her feet and quickly went to Human Resources, where she spoke to the woman who’d performed her new employee orientation so recently. “Mandy, I’m sorry, but I’m not able to stay here.”
“What’s wrong? Is there an issue with your management?”
Kathryn paused for a moment, considering what to say. “Honestly, I haven’t felt welcome here, but that isn’t the real problem. I shouldn’t have taken the job in the first place. I need to deal with some things back home, and this job, to quote Jack, isn’t a good fit for me.”
“Is there anything we need to do differently on our end?”
“Well, Jack Meyerson could use a little training on gender equality in the workplace. He doesn’t seem to believe it is possible for a woman to be competent in this position.”
Mandy jotted a few notes. “I’ll be sure to address that. Thank you for your candor. Now. Our policy states you’re required to give two-weeks’ notice before exiting the company.”
Kathryn’s shoulders slumped. Two more weeks to endure this place? Especially with everyone knowing she was a failure there?
Mandy continued. “However, given the unusually short length of your tenure here, and considering the fact the projects are being re-staffed, I’m sure in this case, we’ll be able to make an exception. Let me call Darryl. Hold on.”
Kathryn said a silent prayer as she waited.
“Darryl, hi. I’ve got Kathryn Baker in my office right now… You’ve got Jack with you there, good…” She held the phone away from her ear for a moment as Darryl’s volume increased.
“OK. Right. Does that mean you won’t have a problem with her not staying the two weeks?” Mandy cringed at the reply. “All right. Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.” Hanging up the phone, she turned back to Kathryn. “So, apparently Darryl isn’t taking the news well. He’s going off on someone named Roger.”
Kathryn winced. “Roger was my boss at M. K. He ensured Darryl I would be perfect for the team.”
“Ouch.”
“Exactly. Well, what’s done is done. I’m sorry to cause problems for you.”
“Nonsense,” Mandy said. “People come and go all the time. It’s part of the job. Granted, they usually stay a lot longer.” She gave Kathryn a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry to see you go, Kathryn. I like you. Give me a minute and I’ll pull up some forms for you to sign.”
Kathryn waited.
Mandy stood. “Take them back to your office, pack your things, and bring back the signed forms, your key card, and your laptop. You can stay at the apartment until the end of the month, Turn the keys in at the front desk.”
Kathryn held out her hand. “Thank you, Mandy. You’ve been a pleasure to work with. I won’t be needing the apartment until the end of the month. I’ll be driving back to Pennsylvania today.”
“Good luck to you.” Mandy waved her off.
~*~
Adam leaned back in his chair in his new office and started typing an email.
Derek,
I’m sitting here in your chair in your office. I’ve thought of you a million times over the last few days. I’m so grateful for this job. Juanita and Bette are super helpful. They both miss you. That, of course, will change when they find out how much better I am at your job. (Sorry, couldn’t resist).
I love it here. I love working with the kids and pointing them down a better path. I haven’t been playing basketball, but I’m sure I will still be amazing at it when I get my prosthesis. I’m moving around better, but I’m glad most of this is a desk job.
I’m sorry God called us to opposite sides of the world, but I appreciate all you’ve done for me. When you have a chance, let me know how things are going in China.
Adam
He clicked send and smiled at the incoming text from Kathryn. She was coming home.
40
Kathryn sat with Adam at her side, her fingernails digging into her palms. The man seated in front of her would soon utter the words that had the power to change her life forever. The district attorney peered over his glasses at them. After talking to the police, the moment she was waiting for and dreading all at the same time, had finally come. The fact that Adam was able to arrange the meeting with the district attorney so quickly was nothing short of a miracle.
The DA leaned back in his chair. “I have your statement from the police, but would you please tell me your story again? Start from the beginning.”
Kathryn recounted the events in California, starting from the point at which Charlie first asked her to crystallize compounds for him, followed by the threats by his friends, and her quick escape back to Pennsylvania nearly four years ago.
The DA removed his glasses and focused his gaze on Kathryn, who squirmed under his scrutiny.
“You had no knowledge that what you were doing was anything other than the typical chemistry you were required to do for your PhD program. Is that correct?”
“I didn’t suspect anything was wrong until after he asked me to start making more of the same compound, and my professor never said anything about it.”
“I understand Dr. McCullough was found innocent.”
“That’s correct,” Adam said.
“Once you suspected there might be something wrong, you confronted Charlie, and you were subsequently threatened. Is that correct?”
Kathryn nodded, then found her voice. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“And, by your own admission, Charlie had the power to influence your ability to get a future job.”
“Yes.”
The DA paused for a long moment. “Kathryn Baker, by the reason of your own confession, you are guilty.”
Kathryn suppressed a sob.
The DA held up a hand and went on. “However, you are guilty only of actions that you had no reason to suspect were illegal. Furthermore, w
hen you suspected the situation wasn’t right, you were threatened and acted under duress. The incident took place nearly four years ago, in another state, and there is no evidence whatsoever that you were involved. The defendant testified that he was the only one involved in the manufacture and the sale of these substances.” The DA replaced his glasses on his face, and continued.
“In light of all this, I see no reason for the State to press charges. You are by no means a danger of being a repeat offender, you show remorse for what you have done, and frankly, there is no reason for the State to use resources to pursue this case any further. I’m dismissing the charges.”
Kathryn let out a long breath and sank back against her chair. “So what does that mean?”
“It means you’re free to go.” The DA cocked his head at her. “I’m curious, though. Why now? Why wait all this time and turn yourself in now?”
Kathryn’s stomach flip-flopped. Was she brave enough to answer honestly? She squared her shoulders and focused her gaze on the DA. “I recently became a Christian. I wanted to try to make right what I did. I thought I should pay for it.”
The DA seemed to consider that for a moment. “I see. Well, I am not an expert on religious matters, but from what I understand, the whole point of being a Christian is that everything was already paid for you. And as for you making right what you did, there are many more valuable ways you can use your time than being in prison. I suggest looking into that instead.” He rose from his desk.
Kathryn and Adam followed suit.
“It’s been interesting meeting you both. Good luck to you.”
Kathryn and Adam shook hands with the DA, thanked him, and walked out of his office.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Adam pulled Kathryn close. “You did it! It’s over. You’ll never have to worry about your past coming back to haunt you.” This moment was as important to Adam as it was to her if his excitement was anything to go by.
“Now what?” Kathryn asked.
“Now we go out to lunch to celebrate.”
