Until I Met You

by Tari Faris

  I’ll be there by the end. So sorry. Explain later.

  This couldn’t be happening. Libby scanned the mob of people. Maybe she could wait Olivia out. But if they didn’t start soon, then people would leave and this would have all been for nothing.

  Libby’s thumbs flew across the keyboard.

  What about the speech?

  You’ll have to give it.

  No.

  YES! You can do this!!

  But she couldn’t do this. She wasn’t a public speaker. She was a librarian . . .

  And Corrie ten Boom had been a watchmaker.

  She didn’t have to be Winston Churchill. She just had to do what she could with what God gave her today.

  With shaking legs, Libby climbed the steps and faced the crowd. She picked up the mic from the karaoke machine Olivia had set up and lifted it to her mouth. “Th-thank you all for coming today.”

  Her voice cracked on the final word. She cleared her throat and tried again.

  “As many of you know, Heritage was featured in a recent article. They quoted me—misquoted me—on many things. I can’t tell you the exact words I used, but I can tell you that the landscape architect who was hired wasn’t hired because he was Nate’s brother but because Nate knew his brother was the best man for the job.”

  A murmur traveled over the crowd, but Libby pressed on. “The town took six bids before they decided, and Williams and Son Landscaping underbid every one of the very companies that West Shore Entertainment said were overlooked.”

  The crowd quieted.

  She skimmed over the notes she’d prepared for Olivia until she found her spot. “N-Nate did his research, and his family came up with the lowest bid. I don’t think that’s a misuse of funds but the wisest use of funds.” She paused and held up a clipboard. “I have a detailed list of expenses as well as other bids that Heritage explored. Williams and Son Landscaping was the best choice for this project. Olivia and I have already submitted this same information to Reader’s Weekly, and I expect they’ll agree that there has been no misuse of funds.”

  The people glanced around the square but remained quiet.

  Here was the big one—the one where the people would either rally behind her or run her out of town. “I know this isn’t a church meeting. But since half of you out there go to the church, I want to use this opportunity to say that I believe not only should Nate be allowed to stay, but you should be begging him to stay.”

  That stopped everyone.

  “What about the fact he lied to that news anchor?” Ted Wilks spoke up from the front.

  “I think if you look back, you’ll find that Nate never said anything untrue.” She’d requested the transcript from Channel 21 and pored over every word said. “However, you’re right that he didn’t fully divulge the situation.”

  “Isn’t that the same as lying?” Ted again.

  “I’ve only lived in Heritage a couple months, and I’ve learned a few things. First, I’ve learned it’s a town full of generous and kind people. It’s also a place of mystery and secrets . . . like Otis the hippo.”

  The crowd chuckled a little. Maybe she could do this.

  “But most of all, Heritage is a place where we’re all one family. A family that forgives. A family that helps each other up. Austin and Nate may not have the ideal relationship that the media portrayed a couple months back. But who hasn’t had a time when you fought with a sibling?” That got quite a few nods. “Did you have to explain your disagreement to the whole town?”

  “And what about the photos I uncovered from his wild youth?” Dale Kensington moved closer, staring her down. “You want that type of person leading the church?”

  Olivia ran up from the side, panting, and reached for the mic. “I would like to answer that.”

  Libby handed over the mic and leaned back against the library door. Thank you, Olivia. She’d reached the end of her courage.

  Olivia scanned the crowd before her gaze seemed to settle on someone in the back. “I’ve served in many of the ministries with Pastor Nate over the past two years. I’ve seen him speak with kindness and respect to a woman in the shelter. I’ve seen him hold the hand of a man in his last days at the care home. I’ve seen him speak truth to the youth in such a way that their faces light up. Yet when I was faced with the ugliness of his past, I’ll admit that I ran.”

  A murmur traveled through the crowd.

  “But don’t you see? Nate is an example of God’s grace. He is a gift to us. We all have sin. If we can’t believe that God can transform a person like Nate, why should I believe He can transform a person like me? I bet each of you can think of times when Nate spoke truth to you, and your life is different because he moved to town. Do you really want to let him leave?”

  An uncomfortable silence settled over the crowd. When Libby didn’t think she could handle it anymore, Chet Anderson walked to the front and took the mic. “My name is Chet, and I know Nate has made a difference in my life. I think he should stay.”

  Over the next hour a nonstop stream of people came up to the mic, some from the church and some just from the community. A few were kids Nate had coached, others were guys he served with as a volunteer firefighter. People told of how Nate had touched their lives with a word, with a listening ear, or just by being there when they needed someone.

  Libby sat on the top step and leaned back against the library door. Her legs still shook with adrenaline. Public speaking seemed to have taken everything out of her. Only time would tell if Nate would get his job back or if this would be enough to save Williams and Son Landscaping, but she’d given it all. She’d done all she could with what God had given her today. The rest was out of her hands.

  He’d managed to stay hidden at the back of the crowd for most of the meeting, but the way people started sending looks his way, maybe he hadn’t been as hidden as he thought. Nate pulled the hood of his sweatshirt back and shoved away from the tree.

  If they expected him to get up and talk, they’d be disappointed. He wasn’t sure he’d ever speak again with this lump in his throat. It had lodged there after about the third person took the mic.

  He’d never have guessed he’d made a difference in this many people’s lives. He hadn’t thought of it as helping them. He had just been himself.

  Bo Mackers, the chairman of the board at the church, walked up, pulled a letter out of his pocket, and held it out to him. His furry eyebrows lifted as he waited. “I didn’t know if you wanted to take that back.”

  Nate took the envelope and broke the seal to his resignation letter. “Testimonies or not, Dale Kensington isn’t going to like this.”

  Bo shrugged and smiled wide enough to reveal a missing tooth on one side. He leaned closer and spoke for Nate’s ears alone. “Irritating Dale Kensington seems to be a specialty of mine lately.”

  Nate tapped the paper against his hand, then realized that they’d gathered the attention of the square. The mic had gone silent as everyone waited to hear Nate’s decision.

  “I think I can help with this.” Thomas, Hannah’s brother, stood a few feet away. Releasing Janie’s hand, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the lighter Luke had used before. “Luke said you might need this.”

  Nate took the lighter from his friend. Burning this letter wouldn’t make his problems with Kensington go away. There would always be people who brought up his past. But maybe it was time for him to stop being one of them.

  He took in the crowd. Some were still against him. But more were for him. Olivia stood on the library steps, watching him. He might not deserve her in his life. But a relationship with her was a blessing he was finally ready to accept.

  With his eyes still fixed on Olivia, he flicked the lighter to life. He held it under the paper and let the flame lick at the edge. When the fire crawled up the side, Nate dropped the paper on the sidewalk.

  As the letter burned away, the rest of his grave clothes loosened and fell off. Freedom. What an amazing gift. Peace washed o
ver him, and he didn’t know if he wanted to scream in joy or collapse in relief.

  Members of his congregation began to clap as they stood with him. Some smiled, others nodded encouragement, and Lucy wiped away tears with the back of her hand.

  He might face this battle again, but if that day came, he’d look back at this memory and remember. He was forgiven. A new man. He was free.

  Olivia waited at the top of the steps with a soft smile. Nate took a step in that direction.

  Bo reached out and shook his hand. “Welcome back, Pastor.”

  “Thank you. Now there is someone else I need to speak to.” Nate took another few steps but didn’t get far. Every few feet another well-meaning person would stop and hug him, thank him, and want to tell him what it meant to them that he was staying.

  By the time he made it over to where Olivia had been standing, she’d disappeared. He paused at the top of the steps and searched the crowd. When he found Libby, she pointed to the door behind him. He nodded his thanks and slipped inside the library.

  The room was dark, and he waited for his eyes to adjust. As the room took shape, he scanned the aisles of shelves that now housed books but still came up empty.

  The door to the room where they’d been trapped stood open, and he strode to it and peeked in. Olivia sat on the desk with her back to him, her head down, eyes closed. She wore a long, flowing white skirt and a green top. With the way the light from the window lit up her pale blonde hair, she appeared almost angelic. His gift from above.

  As he stepped toward her, a board creaked under his feet. Her head shot up. A smile filled her face as her teeth tugged at the edge of her lip.

  He stopped in front of her and leaned down until they were eye to eye, resting a hand on either side of her on the desk. “Nice speech.”

  She placed her hands on the sides of his face and looked into him. “I’m so sorry, Nathan—”

  He closed the distance to her lips. They’d talk, but that could wait. Right now he needed to cherish her, love her, and accept the gift of her love.

  Her lips were soft and laced with a touch of salt. Their other kisses had been out of passion and desire. This kiss was his tender promise of his whole heart given to her—holding nothing back. He took his time getting to know her and letting her know him.

  She still ignited him, but it was more than physical. His heart burned for Olivia. Not with the kind of fire that destroyed but the kind that refined and transformed so that he’d never truly fit with anyone but her.

  He pulled away a fraction of an inch but kept his forehead against hers. “Last time we were right here, you said you wanted someone to say yes to.” He ran a finger down the side of her face, capturing a lingering tear along the way. “Say yes to me. I’m not perfect. I have scars, but I love you. Fully. Without condition.”

  She gasped at his words and leaned back just far enough to look him in the eyes.

  He ran his fingers along her jaw, then followed the path with a row of soft kisses. “I know I don’t deserve you, but if you’ll let me, I’ll do all I can to love you with all I am for the rest of my life. Choose me.”

  Olivia lifted his chin until he was looking at her again. “I’ll always choose you.”

  His lips found hers again, and he pulled her tight against him as he deepened the kiss. He slid his fingers into her hair as she trailed her hands up and down his back.

  Finally Nate pulled away, struggling for breath. “Please tell me you aren’t one for long engagements.”

  “Long engagements?” Olivia’s head dropped back with a laugh. “We just started dating thirty seconds ago.”

  Nate kissed her neck. “I knew I wanted to marry you two years ago on our first date, and everything I’ve learned about you since then has only confirmed that.”

  Her head snapped up and she lifted one eyebrow. “For knowing it on our first date, it took you long enough.”

  Nate leaned back as he took her hands in his. He stared out the window and searched for the right words. He looked back at Olivia, her expression open.

  “The week after our first date, I ran into Jess at a mall in Grand Rapids of all places. She had her husband and three kids with her. One look at her oldest, and I didn’t have to even ask if he was mine. You saw the photo.”

  “Did you know she was pregnant when you broke up?”

  “Yes. But she told me she got rid of it, and I was so messed up back then I never gave it much thought.” He struggled against the emotion clogging his throat.

  “What did she say when she saw you? When you saw Chase?”

  He squeezed her hands. “She told me that my name wasn’t on any records and I’d have to take her to court to get a paternity test.” He let go of one of her hands and rubbed the back of his neck. “I hadn’t even said a word. I was just staring at her in shock. No doubt the kid believes that the dad he’s always known is his father, and I’m sure she was afraid I’d step in and destroy that. Selfishly, I wanted to. But as we talked, the dad had taken the three boys to look at a toy store. And the way Chase hung on the guy’s arm and chatted away a mile a minute to him, I could see that he was happy. They’re all happy. What right do I have to come in and tear that apart?”

  “That has to be so hard. You have no contact?”

  He pulled her to a stand and tugged her toward the front door, walking slowly. “I asked if I could give child support and she said no. I gave her my email and told her to let me know if they ever needed anything. After a month, she started sending me photos once in a while. But that’s it.”

  Olivia squeezed his hand and leaned into his shoulder. “Jess might change her mind as he gets older. He might need medical information someday.”

  “I’ve thought about that. I started a bank account for him and a box of letters. I know the chances are slim.” He paused in front of the main doors. “But that’s the secret not even the town knows because it isn’t my story to tell.”

  “Thank you for trusting me with it.” She pulled him close and pressed her lips against his. This time it wasn’t full of passion but rather a promise of acceptance and confidence. She leaned back. “It’s a mystery of human chemistry and I don’t understand it. Some people, as far as their senses are concerned, just feel like home.”

  Nate gripped her arms and pressed his forehead to hers. “Did you just quote High Fidelity to me? Now I know I love you.”

  Olivia laughed and traced his jaw with her finger. “And I know if you ever leave me, it will be for John Cusack.”

  “Not a chance. But I may require you to watch all eighty-eight of his movies.” He pulled back as she opened the door.

  “There you two are.” Libby stood at the bottom of the schoolhouse steps. “What happened earlier? You better have a good reason for leaving the stage to me.”

  “Oh. I forgot.” Olivia gripped his arm. “The Chicago Free Press approached me about writing for them.”

  “What? That’s awesome.” Libby looked from Olivia to Nate and back to Olivia.

  Chicago? Nate calculated the miles. That’d be some commute. “Would you live in Chicago?”

  “No. It’s freelance. I can work from a home office. They’ll fly me from Grand Rapids to Chicago every few months, but I could stay in Heritage.”

  Libby nudged her side. “I thought you were ready to get out of this town.”

  “I seem to have a strong reason to stay.” Olivia tugged Nate closer, then looked back at Libby. “But it didn’t look like you needed me up there. You were amazing. Next stop, karaoke.”

  “I’m on such a high right now, I might just agree to that.”

  “Are you serious? Tomorrow night is my family’s fall bash. We always do karaoke. You and me, babe. We’re taking the stage.” Olivia went off on a tangent about all the different songs they could sing for karaoke.

  Nate eyed his brother’s house. The truck was there, but the windows were all dark. Nate had hoped he might come tonight. Then again, other than a paycheck, Austin wa
sn’t all that attached to the future of Heritage.

  Even with everything that had been said, he didn’t see Reader’s Weekly issuing the funds in time to save Williams and Son. No doubt Austin would be out of here within the week. Looked like reconciling with his brother had been a pipe dream after all.

  This was what it felt like to have nothing left. Austin sat on his front step as a tall man with a mustache and coveralls winched his truck up on the flatbed. The banging metal sounded like the slam of an iron gate on his company. Williams and Son Landscaping—a three-generation business—was no more.

  Austin rubbed his hands over his face but couldn’t look away. It would have been less humiliating to at least let him drive the truck somewhere and drop it off. Nope. The bank wanted to make a show of it.

  He’d heard the meeting had gone well yesterday and Nate would be staying. It looked like everything had turned out all right, except for Williams and Son Landscaping. But other than the humiliation of it, letting it go was a huge weight off his chest. He just had to figure out what he’d do next.

  There was no movement at Libby’s house. He hadn’t seen her since their last fight. He’d been too harsh, but he’d still been dealing with the raw rejection of when she’d chosen to believe Nate.

  The rumble of a motorcycle grew louder as Nate came into view. He pulled off the road and around the flatbed and parked in Austin’s yard. “Hey.” He pulled off his helmet and dropped the kickstand.

  “Come to gloat?” Austin pushed on a raised nail on the steps. It didn’t budge. He’d need to remember to nail that down later. He shook his head. There wouldn’t be a later. Without a job, he couldn’t even afford reduced rent. “Or maybe to say, ‘If you’d lived with me like we planned, you might have had enough money and you could have—’”

  “I just came to say I’m sorry.” Nate dropped next to him on the step.

  “You’re sorry?”

  “I’m sorry you’re going through this.” Nate set his helmet aside and unzipped his leather jacket. “I’m sorry I cost the company so much money a few years ago. And I’m sorry you had to drop out of U of M because of me.”