by Lisa Jordan
They lined up behind the long strip of masking tape used as the starting line. She peered down the line to check out their competition. Only to realize they were the only unmarried, unattached coed couple. Several of her junior high students paired up with friends of the same sex. Lindsey and Stephen Chase coupled up. Nick and Hannah moved beside them.
The awareness of Ian’s closeness feathered her skin. The heat of his arm against her neck. The strength of his touch. The scent of his cologne.
Maybe she had too much sun and needed to sit out the race. Yes, maybe that was it…too much sun.
She had to remember Ian could be her friend and nothing more.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” She reached down to untie their bandanna.
Ian covered her hand to stop her. “Why not?”
She jerked her head to the others. “We’re the only coeds who aren’t a couple.”
“We can change that.” Ian roped an arm around her waist and drew her close.
She pushed him away and swatted at him. “Would you be serious?”
He seared her with a look that stole her breath. “What makes you think I’m not?”
She placed a hand on her chest and forced air into her lungs.
He wasn’t serious. Was he?
Before she could contemplate it further, Pastor Nathan stood in front of the group, holding his three-year-old son Nathanial’s hand. “Nate’s going to count to three and tell you when to go.”
Nate peered out from under his daddy’s oversize ball cap and held up his fingers. “One. Two. Three go!”
Pastor Nathan grabbed his son around the waist and ran to the sidelines to avoid getting trampled.
Ian pulled her close. “Come on, Red. Let’s do this.”
He was talking about the race, right?
Slipping an arm around his waist for balance, she matched his gait. Once they fell into the rhythm of half running, half walking together, it wasn’t as difficult as she expected.
Shouts came from the gathered crowd. She jerked her head upon hearing her name. Someone was cheering for them?
She stumbled.
Ian pulled her to her feet. “Follow my lead, Red. We can do this.”
“Why do I have to follow your lead? You can follow mine.”
“My legs are longer.” He grinned, then shifted his focus to the masking tape finish line.
“You’re just more competitive.”
They scuttled across the grass. Ian’s fingers pressed into her waist, warming her skin through the fabric of her blouse.
Friends egged them to the finish. She realized they were in the lead. But, out of the corner of her eye, Agnes caught sight of Hannah and Nick gaining on them. She tugged on Ian’s arm. “Slow down.”
He slammed her with an incredulous look. “What? Are you kidding? We have this thing.”
“There’s more to winning than crossing the finish line, Ian. Slow down.”
When he didn’t listen, Agnes lurched forward, pretending to stumble, knocking Ian to his knees. He rolled and grabbed her by the waist so she wouldn’t topple over him. They landed side by side in the grass. She winced as the bandanna tightened on her ankle.
“And you complained about me breaking your leg. What’s up with that?”
Hannah released a whoop of joy as she and her daddy crossed the finish line.
Ian glanced at them, then at Agnes. “Oh…slow down.”
She winked. “You’re a quick one, Ian James.”
“Why didn’t you just say something?” He tapped the end of her nose.
“Duh. I did.” Agnes struggled to untie the knot Ian had cinched around their ankles, hating the way her fingers trembled.
Finally releasing the fabric, she pulled it loose and dropped it on Ian’s shoulder. She rose to her feet and dusted off her jeans. “I need a drink. Want anything?”
“Grab me something cold.”
“Like what?”
“Whatever you’re having is fine.”
Agnes hurried across the grass, needing a few minutes to catch her breath.
As she passed behind the still-laden food tables, she heard her name and slowed upon recognizing Evelyn Parnell’s shrill voice.
Since Chief Laughton’s visit with Ian and Charlotte, they made an extra effort to stay out of her way.
She paused in the shadows as Evelyn stood at the food table with her sister, Iris, filling take-out containers. Their round shapes and salon-coiffed graying hair made it difficult to tell them apart from behind, but bitterness made hard edges and thin lines on Evelyn’s face, while a quick smile and kind eyes softened Iris’s features.
“I’m telling you, Iris—the way they carried on…embarrassing.”
“Relax, Evelyn, it’s only a game. Agnes and Ian have known each other for years. They’re practically brother and sister.”
Agnes nodded with Iris’s statement, but what she had felt on the field was far from sisterly.
“Ian trails after her like a smitten puppy. Pathetic. They’re together all the time at that house.” Evelyn plopped another spoonful of something into one of the containers. “Oh, I hate that place. I wish it would burn to the ground.”
Agnes bit back a gasp.
“What a terrible thing to say!” Iris scowled at Evelyn.
“I mean it, Iris. It’s going to be filled with drunks and troublemakers.” She punctuated the air with her spoon. “Mark my words.”
“Charlotte James won’t let that happen. I heard her speak at the women’s club about the Agape project. She has a heart for those women.”
“Then she should have tried harder to control her daughter. Then we wouldn’t be plagued with that eyesore.”
“Oh, Evelyn, deep down, you know Agape House is a great resource for this community.”
“Those women have no business in our neighborhood. Even our brother turned against me, but I won’t rest until that project is shut down. Did you hear Pete was staying at their cabin at the lake? Even behind bars, their daughter is still causing trouble.”
Agnes’s ears burned so hot she was afraid they’d catch on fire. Mama always told her to stop and think before she said anything, but Mama was in Texas. Agnes wasn’t about to let these so-called Christian women drag Ian’s family through the mud.
She moved out of her shadow and walked up behind the two women. “Afternoon, ladies.”
Spoon in hand, Evelyn whirled around, flinging macaroni salad in the grass. Her face colored brighter than the red plastic bowl that held the pasta. She shot a glance at her sister, then dropped her gaze to the salad in front of her. “Afternoon, Agnes.”
Iris grabbed a napkin and cleaned up the spilled macaroni salad.
“You two should be sitting in the sunshine instead of under this dark pavilion.”
“Someone needs to be doing the Lord’s work and fixing meals for our shut-ins.” Evelyn closed the box and reached for another. The screechy sound of the foam sent a shiver down Agnes’s spine.
She reached for a baby carrot off a veggie tray. “Does the Lord’s work consist of bashing thy neighbor?”
“It most certainly does not.”
“Your ugly words are very damaging to people I love. Ian James is my best friend. His parents are two of the kindest people I know. Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t you think?”
“You don’t know what it’s like to have your baby taken from you, so don’t stand there with your righteous sympathy and act like you care.” Evelyn turned away to set the filled containers in a small cooler at her feet, but not before Agnes caught the sheen of tears glazing her eyes.
Oh, but she did know. In a way. Maybe not on the same level as Evelyn, but she remembered the ache in her chest, the sudden vacant feeling in her womb upon seeing the doctor’s grim face.
“Losing someone you love creates an ache in your soul that’s irreparable.” Agnes softened her voice and reached for Evelyn’s hand. “Forgiveness goes a long way in healing pain, Evely
n. This project can prevent other mothers from facing the same kind of grief you’re dealing with.”
Evelyn pulled her hand away and wiped it on her flowered skirt. “You’re one to talk. Have you forgiven your ex-husband for all that he did to you?”
Agnes opened her mouth, but words escaped her as she stared at the woman’s harsh expression.
“That’s what I thought. So push your hypocritical soapbox out of my way so I can finish with these meals.”
*
Ian threw his second horseshoe, then groaned when it landed with a thud in the dirt beside his first one instead of ringing the stake.
His head wasn’t in the game.
Suggesting the race was meant to take Red’s mind off Agape House since she’d been putting in a ton of hours lately. But once they reached the finish line, she bolted across the grass as if her hair were on fire. He hadn’t seen her since.
How long did it take to grab a couple of drinks?
Maybe he needed to find her and make sure she was okay.
“Hey, guys, I’m out. Sorry. I need to go check on someone.” He started across the field toward the pavilion but slowed as he spotted Mom folding her chair and moving away from her circle of friends.
Dad continued to play horseshoes without offering to carry her chair. And that fried Ian.
How could two people be at the same event yet each act as if the other one didn’t exist?
Ian hadn’t seen Dad in weeks, which was fine by him. Did he even know Chief Laughton had dropped by? Even at the office, Dad kept his door closed or worked from the cabin.
That should make Father’s Day a real blast tomorrow.
Ian took the chair from Mom. “You okay?”
She brushed a strand of hair away from her face and smiled. “I’m fine, honey. Getting a little tired. I think I’m going to head home.”
“You sure you don’t need anything?”
“I’m sure.”
“You talk to Dad?”
“No.” She glanced at Dad laughing with the guys, then looked away, but not before Ian caught the sadness that flickered in her eyes.
“Why not?”
“He’s bullheaded and won’t listen to reason.
“You two can’t let this come between you.” Ian tightened his grip on the chair, hating this divide.
“And I can’t let him keep our daughter from coming home either.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mom. Zoe will be home. I promise.”
“Sweetie, as much as I value your word, that’s one thing you can’t ensure.”
“Okay, then. How about I’ll do everything in my power to make sure Zoe comes home?”
Mom twisted her wedding band. “At what cost, though?”
“Dad’ll come around. He’s not going to throw away forty years of marriage over this.”
A loud whoop caused Ian’s head to turn toward the horseshoe game. Dad thumped Max Peretti on the back, then turned and headed toward the pavilion.
“I’ll be right back.” He handed her the chair, then jogged across the grass to catch up with Dad.
“Dad.”
Dad glanced over his shoulder but kept walking. “Ian.”
Ian fell in step next to him. “You’re acting like Mom’s not even here.”
“I tried to talk to her in the food line, but she walked away.”
“You hurt her.”
“I hurt her?” Dad stopped short and slammed him with a glare. He raked a hand through his hair, then turned away. “She went behind my back.”
“No, Dad. She’s been up-front about Agape House from day one, and you know it.” Ian fisted his hands and pulled in a deep breath to calm the tension tightening his chest. “How can you be against something that will help people? Especially your own daughter?”
Dad tossed his hands in the air. “You and your mother have this idealized vision of Zoe coming home. Like we’re going to be this happy family again. Ain’t gonna happen. People like her don’t change. I learned that lesson long ago.”
Ian clenched his jaw as he struggled to keep his tone level. “Zoe’s paying for her mistake.”
“Mistake?” Dad’s voice rose as he continued to gesture his hands. “She didn’t run a red light, Ian. Her actions killed a guy.”
Ian glanced around to see if they were drawing unnecessary attention, but everyone seemed preoccupied with their own activities. Still, it wouldn’t hurt Dad to lower the volume.
“I’m well aware. I also know she regrets it more than anything. She learned her lesson.”
“How do you know for sure?” Dad paused and scrubbed a hand over the back of his head. He looked off in the distance, his voice lowered. “I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard, ‘Daddy, I promise I won’t drink ever again.’”
For a moment, Ian could imagine how painful that must have been on his parents—to have to deal with his sister’s behavior time and time again.
“Zoe isn’t sixteen anymore. She’s spent the past four years of her life in prison for killing another person—her fiancé…her son’s father. Don’t you think that’s going to change her? Where’s your faith?”
What else did his sister have to do to prove her past was just that…in the past?
“I need more than faith, son. I’ve seen it happen way too many times. People promise they’ll change—things will be different. But, over time, they fall back into their old ways. Then those who believed in them—encouraged them—are the ones ending up disappointed.”
“You can’t compare her to what your parents did to you.” Ian kicked at the grass with the toe of his shoe. “I don’t get it, Dad. You’ve always been there until…”
“Until?”
“Until Zoe went to prison. Then you just shut down, checked out. You turned your back on the rest of us.”
“I’ve been there for you guys.”
“Physically, maybe. But not emotionally. What happened with Zoe affected all of us. When I was growing up, you always told me family came first. You said you never wanted to be like your parents. You hated how they turned their backs on you. How is what you’re doing any different?”
“Saw Harry Shaw a little bit ago. He said you rescheduled his appointment.”
Harry Shaw? What did his client have to do with anything?
“I did.”
“Why?”
“I ran out of time on Friday, so I rescheduled for Monday. He said he was fine with it. I’m seeing him first thing.”
Dad crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t let this Agape business mess with your priorities.”
Ian squared his shoulders and maintained eye contact. “Or what, Dad? You’ll fire me?”
“Make sure your priorities are in order.”
The words Ian wanted to spew at his dad blistered his tongue. The acid in his throat fed his anger. Chest heaving, Ian stood eye to eye with the one man he had looked up to all his life. “I could remind you of the same thing. You’re either all in—make things work with Mom—or you’re out for good, because you’re destroying her one day at a time. Zoe nearly crushed her, but she has hope again. You won’t take that away. Our family is my priority…something you seem to have forgotten.”
Chapter Ten
Agnes couldn’t stand it another minute longer.
The anguish in Ian’s voice ripped through her soul, shredding her heart. Tears burned her eyes. She’d never heard him speak to Pete with such anger, but maybe it was the wake-up call his daddy needed to realign his priorities.
She walked behind Ian and placed her hands on his arms. His muscles quivered from the adrenaline surging through his veins. “Come on, Ian. Let’s go.”
Ian tore his gaze away from Pete’s steely glare. Agnes gave Pete a sympathetic smile—her heart ached for him, too—but he turned on his heel and stalked toward the river that framed the south side of the park.
She wrapped her arm around Ian’s waist and guided him to her convertible. He s
tumbled beside her without protest and crawled into the passenger side, slammed the door and rested his head against the back of the seat.
Agnes climbed behind the wheel, started the engine, then backed out of the parking lot.
Instead of heading toward town, she turned left and drove toward the lake sprawled against the horizon.
With the top down, her hair whipped around her face. Country music blared from the radio.
She drove along the stretch of highway around the lake. Canopies of evergreens shaded the afternoon sun, but allowed slashes of light to lattice the pavement.
“Pull over.”
Spying a turnaround up ahead, Agnes edged the convertible off the side of the road and turned off the ignition.
They sat in silence except for the hypnotic lapping of the water against the shore and the wind ruffling the leaves overhead.
She undid her seat belt and opened the door. “Come on. Let’s walk.”
Ian followed, then waited as Agnes kicked off her platforms and tossed them in the backseat.
Going barefoot was better than breaking an ankle as they cut through the trees and scrambled down the dirt path that lead to the gravel shore.
Sun-drenched rocks stabbed the bottoms of her feet. She rolled up her pant legs, then waded ankle deep in the water, sucking in a sudden breath as the icy water lapped over her toes.
Ian kicked off his loafers, emptied his pockets, dropping his phone, keys and wallet inside his shoes. He yanked off his T-shirt and pitched it to the ground.
Without a word, he tore into the water until he was waist deep, then disappeared beneath the surface.
A moment later, he smashed through the glassy facade and gasped for breath.
He swam, his strong arms pushing him forward with even strokes, until he was a quarter-sized spot in the water.
Agnes stepped out of the water and sat on the bank next to his things with her knees tucked beneath her chin.
Ian treaded water for a few minutes, then turned and swam back to shore. Once he reached the shore, he stood and shook his head before plodding back to her.
He yanked his shirt over his head and nodded to a nearby boulder. “Let’s sit on that rock so I can dry out before getting back into your car.”
