Jace raised a brow at that.
“Yeah, that’s right. And if he makes the papers—”
But Jace’s eyes tracked past her, to the door.
Eden followed his gaze. And the terrible roaring of anger inside stopped on the burly image of Ramsey Butler, Blue Ox manager, sliding into a booth.
Kalen appeared with Owen’s coat. “You distract Butler, Eden, and we’ll get Owen out the back.”
She gaped at him. “Distract him? How?”
Jace slid off the stool, towering nearly a foot over her. “Flirt with him or something.”
Flirt—oh, for crying out loud. “Fine. Get Owen to his car, but don’t let him drive.” She shrugged out of her coat and draped it over the chair. Flirt. Right . . . But what choice did she have? As long as this was the one and only time. Besides, truth was, she would do anything to protect Owen’s future.
She looked like a mortician in her black pants and white blouse, but maybe Butler wouldn’t notice. She still had game, right? After all, tonight she’d had a date.
Maybe she was hotter than she thought. Eden put a little sashay into her walk, feeling stupid, but making her way to the booth. “Hello there, Mr. Butler. Nice to see you tonight.”
In his midforties, Butler had his own reputation to manage—the kind that traded players midseason and fired those who embarrassed the newborn franchise. Eden managed not to look behind her as she stood at the booth, blocking his view of Owen. She added a smile, propped a hand on her hip. Tried to look . . . flirty.
He looked up from where he perused the menu. “I’ll take an appetizer basket of curly fries and a Guinness on tap.”
She stilled. “Huh?”
“And what are your specials?”
So much for flirting. She glanced at the chalkboard over the bar. “Uh, fish-and-chips and a cheddar bratwurst?”
“I’ll just have the bacon cheeseburger.”
“Good choice. How do you want that done?” Now she glanced back and saw Kalen with his arm over Owen, directing him through the kitchen entrance.
“Rare. And bring out some of Sam’s special mayo sauce.”
“You got it.”
She quick-walked to the bar, grabbed her parka, and stepped out into the frigid cold.
Jace stood over Owen, barring him from opening his car door. Owen put up a meager fight, then let Kalen maneuver him to the passenger seat and buckle him in.
Eden shook her head and held out her hand. Jace set the keys in it.
She closed her hand around them. “I know I should say thanks, but frankly, you should do better. You’re some captain. Is this how you take care of your players? Or maybe this is what you want—for them to all turn out like you.” Then she opened the door and climbed in, ignoring Jace’s glare. “Owen, what were you—?”
Owen turned to her, wearing a green expression. And then his double-mushroom-and-Swiss cheeseburger, curly fries, and about a fifth of whiskey mixed with the sweet syrup of Coke landed on her lap.
“Thanks for coming to get me, Sis.”
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
HAVE YOU EVER MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE? Or worse, sinned big, deliberately or not? I have. There are moments in my life that I look back on with a terrific shudder and think . . . Who was I, and how could I have done that?
Our first response—at least mine—is to run. Maybe not physically, like Owen, but definitely to flee from the pain of our failures. Of disappointing those we love. Of seeing ourselves in the mirror and wondering who we are.
We run from the guilt. From the truth. From God . . . and especially from forgiveness. Because we look at ourselves honestly and, like Peter in Luke 5:8, say, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”
Faced with such truth, we see only that. A sinner. Unredeemable. Unable to accept anything but condemnation.
But God will not allow us to stay in that place. He is a pursuer, and even as we push Him away, He says, “You are not alone. If you will allow Me, I will fix this.”
The words are beautiful—and yet brutal because even the touch of grace is a living ember, and we are reluctant to grasp hold, to bring it to ourselves, to bear the fiery cleansing. Easier to endure is the self-flogging, the shame, the guilt. Because that, we know we deserve.
It was from this place that I launched out on Owen’s journey. From the first, Owen knows he is wretched. He is fully aware of his sins and the destruction in his wake but is unable to face it or fix it. Even after he realizes his folly and begins the crawl back to faith, it is more words and hope than reality.
Owen sees grace but hasn’t accepted it.
In his estimation, he owed God everything. And yes, he could agree that in the face of his sins, grace felt a bit too overwhelming. It almost seemed easier to live like Scotty—alone, unbeholden to God.
Because a God who dispensed grace was a God a person couldn’t bargain with.
Except perhaps that was the point. God didn’t want to bargain.
See, grace is free, but without our ability to bargain for our freedom, we are left wondering exactly what we have to give. More, even when we step under the mantle of grace, it feels too heavy upon our shoulders.
Like Owen, it could be that we’ve been prodigals so long, we can’t see any other visage in the mirror. The question becomes Who am I beyond the prodigal?
We are the redeemed. The forgiven. The sons and daughters of the King.
Suddenly we can rise, look forward into a new dawn, glorious and rose gold, full of promise. And it is this view that changes everything. Because what are we to do with the unblemished future? As Pastor Dan says:
“I warn you, once you embrace Christ, you too become a rule breaker. Because a life committed to God requires us to live uncomfortably. Inconveniently. Accountably. Bravely. Transparently. Vulnerably.”
We are the bold, the fishermen, the warriors of Christ, going forth to tell the world the truth of grace. Of redemption. Of second chances and fresh starts and happy endings.
As John Christiansen would say, “Some of God’s best players were His imperfect, broken prodigals.”
When I conceived this series, I wanted a story about real people dealing with real issues of faith and family. I didn’t want to shy away from the mistakes but to tell a story about a family that faces its share of darkness . . . and discovers a God who is standing at the doorway—even more, launching out in relentless pursuit with the goal of bringing us home.
Thank you for reading the Christiansen Family series. I pray that you, too, have heard the call of grace, let it into your heart, and found your way home.
Grace to you!
Susan May Warren
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SUSAN MAY WARREN is the bestselling, Christy and RITA Award–winning author of more than forty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a resort on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set.
Susan holds a BA in mass communications from the University of Minnesota. Several of her critically acclaimed novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers’ prestigious Carol Award. Her novels You Don’t Know Me and Take a Chance on Me were Christy Award winners, and six of her other books have also been finalists. In addition to her writing, Susan loves to teach and speak at women’s events about God’s amazing grace in our lives.
For exciting updates on her new releases, previous books, and more, visit her website at www.susanmaywarren.com.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Ingrid’s letter details Owen’s strengths but also cautions him about his weaknesses. How do you see the traits she highlights play
out in Owen’s story? Is there someone in your life who has similar insight into your character—the good and the bad? How has that person’s wisdom affected you?
In her letter, Ingrid tells Owen, “God has a special place in His heart for messy, passionate, live-out-loud people. The young. The inexperienced. The blindly brave. The ones who dive in, not looking back, believing they can slay giants with a stone.” Do you think this is true? Later, John lists a few people from the Bible who fit this description: “Rahab, the prostitute; Samson, the playboy; Paul, the terrorist; and Peter . . . the impulsive.” Can you think of other examples, from Scripture or from your own experience?
After nearly two years of running from his mistakes, Owen wishes he could go home, that he could repair the damage he’s done, but thinks it’s impossible. Have you ever felt the same way—stuck between a longing to make things right and a belief that it’s too late? What was the outcome? What parallels do you see between Owen’s story—and Casper’s—and the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son? (See Luke 15:11-32 for the story.)
Scotty distrusts emotion, adopting a “no crying” rule for her life. This has affected not only her relationships with other people, but her perception of faith. She tells Owen, “Being a Christian makes you weak. Makes you . . . emotional.” Do you tend to equate emotion with weakness? How would you respond to Scotty?
As he and Scotty drift at sea, uncertain whether they’ll be rescued, Owen makes an impulsive proposal . . . and Scotty impulsively accepts. What consequences does this have once they’re rescued? Have you ever made a rash promise in the heat of a moment? When that moment passed, did you follow through or look for a way out?
Scotty has convinced herself that she’s not “marriage material.” What does she mean by that? How do other characters respond to her pronouncement? What, in your opinion, makes someone marriage material?
Watching how Casper and Owen interact, Scotty observes, “People who loved each other that much knew how to wound the deepest.” Do you agree? How do Casper and Owen bring out the best and worst in each other? Have you seen similar dynamics with your own siblings or between siblings you know?
Several characters struggle to advise Owen, Casper, and Raina on the right thing to do in their complicated situation. Some believe Owen and Raina, as Layla’s parents, should get married; others, that Raina and Casper should marry since they love each other and want to raise Layla together. How would you have advised them in these circumstances? What did you think of the decision they ultimately make?
Owen was forced, by consequences of his own bad choices, to give up the life he’d dreamed of, and in this story he really grieves that loss for the first time. What do you think his life would’ve been like if he’d never been injured? What parts of his life might have been better . . . or worse?
As he sits in a jail cell, Casper angrily thinks that he has “come home, swept up Owen’s mess, fixed everything. And this is how life—how God—repaid him.” Is he justified in feeling this way? Have you ever felt similar bitterness at your circumstances, or even at God for those circumstances? Looking back at that time, do you still feel the same way, or has your perspective changed?
In his sermon, Pastor Dan says, “A life committed to God requires us to live uncomfortably. Inconveniently. Accountably. Bravely. Transparently. Vulnerably. It requires us to love without rules. Welcome to grace.” Is this an accurate picture of the Christian life? What does it mean to “love without rules”? What characters in this story embody this kind of love?
Which Christiansen sibling do you identify with most? Who would you turn to in time of need? What about for a laugh and encouragement? Picture the Christiansen family five or ten years down the road. What do you think their future holds?
MORE GREAT FICTION FROM
SUSAN MAY WARREN
THE DEEP HAVEN NOVELS
Happily Ever After
Tying the Knot
The Perfect Match
My Foolish Heart
The Shadow of Your Smile
You Don’t Know Me
Hook, Line & Sinker: A Deep Haven novella
TEAM HOPE SERIES
Flee the Night
Escape to Morning
Expect the Sunrise
Waiting for Dawn: A Team Hope novella
THE PJ SUGAR SERIES
Nothing but Trouble
Double Trouble
Licensed for Trouble
THE NOBLE LEGACY SERIES
Reclaiming Nick
Taming Rafe
Finding Stefanie
STAND-ALONE TITLES
The Great Christmas Bowl
www.susanmaywarren.com
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