Love's Image

by Debby Mayne

  “Any other ideas?”

  “Since I have a little money stashed away, I don’t have to get a job. Not yet, anyway. I was sort of thinking I might want to volunteer. I’d like to help others.”

  Judd smiled. He loved how Shannon thought about other people. Janie had told him how she’d sent money to the family of the man who’d crashed his car into hers. He was amazed at her ability to forgive and show compassion for those less fortunate.

  “Any idea what you’d like to do?”

  She made a funny face as she shook her head. “That’s the problem. I don’t even know where to start. What does a former model know how to do that can help society?”

  “I’m sure there are lots of things. Why don’t we start with your gifts?”

  “Janie told me to look in Romans chapter twelve. I think my gift is serving.”

  “I can see that,” Judd said.

  He’d noticed how quickly she volunteered to help out when someone was needed to deliver food to homebound members of the church. And she didn’t hesitate to visit people in the nursing home.

  “I think you’re also an encourager,” he added.

  “You think so?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Funny you should say that. Janie told me the same thing. Okay, now what do I do?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “What do you think your gifts are, Judd?”

  “Well, I am a teacher, and it seems like a good fit. The kids in my classes are all doing well, and they’re pretty happy—most of the time, anyway.”

  Shannon nodded. “I have no doubt teaching is one of your gifts. You know, I think you might be an encourager, too.”

  “Hmm. I never thought about being anything other than a teacher,” he said.

  “Look at it this way. You encouraged me to keep going to the Bible study. You encourage people in the group to participate. And one of the reasons you’re such an effective teacher, I bet, is that you encourage the kids to be the best they possibly can.”

  “Good point.”

  Shannon lifted her hands and let them fall back to her lap. “Now what?”

  “I guess we should figure out where we fit best.”

  “We?” Shannon asked, her head tilted to one side.

  “Yes, we. I’d like to volunteer, too.”

  “Are you just saying it because that’s what I want?”

  “No. I’ll admit you thought of it first, but I have time and the desire to help others, too.”

  A slow grin took over Shannon’s face. “It’ll be wonderful to do something together, Judd.” She jumped up, crossed over to where he sat, and threw her arms around him. “You always know the answers.”

  “Not always,” he argued as he tried to squirm away from her warmth.

  She leaned back and gave him a puzzled look.

  “For me, you do. Whenever I’m stumped, you always come through for me.”

  She’d pulled away from him a little more, but he could still feel her closeness. The urge to reach out and touch her was too strong to resist. Tentatively at first, he touched the side of her face with his fingertips. Then, slowly and deliberately, he slid his hand to the back of her head, his fingers getting caught in her tangle of long, blond hair. Her eyes widened as he pulled her to him for a kiss.

  Shannon’s breath suddenly felt shaky. She’d kissed Armand countless times, but he’d never had this effect on her. But then again, Judd’s kiss had so much more meaning than any of Armand’s kisses ever had.

  “I’m sorry, Shannon,” Judd said as he suddenly let go of her. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  She struggled to find her voice. “Don’t be sorry. I liked it.”

  “You did?”

  Nodding, she had to swallow to find her voice again. “Yes. Very much.”

  He grinned. “Knowing that makes me happy.”

  Shannon wasn’t sure if he had any idea how she felt. He’d distanced himself pretty quickly after the kiss—almost as if he was afraid to stay close to her.

  After Judd left, Shannon leaned against the wall. Something significant had just happened, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. That one simple kiss had changed things between them. He’d kissed her before, but the emotion behind this was incredible. She wondered if he felt it, too.

  As the minutes ticked by, and then the hours, feelings of doubt began to take over the excitement of the kiss. What if he’d only meant it as a gesture of friendship? Or perhaps he didn’t mean anything at all. Which would be worse? Given the fact that she thought she might be falling in love, neither appealed to her. She wanted him to care as much for her as she did him. The very thought of her love being one-sided sent her heart into a free fall and then landed in a giant thud.

  Shannon wasn’t sleepy, so she decided to do a little channel surfing, hoping to make her eyelids heavy. When the phone rang, she glanced up at the clock. Who could be calling at this hour?

  seven

  “Shannon?”

  “Judd? It’s late.”

  “Were you sleeping?”

  She paused before replying, “No, I was watching TV.”

  “I’ve been thinking.”

  “So have I,” Shannon quickly replied. “What were you thinking about?”

  “You tell me first.”

  “No, you called me.”

  She heard him inhale before clearing his throat. “I was thinking about what you said.”

  She thought for a moment and tried to remember anything she said that would elicit a late-night phone call. “What did I say?”

  “You were saying you wanted to do something constructive with your life. I’ve got some ideas.”

  “Is that what you were thinking about?”

  “Yeah, how about you? It’s your turn.”

  Shannon briefly pondered letting him know what was really on her mind, but she figured it was best left unsaid. “Nothing, really. My mind was racing about everything, and I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

  “I’m patient. I’m also a good listener.”

  “Yes, I know, but we can talk about that later.” Shannon sucked in a breath, then slowly blew it out. “What ideas did you have for me?”

  “Well, there are a couple of things the church is involved in, plus some secular stuff downtown Atlanta.”

  Shannon thought for a moment. “What all is the church involved in?”

  “One thing I think you might like is the ‘Room at the Inn’ program.”

  “Room at the Inn? What’s that?”

  Judd explained how the homeless shelters always filled up early, which left hundreds of families on the streets during the cold winter nights. Area churches coordinated sponsoring “Room at the Inn” nights, where they let homeless individuals and families stay in sanctuaries, fellowship halls, and classrooms. People from each church provided meals, clothing, and messages about Christ’s love.

  “Sounds wonderful,” Shannon replied. “I’d love to get involved. What do I need to do?”

  “Uncle Garrett told me about it. I think our church has a turn coming up in a few weeks. I’ll find out who’s coordinating it.”

  “Let me know, okay?”

  “Sure thing,” Judd replied. “How’re you feeling?”

  “You were here just a little while ago. You saw me.”

  Yes, Judd saw her. That was for sure. He saw her long, blond hair flowing freely around her face, her sparkling eyes lighting up as they discussed anything and everything.

  “Judd?”

  Shaking himself back to the moment, Judd said, “I’m getting tired. I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay.”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  As they hung up, Judd thought about the real reason for his call. After he left her apartment, all he could think about was the kiss. It still lingered on his lips. He doubted he’d get any sleep, thinking about Shannon and how she affected him.

  This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Judd had plans, whic
h didn’t include falling for a woman—at least not yet. He’d just started to get his feet on the ground, and he wanted to do a few things for himself before meeting someone he could get serious with.

  Who was he kidding? Getting serious with Shannon McNab would be like trying to grab a star with his bare hands. It would be impossible and way too much for him to handle. Women like Shannon didn’t fall for men like him.

  He ran his tongue over his lips and tried to force her out of his mind. He’d be much better off staying away from her, but he knew it would be impossible. All she had to do was call, and he’d be there for her.

  The week went by quickly for Judd, due to the reading fair he was hosting at the school. He barely had time to do the exercises in the workbook to get ready for the Bible study.

  Shannon was at the church when he first arrived, getting the coffee ready. “I tried calling you,” she said as she glanced over her shoulder. “You’re never home anymore, and you didn’t pick up your cell phone.”

  “Sorry,” he said, hovering a few feet away. “I’ve been busy.”

  “That’s what I thought. Janie came over, and we went over the lesson.”

  Suddenly, Janie stuck her head in the door. “Did someone say my name?”

  Shannon chuckled. “Were you eavesdropping?”

  “Yes.” Janie came all the way into the room, carrying a tall box that was obviously heavy.

  “Let me get that,” Judd said as he quickly moved to her side.

  As Janie tried to hand Judd the box, she tripped over the place where the carpet met the tiled floor, and the box fell with a loud bang before Judd could get a grip on it.

  Janie gasped and all eyes quickly turned to Shannon, who stood there, stunned for a few seconds. Shannon’s heart raced, but she was okay. She slowly allowed a shaky smile as she moved toward Janie.

  “I’m so sorry,” Janie said as she reached out to Shannon. “You okay?”

  Shannon glanced over at Judd, who stood with his hands in his pockets, watching her, concern evident in his expression. But he wasn’t making a move toward her. It was as if he wasn’t sure what to do.

  “I’m fine. It scared me, but nothing like before. I think I’m starting to heal on the inside.”

  Janie, Judd, and the couple of people who’d drifted into the room let out a collective sigh of relief.

  The Bible study was brief, since everyone seemed to be in a hurry. Judd darted out of the fellowship hall before Shannon had a chance to chat with him. Janie eyed her but waited until Judd was gone to approach.

  “Wanna do something, since we’re out early?” she asked.

  Shannon nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.”

  “How about a snack?”

  “I’m putting on a bunch of weight.”

  Janie’s gaze raked her from head to toe, but she didn’t say anything.

  “A snack sounds good,” Shannon finally said after an uncomfortable silence. “Where do you want to go?”

  Janie shrugged. “How about the Dunk ‘n Dine?”

  Shannon paused, thinking about how she and Judd liked to go there. She’d begun to think of that as their place, but that was silly.

  “I’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes. I need to help clean up here first.”

  “You can go on,” Paul said. “I can finish up here.”

  “No, I want to help.”

  Paul handed her a broom. “You’re a good woman, Shannon. I hope you decide to stick around. We like having you being part of the group.”

  “I like it here, too,” she said with a smile.

  “Oh, and before you leave, there’s a wet rag on the table. If you don’t mind—”

  “I’ll wipe everything off before I leave,” she said before he got the words out.

  “I need to run this coffee urn to the kitchen, then I’m outta here.”

  “See you next week, Paul.”

  When Shannon finished cleaning the meeting room, she went straight to the Dunk ‘n Dine, where she saw Janie waiting at a booth toward the front. Good. At least she wasn’t in the back, where Judd liked to sit.

  “We need to talk,” Janie said the second she sat down.

  “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

  “No, I try not to. What’s going on between you and Judd?”

  Shannon pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought for a moment. “I wish I knew.”

  “What happened? Did you have an argument?”

  “No, he came over one night last week, and suddenly, he acted like someone had bitten him on the foot. One minute we were talking about what I should do with the rest of my life, he kissed me, and than suddenly, he couldn’t wait to leave.”

  “Wait a minute. Slow down.” Janie leaned toward her, her eyebrows pulled together in a tight line. “He kissed you?”

  Shannon smiled and nodded. She felt as shy as she had in junior high when Bobby Anderson had told everyone he loved her.

  “Yeah.”

  “You never told me.”

  “It was just a kiss.”

  “With guys like Judd, it’s never just a kiss. Maybe you’re used to faster men, but in our crowd, guys don’t kiss women unless they mean it.”

  “I know,” Shannon admitted. “That’s what makes it so strange.”

  “And what’s this talk about what you want to do with the rest of your life? Are you planning something I should know about?”

  Leave it to Janie to know where to dig, and then get right to the point. She was smart, and she wasn’t the type to leave anything alone.

  “I feel like my life doesn’t have meaning. Judd was trying to help me figure out where to go from here.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think Judd’s the type to tell you what to do. Have you come up with any ideas?”

  “I think I might like to do some volunteer work.”

  “Volunteering is good. Any thoughts about where?”

  “Judd mentioned something about Room at the Inn.”

  “That’s a good start,” Janie said, “but it’s only for one week a year. That’s an excellent ministry, though, so it’s a worthwhile thing to do. Gretta coordinates it. I’ll tell her you’re interested.”

  “I haven’t thought about what to do besides that.”

  “You’re a very talented woman, Shannon.”

  “Only when it comes to fashion. But somehow, I don’t know if I can figure out how to work fashion into a ministry.”

  “You want to do something in the ministry?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I thought I might.”

  “Look, Shannon,” Janie said as she fidgeted with her napkin, “I don’t want to discourage you from doing the Lord’s work. But you’ve only recently started studying the Bible. There are many ways you can put your talents to work that will please God. All work, if done to His glory, can be a ministry.”

  Shannon listened to the wisdom of Janie’s words. “I just don’t know where to start.”

  “Why don’t you go back to school? Remember how you always said you’d like to work with animals?”

  “That was a long time ago. I’m not sure if I’m up to going back to school.”

  “You don’t have to go full-time until you’re ready. I do think you should sign up for one class next semester. It would get you out, and you can explore options.”

  “I’ll have to think about it.”

  “In the meantime, if I come up with any brilliant ideas, I’ll let you know.”

  Shannon smiled at Janie, knowing she would have more than one brilliant idea. She always did. Janie had always been the type of friend who didn’t let up. If there was a problem, she set out to solve it, and she didn’t quit until she’d accomplished her mission.

  After she ate her salad, Shannon went to her apartment. Judd had called and left a message, but it was too late to return his call. She knew he had to get up extra early for school because the book fair was still going on at the school. He put in long days for those kids, which endeare
d him to her even more. The man was so selfless that she felt small and insignificant next to him.

  He called her the next day around noon. “I was worried about you last night,” he said, not even bothering to identify himself.