by JoAnn Durgin
Heather clicked the key fob to unlock her door. “Maybe that’s where you need to start.”
A small grin lifted the corners of his lips. “Tell me. As long as you’re not suggesting I quit the pastorate. That’s not going to happen.”
She sighed. “Don’t be silly. I’d no more suggest that than you’d ask me to stop dancing. All I’m suggesting is that you stop wondering what you’re doing wrong. Did you ever stop to think it’s not you?”
He lifted his broad shoulders. “Never really thought much about it until tonight.”
“You need a woman who’s confident in herself and knows what she’s found when she meets you. One who can fully appreciate your honesty and your many fine qualities.”
“Is that right?” Reaching around her, Chase opened her door. “Heather, maybe we—”
“This has been a wonderful evening, but I really need to go,” she said, seized by the sudden inexplicable need to get away as fast as she could. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon at the church.”
“Sure. I’m sorry to keep you out in the cold so long.” Heather could tell she’d surprised him with her abruptness after they’d shared conversations so private they seemed almost intimate.
“I enjoyed it, Chase. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.” After he closed her door, Heather waved before starting the engine and pulling away from the curb. She resisted a quick peek in the rearview mirror and trained her eyes on the road ahead.
When she turned the closest corner, she hit the steering wheel with her fist, grateful for the cushion of her glove.
“Good job, Heather! What are you doing?”
She sure hadn’t pushed Chase in the opposite direction. If anything, being trapped in a closet with the man and talking with him now made him more irresistible than ever. Chase was genuine, easy to talk with, unassuming, unpretentious. He was the most appealing guy she’d met in a very long time. Those blue eyes could melt the hardest of hearts, and the way he seemed to understand her—to want to understand her—impressed her, and not just because he was a pastor. He was a flesh and blood man who cared about people. About her.
Chase understood his purpose and calling. He was following that calling and making a difference. How many people—male or female—could say that?
“What was with that line about him needing a woman?” Heather ran her hand through her hair. “Wonderful. Now you’re talking to yourself out loud in your car.” The great thing about hands-free calling was that she could carry on conversations and other drivers would assume she was talking on the phone.
Right. Like hands-free calling was invented to cover her lunatic tendencies.
Get a grip.
Straightening her shoulders, Heather tightened her grip on the steering wheel and concentrated on her driving.
Just one more day. One more day and then she wouldn’t need to see Chase anymore.
Again, the old zing of disappointment ripped through her, its sting quite tangible.
Chapter 3
~~♥~~
Chase walked to the front of the historic church. With an ornate fresco behind the altar, brilliant and colorful stained glass windows, and burnished brass candelabras, the church near downtown Indianapolis was bathed in the glow of candlelight. More than four hundred wedding guests sat in the wooden pews, polished to a high shine, their attention trained on Chase.
A long time ago, this scenario would have sent him running in the opposite direction. Not so now. For a once shy kid growing up in Chicago—a boy who’d hid behind his mom on the first day of school—the Lord had brought him to the point where speaking in public felt almost as natural as breathing.
He smiled and nodded to the congregation. “Per the bride and groom’s request, I’d like to share with you the well-known and oft-quoted verses of scripture from First Corinthians 13 in the New Testament of our Holy Bible. Also referred to as ‘the love chapter,’ this passage tells us about the excellence of love. If you’d like to follow along, there are Bibles located in the pews.”
Chase waited, standing to the side of the podium, facing the congregation. He moved one hand into the pocket of his slacks and kept the other at his side, making a mental note not to pace or gesture with his hands. A wedding was different than delivering a sermon or a message to his youth group. Today he wasn’t a pastor/teacher. He was only a guy in a fancy black tuxedo, the best friend of the groom. The so-called Best Man. He’d employ the inflections in his tone, control the modulation in his voice, and draw upon his facial expressions to drive his points home. He’d been blessed with a resonant speaking voice, and the acoustics in the old church—tested during the rehearsal—were excellent. His words carried well without a microphone.
This was his moment to speak of love. Heavenly love every bit as much as earthly love. He’d tell them of the love between a man and woman—a wondrous love which, when found, should be held close to the heart and never allowed to slip beyond one’s grasp.
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
Chase paused before reciting arguably the most well-known section of the passage. “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous. Love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…”
As he continued, he enunciated clearly, emphasized some words, and paused for effect when appropriate. “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.”
When he reached the final verse, Chase nodded to Ava and Sawyer. They each gave him a bright smile. “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is…love.”
Chase took his place in line with the groomsmen. Catching Heather’s eye, he inclined his head. She dipped her chin and mouthed good job which highlighted her red lips, the perfect match for the color of her deep red bridesmaid dress. She looked tall, gorgeous…and absolutely spectacular. Enough so that he’d purposely avoided looking at her while he’d stood at the front of the church. He couldn’t risk flubbing his lines at such an important event.
Heather. What a terrific surprise she’d been. He’d half expected she wouldn’t give him the time of day or a second glance, Christian or not. Some of the worst snobs he’d ever met had been through the church, sorry to say. Maybe part of it was the ballerina thing—he’d always assumed them to be cool and reserved. Like they didn’t live in the normal world. With Heather, it’d been a case of reverse snobbery. He’d been the one with preconceived notions. She’d put those ideas to rest within minutes of meeting her. Considering she was Ava’s best friend, he should have known better.
Sawyer had hinted about Ava’s pretty blonde assistant at the dance studio, but he’d never given her a second thought. Until Heather called him at Allie’s suggestion and asked if he was willing to help with the shower. Sounded like fun since it was for both Sawyer and Ava, and he’d readily agreed.
From the moment Heather arrived in his office, her smile captivated him. The kicker? She’d placed a large container of his favorite triple beef noodle soup from Keller’s—the deli closest to the church—on his desk. Heather must have asked Sawyer what he liked to eat, and then she’d followed through and actually brought him the soup for their lunch meeting. How many people would do something like that? Not many, especially for someone they didn’t know.
During their second meeting, when Heather drank some of her soda and belched loud
er than a sailor on weekend leave, he’d burst out laughing. Embarrassed, she’d apologized profusely, but he’d loved it. That belch dispelled any awkwardness and any remaining getting to know you tension.
Open and funny, she brought out a hidden part of him he’d thought long gone—his humor. He liked teasing her. Liked being teased by her even more. If he were honest, a large part of it was a strong physical attraction. Unless they were out-of-their-mind crazy or had terrible eyesight, the first thing anyone saw in Heather was her stunning beauty. He’d never seen a woman with such glowing skin, bright eyes and full, perfect lips.
Especially after the events of last night, Chase hadn’t been able to get Heather out of his mind. Something about her tugged on him and wouldn’t relinquish its hold. He’d articulated things to her that he’d never told another soul, especially about Jacqui, even though there was so much more to that story.
Chase snapped to attention as Sawyer began to recite his personal, handwritten vows.
“Ava, I was smitten the moment I saw you standing on the curb outside the Hyatt that February night a little over a year ago. I know you might find this difficult to believe, but I was intimidated to approach you and offer you a ride home in my pedicab. You were so beautiful, but you also looked delicate. Fragile, almost.”
Sawyer visibly tightened his hold on Ava’s hands, his expression earnest. “I remember thinking how I had that one chance to make a lasting impression on you. I couldn’t blow it. After that night, I had no idea if I’d ever see you again. By the time I pedaled you home, and after the great conversation we shared—in spite of my bumbling and fumbling tendencies—I was already half in love with you. It didn’t take much longer to fall the rest of the way.”
Ava’s eyes never left his and she gave Sawyer a smile of encouragement when he hesitated. Chase suspected it was more a case of overwhelming emotion than nerves that gave his best friend reason to pause. He was doing fine.
Sawyer rested one hand on Ava’s cheek. “In everything we’ve been through, it’s brought us closer to one another. I might make a lot of mistakes, but I’ll stand beside you through all of life’s moments. I’m a better man for knowing you, and I’ll be a better husband with you by my side. My beautiful Ballerina, you are my bride, and I’ll thank the Lord every day for the precious gift of you. You have blessed me with your grace, your beauty, and the way you show me the meaning of love every day.”
Leaning forward, Sawyer kissed his bride with such sweetness that Chase twisted his lips and looked away. These two defined the meaning of love.
“A little premature,” the pastor whispered loud enough for those nearby to hear.
Sawyer grinned. “I couldn’t wait. Sorry.”
“Perfectly understandable. Let’s proceed.”
Chase exchanged a smile with Eric.
With the exception of Sawyer’s stubborn insistence on using the word smitten, he’d done a terrific job writing his vows. He’d kept them sweet and poignant and delivered them flawlessly.
“Sawyer,” Ava began, “when I first met you, I didn’t believe I was ready to love. But the Lord knew, just as He always does. He knew I was ready, and He’d handpicked the man I was to meet. I don’t believe love is a random event. Our meeting, and our love, has been orchestrated by God. He knew everything we’d experienced prior to our meeting, and He knew the sweet blessing—as well as the deep pain—we shared. From that very first night, you gave me renewed hope that I could find the kind of love that would last a lifetime.”
At Ava’s words, Chase darted a glance at Heather and their gazes locked. Her blue eyes looked green in the dim lighting. Who had she been talking about last night? He couldn’t imagine any man hurting this woman or leaving her behind. He’d picked up on the fact that she was an only child. Her father, perhaps?
“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again,” Ava said, drawing Chase’s attention back to the ceremony. “Then when you walked into my dance studio, I knew in my heart, this is the man with whom I’ll spend my life. Sawyer, thank you for showing me how to claim the joy in my life. For showing me how to live and especially how to love. I look forward to our years together, and I’m blessed to be sharing the journey with you.”
After the exchange of the traditional vows and the exchange of rings, a children’s choir—the same kids who’d sung “Ave Maria” earlier in the service—began “The Lord’s Prayer.” Their sweet voices, so full of purity and innocence, swelled Chase’s heart. Closing his eyes, he made the song his personal prayer.
A tear slipped down Ava’s cheek as the children ended their song. Sawyer whisked away her tear with his thumb. Something about the tender gesture made Chase’s insides clench. What must it be like to share such an all-encompassing love? Sawyer and Ava recognized the value of their relationship and understood it was ordained by God. Love wasn’t easy. It required work. Without action, without the heart involved, the words were empty. Without love, life meant little more than the means to achieve a goal that had nothing whatsoever to do with a person’s soul.
Love should never be squandered or taken for granted.
Love was to be cherished.
Treasured.
Protected.
What he’d said to Heather the night before was true. He’d given up on finding a woman the same as she’d given up on finding a man. Perhaps he’d held too high of standards. No one woman could ever be expected to fulfill his every want or need. That was arrogance on his part. Maybe it’d been a subconscious way to sabotage every potential relationship. Perhaps he’d erected a fortress around his emotions to prevent a woman from penetrating those thick walls, closed off for so long.
Or…perhaps it was God’s timing until the right woman of His choosing for Chase came along. Would he recognize her?
Chase moved his gaze to Heather. Again.
Chapter 4
~~♥~~
“Now that’s what true love looks like.” A soft sigh escaped Heather’s lips, and she raised her glass of sparkling cider in Ava and Sawyer’s direction. She stood next to Chase in the small ballroom in one of downtown Indy’s most prestigious hotels. They’d been chatting with other wedding party members and guests as they waited for the official call to dinner—the wedding feast, as Sawyer called it—but now they were alone.
Chase resisted a smile. Maybe weddings made Heather overly sentimental. A lot of women had that same reaction, based on all the ladies dabbing their eyes with tissues during the ceremony. She’d known the name of every fancy hors d’oeuvre. Maybe she’d helped to choose the menu, but it was clear Heather was in her element, and he was not, no matter that he was currently dressed in a designer tuxedo and eating something called a crudité.
He must be delusional. She was completely out of his league. People who’d never wanted for money didn’t have the same perspective. She might empathize, but Heather couldn’t know what it was like to ever go hungry, stay overnight in a shelter, be the recipient of charity, or eat at a soup kitchen. She couldn’t know the emotions that went through a boy’s mind when he was forced to depend on the kindness of strangers.
Still, if he was going to make a move, it had to be tonight or he might not see her again until Ava and Sawyer’s next big event. No reason to see her otherwise unless they made the conscious decision to get together. Knowing Sawyer, he’d sequester himself with Ava at every available opportunity during the next few months and only emerge for air when needed. By that time, Heather would probably be madly in love with some doctor, lawyer, or self-made business tycoon. That thought unsettled him and stirred his protective instincts as well as something much more primal.
A girl like Heather wouldn’t stay single long. That was fact no matter what she said.
“I was very impressed you could recite the love chapter from memory,” she told him. “You seemed completely at ease up there on the platform. I cringe when speakers are obviously tense. It makes me nervous, but with you, the words flowed effortlessly. I’ve heard t
hose same verses many times—including the countless weddings I’ve been in—but they’ve never seemed so…relevant or alive as they did tonight.” She raised her glass. “Kudos.”
“Thanks. I tried.” He touched his glass to hers. “I try and convey how God’s word is as relevant today as it’s always been and always will be. I’m honored Ava and Sawyer asked me.”
“Have you ever conducted a wedding ceremony before? As the pastor?”
“A few times. Mainly for friends from seminary.” Chase finished his drink. He handed off the glass to a passing server before picking up a second glass.
“It must be hard to stand in front of a crowd and speak, knowing all eyes and ears are trained on you.” Her comment sounded almost wistful.
“It’s what I do. All the money in the world couldn’t get me in a tutu to twirl in front of a crowd.”
She laughed. “I should hope not, but point taken. You know the story of Ava’s wedding gown, right?”
“No, I haven’t heard that one.”
“The night they met, Ava had been at the Hyatt all day—from dawn to dark, dealing with hundreds of tiny ballerinas, tutus, headaches, and overwrought parents. At the end of the day, she walked outside the hotel, exhausted, and there stood adorable Sawyer with his pedicab.”
Adorable? Funny. “Goose. The pedicab,” Chase stammered, feeling foolish. “Sawyer nicknamed it Goose. The same nickname he has for Allie.”
“I didn’t know that. Score one for the Best Man. Anyway, as we both know, Sawyer offered her a ride home.” He’d heard this part of the story but figured it might be interesting to hear it from Heather’s perspective.
“Ava had no idea he owned the pedicab company, and they shared a ‘meet cute’ ride back to her apartment.”
Chase bit back a sigh. “Yes, their story defines ‘meet cute.’ Does it matter that Sawyer owned the company?”
