Lamp Unto Her Feet

by Paula Mowery

  As they pulled apart, she smiled. “Thank you.”

  He nodded and slipped out the door. As he drove home, he relived their embrace. He ran his hand down his face. Would she think he was taking advantage of her vulnerable state? He hoped not.

  ~*~

  Kenzie locked the door and peeked out her front window blinds, watching Trevor pull away. Should she have told him about the Bible passages? He didn’t seem to react with surprise. As she meandered toward her bedroom, she wished she were still in his strong arms. Had he been able to detect the tingling sensation his touch sent throughout her body? She hoped not.

  She poked her way through getting ready for bed, not relishing the thought of trying to sleep. After an hour and a half of staring at the ceiling, she hopped back up and headed for the kitchen. She located a packet of hot chocolate and heated water in the microwave. As she sipped the calming warm liquid, she attempted to relax her tight muscles.

  Swallowing the last drop, she trudged back to her bedroom. Think about something else. Or someone else. Her eyelids fluttered closed, picturing Trevor, her knight in shining armor.

  Kenzie bolted straight up in bed, sweat trickling down her neck. She was alone in her bedroom. Moments before she’d been face-to-face with the man from school, aiming the gun right at her. Three nightmares meant it was time to get up. What was she going to do? Every time she closed her eyes, the man’s cold stare awaited her. With no sleep, she would go crazy. May as well put this time to good use. She worked on lesson plans until the sun peeked through the blinds.

  After pouring a bowl of cereal, she sat on the couch and flipped on the TV to drown out the silence. Her cell phone vibrated, and she reached to the side table to retrieve it. She struggled to keep her cereal bowl righted while answering the call.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Trevor.”

  Warmth radiated through her chest. “Hey,” she managed to say.

  “So, how are you doing?”

  “Um, OK.” She sat her bowl on the coffee table.

  “You don’t sound OK.”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I kept having nightmares. I’ve been up working on lesson plans for school all night.”

  “Aw, Kenzie.”

  She loved the way he said her name, drawing out the last syllable. “I know. Pitiful, right?”

  “I want to be able to help you. How about I bring a movie this evening? Get your mind on something else.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “I’ll provide supper this time.”

  “All right.”

  “Six o’clock work for you?”

  “Good for me. See you then.”

  Kenzie sprang up from the couch. She had a lot to do before six. She shuffled through the cabinets, glad to find she had all of the ingredients for her pizza casserole. Did she have the baking mix for the cheesy-garlic biscuits? Yes. She set to work putting it all together. When the meal was well underway, she glimpsed her attire and caught her reflection in the entry mirror. Yuck. She practically sprinted for the shower. Standing under the warm water, she laughed at herself. She acted like some lovesick teenager. But Trevor was so attractive in every way, inside and out.

  At precisely six, three firm knocks sounded. Her stomach fluttered. When she opened the door, Trevor stood clad in jeans and a plain red T-shirt but looked just as handsome as if he had on dress clothes or his uniform. His smile lit up his face and there was that adorable dimple in his left cheek. She stared, cleared her throat, and waved him inside.

  “Mm, something smells good.”

  “I hope you like pizza casserole.”

  He pursed his lips for a second. “Don’t think I’ve ever had it.” He slipped to the living room and placed what he was carrying on the nearest end table. “I brought a few movies in case some of my choices didn’t quite strike your fancy.”

  Her fancy was struck, but it had nothing to do with movies. Did he need to look that good in those jeans? “Let’s eat.”

  He motioned for her to go ahead of him, then he pulled out a chair for her at the table. This man made her swoon like the heroines from the romance novels she read. He sat down, said a quick prayer, and dove into the casserole with her encouragement.

  Trevor scooped up a hearty bite and then another. He paused with his fork poised above his plate. “This is really good.”

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Something I’ve been meaning to ask you. With you living in Maryland and Lila living here in East Tennessee, how did you two get together?”

  “My Nana would have said that was a God-thing.” She swiped her mouth with her napkin. “Lila came to Maryland for school. We both attended college there for teaching in Early Childhood. I met her the first day in my first class. We were pretty inseparable. But she had a semester on me so she graduated and left me.”

  “But now you’re here.” His brow crinkled.

  “Yeah. Lila called me when a job came open at the school. The timing could only be called a miracle.”

  “How so?”

  Kenzie laid out the whole tale of the dinner with her parents and the phone call from Lila.

  “You weren’t kidding. That does sound like a God-thing kind of story.”

  She nodded. “So, did you grow up here?”

  “Nope. I’m a Colorado boy.”

  “Colorado. Your family?”

  “All my family still live there. I guess I’ve had one of those God-things myself, come to think of it. I started out working on the police force with my dad. I got a little antsy and searched around. This job seemed to find me.” He stroked his chin. “I really like it here.”

  During their meal, Trevor talked in such an easy-going manner that Kenzie settled into a comfortableness. She scolded herself. There was no need in getting carried away. Trevor hadn’t offered more than a caring friendship. She needn’t read more into this and set herself up for being hurt or embarrassed. It was hard not to want more.

  ~*~

  Trevor inserted their first movie selection into Kenzie’s DVD player, a romantic comedy. Kenzie’s giggle warmed him to his core.

  After the flick, she flipped around, facing him on the sofa. Her eyes danced. “I’d never seen that one. It was great. But I laughed so much I think I need a drink.” She stood. “Want something?”

  “Sure. Diet soda?”

  “Coming right up.” She flitted off toward the kitchen. She returned and handed him his bottle, plopping back onto the sofa.

  “It was good to hear you laugh.”

  Her cheeks reddened. “Thanks. I needed to laugh. To forget.” Her smile faded. “I still don’t want to think about returning to school on Monday. I’ve tried to pray for God to speak to me, give some peace.”

  Trevor glimpsed the worn Bible on her coffee table. “Have you read the next scripture passage from your Nana’s Bible?”

  Her eyes widened, and her lips curved up slightly. “You remembered.” She leaned forward, grasped the Bible, and flipped some pages. She read two verses in First Kings about Elijah not hearing God in the earthquake, wind, or fire, but in a still small voice.

  “My Nana’s note says: ‘When something besets you, listen for Him and find His peace through thinking on godly things. See Philippians 4:7-8.’”

  Kenzie read the verses and then gazed into his eyes.

  “Makes sense. I’ve used those verses from Philippians a lot in my line of work, focusing on good, noble, pure, godly things.”

  Kenzie glanced back at the Bible still open on her lap. A thin strand of hair fell across her cheek. Trevor had to refrain from easing it back into place. Kenzie coaxed it behind her ear and met his gaze.

  “Another movie?”

  She smiled and nodded. Halfway through the movie, Kenzie’s head leaned against his shoulder, and her breathing became even. He didn’t dare wake her if she was finally sleeping peacefully. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. He welcomed having her touch him, be near to him.

  Trevor blin
ked hard, struggling to wake up. The sun sifted through the window blinds. He sucked in a breath. It was morning. Kenzie stirred beside him, her head still resting on his shoulder. She suddenly bolted upright, swiveling in his direction with eyes wide. He plastered on a grin and shrugged. “Morning?”

  “Morning to you.” She smoothed her hair behind her ears. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep.”

  “No, I’m sorry I fell asleep. I was glad you were relaxed enough to doze off. I just couldn’t wake you.” He rubbed down his face with his hand. “My plan was to let you get a little nap and then wake you, but it didn’t quite work out that way.”

  Kenzie gnawed her bottom lip. She wasn’t admitting it, but she probably wondered how it was going to appear when he left her apartment this early in the morning. And on a Sunday morning. He stood and grabbed his phone, stuffing it in his pocket. “Look, I’ll get out of here and see you at church.”

  She nodded and followed him to the door. He stepped out and hurried to his car. Little stirred outside. Thank goodness. He would never dream of damaging Kenzie’s reputation.

  7

  Kenzie walked through the door of the Single’s Sunday School department and glanced around. Her eyes met Trevor’s, and he lifted his chin in a slight nod and smiled. A shiver raced down her spine.

  A touch on her arm jolted her.

  “Hey, how are you doing?”

  Kenzie pulled her gaze from Trevor and focused on Lila. “Good.”

  “Listen, I probably need to tell you…” Lila’s voice faded into the background as people began to point, glance, and whisper. “So, is it true?”

  Kenzie shook her head slightly and met Lila’s questioning gaze. “What? Is what true?”

  “About Trevor. A couple of the girls who live in the building across from yours claim to have seen him leave your apartment this morning. I figured they didn’t know what they were talking about.”

  Kenzie’s chest constricted. She couldn’t breathe. Whirling around, she fled the scrutiny, sprinting for her car. Lila’s voice called her name from behind, but she dared not turn back. She sped to her apartment, raced inside, and planted her tear-streaked face on her pillow. How could this happen? Her phone buzzed. She wouldn’t answer it. It went silent and buzzed again. Fine.

  “Hello?”

  “Kenzie, it’s me. Are you OK?” Trevor.

  Even in her frustrated mood, his voice sent shivers through her. “I don’t know.”

  “What happened at church?”

  “Didn’t you realize? Obviously, Haylee and Daniela saw you leave early this morning and felt inclined to let everyone know.” She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh.

  “I’m sorry, Kenzie. I never…maybe I should stay clear until this dies down.”

  The strain of hurt in his voice made Kenzie’s eyes burn with tears again. “Stay clear?”

  “Yeah, I’ll keep my distance.” Suddenly his voice resounded with a firmness. “But call me anytime.”

  She mumbled, almost groaned and the call ended. That was it? Had this been a convenient way for Trevor to let her down easy? She jumped when her phone buzzed again. This time she glanced at the name on the screen. Lila.

  “Hey, Lila.” She flipped to her back and stared at the ceiling directly over her head.

  “You sound down. Spill.”

  “Nothing happened. We dozed off watching a movie. He was trying to help me forget the incident at school. I hadn’t been able to sleep.”

  “And?”

  “And now it’s over.”

  “Do you want it to be?”

  Kenzie moaned. “Between you and me, I was beginning to feel something for Trevor, but I’ve blown it.”

  “You’ve blown it?”

  “Yeah, I think it was inevitable. This just ended it before I went too far.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “He’s sure to think I’m some weakling, fraidy-cat like one of my four-year-olds.”

  “You aren’t making any sense.”

  “Listen, I’ll talk to you later.”

  Kenzie moped through the next week. The weakling and fraidy-cat reappeared the next Sunday morning. She preferred not to repeat the scene from last week. Skipping this week wouldn’t hurt anything. Later that afternoon, someone knocked on the door. Who would that be?

  She opened it to Lila, standing with hands propped on her hips. “And where were you?” She brushed past Kenzie and took her stance inside.

  “Hello to you. Would you like to come in?” Kenzie chuckled as she closed the door.

  “So?”

  She shrugged. “I’m a fraidy-cat, remember?”

  Lila rolled her eyes. “Don’t let those silly gossips win. You’re better than that. You know nothing happened. They probably have no idea what you’d been through with that gunman at school. You need to stand on the truth. By cowering, you’re feeding into their concocted stories.”

  “You’re right.”

  Though Lila’s words were a type of reprimand, a small bit of gumption eased into her. Lila was correct. She wouldn’t allow lies to paralyze and control her.

  The next Sunday, she marched into the Sunday School department, head held high. Her gaze met Trevor’s, and he flashed a smile.

  “Well, look who’s here.”

  She whirled around, glaring into Brett’s cold stare.

  Her stomach tightened. As she started to walk past him, he spoke again.

  “Wouldn’t have anything to do with me, like you were all high-and-mighty good girl, but you let the cop spend the night.”

  Something inside her clicked, and her ears flamed red hot. She set a steady glare into his eyes. “Not that it’s any of your business any more than it’s anyone’s, but Trevor Wallen has more integrity in his little finger than you have in your whole body. Anyone who truly knows him would realize he would never take advantage of a situation. After what I had been through, I needed to feel safe. Not like I could’ve called you.” She stomped past him and plopped down next to Lila and Trevor.

  Both stared at her, mouths agape.

  Lila finally spoke. “I’ve never seen you stand up like that.”

  “I’m sorry.” She swallowed.

  “No way. It was great. The expression on Brett’s face was priceless.” Lila giggled.

  She glanced past Lila to Trevor. “I definitely need to apologize to you. I hope this won’t make things worse.”

  Trevor scooted to the front of his chair. “Thank you for defending my honor. I should apologize to you for not defending yours.”

  “You already did where Brett’s concerned.”

  Trevor smiled. “Then I guess we’re even.”

  He winked, and her knees went weak. Thank goodness, she was seated.

  “How about lunch, you little spit-fire?”

  Kenzie glanced at Lila who nodded her agreement. “All right.” Had he changed his mind about keeping his distance?

  ~*~

  Trevor marveled at Kenzie. He didn’t think she had it in her to stand up like she did to Brett. He had underestimated her. She had her vulnerable side, but she also had some backbone. The more he learned about her, the more he wanted to understand.

  Did he dare ask her out on a date? Not under the guise of helping her feel safe, a planned date. Should he wait? Was it too soon after his grand blunder of falling asleep with her on her couch?

  A blur whizzed past him, and his head snapped around.

  Right now, he needed to get his head in the game and stop that speeder. He rolled his eyes and jumped to action. Shaking his head, he mumbled, “Trevor, you got it bad.”

  ~*~

  Trevor’s shift was over, but a meeting was called at the station. He strolled into the conference room and exchanged greetings with several other officers.

  “Guys, I’m just going to take a moment,” Sheriff Baker announced.

  The room settled.

  “I appreciate all that you all do. I want to give you a heads-up. Over the last
two weeks we’ve seen a rash of armed robberies.” The sheriff’s brow was deeply furrowed. “From what can be pieced together, we think we’re dealing with a small group of young men who need drug money. Please be careful.” He paused, making eye contact around the room before exiting.

  Trevor winced at the thought of young men ruining their lives for drugs. He’d witnessed that scene.

  Arriving home, he rehearsed what he might say to Kenzie when he called her. He rummaged through the refrigerator and plopped into his chair. Sipping on his bottled water, he scrolled through the numbers in his cell phone, paused at Kenzie’s, and pressed call.

  “Trevor.”

  Her upbeat tone when she said his name caused his pulse to speed up.

  “Kenzie, you sound happy.”

  “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “You’ve been able to sleep?”

  “Thanks to you and Nana’s Bible. By the way, have you ever read about Jabez and his prayer in First Chronicles?”

  “A little, why?”

  “That’s the next scripture. Nana’s note said I shouldn’t shy away from praying for God to bless me and increase my influence for Him.”

  “Hmm, praying for blessing and influence. So, what are you going to do?”

  “These scriptures haven’t failed me yet, so I guess I pray it. Hopefully, I’ll discover more about it somehow.”

  His palms turned sweaty. “I was wondering if you had anything going on Friday night?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. But I thought you were keeping your distance.”

  “Oh, well, I…” Is that what she wanted? Had he messed things up completely? He stood and paced.

  “What did you have in mind?” Her tone was light.

  “Dinner and a movie? Not on your couch.” He chuckled.

  She giggled. “That sounds good.”

  “And Kenzie, I really don’t want to keep my distance from you unless you want me to.”

  “I’d really rather you not—keep your distance, I mean.”

  “OK then. Friday.”

  “Yes, Friday.”

  8

  Friday morning Trevor’s phone buzzed early. He rolled over and moaned, grabbing it.

  “Yeah.”

  “Trevor? This is Glen.”