“You think this is really funny, don’t you, Zeke?” She slapped at him. It gave Ezekiel a strange pleasure when her lips twitched. “You have to admit, you look a bit like a drowned rat right about now.”
“And you don’t?” Bekah looked him up and down.
“I’ll be fine. My jacket took most of the rain.”
“Well then, I guess I don’t feel so bad.” She turned her attention to the line of kids waiting for her to punch their cards. “If you don’t mind. I’m working here, Zeke.”
Ezekiel leaned casually against the wall, his arms leisurely crossed over his chest and waited.
She tugged a strand of wet hair behind her ear and glanced over her shoulder. “What?”
“No one has ever called me that.” He held her gaze.
Another smile that warmed his heart. “I like it. It fits you.”
“Why don’t you change in the bathroom, and I’ll take over for you for a minute.”
“Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?”
“Actually, my class thinks I’m quite the hero after saving the damsel in distress from being hit by lightning. They insisted I bring the clothes myself.” He held out the bag to her.
“You sure they’re not just trying to get out of doing work?” She continued to punch cards and smile at the kids as she spoke.
“That very well could be.” He grinned. More than likely, it was. Ezekiel gently took the hole punch from her hand and lifted his chin in the direction of the bathrooms. “Go change.”
Bekah peeked inside the bag, then looked back up to him. “Jeans?” The smile on her face widened.
“Yep. Bonnie thought these would be more comfortable for you. There’s a couple of pairs and some tops, too.”
Bekah dropped down from the stool, almost losing her balance. Ezekiel grabbed her arm to steady her. A rush of energy shot through him, and he had to stop himself from drawing her closer.
“Thanks." Their eyes met for a split second. "I’ll be right back.”
Ezekiel watched as Bekah walked away with the bag in hand. He was in big trouble if she was going to be waiting out the storm. He rubbed the back of his neck to stop the sudden jolt of electric charge from spreading.
Yep. He was in big trouble.
“Mr. Gaines?” A small voice brought him back to earth.
“Oh. Sorry, Shelly.” He punched the girl’s card. “Have a good lunch.”
The first-grader gave him a strange look and continued on.
“Who’s next?” Ezekiel called out with a giddiness he couldn’t contain.
A couple of minutes later, Bekah came back in, wearing a pair of jeans and a cute red top. It was the same scarlet color as the one she’d worn before, but it was much more modest. He’d trusted that Bonnie didn’t have a single item in her closet that would be inappropriate, so he hadn’t even looked through the bag more than a glance when she’d given it to him. Bonnie was maybe a size or two bigger than Bekah, but the clothes seemed to fit her fine.
“This is so much better.” Bekah took back the hole punch and climbed onto the stool. “You can go now.”
Stepping back, he retreated to his earlier perch against the wall to watch her interact sweetly with each child.
“Looks like someone’s got it bad.” Garrett’s voice came from the entrance only a few feet away.
“Aren’t you ever in class, man?” Ezekiel asked, turning to his friend.
“I take it you were so wrapped up in watching a pretty girl to notice that your class has been dismissed for lunch.”
Ezekiel’s face heated. “I wasn’t watching her. Not like that, anyway.”
Garrett raised an eyebrow at him. “Really now? Look E, just because you’re the preacher’s son doesn’t mean you can’t be attracted to a pretty girl. I bet your mom was a knock-out in her day.”
Maybe he was, but it wasn’t just the way she looked in those jeans that he was admiring. At least that was the story he was sticking to. She definitely looked attractive in her new, modest attire. But it was so much more than that. There was something about her that wouldn’t let him go, that held him captive. He knew he’d been caught and he shuffled from foot to foot as he had often seen his students do when they knew they were in trouble. “Okay, she’s cute. But that’s not ... I think I’m in trouble.” He blew out a puff of air.
“The Lord works in mysterious ways, my friend.” Garrett slapped him on the back and walked away.
Ezekiel watched for a little while longer. The storm would keep her in town for another few days or so, but after that, what would she do? What did it matter to him? He shouldn’t care if she left, never to be seen again.
He longed to get to know her better. And the preacher-kid in him, the one that knew he was about to play with fire, wanted nothing more than for her to pack her bags. Because then he could go back to his nice, safe world in which everything was normal again. Bekah turned in his direction and Ezekiel slipped out the door. It would do no good for her to see him gawking at her. Besides, he needed to speak to his father about why he had the girl out there in the pouring rain to begin with. Sometimes he wondered if his father was losing his mind. It was one thing to count on God to provide, and another to rely on Him to keep a woman from being hit by lightning while standing out in a thunderstorm.
Ezekiel shook his head. Just when he wondered how he could have as much faith as his father had, his father had gone and pulled a crazy stunt like that.
Chapter 13 — Bekah
Finished with the lunch hour for all eight grades and having punched more cards than she could count, Bekah headed back through the school and into the office. She’d earned the gas money fair and square and was ready to get out of there. It was time for her to spread her wings, to do what she’d always wanted to do, and to not stop trying until she succeeded.
But saying and doing were two different things, and something about the town had been pulling at her heart all day. It wasn’t just Ezekiel, although the man did hold a certain appeal. It was the kids, the school, his mother, his father ... everywhere she went, it felt like the town was a magnet, pulling her in.
Bekah opened the outside door of the school. The wind caught it and slammed it back in on her. Water seeped through the crack underneath as she tried to push it open again. With her entire body, she gave it a hard shove and rushed out as another gust slammed it closed behind her. All across the ground and sidewalk that led to the church office door was a river of water. Ezekiel wasn’t kidding. Taking a giant leap over the puddle, the flats Bonnie had given her hit the edge of the large stream, splashing the back of her pant legs.
She opened the door to the church, leaning on it as she had the other, and almost fell inside. Catching herself, she closed it back and headed to the office. Bonnie was not at her desk. Ezekiel and Pastor Gaines were having what looked like an intense conversation.
Not wanting to disturb them, she sat down in the small reception area and tried not to listen. That wasn’t working too well since the walls were thin and she was nosy. It was a family gene, she was sure.
“What we need is to do something different.” It was clearly Ezekiel’s voice. “Something to bring tuition in.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Well, today at lunch, out of nowhere, Mom mentioned the one thing that could possibly bring recognition to the school is an arts program. Where she came up with that, I have no idea.”
Bekah’s mouth flew open as her hand shot up to cover it. That woman! What was she trying to pull?
“Art? And how would that bring in students?”
“Not art, Dad. Arts. You know, like theater performances. I got to thinking about it, and there’s not one performing arts school anywhere in the area. We’ve got some talented kids already. What if we could add drama to the curriculum? Mom says that not only would it attract tuition, but the performances could be held right in the sanctuary, and the funds could go back into the church.”
Bekah wish
ed she could see their faces.
“Hmmm. Your mother mentioned this?”
“Yes, and she was very adamant about it. I’ve never heard her so interested in anything. She started going off about Julie Andrews and how she used to love to go to all the old plays.”
“We haven’t gone to one of those in such a long time. It used to be your mother’s favorite thing to do.”
“What do you think?”
“Well, it’s not something we could decide today. I’d have to pray about it, and then there would be a matter of getting a drama teacher in here and ―”
“Isn’t it you who always says ― God will provide?”
“Well certainly, Son. But God isn’t going to provide us a drama teacher if it’s not His will that we teach a drama class.”
“I don’t know, Dad. Maybe God is working out the details as we speak.”
Bekah’s eyes widened. Had his mother told him about their talk? Certainly, God hadn’t made her car run out of gas in the same town that would decide they needed a drama teacher. Bekah got up quietly and left the office. She had no intention of sticking around whether they needed one or not. Besides, she had a distinct feeling that it was not God’s divine will, but Doris Gaines, who was putting her nose in where it didn’t belong.
Whether she believed in God or not was still up for a vote. She certainly didn’t think the world was created by single-cell organisms or apes turning into humans or whatever the popular scientific theory was. None of that made sense to her, and although she hadn’t given it much thought, she was pretty sure there was a divine being out there somewhere who was in charge of the universe.
Deciding that braving the wind and rain would be more comfortable than walking in on the conversation those two were having, Bekah stepped outside and sloshed through the flooded sidewalk, back to the Gaines' house. The rain had all but stopped, but the entire area was flooded with water. She looked up to the sky. The clouds still hung heavy above. The storm was not over, it was just a brief intermission. Even if Pastor Gaines gave her the money right then, she wasn’t going anywhere until the rain let up completely and the roads cleared.
With an excitement stirring in her soul that she could not put to rest, Bekah allowed herself to dream for a moment that it would be possible for her to take on the position of drama teacher for the small town of Sunshine. It certainly wasn’t her dream job of acting or singing, but it was a step up from what she had at the moment — which was nothing.
Chapter 14 — Ezekiel
Several days had passed since Ezekiel had proposed the idea to his father. They'd spoken about it off and on, and his mother had added on how wonderful it would be to have plays performed right there in their very own church.
Unlike Ezekiel hoped, Bekah had remained quiet during their discussions and showed no interest in the position. He’d even admitted to his father that his mother had told him about Bekah’s desire to act and sing.
Although they hadn’t seen her actually perform, He started to believe that Bekah had been guided to their town for a reason. He felt strongly that she was the one who had been sent to teach the drama class for their school. Never had he ever gotten a feeling so deep within his soul about anything like he did now. It made no sense. At first, he had fought it. But after remembering how kind she was with the kids, he had allowed it to marinate, even to grow. She had no degree that he knew of, and by all accounts, she was no more qualified to teach the class than he was. Yet his brain clung to the idea. Or maybe it was his heart. At the moment, he couldn't decide which.
The rain had stopped, and the roads were clear enough for traffic. Soon Bekah would be gone if he couldn’t convince her to take the position. Maybe his reasons for wanting her to stay were purely selfish, but he liked her. As much as he tried to deny it, something about the woman pulled him in.
“Bekah.” Ezekiel’s father reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “I’m a man of my word, and with all the work you’ve done in the school cafeteria this week, I owe you more than this, but it’s all I can afford at the moment.” He pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and handed it to Bekah. “I appreciate you stepping in for Gloria, and I’m really sorry for sending you out in that storm. I was sure it was gonna hit a day later.”
“Thank you, Pastor Gaines.” Bekah slipped the money into her back pocket. “It was no problem at all, and this is more than enough to get me where I need to go.”
Now’s your time! Ask her! His brain screamed at him, but his mouth wouldn’t move.
“I suppose you’ll be leaving this morning?” his father asked.
“That’s the plan. Thank you all for allowing me to stay.”
“It was pure joy, my dear,” his mother answered. “And I’ve made you up some sandwiches and a batch of cookies for your trip.”
Why wasn’t anyone saying anything? Were they going to just let her walk out the door without asking her about the position? They had all agreed that it was a good idea and that Bekah would be the perfect choice for the job. Why weren’t they asking her? He gave his mother a pressing stare, which she met with one of her angelic smiles as if she were oblivious to his request.
Bekah walked to the guest bedroom, unaware of the silent conversation going on around her.
“Why didn’t you ask her, Dad?” he whispered. “I thought we agreed ―”
“Why didn’t you?” his mother came back with. “It was your idea.”
“My idea? Mom, you almost bashed me over the head with it!”
His mother gave him a blank stare. “Well, go on in there and ask her.”
“You guys are impossible!” Ezekiel stood and headed to the guest bedroom. His breath quickened at the thought of asking her to stay. Wouldn’t it have been much more natural coming from his parents? He’d look like a complete fool asking her to stick around after all the way he'd treated her when she first arrived.
When he reached her closed door and prepared to knock, ready to get it over with, Ezekiel was greeted with the prettiest melody he’d ever heard. She was singing. He didn’t recognize the song, but the woman had an undeniably beautiful voice. How could he let that go? The truth was, she’d been showing off her acting talents since the day she’d walked into his life. She was a drama queen from the very start. The way she'd sauntered into the church office to the tears she'd faked as she poured out her sob story to his father, it had all been an act, and she'd played the part well. She was a natural. As the realization hit him, he knew he had to ask.
Ezekiel knocked on the door.
“Oh!” A startled voice came from inside only seconds before the door opened. “Zeke, you scared me!”
He peeked in to see that on the bed was a small bag packed with the few items she’d acquired since she’d come.
“Did you come to make sure I only leave with what I came with?” She eyed him.
“Oh, no. Of course not.” He shoved his hands into his pocket. “Look, Bekah. I wanted to ask if you would consider staying and maybe taking ―”
“Ezekiel, I know what you are going to ask, and no, I don’t think so.”
“Why?” He watched as she shuffled uncomfortably. “I mean, where do you have to go that is so important?”
“It’s really none of your business, Zeke. I thank you for all of your hospitality. You’re a great guy and your parents ― unbelievably kind. But this is just not my kind of gig.” Bekah turned away but not before Ezekiel saw the regret that played in her eyes.
“Maybe you could just try it out? I mean, my mom thinks you’d be a great drama teacher, and it would mean so much to her to see the kids perform. We have some real talent in our school. Ruby, she’s a great singer and Tia, you should see that girl dance. And then there’s Jack! He’s so dramatic! The kids need an outlet. This is something they could really thrive at.” He desperately pulled at straws. “And you, Bekah, I saw the way you interact with the kids. You have a special talent. Why not put ―”
“No. Ezekiel.
I’m sorry, but my answer is no.” Bekah picked up her bag and slipped on her flats. “I thank you all so much for everything, but I have to go.”
Ezekiel lowered his head. He had no more words to speak, only the prayers he’d spoken time and time again.
Lord, if it’s Your will, show her this is where she should be.
He didn’t care anymore about how cute she looked in his mother’s Hawaiian dress or how much she made him smile each time he saw her. He didn’t even care that she was a thief and could possibly rob them all blind. Ezekiel yearned for her soul to come to the only One who could change her life totally and completely. But just as God didn’t make people love Him, Ezekiel couldn’t force her to stay.
Ezekiel left Bekah standing in her doorway and shuffled back to his garage apartment. As he sat down on his bed, the front door to the main house closed. His mother and Bekah stood out in the driveway, his mother wishing her luck, and Bekah thanking her for her kindness.
“If you ever get back this way, promise me you’ll stop in.”
“I will. I promise.”
As footsteps passed the garage and down to the church where her car still sat, hope drained from Ezekiel’s spirit. It just wasn’t meant to be.
Chapter 15 — Bekah
On shaky legs, Bekah headed to the church parking lot where her car had sat for the last week. Hoping she had enough gas to get her at least to the station, she stepped through the puddles of water that still graced the ground. The sun beat down heavily on her as the humidity from the storm sucked out every ounce of water inside of her.
The desert bloomed with flowers, reminding her that even in the dry arid land, there was still hope for even a dead soul such as her. Wiping her brow, she wondered at Ezekiel’s words as he tried to convince her to stay. All three of them had shown confidence in her without even seeing what she was capable of. Who did that? For years she’d been trying to gain the trust of individuals and prove that she was talented, and there she was in the little town of Sunshine, Arizona, and they trusted her implicitly to do what she loved ... and she had walked away.
The Act of Falling Page 6
