“What is it?”
She blew into her mug without taking a sip. “I thought I was hiding it better than that.”
“And maybe a different man wouldn’t notice,” he said. “But I know you and I…”
“You notice,” she finished for him. “Which is one of the many things I love about you, Eli.”
The declaration warmed him more than the tea, giving him a jolt of hope and the bone-deep knowledge that they were about to have a very serious conversation in the middle of the night, whether he wanted to or not.
And he did want to. So he sat still and let her collect her thoughts, since his were pretty much lined up, in order, and clear.
Kate took her glasses off and set them on the counter, suddenly looking younger and more exposed. He could see the tension she’d been carrying in the slight frown between her brows.
“You gave Emma a Bible,” she said, the words coming out just shy of an accusation.
He sort of suspected that was at the heart of things. Hoped he was wrong, but he wasn’t surprised.
“Actually, Seamus Donahue gave it to her,” he said. “And there’s a connection to your father.”
“She told me that, but…” She slid him a look, then let her gaze fall on the Bible. “I’m not sure she’d have actuallyreadit if not for you.”
And that was a problem? Eli didn’t know how to respond to that.
“She’s literallyreadingit,” Kate said, as if this stunned her.
“Well, it is a book,” he said, trying to keep any sarcasm out of his voice. “And I don’t think she’ll get through all of it over the rest of summer break, so I suggested some…key passages to read.”
“Passages? She told me all of Matthew and John. And Ruth. That’s one I’ve never heard of. Ruth?”
His heart folded a little at the question and maybe the tone, both of which reminded him just how far apart they were on something so significant to him.
“It’s a beautiful story of love and loyalty,” he said softly. “One that many young women relate to.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, adding a touch to his hand to show that she meant it. “I don’t want to denigrate what’s important to you, Eli, I really don’t. And what you told Emma onthe boat was exactly what she needed. You helped her see that her body has value and is so worthy of protection and respect. I’ve watched my daughter come back to life because of what you gave her, and I am so grateful for that.”
He heard the word before she said it.
But.
“But she’s readingscripturenow and that’s…”
“That’s not where you wanted the good message to come from,” he finished for her. “So, you like the concept, but not where it comes from.”
She winced and took a sip of tea. “I guess.”
“Kate.” He turned his hand over to thread her fingers through his. “What are you so afraid of? That she might feel something for God? That she might seek more knowledge about Him? That she might go to church or read all sixty-six books or…or…give her life to Christ?”
“I don’t know,” she confessed. “I don’t even know what any of that means or how that looks on a person.”
“You can look at the one next to you and see it. At least, I hope you can.”
She gave a hint of a smile, squeezing his hand. “Eli, she’s so vulnerable right now. She’s hurt and ashamed and grasping for anything that makes the pain stop, and the Bible is filling that void because it landed on her lap at exactly the right moment.”
“Because that’s God’s timing—exactly right, every time.”
She let her eyes shutter, as if she had no way of responding to that or maybe thought it didn’t merit a response.
She turned to him, looking directly into his eyes. “I’m asking you to see what I see—a seventeen-year-old who’s been through something awful, and a man she trusts and admires who’s showing her a worldview that I can’t—” Her voice caught. “That I can’t share with her.”
