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The car filled with a strange quietness. Every so often Lexi sensed Jackson glance at her, but she kept her gaze steadfastly out the window, as if the evening lights of Trinity Lakes were the most fascinating thing ever.
“You’re sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” he asked again.
“I don’t need to. I’m a medical professional, and I know I’m okay.”
“Right. Yeah. Of course.”
She was technically okay health-wise. But the gut-squeezing moment in the pool and in the minutes afterwards had barely let her breathe and would doubtless eat into her hard-won peace of mind. Thank God her medical instincts had switched into overdrive, that all she’d done was simply a product of years of experience, both medically but also from surf lifesaving drills. She must’ve done dozens of pretend drills, but she could count actual resuscitations on one hand. Well, two hands now.
She glanced down at her blunt unpolished nails and grimaced, then winced again. Thank goodness Ellie had come to the rescue when she had, wrapping her in that towel. Until that moment she hadn’t realized just how much she was revealing. Wet t-shirt contests weren’t her scene.
Her hand drifted to her throat, and she readjusted the scarf, putting it back in place, remembering all the eyes, the questions, the intense attention. She’d never been one for the spotlight, and had retreated to a brand of shyness that too often left her second-guessing herself and other people’s motives since the incident three months ago. She’d thought she’d left the shyness behind. Hadn’t realized she’d brought it here, too.
Lexi’s embarrassment dissipated in another wave of shame. How could she remain so focused on herself when a young man had almost died?Lord, heal Jordan. Bring him to complete health, heal him and his parents’ emotional trauma. She swallowed.And mine.
“So, Bible college, huh?” Jackson said, as his truck climbed the hill.
“Yep.” Maybe one-word answers could help her emotionally distance herself from him.
“It’s a great school,” Ellie said. “I wondered about studying there but couldn’t afford it.”
One of the complaints Dad often heard. But despite the costs being kept to a bare-bones minimum, Bible college, with Christian studies as the only focus, was often regarded by many as a frivolous luxury.
“Have you studied?” Lexi asked Ellie.
“Not really. I once did a semester of history online.”
“History?”
“Yeah. I love archeology, and once thought I might like to work at the local museum, but the ranch kind of needs me.”
Like the Bible college needed her, or so Dad said. “Family obligations, huh?”
A beat. Two. “Ellie is not obliged to work there.” Jackson’s voice held stiffness.
“Come on. What would you and Mom do without me? You know she’d never cope.”
Ellie’s mother was there too? And how could Ellie joke about leaving him? Lexi frowned.
“You okay back there?” Ellie asked.
“I’m fine.”
“We’re almost there,” Jackson said, and she could tell from the curve in the road that he was right. It might’ve been a few years, but returning to Trinity Lakes was like slipping on old boots, and it hadn’t taken long to refamiliarize herself with the bends, the bows, and hooks.
Like the hook of obligation.
She swallowed the disloyal thought as they passed the spotlit sign for Trinity Lakes Bible College and traveled the bumpy road. Dad had said he’d like to get the road graded, but that took money the college didn’t have. And with no students for a few weeks, it wasn’t a top priority.
“The road’s a bit rough.” Jackson said.
“Yep.”
Another beat of silence passed. “I could maybe bring in some equipment to help fix it.”
“Thanks. I’ll mention it to my dad.”
The three stories of the main building appeared, and a knot in her heart unraveled. For all the complexity of staying here, it had proved a respite from the outside world. And it would likely prove a respite from the difficult social complexities she now found herself in, which she couldn’t blame on anyone else. It was simply what came from spending too long alone. One imagined things, got carried away, and struggled to differentiate between fact and fiction.
