AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Talk about flirting. The way Ellie and Jasper danced around each other was enough to make him wonder what needed to happen before Ellie finally decided to go out on a date.
“You were flirting?” Jasper asked, once he, Josh and Brandon had ordered. Jasper’s family owned the hardware store two streets away.
“Trying to, anyway.” Ellie smirked. “Seemed to mostly consist of showing off his muscles.”
Laughter rippled from the others. “And we missed it?” Josh asked.
“Now that’s not fair.” Jackson shook his head. “I couldn’t help it if she stumbled straight into my arms.”
“Not that she looked like she enjoyed staying there,” his sister said.
That was true. And a mite off-putting.
“You better work on your technique,” Jasper said.
“I’m just fine, thank you. I don’t have time for making pretty with the ladies.”
“Who is this chick?” Josh asked. He might be the pastor’s son, but he didn’t always seem to pay close attention to things. “Is she pretty?”
“She’s okay.” Jackson shrugged. “Not really my type.”
“This gets more interesting. I didn’t know Jackson had a type. Did you?” he asked Brandon and Jasper.
“No, sir.”
Ellie’s grin seemed to split her face. “I’d say the way Jackson held her like they were in some fancy dance move sure made it look like he had a type.”
“Want to demonstrate for me?” Jasper asked, wiggling his brows.
Jackson frowned and was about to object when Marlene returned with their meals.
What was the point of all this worry? Miss Franklin had made her opinion clear. And yeah, while he might find her strangely appealing, she’d made it clear she wanted nothing more to do with him. Which was fine. He didn’t have time to chase a woman anyway.
CHAPTERTWO
Was there any job more satisfying than cleaning? Lexi hung up the last of the sheets on the washing line, surveying her morning’s efforts. Trinity Lakes Bible College might have an industrial-sized dryer, but nothing beat the smell of freshly dried sheets … not to mention the environmental benefits of using free sunshine instead of electricity. Today’s warm, sunny weather almost had her thinking of life back home, those glorious days when she used to jog along the paths beside the beach, listening to the waves, feeling the salt-laden air freshen her cheeks. And while the ocean was hundreds of miles away, maybe she would get a chance to put her feet in the lake this afternoon. Now the students had left for the semester, she was here with her parents and a few other staff members for several weeks until the summer sessions began. That meant helping her parents give the college buildings the spring clean they couldn’t do during semester. But even though it was often hard physical work, there was something gladdening about scrubbing dirt away and seeing surfaces sparkle, like they couldn’t when the students were here. It was certainly different to nursing.
Her spirits dipped, but she refused to go there. It would take a miracle for her to feel like she could work in that field again. And given that God had used a miracle to keep her alive, she didn’t want to beg for another.
She pegged the last of the sheets to the line—nothing said comfort like fresh sheets—and gazed down the hill to where the lake sparkled in the summer sun. This really was a pretty part of the world, something she’d enjoy exploring a little more in the upcoming weeks. After church on Sunday, Mum and Dad had taken her to a little café right in the heart of town. The Bellbird Café was a little pocket of Australiana in the middle of this Hallmark-worthy town. The background music with the tinkling sound of bellbirds had surprised her at first, before Dad had explained the place was owned by Aussie expats who had moved here fifteen years ago, bringing good coffee and Australian treats like lamingtons and vanilla slices to the population of Trinity Lakes. It was only patriotic to sample them, and she could now attest it was as good as anything she’d had from back home.
Home.
The word seemed foreign to her. Mum and Dad were here. And all she thought she wanted in Australia had been shattered just over three months ago. Now she felt this strange sense of drifting, like she didn’t know where she fitted anymore. Being half American probably did that to a person, one’s identity never fully secured. A foot on two continents, but never really planted. Instead, floating free like a twig in a stream.
“Lexi?”
She turned. “Hey, Mum.”
“It’s a gorgeous view, isn’t it?”
“Lovely.” Her heart was at ease for the first time in weeks.
“Thanks for all your help. I didn’t expect you to do it all.”
“I didn’t expect to be lazing around on the couch, eating peeled grapes, so I guess we’re even.”
Her mother laughed. “It’s a big place, isn’t it?”
