AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Right about now he wondered why that man couldn’t be Calhoun. Sure, he’d be more like a grandfather, but perfect for the job. Jack opened his mouth to suggest it when Calhoun interrupted him.
“I’ve always said the Lord works in mysterious ways.” Calhoun said with a glance at Jack and a twinkle in his eyes.
The twinkle in the eyes, the beard, the ruddy cheeks. Santa Claus. Only Jack didn’t want the present he’d brought. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means this is the perfect opportunity for you to work out your fear.”
There was that word again, and said aloud, it made his stomach tense. He didn’t want to believe he was afraid of anything. He didn’t operate that way.
“You know I hate that word.”
“Whatever you want to call it, but it’s time to move on, son. And this girl could use your help. What’ll it hurt to have a few conversations with her?”
It would hurt a lot, but that wasn’t the point.
“There have to be other people who would be better at this than me.”
“But that’s why God put you there. Those other people don’t need to learn this particular lesson.”
He could see he wouldn’t get any support from Calhoun. Not the man who told him he would not be put into any situation he could not work through with the Lord.
“I don’t want to learn any lessons. I moved into your sister’s rental because I couldn’t live in a motel anymore. There’s onlyone apartment complex in town, and her house was the only place that would take a month-to-month lease.”
Calhoun laughed. “I know, and look where it got you. From the frying pan into the fire. Perfect.”
“I don’t have any idea what to say to this girl. And she’s not exactly the easiest person in the world to talk to.”
Of course, Maggie was a different story, but Calhoun didn’t need to know about that.
“Son, no teenager is. But something tells me you’ll find a way.”
Jack sighed, realizing he was on his own. If Dr. Logan was to be believed, and he’d have to face his greatest fear in order to sleep a full night again, then he was now on his way. If only the thought of it didn’t make him cringe.
One thingyou could say about Harte’s Peak— endless beauty surrounded the town—from the pine trees cradling its boundaries to the woman sitting on her front porch as he pulled into his driveway.
Maggie sat on the wrought iron bench and stared into the distance at nothing in particular. When she caught him looking at her through the window of his truck, she waved.
He jerked like a deer caught in the headlights because somehow it seemed wrong to walk inside his house now and ignore her smiling face. Even if that was safer. He walked over, hands in his pockets.
“Hi,” he offered.
Butler, stop acting like you’ve never talked to a woman before.
“Just getting off work?”
“Yep.” Another one word sentence slipped out.
“I hope you don’t always have to work on Sundays.” Her green eyes were sympathetic, and he only wished he deserved it.
“I told you I work crazy hours.” A succulent smell emanated from her home, and he wondered if they were having take-out. “Whatever you’re cooking, it sure smells good.”
Maggie didn’t appear particularly happy to hear it for some odd reason.
He shifted gears. “I talked to Lexi.”
“She told me.” Her eyes lit up. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. She said you told her everything she needed to know.”
Uh-oh. He’d done nothing of the sort and couldn’t find words again.
