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Samanthashiftedherweightfrom one foot to another, trying to relieve the pressure from the high heel shoes she’d crammed her toes into. They’d been fine earlier, but as time passed they became quite painful. She looked around the room hoping to spot Gavin. He’d disappeared some time ago, and she’d felt like a third wheel following Grayson and Jenna around, so she’d made her way over to a wall of windows, and stared out into the darkness.
Everything about this party left her feeling out of place. She didn’t belong in this world among these elegant people. Sure she could put on a fancy dress and fit in with the best of them, but the moment she opened her mouth they’d know she was nothing more than a preacher’s daughter. Not that her dad was poor by an means. He’d inherited plenty from his parents, but he hadn’t acted like the men in his congregation who tried to force him into changing his sermons to accommodate their particular sins and then they would threaten to quit tithing or leave the church if he didn’t acquiesce to their demands. No. Her parents weren’t like that at all. They were salt-of-the-earth people who made her long to be a better person.
Her uncle had tried to teach her the about the finer things and had educated her on how to act among the rich and famous, but she’d resented him for it. She liked Uncle Richard best when he was a regular guy who rode horses with her and took her hunting.
When he was around his hoity toity friends, she hated how he became a different person. The people around her now, were the type he changed for. She didn’t want to blend in like he had. If she stuck around Gavin it would happen eventually. Slowly maybe, but she’d eventually become a person she loathed. And if Gavin came to despise her, too, it would be more than she could bear.
A hand on her shoulder pulled her from her reverie. Gavin smiled and kissed the back of her neck. “Want to get some fresh air? There is a balcony off the sitting room.”
She tucked her hand into his proffered arm and soon they were breathing in the night air. The starlit sky brought a sense of peace she’d been lacking inside the party atmosphere. “Do you really believe God cares? That he has a purpose for all this?”
“You know I do.”
“I haven’t been close to him since my parents died.”
“You haven’t told me about them.”
“I’m not sure you’d believe me if I did.”
He cupped the side of her face. “There is nothing you could tell me that I wouldn’t believe. If you said pirates were about to kidnap us and take us to Mars, I’d trust every word.”
She grinned. “You’re a liar.”
He dropped a kiss on her nose. “Tell me about your parents. Maybe it’ll help me understand why you stopped believing.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I believe in God. But I don’t trust that He’ll make everything all right. That he’ll love me unconditionally and make all things work together for good.”
“Things might not all work together for good in this fallen world, Sam, but God has a better world for us when we’re done with this one. While we’re here, we need to make the most of this life we’ve been given. Have you ever heard the quote “Only one life twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last”?”
“Daddy used to quote it in his sermons.” She watched as understanding dawned in his eyes.
“Your father was a preacher.”
She nodded. “My parents were killed in a plane crash. On their way home from preaching the gospel in Romania. They weren’t missionaries, but he’d been asked to come preach at an event. Daddy was a fantastic preacher. Hellfire and brimstone, but also grace and mercy. I struggle to understand how the loving gracious God my father preached could let him preach in a far off land, but not bring him back home to his only child.”
“That’s a question I can’t answer, but I know God loves us even when he allows us to suffer through tragedies.”
“Like missing sisters and uncles.”
“Exactly like that.” He tilted her chin up and kissed away a tear that had almost reached her mouth. “I want to be there for you, Samantha. If you’ll let me.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gavinofferedapolitesmile to the man beside him, who was passionately discussing the nuances between the Nasdaq, the S&P, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. While the intricacies of the stock market usually held his interest, tonight his mind was elsewhere. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and a quick glance confirmed it was a message from Wade. Etiquette demanded he ignore it, but he knew his friend wouldn’t risk texting if it weren’t urgent.
Mason approached. He’d been playing the host making the rounds and showing off his youthful bride. The girl was barely out of college, if she was even that old. While the gray at Mason’s temples and the lines around his eyes and mouth would put him closer to mid-forties, maybe even early fifties. Gavin shook his head. It wasn’t any of his business.
A curt nod dismissed the woman, and Mason waved over Grayson. “How would you gentleman and your lovely companions like to take a tour of the estate?”
Gavin raised a brow in Gray’s direction. His brother nodded his assent. Of course, they had to take the tour. It was their chance to see what the man was hiding, but he was on alert. “That sounds delightful, but if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to use the restroom first.”
Once alone, he checked his cell to see Wade’s message.
Wade: Somethings happening. A few of Mason’s men appear to be searching the woods around the estate.
Now that was interesting. He rejoined the others staying near the back of their small group, he discreetly passed his cell phone to his brother, so he could see the text.
Mason led them through a wide hallway with framed portraits on the walls. Samantha gasped when they reached one of the last paintings in the collection. He shook his head to remind her not let on that anything bothered her. Mason mistook her shock for admiration of the artists work. “It’s the play of light and shadow, my dear. Brings the portrait to life. Anybody can take a photograph, but capturing the essence of a human soul on canvas takes true skill.”
