Love's Providence: A Contemporary Christian Romance Page 9

  “Oooh, maybe he’ll handcuff you,” Rachel had purred.

  In the end, she’d left the house amid praises and with her confidence intact, but as she rounded the corner down the street from Brogen’s, it plummeted to shaky at best. She’d almost twisted her ankle twice getting this far, and the last block suddenly looked like a mile. She thought about turning around, but then she saw Alex at the end of a long line of people corralled between ropes, and he waved to her.

  She waved back and picked her way down the crowded sidewalk. She thought the crowd would have thinned out since the holiday was over, but if the music and dancing people at the bar were any indication, the party had just begun.

  She stepped out of the crowd and into the parking lot where she got her first full view of Alex in his uniform as he checked identifications, and she nearly gasped out loud. The tan fitted pants and button-down shirt hugged every muscle, and somehow he looked even taller than before.

  Dear God, what was she getting into?

  As she walked closer, she heard the high-pitched screech of someone who was obviously very angry, and when she reached the end of the line, she caught sight of a young girl yelling at Alex. She was tall and thin, and when she threw her arms into the air to protest, she looked like a skinny tree flailing in a high wind.

  “No! I am not leaving until you give me my license. How am I supposed to drive home without a license?”

  “That’s not my problem,” Alex answered. He clenched his jaw, spread his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe you should call a cab.”

  “You can’t just take my license! I’ll call and file a complaint!”

  “Well, if you have a pen and paper handy I’ll give you the number and the name of my supervisor if you like.”

  He smiled politely, which made Lily giggle. The girl practically had steam coming off her skin. The crowd behind her began to mumble, so she finally stalked away, but not before sending one last obscenity over her shoulder. When Lily finally stepped beside him, he shook his head and pressed his eyebrows together.

  “I can’t stand drunks,” he muttered.

  “Well, looks like you’re having a good time,” she said, hoping for a smile.

  But he had a strange expression on his face when he finally turned to look at her, and she had no idea if he was even happy to see her. He let his gaze wander over her, and she was suddenly aware of every inch of her exposed skin. He grinned, but something about it was off. It wasn’t a pleasant grin. He let out a low whistle. Then he chuckled and shook his head.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing really, I just wasn’t expecting…” He gestured a hand toward her. “…this, I guess.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, considering the fact that you’re leaving tomorrow, doesn’t it seem a little cruel to show up here looking so…”

  He trailed off again, and Lily’s cheeks flushed.

  “So what?” she asked.

  He reached for the next license and passed several people through before turning back to her with the same sarcastic grin.

  “I think you know already.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re not making any sense.”

  Now this was the Alex she had met that first night. Obnoxious and cold. He chuckled at her.

  “Oh please. You know you look gorgeous. And here I thought you were so conservative. Really, Miss Brennon. I’m shocked.”

  “I think you’ve gotten the wrong impression here.” And maybe he hadn’t been the only one.

  He shook his head. “I think I got exactly the one you were shooting for.”

  There was no missing the edge to his voice, and she wondered if maybe she should just leave. He was obviously in a bad mood. Maybe something had happened. After all, she still barely knew him.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “Sure. Why do you ask?”

  “You seem aggravated. Did I do something wrong here?”

  “No, really. I’m fine. I had a bit of a rough day.” He sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry if I was out of line.”

  She rubbed his arm and felt his muscles tense beneath her touch.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  “Not really. No big deal.”

  He checked another license then smiled at her, this time giving her a wink. The aggravation seemed to disappear, and finally she felt her stomach relax.

  “So,” he continued. “Did you bring your phone number?”

  She nodded and reached for the folded paper in her pocket. As she watched him read it, she waited for his reaction to the small note she had written at the bottom of the page.

  If you ever come across this note one day and wonder, who the heck is Lily Brennon, please just throw this away.

  “What is this supposed to mean?” He gave her a curious glance.

  “I just thought, you know, if you don’t get around to calling.”

  He sighed as his shoulders fell, and he looked away. It had been a joke, sort of. She’d expected a laugh, but he seemed more defeated than anything. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, fishing a business card out of it.

  “Here.” He pushed it toward her. She looked over the name and contact information as he continued. “You can call me anytime at this number. We have an answering service, so just leave a message and the number where you are or your cell, and I’ll call you back as soon as I have a break.” He placed her note inside his wallet and returned it to his pocket.

  “Alex Walker, patrolman.” She read the card and grinned at him. She loved the sound of his name.

  “Well, hopefully it will say detective soon.” He reached for another license. “I’ve about had my fill of doing this sh-”

  She noted the word on his lips, and that he’d stopped himself before uttering the curse. It struck her as odd and exhilarating at the same time. Maybe she was having a positive effect on him after all.

  “So how late do you have to work tonight?” she asked.

  “I have to stay here until closing to make sure everyone leaves, so at least two, maybe later.”

  “Would you want to come by our house after you get off for a few minutes?”

  “I don’t know if I can. I have to work beach patrol tomorrow morning, so I have to be at the station by eight, and I’m going to be getting home really late as it is.”

  “Oh, well, you wouldn’t have to stay or anything. It would just be nice to say goodbye.”

  “I’ll try,” he said as he turned back to another group of people pushing toward him. “But I can’t promise anything.”

  As he continued to screen the customers, Lily fought to pick her stomach up from the ground. How stupid could she be? And what was with his mood swings? Feeling a sudden urge to scurry away, she mumbled something about meeting Rachel and Kara then walked back toward the house.

  Lily glanced down at her watch for the tenth time in the past half hour, sighing with disgust at her lack of self-respect. After all her ranting to Kara and Rachel about how she would not be caught dead waiting for Alex, here she sat on the front porch waiting for Alex. At least Kara and Rachel were trying to distract her with card games—unsuccessfully, of course—but at least they were trying.

  “Do you want to keep playing?” Kara asked. The sympathy in her face only made Lily feel more foolish.

  “It’s well after two,” Lily said. “I don’t think he’s coming. Let’s just go to bed.”

  She helped collect all the cards and told the girls goodnight as they closed the front door. She looked down the road for another moment. A gentle breeze wafted through the screen surrounding the porch, and around the corner she could hear the waves rolling in the distance.

  He wasn’t coming. But maybe that was best. When she was thinking clearly, she knew her attraction to him was crazy. She had enjoyed spending time with him and how he’d made her skin tingle with excitement, but it had
to end sometime. Besides, this experience had helped her move forward, to forget all the pain of the past few months, and for that she was grateful.

  She walked over to the porch window and climbed through to her bed beneath the frame. Then she took one last glance toward the street. Alex would not be coming by to see her, but she knew she’d sleep well. And whether or not he ever called her, she wouldn’t regret allowing herself to feel alive again. She smiled and closed her eyes, the sounds of the ocean singing her to sleep.

  Then a short whistle startled her awake. At least, she thought she heard a whistle. Had she even fallen asleep yet? She glanced down at her watch. Almost three. Again the same whistle came from the front of the house, and this time there was no mistaking it. She sat up and leaned out the window for a better view.

  A light flashed across the yard, and when she looked closer, she could see the moonlight reflecting off a motorcycle parked on the side of the road. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out Alex’s figure standing beside it, and her heart fluttered awake.

  She climbed out of the window onto the front porch and tip-toed out of the screen door. The dew was already forming a cool layer over the grass, but she barely noticed the dampness on her bare feet. Before she’d gotten all the way down the driveway, Alex closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground. Then before she could speak, he closed his mouth over hers, warming her all over.

  “Hi,” he breathed.

  He pushed the hair back from her face then kissed her again. She grinned and pushed his shoulder.

  “You’re late. I’d already given up on you.”

  “I’m really sorry. I had to take the patrol car all the way back to the mainland and get my bike.”

  “Well, I guess I can forgive you this time. You’re just lucky you made it before I was dead asleep.”

  He stepped back and gave her a once-over. “Yes, I am.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “How long do you have?”

  “As long as you want.”

  “How about a walk on the beach?”

  He glanced around at the deserted street. “Sure. Let me go change out of my uniform. I’ll be right back.”

  She stood in the driveway as he walked over to his bike and grabbed a small bag off the back. She inhaled a long slow breath and pushed it out, trying to steady her racing heart. He took off his shirt, and she couldn’t help admiring the lines of his shoulders and chest as his muscles flexed. Then he unbuttoned his pants, and she whipped her head around just before he pushed them down. She covered her mouth and tried not to laugh. Her butterflies and shock mingled together. Was he really stripping down in the middle of the street? She shook her head and laughed to herself. Nothing about Alex Walker should surprise her at this point.

  In the quiet of the early morning, she thought about how different the week had turned out from what she had expected. She’d turned into the swooning girl she’d sworn she would avoid at all cost, but maybe it was worth it just to feel the blood racing through her again.

  When she heard his footsteps coming toward her, she turned back around as he reached for her hand. He had put on a pair of black jeans, but had left his shirt off, and she couldn’t help a nervous laugh.

  “Well, don’t I feel completely over-dressed.” She gestured to her flannel pajama pants and well-worn Bama tank top.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You look perfectly trashy.”

  They crossed the yard then headed down the wooden staircase and across a bridge leading to the beach. As they stepped out onto the hard-packed sand, the wind whipped through her hair, dislodging a good bit of it from her ponytail. She reached up and tried to adjust it, realizing she must look like a total mess. But Alex didn’t seem to notice, and they walked quietly toward the east for several minutes before either of them spoke.

  “Hey,” she began. “Thanks for coming to say goodbye to me. It really means a lot. I know you have to go back to work in a few hours. You’re going to be exhausted!”

  “Yeah, but it’ll definitely be worth it. Besides, I’m not here to say goodbye.”

  She turned her head in confusion, and they stopped walking. He traced the outline of her jaw before he gave her lips a gentle kiss.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “I came to spend time with you. And maybe to convince you that I’m not as evil as you think I am.”

  “Well, you do give off a strong bad-boy kind of aura, but evil is taking things a bit too far.”

  He grinned and slid his hand behind her neck. “God, you are so gorgeous. You must have to beat the guys away with a stick.”

  “Not really. I’ve always been so involved in sports and keeping my grades up that I haven’t been very available. Besides, I dated Jackson for a long time.”

  “Ah.” He stepped back a little. “The infamous Jackson. So what’s his story?”

  “Does it really matter?” She picked up a shattered seashell and tossed it back into the water.

  “You know, it probably wouldn’t matter if it didn’t seem like such a difficult subject for you. It makes me curious, that’s all.”

  “Why? Are you jealous?”

  “Me?” He laughed. “Jealous? Never. I just love a good investigation.”

  “So now I’m under investigation. Shouldn’t you be reading me my rights?”

  “Only if I arrest you. You’re still free to go at this point.”

  She smiled and picked up another shell fragment, turning it over in her hands.

  “Well, the short version is that Jackson and I were best friends when we were kids. We started dating at the end of my junior year in high school, and we stopped dating this past spring.”

  “What happened?”

  She let out a deep breath and tossed the shell. “His dad died last fall while they were playing basketball in the driveway. Just had a massive heart attack right there in front of him.”

  “Wow,” Alex mumbled.

  “Jackson did everything he could, but by the time the paramedics got there he was already gone.” She could still see Jackson’s ashen face as she’d rounded the corner in the hospital. “He blamed himself.”

  Alex nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. His gaze drifted out toward the ocean.

  “Must have been tough.”

  “It gets worse. He played basketball for UAB, another college in Birmingham, and he was even getting some attention from scouts for the NBA’s developmental league. But a month after his dad died, he blew out his knee in a game.”

  “Ouch.”

  “All the scouts disappeared, along with his scholarship to finish his degree.”

  “Man. The guy couldn’t buy a break. I almost feel bad for him.”

  “He tried to stay positive at first, but one blow after another just beat him down. He just couldn’t recover. And neither did we.”

  “Seems like it still bothers you,” he said.

  “I guess I’m still just figuring things out. I’m not clinging to some desperate hope that we’ll work things out, but it still feels strange. There are days when something happens, good or bad, and I get half-way through dialing his number before I remember.” She sighed and tried another smile. “I just want to quit having moments like that. I’m ready to start enjoying myself again.”

  She reached out and ran her hand up and down his arm.

  “Are you enjoying yourself now?” he asked.

  “Definitely.”

  He leaned down and kissed her, pulling her tight against him. The warmth of his skin soothed the nerves that had sprung to life at the mention of Jackson. Alex turned her under his arm, and they continued walking down the beach.

  “Why do you still wear his necklace?”

  She shrugged and grasped the charm in her fingers. “I know it may not make sense, but the necklace is a promise we made to always pray for each other, and taking it off just doesn’t feel right yet. He still needs my pray
ers.” She looked up at him, unable to read his expression. “It’s all very confusing.”

  “Well, I’m sure losing his dad and everything was tough, but he’s a moron if he let you go. You don’t just abandon the people you care about when something bad happens. You stick it out.”

  They continued down the beach a little farther before turning back around. An uncomfortable silence had joined them, and Lily wished she hadn’t said so much about Jackson. But at least she didn’t have to hide anything now. Besides, she would be returning to reality soon. She doubted she’d ever see Alex again.

  “So when can I see you again?” he asked, as if he could read her mind.

  She shrugged and tried to ignore the flutter in her chest.

  “I don’t know. I have a few camps to finish up this summer, and then pre-season will start at the beginning of August. Once the season gets going, I’ll have tournaments and games almost every weekend, practice every day, not to mention studying.”

  “Whoa,” he said. “So I guess that’s a not-any-time-soon.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It must be great to get to do all those things. I wish I’d gone to college instead of joining the Marines right out of high school.”

  “Why did you?”

  “I thought about trying to play football somewhere, but the thought of sitting through more school just made me crazy. I wanted to get out and do something, you know? See the world.”

  She reached up for his hand that rested on her shoulder and leaned into him.

  “Well I guess that’s one way to do it. Military life seems like it would be tough though.”

  “Nah, I liked the travel. Loved being on my own, having my own money.”

  “So why did you get out?”

  “I didn’t want to spend my life being a grub. I realized that without a degree, I’d always be that guy being bossed around. So I started taking classes. I knew I didn’t want to be a Marine forever, so I checked out the criminal justice classes and really liked them.”