I’ve missed this, Chelsea. We’re good at this.”
Chelsea stood on her front porch, studying Sawyer’s face. She could tell he was sincere. Detached from reality maybe, but entirely earnest.
“Good at what? Talking? Strolling beneath the stars? This isn’t real life.”
Sawyer took a step back. Chelsea knew her response had shocked him, and all she could do was shake her head.
“We can do real life,” he answered. “The good, the bad, the ugly. I mean, how much uglier can it get?”
“I don’t plan to find out!”
Sawyer reached for Chelsea’s hand. “I know we can do this, Chelsea. We can make it. Together.”
The words ripped open the space-time continuum. Chelsea was sitting on the bed of her dorm room, looking into the same big blue eyes filled with hope and determination. Sawyer had no idea he was repeating history, but she would never forget. Chelsea couldn’t alter the past, but this was her chance to change the future.
“I have every reason I need to divorce you.”
“I know you do,” Sawyer conceded, pain gleaming in his eyes. “But I’m going to keep hoping you don’t.”
Just before going upstairs, Chelsea took one last look out the window. What she saw didn’t surprise or disappoint her. Not anymore. She’d lived through this before. Sawyer, phone to his ear, calling someone well after midnight.
Like an overworked computer, Chelsea’s mind struggled to process all the events of the day. She had almost forgotten Bo was waiting upstairs.
“Well, how were they?” Chelsea asked.
“Perfect little angels,” Bo said. “I had a good chat with Hancock.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll let him fill you in.” Bo grinned. “And you? How was your night?”
Chelsea was far too weary to put on a show. “Fine. We’re getting a divorce. But it’s for the best. Sawyer is great on holidays. But real life? Not so much.”
“Sounds an awful lot like my wife’s first husband.”
“Oh yeah?”
“She was married to a drunk. Arrested twice for DUI. Had trouble making it to work. A real deadbeat dad. He made excuses to go on ‘business trips’ just so he could drink and party.”
“Good thing she left him.”
“She never did, actually. She kicked him out all right, but he kept coming back like a bad penny.”
“Sounds familiar. So how’d she finally get rid of him? I could use some tips.”
“Well, to be honest, you’re looking at him.”
Chelsea stared long and hard at her neighbor. “That was you? What happened?”
“Hard to say without sounding trite. But you see, God . . .” Bo scratched his chin, searching for the right words. “Well, I guess he came after us. Really pursued us. Through friends. Through events. Even through our rotten marriage. I wanted a better wife. She wanted a better husband. But God gave us something even better. Himself.” Bo stared off into space, his eyes welling with tears. “Joanne and I were together forty years. I do miss her.”
“I’m so sorry,” Chelsea said.
Bo collected his Bible and coat and stood to go. Then he turned and looked directly at her. “Your mother once asked me to pray for you and Sawyer. I want you to know I haven’t stopped.”
“I don’t think it’ll ever work out between us, Bo.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Not really my business, I reckon. Either way, I think you should know . . . God’s pursuing you, Chelsea.”