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Eli used his key to let himself into Randy’s house on Saturday morning. It was a direct violation of their agreement, and Randy would probably...probably?...be furious. But there was a time to ask permission and a time to beg forgiveness. This wasn’t a time for permission.
He stepped through the front door, and the dead silence settled around him. The place smelled musty and stale, not like anything he’d associate with his fiancée. Eli walked through the living room and into the kitchen. No Randy, just a few dirty dishes in the sink, also unlike her. She was OCD about her kitchen.
Eli headed down the hall and paused in the doorway to her bedroom. He’d never seen the straight-from-the-bed version of the woman he loved and figured he wouldn’t get more than a glance today before she started yelling. The form under the covers lay still, her back turned to him. Eli circled the bed so he could see her face.
Even in sleep, her eyes were puffy from tears, her lashes spiky against dark circles that hadn’t been there a week ago. Randy’s mop of red curls spilled across the white pillowcase, tangled and silky. Even sleep-tousled, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
He sat on the side of the mattress and gave in to the desire to touch her hair. He brushed a thick strand from her face and whispered her name. “Randy.”
Randy sighed in her sleep, and a tiny smile quirked her mouth. “Mmm...Eli...”
The breathy response tightened Eli’s gut.
In the next instant, her eyes snapped open. “Eli!” This time his name was a shriek as she rolled away and yanked the blanket over her head.
Well, that got her moving. He stood and whipped the blanket from the bed. Hiding was over, whether it was under a blanket or behind a locked door.
“What are you... I’m in my pajamas.”
“Those are the sexiest PJs I’ve ever seen. I can barely control my excitement.” He crossed his arms and leered. “Get up.”
“I will not.”
“You will.” He studied her with a frown. Even in the loose sleep pants and T, he could tell she’d lost weight. “I’m going to make you breakfast, and you’re going to eat it. A part of me is flattered that a week without me would leave you so gaunt, but I like my women with a little more meat on their bones.”
Her green-eyed glare went from dispassionate to hot at his words. “Get. Out.”
He met her stare. “You’ve got thirty minutes to get dressed and do whatever else you need to do to make yourself presentable. This conversation will happen, today. The only choice you have is who’ll be attending the meeting.”
She raised her brows in question.
“The self-assured woman I fell in love with or”—his eyes traveled from Randy’s mussed hair to the frayed hem of her cotton pants—“the insecure waif afraid to leave the protection of her bed.”
Randy’s chin came up, and she pointed to the door.
Eli moved toward it. “I mean, you’re cute either way...” He ducked around the facing just in time for the pillow to miss his head. Three seconds later, the door banged shut with enough force to rattle the windows at the other end of the house. “Thirty minutes,” he reminded her in a voice pitched to be heard over the noise coming from the room. Eli glanced at the door and exhaled. Talk about bearding the lion.
He headed back to the kitchen. Hopefully he’d goaded her into putting herself together, because quite frankly, her suffering had wounded him. If she brought the insecure waif to the table, he was a goner. He opened the fridge. Practically empty, but there were eggs and half a block of cheddar cheese. The crisper drawer yielded a fairly ripe tomato and a bundle of green onions. Omelets it is.
Once the coffee was brewing, Eli started chopping vegetables. Father, please. This may be my last chance to get through to her. Give her the courage to talk to me. I love her, and I know we can work this out if she’ll trust me.
* * *
THE ECHO OF THE SLAMMING door reverberated through the house. Randy stared at the door, chest heaving and fists clenched. Who did he think he was? Waif?
She’d give him waif. He’d have those words for breakfast!
She yanked open her dresser, dug out clean underwear, and slammed the drawers shut. Next, she moved to the closet and tossed black dress slacks and a pale peach sweater onto the bed. That door crashed shut as well. Each slam fed her temper. How dare he come into her house...into her bedroom... and make demands?
Randy bundled the clothes, dumped them on the closed toilet in her bathroom, and started the shower. She adjusted the water to just below scalding and stepped under the spray. The water beat down as she lathered her hair with her favorite shampoo. The suds swirled down the drain and carried a week’s worth of self-pity with it. She looked up into the water. He wanted answers? I’ll give him answers. Once he knew the sort of monster she was raised to be, maybe he’d go away and let her get on with her life.
Answers? Randy rested her head on the tiled wall of the shower as her resolve slipped down the drain with the soapy water. Could she do it? Could she betray the secrets of a lifetime? Could she risk the pity on his face? Father?
It’s time, daughter, for healing.
Healing? She breathed in the steam, scented with sweet peas from both shampoo and body wash. Secrets hadn’t helped her. A week’s worth of wallowing hadn’t helped her.
The truth will set you free.
The words echoed in her heart and brought a strange sense of calm. Randy stood with her head resting against the wall until the water ran cold. She climbed out and dressed. A look at the clock told her she’d exceeded Eli’s thirty minutes. He’d have to wait. If she was going to do this, she needed fortification.
She wrapped a towel around her damp curls, picked up her phone, and called Alex, pacing until her friend picked up.
“Hey, Randy.”
She whispered, “I need your help.”
“Name it.”
Randy drew in a shaky breath. “Eli barged in here this morning and demanded that we talk.”
“Do you need help burying the body?”
“I’m serious, Alex,” she hissed at her friend. “He’s waiting in the kitchen.”
“Is that why I can barely hear you?”
“I don’t want him to know I’m out of the bathroom.” Randy chewed her lip. “I’ve got some things I need to tell him. Hard things I’ve never told anyone, not even you guys. I need some P&P.”
“Prayer and a pep talk. Gotcha.”
“Eli wants answers. I don’t think those answers are gonna help, but God seems to be on his side.”
“I didn’t know God took sides.”
“Yeah. I mean, I’ve been here all week, looking for some direction. God’s been real quiet until Eli came storming in. Now, He won’t get out of my head. I don’t like being ganged up on.”
Silence hung between them for a few seconds.
“Let me ask you a question,” Alex said, her words slow and thoughtful. “Have you been looking for God’s will this week, or looking for a way to protect your secrets?”
Randy sank to the side of the bed. “Can’t I have both?”
Alex laughed. “And wouldn’t that be nice.” Her small sigh echoed through the phone. “Randy, God has a plan and a direction for each of our lives. Sometimes God points left and we go right. When that happens, He’s got no choice but to leave us to our own decisions. Occasionally that means we sink to our necks in quicksand on the path we chose, scrabbling to find something solid to stand on. He lets us hit bottom so we can find out that He was there all the time.”
Randy brushed tears away.
Alex continued. “I don’t have to know your secrets to know this has been a tough week for you. You’ve been to the bottom, and now you have to plant your feet. If God’s directing you to reveal these secrets to Eli, He has a reason.”
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”
“I know, but Psalms seventy-three verse twenty-six says, ‘My flesh and heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart.’ Do this in His strength, Randy, not yours.”
“Will you say a prayer?”
“Of course. I’ll call the others, and Syd.”
“Syd?”
Alex laughed. “Sydney, your friend from the bank. We sort of bonded over our worry for you this week. She’s even planning to come to church tomorrow.”
Randy swiped at her face. “You accomplished in four days what I couldn’t do in five years?”
“You planted the seed, we watered it. And while she might not be praying yet, I think it’s just a matter of time. Now go talk to Eli. He’s worried about you.”
Randy laid the phone aside, unwrapped her hair, and put her face in her hands. She took a few deep breaths. “Father, I guess Alex is right. I’ve wanted my own way. I’m sorry. Helpful or not, Eli deserves an explanation. Please give me the calm and peace I need to tell the story. Please help him understand.”
She stood and hurried back to the bathroom. She pulled her hair back and applied a bit of makeup to hide the ravages of the last week. When she made her way to the door, even though she understood she was finally doing the right thing, even though she could feel the peace of her friend’s prayers wrapped around her, her feet still felt mired in Alex’s quicksand.
* * *
ELI POURED HIMSELF a second cup of coffee and looked at the clock. He’d been waiting forty-five minutes. If I have to drag her... The thought trailed when he heard movement in the hallway. He turned to the door, watching the opening, not sure what to expect. When confident Randy appeared, he surged to his feet. She’d obviously decided to bring her A-game.
“There’s my girl.” He opened his arms, mildly surprised when she walked into his embrace. Eli held her close and breathed in her scent. “I’ve missed this.”
“I’ve missed you, too.” Her voice was soft and tremulous. She stepped back. “Something smells good.”
He led her to a chair, fixed her coffee, and retrieved both their plates from the microwave. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you eat an omelet, but I took a chance.”
“You’re too good to me, Eli. So much better than I deserve.”
Eli let the comment pass. He sat across from her and held out his hand. Randy laced her fingers with his and bowed her head.
“Father,” he prayed, “thank You for this day and an opportunity to clear the air. Bless the food and our words. Give us patience and understanding.”
Randy squeezed his hand and disentangled her fingers. She picked up her fork and cut off a piece of the fluffy eggs. “I’m actually kind of hungry. Your presence must be good medicine.”
Eli followed her lead. There was a big fat elephant sitting in the middle of the table. If she needed to ignore it long enough to eat, he could do that. But his determination to hang the pachyderm’s hide on the wall didn't lessen.