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Monday morning’s workout ended with five victims—instead of the customary four—spread-eagled on the mats at Mac’s feet. Not only had Sydney—her name appropriately shortened to Syd—decided to give Grace Community a try, she’d signed up for the thrice weekly workouts as well. It seemed like good things happened when her friends had an issue to work on.
Randy closed her eyes as her breathing slowly returned to normal. Maybe I should melt down more often. She groaned as she rolled to sit up. Except she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have any friends by the end of the morning. Mac had tried to kill them over the last hour, her way of making up for Randy’s week long absence. Or maybe you just got lazy. That thought crashed and burned once her friends regained the ability to speak.
“I’m going to make you pay for this,” Alex whispered, her voice buried under shallow gasps for air.
Syd made it to her knees. “You do this three times a week?” She gave up and collapsed to her back, her hands over her heart. “I need a refund.”
From where she lay, Jesse turned her head and speared Randy with a glare. “Consider us even.”
Randy frowned. “For...?”
“I got on your case pretty good the other night. I was feeling a little guilty.” She smacked the mat with her fist, like a gavel hitting a judge’s bench. “Paid in full.”
Charley gained her feet and slung an arm around Mac’s shoulders. “Now, that’s what I call a workout.”
A chorus of railing followed her words. Who said what got lost in the chaos.
“Get out.”
“Masochist.”
“Teacher’s pet.”
“Shut up!”
Mac clapped her hands. “OK, ladies, I need you all on your feet. You did well today, but it’s time to stretch. You really will be looking to hurt someone if you get muscle cramps tonight.”
Ten minutes later, sweaty but loose, the six women sat in a circle sipping water while they finished cooling down. Mac gave a low whistle, reached to take Randy’s left hand in hers, and held it up to the light. “That’s a beautiful ring you’ve got there. I’m glad to see it back where it belongs.”
Randy folded her fingers into a fist and held it to her heart. “So am I, but I need you guys to help me pray that it gets to stay there.”
“What do you mean?” Syd asked.
Randy took a deep breath, still not sure if this was the right thing. “I’ve got some things I need to tell you, things I shared with Eli on Saturday, things I probably should have told you all a long time ago.”
“We’re here for you,” Charley said.
“You know you can trust us,” Jesse added. “Whatever it is that had you so twisted up, get it off your chest.”
Randy looked from face to face. Each one of these women had dealt with her in a different way over the last week, but regardless of their methods, they’d been there when she’d needed them the most. She had every confidence that they always would be. She felt the prickle of tears and lifted her eyes to the ceiling. Jesus, I shared this with Eli, I didn’t feel I had a choice. Give me wisdom here.
She looked up when Alex took her hand. “His strength, Randy, not yours.”
Randy nodded, focused her gaze on the mat beneath her, and retold the whole ugly story. Each word lifted a weight from her soul. Her friends listened, interrupting only with an occasional sniffle or a murmured sweet Jesus, or Heal her heart, Lord. When she reached the end of her story, Randy dabbed at her eyes with toilet paper once again scavenged from Mac’s bathroom.
She grinned through her tears. “You really need to get a box of tissues up here.”
Mac nodded.
Randy blew her nose and faced her friends with a lighter heart. She looked from Alex to Jesse to Charley. “I never told you guys any of this because you only knew my mom after her conversion. She was so proud of your friendship. She loved you guys, and I knew it was mutual. I didn’t want to taint your memories or opinions. I promised her I never would, but—”
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” Alex interrupted. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say that our hearts are broken for the child you were. But, you’re right. The Lizzie Franklin we knew and loved was a devoted Christian woman who did her best to live her life, every day that we knew her, with a joy and love that only comes from God.” She took Randy’s hand.
“It’s a horror story, Randy,” Alex said. “But it is also an amazing testimony of what God can do in a broken life, yours and hers. What sort of Christians would we be if we condemned where God had forgiven? Thank you for trusting us enough to tell us.”
Mac wiped her eyes. “You mentioned needing our help to keep that ring on your finger. Tell us what you need us to do.”
“Eli is convinced, despite my misgivings, despite the fact that Astor ended up in my closet...” She paused and blew out a breath. “He’s located Celeste in Rome. He wants me to watch the baby while he flies out there.” Randy wrung her hands in her lap. “I appreciate his trust, but I’m scared to death. What if—?”
“Did Eli listen to your what ifs?” Jesse asked.
“No.”
“Then neither will we,” Jesse continued. “In the last two weeks, we’ve seen you go from ‘I can never be a mother’ to ‘maybe I could.’” She looked at Randy with a grin. “Do you want to be a mother?”
The yes that formed on Randy’s lips came automatically, but she paused to look into a corner of her heart she’d never really examined. What she found there surprised her and brought a fresh round of tears. “I think I really do. I love Eli so much, and Astor? She’s like a puzzle piece to my life I never knew I was missing.”
“Then you need to accept that what happened last weekend was Satan’s attempt to steal that.” Charley held out her hands, and Randy smiled as the sisters of her heart, new friends and old, linked together to give her the support she so desperately needed. “We aren’t going to let that happen. Tell us what you need.”
“Wisdom, mainly. I’ve never allowed myself to be around babies much. There’s so much that can go wrong. Last Saturday only reinforced that. As much as I love Astor, love doesn’t impart knowledge. The things you guys all find so intuitive are Greek to me. Courage to go into a situation I swore I’d never put myself in. Pray for Eli too. He needs direction. I know he thinks if he can confront Celeste, he can talk her into coming home. He’s going to be devastated if he fails. I know Eli is looking for God’s will here, so am I, but if God intends for the three of us to be a family, He needs to shine a great big light on that path and print it out in huge letters.”
“Let’s pray,” Charley bowed her head over their hands. She remained quiet for a few seconds as if organizing her thoughts. “Father, You are our Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides. You love us and You see our lives from a vantage point we will never comprehend. You want only the best for Your children, and we’re asking You to be supreme in this situation. Mend hearts, guide paths, and strengthen lives. Astor deserves to be raised in a family filled with love. Let everyone involved be directed to that end.”
Randy looked up at the end of Charley’s words. “I may be calling you guys at all hours over the next few days.”
“Whatever you need,” Mac told her. The others nodded in agreement.
* * *
RANDY PARKED HER CAR in front of Eli’s house on Tuesday afternoon. Eli’s flight departed at eight p.m. A twelve-hour flight plus a six-hour time difference would land him in Rome at two p.m. on Wednesday. He had a room booked at the same hotel Celeste was staying at. Randy’d looked the Hotel De Russie up on the internet. It was beautiful, and she was just a little bit jealous. Rome had always been on her list of places to visit.
She shook free of her musing when Eli stepped onto the porch with Astor balanced on his hip. Her vision narrowed to Astor, and her hands went clammy on the steering wheel. The baby was so vulnerable. If anything happened while Eli was so far away... Stop it! Remember what Charley said yesterday. Are you willing to let Satan have any more of your life than he already stole?
Randy focused at a point on the horizon and pulled her redheaded temperament around her like a cloak. “Go bother someone else,” she hissed. “I’ve got too much riding on this, and there’s a line of prayer you can’t cross.” Fortified by the words, she opened the door and stepped onto the sidewalk.
Eli met her halfway up the walk. “You OK?”
“I’m fine. Just—”
“G’ma.” Astor held out her hands and strained away from Eli. When Eli tried to restrain her, the little mouth puckered, and tears brightened her blue eyes. “G’ma,” she said again, her tone carrying more force.
“She missed you,” Eli said.
Randy took the baby, her movements stiff despite her determination. “Come here, baby, I missed you, too.”
Astor put tiny hands on both of Randy’s cheeks, leaned in, and covered her face with sloppy kisses. Words babbled from her mouth. G’ma was the only one Randy understood. When her words ran out, she shifted to circle her arms around Randy’s neck and laid her head on Randy’s shoulder with a sigh.
The action sent a flaming arrow to the cold spot of dread remaining in Randy’s heart. She bit back the tears as she snuggled Astor close. Thank you, Father.
“I’ve got this,” she said as she headed to the house.
* * *
ELI BANISHED RANDY from the kitchen and worked to put a light dinner on the table. She’d objected, loudly, but he had plenty of time, and he needed this small slice of normal. Well, what he hoped could be normal, to bolster him on his journey.
Feminine laughter, his woman’s and his granddaughter’s, rang from the living room, filling his house with the things that would make it a home. God willing. The timer dinged and he pulled garlic toast from the oven.
“Something smells good in there,” Randy called.
The aroma had his stomach growling too. He scooted Astor’s high chair next to the table, set some food aside on a small plate to cool for the baby, and went to retrieve his girls. He found Astor on her back in the middle of the toy-strewn living room, her shirt hiked up to her neck while Randy, on her hands and knees, blew noisy raspberries on the little bare belly. Astor dissolved in giggles, flipped to her tummy, and tried to crawl away. Randy snagged her foot, and bent to give the child’s back the same treatment.
“You girls hungry?”
Randy looked up and brushed her mop of hair from her face. “Starved. Playing is hard work.”
Astor raced to him and held up her hands. “Pop up.” Eli lifted her, and as soon as she settled in his arms, Astor leaned in and gave his cheek a wet buzz. “Berry,” she said with a delighted grin.
He extended a hand to pull Randy to her feet. “How long did it take you to teach her that?”
Randy stood and wrinkled her nose at Astor. “Not long. The kid’s a quick learner.”
“I’ll bet.” He sat on the couch and stripped Astor down to her diaper before leading the way back to the kitchen. Eli motioned Randy to a chair and strapped the baby into her seat. He offered a quick blessing and dished up plates of salad, spaghetti, and garlic toast for him and Randy. He placed a half slice of toast on the tray of the high chair, chopped up the cooled spaghetti, and scraped it onto the tray as well.
Randy looked on, filing info away for future use. “No plate?”
Eli chuckled as he handed Astor a spoon. “It would only end up on the floor. This is one less thing to clean up.”
Astor attacked the sauce-covered pasta. The first bite she scooped up missed her mouth and ended up in her lap. She discarded the spoon and retrieved the slimy mess with her fingers.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to feed her?”
Eli forked up a bite of his salad. “Probably, but she has to learn sometime. She’s becoming very independent.” He smiled at Randy’s obvious horror when Astor rubbed a handful of food into her hair. “Relax. It’s nothing a bath won’t cure. You’ll be surprised, once she’s done, how much actually makes it to her mouth.”
“Maybe.” Randy cringed when a glob of red sauce landed on the floor. “I guess the meals I’ve participated in have been neater options.”
“Probably so and you can keep it that way. I left a list of meal ideas on the counter for you. If you make scrambled eggs for breakfast, she won’t waste a bite. Grilled cheese for lunch is another fairly neat choice. She likes soup.” He grinned at her. “You don’t want to turn her loose with a bowl of soup.”
“I totally get that.” She grabbed a paper towel and started to scoot from the table.
Eli stopped her with a hand on her wrist. “Leave it till she’s done. If you clean up every bite she drops when she drops it, you’ll never get to eat.”
Randy settled back into her place. She ate her dinner with only an occasional glance at the mess growing in the highchair.
He bit his lip in an effort to keep a straight face. She’d be lucky to survive the meal. “Kitchen OCD kicking your lovely behind?”
“I’ll get used to it.”
The minute hand swept the clock a couple dozen times before Eli forked up his last meatball. “Do you want to trade cars again?”
Randy nodded. “Makes sense, I guess. You made arrangements with Terri to watch her for a while tomorrow and Friday while I exercise?”
“For as long as you need to leave her, and emergency—”
“We won’t need that.”
Her words bore a determination that made him smile. “I’m proud of you, Randy. I know you can do this.” The alarm on his phone sounded. “That’s my cue.” He brought a warm cloth to the table and sponged Astor’s hands and face clean. “Will you be all right with this?”
“We’ll manage.”
He kissed Astor on the top of the head. “Be a good girl.” He tugged Randy out of her seat and led her to the door. He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. “I’m going to miss you.”
Her arms tightened around him.
“You gonna be OK?”
“I’d be lying if I said I was happy that you’re going.” She squared her shoulders. “But we’ll be fine. You’re praying, my friends are praying, I’m praying.” Her lips twitched when she met his gaze. “If Astor has any clue how inexperienced I am, she’s probably praying too. God’s got this.”
Eli studied the combination of emotions playing across her face. He saw some hesitation there, but it was layered under resolve and love. Some of the weight lifted off his shoulders.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” Before she could answer he lowered his mouth to hers in a lingering farewell kiss. Randy splayed her hands on his back, drew him in, and answered the demand of his lips.
I promise that if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go away and never bother you again. The words surfaced to haunt him and sent his heart pounding at the memory. He crushed her to his chest and took the kiss deeper, relieved when Randy answered with equal fervor. Her response smothered the doubts.
He broke the kiss and held her, his heart thudding against hers.
Randy stepped back and framed his face in her hands. “Go, or you’ll be late. Astor and I will be waiting right here when you get home Sunday night.”