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Pacing the bookstore on Thursday morning, Grace tried to quell her nerves as she waited for Drew to arrive.
Why did meeting for coffee feel more monumental than their hiking date over a week ago? Was it because he was no longer a guest on the property and was instead making a special effort to meet her?
Seeking a distraction as the minutes crept by, she perused the bulletin board. Ah, a new flyer advertised a few openings for counselor jobs at Eagle Lake Camp. She’d known about the camp of course, but hadn’t realized it had reopened after the fire.
But when thinking about jobs at Glen Eyrie, she’d never even considered the possibility of a summer job at the camp with housing supplied. The position didn’t start until June, but that meant at most two months spent in Castle Rock before she could be back here.
And if the teaching job she’d interviewed for came through, she could transition from one job right into the next. Perhaps actually convince Uncle John of the wisdom of using the remnants of the life insurance and trust money for an apartment and set it up sooner rather than later. Make Colorado Springs her new home.
Meaning she’d be close by to pursue a relationship with her hunky soldier...
“Good morning, beautiful. Thanks for meeting me.”
At Drew’s voice, she turned and only caught a glimpse of his handsome profile before he pulled her into his arms for a hug and a quick kiss on her cheek.
Her heart skittered as she hugged him back.
Yes, things were moving fast but it felt like she’d known him for years.
He released her just long enough to grasp her hand instead, tugging her toward the corner counter where they ordered their drinks. Then with a warm hand on the small of her back, he guided her outside to a somewhat private spot in the courtyard.
Between the sunny day and the heat of attraction blooming between them, no way would she get cold.
Once she settled beside Drew on the cushioned couch under the overhang, she felt more than saw him staring at her with a curious look that made her squirm. As if he were struggling to find a way to start the conversation.
So, she did what she always did. And started chattering to fill the silence.
He sipped from his insulated cup while she filled him on her research discoveries and the job interview. She forced herself to smile at the possibility of full-time employment. “It might not be my dream subject matter—yet—but it’s here in Colorado Springs so at least I could move out of the Howard’s house.”
And be closer to Drew. Although she wasn’t about to say that.
“But even better...” She paused and caught his indulgent smile. She pivoted to face him. “I just saw they are looking for more summer camp counselors—especially women—which means I could move here sooner than I’d thought.”
“A camp counselor?” He raised an eyebrow as if doubting the fit.
“Yes.” She bit her lip and formulated her arguments. “I know I’d be around curious children who might stare at my scars, but you’ve inspired me to try. It’s not quite the same as being a counselor at Burn Camp, but I’d like to think I could pay it forward and maybe encourage a few self-conscious girls. Especially since it’s a Christian camp and so the faith emphasis could be healing. Plus, I’d get my outdoors activity fix at the same time.” Not to mention some thick skin to prepare for the fall and teaching teenagers if that’s what God had planned.
“Sounds like you’ve thought this through.”
She laughed. “I actually just saw the flyer, but the opportunity feels right.” Kind of like when she’d first read about Glen Eyrie online. And her growing attachment to Drew. “I might have to go back to Castle Rock for a few weeks once this volunteer assignment ends, but I’m definitely going to apply and let God shut the door if He has something else than a camp in mind.”
“It’s funny you should mention a summer camp.” Drew cleared his throat. “I actually spent an hour on Saturday talking to my mom’s across-the-river neighbor.”
And then it was Drew’s turn to ramble about their brainstorming conversation complete with his feelings of jealousy over the possibilities. “Someday I’d love to do something like what he’s planning.”
“I can see how exciting that could be.” Someday.
“But in the meantime...” He stared at her face, almost drinking her in. “I still have obligations that will keep me around here through May. However, if I take the discharge and enroll in an EMT certification program, I’d still have the summer months to fill before those classes start.”
Her heart pounded at the heat in his eyes. Her romance-loving heart could easily imagine where their relationship might be in a few months, assuming she wasn’t stuck almost an hour away in Castle Rock. She just needed a reason to move to Colorado Springs.
“But...” His eyes narrowed as if searching for a clue to her feelings. “Unless something changes before my training is over, I’ll probably end up moving back to Pine Ridge.”
Moving? So his ultimate plan would still leave her behind. Which meant that perhaps she should turn down the teaching job if she was offered it...
Wait a minute.
“Did you say Pine Ridge?” Her mouth hung open and she almost dropped her half-sipped iced coffee.
He nodded. “Have you ever been there?” A flare of something lit his eyes.
Had she been there? “Only every year for Spring Break. Until...” She’d never been back since the fire, but now couldn’t help wonder how it would feel to return. Could she capture the good memories once again?
“Until...? You mean the fire you told me about?” He gestured to her shoulder and the scars she’d revealed during their hike. “The one that killed—” He flinched at his own blunt statement.
It was her turn to nod as she tried to recall what she’d already shared. “I remember telling you about snowshoeing with my dad in the mountains. Well, our family used to spend a week with his college roommate’s family at their cabin every year.”
“That’s the same guy who became your guardian, right? The one whose daughter came to tea?”
“Yes.” She was surprised he’d remembered. “When I was fifteen, the cabin caught on fire in the middle of the night. Only two of us made it out alive.”
A slight crease appeared between Drew’s eyes. “Wasn’t he there too?”
“No.” She swallowed her memories along with a swig of mocha, then stared at the plastic cup in her hands. “He was supposed to arrive the next morning. But instead of a vacation, he got a trip to the morgue to identify the bodies.”
“Bodies?” Drew’s voice sounded pained.
“His wife, baby, sons. My parents and my two younger brothers.” Her words choked at the memories and he reached out to hold her hand. “Eight in all.”
“I’m so sorry.”
She looked up with a half-smile. “At least that was one good thing to come from being in the hospital. I didn’t have to see my family that way. Especially since I’d worried it had been my candlelight book addiction that caused the fire.”
His eyes widened. “Was it—?”
“No.” She pursed her lips. “Turned out it was the combination of a squirrel’s nest and creosote build-up in the chimney. Which meant Uncle John blamed himself for not skipping his meeting. For not being there to do his normal inspection.”
“And you? Did you—”
“Blame him? No. He did enough of that for both of us. And no amount of regrets could change the past. We could only focus on the fact that at least his daughter and I had survived.... Only because we were sleeping on the sofa bed in the main room and with God’s help, I was able to drag her along as I crawled to the door. Well, close to the door. We got trapped when a burning beam fell on my shoulder.”
The admiration in his eyes had embarrassed heat flooding her face and she hurried on to finish the story. “Then God helped us by sending an angel in disguise.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You mean the nameless rescuer you had a crush on?”
Had she really told him that? Might as well lay it all out there.
“Oh, he’s not nameless. His friend called him Andy. But that’s really all I ever knew about him for sure. I mostly remember a tall silhouette with a shadowed face behind a flashlight. His lifting the beam so I could scoot forward. And then his strong arms carrying me as he told me I was safe.” She blushed even more. “I never got the chance to thank him.”
But perhaps just telling someone else would be enough.
Perhaps now that she was holding hands with Drew, she could close the chapter on her childish fantasy and move forward to explore something real with the man beside her.
###
DREW WANTED TO SMILE at the confirmation Grace was the same girl from years ago.
To grin that she indeed remembered him and in a very positive light.
To rejoice that God had brought them back together.
But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not without giving her the wrong idea.
All he had to do was reveal his role in the incident. To the furiously blushing beauty lost in her memories of...him.
Why did he suddenly feel like an awkward teenager on a first date instead of a highly qualified soldier? He might be able to teach a room full of bulky SEALs or survive severe arctic weather with minimal supplies, but when it came to telling Grace the truth that he should be the one thanking her...
He was lost for words.
Which meant he did what any red-blooded male would do in the awkward situation... He delayed. “So, you’re telling me that the girl who met you for tea was the same one you sheltered with your body in the fire?”
It was a relief to know that both survivors were doing well. Grace might bear scars, but she had a full life ahead of her. It seemed he had made a difference in someone’s life after all.
Except she looked slightly puzzled and he mentally replayed their conversation.
Oh, Grace had only said she’d dragged the other girl with her but nothing about them both being trapped. Which meant he’d revealed too much personal knowledge in his question.
But then again, it was the perfect segue to the truth...
“Actually. It’s a funny story, but—” He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Now or never. “I remember—”
“Grace?” A petite woman with a walkie-talkie in her hand crossed the courtyard in their direction. “I thought I saw you out here.” She scurried closer. “I hate to ask, but can you cover the front desk for me? I need to track down Erik in maintenance and it could take a while.”
“Um...” Grace darted a glance his direction, clearly torn between spending time with him and disappointing her supervisor.
“It’s fine.” Now wasn’t the time to break the news of his identity, especially if they didn’t have time to work through the potential aftermath of emotion.
“Are you sure?” But even as she asked, Grace was already rising to her feet.
“Thanks so much.” The intruder retreated just as quickly as she had come.
Drew forced a smile as he stood, then pulled Grace in for another hug. This wasn’t how he’d imagined today ending. “We’ll just have to do this again.”
“I’d like that.” A delicate pink stained her cheeks, before she walked away.
Had God orchestrated their reunion in order for a future relationship to develop?
Maybe. It was too soon to know.
However, with Grace busy for the rest of the day, he really needed to get back to the Academy for the afternoon’s classes.
Drew tossed his empty cup into the nearby trash and turned toward the parking lot. Halfway to his Jeep, his cell phone rang and he pulled it from his back pocket. “This is Drew.”
“Good. It’s Evan Thomas and your mom gave me your number.”
“What can I do for you?”
“The more I pray about all those ideas we brainstormed, I can’t get you out of my mind.”
Drew sucked in a quick breath. So many possibilities lay in those words.
“Would you be interested in joining me at the ranch to help see it become a reality?”
“How so? Temporarily? On my next leave?”
“Permanently. Eventually.” He cleared his throat. “I know you’ve got a couple months until you discharge and then your mom mentioned you might spend six months getting an EMT certification.”
“I’ve been looking into it, but I don’t have to—”
“I think it would be a tremendous asset to have someone with that type of training around for our guests. So, I’m willing to wait until next year for you to move back if that’s what it takes.”
“Okay...” Drew’s mind scrambled with the logistics even as his heart flooded with joy at the opportunity to be a part of the man’s plans. Although those plans should be clarified. “And once I move back, then what? Are you wanting a part-time hiking guide? Someone to hire and oversee the cook? Or a marketing genius to—”
The man chuckled. “All of the above. Maybe. But definitely as a partner in the overall operation. If you’re interested, we can hammer out the details later, but I could see you helping pay for a few of the property upgrades then your share of our profits could also include a percentage of the ranch ownership. Maybe even a right of first refusal or buy-out clause when I decide to finally retire and sell the ranch.”
Drew leaned against the side of his Jeep as his mind raced. Evan’s proposal was a generous offer. And the chance to help transform the ranch into an outdoors rehabilitative camp in addition to hosting other groups was a dream.
“You’re awfully quiet. Did I scare you off?”
“No. And I’d honestly love to be a part of your plans somehow.”
“That’s a relief.” The man sighed.
“Can I take a few days to pray about it? Come up with a list of questions? I don’t know much of anything about running a camp.”
“Me neither.” Another chuckle. “Too bad I don’t have a reason to attend a camp somewhere and see how they do things.”
A memory of his earlier conversation with Grace came back. “I might have a solution for that.” Drew quickly recapped the need for counselors at Eagle Lake Camp and how the timing fit smoothly between his likely Air Force discharge and the start of his EMT course.
Could he look into the opportunity with a clear mind? Or was it only a selfish excuse to spend more time with Grace?
Feeling a bit guilty, he decided that he could line up a visit or two instead to observe their operations. Maybe visit other locations as well to get a better idea about a variety of programs.
Evan thought that was a great idea. “However it works out, you would learn how to run a camp plus get the medical training while I spend the summer building or fixing things and schedule a few small groups as trial runs. Then by the time you’re free to come full-time, we’d be set to launch big next year.”
“That sounds perfect.” And it was. “But I’d still like to pray about it first.”
“Of course. Do you think you could let me know in a week? No pressure, but if you want to do something else, I might end up selling the place instead.”
They said their goodbyes, Drew saved the man’s number in his contacts, then climbed behind the wheel.
As he started the engine, an overwhelming sense of God’s blessings washed over him. As if all the pieces of his life experiences were coming together. What better blend of purpose and dream than to spend his days outdoors in God’s creation while helping others reclaim a hope-filled future for themselves.
The only thing that would make the move back to Pine Ridge better was if Grace was also there.
Except she might have a teaching job anchoring her to Colorado Springs. Then again, he hadn’t missed the look on her face when talking about her interview. She’d been more excited about both her research and the camp than a classroom.
Perhaps she’d be willing to relocate? It was too soon.
However, even with his near-likely choice to discharge, he would definitely be in the area for another two months. With the certification course also keeping him nearby come fall.
Plenty of time to see what might develop between them before he had to return home.
Because he would leave. Eventually.
He couldn’t imagine letting the long-term camp opportunity pass him by. Couldn’t give up the chance to save more lives than just hers. The chance to pay forward the blessings he’d received.
Drew pulled out of the parking lot, then sighed as disappointment weighed on his shoulders.
His relationship with Grace felt over before it had barely begun.
Then again, maybe it was never intended to last more than a short season to encourage him with evidence of having saved a life after all. A chance to thank her because her prayer while trapped had in turn changed the trajectory of his life.
It was a hard choice, but he knew that surrendering to God’s direction was the only real option. For both of them.
As he drove toward town, he lifted his heart in prayer.
God, I give You my future. All I ask is for the strength to thank Grace for her part in saving my life. And the strength to let her go.
But in the meantime, he still needed to tell her who he really was.
Something that had to be shared in person.
Dinner tomorrow night would be perfect.
At the next stop light, he pulled out his phone to shoot her a text and set up another date.