Chapter Forty
Where was Brian? Karlie wondered. Her dad was about to go up. Pastor Johnston had assigned him to do a three-part series, and this was the second week.
He’s probably home asleep, she thought. Stop thinking about him. It’s supposed to be about God. Unless his psoriasis is acting up. That could be it too. She twisted her body to look down the aisle hoping to spot him.
No such luck.
Her fingers itched to text him, but Karlie refused to use her electronic devices in church. They were too distracting. A message or text invariably would pop up and she had to answer. Karlie cracked up at the people who spent most of their time posting updates about the sermon to social media instead of actually listening to the sermon. She preferred a traditional Bible she could hold in her hands.
Her dad took the podium. There was still no sign of Brian. Karlie craned her neck one more time to search for his tall frame, but he was nowhere in sight. She would take copious notes to catch him up later.
It took effort but Karlie forced herself to push thoughts of Brian aside. He was where he was. She needed to concentrate on the Word.
Neil greeted the church. “Today, I’m going to talk to you about a well-known parable, The Sower and the Seed.”
Karlie’s eyes glazed over. She had lost count of how many sermons she had heard on this same thing. There was a sower . . . blah blah blah.
God’s Spirit corrected her immediately for her disrespect. Karlie whispered a brief apology to God and tuned in.
Brian slipped beside her, and Karlie breathed a sigh of relief. She made sure there was an appropriate distance between them. Brian rested an arm behind her back. Karlie didn’t think anything of it . . . until she saw the last person she expected to see staring right at her.
Jamaal.
Surprise shot through her body. Jabbing Brian in the ribcage, she frantically whispered, “Jamaal. Jamaal is sitting three rows across from us. What’s he doing here?”
Brian was not the least bit concerned about Jamaal’s probing eyes. Let him look and wonder. Brian did not patronize scum.
He squeezed Karlie’s hand to assure her and centered his mind on the sermon. He saw the title and scripture passage on the projector screen.
“In this parable, Jesus spoke about planting seeds on the wayside, on stony ground, among thorns, and on good ground. The Bible tells us each of the places the seed landed represented people. People you know. People I know.” Neil walked around the podium to center stage.
“He mentioned four places for four people,” Neil said, displaying four fingers. “Of the four people, only one received the Word. The Word took root because it fell on good ground.”
Brian leaned forward, instinctively knowing Neil was about to give a crucial point.
“So, in mathematical terms, three out of four people in your life will reject the Sower and the Seed.”
Brian’s mouth formed an O. Wow. He was a math whiz, so he did a computation in his head. An estimated 7.5 billion people lived in the world. Seventy-five percent of that was approximately 5.6 billion. Are there that many souls going to hell? He shook his head, stunned at the magnitude of souls lost.
Neil continued to expound on the Word. Brian wrote the scripture on a note and placed it in his Bible. He would have to reread Matthew 13 at some point.
“Jesus taught this parable to reach two kinds of people,” Neil said. “You and me. As God’s sower of the Word, those who reject salvation can’t dishearten me. I still have to keep sowing.”
Brian couldn’t resist a glance in Karlie’s direction. She was his sower.
“But Jesus wanted to warn anyone hearing the Word. For the Word to take root, it must be placed in good ground. You can control that. You can ask God to till away all the gunk we keep in our heart so that His Word can take root and grow in us.”
People around him shouted, “Hallelujah!” and “All right, now!”
The Word pierced him. He had gunk he needed God to dig out of his heart. When Neil made the altar call, Brian was one of the first people to head up front.
While many prayed and Neil anointed him, Brian asked God, “Please, God, make me into good ground.”
At the end of the service, Jamaal approached Brian and Karlie. Brian positioned his body to shield Karlie from him. Or was it the other way around? Whatever. He was making sure there was distance between them.
“Karlie, I knew this was the only place you’d probably see me,” Jamaal said.
“Yes, because I have no choice,” Karlie replied.
Brian felt her bristling next to him. “What do you want?” Brian asked.
Jamaal reached into his pants pocket to retrieve a stick of gum. “I just thought I’d give you a heads-up. I’m not going to keep quiet about you and Karlie’s affair.”
He spoke the words casually, as if he were talking about sports or a TV show and not about potentially ruining lives.
“What affair?” Karlie asked. “Brian and I didn’t sleep together.”
Brian couldn’t believe his ears. He gestured for them to move the conversation outside of God’s house and into the parking lot. Karlie stood frozen. Brian had to call her twice before she trudged behind him and Jamaal.
“It doesn’t matter if you did or not,” Jamaal said. “What’s important is they will believe you did.”
“Why are you doing this?” Brian asked.
Jamaal hesitated for a second. He had the decency to look ashamed. “I need the money.”
“No one will care about some stupid picture,” Brian said. “It doesn’t prove anything.” Jamaal had to be bluffing, but on the inside, Brian’s heart raced. Salacious gossipers would take the picture out of context.
“You can’t do that,” Karlie said. “Winona is getting ready to release the news that we’re brother and sister. That will damage me for good.”
Jamaal hunched his shoulders. “Then pay up.”
“How far are you sinking? That’s extortion.” Brian shook his head.
“Not to mention low-down and cruel.” Karlie frowned. “We were together six years, and this is how you treat me? You broke promises to me and to God.”
“God has nothing to do with this,” Jamaal said.
Brian arched an eyebrow. “You’re right about that.”
“I need the money,” Jamaal stated, eyeing Karlie. “I got myself in trouble.”
Karlie’s eyes softened. She stepped toward him. “What kind of trouble?”
Brian faced her. “Are you falling for this? Karlie, he’s manipulating you—pulling at your heartstrings.”
Karlie gave him the side eye. “What’s going on, Jamaal?”
“Some girl accused me of forcing myself on her,” Jamaal said. “She’s demanding a huge sum of money, enough to clean out all the money your mother left me. If I don’t pay her, she’ll report me to the college and the police. This is my scholarship, career, and life on the line. I can’t take that chance.”
Karlie shook her head. “But if you didn’t do anything, then why allow yourself to get blackmailed?”
Jamaal lowered his gaze. He fretted with his shirt and loosened his tie.
“You did it, didn’t you?” Brian asked.
“No, it was consensual, but she’s white—and as it turns out, underage,” Jamaal said. “Who is going to believe me?”
Karlie stepped back. “You messed around with a minor?” She started walking away. “Leave me out of your drama.”
Jamaal rushed after her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I need your help, Karlie. I need you to be my alibi. It would be your word against hers.”
“No,” Karlie said. “I’m not doing it.”
Jamaal grabbed her close to him. “This is my life!”
Brian grabbed Jamaal by the collar. “Get off her,” he snarled. “No means no. But you don’t understand that or you wouldn’t be in this trouble now.”
Jamaal shoved Brian, and Brian shoved back. Fortunately, the parking lot was nearly deserted.
“Stop it!” Karlie shouted. “Both of you!” She positioned her body between them. “Stop fighting. I’m tired of you two going at it like boys.”
Brian breathed deeply to regain control. He held both hands up and stepped away from Jamaal.
Jamaal wasn’t through. He pulled out his phone and swiped the camera icon. Once the picture graced the screen, he said, “I’m going to post this now unless you help me.”
Brian reached to snatch the phone, but Jamaal sidestepped him and took off running. Brian darted after him. He was going to smash that phone to smithereens.
The men raced into oncoming traffic, bobbing and weaving. Neither saw the Ford F150 truck heading their way.