Help me to trust You, Sam prayed early one morning. I want Arcineh to know You. I want her to accept Your salvation, but I must trust Your timing on this. I know You can change her heart, but she’s not been able to trust all the people in her life, and I fear that will spread to You.
Help me to believe Your Word and Your promises. Help me to be the example she needs, but mostly be the grandfather she needs. She might not want to see the family, but she seems to be all right with me. Please, Lord, please save both of us. Save me today, Father, and save Arcie for eternity. I ask You, Father, in Your Son’s name and with all my heart. Amen.
Sam eventually climbed from bed, but his heart continued to pray, not just for Arcineh, but that he would learn a deeper trust and gain a deeper faith through all of this.
“Quinn has invited us over,” Sam told Arcineh when he saw her at the old house a few days later. “A week from this Saturday. Jeremy and Tiffany will also be in town.”
Sam had brought lunch again, so the two had been visiting, but the tiler had not expected this. She was not thrilled. Her look spoke volumes but she didn’t say no.
“Are you going to tell me what you’re thinking?” Sam asked.
“I’m trying to think what Quinn might be thinking.”
“She wants to see you but knows it’s more complicated than that. She’ll understand if it will hurt you too much.”
Those words coming from Quinn, ones that said she was putting others ahead of herself, made Arcineh curious. Arcineh wished she could see her cousin without having to talk to her—watch her in action from a distance with no opportunity to be hurt by her—but knew this was impossible.
She also knew the invitation would only come up again. Arcineh took a moment to say that she would go, but she agreed only to get it over with.
“So how is it going?” Gage asked Mallory in a private meeting.
“It’s fine,” she said—this is what she always said—and Gage stared at her.
Mallory began to look uncomfortable, thinking this was worse than trying to figure out Patrice.
“You can speak freely,” Gage said after a moment. “Patrice is trying to change. Don’t worry about being made miserable.”
“Miserable on this job has become normal,” Mallory finally admitted, barely believing those words had come from her mouth.
Gage shook his head a little. He’d been foolishly unaware. But he was trying to change as well.
“What was your impression of the meeting with Siena, Mallory? Were you in there at all?”
“I wasn’t in the room, but it’s been my job to type the notes, and I’ve seen inconsistencies. I didn’t think that was what I was reading, but when all of this came up, I went back and looked.” She looked frightened for a moment but still admitted, “I even took a copy of the notes home with me so I could study them. It’s subtle, but it’s there.”
“Were you going to tell me?”
“I have about five pages left to read. I was going to talk to you once I’d marked everything. And I was afraid of what you’d say when you found out I’d taken them from the office.”
“It’s all right, but as soon as you have them done, I’d like you to show me what you’re seeing.”
Mallory agreed, and when the room became quiet, she mentioned, “It seems Arcie told you a lot.”
“What was your impression of her?” Gage asked, not bothering with Mallory’s question.
“Quiet, but amazingly capable. There wasn’t any job she couldn’t do. I’ve wondered if that’s why Patrice saw her as a threat. And Victoria knew!” Mallory grew animated. “We talked after your meeting with us, and she said she knew there was more to Arcie than met the eye.”
“She told me that also,” Gage said. He had a few more questions for her, thanked her for her time, and then went to find Patrice. He wanted all of this to simply smooth out so he could go back to the business of making sunglasses, but he couldn’t do what he’d done before and let others handle things without being aware. It was not a good time, but he was not going to let the changes get the better of him or his business.
“What do you do at church?” Arcineh asked. It was the next Sunday afternoon, and Sam had picked her up again.
“We have a sermon, and then we split off into groups for Sunday school.”
“Do you go to Sunday school?” Arcineh asked, feeling drawn and somewhat horrified at the same time.
“Yes, we meet as families. I go with the group whose children are grown. Most have spouses, so I’m different in that way.”
“What do you do?”
“We’ve been studying on the topic of fearing God for a while. The teacher talks for most of the time, but there’s lots of sharing from people in the room.”
Arcineh thought about this for a while and then asked, “What’s ‘fearing God’?”
“It’s recognizing who He is so I think and act like Him,” Sam said, trying to keep it simple.
“Why do you believe in God after all this time? I mean, just believing in God doesn’t suddenly make Him there. It makes no sense to me.”
“I had come to a time in my life that was pretty painful. You were gone; all Quinn did was sit around and cry for Tayte; and your aunt called every two minutes to check on her. Then I went to see Mason in the hospital, and he told me I was condemned. I don’t mind telling you that I didn’t take that very well.
“All the way back to my car, I talked to God and told Him He wasn’t there. I then sat behind the wheel and said, ‘If You’re not there, who am I talking to?’ It was a defining moment for me since I was thinking differently than I had. I’d never read the Bible, but what did I have to lose? If I was so sure that God didn’t exist, why not look in the book? I thought it might be a good fantasy read.”
Sam suddenly smiled. “I was captivated. I knew that people believed in creation, but I’d never looked at the order in which it happened or considered Satan’s part in the garden. I could not stop reading.
“Mason didn’t live much longer, but he did live long enough for me to go back and ask him some questions. He couldn’t answer much—his own faith was fairly new—but he sent me to my present church. I’ve not missed a Sunday in more than two years.”
His own faith was fairly new. Arcineh didn’t know what to do with that statement. She had longed for a renewed relationship with Sam for so many months and years, and now he was not the man she remembered. There wasn’t anything she could object to, but there was comfort in sameness—even when the sameness had been far from perfect.
“What bothers you about it the most?” Sam asked with tremendous kindness. His heart was so full of love for this woman that he barely held his emotions when she was with him.
“I don’t know,” Arcineh said. She thought it was the change in him but suddenly wasn’t sure. “I guess,” Arcineh tried to begin, “we have such history together, but not like this. I’ve been content without that, and your needing God surprises me.”
“I can see how that would be true. I just hope you’ll ask me questions if you have them.”
“Why is that important?”
“I hope we can be closer than ever, and if you find me odd or inconsistent, I think that will put distance between us.”
This was definitely not the grandfather she knew, but for the first time she was comforted by his words.
Sam, watching her face and seeing something different, did not have a chance to question her. The phone rang, and this Sunday it was Violet. When she learned that Arcineh was back in Sam’s life, all she could do was cry. When the tears abated, Sam had to talk her into staying where she was. Arcineh tried as well, and Violet agreed, but both Bryants had the impression they would see her very soon.
That night Sam read in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?”
Thank You for Your words, Lord, Sam prayed. I have to remember that my job is to trust You while You work Your plan. I asked You to bring Arcineh back to me, and You did this. I need to trust You for her salvation. I am foreign to her, and she doesn’t know what to do with me. Please don’t let me stand in the way of her knowing You. Please give her a hunger to know more and to understand that You are there.
Sam was out of words then, remembering the day that God had changed his mind toward Him. Before he slept, he cried. He cried in grief and thanksgiving, awe and fear, his heart a jumble of emotions but mostly wanting to be obedient. Reminding himself of how much God loved him, Sam finally drifted off to sleep.
“Is that Gage?” Arcineh asked Sam when they exited her apartment building midmorning on Saturday. Someone was already sitting in the passenger’s seat of Sam’s Maybach.
“Yes. I thought we needed an impartial party.”
Arcineh had to smile. She would not have thought of such a thing, but it wasn’t such a bad idea. However, she would not have considered Gage. She was still working out his presence when they neared the car and Gage opened his door.
“Actually,” she said to him, “I think I’ll be more comfortable in the back, but thank you.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes,” Arcineh said, proving her point by opening the door and slipping in behind the front passenger’s seat.
Gage, with only a glance at Sam, got back in the front. He had not intended to take Arcineh’s place, but outside of blocking her way, there was nothing he could do.
Once again he hadn’t counted on being nervous but got back into the car feeling slightly rattled. He didn’t know what this woman had that put him on edge, but she had it in spades. It also didn’t help that she looked fabulous in simple jeans and a light pink sweater that only worked to accentuate her dark hair and eyes.
“Do you have a specific time you need to be back?” Sam asked his granddaughter after they were underway.
“I think I have an hour,” she joked, bringing a smile to Sam’s mouth as he began to navigate the city.
The men fell to talking, initiated by Sam, with Arcineh only half listening. Her mind had drifted back to times with Quinn, times of hurt and confusion. She had thought she was over those, but they had come back to haunt her. Somewhere in her mind, she realized Sam was talking to her.
“Are you asleep back there?”
“No, just wandering. How close are we?”
“About ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” Arcineh’s voice betrayed her panic.
“Yes. Are you all right?”
“I need to stop!”
Sam did not argue. He pulled off the road as soon as it was safe, and Arcineh opened her door. She swung her feet out to rest on the cold curb and attempted some deep breaths.
“Arcie?” Sam was in front of her—he’d even hunkered down on his haunches to be at her level.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said breathlessly.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but try to trust me on this.”
“You don’t know, Sam,” Arcineh whispered. “It was awful.”
“Yes, it was, but unlike before, I’ll believe everything you tell me.” Sam looked into her face and knew that she was ready to back out. He had to try something. “Try to think back as far as you can to the old Quinn, the Quinn that was fun and not mean. That’s the Quinn she is now.”
“What happened?” Arcineh asked with a good deal of doubt.
“She believes differently.”
“Like you?”
“Yes,” Sam said briefly, not explaining how recent a decision Quinn had made for Christ, but still knowing she was a woman at peace for the first time.
Because she was still sorting out her feelings concerning Sam, Arcineh wasn’t sure it was much of a comfort, but she did eventually nod and close the door. Sam put the car back in motion, and Gage had all he could do not to turn and speak to Arcineh. He hadn’t turned around once, but missing the conversation was impossible. Sam had brought him as an impartial party, but he found himself not trusting this Quinn person for the simple reason that she’d hurt Arcineh.
The two-story house was lovely. Arcineh could see that Quinn had decorated with good taste, and it felt like a home. For some reason this helped Arcineh. And Quinn helped too. She didn’t attempt to hug Arcineh or act overly excited and sickening about seeing her. Indeed Quinn got down to business in very little time. Arcineh didn’t know where her aunt and uncle were at the moment, but she was soon climbing the stairs behind her cousin in order to see the baby.
“She’s only been asleep a little while,” Quinn said without attempting to whisper, “or I would get her up.”
“No, don’t wake her,” Arcineh said, hating the thought and not sure she wanted to hold the child.
“This is Megan,” Quinn said, the pleasure in her voice was unmistakable. Arcineh peeked down into the crib and could not stop her smile.
A miniature Quinn lay on the soft-looking sheet, her hair dark and fluffy. Arcineh could even make out Quinn’s nose and mouth.
“Oh, Quinn,” Arcineh breathed, relaxing for the first time since waking that morning. “She’s amazing.”
“I think so,” Quinn said with the shyest smile Arcineh had ever seen from her.
“Was it hard for you, being pregnant and all that?”
“At times. I was sick at the beginning, and that’s not very fun. The labor is tough, but you forget all that really fast.”
Arcineh looked back into the crib, trying to sort out her cousin, much the way she wanted to Sam. She could feel herself wanting to cry and looked at the walls for a distraction. There was quite a bit to see. Quinn had put baby pictures up, but not just of Megan. Next to some of the shots was her own picture, and the resemblance was startling. Arcineh was still in the midst of this when Tiffany entered the room.
“Quinn,” the grandmother wasted no time in saying, “who is that fabulous-looking man in your living room?”
“He’s a friend of Arcie’s,” Quinn explained just as her mother spotted her niece.
“I didn’t see you, Arcie. Come and give me a kiss.”
Arcineh complied, not attempting to speak or correct Quinn’s assumption.
“A friend?” Tiffany lost no time. “If you’ll listen to your aunt—although no one ever does—you’ll snap him up in a hurry.”
Arcie didn’t comment, but Tiffany didn’t notice because she was talking again, this time about an outfit she’d seen at Nordstrom’s and how slimming it would be on Quinn. Not seconds later she said she needed to speak to her father about something and sailed back out the nursery room door. Not until she left did Arcie realize her aunt hadn’t even peeked in the crib. She refused to believe that was normal behavior for a grandmother, and when she looked at Quinn, she knew that it bothered her as well.
Quinn’s smile was sad as she met Arcineh’s eyes and said, “Some people never change, Arcie.”
Arcineh read the pain in her cousin’s eyes and said exactly what she was thinking.
“That’s certainly not true of you, Quinn. You have changed.” Arcineh stared at her for a moment. “And your baby is beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Quinn managed, bending over the crib to hide the moisture in her eyes.
Arcie didn’t linger but left the baby’s room. She walked back down the stairs and followed the voices to the living room. With no idea as to what prompted her, she sat down next to Gage on the sofa when the rest of the sofa was empty. His arm had been resting along the back, and he shifted enough to look down at her but didn’t move his arm. Because Sam and Jeremy were in a discussion and Tiffany was not in the room, they could talk for a moment “alone.”
“Are you all right?” Gage asked quietly, bending his head just enough.
“I think so.” Arcineh slanted a look at him. “My aunt tells me I’m supposed to snap you up.”
Gage laughed softly before saying, “Remind me to thank her.”
Arcineh looked at him for a long moment. If she doubted the interest she thought she might have noticed in his eyes, she doubted no longer. Gage did nothing to hide his attraction, his gaze taking in every detail of her face and hair before settling back on her eyes.
She looked away before saying, “I don’t think you know what you’d be getting yourself into. I’m damaged goods—rather broken right now.”
“All of us would have to say that,” Gage countered. “But I come with extra Band-Aids.”
Arcineh turned again to look at him and then couldn’t pull her eyes away. It was a remarkably kind and romantic thing to say. She would have questioned him about it or just gone on looking into his eyes if Tiffany hadn’t returned. That lady walked into the room, her voice alone demanding everyone’s attention.
“I wasn’t going to do this right now,” Quinn began. She was nursing Megan and had caught Arcineh alone after lunch. “I mean, I was going to write to you and not try this in person, but you’re here and I want to say I’m sorry. I treated you so badly when all you wanted was my friendship, and I’m sorry, Arcie. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
“Why did you, Quinn?” Arcineh asked. “What was it about me that you hated?”
“I think I was just jealous and insecure to begin with, and then I saw you having Grandpa to yourself all the time. It didn’t have anything to do with you—there was enough of him to go around—but I didn’t see it that way at the time.”
“Sam told me you’d talked to him about it.”
“He really didn’t know,” Quinn said with a small shake of her head. “He really thought that you were as much to blame as I was. I was sick when I realized what I’d done. All the lies I’d told. When you left, I never dreamed you’d stay away. Grandpa was angry at first, but then he began to miss you. For a while I was even threatened by that, but then the months went by and I missed you too. Your leaving was supposed to take care of all my problems, but it didn’t come close. And then when you didn’t come back for all those years, I knew I had to tell Sam how bad it had been. Did you call a few times?” Quinn suddenly asked.
“Yes.”
“I knew it. At first I was glad you hung up, but then I wanted to talk to you. I tried dialing that call-back number, but I must have written the number down wrong because it never worked.”
“It wouldn’t have done any good,” Arcineh admitted. “I was angry for a long time.”
“I don’t expect you to just get over it, Arcie,” Quinn knew she had to add. “It’s not that easy. But I did want you to know how much I regret my actions.”
“Thank you,” Arcineh said, not sure what the correct reply might be.
An awkward silence fell on them just then. Arcineh didn’t want to talk about it anymore, but she didn’t know how to change the subject.
“Do you want to hold her now?” Quinn asked, done with nursing.
Arcineh nodded, taking the one-month-old baby in her arms, glad that no other words were needed. The silence was no longer uncomfortable. Both women were content to sit and watch the baby sleep.
Arcineh actually enjoyed her day. Her Uncle Jeremy was perfectly delighted to see her and made the same assumption as Quinn had that Gage and Arcineh were a couple. Tiffany was just the same, gossiping about this and that, but unlike the past, Sam and Quinn never commented or argued with her.
And Gage was simply constant. He stayed fairly close to Arcineh but didn’t act as though no one else was in the room. The ride home was much more relaxed, and the three of them talked.
“I’ll walk you to your door,” Gage offered when Sam pulled back up to the apartment building.
“All right. Thanks, Sam.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll come by tomorrow and get you for lunch.”
“Okay. Is it all right if I bring more laundry?”
Sam sent her off with “You don’t even need to ask.”
Gage opened Arcineh’s door and then walked behind her to her apartment. Arcineh didn’t get her key out but turned to look at the man, not sure what to say. Gage knew exactly what he wanted to say.
“Can I have your phone number?”
“I don’t have a phone right now.”
Gage looked completely fascinated by this and asked, “Why is that?”
“Money is a little tight since my roommate got married and moved out.”
Gage had the same reaction Sam did—he wanted to jump in and take care of her.
“Just out of curiosity,” the man went on, “if you had a phone number, would you give it to me?”
Arcineh studied him. Clearly there was a whole lot more to this man than she had already seen. A part of her heart was filled with doubts, but if she was forced to be honest, she wanted to know more. She smiled before saying, “Yes.”
Gage smiled as well. “I’ll see you later,” he said, watching her all the while.
Arcineh used her key and got the door open enough so that Gage would turn and go. He moved off and she slipped inside. She didn’t take advantage of her neighbors, using their phone only if there was a real need, but tonight she might have to make an exception. She thought if she couldn’t talk to Jalaina, she would burst.