Laura set aside Sunday to read the remainder of Destiny’s book and to get started on the Tamar novel that the women’s book club would discuss on Tuesday evening. With the past two weeks being so busy, she hadn’t been able to read more than a couple of the love stories in Destiny’s book, but she was already hooked. She fixed a cup of coffee, grabbed a quilt and the book then headed out to the balcony to read.
Most all of the apartments on the square had balconies overlooking the center area, where the three-tiered fountain flowed and a few geese ambled around the wrought-iron benches, where the elderly typically sat with bread. But unlike every other morning of the week, today the square was primarily empty, probably because people were home getting ready for church.
Laura assumed everyone she went to lunch with last Sunday would gather at the Claremont Community Church today, as would David.
She sipped her oversize mug of coffee. The crisp taste instantly reminded her of the lattes she’d shared with him a week ago and that parting comment that had teased her ever since.
She’d hardly been able to sleep for remembering his words and wondering what it would be like to go on a real date with David Presley.
A shiver passed over her, and it had nothing to do with the cold. She focused on the book and tried to tune out the memory of how badly she’d wanted to be kissed. And how he hadn’t even tried. She turned the page and attempted to focus on the next story. It was interesting to read about couples she’d already met in town.
The first story was about Marvin and Mae Tolleson, the older couple who owned the variety store. And she’d read about Mandy and Daniel, learned how they’d started out basically despising one another because both of them wanted to adopt Kaden when his parents passed away. This morning she started into the third story, about Chad and Jessica. Soaking in the pages, Laura learned that Jessica was pregnant with Chad’s baby when she ran away from Claremont as a teen, and she didn’t tell him for six years. The story of how they reunited and how he forgave her for leaving touched Laura’s heart. She thought of adorable little Nathan in the book club and realized that he was that precious baby who finally met his daddy.
Tears trickled down Laura’s cheeks. Her little girls would never have a relationship with their biological father. Jared had made certain she knew that he didn’t want any part of this pregnancy or their lives. But Laura wanted them to have a daddy, eventually.
A steady thumping caught her attention. She wiped the tears away and looked for the source of the noise, growing louder. Then she saw the jogger entering the square from Main Street. David ran steadily down the sidewalk, his tennis shoes producing the pounding she’d heard. Oddly, the even thudding of his shoes reminded her of the sounds she heard at each doctor’s visit, her babies’ heartbeats.
Laura’s heart kicked it up a notch, too. He wore a gray T-shirt and navy sweatpants. An iPod was strapped around his right bicep with a white cord connecting the earphones. His shirt wasn’t overly tight, but it still managed to emphasize the hard planes of his chest, flexing and releasing with each breath.
She continued staring until he reached the bookstore. He held one hand out to brace against the brick wall and checked his watch. Then he nodded, apparently satisfied with his time. He pulled the earphones out and then started to go into the store but, to Laura’s surprise, he tossed a glance over his shoulder, locked eyes with her and smiled.
She should have waved, or yelled hello, or something. But instead she clutched the book, gathered the quilt and the coffee and retreated inside. She glanced at her closet. Several dresses hung there that would be perfect to wear to church today. A tiny whisper told her to get dressed and go. But while that voice whispered, her fear screamed louder. What if Mandy’s friends weren’t typical, and the remainder of the people there would rather a single, very pregnant lady not show up in the middle of their small community church? Laura couldn’t deny she was starting to have serious feelings toward David, and he wanted—needed—a woman who shared his faith. If he’d have patience, Laura would get there again. As soon as she thought God was ready for her. She figured He’d let her know somehow when the time was right.
* * *
“So, did you finish reading the book?” Hannah asked Mandy as they each plopped down in one of the cozy chairs at the front of the bookstore.
“I read it in two days,” Mandy said, placing a hand over her heart. “It was amazing.”
“I have to admit that I’d never really thought about the story from Tamar’s point of view, and I found myself rooting for her more than any character I’ve ever read about,” Hannah said.
Several more ladies came in and filled the chairs and sofas that David had arranged for the night’s meeting. Laura said hello to Destiny and Jessica and met a sweet older lady named Mary, who said she was married to the preacher at the church. Then Eden Sanders came in and introduced herself, as well as her daughter, Georgiana Cutter, and Georgiana’s sister-in-law, Dana. Laura noticed Georgiana holding Dana’s forearm, and it didn’t take but a moment for her to realize the pretty strawberry-haired woman was blind.
“We got the book on CD for Georgiana,” Dana explained as they sat down.
“Yes, and I’m so glad we did,” Georgiana said. “Tamar’s story touched my heart.”
“Mine, too,” Laura admitted, taking her seat in the center chair and preparing to lead the discussion. “I started reading it Sunday afternoon and couldn’t go to sleep that night until I was done, well after two o’clock.”
Mandy sat next to Laura. They’d grown very close over the past few weeks, with Laura visiting Mandy nearly every day at the photography studio. She leaned toward Laura and said softly, “I really wanted you to read that story.”
“I appreciate that,” Laura said, “more than you could know.”
She’d never read the story of Tamar, either, and she had no idea how terribly the lady had been treated by the men she tried to love. Nor did she know about the way Tamar had tricked her father-in-law into fathering her child. But in spite of her trickery, God favored her for attaining her natural rights when she’d been wronged by Judah’s sons. And she ended up being one of only five women listed in the lineage of Christ.
Laura cleared her throat. “So, we have some discussion questions here. I’d like to get your thoughts on these. Question one, Tamar was abused, abandoned and neglected. She ended up taking matters into her own hands and having a difficult time of it. Have you ever felt like this?”
To Laura’s relief, the women in the group were very open, with several of them bringing up instances in their lives where they’d experienced a hard time, often because they were trying to handle things on their own. Jessica spoke up first and talked about her fear when she’d become pregnant as a teen and how she’d hidden the pregnancy from Chad so he wouldn’t give up his college scholarship.
“If I’d have told him the truth and hadn’t run away, we’d have had six more years together raising Nathan. But I thought I’d messed up, and I didn’t want to mess up his life, too.” She brushed a tear away then added, “But Nathan completes his life, completes our lives. He and Lainey are the best parts of our world.”
“I tried running away from God,” Mandy said softly, “after Mia died. I know now that I was blaming Him. But He wanted me back—” she pointed to the book in her hand “—the same way He wanted Tamar.”
“Enough to put her in the lineage of His Son,” Mary said. “I think that’s a beautiful image of how very much He wants us, don’t you? Even when we feel we’ve messed up?”
All of the women agreed, and Laura swallowed thickly through the lump in her throat. She’d come to the same realization reading Tamar’s story, but to hear her thoughts voiced by all of the other women, and to learn that they’d had moments where they felt like they’d turned their backs on God, too...overwhelmed her.
She glanced up and saw David leaning against one of the endcaps looking toward the group but undeniably focused on her. He tilted his head, held up the okay symbol with his hand and mouthed, You okay?
Laura’s heart was filled with compassion toward Mandy, for convincing her to read this story, and toward David, for seeing her through the past few weeks and encouraging her to come back to God without shoving her through the church door. Very okay, she mouthed.
He smiled then turned and went to the counter apparently convinced that she would be fine. And, through question after question and discussion after discussion, she was. In fact, she was more than fine. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Laura felt...blessed.