Amber’s feet were glued to the ground as though she’d stepped in concrete and stayed too long. What was Michael playing at? She wished she hadn’t looked at her cell, wished she hadn’t even come. Her limbs began to tremble.
No. She was done with crying. Grabbing the handlebars of her bike, she prepared to swing her leg over, leaving before she gave the Bible study a chance. But Michael’s text had thrown her off balance.
“Hello, there.” Dr. Selman spoke from behind.
Amber winced. Not likely she could get out of Bible study now. Despite the heat in her cheeks, she spun to face him. “For someone teaching a Bible study, you’re late, don’t you know?”
“You’re right. But considering it looks like you were about to leave, maybe my being late is a good thing.” He offered his hand. “Come in with me?”
When he said it like that, how could she resist? Caught in his intense gaze, Amber wasn’t sure when she’d placed her hand in his. Holding hands, they strolled to the front door, though Amber felt more like she’d been gliding. Before entering, Dr. Selman squeezed her hand and winked then released her.
Not that she believed he would actually walk into the Bible study holding her hand, but when he let go, her momentary contentment fled. He opened the door without knocking and waited for her to go in ahead of him.
Vehemently, she shook her head. “I…I can’t. I don’t know these people. Please, you go first.”
“Dr. Selman.” A short, stout woman appeared in the foyer, beaming warmth. “I was getting worried.”
In the shuffle, Amber found herself standing in the living room. Where were all the people?
“Sorry I’m late, something came up.” He grazed Amber with a glance.
The woman smiled at Amber. “I see.”
“Oh no, he was late before he saw me.” What an idiot she was.
“No matter, dear.” She gently touched the back of Amber’s arm. “We’re congregating in the kitchen. Decided to snack first since our leader wasn’t here. I’m Claire, by the way.”
Amber introduced herself and followed Claire and Dr. Selman into the kitchen, where the sound of soft conversation and laughter mingled with crunching chips. Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten, having taken a nap after getting home. She took the offer of a soda and began dipping chips into guacamole while she listened to the group, which included Claire and Donita, both fiftyish women and a thirty-something man who was a police officer, two guys and a girl all in their twenties. An interesting demographic for a Bible study.
Finally, the group ended up in the living room, sitting comfortably on one of two leather burgundy sofas, floral chairs, and a few large pillows. One of the guys dragged a couple of kitchen chairs into the room. A candle burned here and there, giving the room a soft glow and nice vanilla scent.
The scene brought back good memories of life before Amber’s mother and sister were killed, of life before Michael had been arrested. How she longed for that time once again.
I don’t know if I can ever forgive you, Michael….
Everyone sat with their Bibles in their laps, either closed or flipped open. Amber did the same, opening her Bible to a random passage. The group members hadn’t gotten serious yet, with several still chatting.
One of the younger guys sat next to Amber on the sofa, a little too close for her comfort.
“So, Amber, how was your day?” he asked.
“Don’t I know you?” Great. Now, she was giving him a pickup line, but he looked familiar.
“Don’t you remember? I was in the drama.”
Lewis. “That’s right. I didn’t recognize you in regular clothes.” She giggled. “I never got your real name.”
“It’s Peter.”
“You know Dr. Selman through the reenactment, right?”
“Actually, we attend the same church. He recommended me when the reenactors were looking for a new Lewis. I’ve been part of the reenactment team for three years now.”
Amber smiled and nodded.
“Listen, I’ve been hoping to see you again. Maybe we could get together some time.”
Dr. Selman cleared his throat. Amber looked around the room and noticed everyone was staring, waiting on them to get quiet.
Sitting in the large recliner in the corner, he looked different. Still authoritative and commanding like in the museum setting, but—a gentle light emanated from him. The Light was no stranger to her. Amber peered down at her Bible—it had to be the Jesus in him, she knew.
Dr. Selman led them in prayer. Guilt wrestled inside her. Even if she could forgive her brother, and God, how could God forgive her?
Vision blurring, she stared at her Bible. Gradually, the scripture became clear, seeming to jump out at her. Though Dr. Selman continued his prayer, Amber couldn’t help but read the verse staring back. Matthew chapter five, verse twenty-four.
“ ‘Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.’ ”
And there was the crux of the matter. Whether she interpreted the verse correctly or not, she believed before she could connect with God, she needed to forgive her brother. Though torn, warmth burned in her heart—it seemed that God was nudging her in that direction. She had forsaken Him—after a fashion—but He’d never left her.
“In Jesus’s name.” Dr. Selman concluded the prayer. “Continuing our study in Romans…”
Sitting in his office an hour before the museum opened, Brandon skimmed through the paperwork he’d need to complete today in addition to cataloging artifacts. Jim would return from his vacation next week. Brandon planned to have every artifact inspected, cataloged, and stored before then. They still waited on the display shelves for the Hamlin collection. Hopefully, they’d arrive soon, considering the museum had advertised the exhibit would be open to the public next month.
Adding to his tight schedule today, he needed to gather his thoughts for dinner this evening. He’d agreed to meet Ray Stockholm—a potential donor—to share his understanding of the events that ended in disaster when he directed the other museum. He’d spent five years attempting to shove what happened from his mind. And yet, he always maintained a ready defense of the facts. Though he rehearsed what he would say a million times, fear gripped him anyway.
Brandon hung his head and laughed. He grew weary of having to defend himself. Would it never end?
To make matters worse, board member Sheila Longstrom had called and asked to join them for dinner. What now?
He planted his face in his hands. Maybe that’s why the Lord had him talk about forgiveness last night—he needed to forgive himself. Honestly? He thought he’d never recover from the disaster, but here he was in his own office, directing a new endeavor, a new museum and that?—because people believed in him.
He reflected again on the facts as he saw them, mentally preparing himself to talk his way through the tangled mess—an odd set of circumstances that brought a museum to its knees, and Brandon to dread facing himself in the mirror every day since.
In his first year as director of the Landers Prehistoric Museum, he took on an intern whom he quickly began to mentor. He worked closely with her every day and trusted her with increasingly more responsibility. Focused completely on his work, he never took notice of her affections. Apparently the woman fancied herself in love with him, and one evening she surprised him with a kiss and revealed her feelings.
Taken aback by her declaration, Brandon wasn’t sure what to say. But in the most tactful manner he could muster, he turned her affections aside. The moment was awkward, preventing them from returning to their daily work in a professional way.
When a large display somehow toppled, injuring her, Brandon’s only thoughts were for her safety, and he blamed himself for the accident. She took his words of self-recrimination and ran with them to the courts, suing the museum for Brandon’s supposed negligence. Brandon believed she exacted vengeance on him for spurning her. The museum settled with her out of court, of course, and Brandon was asked to leave. He thought he’d never work in a museum again—either in research as a paleontologist or as a director.
Thankfully, many still believed in him; and through their generous favor and recommendations, he once again directed a museum. But those days still haunted him, causing him to tread cautiously where Amber McKinsey was concerned.
Brandon shoved away from his desk and left his office. If he kept thinking on the past, he’d never move forward. And, he looked forward to seeing Amber this morning.
He’d been both happy and surprised to see her at Bible study. His thoughts went to her soft features in the dimly lit room, her face serious as she listened to the discussion. Unfortunately, he’d found it difficult to focus with her there, watching him. Somehow, he had the feeling the words were for her as well as him. But that was speculation on his part. He certainly didn’t know her well enough.
He’d wanted time to speak with Amber after Bible study, but Peter had singled her out with an apparent romantic interest. Just as well. Brandon’s thoughts regarding his previous experience lingered in his mind, warning him to keep his distance.
But where Amber was concerned, he was in a battle that had raged between men and women from the beginning of time, and he wasn’t at all certain of the outcome in this case.
Mom and Dad must be praying for grandchildren.
Brandon sighed heavily as he crossed the hallway to the receiving room. As her mentor—if that’s what he truly was—he needed to do a better job of instilling confidence in her. At the door, he unlocked it and entered to find that Amber had swept the floor clean of the pottery remnants just as he’d asked.
He considered whether or not to order a replacement, but he still had the replica for the most valuable piece. From one of the two crates he’d opened yesterday, he pulled out another box. He grinned. This artist was good, making even the packaging appear as if a real artifact was contained within. If Brandon didn’t know better, even he could have been fooled. What was this?
The seal on the box was broken.
Brandon removed the padding.
Nothing.
In addition to sweeping up the broken replica, Amber had obviously continued cataloging more items, though he knew she couldn’t have worked too much longer because she’d been at Bible study. But…she must have logged the replica as the actual artifact and placed it in storage.
Brandon paused, thinking it through. Since he wanted to test Jim’s skills anyway, this could work in his favor.
Brandon spotted Amber on the other side of the glass door, a soft smile playing on her lips.
She pushed all the way through. “Good morning.”
“I see you did more cataloging after I left. Thank you.”
Amber allowed her backpack to slide to the floor next to the table where she worked. “Wait, what? I swept and straightened up then locked up like you asked.”
“Well, you cataloged at least one more artifact—the wedding vase. Yesterday was slightly traumatic, wouldn’t you say?” He felt a smile slip into his lips, and not yet wanting to reveal that it had been another replica, he turned his attention to his own workstation. The last thing she needed right now was for him to second-guess her.
“Dr. Selman?”
“You’ll find it in the system. I’m glad you’re capable of cataloguing on your own now, because I have to spend a good part of the day on other matters.” He faced her again. She was too beautiful.
He’d prefer to see a smile in place of the frown though. He’d prefer to kiss her forehead and make his way down to her lips….Instead, he squeezed her arms. “Amber, forget about yesterday. Everything will be all right.” His words set off an alarm inside him. While he wanted to encourage her, keep her safe—could he really back up his words?
Something in the look she gave him sent a subtle shiver through him.