15

 

Cara wanted to believe Gage’s statement held some meaning in his own life.

You’re not alone.

Did he know he wasn’t alone either? Did he realize God had never left his side? Gage clearly had some uncertainties about his faith. He had questions only God had the answers to.

Lord, help Gage turn to You and lean on You for support. Only You know what’s buried deep in his heart. Something tells me he wants more out of life, and he’s hurting. Give him the purpose he seeks. Give him a reason to want to fully heal.

Cara stepped onto the treadmill and pressed the start button, mulling over the various emotions she’d experienced since entering the gym. She’d been frightened, empowered, elated, and then disappointed all in a matter of minutes, all because of Gage.

The emotional roller coaster made no sense. She was far too down-to-earth and definitely too level-headed to get all topsy-turvy because of a man.

Wasn’t she?

She shook her head and notched up the treadmill’s speed. She had better things to worry about than how Gage made her feel. She had a criminal to evade and a life to return to in Baltimore. So what if her routine life was a little boring and nothing exciting ever happened?

Suddenly, returning to her ordinary daily grind didn’t sound so great—especially if Gage wasn’t a part of it.

Lord, what is happening to me?

Cara pounded the miles away as if she could outdistance herself from her fears and everything else bubbling inside. Her endorphins woke up and began to work their magic. By the time she hit the three mile mark, the tension had eased from her body and sweat trickled down her back and chest. All she needed now was a cold shower and a solid night’s sleep. With that plan in mind, she switched off the treadmill’s power.

The room grew deathly silent, and with no distractions remaining, her thoughts returned to Mercado. He was out there somewhere, and he wanted her dead. Goose bumps circled her arms, and she suddenly needed to hear Gage’s reassuring voice.

She darted across the room and pressed the intercom’s call button. “Gage?” A few sputters of static filled the room and she feared he hadn’t heard her. She punched the button again. “Are you there?”

“I’m here. Are you OK?”

I am now. She could breathe again. “Yeah. I just needed…” You.

Cara fidgeted. She couldn’t admit that. Not after the awkward kissing-of-the-forehead episode. Did she really think he hadn’t known where to find her lips? Her face flamed hot at the memory.

“Cara? What’s wrong?” An urgency entered his voice. “I’ll be right there.”

She imagined Gage snatching up his cane and maneuvering all the way out here to find her perfectly safe. “No, wait.”

“What is it?” His voice rose as if his stress level mounted.

She squeezed her eyes shut and placed her forehead against the cool wall. “I just needed to hear your voice.” There. She’d said it. Let him think what he wanted.

Silence ensued. Then, his reflective tone came through the old wiring system as it crackled and popped. “I don’t even remember the last time someone said that to me.”

With those heartrending words, Gage claimed a little more of her soul. “I’m finished. I’m heading back.”

“I’ll be here.”

A tingle of anticipation electrified her nerves as she locked up and hurried to the house. Outside, the moonlight reflected over the ocean and a soft breeze carried the scents of sand, earth and sea across the land. The romantic atmosphere had her wishing there could be more between her and Gage. Perhaps there could be. If she’d touched him on some primal level by needing him, maybe there was hope.

Her fanciful expectations were doused when she walked inside and Gage wasn’t in the living room or in the kitchen. No lingering scents of dinner greeted her, only quiet stillness.

“Gage?” She walked to his bedroom, and peeked into his opened door. A table lamp illuminated his paper strewn desk, but he wasn’t sitting in the chair. Neither was he in bed. The masculine room stood empty. Her nerves kicked in. She’d just spoken with him. He couldn’t have gone far. Unless…

A loud bump sounded from upstairs, and her imagination took her on a terrifying, vivid ride. Had Mercado somehow found their hiding place? “Gage!”

“I’m up here.” His muffled voice drifted down the stairway. “In your bedroom.”

Relief and curiosity struck her at once. She bounded upstairs and halted in the doorway. Gage stood inside, taking up most of the available floor space as he balanced a twin mattress in his arms.

“What are you doing?” She stared at the empty metal frame on the bottom of the bunk, where she expected to sleep tonight.

“I’m fixing a problem.” He sidestepped her and took the mattress from the room.

“You’re making me sleep on the floor?” She called over her shoulder.

Gage returned and gave her an incredulous look. “I’m switching out your mattress with a pillow-topped one from the other room.” When her mouth dropped open, he added, “You said that one was uncomfortable, right?”

As she recalled, she’d been complaining about his less than perfect manners when she’d mentioned the bed. “Uh…yeah. But, I didn’t think you cared.”

“At that particular moment, I didn’t care.” He brought in the softer mattress, settled it onto the frame and began remaking the bed. “But things have changed.”

A warm tingling crept up Cara’s insides. Their relationship had transformed into something personal. Perhaps that kiss on the forehead meant more than she’d first assumed.

Gage continued working in precise, well-practiced moves. When he finished, not a wrinkle remained on the sheets, blanket or pillowcase.

“You’ve had military training?”

“Not firsthand. My father was a Marine. He taught me about all the things that matter most. Discipline. Honor. Integrity.” His lips quirked. “How to make up beds.”

Intrigued, Cara delved a little deeper. “Did you travel a lot growing up?”

“We spent a couple of years in Germany. I started high school in Italy and graduated in Alaska.”

“How did you end up in Virginia?”

“Dad was stationed in Norfolk for a while, which is only a few hours from here. We visited the Eastern Shore, and I fell in love.”

Cara swallowed, hard. “W-with the woman you told me about?” For some odd reason, she didn’t like the idea of his ex being in close proximity. Worse than that, a stab of jealousy struck her.

His grin surfaced. “No. With the landscape. There’s no other place like it.”

More relieved than she had a right to be, Cara redirected the conversation. “You’ve seen so many places and done so many things. I grew up in one place. Still live there. You make my life seem so …ordinary.”

“I suppose your impromptu trip to Colombia was your first great adventure?”

“That was the plan.” Cara dipped her head and studied her shoes. “Didn’t turn out so great.”

Gage leaned a shoulder against the wall and crossed his ankles. The gesture brought his body close to hers. So close, she had to look up to meet his eyes when he spoke. “Why did you go?”

“To help Jonas with his humanitarian efforts.”

Gage’s brows rose. “That’s what you said before. Now tell me why you really got on that airplane.”

Cara started. “What do you mean?”

“There are tons of ways of helping people in Baltimore. Homeless shelters. Food banks. They all need volunteers. Why did you follow Jonas to another continent?” Gage looked at her as if he could see something inside her she hadn’t seen herself.

Cara thought her motives were clear, but now she wasn’t so sure. Why had she gone to such trouble and expense to follow Jonas?

“Aren’t you satisfied with your own life?”

With those few gently spoken words, the answer stood out clear as polished sea glass. “I guess I wanted to be more like my brother and do something important with my life.”

“Ahh.”

“All right.” She held up hands. “What are you getting at?”

Gage took up her palms in his. “God created you the way you are for a reason. He wants you to be you. Not your brother. He has a specific purpose for your life. How can that be fulfilled if you’re busy trying to be someone else?”