Caught in the Current (Pacific Shores Book 2) (13 page)

She was annoyed to feel tears pricking the backs of her eyes.

“Marie…” He said her name like an embrace and apology wrapped up in one as he stepped over the bags and once more stood before her.

As if she wasn’t having enough of a hard time controlling her emotions with him across the room. She put a hand out to keep him back, but the minute her fingers contacted the softness of his T-shirt, they betrayed her and simply rested there.

He touched her chin, gently raising her face to his. “Talk to me.”

She swallowed, willing away the urge to throw herself into his arms and beg him to take care of her like this for the rest of his life. She tried to look away, but the power of his gaze held her captive. “You can’t be here, Reece. Shouldn’t be here.”

With the knuckle of his first finger, he caressed smooth, short strokes along her jaw. “Why not?” His words were so soft she almost didn’t hear them.

Why not? There was an answer. She should have an answer, but for the life of her she couldn’t pull it from the depths of herself. “Because…” was the only lame reply she could come up with.

One corner of his mouth ticked up, and a gentle teasing light sparkled in his eyes. “Because you are still attracted to me and it scares you a little? Because you and Dan just broke things off, and now you don’t have him as an excuse between us anymore?”

She swallowed. He probably didn’t know how close he was to right. But there was an even bigger reason, and he apparently needed her to spell it out for him, point blank. “Reece, there’s a more important reason, and you really need to consider it.”

“Enlighten me.” His words were serious, but humor etched the corners of his eyes.

She did push him away then. She had to or she was going to go crazy. She stalked over to the grocery bags and started thrusting stuff into the cupboards. The thing was…no matter how many times she rehearsed how to say what she was feeling, it came off sounding petty and self-deprecating. And that wasn’t what she wanted at all.

How did a woman go about telling a man she wasn’t good enough for him without it seeming like she was fishing for him to lavish praise on her?

Finally she forced herself to be still and just say what was on her mind. “Reece, you of all people know I’ve done things not to be proud of. You—you’re—you’ve always lived for God and done what’s right.”

“Marie—”

“No, just let me finish.”

He quieted, but there was a bulge in his jaw that told her he wasn’t too happy about it.

“Dakota, or someone like her, those are the kinds of girls you should be interested in. Not me. I don’t want to be the one who ruins your reputation and makes people see you in a bad light.”

Reece’s eyes narrowed. And his jaw worked back and forth like a bull chewing cud.

Good. Maybe he was realizing the truth she’d just spoken. She resumed putting groceries away. He continued to hold his silence, and she willed herself not to cry as she tucked items into the cupboards and fridge. She wished this hadn’t been so hard.

Finally, as she was gathering all the grocery bags together, he spoke. “You got a Bible?”

She stilled and looked at him. “Yeah. Why?”

“Can I see it?”

She stuffed all the grocery sacks away and then retrieved her iPad, opened her Bible app, and handed it to Reece. He tapped in a few things and then flipped it around and handed it back to her.

He had highlighted two verses in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! And verse 21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Her shoulders sank. He wasn’t going to listen to her. She started to put the tablet down. “Yes, Reece, I know—”

He took it back and glanced at it again. “Look at verse 19 too.” He held it back out so she could see it. “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” He stepped closer and put the iPad on the counter behind her, gripping her shoulders again. He bent and peered into her face. “I’m a new creation in Christ—say it.”

“Reece—”

He touched her mouth with the pad of his thumb. “Do you believe it? Are you a new creation?”

She sighed. “Yes.”

“Do you think God is holding your past sins against you?”

She shook her head. “No, of course not.”

His stance seemed to relax a little. “They why are you holding them against yourself?”

“I’m not.”

He tilted his head. “Aren’t you? What makes you think you are not as good of a woman as Dakota or ‘some other woman like her,’ then?” He air quoted her own words back to her.

“It’s not that I’m not as good as them, it’s just…”

He pressed his lips together and waited, brows raised, but the look on his face said he’d be able to refute anything she came up with.

“I’m not as good as her for you.” The words sounded lame even to her own ears.

He laughed outright and placed a hand on the counter on either side of her, leaning close and giving her a slow wink. “I think you’re wrong. And I’m sure going to have a good time changing your mind.”

Her stomach did a slow pirouette, and her legs were feeling about as useful as cooked noodles. “Reece…”

“Hmmm?” A soft smile tilted his lips.

He was entirely too close for comfort. “Can’t you see your reputation might suffer if you date me?”

“Anybody who would look down on me for dating you is not a person whose opinion I’m going to care about.”

She sighed. “Sure. You say that now, but what about years from now?”

“Years from now. I like the sound of that.”

Despair coursed through her. “Reece…”

He held up a hand. “You are selling yourself and God’s Word short. You are not the same woman you were. We’ve all made mistakes. Just some are more obvious than others. But Jesus’ blood wipes away premarital sex just as easily as it does gossip or cussing. Now I want to hear you say two things.”

Her heart started to beat in earnest. “Yes?”

“I’m a new creation in Christ.”

Giddy. That’s how she felt. When was the last time she could say she’d felt giddy? She wanted this. Oh, how she wanted this. Slowly, she repeated it. “I’m a new creation in Christ.” It sounded so good, she said it again, and then just stood there reveling in the wonder of it. She closed her eyes, doing her best to see herself as God now saw her. Not as a rebellious, blackened sinner. But as a pure, washed child of God.

After a lengthy moment she realized the room had remained quiet for a long time. She peeked her eyes open to see what he was doing.

A grin had bloomed on his face, and moisture was shining in his eyes. He was studying every plane of her face, and palpable joy lit his own. “Yes. Yes, you are. And I’m so happy about that.” He touched her cheek and swept his thumb over her cheekbone.

“You said two things?” She rolled her lips inward and pressed them together.

“I did.” A gentle smile accompanied the words. But there was a hint of promise there that started a little fire in her belly. “Say you’ll have dinner with me Friday night?”

Giddy. Definitely giddy. She actually giggled.

Was she really letting him talk her into this?

Yes, she was. And quite willingly, at that.

But she couldn’t resist a little teasing. “I’m not sure I can. I’m supposed to start work for this man sometime this week. He looks a lot like you, and I wouldn’t want to have people thinking I was dating my boss.”

He threw back his head on a quick bark of laughter. “You’re fired. Now say you’ll go on a date with me Friday night.”

She widened her eyes. “But you can’t fire me! Some guy just brought me a couple hundred dollars of groceries, and I won’t ever be able to pay him back if you fire me!”

The look in his eyes changed from humor to something more serious and a lot more dangerous.

The little fire in her belly was threatening to become an all-out inferno.

“Oh, I’m sure if he thinks he needs to be repaid, he’ll come up with some form of payment that should suffice.” His gaze lingered on her lips as a hint of what he meant.

A curl of desire coursed through her.

She swallowed and gripped the counter tightly to keep herself from leaning forward and kissing him. That was something the old Marie would have done. “Thank you. For the groceries.”

“My pleasure. I thought I was going to catch it from you there for a minute.”

“You just might if you do something like it again.”

He grinned. “Is that a promise?”

Anticipation zipped through her, but she wasn’t ready to go there. Yet. “You also paid my co-pay at the hospital, didn’t you?”

He straightened and deliberately looked around for a clock. “What time is it? I really better be going. I know you have to work in the morning.” He snagged his hat, tipping it back onto his head.

She laughed. “Smooth. Very smooth. And not suspicious at all!”

He settled his hands on his hips and grinned down at her. “You haven’t answered my question.”

Slipping her phone from her back pocket, she gave it a quick glance, then held the face toward him. “Seven fifteen.”

His boots scuffed against the linoleum as he tipped her a “be serious” look.

She tucked her lower lip between her teeth. Was that vulnerability she saw on his face? She certainly was feeling a good measure of it herself. She wanted to agree. She just didn’t want to see him hurt. But either way, she would hurt him.

Finally she squeezed out the word that terrified her and filled her with elation all at the same time. “Yes.”

Chapter 11

Reece growled and shoved his phone into his pocket before pulling his work gloves back on. Why couldn’t Mom just leave well enough alone?

The past two days had dragged by. And nothing seemed to go easy. Dad was slipping further and further away and taking little pieces of Reece’s heart every time he stepped in to see him. The riding mower broke down, and it had taken him the good part of this morning to get it running again. And last night there’d been a huge storm, so here he was, spending time he didn’t have, getting the beach cleaned up because they had a slate of new guests arriving this afternoon.

And now Mom had just called to inform him she’d invited Dakota to dinner tonight, so he should be on time. Maybe if he hadn’t told her he was going out with Marie tomorrow, she wouldn’t still be pushing so hard with this Dakota thing. Dakota was one of the sweetest girls he knew, and he didn’t want her getting hurt because Mom couldn’t bring herself to accept reality.

He hucked another armload of driftwood onto the big pile he’d been building up and swiped a palm against the sweat starting to sting his eye.

“Need any help with that?”

Reece spun around. “Justus!” He strode toward the man who’d been more friend than boss to him for the past four years and wrapped him in a big bear hug. “What are you doing here, man?”

“Wow, you stink.” Justus teasingly shoved him away and took an exaggerated step backward.

Reece laughed. “Some guy I know used to say if you don’t stink when you get done with a job, you didn’t do it right.”

Justus laughed. “It’s good to see you.” His gaze turned serious, and he chewed the inside of his lip. “How are you holding up?”

Reece sighed and sank onto one of the larger pieces of driftwood, gesturing for Justus to join him. “It’s been a bit rough. Watching Dad slip away…trying to keep up a cheerful attitude when I’m in with him…my mom’s trying to put on a good face for everyone, and I know she’s got to be crumbling inside…she’s pushing me together with a girl I’m not interested in, and upset about a reconnection I’m trying to make with an old girlfriend I am interested in.”

Justus cocked him a hard look. “Is that the same girl you were running from when you first came to work for Deschutes Rejuvenation?”

“It is.”

“Reece…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not backsliding. She gave her life to the Lord, and…she’s pretty amazing.” He grinned at Justus, not caring if the man saw him for the lovesick sap he was.

Justus scooped up some sand and trickled the grains back and forth between his hands. “That’s good to hear. How are you holding up with your dad?”

A breath puffed out before he could stop it, and Reece scrubbed at the back of his neck. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I keep hoping and praying to see improvement. And every day he gets a little bit weaker.”

“I remember feeling just like that when I lost my dad. But I didn’t have the Lord then. Just keep trusting and looking up. Remembering this world is not our home. We’re all just passing through.”

Reece swallowed. Nodded. Wished it was easier to believe.

Justus dusted off his hands and clapped Reece on one shoulder. “Come on. I’m here to help out for a couple of weeks. I had some vacation coming. So put me to work.” He stood and pulled off his leather jacket and set to rolling up his sleeves.

Reece closed his eyes as a wave of thankfulness washed over him. It was just like Justus to jump in and offer to help where no one had asked him. And, honestly, Reece couldn’t be more thankful for the help. There was so much to do around here. The more work he’d done, the more he’d noticed other things that had been let slip. Dad must have been slowing down quite a bit even before he took sick.

He stood and studied his friend. “You’re going to spend your two weeks of vacation helping me with repairs?”

Justus folded his arms and tipped his chin to one side. “Just keep talking, and I’ll book myself a ticket to Hawaii so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

Reece laughed. “You’ve had a long drive. Go rest. You can start helping me work tomorrow.”

“Nah, man. I’m good.”

“Where’s your stuff?”

“I left it on the back of my bike, and unless you’re afraid someone’s gonna steal it right out of your driveway, then it’s fine. Now what are we doing here?”

Reece grinned and slapped him on the back. “Well, trust you to arrive when there’s only half an hour left. We have to go in to dinner at six sharp, or risk The Wrath.”

Justus lifted his palms. “You know it. I always have impeccable timing.”