God Only Knows (20 page)

“Whoa!” Climbing into the driver’s seat of his car, Maxwell shook his head in amusement, one eye on Julia as he shut his door.
“So I think that went really well.”

“Very funny,” Julia replied, her arms crossed. She turned away from her date, any romantic rapport dissipating by the minute.
“Thank you
so much
for suggesting this outing.”

“I know, I know,” Maxwell said, suppressing a wide smile while starting his engine. “Wasn’t exactly a match made in heaven.
Just so we’re clear, Jake and Meghan pulled a fast one on me with that ‘looks like America’ mess.”

“How does a man with such a cold heart claim to be God’s messenger? At least Pastor Pence poured millions of dollars into
the school for decades before abandoning it.” She turned to fully face Maxwell. “What exactly have your friend and his church
ever done to help the less fortunate?”

Maxwell fidgeted in his seat. “The man does have a real heart for God, trust me. They tithe the church budget to any number
of urban ministries and to a handful that serve African nations to boot. As far as Christian Light goes, though, he just may
be a lost cause. I’m sorry.”

“It’s basically what I suspected,” Julia replied, shrugging and retreating to the safety of the mirror embedded into the passenger-side
visor. “I’m not so sure your friends have matured meaningfully, not even after all these years.”

“Don’t get carried away,” Maxwell said as he zoomed into traffic. “I may not agree with their politics or ideology all the
time, but Jake and Lyle haven’t achieved career success by happenstance, and they’re both great dads with lovely wives. They
are my friends.”

“That’s your experience with them, I understand.” Julia applied a fresh coat of lipstick, shaking her head wearily. “Dr. Simon,
can I fire you from the Board of Advisors over this?”

Maxwell chuckled. “Dr. Turner, my heart was in the right place. Give me another chance. Please?”

“You know I’m kidding.”

“Tell me this,” he said as he pulled into Julia’s driveway a few minutes later. “Before you unloaded on Stacy with that ‘fairy-tale’
comment, did you feel any hesitation? I mean, I know you didn’t agree with her vision for the school, but the two of you were
much closer in thought than you were with Jake and Meghan. And not to risk rubbing it in, but Stacy and Lyle are the type
who can write someone a check for thousands without blinking.”

“I could have told the sister what she wanted to hear,” Julia replied, chuckling. “Then I would have spent the next year hearing
from her every time I failed to coax more suburban white kids into attending the school. No, thank you.”

“Well,” Maxwell said, turning to face Julia and flipping on an overhead light, “I’ll be interested to see what types of conversations
this leads to.”

Julia felt it drop into her hand, and when she saw the dollar figure written into the check’s box —ten thousand —she shot
out a hand, steadying herself against Maxwell’s shoulder. “Oh, Lord Jesus!”

Reaching for her chin, Maxwell gently guided Julia’s gaze to his, even as her body shook with glee. “Lyle may not even know
she wrote that,” he whispered, “so I suggest you have your treasurer deposit it first thing Monday. You see,” he said, scooting
closer, “Stacy’s big on integrity, and I know from Lyle’s complaints that most of her donations, she makes them based on her
impressions of the leader. I knew if you two interacted directly, she’d hook you up.”

Despite herself, Julia reached up, taking Maxwell’s chin in her hands. “Why?” she asked. “Why are you being so thoughtful,
so nice to me?”

Maxwell frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s not like you’re trying to get me into bed.” Julia was immediately embarrassed at the words, shook her head as
if to will them back into the ether. “I —I just don’t get all this, Maxwell. Are you trying to make up for breaking my heart
all those years ago?”

His gaze softening, Maxwell leaned in again, leaving Julia’s hands cupped around his chin. “I can’t say I planned it, Julia,”
he whispered, “but that seems to be where this is headed.”

Realizing suddenly that his arms had circled her waist, Julia felt her heart pounding.
He’s going to kiss me,
she thought,
and I’m going to let him.

S
o,” Maxwell said as he and Julia strolled toward the checkroom at Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center,
“what do we do for an encore?” Julia could hardly believe they were already winding down their third date. She was pretty
sure that even for a Christian couple who had agreed up front that premarital sex was out of the question, this was a significant
milestone.

“I’m not sure what we do next,” she replied as he helped her into her cashmere overcoat. “I’m just enjoying the moment, if
you don’t mind. More important,” she said, winking as she looked at him over her shoulder, “I’ve enjoyed getting some education
today.”

“You?” Maxwell smiled. “Shoot, Julia, you were practically narrating half the exhibits for me. I’m the one who had no clue
about the important role this region played in freeing our ancestors.”

“Well, I cheated,” Julia replied, laughing. “Amber’s class was just here on a field trip, and you better believe she came
home ready to transfer everything she learned over to me.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me? Sounds like you two definitely share some genes.” As he held a door open for her, ushering
her outside, he paused. “I’d like to do an outing with both of you eventually, if you don’t mind.”

Julia turned so suddenly, Maxwell nearly tripped and fell. Her brow furrowed as she turned toward him, Julia waved a hand
in warning. “Let’s not get carried away here, Doctor. We’re a long way from you interacting closely with Amber.”

“O-kay.” Maxwell looked back at an older couple that had been waiting to exit through the same door. “Excuse us, please.”
He held the door for the senior citizens, and once they had passed him, he stepped out behind Julia.

“Too much to ask about meeting the kid, huh?” he said, tone playful. “I just meant that I’m enjoying all this. Getting to
really know you after all these years —well, it’s the best experience I’ve had since returning to Dayton.”

Julia frowned mildly, aware that her brisk pace challenged Maxwell’s ability to keep up. “I’m going to guess that’s not setting
a very high bar.” She crossed her arms, disturbed by the cynical spirit creeping through her being.

“Okay.” Maxwell stepped directly into her path, keeping his hands to himself but letting his eyes shine with urgency. “What
changed just now?”

“Don’t bring my niece into this,” Julia replied. “Okay? I’m not asking much of you. I’m content to just live in the moment
and enjoy whatever it is we’re doing. When you start talking about meeting Amber, it raises unrealistic expectations.”

“What’s unrealistic?” Maxwell splayed his gloved hands wide, a pleading tone in his voice. “Julia, I thought we agreed to
spend time together, hang out, and trust the Lord to guide the results?”

“Yes, we did.” Julia took off again, her high leather boots clacking against the sidewalk as Maxwell tried to look cool while
moving fast to keep up. “But it’s not like this is going to end the way I’d really like it to.”

“Marriage?” The word tripped off Maxwell’s tongue with a bit of uncertainty, as if it were loaded with more weight than he
could accommodate. “Not that I would ever rule it out with the right woman, but isn’t it early to be talking like this?”

“You’re the one who wants to play family, not me.” Julia didn’t even look at Maxwell as she bolted into an open elevator leading
to the parking garage, and she barely looked toward him when he slid in just behind her.

“I’ve apparently triggered something,” Maxwell said after they had stood in silence for several seconds. As the elevator descended,
he drilled into her with a narrowed stare. “Why do you think there’s no chance of this working out?”

Julia sighed as the elevator doors opened, keeping her head down as she massaged her forehead. “In the car, Maxwell. Once
we’re in the car.”

Julia was relieved to get a few minutes to stew in her own reflections as Maxwell cruised his car through downtown Cincinnati
and onto I-75 North. Hoping to camouflage her unease, she pretended to check messages on her cell phone as she prayed for
calm. The very thought of Maxwell meeting Amber in a social setting had sparked thoughts for which she was not prepared, a
budding hope that this surprise friendship might actually blossom into a storybook tale: girl loses boy, only to capture him
two decades later. Julia was proud of one thing —the fact that she’d immediately recognized the thought as lunacy.

They had been in the car nearly thirty minutes when Maxwell tried to coax her promised explanation. “We’ll be home pretty
soon,” he said, trying to keep his tone light. “Out with it.”

Looking over at him from the passenger seat, Julia drew her back up, ready to shift the spotlight. Neck working, she said,
“So tell me, when were you going to take me out for dinner again with your buddies and their wives?”

“Oh, come on,” Maxwell replied, chuckling. “Like you really want to go out with Lyle and Jake again?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Lyle’s wife gave me that lovely check to help the school system.”

“Yeah, but that was despite the fact you guys hit it off about as well as Barack and Hillary in a presidential debate.” Shrugging
as he switched highway lanes, Maxwell glanced over at Julia. “Truth be told, I’m enjoying keeping you to myself for now.”

“Of course you are —anything to keep me in my place.”

Maxwell slapped his steering wheel, involuntarily turning to stare at Julia. “What?”

Julia could feel the heat of her own glare as she faced him in the evening dusk. “Have you even told them we’re seeing one
another?”

“Those who need to know, know.” Maxwell kept his eyes on the road, although Julia aimed her eyes toward him like lasers. “I’ve
been focused on enjoying our time together. I’m not real worried about who else knows just yet.” He finally braved a glance
at her. “Who all have you told?”

“No one,” Julia grumbled, nearly under her breath, feeling increasingly silly for having raised the topic. “But that’s because
I have only one real friend here, and she’s got enough on her mind without the trivia of my barely functioning love life.”

Maxwell arched an eyebrow. “So why the accusing tone about whether I’ve told Lyle or Jake?”

“I don’t know, Maxwell.” Julia sighed, a deep exhalation full of years of anxiety. “Maybe I was foolish enough to hope that
something had changed since the good old days, you know? The ones when you and your friends clearly thought that long, feathery
hair, white or ‘plenty light’ skin, and D-cup breasts set the standards for beauty. If that’s what you still want, there’s
no point in me taking any of this seriously.”

Maxwell shook his head, taking a minute to accentuate his indignant tone with a glare. “Where is this coming from?”

“Oh, come on.” Julia met his eyes and shifted toward him. “Have you ever even dated a black woman, Maxwell?”

Julia didn’t miss Maxwell’s hesitation, the way he nervously began drumming on his steering wheel. “What kind of question
is that?”

“One that has a yes or no answer, Doctor.”

Maxwell grunted. “It doesn’t even deserve an answer, it’s so insulting.” Huffing, he reached forward and increased the volume
on his car radio. As the car swelled with the thumps of Kirk Franklin’s new CD, he set his eyes hard on the road ahead, clearly
unwilling to continue the conversation.

Dismayed at what the evening had come to, but glad to have beat back the vulnerability Maxwell had nearly ripped open in her,
Julia waited another few minutes before delivering her rejoinder. “Just for the record, ‘brother,’ your silence is deafening.”

S
eated in their pastor’s waiting room, opposite an empty receptionist’s desk, Cassie and Julia spoke to one another in hushed
tones. Julia leaned hard on her own right elbow as she placed her lips near her friend’s left ear. “Are M.J. and Marcus still
staying out of trouble?”

“So far, so good,” Cassie replied, shrugging as her eyes darted around the room, clearly tracking whether any inquiring minds
had wandered in. “M.J. really took the news well —I was afraid he would either get irrationally angry or feel so threatened
by Whitlock that he might overcompensate and retreat into a shell.”

Julia crossed her legs, let her posture slump just a touch. “He’s young, Cassie, but he’s strong. I’m not surprised that he
can handle it. And you’re sure he’s not still hanging with Dante?”

“Marcus is seeing to that pretty well,” Cassie replied, smiling. “Now that football season is over, M.J. doesn’t have many
excuses not to come home shortly after school lets out. Since Marcus is his own boss at the magazine, he’s able to take off
in the afternoons now and accompany M.J. to all these meetings with college football recruiters too. So M.J. doesn’t have
much opportunity to make any stupid moves.”

“And Marcus is setting a good example, hmm?”

“Ever since Whitlock decided to drop the assault charges, Marcus has done more than I could ask. I haven’t had to set M.J.
straight in weeks —not about Dante, not about some random fast little girl, you name it. Marcus is reconnecting with him.
Their father-son bond has been restored. I guess that’s why I’ve been able to focus more on Heather and Hillary lately. God
is working.”

“Well, let Him be praised,” Julia replied, patting her friend’s hand. “M.J. and Marcus have their wits about them, and Whitlock’s
bark is still worse than his bite.” While they were under no illusions that the detective had gone away —in fact, he had lately
taken to driving by Julia’s house on a regular basis in addition to Cassie’s —he continued to keep his distance.

Although she found herself sleeping with one eye open as a result, Julia was convinced that Whitlock’s desire for revenge
was now at war with his respect for the legal process they had initiated. “Another week of collaboration between our attorneys,
and we may be ready to finally have the air cleared.”