Sunrise (13 page)

“Everything they teach and everything they walk you through is all done in Christ’s strength.” Jim seemed to search Cody’s eyes. “There’s no other way to stand against this enemy.”

Again Cody looked smaller than usual. Not the bigger-than-life football player everyone knew him as. Even so, his tone was steady. “I know that, Coach.”

“After the two months, they recommend attending a meeting twice a week. And that’s forever, Cody. Alcoholism never goes away. It lies in wait, looking for the moment when you think you’ve got it beat.”

When Jim finished talking, Cody gripped his knees. He drew a sharp breath. “When can I start?”

“Tomorrow night.” Jim pursed his lips. “If you’re ready.”

“I am.” Cody’s gaze shifted and he hesitated. After several seconds he looked at Jim again. “I have some bad news, Coach.”

Jenny felt her heart skip a beat. Bad news with Cody could be just about anything. Had he gotten one of the girls at school pregnant or done something terrible between the party and coming home on Thanksgiving night? Jenny held her breath.

“You wanna talk about it?” Jim didn’t look fazed. With all that he’d found out about his team in the past week, whatever else Cody wanted to say was probably not going to shock him.

Cody pressed his knuckles against his forehead. He released a shaky sigh, and when he looked up, he found Jenny’s eyes this time. “I checked with the counselor at school. My grades are horrible. Worse than I thought.”

Jenny exhaled. Having bad grades was a problem they could work through. “What’s your grade point average?”

“Just under a 1.5.” He squinted. “The lady was straight with me. I have a couple fails and Ds. She said I had no chance at a scholarship.”

“What about summer school?” The disappointment shone in Jim’s eyes.

Jenny felt it too. Jim had hoped Cody might get a scholarship to a Division II school. He’d talked to a few college coaches who were friends of his, and they’d promised to consider Cody. He was a strong enough football player that if he had even average grades, he could get a full ride somewhere.

But not with that GPA.

“Actually, Coach, I made a decision.” Cody straightened his back. This time he didn’t waver a bit. “At the end of the school year, I’m enlisting in the army. I’ll leave for boot camp in late August.”

The army. Jenny wanted to beg God for Cody’s protection before another minute passed. But she wanted to show her support too. The army would be good for Cody as long as he stayed away from drinking.

Memories rushed at her of the times when TV networks had run specials about the terrorist attacks on New York City.

Every time, Cody would get up and leave the room. “I can’t watch it.” He’d shake his head. “That’s my country they’re hitting. No one does that to the USA.”

Some kids were born patriotic, and Cody Coleman was one of them.

“I’m proud of you.” Jenny stood and went to him.

Cody rose and so did Jim. “I’m proud too. I think it’s a good decision.” Jim patted his back.

There wasn’t a lot to say. Cody had already made up his mind. He had a semester of school and one summer left, and then he’d be a soldier. In the meantime, Jenny and Jim and their kids were the only family Cody would have. It wasn’t time to debate the decisions that had led to this moment.

It was time for a hug.

Tears trickled down Bailey’s face, and she stepped back from her hiding spot. She’d wondered what was taking so long, what her parents and Cody could possibly be talking about. And as she left the boys watching ESPN in the family room and tiptoed down the hall, she wondered about the hushed tones, the serious voices.

Her parents were going to give Cody a choice: either he could enroll in a program for people with a drinking problem and stay with their family, or he could move out and find a solution on his own. Bailey hadn’t talked to Cody privately since he came out of the hospital, but she knew him well enough to know what he would do. He’d take the program, clear and simple.

So why all the talking?

She’d reached the end of the hallway and stood next to the open door of the guest bathroom. She felt a little wrong about listening in, but once she caught part of the conversation, she couldn’t pull away, and now she knew.

Cody was joining the army.

She brushed her knuckle beneath her eyes and sniffed. Three boys from Clear Creek High—guys who had been seniors when Bailey was a freshman—had enlisted after graduation.

One of them lost his leg when he stepped on a land mine. He’d been home for nearly a year now, taking classes at Indiana University. When Bailey and her family saw him at the market once, Bailey had looked away. She didn’t know if he’d recognize her, but if he did, she wasn’t sure what she would say. He’d run track and done 4-H and mowed his dad’s fields every summer. The idea that he didn’t have his left leg was unthinkable.

And now the same could happen to Cody. Or worse.

Bailey shuddered and turned from her hiding place. As she did, her phone vibrated in her pocket. A text message. Bailey waited until she was in the kitchen; then she leaned against the counter and opened her phone. The message was from Bryan Smythe—the fourth day in a row that he’d texted her.

She’d prayed about Bryan a few times in the past week. When they talked, she told him she didn’t want a boyfriend. Because it was true and because she wanted to test him. If he knew she wasn’t interested, then maybe he wouldn’t keep contacting her.

But her preference didn’t seem to change Bryan’s mind. In fact, every time she mentioned her intentions to stay single, he practically agreed. “We’re too young for serious relationships,” he’d told her yesterday when they talked. “If we put God first, He’ll make everything else fall in place.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Besides, I’ll be here waiting, whenever you’re ready.”

Talk like that was enough to make her lie awake thinking about Bryan, the way she had last night. Because maybe he was the real deal—the realest one of all. If he was willing to wait as long as it took until she would agree to be his girlfriend, then he wasn’t like any of the other boys she knew. Except maybe Tim Reed. But Tim never acted interested in her for longer than a few days at a time. Before she fell asleep last night, she’d felt like God was telling her that she needed to spend more time with Bryan before she could make up her mind.

She clicked
OK
and read the message.
Hey, beautiful . . . I’m out driving around trying to think how I can get through the night without seeing you. Think you could help?

Bailey sniffed and wiped at what remained of her tears. She felt a smile tug at her lips. Her fingers flew across the keypad, and her return message took shape.
You might just be beyond help.
She hit Send and took a glass out of the cupboard. She filled it with water, took a sip, and felt the familiar vibration of her phone.

She opened it again.
How ’bout we meet at the end of your driveway in five minutes? I won’t stay long. Just long enough to see the stars in your eyes.

Bailey felt a rush of adrenaline. Meet Bryan now? In the cold dark night, when lights-out was just around the corner? Her parents would never go for such a thing. But then . . . they were caught up in the conversation with Cody. And Bryan only wanted to see her for a minute.

She reread the message.
Just long enough to see the stars in your eyes.
Her heart pounded hard against her chest.

She had to say yes. It wouldn’t take long. She’d be back inside before her parents knew she was gone. Besides, she wouldn’t even leave the property. Their driveway was long enough that she could meet Bryan without anyone hearing his car, then get back inside without her parents knowing it. She could tell her mom later, the way she always did with things that involved her friends.

The thrill of the secret meeting was too much to risk her parents saying no. Bailey opened her phone and tapped in her answer.
I’ll be waiting.
Then she slipped on her coat and her shoes and went to the opposite side of the house.

As she passed by the family room, Ricky noticed her. “Where’re you going?”

“Outside.” She kept walking.

“Outside where?” Ricky was on his feet. “It’s cold out.”

The other boys were looking in her direction.

“I have to say hi to a friend real quick.” Her tone told them that was the end of the conversation. She slipped through the doorway into the mudroom and left through the side door that served as a second front entrance.

It was freezing outside, and her breath hung in the air. Bailey stuffed her hands deep into her pockets and hurried toward the driveway. Her teeth chattered, and she thought she saw the shadow of a coyote just beyond the hedge that ran the length of the driveway.

A rustling in the grass on the other side of her path made her jerk her head. She stopped and squinted, but the sliver of the moon cast no light on the yard. She quickened her pace. Her mother would be furious with her for meeting Bryan like this. What was she doing? And what was Bryan thinking?

His words from their last conversation ran through her head.
“All that matters is my relationship with God. . . . Girls can come later. . . . I read my Bible when I first wake up and before I go to bed. . . . Me and God, we’re tight.”

“Okay, Bryan . . . so does God want you sneaking around to see me?” Bailey whispered and kept walking. She was nearing the road when she saw headlights crest the hill that led to their house. A few seconds later, a small, four-door Honda turned into her driveway.

Bailey felt herself relax. Bryan was here; no coyote would get her now. She ran the rest of the way to his car as he killed the engine and turned off his headlights.

He stepped out, shut his car door, and leaned against it. “Hi.”

Even in the pitch dark she could make out his smile. She stopped a few yards from him, and suddenly she realized she was breathless. She couldn’t tell if it was from the cold air or the run or Bryan’s nearness. She hugged herself and decided it was all three. She felt shy and daring and guilty. “Hi back.”

“I have a question.” He stuck his hands in his jeans pockets. He wore his black North Face jacket, and he’d never looked better as he angled his head. “How do you expect me to see the stars in your eyes?”

Bailey giggled. The moment was like something from a movie. She felt dizzy with the way he looked at her, the way his words reached someplace deep in her heart she hadn’t known existed before. She took a step closer. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that if you stay so far away, I won’t see what I came here to see.”

Bailey forced herself to breathe out. How could one guy be so completely romantic? She was shivering more than before, but her cheeks felt like they were on fire. She took a few steps closer. “You can’t see my eyes anyway. It’s too dark.”

“I can see you’re cold.” Bryan held out his hands. “Come here. I’ll keep you warm.”

Bailey sucked in a breath. In all the time she’d known Bryan, the most she’d done was give him a quick hug good night. They’d never lingered in the moonlight or stood on her porch. A picture filled her mind: her family riding the Blue Streak at Cedar Point last summer. The drops on that roller coaster seemed to last forever, and Bailey’s stomach had flip-flopped like never before. She felt the same way now with Bryan so close.

Bailey took another step closer. “Aren’t you cold?”

Bryan came to her, hooked his fingers through the belt loops on her jeans, and took a few steps back toward his car, gently pulling her with him. He leaned against the door again and drew her into his arms. “Mmmm. That’s better.”

His hands came up around her lower back, and she put hers around his neck, the way she usually did when she hugged someone. Only this lasted way longer than a usual hug. She could feel Bryan breathing, feel his chest rising and falling. His breath mixed with hers. Her teeth were still chattering but more because she was scared. “I’m . . . not cold now.”

“See . . . I told you.” His speaking voice was as golden as his singing voice. Bailey had noticed that every time she’d seen him on stage. But here, it was as if he were talking straight to her soul.

Something about it scared her. She wanted to pull away and tell him thanks for coming. Time for her to go inside. But another part of her couldn’t slip free from his arms even if she tried.

Bryan seemed to sense she was uncomfortable. He moved his hands to her shoulders and eased her away a few inches. Her eyes were adjusting to the dark now, and she could see that he was staring into them. “Just like I thought.”

“What?” Bailey used her singsong voice, the one she pulled out in callback auditions. Otherwise he was bound to hear the fear in her tone.

“You’re even more beautiful with stars in your eyes.” Bryan dusted his thumb across her cheek. “I’ve been thinking about you, Bailey. Do you know that?”

She lowered her chin. Was he going to kiss her? If so, what was she supposed to do? Tell him she wasn’t ready? Run like the wind to the house? She gulped, shy and nervous. Her parents would be furious if they saw her out here like this. She released her hold on him and took his hands from her shoulders. “I better go. My parents don’t know I left.”

In the distance a coyote started yipping, and another two or three joined in.

Bryan slid his fingers between hers. “Okay.” His smile made her melt. “I just wasn’t sure I’d survive another night without seeing you.”

It still felt as though he might kiss her. And that couldn’t happen. Not in the dark when she hadn’t even told her parents he was coming over. They weren’t dating or going out. Besides, she didn’t know
how
to kiss, which way to turn her head or anything. She wanted her first kiss to be special, something she remembered forever. Not something secret and spur-of-the-moment.

Bryan was pulling her closer again, and she felt a surge of panic. She needed a distraction. She could ask him how his Bible reading was going, what chapter he was in, and whether he had prayed about coming over before he did it. But somehow it didn’t seem like the time.

Instead Bailey gave his fingers a squeeze, then released his hands. She hugged him again, much more quickly this time, hoping he would get the hint. She needed to get inside. “Thanks for coming by.”

“You don’t have to give it back.” Bryan folded his arms.

A few feet separated them now. She stopped and studied him, shivering in the cold darkness. She had no idea what he was talking about. “Give what back?”

“My heart.” His lips held a slight smile. “It’s been yours for a long time.” He nodded toward her house. “Go on. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” He made no move to get in his car. “I’ll watch till you’re safe inside.”

It was the nicest thing any guy had ever said or done for her. “Bryan . . . that’s so sweet.”

“Not as sweet as you.” He grinned. “Go on. I’ll see you tomorrow—in my dreams or in person.”

Bailey giggled and then turned and ran all the way up her driveway to the side door. That was the sort of thing Dayne Matthews would say in one of his movies. And she was the lucky girl Bryan was saying it to. She felt like dancing as she ran. Tonight was incredible, even if she did feel a little guilty.

With any luck, her parents would still be talking to Cody. When she reached the porch, she turned and waved. Then she climbed up the three stairs and slipped inside. Once she closed the door behind her, she leaned against the wall. Her heart was pounding so hard that she thought she might pass out.

She bent over and dug her elbows into her knees. After a few seconds, she finally grabbed a full breath. She straightened and waited until she wasn’t breathing so hard. Then she took off her coat and headed through the mudroom and into the main part of the house. The boys were still watching SportsCenter.

Silently, Bailey took one of the high stools at the back of the room near the pool table. No sign of her parents. Which hopefully meant they were still talking to Cody. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

Bryan Smythe was amazing.

Every time he opened his mouth, he practically spoke in rhyme. Her mind was still spinning with the sweet things he’d told her. And that last part . . . about taking his heart with her when she left. Wow. The other guys she knew could barely figure out a way to hold a conversation.

“You were gone a long time.”