Disappointment flickered through her before she masked it. “Did you get everything you needed?”
He shook his head. “No, unfortunately, I didn’t. Would it be all right if we continued the interview tomorrow? I think this article can go deeper than what we’ve already covered.”
“Yes. Tomorrow’s fine. But I’m a judge for a Christmas festival across town. You might have to accompany me.”
“I’m sure my editor wouldn’t mind if I snapped some pictures and killed two birds with one stone—so to speak.”
She grinned. “Perfect then.”
They discussed the details of when and where to meet.
Then he turned toward the door and paused. “Amayah? Be careful.”
“I will.”
Amayah watched as he walked away, his tall frame eventually disappearing into the falling snow.
God had brought a lot of interesting people through her doorway and into her home. Each had been for a purpose. To help her grow. To teach her humility.
What purpose would Luke Cross’s visit serve?
CHAPTER 5
Luke didn’t haveanother appointment he had to get to. He’d simply needed to get away from Amayah.
He instantly felt guilty for lying to her. But how could he tell Amayah that she was affecting him in a way that made his whole world feel off-balance?
He’d never experienced anything like it before.
All he knew was that he needed to get away before he said or did something stupid.
God, forgive me for the lie—even though I don’t deserve it.
He paused his thoughts and frowned. He didn’t usually talk to God like that.
Sure, he was a believer. A Christmas and Easter Christian. A Chreaster, he’d recently heard it called.
But today was the first time in a long time he actually had the desire to talk to God as if they had a true relationship. Had Amayah had such an effect on him that quickly? Was that just the way she was, some kind of superpower—super influencer, maybe he should call it—that she held?
Luke sat in his car for nearly a full minute before turning the key. His hands gripped the steering wheel as warmth slowly crept back into the frigid interior.
The attraction he felt for Amayah was not only surprising, but it was also off-limits.
Amayah wasn’t anything like he’d thought she would be.
He hadn’t planned for the way Amayah’s voice softened when she spoke about her grandma. Or the way her eyes carried quiet conviction instead of practiced polish.
This assignment was supposed to be easy—and the perfect way to advance his career and make his parents proud. Being a journalist hadn’t impressed his father, who was the police chief in the small Minnesota town where he’d grown up.
But if Luke could be an investigative journalistandbring down corrupt people who took advantage of others? Maybe his dad would finally look at him like he was a man.
The two had a strained relationship ever since Luke had found out when he was eighteen that he was adopted. Though he knew his parents loved him, he still felt as if they’d lied to him . . . for his entire life.
By the time he’d learned he was adopted, his birth mother was dead. He’d never even had the chance to meet her. To ask who his dad was. In his free time, he’d researched her, trying to learn more. But there was nothing remarkable to discover—only sadness.
He exhaled sharply and unlocked his phone, scrolling through Amayah’s social media profile until one particular video loaded—the one with over a million views.
In this clip, she stood in front of the door to an abandoned church. Her voice sounded reverent as she spoke about second chances. “This door has been closed before. Not because it was forgotten—but because someone needed time to begin again. And there’s something holy about that pause, about the quiet before God makes all things new.”
