Esther laughed.“It’s not like I have a claim to him.He’s never even hinted since back then that he might be interested in dating me.”
“It probably would have been better for you to go out with him and then been dumped.”
“Mandy!”Rosalie cried.
“What?It’s not like the relationship was going to work.He’s gone out with several other people since then.”
Esther hated being reminded of that.
“Why don’t you ask him out and find out?”Tiffany suggested.“It’s not like we have to wait for some guy to approach us.”
Mandy gasped.
“What?”Tiffany said.“There is no verse in the Bible that says the man has to do the asking.I can still be a perfectly-acceptable-to-God Christian woman and ask out the guy I like.”
“I suppose,” Mandy allowed.“But if he’s not the leader before marriage, will he be after?”
“He will be if you let him be.He just might need a little encouragement.That’s all I’m saying.According to my aunt, guys don’t always get things as quickly as we think they should.”
Could it really be that simple?Esther turned her mug back and forth by its handle.“But what if it ruins a friendship?”That was the excuse she had given to Fred when she had turned him down.
“Do you honestly think it won’t be ruined when one or the other of you marries someone else?You do know that your friendship can’t stay the same with Fred now that you’re dating Steve, because Steve deserves first place as far as any guys go – maybe not at first, but if you’re serious about him.”Tiffany snapped closed a lid on a delicious-looking salad.
“Yeah, I know.”But knowing didn’t change the ache in her chest.One date, and already, her friendship with Fred felt… different.
“Fred seemed happy that my date had gone well.”The thought did nothing to quell the pain in her heart about leaving him behind.She dropped her head back on her chair and looked up at the ceiling.“I guess that tells me something, huh?”
“Maybe,” Tiffany said.“And maybe not.I really think you should find out if he likes you before you settle for someone who doesn’t stir your heart as much as the lady in Song of Solomon had her heart stirred.”
Again, Mandy gasped.
“Don’t tell me you refuse to read that book of the Bible,” Tiffany teased.“Remember, I know the real Mandy, not just the church Mandy.”
“Wow.I sure sound like a major loser tonight.I’m so glad I could be here.”Mandy was pouting when Esther lifted her head off the back of her chair enough to see her screen.
“We all have our issues, Mandy,” she said.“None of us are perfect.”But, oh, how Esther wished she was.Then, she’d have said yes to Fred all those years ago, and she’d know one way or the other now, instead of yearning for something that simply couldn’t be.
Chapter 5
OnTuesdaymorning,Fredstood outside the church office, tapping his fingers against his leg.He’d been standing there for two minutes—long enough for Mrs.White to glance up from her desk twice.
This was the right thing to do.He knew it was.That, however, did not make it easy to do.Slowly, he pulled the office door open.No turning back now.
“Is my dad in there?”he asked Mrs.White, as he gestured toward the closed door to his dad’s study.
“He sure is, and so is your mom.”Mrs.White smiled at him just as she always had whenever he asked her a question.Even when those questions had been rather ridiculous and designed to add some entertainment to the story during Sunday school class back when was in grade three.
Fred hesitated.Talking to dad would be hard enough.But Mom, too?Should he wait?
“Go ahead.Knock on the door,” Mrs.White encouraged him.“It looks like you have somewhere to be.”She pointed at his jacket which bore the Drummonds’ logo on it.
“Thanks.”He did have to get to work soon, so he tapped on the door and waited for his dad’s usual “enter,” but it never came.Instead, the door opened.
“Hey, Mom.”He gave her a hug.“Can I talk to Dad?”
His mother squeezed him tight.“Are you okay?”she asked rather than answering his question.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
