Unfortunately, without knowing who’s after us and realizing how far they’ve been willing to go up to this point, staying with Anastasia longer than we had to isn’t an option. She may not care about the danger, but I do.
So much so that Weston is currently crashing in her guest room, just in case, while Sawyer spends his free time sitting in her café and keeping watch, and spends his nights sleeping in my mom’s guest room.
I’d tossed and turned all night, playing that moment in my head over and over again until finally I had gotten out of bed just to peek in on Tessa and make sure she was still there.
My Bible is open to Ephesians 2, though I stopped reading about five minutes ago when my brain stopped processing anything I was putting into it. I bow my head. Lord, help me, please. I’m drowning here.
The bedroom door opens, and Tessa steps out wearing leggings and a long t-shirt that falls mid-thigh.
My mouth dries at the sight of her.
So absolutely breathtaking.
“Morning,” she greets with a hesitant smile.
“Morning. Coffee?” I question as I get to my feet to prep her a cup.
“Thanks.”
“Yeah.” I plaster myself against the counter so she can move past me, but it’s not far enough. Her shoulder brushes against my chest, and I have to fight the urge to pull her closer just so I can have more of it. More of her.
Strength. Lord, I need strength.
After getting her a cup of coffee and refreshing mine, I slide back into the booth. She takes her mug and sips from it while her gaze remains out the window at the bright sunshine reflecting off the ocean’s glassy surface.
“How did you sleep?” I ask her.
“Not great,” she admits. “Just had a hard time falling asleep.”
“You and me both,” I reply.
She offers me a partial smile, then shifts her attention to my Bible. “Ephesians, huh? I kind of remember that one. Armor of God, right?”
Hope surges through me. An opening.
“That’s the one,” I tell her. “Right now, I’m on Ephesians 2. ‘For we are all God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago,’” I say, reciting Ephesians 2:10, a verse I’ve had memorized for as long as I can remember.
“How many times have you read through the Bible?”
“A few,” I reply. “But that’s the great thing about God’s Living Word. Every time I read through it, I find something else that hits harder than it did before.”
“What is it this time? Or is that verse it?”
“Actually, it’s Paul’s ministry I’ve been really focusing on lately.”
“Paul?”
“He was Saul before and actively hunted and persecuted Christians until he was chosen to spread the Good News about Jesus. He did a lot of horrible things, but the Lord used him as an instrument to spread His Gospel. I guess it’s really resonating with me lately that light can come from the darkest of places.” My gaze locks on hers.
“You’re a good person, Zane.”
“I’ve done a lot I’m ashamed of, Tessa. And there are so many days when moving forward feels impossible. I guess I just wonder if Paul ever felt like that, too.”
She doesn’t respond, just takes another drink of her coffee and turns her attention back out the window. Silence descends upon us once more, and since I’m not really sure there’s a great opening for what I want to ask her, I close my Bible and jump right in. “Will you go to service with me today? I haven’t been in a while now, and I’d really like to go.”
She turns toward me. “Church?”
I nod, trying not to hold my breath as I wait for her answer.
