Chapter Eleven
“Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, what am I going to do?” Tiffany sat on her bed with the puppy beside her, talking to her as though she’d receive an answer.
“He insinuated it wouldn’t be so bad if we went on a date. Does that mean he wants it to be a date?” She ran a hand through her hair. “Oh, I don’t know. I love you, Lils, but I need someone who can talk this out with me.”
Lilly looked at her with perked up ears and nodded her head, as if to say,yes, I’m a great companion but I know nothing of relationships.
Falling backwards and hitting her head on the pillow, Tiffany sighed. Carolyn would know what to say, but her sister was on vacation. Not just any vacation, but a Caribbean cruise that precluded any cell phone calls.
Should she bother Rachel? She had a lot of wisdom, and could give advice as well as her sister, except Carolyn knew the full back story, had witnessed the downfall of Tiffany and Connor’s relationship.
That might not be a bad thing. Rachel could be more objective.
Or not.
Oh, dear goodness, she was losing her mind. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal.
But it was.
She sat up and grabbed her phone, called Rachel.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” she asked when Rachel picked up.
“Aaron and I are heading out to eat soon, but I have a few minutes. What’s up?”
“Connor and I are going to dinner tonight.”
“And?” Rachel clearly didn’t see the problem. “You’ve been hanging out with him a lot.”
“We have goneoutanywhere though. This feels too much like a date.” Even as she said it, she realized she was making a mountain out of a molehill, but she didn’t want to ruin her friendship.
“Ahh, gotcha.” The line went silent for a second. “You’re scared.”
“Terrified,” she admitted. “I’ve barely dated since my divorce, choosing to focus on me instead and getting my life together.”
“Are you ready to date again, or is it Connor who is the problem?”
“Connor. He’s great and amazing, but we’ve been down this road before.” She absently petted Lilly. “There’s a lot of history between us, not all if it good. Maybe we’re only meant to be friends.”
Rachel cleared her throat. “I believe God brought you and Connor back into each other’s lives for a reason, but you’ll both have to pray and figure that reason out for yourselves. However, I will say this. Think about why your relationship ended the first time. You’re not that person anymore, and neither is he. Both of you have grown and matured.”
Tiffany let Rachel’s words sink in. “That’s why I called you. I knew you’d make me see sense out of it.”
“Glad to be of help.” Rachel laughed. “I have to get out the door, but I’ll have my phone on me. Text if you need, okay?”
“I will. Thanks for listening.”
She hung up feeling much more at peace than she had ten minutes ago. What Rachel had said was obvious, but Tiffany hadn’t seen it before it was pointed out. She was a different person.
Even setting aside the addiction, part of her new person was reliance on God. She didn’t have to be afraid of the future or worry about what what-ifs. She’d place it all in God’s hands and go where He directed.
Connor would pick her up soon, and she still had to get ready, but she had something more important to do first. She sat on the edge of her bed, bowed her head, and closed her eyes. Before she went out with Connor tonight, she’d spend a few minutes in prayer, asking God to guide her relationship with Connor, whether that be friendship or more.
When she opened her eyes, she felt even more at peace than before the phone call, as though a load had been lifted from her shoulders. She grabbed a fresh outfit from her closet, hurriedly changed, and applied a coat of mascara seconds before Connor rang the doorbell.
She was breathless when she opened the door. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” One side of his mouth curled in a half smile.
