“Genesis.”
I told my app to go to that spot. I didn’t want to read out of order, though history had never been my favorite subject. Too many dates and facts to remember. But I wanted to get this right.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
“Okay, so in Genesis it talks about the Spirit of God.”
“Yep. The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, as some people say.”
This was much easier to read. I could understand each day as life slowly formed on earth. I’m not sure the scientific part of my brain could accept creation theory as truth, but I could read the passage and understand it in a logical sense.
As we drove in silence, I read. I continued chapter after chapter, stopping only when I needed to ask a question. Chris never treated me like my doubts were absurd. He never sighed or huffed like the constant interruptions of his quiet time were bothersome. In fact, I got the feeling he washappyI kept asking questions.
This openness and lack of judgment wasn’t something I’d ever experienced in my life. My mom tired of my questions when I was young and would make me sit in my room until I learned to keep my mouth shut. In school, kids ridiculed me for asking questions, while my teachers always praised me for them. Still, I learned as I grew and matured that people resented inquiries. It made me seem like a try-hard, as some of the new residents would say whenever another inquisitive resident was in their pool. Questions put people on guard.
Not Chris.
He sat in the driver’s seat completely relaxed. I’d glance his way occasionally because I liked looking at the person I was talking to. Okay, fine. Chris was extremely good-looking, and peeking at his handsome profile while asking questions was a great way to kill two birds.
Plus, I was in awe of this man. I had never met someone who would put their life on hold to help another. Surely that wasn’t normal, no matter how many times he professed otherwise.
“I have a personal question,” I said.
“Yeah? Shoot.”
“Why did you put your life on hold? Why are you here?” I bit my lip. There probably was a better way to ask that, but I couldn’t properly formulate all the thoughts running through my mind.
“I’ve been alone, and I’ve also grieved. I believe no matter what a person is facing, they should never face it alone.” He paused. “I couldn’t help but notice there wasn’t any family at the funeral.” He glanced my way, then at the road. “How come?” he asked softly.
“I have no idea where my parents are.” I cleared my throat. That was a subject I didn’t want to talk about. “And you know about Asher’s family.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What about you? What’s your family like?”
“Small.” He ran a hand across his chin. “My dad died when I was ten.”
“What?” I breathed. “From what?”
“Car accident. Icy roads and not a good ending.”
Could my heart break any more? That explained why he was so empathetic. He knew exactly what I was going through. Though icy roads hadn’t claimed Ellynn and Asher, a driver who’d had a heart attack had caused the same outcome.
“My mom entered the workforce after that. She’d been a stay-at-home mom but ended up working her fingers to the bone until I graduated from high school. After that, she decided to take it easy.”
Understandable. Raising Ellynn after I graduated from high school had taken a toll, one I didn’t speak of because it had been worth it. We both had a better life because of my hard work. Call it vanity, but I was proud I’d given that to her.
I shifted in my seat to face Chris. “What does your mom do now?”
“Nothing. I bought her a home when I could afford it. Her retirement pays the rest of her bills, and she lives the social life in her fifty-five-and-up community.”
“Do you see her often?”
He shook his head. “Mom wasn’t very ... nurturing. I think Dad’s death flipped off that switch, and all she could focus on was putting food on the table and clothes on my back. When I successfully graduated from college, she considered her job done. She retired and moved to Denver. I see her if I make it up that way.”
“She doesn’t come down to visit you?”
