“Lord, give me wisdom and grace. Wisdom and grace.”
The two words echoed, and he thought about it more. Wisdom. God’s wisdom—Jordan obviously lacked plenty. Grace—God’s patience and kindness, because Jordan was running dry. Jordan knew he’d been named after a famous river that had seen miracles, but he felt close to running dry. And how could he offer anything like God’s light or be salt or offer living water when his own well was running dry?
“Lord, forgive me. Help me hear Your voice and follow You and do what You want me to do. Not just what I think needs to be done.”
The world was filled with people who thought they knew better. People who offered unsolicited advice. People who were paid to advise. People’s opinions that they offered like they were dipped in gold. Influencers. Politicians. Media pundits. CEOs.
He didn’t want to be another voice, adding to the noise. He wanted his ears tuned into the One whose voice set the world in motion. Because by listening to that eternal voice, Jordan would hear those words that actually needed to be said, and those would be the words that would truly make a difference. In his own life. And in the life of others. Like EJ.
Light filtered through his closed eyelids as he drank in more of the serenity. His Saturday would continue, but this moment, this moment of stillness, was gold.
Voices from above filtered into awareness, and he peered up, a hand over his eyes to block the sunlight that made it hard to see. The tourists from before. He nodded, found a small smile, and saw that they were trying to take a selfie. He offered to take a picture of them, which they thanked him for, bowing slightly.
By the time he finished, he was hungry, so he stopped at the Cremorne Point Wharf kiosk, where he got a coffee and a bacon-and-egg roll. Normally something like this would be the reward after his run, but he figured he’d run enough already. And running back to his and EJ’s usual spot felt lonely, so he was happy to eat now while he waited to catch a ferry instead.
As he ate, he watched the harbour boats shimmy across the water, wondering which one of the yachts was Eric’s. He’d seen pictures of superyachts and figured it was probably something huge and sleek and black. Whatever.
Lord, help me be salt and light. Not jealous.
Jordan finished his last mouthful, was about to toss away the paper, then traced a finger through the last of the barbecue sauce and stray onion remnant, and swallowed the sauced onion too. The sweet-yet-salty tang dissolved on his tongue. Yum.
A ferry slowly prowled its way toward the wharf, so he threw his rubbish in the bin and joined the short line for the ferry. He tapped his Opal card and boarded. And as he passed the block of units where EJ lived, he prayed a blessing over her. That Godwould keep her safe and help her know that she was loved. By God. Her family. And him.
Now this was living.
EJ struggled to keep the broad grin from busting out all over her face. She’d seen a few episodes ofBelow Deckand had always wanted to know what it was like to be aboard a luxury yacht like one of the rich and famous. And now, here she was, living the dream. Being waited on hand and foot by Eric’s crew. Shereallywished Alissa could see her now.
Just like in the show, the crew were all very respectful, very obliging; nothing was too much trouble. So she did what she could to make the most of it. Who knew if she’d ever get the chance to do something like this again? But the wintry air didn’t make the on-deck hot tub terribly appealing. She didn’t know Eric well enough to want to slip into a swimsuit. That felt like asking for trouble. And besides, he’d only invited her because he wanted her to see what kind of lifestyle could be hers if she said yes to his proposal.
She coughed. His proposal to invest in Dream Match.
Nerves skidded through her stomach as she wondered what Jordan would say if he knew what Eric was offering. A fifty percent stake, which would mean she’d have to sell some of her shares, but Eric’s investment of millions of dollars would take their app places she’d never dreamed possible. How could she knock that back?
Such generosity had also made it hard to knock back Eric’s invitation this morning to go on his yacht. For a moment, she’d wondered if she would be the only one on board, but it turned out he expected to collect a few of his other friends. She had been relieved to find out that Gwen was one of them. Not so relievedto find out Eric had invited Neil Elton too. But no matter. The wedding recently had made it fairly clear that Neil had moved on, and unless he was going to embarrass himself severely, she didn’t need to worry. She could hopefully avoid him, just as he’d been keen to avoid her at the wedding.
They passed the little beach and café where she had been due to meet Jordan. Regret panged for a minute, as she wondered whether Jordan had received her message in time. She winced. Maybe not. He liked to be on time, so he’d probably been travelling to get there when she sent her message. She felt bad for blowing him off, but Eric had said this would be the last outing he’d be taking the yacht on before he had it taken north for the winter.
“So it’s now or never, babe.”
She’d chosen now.
The yacht cruised in, and she recognised Gwen and Neil and Neil’s girlfriend standing on the wharf, along with a few others. It might be a guess, but she still felt rather special that Eric had chosen to pick her up first. It had allowed them to talk some more about Dream Match.
“Hi there!” EJ waved at Gwen, who grinned at her.
“Look at you, standing up there like a queen.”
EJ posed, and Eric chuckled, and she felt herself blush.
“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s cute to see someone having fun.”
Cute? She rankled inside. Maybe she was just taking things a little too personally, as he probably didn’t realise just how patronising he could sometimes sound.
Gwen boarded; then EJ air-kissed her and smiled at Neil and his girlfriend, whose name was Julia.
“I’m surprised that your little watchdog isn’t here,” Julia commented.
“I beg your pardon?”
