Page 5 of Kayak Girl

“A cup of tea sounds amazing,” I said, a small part of me wishing I could just pop the kettle on in my apartment back home.

Brenda must have seen the longing in my eyes because next thing I knew, she was inviting me in to sit down. “Come, I’ll make you a cup while we go over the campsite instructions,” she said.

I made myself comfortable on the retro sofa while Brenda made us some tea. The room was filled with the sweet scent of strawberries, a fragrance that perfectly matched Brenda’s bubbly personality. She was giving off serious mom vibes and I sure could use the comfort today. Not that my mom would have comforted me, but I imagined the vibes Brenda was giving were of the motherly kind. The tea she prepared helped soothe my frazzled nerves as she patiently went through the details of the campgrounds.

“Well, that’s everything, sweetie. If you forget the Wi-Fi code, it’s posted on the notice board outside. I’ll come by your stand tomorrow morning with a number for the mechanic. You have a wonderful weekend now.” Brenda stood and ushered me out to the porch. Before I could say goodbye and head down the steps, she stopped me. “I don’t suppose you’d like to join us at church tomorrow? It’s within walking distance from here. The church is called Grace Bay Fellowship. It’s just down that road, you can’t miss it. The first service starts at 10:00 am tomorrow.”

“You know, that sounds like just what I need,” I said. “I’ll see you there tomorrow. Thanks for the invite.”

“Great, I’ll give you the mechanic’s number at church,” Brenda said.

I had a strong relationship with God. He was the only reason I’d survived my childhood, but I hadn’t been to church since I started my road trip. And I missed it.

The next morning, I awoke to two emails from the Jeep’s owner. Apparently, I’d hit Ocean Breeze Escapes’ car, because the subject line read; “Regarding My Smashed Taillight.” A cold sweat covered my body as I considered my dwindling finances. My thumb hovered over the subject line, but I couldn’t bring myself to open the messages. Perhaps I’d have more courage after church. In fact, the emails could wait until tomorrow.

Even after a full night’s sleep, fatigue lingered in every muscle. I briefly considered staying wrapped in my comforter cocoon all morning. But I needed to go to church, so I rolled out of bed, gathered my toiletries, and walked the hundred yards to the communal bathrooms.

An hour later, wearing my much-loved cobalt blue dress, I was walking in the direction Brenda had pointed. Sure enough, a mile down the road, a large building came into view with the words Grace Bay Fellowship written across the top. It was bigger than I expected. I paused on the road and said a silent prayer. Help me get my road trip plans back on track. Help me deal with the insurance stuff. Help me not to worry about it. Please.

I wasn’t in the mood to chat with strangers—the stress of my car trouble had sapped all of my emotional energy—so I reminded myself to keep eye contact to a minimum. I had the sweet smile and cold shoulder down to a fine art.

The doors were open, so I stepped in and gave the usher a split-second smile, accepted a pamphlet, and then scanned the auditorium for an empty chair at the back. With my target in sight, I moved to claim my spot before anyone else did. Just inches away from said chair, a strawberry scented hug enveloped me.

“Oh, I am so glad you could make it, sweetie,” Brenda said. “You cannot sit back here. Come—I got us front row seats.”

My eyes widened at her mention of the front row. I wanted to say no.

“Oh, okay. Thanks, Brenda,” I said instead.

I trailed behind Brenda, kicking myself for agreeing to come. The navy carpet hushed our steps as we walked down the slight incline toward the dreaded front row. Modern stained-glass windows shone their unique light into the room, adding a certain reverence to the atmosphere.

“Here we are. You can sit next to me,” Brenda said as she pulled me down beside her. “Dave is doing the announcements this morning. That’s why I chose this row. I’m just so proud of him. Look at him in his tie. Doesn’t he look sharp?” she said, pride dripping from her quiet words.

I glanced up to check out Dave’s tie.

“It looks great,” I whispered to Brenda as Dave began welcoming everyone.

I was about to dig my Bible out of my backpack when my gaze caught on a set of familiar gray eyes. Startled, I instinctively leaned back into my chair, my heart racing at the sight of the guy from yesterday. He stood to the left of Dave with a guitar in his hands. Several other people were standing on the small stage, but my attention was fixated on him. He wore chino shorts and a white-collared shirt, his honey-colored hair neatly combed to the side. If I thought he was handsome at the beach, the smart, casual version of him was positively irresistible.

A subtle, knowing smile graced his lips as he unapologetically gazed right back at me. After a few seconds, I became self-conscious, and almost looked away, but the stubborn part of me hated that I visibly reacted to his attention, so I determined to out-stare him.

His unwavering gaze was disarming yet strangely comforting. In that moment, I almost wished it would never end, secretly relishing the warmth that emanated from his eyes.

It must have been a good twenty seconds of pure eye contact before he looked away to adjust his microphone. So much for my ‘no eye contact’ rule. Eye contact with him was different, though. He was so relaxed and confident that it didn’t feel intimidating. In fact, I think I missed his gaze when it was no longer trained on me. I shook my head at that ridiculous thought. I didn’t even know his name, for goodness’ sake. Get it together, Elle. I shrugged my shoulders, hoping the movement would bring with it some sense. I just liked his eyes. That was it.

Before I could rationalize any further, music filled the auditorium and the voices of about two hundred people blended in praise to God. I hummed along to the first song because I didn’t know the words. But the second song I knew well, so I closed my eyes and joined the congregation in praising the Lord. All the while, my heart kept searching for the peace I’d hoped to find here. But it seemed to be just out of reach.

After several worship songs, Dave called the pastor to the pulpit. I watched the music team exit the stage. Not a single glance from Gray Eyes. Huh. It was better this way, though. No point getting too attached.

The pastor had salt-and-pepper hair, a tall build, and a friendly smile. “Good morning, Church,” he said. He had a pleasant voice, which made listening easy. But his message didn’t resonate with me. He spoke on some verses from Ecclesiastes. I guess I was in the mood to hear that God loved me and would sort out all my problems. It was perhaps immature of me, but it was the truth. After the closing prayer, Brenda turned to me.

“Here’s the number I promised you,” she said and handed me a note with the name of a mechanic scrawled across the top and the phone number written in large numbers below. Not wanting to stay long, I thanked Brenda and said goodbye. I frowned as I made a beeline for the exit. Church wasn’t the Band-Aid I hoped it would be. But I knew what could help.

Chapter 6

GRAY

Kayak Girl was making a run for it.

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