Page 76 of Gideon

“No, I—Actually, yes. It had crossed my mind.”

“You think I would leave without telling you?” He hoped she’d say no, but he couldn’t be sure himself. He’d never expected he’d leave a mat on the grass to test God.

“You’re still planning on leaving though?” she said. Maybe to avoid answering the question.

“Yeah. I’m trying to work that out.”

“Right. That’s fine. You always said you were leaving.” She laughed softly. “I don’t mean to put pressure on you, even though I’m sure that’s how it sounds. Your life is outside of Asher. I hope you know I’m grateful for the help you’ve given to this town. And to me.”

He squeezed his forehead. “I wish I could have done more.”

“Is that really what you think? That taking down the totem poles and saving Isabel isn’t much?”

“Not when there’s so much left undone.”

“I’m sure God’s not done with Asher yet.”

“No, of course he’s not.”

“I want you to know that I’m praying for you. We all are.”

“The church?”

“Yeah. We’ve been meeting almost every night to pray.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t come.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

She may change her mind if he left tomorrow. “I’m glad things are going well there.”

“Do, uh… Do you want to get some dinner tonight?” she said. “I thought we could debrief.”

He did. He wanted to see her, but with no clear picture of what he’d do next, he couldn’t be honest with her. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

“I can’t tonight. Maybe another time.”

“Okay. Right, well, I guess I’ll let you go. I’ve got a few mugs to make before the end of the day. Talk to you soon?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll give you a call later.”

“Great. Talk to you then.”

Gideon tapped the phone to hang up, then dropped it onto the bed. It used to be easy to be around Nikki. He thought of the mat lying in the sun. No matter what happened tomorrow morning, their friendship probably wouldn’t survive. If God did a miracle, he was going to call ICE, a move for which she may never forgive him, especially if it led to Isabel being deported. And if he left, she’d probably never forgive him for giving up on them. Either way, he was going to lose.

Gideon barely slept. When he did, he dreamed about unseen people pulling him from all directions as he tried desperately to find the mat he’d left in the grass, knowing it was the only place he could be safe. Each time he went back into the dream, it pulled him deeper and deeper into a black hole, until he finally woke as the sun edged the sky with light.

He blinked up at the ceiling with a sense of both relief and dread. The night was over. The dew had risen. His life was about to shift.

He got out of bed, pulled on a T-shirt, and went to the door but stopped with his hand on the knob. He may not consider himself a hero, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have unfinished business. After a deep, cleansing breath, he opened the door and went outside.

The air had the usual chill. Perfect conditions for dew. He walked around to the side of the building. The brownish-green mass of twiggy sprigs didn’t look damp. He poked at it with his toes to confirm it was dry, then walked up to the mat. Logically, the mat would be dry, but he couldn’t tell by looking at it. His heart rate rose, and he couldn’t decipher what outcome he was hoping for.

He thought of Nikki as he bent over. This would be goodbye either way. Was that what he was afraid of? That this was the moment he’d have to say goodbye?

His fingers inched beneath the rubber edging. It was cool to the touch. Then, as he lifted, the first thing he noticed—too late—was the weight. The rubber slipped from his fingers, and the mat fell to the ground with a thwap. He stared at it with wide eyes, sensingthe cool droplets of water that had splashed onto his leg.

“That’s impossible.” He reached for the mat again, this time gripping it tighter as he lifted, and a thready stream of water splashed the ground from the corner of the mat. It pooled on the earth for a moment before being swallowed up.

---