Page 21 of A Bouquet of Dreams

She narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was about to say. She didn’t look great, she knew that. She was wearing a floppy old T-shirt and cutoff shorts, and her hair was springing out of its topknot. But if he said anything rude, she would slam the door in his face.

The expression on his face didn’t say rude. It was soft, his eyes kind. Even his voice sounded tender. “You look ... like someone who could use a friend.”

Sympathy from Chris Reid, of all people, completely took her off guard. She felt tears start rising in her throat.Do not cry, do not cry.She hated to cry in front of people! And Chris Reid was top of her list.

He reached out to touch her arm. “So, what’s really going on?”

Chris’s softness touched Claire in a way that sharpness never could. “I don’t know.” Claire framed her cheeks with her hands. “I just don’t know anything anymore.”

thirteen

A rose can never be a sunflower, and a sunflower can never be a rose. All flowers are beautiful in their own way, and that’s like women too.

—Miranda Kerr

In the little kitchen, while Claire poured Chris a glass of sweet iced tea, she recovered her composure, reminding herself of the damage he had done. She handed him the glass, and he downed it like he was parched. She refilled it and they went into the small living area.

She wondered what he was thinking of her living conditions. This dumpy little house had a garage-sale vibe. She cast glances at him as he walked around the room. He looked a little rumpled from the car ride, but his clothing looked pricey, like he had moved up in the world. Could his magic show be doing that well?

Sitting on the couch, Claire tucked her hands under her. “You shouldn’t have bothered to come. I can’t go back to Sunrise.”

Chris sat across from her on a bean bag, downing the sweet tea refill. He was thirsty. After polishing off the tea, he set the glass on the floor beside him and shifted to get comfortable in the beanbag. One of Claire’s housemates had found it on the street and dragged it home. Claire wouldn’t go near it. “Why not? Why can’t you go back to Sunrise?”

Because it was just too, too hard. But she couldn’t admit that to him. Instead, she decided to switch the interviewer roles. “So are you ready to tell your tale?”

His eyebrows lifted. “The ‘walking on water’ trick? There were Pyrex platforms inside the tray.”

Huh. She hadn’t thought of that. “I didn’t see them.”

“Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

She gave that some thought. It was just the kind of response she had enjoyed so much in knowing Chris. He had a different way of thinking than most people did. It’s why he could trick people so easily. Good magicians could tell who was vulnerable, and Chris was a very good magician.

Don’t forget, she reminded herself (though she didn’t need the reminding),that you were one of those vulnerable people.“Actually, I was referring to the tale of that August night, seven years ago.”

“I can tell you part of it. But I think the part you’re looking for will have to be told by Rose. And she wants to tell it in person.” He crossed one ankle over his knee. “So. Here goes what I can tell you about my tale. After the fire, I pled guilty to a Class D felony and was sentenced to thirty-eight months in a state prison. Got out early for good behavior. It helped that I was a minor when the fire occurred.”

She knew most of that by following the story online. Because he had pled guilty, Jaime, Tessa, and Claire didn’t need to return to Sunrise to testify in a trial.

“Prison wasn’t easy, but I wouldn’t trade it. Turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Because you had a come-to-Jesus moment?”

He tilted his head. “Now, that’s the second time you used that phrase. What does that really mean?”

“Your eyes were opened.” She sang a high-pitched “ahh” note to emphasize a religious conversion. She knew she was being sarcastic ... but thiswasChris Reid. Aka Ivan the Illusionist. He could convince anybody of anything.

He kept his eyes on her. “If it means that I got to a point in my life when I had nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to, when I realized my indescribable need for a Lord and Savior ... then yeah, you could say I had a come-to-Jesus moment. But it didn’t end in that moment. I’m a different person, Claire. My whole purpose in life has changed.”

“Uh, you’re still a magician. You’re still deceiving people.”

“I love magic the way you love flowers. But my purpose has changed. What I want to do with my magic shows has changed. I’m not trying to deceive people, not anymore. I want to open their minds to an unseen reality. I want them to know that Jesus saved me. He healed me. He can do it for them.” He sat up in the bean bag and rested his elbows on his knees. “And he can do it for you.”

She wondered at the meaning of all this. Was he for real? Could he have changed that much? Maybe she was still dreaming. She pinched her bottom to find out and swallowed a yelp. Nope. Definitely not dreaming.

He was thoughtful as he looked at her. “Claire, can’t you see how much God loves you? Do you even see how God is at work in your life?”

A scoff burst out of her. “Right. Look at me. Jobless. Soon to be homeless.” She lifted up a hand to stop his preaching. “And I do believe in God.”

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