Page 54 of Forgiving Paris
Especially Landon.
It had taken years before she stopped fighting against God and the person He was calling her to be. But onething was certain. From the moment she laid her sins down on that transatlantic flight, she was free.
And she was forgiven.
Ashley drew a deep breath. In the far distance she could see the Eiffel Tower. Funny. She never took the trip to the top. Another promise Jean-Claude hadn’t kept. But that was behind her now. She smiled again. Before they left Paris, she and Landon would visit the iconic landmark, and the famous Eiffel Tower Carousel, just in front of it. She had thought herself too old to ride the white horses of the merry-go-round when she was here last time.
That wasn’t true now. She would never be too old to see life through the eyes of a child.
She stared over the city. Jean-Claude was the utter counterfeit of love. He was a liar, like the devil. A fake and a fraud, intent on destroying a young American girl. And she had been his willing partner.
But Landon… Landon was the real deal. Full of love and faith and compassion.
Yes, she would miss her mom and dad and Cole tonight. But when the doors to Light of the Seine opened for her very first Parisian show, Landon would be standing beside her. And that was so much more than enough.
Thank You, God. Thank You for forgiving me. Thank You for giving me this life. And thank You for Landon Blake.Him most of all. She stood and stretched. This was about to be one of the greatest days in all her life.
Ashley had never been more sure.
19
The timing had to be perfect. Cole already knew that.
So when his car made a sputtering noise three hours out of Bloomington, he felt a wave of concern.No, please, God. Keep the engine working.
As if on command, the engine kicked into gear once more. Smooth and without a sound.Thank You. Cole smiled. This trip wasn’t going to work out without help from the Lord. That much was sure.
Cole checked the time. He had been on the road for most of the day. The plan was tight. Another meeting had been added by the leadership team at Liberty yesterday. So he couldn’t leave campus till this morning. “I’ll be on the road early. Don’t worry,” he had told his grandpa John last night after he was back in his dorm. “Everything will be fine.”
Cole rolled down the window. It was just past three in the afternoon. The plan was to arrive in Bloomington by six that night, leave the house at 7:30, and be at the airport by nine. They were booked first to New York, and then an overnight flight to Paris, one that left just before midnight.
So, every minute was critical.
The engine still sounded good, purring right along. Good thing, because coming up was the last exit with an open gas station for thirty miles. Cole turned up the car speaker. He was listening to Matthew West’sAll Inalbum and a song came on, one that he loved.
“The Beautiful Things We Miss” it was called. He settled back in his seat and let the song play across the surface of his heart. The first verse talked about a couple—maybe in their forties like his parents. Only in the song, the man doesn’t notice his wife. Doesn’t care about her like he should.
Thank You, God, that my parents aren’t like that,he thought.They love each other so much.
The chorus was what really spoke to him. Cole turned it up again and sang along. The message was beautiful, about not missing the things that mattered, the things right in front of him. “Open up my eyes, Lord,” he sang at the top of his lungs. “Keep me in the moment just like this. Before the beautiful things we love… become the beautiful things we miss.”
It should’ve been an anthem for college students like him. Just yesterday he had been home, heading off to high school each morning and sharing dinners with his parents and siblings. Every single night. But now… now he was almost finished with college and his girlfriend was talking about marriage. “We don’t get this back!” he sang.
His voice wasn’t the best. But he loved to sing, especially on I-64 west on the long car ride home. No dangerhe’d fall asleep singing songs like this one. Traffic was light as he passed the exit. He couldn’t break down now. Not if he was going to make the flight.
Cole settled back into his seat. The day had been hot, nearly ninety degrees when he stopped for food in Charleston, West Virginia. But it was cooler now, and the breeze that filled the car smelled summer sweet. He turned the radio down and listened.
Good. The smooth sound of his engine was almost better than the song. At least this afternoon. He switched playlists. Ben Rector this time and another favorite song. “More Like Love.” The whole world needed this song. A song that called for more love. More kindness. And the prayer… to actually look a little more like love.
Cole was about to sing the second line in the chorus when the engine jolted and jerked so hard it nearly stopped the car.No… not now. Please… God, I need You.
But whatever had happened, the engine was finished. Cole barely had time to get the car to the shoulder before it died altogether. His heart pounded as traffic whizzed past. Cole tightened his grip on the wheel. What could it be? He tried starting it again and again. Nothing.
He studied the gauges. Everything looked fine. He even had plenty of gas. Almost as much as back when…
“The gas gauge!” That was it! Why hadn’t he figured it out sooner? When he stopped for food, he’d only given a quick look at how much gas he had. But after hours of driving, he should’ve needed a refill.
Instead, he hadn’t even topped off his tank.
