Page 76 of With You Here
Hansel and Gretel.Sleeping Beauty.Rapunzel. She spun tales until Ben held up his arm. “Lunch time.”
The kids yelled in jubilant agreement with this plan and settled onto fallen logs and boulders while Yasmin and Mila handed out large pretzels, apples, and sliced cheeses.
Amber bit into the salted soft dough with a sigh.So good.Her gaze snagged on Kayla standing off a ways. She grabbed another pretzel from Yasmin and walked over to Kayla, offering the twisted bread.
Kayla accepted the food with thanks, pinched off a piece, and stuffed it in her mouth. “I’m not going to apologize, if that’s what you think.”
Amber peered at her. While Kayla had lost some of her standoffishness, she wasn’t exactly what one would call approachable. More like hesitantly available. Someone testing out waters before plunging in.
“Apologize for what?” Amber asked.
Kayla rolled her eyes.
“If you’re referring to the things you stated the other day, then I see no reason why you would need to apologize. Everything you said is true.”
Kayla’s mouth pulled to the side as if waiting for the catch.
“It’s true. I haven’t lived your life. I don’t know what you’ve been through.” Amber turned to her. “Of course, that doesn’t mean I can’t care.”
Kayla pinched off another piece of pretzel and chewed.
“But if you’re looking for someone whodoesunderstand because theyhaveexperienced everything you have, then I know Someone.”
Kayla gave Amber a cursory glance out of the side of her eye. “Who?”
“Jesus. The Bible says that He is moved to compassion for all those who suffer, and that He knows exactly what everyone has gone through, not only because He is always with us, but because He has suffered as well.” One shoulder rose to her ear in nonchalance. If she allowed her face to show the earnestness she felt in her gut, she was afraid she’d scare Kayla away. “Plus, He promised to send us the Comforter.”
Kayla didn’t respond, but she didn’t walk away either.
“I actually forgot that for a while. What you said pierced me because you weren’t the first person to say that to me. I’d even been telling the same thing to myself. But, you know, I actually have to thank you. Your accusations shook me, and because of them, I was ultimately reminded that it’s not about me. I don’t have to have all the answers or live all the lives. I just have to be willing to point people to the One who has.”
Kayla snorted. “You Christians are weird. Thanking someone who doesn’t even believe for helping you out with some spiritual dilemma or some rot.”
“That just means God’s already using you.” Amber grinned.
“Yeah. Whatever.” Kayla spared her another glance. “So, what are you going to do about my brother?”
Amber rubbed her sweaty palms on her legs. Talk about getting everything out in the open at once. “How much did you hear the other night?”
“He told me you walked away after he told you he loved you.”
She winced. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. That had never been her intention. But intention or not, if she’d told someone she loved them and they didn’t respond in kind, the rejection would be hard to get over.
“He also told me why.” For the first time Kayla turned and gave Amber a full look. “That was really decent of you.”
Really?Did that mean—?
“Decent but unnecessary.” Kayla put a fist on her hip and wrapped herself back up in an aggressive air. One Amber saw right through. “Look, Seth and I are good. Or, rather, we will be. But not if you push me in the middle of you two and make me the reason why he can’t be with the woman he loves.”
Amber pressed her lips together, but even that enforcement couldn’t keep the smile from growing across her face.
Kayla made a disgusted sound, but her sparkling eyes gave her away. “I’m glad I’ll be here so I don’t have to witness whatever sickening display will be going on once you two get together.”
Despite her efforts, Amber felt her face flush. “I wouldn’t…that’s not…”
Kayla hooted. “You really are that innocent, aren’t you?”
Amber averted her gaze and willed her body temperature to cool. She twirled the ring on her finger and wished for once that maybe she weren’t quite so sheltered. Maybe if she had dated casually, she’d know a little more about what to do when she stood in front of Seth. What words to say. Or would he be able to look deep into her eyes and see her feelings written in her gaze? Should she kiss him? Maybe run toward him on the soccer field and throw herself in his arms like some scene in a movie? What if she wasn’t even let into the stadium to see him? Should she wait at his house? Or—
