A Journey by Chance (30 page)

Brady was as handsome at the wedding as Lauren had predicted. His blond hair glistened, his tan was deep against the white tuxedo, his eyes reflected more green than blue above the chartreuse shirt that matched Gina's dress.

He caught her gaze, crooked his elbow, and held it out to her.

It wasn't time to walk down the aisle yet, but she slipped her hand through his arm anyway. Close proximity to Brady had become her favorite place. They stood outside the sanctuary with the other attending couples, listening to the final notes from the string quintet before the doors would open and she and Brady would lead the group inside.

She glanced back at Lauren and Uncle Dan. Her cousin's face radiated pure joy.

“Hey,” Brady whispered and touched the corner of her eye with his little finger. “Not yet. Let me see that Miss America smile.”

She rolled her eyes.

“That's better.” He grinned. “Oops, show time.”

The doors swung open as a trumpet sounded. Brady squeezed her hand, and they stepped onto the white carpet just as the chamber group joined the brass.

It was the most beautiful wedding Gina had ever been in or witnessed. It was magical. No, more than that. It was supernatural. Lauren and Aaron were clearly being joined in Christ, a dimension of immeasurable depths.

The guilt hit Gina again. She could never deserve a man who would gaze at her as Aaron did at Lauren now. She
always knew her cousin was a good person, at times nearly even a Miss Goody Two-Shoes. But she didn't realize until this moment how exceptional that was nor how precious that made her to her husband.

The group turned when the pastor presented the new husband and wife. Brady caught Gina's eye and winked. She tried to smile while biting her lip. This whole scene was becoming way too emotional. The sooner she told Mr. Olafsson goodbye, the better. She
was
the snob he had imagined and worse. An irrational feeling of emptiness hit her like a blow to the stomach.

Oh, Lord, help me get through this day!

Brady stuck beside her in the receiving line outside the church and diligently introduced her to the half of the community she somehow hadn't yet managed to meet. It was a perfect July 1 afternoon with sunshine but low humidity. From the church's front sidewalk she could see the town square. It was a photographic moment, a genuine Podunk moment with white steeple, green grass, most of the town wearing their finest…

“Gina, are you all right?”

She blinked up at his concerned, handsome face. “No, Brady, I'm not all right, and I won't be all right until I get on that plane to California.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest. Right there in front of everyone, in the middle of Valley—Podunk. It was Podunk. Always had been, always would be.

The reception was in full swing. Reece held his hands out toward Maggie. “Dance?”

She eyed the cast that hadn't been there three weeks ago and fought back the niggling resentment toward him for missing the reunion dance.

“Come on, Maggie, I want to dance with you. We'll just inch ourselves around in a circle. Pretend like this band knows how to play slow music.” He grasped her hand and led her to the edge of the country club's dance floor.

They danced carefully, the same way they had been interacting since he arrived at Aunt Lottie's on Thursday, a day earlier than planned. Her schedule had been packed full of wedding preparations…and Reece had graciously helped. He even took Aunt Lottie to the hairdresser. But he gave her space, hadn't barged in and taken charge as he used to do. He seemed extraordinarily sensitive to her needs. She was grateful, yet wary still. His behavior didn't undo the years of being nothing like this. It didn't impart automatic trust, and it didn't ignite emotion.

“Mar—Maggie, are you having a good time?”

“I am.”

“Gina looks a little out of it.”

Maggie spotted their daughter in Brady's arms. He was leading her adeptly around the dance floor. One wouldn't guess that she limped. But she wasn't smiling. “It's Brady. I think she's falling for him.”

“Falling—?” Reece stopped them in their tight tracks. “In love?!”

Maggie nodded.

“But she has a new job! Her dream job!”

“Precisely.”

“Poor kid.”

His sympathy surprised her. “Reece, this is an Olafsson we're talking about. A true-blue Valley Oaks' resident.”

“Gina wouldn't fall for a jerk. Besides, I like his books. Not to mention he taught me a thing or two about sending
flowers.” They resumed dancing, his face thoughtful. “I'll put the pressure on that development. We can force him out. Then he's free to go where she goes.”

“Oh, good grief, you're serious.”

“It's Gina we're talking about. Of course I'm serious.”

“Reece, you always want to
fix
things. We don't need a fix here. She—they just need to work it out and that will take time.”

He leaned back and intently studied her. “Is that where
we
are? No quick fixes?”

“Yes.”

Slowly he twirled her in a circle, then slipped his hand around her waist. “No problem. I'm in it for the long haul.”

Long haul.
She felt a hint of comfort in that phrase, but... “Can you prove it?”

“You drive a hard bargain, lady.”

She shrugged a shoulder and looked him square in the eye. “Take it or leave it.”

He smiled, but his chin tilted and his eyes narrowed slightly. It was his determined business man's expression. “I accept the challenge, Maggie Lindstrom Philips.”

“Gina,” Brady murmured, his cheek nestled against her hair, “I don't want to leave things in limbo.”

She didn't reply. He let it go.

They sat in two outdoor padded lounge chairs that he had carried from his parents' deck to the middle of a grassy field behind the barns. His invitation had been to watch for shooting stars. It was after midnight, after the reception, after the mosquitoes had retired. Gina sat near enough to lean her head on his shoulder, but not too near. The aluminum chair
arms protruded between them. He tried not to think about how the two of them could probably fit rather nicely together in one of the chairs.

He plucked tiny bits of dried baby's breath sprinkled about in her hair, most of which was pinned up in a twist. “Can I take these out? They tickle.”

“Mm-hmm. These stars are absolutely incredible. Almost as good as a desert sky.”

“Did I tell you how absolutely, incredibly beautiful you looked today?”

“Once or twice.” She shivered against him.

He slipped off his tuxedo jacket and draped it over her. Reclining again, he put his arm back around her shoulders, ignoring the pain in his ribs where the chair arm poked.

“Thanks. You're warm enough?”

“Been warm enough all day. I cannot figure out why we guys get stuffed inside these long sleeves and jackets and cummerbunds in the middle of summer while you bridesmaids run around in short sleeves. Did I tell you how piercingly emerald your eyes were today?” He hadn't been able to take his own from her.

“Brady, stop talking. I can't hear the stars. Listen. They make this magnificent, macroscopically hushed sound.”

“Macroscopically?”

“Shh.”

They sat quietly for a long time, listening, until he reached his limit. At the wedding and reception, her demeanor had been highly agitated. When he asked her a few times what was wrong, she replied “not now.” “Gina, how about now? What was bothering you earlier?”

For a moment she didn't answer. “You.”

“You're supposed to say ‘ nothing.'”

“Another irrational game women like my mother play.”

“What'd I do? I didn't tell any jokes, did I? Just that one—”

“Brady, I was coming to terms with our situation. I don't want to leave us in limbo either. The fact is…” She paused. “There is no ‘ us' to leave in limbo. We've had this…this moment together, but our lives are just too different. The summer fling is over.”

He felt like a rodeo cowboy atop a bucking bronco fresh out of the chute. His breath was ripped from him. “Then why are you sitting here with me in the middle of the night with your head on my shoulder, wrapped in my jacket?”

“Well, I'm not gone yet. We can still be friends.”

“I don't
snuggle
with friends. You can't deny you don't feel anything but
friendship
.”

She straightened. “I deny it, Brady,” she whispered.

“That's just your logical self talking. I'll visit you in Seattle, give you time to get to know me better, because I know all I need to know about you, which convinces me that I want to spend the rest of—”

She yanked off his jacket and threw it at him. “Don't you get it, Brady? You don't know me, but I do know you, very well in fact, and I know I don't belong with you! Not in Seattle, not in Podunk!” She swung her feet to the ground and strode away.

Gina had stomped halfway across the dark field before his frozen brain connected with his legs.
Podunk?
What was going on here? He caught up with her near the truck. “Gina!”

“I need a ride. I'd walk, but I think that's an unrealistic expectation considering we're out here in the middle of miles and miles of nothing but corn.” She opened the passenger door and climbed in.

He got in his side and had the truck started before he slammed the door shut. “We call them acres, not miles.”

It was a quick, silent ride to Lottie's house. The porcupine had returned with a vengeance, and Brady was at a loss as to how to handle her. He pulled into the drive, nearly rammed
the front of the truck into the neighbor's hedge, and cut the engine.

She looked toward her window. “I can't get out.”

“Gina, please don't leave things like this.”

“It's for the best. Actually, maybe we had better say goodbye right now.”

“Why do we have to even say goodbye? Give us a long-distance chance at least.”

“What did you think, Brady? That I don't have another life to pursue, one that doesn't include ‘ us'? That somehow my dream to be a vet would just cease to exist?”

“There's something between us. You can't kiss just anyone like—”

“Brady! Of course I can! You are so naïve. This whole town is. It's like a time warp. I don't fit in, not in any way, shape, or form here, and you certainly don't fit in where I'm going!”

At some level deep within himself he filtered through her noise and heard the cry of her soul. She was pushing him away out of guilt, not understanding that in Christ wrongs were forgotten, that in Brady's love she fit in anywhere. Still, he ached. Panic rose, his heartbeat pounded erratically in his throat. Nicole's leaving had simply cauterized his heart, had quickly burned away all feeling. This was a severing that would bleed until he died if he couldn't be with Gina.

“Brady, I didn't mean to lead you on. Your books,” her voice caught as she huddled against the door, face averted. “Your friendship…I'll always be grateful for what you've given me. But it just won't work. Please, let me out.”

He felt incapable of standing. He started the engine and backed away from the hedge, giving her space to open the door. Neither spoke as she slid from his truck, gathered the long gown in her hands, and hurried toward the house. He winced at the sight of her uneven gait. Like the day he met her, it still did a number on him.

Maggie took advantage of their last morning in Aunt Lottie's house to awaken Gina with a cup of coffee. Once they returned to California, there wouldn't be moments like this.

“Morning, sweetheart.”

Like a little girl, Gina stretched with her eyes still shut. “Mmm, I smell that good coffee.”

“It's after eight. I thought you might want to get going.”

“I better.” She propped pillows behind her and sat up.

Maggie handed her the mug and sat on the edge of the bed. “All packed?”

Gina nodded and sipped coffee. Dark circles underlined her eyes, which weren't quite open.

“Aunt Lottie and your dad are cooking up a storm. They invited everyone for breakfast. Commotion will make the goodbyes easier.”

“Thought we did that yesterday. What's gotten into Dad, prolonging his stay here?”

“Well…” She sighed. “Well…”

Gina smiled. “He's nuts about you, isn't he?”

“It appears he is.”

“Kind of a change, huh?”

“We'll see. We both head back to work tomorrow, go our separate ways again.” She shrugged. “Most importantly, he has forgiven me, and I him for not being there in ways I needed. Still, the trust isn't rebuilt overnight.”

“Mom, you're 53. When does it get easy?”

She laughed. “Never. But knowing now that Jesus walks alongside makes all the difference. He forgives me, forgave all that baggage from the past, all the ghosts. He loves me no matter what. I am going to make it. How are you doing?”

“Fine.” Her stern tone implied she wasn't.

“Your dad called Brady to invite him today. He left a message on his machine.”

“We already said goodbye. Saturday night.”

“I wondered why he wasn't at the brunch yesterday.” Maggie saw the pain on Gina's face. “What are your plans?”

“For what?”

“For seeing each other again.”

“Why would we do that? It's time to leave. I have a job.”

“I thought—” She bit her lip. “Don't sell yourself short, honey. That man is nuts about you.”

“A farmer in Podunk does not fit my agenda.”

“Pencil him in. Loving a
non
-farmer and leaving
Podunk
was not on my agenda. Life is full of chance journeys that get us where we need to be.” She turned at the sound of foot-steps pounding down the hall.

Reece rapped on the open door and walked in, excitement written on his face. “Ben just called from L.A.”

Gina asked, “Your attorney works at 6:00 A.M.?”

“He's your attorney and he just received an offer from the Park.”

Maggie and Gina exchanged glances.

“For 10 million.”

Gina's face crumpled. Maggie took the mug from her and handed it to Reece, then enfolded their daughter in her arms, catching the first sob against her shoulder.

Reece came around so he could face Maggie. “What? Too little?”

She raised her brows, her own eyes filling with tears.

“T-too much,” Gina blubbered. “I don't want any. I just want it to be over.”

“Honey, it'll be over if you accept this settlement,” Reece explained. “And you won't get the
entire
ten after Ben's fees and other costs. At least you don't have to drag things out in court, but you've gotten the attention you wanted for the elephants. What do you say?”

Gina nodded her head.

“Maggie, is that a yes?”

She smiled at him. “That's a yes. Call Ben and finish this mess.”

“Done.”

“Reece?”

He turned back.

“Thank you.”

A gentle smile erased the anxiety from his face, crinkled the crow's feet. At that moment Maggie felt something inside of her melt.

Gina slumped in the hard chair, studying the airport's carpet, trying to keep the pain from consuming her. It was as if some internal black hole grew larger by the moment, devouring strength from every part of her, threatening to cut off air to her lungs. It intensified with each passing moment away from Brady. The agony was physical, worse than after Delilah's attack.

The last she had seen of him was late Saturday night, his truck roaring too fast down Aunt Lottie's street.

But that was the last she
wanted
to see of him.

Then why did she miss him so?

She'd be better as soon as she stepped on the plane. Her old life would meld into a new life in Seattle. This little detour, as Mother called it, occupied a mere fraction of life.
It would dissipate in time, making hardly a dent in the large scheme of things.

Except for Jesus.

“Gina.” Her dad sat down beside her with a heavy sigh. “I can't stand it any longer. Here.” He placed a large manila envelope on her lap.

“Can't…stand…” Each word was separated by a painful breath. “What?”

“Seeing you so miserable.”

“I'm…not…mis…miserable.”

“Of course you are. You didn't look this bad wrapped in a body cast. That's from Brady.”

Her throat closed.

“He came by early this morning, before you were up. I don't know what's in it, but he made me promise not to give this to you until we were on the plane. I'm breaking that promise.”

She struggled for a breath. “Why?”

“Because I think you need to hear from him.”

“I…don't…”

“Open it, Gina. Maybe it will help you settle the issue. I'll leave you alone.” He left.

There wasn't any issue.

Oh, but there was. She loved him, but she could never meet his standards. She didn't deserve him. Why couldn't he see that? She'd never survive in Podunk. Why did he keep prolonging the inevitable?

Well, she was done with prolonging. She'd read his love letter and be done with it.

The envelope was rather large and heavy for a love letter. Of course, he was a writer. It was probably an entire story. With unsteady fingers she tore at the sealed flap and pulled out a handful of papers. On top was a note written on linen paper in Brady's hand. Beneath it was a stack of legal-looking documents.

Dear Gina, no matter where you are, the enclosed is unconditional, like God's love for you. Like mine. Brady.

That was it? What was this? She skimmed the other papers and called out, “Dad! Mom!” She looked up to see them hurrying toward her. “Dad, what is this?”

“It's—” He swallowed and shuffled through the pages. “It's the deed to Brady's property, signed over to you. This says you purchased it for one dollar. Did you give him a dollar for it? This bank statement says the mortgage has been paid off.”

“What does it all mean?” she whispered.

“It means you're a millionaire who owns 122.7 acres in Valley Oaks, adjacent to an undeveloped piece of property that you can probably buy for a song once you build your elephant enclosure.”

They all three stared at each other.

“He just gave up his privacy. His most precious possession!”

Her mother nodded. “I think it's called love.”

She stood. “I have to go to him.”

Her parents smiled at her, the two of them blinking back tears as their flight's boarding was announced.

Dad grabbed her first in a bear hug. “Of course. Go right back to the car rental counter. You can probably get the car we just turned in.”

“Dad, is this right? It's so irrational!”

“It's right, Gina. Believe me. It beats the rational path of dotting i's and crossing t's.”

Mother hugged her, grinning through tears that dampened her cheeks. “We'll have your luggage sent back here when we get home. I love you. Call us!”

Dad handed a carry-on bag to her. “Go!”

She wove her way through the crowd lining up to board, turned back once, and waved to her parents. What in the world was she doing?

The empty highway stretched before her. Gina pressed her foot against the gas pedal. The speedometer climbed to 70, the concrete rhythmically
tha-rumped
beneath the tires eating up the 26 miles. Fields of corn stalks narrowed to a green blur in the corners of her eyes.

He loves me.

She peeked at this truth as if it were a butterfly enfolded in her hands, sure to fly away if scrutinized too openly.

He really loves me.

Of course he had told her, but she hadn't grasped what that meant, didn't even have the capacity to begin to grasp it. Now it had anchored itself into the core of her being and she knew it. Knew that it was unconditional. Knew that she was more important to him than even his property, his privacy, his way of life. Like God's love, nothing would get in the way of its expression, not the past, not the future.

Half prayers formed on her lips. Ecstatic “thank-yous” jumbled over terrified pleas for guidance.

Selling his property meant he could vote on the zoning issue. Development efforts on the adjacent land could be blocked. It meant he was willing to do anything with his place, even leave it and move to Seattle.

He loves me.

Or it simply meant that he wanted to lease the land from her and be allowed to vote.

A car passed her going the opposite direction. Suddenly the green blur of corn turned into a rainbow of flashing lights.

“Oh, nuts!”

She slowed and pulled onto the shoulder. The lights filled the rearview and side mirrors. Her heart raced, beating away precious minutes. She could have been in Valley Oaks by
now! She lowered her window just as a large man in a brown sheriff's uniform stepped to it.

“Miss California!” His mouth widened into a grin below dark sunglasses. “Thought that was you zipping by me like it's a freeway out here.”

She recognized Brady's basketball-playing friend. “Cal!”

“Kind of racing the wrong direction to catch your plane, aren't you?”

“Oh, Cal! I'm not leaving.”

His grin expanded. “Does that mean you're staying?”

“I'm in an awful hurry!” Her breath was coming in short bursts again.

“No kidding.”

“I've got to see Brady right away. Can you just mail me the ticket or something?”

“You're headed to Brady's?”

She nodded. “I think he loves me.”

“Shoot, the whole town knows that. How about an escort instead of a ticket? We'll swing around here.” He gestured with his arm. “You passed the turn for the other route about a mile back. It's a lot quicker than going through town, but it's a narrow blacktop so we can't go 75. You okay? Take a deep breath.”

“I'm fine!”

“Okay. I'm sure you'll have no problem keeping up with me.” He sauntered away.

Gina raced behind the county patrol car, its lights flashing and siren blaring all the way to Brady's drive. Cal switched things off and waited on the shoulder, throwing her a grin and a thumbs-up sign as she went around him.

She crept down the private road while her heart still raced and fears bombarded. What if Brady really only wanted to pay her rent?