Indemnity: Book Two: Covenant of Trust Series (15 page)

“
Bobbi—”

“
No! We’ll meet with Glen, and it’ll be three against one. Joel will think he has a big seal of approval on this.”

“
You’re not giving Glen much credit. He’s extremely objective. He’s said some harsh things to me at lunch and in some of our counseling sessions.”

“
I’ll go on one condition,” Bobbi muttered with a scowl. “I want Gavin and Rita there. That’ll even things out.”

“
We’re not taking a vote on this. You don’t need to line up your troops.”

“
You want an objective third party? Well, I want my own objective third party there. I trust Gavin.”

Sunday, September 2

Bobbi settled in the study with her Bible, ready to look at Psalm 91, just as Glen had assigned before the meeting tomorrow. After a weekend of Joel avoiding her, refusing to be in a room alone with her, she expected another disaster once they met.

Chuck’s grand arbitration would only force everyone to take sides. She resigned herself to an hour of emotional bullying and shaming to try to force her to give in. It wasn’t happening. Joel was too young and the situation was too complex. Period.

Before opening her Bible, she whispered a prayer. “Father, it’s going to be very hard for me to read this objectively. I want to find something I can use to prove to Joel that I’m right. Give me a clear understanding of Your truth, and not my version of it.” She read slowly, out loud.

Bobbi finished reading with tears in her eyes.
Joel trusts You a lot more than I do, doesn’t he?
God promised to protect him because he knew God’s name, he loved God and dwelt with Him.

She, on the other hand, had drifted away from God. It was a gradual, unnoticeable change, but as things between Chuck and her continued to improve over the years, she needed God less and less. God let her wander away, but He stood waiting for her to come back. Any time.

Father, Joel was Yours before he was mine. I’m going to work on these promises You’ve made, work on really trusting them for Joel and for Chuck. I’m asking for Your grace, though, and some reassurance.

Forgive me, Father, for letting things slip back to where they were before. I’m trying to hold on to everything myself instead of just trusting You. Thank You for working with me in spite of it.

Then as she reread the psalm, she felt a soothing warmth.

This is about more than just Joel. It’s about me and that little boy, isn’t it? I shouldn’t be afraid to take him in, no matter what I think about his mother. You’re going to protect Chuck and me from her.

We’re going to court Thursday. I’ve never been in the same room with her, except that day at the coffee shop. Help me remember this when I face her.

Monday, September 3, Labor Day

Bobbi filed into the Sunday school classroom behind Brad, with Chuck and Joel following her. Laurie took Shannon down to one of the kid’s rooms for the duration of the meeting. Glen sat at the head of the table, and stood to shake hands as soon as they walked in.

Chuck pulled out the chair nearest to Glen for her, and then he took the seat beside her. Brad rounded the table and sat across from them, but Joel slouched into the chair at the opposite end of the table. Rita and Gavin took the seats between Brad and Joel. Rita never even glanced their direction.

“
Let me see if I understand everybody,” Glen Dillard said, surveying the room. “Joel, you think your mother is jumping to an unreasonable conclusion, and that she’s unfairly prejudiced because of what she went through with your dad.”

Joel nodded. “Completely prejudiced.”

“
Bobbi, you think Joel is blinded by his feelings for this girl, and doesn’t want to consider that he might be wrong about her. Right?”

“
Not necessarily wrong about her,” Bobbi clarified. “There are too many things he’s not considering. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“
Fair enough,” Glen continued. “Chuck, you want them to do what I say, so neither one of 'em is mad at you.” Chuck smiled, and Bobbi rolled her eyes. Her husband could be a politician.

“
Brad, what’s your take?” Glen leaned back in his chair and smiled. “You may have the answer, and we can get out of here right now.”

“
I doubt that.” He glanced at Chuck, and then looked away quickly. “There’s not gonna be a single answer to this. I think Joel’s naïve. I think there are consequences to Abby’s ... well, I think there are long-term effects that we can’t presume to know. But I think he’s right to believe that God can redeem all that.” He let a long breath go. “If he’d handled it a little better, with a little more consideration for Mom and what she’s been through, we wouldn’t need this meeting.”

“
Well said, Brad,” Chuck said.

Brad’s shoulders relaxed and he glanced at his brother at the end of the table. “Plus, I think he’s totally torqued because Mom didn’t immediately go along with what her little boy wanted, and I get to be the good son for a change.”

“
Oh, please,” Joel muttered, crossing his arms across his chest.

“
Moving right along,” Glen said. “Rita is not saying anything ever.” She shook her head, and looked into Bobbi’s eyes as if silently apologizing again.

Bobbi slid to the edge of her chair, and tried to make eye contact with Joel. He hadn’t even said good morning to her, plus he rolled out of bed at the last minute, robbing her of the chance to speak to him.

Glen turned to Gavin. “So what’s your ruling? See, Joel, this takes all the pressure off me.”

Gavin smiled, and said, “Joel, as believers, we are a kingdom of priests, right?”

“
Yeah,” Joel answered.

“
In the Old Testament there were some strict guidelines about who the priests could marry. I know, you’re not a Jewish priest, but you are part of the priesthood of the believers, and I think you can draw from those principles.”

Bobbi shifted in her chair. She knew what those principles said. If Gavin advised Joel against marrying Abby, then there would be an explosion.

“
I’m not going to argue whether or not God brought you and Abby together,” Gavin continued, “but you should be aware that you’re starting out in a less than ideal situation. You guys need to build a strong hedge of protection around yourselves. You said Abby made a commitment to a pure life?” Joel nodded. “Then I think you need to go above and beyond when it comes to honoring that. Maybe even to the point of not being alone with her, not kissing her until you do get married.”

Joel’s eyes grew wide. “Not kissing her? Are you serious?”

“
Are you?” Gavin answered. “If you two can do that, and go through some deep premarital counseling, I don’t think Bobbi has anything to worry about.”

With everyone focused on Joel’s shock, no one noticed Bobbi’s dropped jaw. Gavin gave Joel the go-ahead. Gavin. Of all people.

“
Of course not,” Joel said, with a scowl. “Nobody ever worries about the monks in the monastery.”

“
It’s time to count the cost, Joel,” Glen said gently. “Everything in life costs something. If this is what you want, what you believe God is leading you to do, you’ll be willing to pay it.”

Bobbi watched Joel frown again, that Chuck Molinsky set in his jaw. Ready to go to battle over a "no" answer, he’d been caught off-guard by Gavin’s "yes, but" solution. The words of Psalm 91 and her own prayer from the night before replayed in her mind. Had she meant those things? Would she trust God with her son?

“
Wait, Joel.” Bobbi couldn’t hold it back any longer. “I need to apologize to you. You were right. I
was
irrational, and that’s not fair to you or Abby.”

“
Really?” Joel looked at her for the first time since Friday evening.

“
Honey ...” Chuck put a hand on her arm, but she waved him off.

She looked squarely at her son, and spoke without wavering. “I’m going to accept that you’re following God’s leading on this, that you’re an adult capable of making your own decisions. I’m going to trust Him to protect you, because I can’t. I’ve deluded myself, thinking that I can.” She wiped a tear away. “God said, ‘
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him.’
I’m going to hold Him to that.”

Joel grinned and left his seat, and then Bobbi stood and met him with a hug once he was close enough. “Mom, you were the one who taught me how to trust God. The whole time you were going through all that with Dad, I was watching and taking notes.”

“
That’s what scares me,” Bobbi said. He had no idea what went on inside her during that time.

“
I know you’re taking a risk, but this’ll be worth it.” He smiled at her. “I promise you, in front of everybody,” he said placing his hand over his heart, “I will not be alone with Abby until we get married, and I won’t touch her except to hold her hand.” Then he backtracked, “Well, I might kiss her goodnight. If Jacob could serve seven years for Rachel, surely I can make it three or four.”

“
If Abby’s intentions aren’t honorable, she’ll never be willing to wait that long,” Gavin added. “We’ll find out what both of these kids are made of.”

“
I love it when God works these things out,” Glen said, closing his planner. “Makes it a lot easier on this ol’ boy.”

Bobbi hugged her son once again. “Sweetheart, apologize to your fiancée for me, and bring her home soon so I can meet her.”

Thursday, September 6

As Tracy Ravenna drove through downtown St Louis, she couldn’t help glancing at her son at each stoplight. It didn’t take a blood test to tell he was Chuck’s son. One look at the two of them would confirm that in a heartbeat.

If she judged Chuck correctly - and she was rarely wrong - he would treat Jack no differently than his other sons. The wild card in all this was his wife. She forgave Chuck for the affair, but would she accept Jack?

More importantly, how would Jack take this bombshell? So far, he proved to be a very adaptive, resilient little guy. Could she make him understand without disillusioning him? She pulled into a parking place at the family court building. No turning back now.