The Prodigal Comes Home (15 page)

“I’m sorry, Zoey.”

So was she. For a few days, Zoey had enjoyed seeing the choir and teenagers work together. Laugh together. Encourage one another.

“How could…I’m…” Matt fumbled for the right word.
“Furious.”
He looked surprised when he said it, as if it wasn’t an emotion he was familiar with.

Zoey didn’t reply, knowing he had a right to be.

“I hate it when people spread gossip.” Matt’s hands clenched at his sides.

His anger wasn’t directed at her?

For a second, Zoey’s soul savored the sweetness of that. But she knew she owed him the truth. He had asked her to direct the cantata without understanding the possible consequences it could have.

For a moment, Zoey wanted to wrap her arms around him, press her face against the solid warmth of his broad chest and not let go.

“It’s not gossip.” She took another step away from him instead. “Everything that Gina Galway said…it’s all true.”

M
att’s breath stuck in his throat.

“I thought you knew.” The resignation in Zoey’s eyes reminded him of someone facing a judge. Waiting for sentencing.

“From the things you and Liz said, I gathered that you’d lived with them for a few years but I didn’t know why…” Matt paused, hoping she would trust him.

“My parents left me with my grandparents when I was sixteen. I was going through a rebellious streak and they didn’t know how to handle it.” Zoey looked away. “Dad was asked to lead a team of missionaries to Africa and I think he accepted because he needed a fresh start. But they didn’t take me with them. It was supposed to be short term, but they were asked to stay on for another six months. And then another.”

Zoey wrapped her arms around her middle, as if to hold the pain inside. “By that time, I was starting my senior year of high school. Mom and Dad claimed they didn’t want to uproot me again and take me away from all the friends I’d made.”

The bitter edge told Matt there hadn’t been many.

“You lived with Liz and Jonathan for two years?”

“It probably seemed like a hundred to them.” Zoey’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “But they were amazing. I didn’t appreciate how difficult it must have been to take me in. They were retired. I turned their peaceful life upside down.”

“They loved you.”

“Yes, but Gina was right—I didn’t deserve it. I broke the rules. Got into trouble. Did everything I could think of…”

“To get your parents’ attention,” Matt finished.

Something flickered in Zoey’s eyes. Surprise? “I didn’t realize that at the time. As it got closer to graduation, I started to make up all these scenarios in my head. Mom and Dad would be so proud of me when I received my diploma. As a graduation gift, they would surprise me with a plane ticket to go back to Africa with them.”

Matt guessed what was coming next, and his hands curled into fists.

“Two days before the ceremony, Dad called and said there was a glitch in their travel plans and they couldn’t make it back.” Zoey’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I didn’t…handle it well.”

“I’m not sure many eighteen-year-olds would have.”

“I went to a party that night. Tyler, a guy I’d had a crush on for months, was there. He was a star athlete—everyone loved him. We left together and Tyler drank too much.” Zoey swallowed hard. “We ran off the road and hit a tree. I was wearing my seatbelt. Tyler wasn’t. People blamed me. They didn’t think it was fair that I had a few broken ribs and Tyler…died.”

Matt felt sick. “You were driving?”

“No.”

“Then how was the accident your fault?” he asked quietly.

Zoey twisted her fingers together. “I tried to take the keys away from Tyler but he was angry with me and wouldn’t let me drive. I should have insisted. Or walked home. Something.”

“Tyler was drinking and got behind the wheel of a car. You could have
both
been killed.” The thought of Zoey’s life cut short at the age of eighteen made Matt’s stomach pitch.

“Tyler had this squeaky-clean reputation. I didn’t. People assumed that I provided the beer.”

People assumed.

“But you didn’t.” It wasn’t a question.

A heartbeat of silence. “No.”

“Did you explain that?”

“No one would have believed me,” Zoey said with heart-wrenching honesty. “Tyler was an only child. If his parents knew that he was the one who had gotten the alcohol and that he…”

The rest of the sentence broke off.

“That he what?”

Zoey sidestepped the question. “When I got out of the hospital, I packed up my suitcase and left.”

Matt sent up a silent prayer for wisdom. The haunted look in Zoey’s eyes told him that there was more to the story. Things she had never shared because she didn’t think anyone would believe her…and she hadn’t wanted to damage Tyler Curtis’s memory.

Matt reached out to take her hand, but Zoey pulled away.

“I thought for sure that you knew…that someone would have told you. Otherwise I never would have agreed to direct the cantata.”

Matt’s lips flattened. Several people had tried, but he’d shut down the conversation right away. The only reason Gina Galway had managed to be the one to enlighten him was because she had taken him by surprise. “I don’t encourage gossip. And Liz was thrilled when you moved in with her. To me, that’s what counted.”

“I’ll talk to Diana Riggs tomorrow about taking over for me.”

“You’re stepping down?”

“The only reason I agreed to take over for Gran was because I thought you knew…about me.”

“I do know about you,” Matt said firmly. “I know that you’ve already put in hours of rehearsal and the kids in the choir would be devastated if you quit now. I know that God has given you an amazing gift when it comes to music and He wants you to share it.”

Zoey was shaking her head. “You heard Gina. People aren’t going to want to see me at the front of a church, reminding them of the past.”

“Before you make that decision, will you promise to do something for me?”

Zoey eyed him warily. “What?”

“When is your next practice?”

“Tomorrow night at six.”

“Okay.” Matt nodded. “That’s about twenty-four hours from now. Take that time and pray about it. Ask God what you should do.”

“Matt, I have to go. I promised Haylie that I would meet her at the Grapevine.”

“Promise me.”

Zoey wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I’ll pray about it.”

The door closed behind her, and Matt leaned against the wall.

He had no doubt that Zoey would pray about it. But he was also afraid she had already made up her mind.

Zoey parked in front of the Grapevine. The closed sign was in the window, but through it, she could see Haylie sitting in a corner booth.

At least, Zoey thought, she didn’t have to explain the reason she was crying.

Because she wasn’t.

The tears had crystallized inside of her before they had a chance to escape.

Gina Galway’s tirade had not only reminded her what she’d done and that she didn’t belong in Mirror Lake, it had also reminded Zoey who she could never belong
to.

Matt.

While Zoey had been falling in love with him, she had somehow forgotten that someone with a past like hers could never have a future with a man like him. In a small town like Mirror Lake, it would always get in the way…

“Zoey!” Haylie stood up and waved as Zoey walked in, as if she might not spot her in the empty cafe.

“Hi, Haylie.” Zoey forced a smile. She could fall apart later, in the privacy of her bedroom. Right now, Haylie was the one who mattered. “Is everything all right?”

“Everything is great.” Haylie’s eyes were red-rimmed but shining.

Zoey slid into the booth opposite her. “Should I take you back to your house so we can talk? I think the cafe is going to close pretty soon.”

“No, it’s not!” Kate sailed through the double doors that separated the dining area from the kitchen and deposited a chocolate cake in the center of the table. “I’m staying open late tonight because a celebration is in order.”

“What are we celebrating?” Zoey asked.

Haylie’s expression turned shy. “I thought about what you said…and I wanted to tell you that I believe it…for
me.
”

Now the tears began to fall. “That is a reason to celebrate.”

The next day, Matt stopped over at Liz’s after work and found her in the kitchen, pouring two cups of coffee.

Relief shot through him.

That meant Zoey was here.

Earlier that morning, Matt had received a call from Angela Cornell, inviting him over for a few hours. Derek had been released from the hospital the day before, so Matt had spent the majority of the afternoon sitting on a threadbare sofa, playing video games with Derek.

He’d stopped by the church after that, hoping to catch Zoey before she left. Practice was in full swing, but there was no sign of Zoey. All Delia had been able to tell was that Zoey had called and asked her to take over.

“Here you go.” Liz handed him one of the cups.

Matt stared down at the steaming liquid. The coffee was for him? “Where—”

“She’s gone, Matthew,” Liz said softly.

“Where is she?” He was almost afraid to ask. “I really need to talk to her.”

Liz drew him over to the table. “Her boss called this afternoon. Zoey’s understudy had a family emergency, so he asked if she could perform tonight.”

“So she left? Just like that?” Matt couldn’t believe it.

“She didn’t have a choice,” Liz said gently. “She has a job. Responsibilities.”

But not a home, which Matt suspected was what Zoey longed for the most.

“But…” He plowed a hand through his hair, wondering how much he should tell her. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to her about last night.”

Liz’s lips compressed. “Gina Galway.”

“She told you?”

“Zoey was…quite upset when she came in last night.”

Matt didn’t have to close his eyes to see the stricken look on Zoey’s face after she’d overheard their conversation. “Zoey thought I already knew the details of what happened.”

“Maybe I should have told you.” Liz sighed. “But I wanted you to form your own opinion of Zoey, based on who she is now, not on her past.”

“Zoey is amazing,” Matt said instantly. “She’s smart. Compassionate. Funny. Creative.”

Liz smiled now. “You
do
know her.”

“I know she doesn’t deserve condemnation from people like Gina Galway. The accident wasn’t even her fault.” Matt pushed to his feet, unable to sit still any longer.

“People were quick to believe the worst of her,” Liz admitted. “Zoey was a handful when she came to live with us, but she was never malicious or cruel. Tyler’s parents blamed Zoey for being a bad influence on their son, but I always thought there was more to the story. Something she wouldn’t tell me or her grandpa.”

Matt thought so, too.

He had lain awake for hours during the night, trying to piece together the details. Not only from the things Zoey had told him, but also from the ones she hadn’t.

According to Zoey, everyone loved Tyler Curtis.

He had probably been a lot like Matt at that age. Loving the attention. Taking what he thought he deserved…and not caring if he hurt someone in the process as long as it made him feel good.

Matt guessed that Tyler had supplied the beer for a private party with Zoey and then became upset when she didn’t live up to
her
reputation.

She blamed herself for not doing more to stop him from driving, and she didn’t want to stain his memory by telling people the truth. That Tyler had been drunk, angry with her and driving too fast when he lost control of his vehicle.

“What I don’t understand,” Matt said tightly, “is why she separated herself from her parents and from you and Jonathan after it happened? She cut herself off from the people who loved her because of something that wasn’t even her fault. It doesn’t make sense.”

“She felt as if she let everyone down.” Liz’s shoulders drooped. “I love my son and daughter-in-law dearly, but they were hard on Zoey when she was growing up. It was Paul’s first church and he was so careful to do everything right. He wanted to be the perfect pastor. The perfect husband. The perfect father.

“Zoey told me one Christmas that she felt like she lived under a microscope. I wish I would have taken her more seriously.” Liz’s eyes darkened with regret. “I should have talked to Paul about how difficult it was for her.”

Each word landed like a blow.

Matt finally understood the reason why Zoey seemed to shy away from him. Not because she didn’t feel the attraction between them, but because she
did.
She was protecting herself. A man like him, involved in full-time ministry, would be the last person Zoey would want to be with.

It was an obstacle that Matt hadn’t seen. Until now.

“Paul and Sara were very strict with her,” Liz continued. “I think they were so afraid she would rebel, they wouldn’t allow her the simple freedoms that other girls her age enjoyed.”

“So she rebelled.” Matt knew that it happened. “And they sent her to Mirror Lake.”

“It was only supposed to be for six months.”

“Then why didn’t they take Zoey with them?” Matt wanted to hear Liz’s perspective on the situation, to see if it meshed with what Zoey felt.

“They honestly believed they were doing the right thing by leaving her in the States. Paul and Sara would have had to leave her in a mission school for half the time.” The memories drove Liz to her feet, and she walked over to the coffee pot to refill Matt’s cup.

“But they aren’t the only ones to blame. Jonathan and I agreed that Zoey would be better off with us, too. She loved coming to visit us for a week in the summer and…” Liz hesitated. “I hoped that Zoey would feel a…a burden lifted. She could be herself here. But it didn’t work out that way. Zoey felt abandoned.

“In the spring before she graduated, I began to see some positive changes in her. Paul and Sara planned to come back for the commencement ceremony and Zoey had received a music scholarship for a college in the southern part of the state. She was devastated when her parents called and told us there was a glitch in their travel plans and they weren’t going to be able to make it back. The accident happened that night. Tyler’s car hit a tree near the lake. He died at the scene and Zoey…”

“She was injured?” Matt’s gut twisted at the thought of Zoey in pain.

“She spent a few days in the hospital with a mild concussion and some other injuries. When the doctor signed her release papers, she came back here, packed up her things and left.” Liz’s eyes clouded with the memory. “We got a letter from her a few weeks later. She said it would be best if she severed all contact.” Liz’s voice broke. “But she meant it would be best for us, not for her.”

Matt listened with a growing sense of dread as Liz’s words began to sink in.

He remembered the veiled warning Gina Galway had made right before she’d left.