A Dime a Dozen Read Online Free PDF Page A

while Sal nosed around outside in the dark. Through the entire night, conversation flowed as effortlessly as if we had always done this, as if there were nothing strange at all about Callie and Tom sitting together and chatting and laughing and even occasionally holding hands. There was no nervousness, either, or even a moment of feeling uncomfortable. We grew punchy but not tired, and I came to recognize certain gestures of his that I thought I might already be quite fond of. The hand that chopped at the air when he wanted to make a point. The way he tipped his head to one side when he was teasing.
    Truth be told, if I had suddenly looked up and found myself in Oz, I wouldn’t have been surprised. The night was that magical, that ethereal, that far removed from any experience I had ever had.
    In person, Tom was everything I had ever imagined and more. Handsome in a way that made my heart pound. Sweet and funny and smart— and surprisingly genteel in his manners, much like the men I had grown up with in Virginia. When I finally commented on that, he reminded me that he was a Louisiana boy, born and bred, and that in Louisiana gentlemen also did things like holding out chairs and opening doors for ladies. Goodness, I thought I might swoon!
    Best of all was deep in the night when, back in front of the fire, Tom shared his testimony with me, how he had come to know the Lord at a youth rally at the age of 21, and how nothing had ever been the same since. His grasp of the Scriptures seemed to be knowledgeable and true, and as he talked I could tell that he was a man of deep faith.
    I was happy to learn his last name, which was Bennett, but there was still a lot he wouldn’t really discuss regarding the work he did beyond the J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation. I knew he dealt with the government and that much of his work was classified, but it still confused me, for I didn’t even know the name of his company, and when I asked, he simply put a finger to my lips and told me he wasn’t free to talk about it. I let it go and decided that that and other answers would come in time. At least he was here. He was real.
    He was wonderful.
    As the sun came up, we pulled on our coats and walked down to my dock, a sudden quiet descending upon us in the early morning chill. He had to go, had to head back to Singapore and the work that would keep him there for several more months. I thought my heart would burst with the conflicting emotions I was feeling: an absolute elation and yet also an utter sadness. He seemed to feel the same.
    “I have to leave,” he said mournfully, slipping his hand into mine. We were side by side at the edge of the water, looking out at the gentle flow of the morning tide. He still hadn’t kissed me, and my mouth nearly ached with the desires of my heart.
    “There’re two things I want to do before I go,” he said softly. I looked at him, pulse pounding. “First, I think we should pray together.”
    Emotion surged through me. How blessed I was to have fallen for a man of faith! In a way, I had always felt that prayer was one of the most intimate things a couple could do. Now here he was, asking to join hands with me in the presence of the Lord.
    I nodded and he turned toward me, taking both of my hands in his. Then we bowed our heads, and he spoke softly on our behalf.
    “Lord,” he prayed, “we thank You for this precious time together. I thank You for Callie, for her gentle spirit, for the work she does, for the love and kindness that radiates from her like a light. Father, I ask that You will keep Your loving hand on both of us as we go our separate ways, and, if it be Your will, to bring us back together again in Your timing. Give me a safe flight, Lord, and continue to provide healing for Callie’s wounds in the days ahead. Thank You for the gift of Your presence and the death and resurrection of Your Son. In all of these things, we give thanks. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
    “Amen,” I echoed.
    Still holding