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She left North Korea so you wouldn’t have to grow up like she did. There were other reasons too, but she wanted a better life for you.”
    She leaned in close and put an arm around him. “I wish you lived with us.”
    “Hey, I’m only ten minutes away.”
    “I’m glad you came over. I was mad she called you, but not anymore.”
    “I know it’s tough not having a dad like the other kids, but you can call me anytime. I’ll always be here for you, twenty-four-seven. You’ve earned it.”
    Nathan got up and took a knee in front of her.
    “This won’t be easy, but you should tell your mom you’re sorry you haven’t talked to her. Your mom has a lot of faults, but she’s not a narcissist. She’ll accept your apology and not use it against you.”
    “What’s a narcissist?”
    “Narcissists are people who think they never make mistakes and are never wrong. They never say they’re sorry and, to make matters worse, they expect everyone to apologize to them .”
    “Are there a lot of people like that?”
    “More than you’ll ever know. They also don’t have any friends. To have a friend, you have to be a friend.”
    “They sound like assholes.”
    “Language, young lady.”
    “Sorry.”
    Nathan laughed. “See? It’s easy to say sorry. Now, if you say you’re sorry to your mom, she’ll also say she’s sorry. It’s a way to open dialogue. When you apologize to a regular person, they see it as a sign of strength, not weakness.”
    “Is that a Christian thing?”
    “Yes, absolutely, but not exclusively. We make lots of mistakes, but we own up to them and say we’re sorry when we do something wrong. We also forgive those who’ve wronged us.”
    Lauren looked confused.
    “Let me tell you something about forgiveness. It’s from a sermon I heard while I was on vacation.”
    “You went to church on vacation?”
    “Sure, lots of people do. Anyway, it was a small Presbyterian church somewhere along the 101. Templeton, I think. The pastor’s name was Charlie Little, and he said that when you forgive someone, it doesn’t diminish or erase what was done to you. You don’t have to understand why they did it, and you certainly don’t have to be on friendly terms with someone who’s hurt you. When you forgive someone, you’re doing it to release their debt to you.”
    “Debt?”
    “Yes, you’re moving on with your life and you don’t require anything from the person who hurt you.”
    “Have you forgiven the man who, like, you know . . . tortured you?”
    “Yes, but I’m never going to be friends with him and I don’t have to understand why he did it.”
    Lauren thought for a few seconds, then asked, “Can I go with you on Sunday? You know, to church? Just the two of us?”
    “I’ll pick you up at a quarter to nine, but you’ll need to dress . . . appropriately.”
    She rolled her eyes in that cute kid way.
    They fell silent again, looking at each other in the mirror. Nathan saw her face brighten a little. She looked so innocent and fragile, but underneath was one tough kid. Tested and proven.
    “I still want to be a Special Forces soldier.”
    “Have you told your mom that?”
    “No way. She’d totally freak.”
    “Then it’s better not to mention it for now.” He paused. “Hey, do you think they’re talking about us out there?”
    “Duh.”
    “Try again.”
    “Yes, they’re talking about us.”
    “Come on, we’d better get out there before they decide they don’t need us anymore.”

CHAPTER 3
    Toby Haynes never looked for trouble. Not anymore. A few years ago, he’d pursued confrontations on a regular basis. For most of his adult life, he’d mistakenly believed that bullying people made him feel better about himself. Epiphanies can be sparked from an infinite number of circumstances, but Toby’s had come from a force of nature in the form of Nathan McBride.
    At six foot eight and 270 pounds, Toby looked like an NFL defensive end—minus the ink—and there had been a