Jodie's Song Read Online Free PDF Page B

fly. He didn’t miss a beat, just kept on walking, which felt wonderful. “You possess an amazing disposition and spirit. You’re dealing with so many things, and yet—”
    “Don’t overestimate me, Kevin.” Jodie cut in quick. “Most times, especially lately, I feel anything but amazing. I love my family, and I want to be there for everyone who needs me—especially my dad—but I get to feeling tapped out and overwhelmed.”
    “Understandable. But I hope you’ll keep pushing. Hold on to what you believe in. That’s what’ll help you face down the struggles in your life. That’s what makes you admirable.” He didn’t release her hand. The connection, though unexpected, felt natural and was entirely welcome, so they moved along the greenway at a leisurely pace, comfortably syncopated. Meanwhile, Kevin’s succinct analysis left her with something to think about—her pattern of life and growth.
    Dusk crept in on footsteps of pale blue and gray; sunset crowned the sky with fiery colors that gilded the tree tops. They rounded toward the cluster of warmly lit apartments that constituted the Haven and tracked in the direction of Jodie’s unit. Before they cleared the forest line, however, Kevin stopped, and held her shoulders gently. “Thanks for your help shopping today. I’m glad you’ve been such a willing recruit.”
    When he smiled into her eyes, Jodie’s skin tingled and the world melted away. “No problem.”
    The storm held off for a bit. Later that night, Jodie surveyed a darkened world through the bedroom window of her apartment. A flash of lightning split the sky. On automatic, she counted the seconds until thunder rolled, vibrating through the air. Four seconds—four miles. Soon, rain would drench the grounds of Heart’s Haven, kissing the work of Kevin’s hands. He was really such an impressive and provocative man.
    Just beyond a wide expanse of land, the giant pine trees of the Angelina Forest cast shadowy silhouettes in an uneven line against the horizon. When lightning flashed, the trees came to eerie life, but Jodie paid that fact only scant mind. She rested her hand against the cool pane of glass that sang with the rumble of another thunder clap and eyed the greenway trail.
    Maybe after work tomorrow they could take a run together like Kevin had suggested. She loved spending time with him, because in his company she felt no pressure, no need to uphold any radio enhanced image or balk in the face of stressful life circumstances. He was easy on her spirit and her mind.
    Embracing an almost foreign sense of peace, Jodie padded to bed and slid beneath the blankets. The splatter and pop of fat water drops became a steady rhythm that lulled her to sleep…along with the image of a strong, kind-hearted man who seemed to know just how to reach within and untangle her troubled wires.
     
     
     
     

5
     
    Jodie strode across sun-warmed grass, flip flops slapping lightly against her heels. Work was done for the day…time to play in the dirt. During the past week, for a few hours each afternoon, she found respite and a form of soul-nourishment while beautifying the grounds of Heart’s Haven with Kevin Mitchell.
    Freshly arrived at the complex, with its dozen or so white units tucked neatly against the edges of the Angelina Forest, Jodie followed a pattern that had been established over the handful of days she had spent helping him landscape. She stopped at the tool shed, pausing just long enough to grab a trowel, a spade, and a pair of the gardening gloves Kevin had purchased during their flower buying expedition. Eager to join him, she left the supply area, but doubled back for a knee pad.
    She couldn’t deny it any longer. As the grounds came to life, so did a spark of something unexpected, something wonderful, at the core of her heart. Today had been rough—full of family complications she couldn’t wait to expunge by working hard and building up a sweat. A sense of beauty and creation