Chapter 7
Nikki shuffled along the sidewalk, her eyes focused on her feet but her mind was somewhere else. The worry dug furrows into her forehead.
She’d made the mistake again of expecting something more from Gideon than he could give. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping for, and now she’d pushed him away and had spent the last few days ignoring his presence in town. Afraid she’d run into him and make a fool out of herself again.
Her attention diverted to the street in front of her before she crossed. Most days, the street was clear, but she had to stop today. The red hatchback slowed, then stopped in front of her.
“Morning, Mae,” Nikki said to the woman in the driver’s seat.
“Hey, you aren’t heading to the church, by any chance?”
“I am, but I’m not staying. I left my Bible there a few days ago. ”
“So, there’s no service?”
“No. We haven’t had a service for years.”
“I thought…if that changes, can you let me know?”
Nikki nodded. “I do have a Bible study midweek if you want to come to that.”
“Maybe. Can you text me the details?”
“Yeah, I’ll do it now.” She waved as Mae drove away, then sent the text but didn’t cross the street right away. Mae wasn’t the first one to ask about church. People who’d abandoned her family years ago were now whispering apologies, while a few others had stopped her in town to ask what was happening on Sundays. If God was beginning to stir people, that was great. It was what she’d been hoping and praying for, but she was resistant. She’d experienced the fickleness of the town, and her family had paid a high price. Her expectations remained firmly boxed up.
She jogged across the street and hurried to the church. Because her eyes were on the ground as she walked, she didn’t see the man sitting on the step until she was only twenty feet away. She tripped to a halt. “Hi.”
The man was somewhere in his seventies with thick white hair and a strong face. His suit was tidy, but aged.
“Morning,” he said with a voice that was strong and deep. He stood and stepped forward, holding out one hand while the other held a hat. “I was hoping to catch the service.” They shook. “But wasn’t sure when it started, so I thought I’d wait.”
“I’m sorry you had to wait. But unfortunately, the church doesn’t have any services right now. ”
“Is that because of the pastor?”
“The previous pastor—he uh—he died. So now there’s no one.”
“What about you?”
“Me?” She choked out a laugh. “You couldn’t pay me enough.” At the quirk of his eyebrow, she felt compelled to explain. “It’s not my calling.”
“Ah, yes. The easy way out.”
“Excuse me?”
“When you’re asked to do something you don’t want to, the easiest way to get out of it is to say you’re not called. Who can argue with that?”
“That doesn’t make it any less true.”
“Perhaps. But who in their right mind would choose to be a pastor of their own free will?”
She laughed. “You sound like you have experience.”
“I’ve had my fair share of challenges. So, there’s no church service in town anywhere?”
“I’m afraid not. Sorry. Are you visiting someone in town?”
“No, just passing through.”
“Asher doesn’t lead anywhere. How’d you end up here?”
“I go where the wind takes me, and I try to have fellowship whenever I can.”
She wanted to apologize again, but an urging in her spirit stopped her. Before she spoke, she sent up a silent protest to God, but He wasn’t interested in her excuses. “If it’s fellowship you’re after, my mom and I are having lunch at a local diner. You could join us if you like. ”
“That’s very kind of you to invite me. Thank you. I will take you up on your offer.”
“It’s across the street from the old movie theater in town.”
“I know the place. I passed it on my way here.”
“Great. I’ll see you there in a half hour?”
“See you then.” He tucked his hands in his pockets and strolled toward the road, whistling a tune she recognized as an old hymn, but she couldn’t remember which one.
She hummed it as she went into the church. Then the words came. “Come thou fount of every blessing. Tune my heart to sing thy grace…” Those were all the words she could remember, but they were enough. That man couldn’t have known what she needed, but God did.
She picked up her Bible from the front pew, and her thoughts went in a frustrating direction. What if this guy was the help she’d asked for? But she wasn’t willing to make the same mistake she’d made with Gideon. Perhaps God had sent an encourager. That would be enough.
On her way out, she stopped on the steps, looking down at the railing that had listed to the side for years. It was now standing upright. She gave it a tug, and it resisted.
“Huh.”
It had been a long time since anyone besides herself showed any interest in the upkeep of this building that held so many memories for her. Good and bad. It was the small things she had to hold close.
Gideon yanked the bulb cord, then put his tools on the bench while the light danced, dragging shadows through the basement. He reorganized a few consumables he expected to need over the next week. It would be his second full week in town. But God had blessed his time, and, knowing this could be his last time in Asher, he wanted to make the most of it. Through the work he was now doing, he’d built a tenuous thread of a relationship with his dad. Not to mention it felt good helping people who really needed it.
He shifted to another shelf, still hobbling on his injured leg. His limp was almost gone, but he didn’t want to risk re-injuring it, so he’d been going easy on it.
Climbing out of the basement, he entered the dusty workshop. His finger traced along the edge of a shelf until he reached the end, where he could remember setting up a display when he was a boy. He’d done it wrong and gotten a beating for it. It was memories like that that had kept him away for so long. He knew he’d never get a sorry for them. The word had never come out of his dad’s mouth.
He flicked away the dust he’d collected on his finger, hoping the memories would go with it, but they still pinched.
“Never mind,” he said, clearing his head. “I didn’t come back for a sorry.” He patted his stomach when it grumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten breakfast. Lunch would be a welcome distraction.
Gideon looked up at the bell over the door that jingled when he entered. It was his first time in the diner since he was a boy. It hadn’t changed since then. The backing on the booths—a wood-paneled laminate—was peeling now, and the checkered floor was worn down to the concrete along the center row where most people walked.
“Gideon, there you are,” said the woman behind the counter, whose car he had fixed a few days ago. He’d found out from Nikki that Fairfax owned the diner, which meant low wages. With four kids to look after, she relied heavily on tips, but no one had much extra to give around town. When he’d tried to give his services for free, she wouldn’t hear of it and made him promise to let her feed him. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t come by.” She was a forty-something, trim woman with a pile of blonde curls on her head.
“Well, Katrina, I can’t say no the best burger and fries in town, now, can I?” He’d learned a lot about the desperation of the people in town as he’d done small jobs for them.
“I’ll get you a milkshake too.”
“Hold the shake. My stomach doesn’t take to milk, but a water would be great.”
“Sparkling?”
“Why not.”
“Coming right up.”
“Gideon. ”
He turned and saw Beth, Nikki, and another man who he didn’t recognize sitting in a booth.
“You here for lunch?” Beth said.
“Yeah, a quick bite.”
“Then you should join us. Come meet our new friend.”
“Thanks.” He pulled a chair over, taking the hand that was offered by the stranger.
“This gentleman is Eric Cunningham. He’s passing through town and decided to grace us with his presence.”
Eric smiled broadly. The lines etched on his face suggested he did it often. “That’s a bit extreme,” Eric said, “but it’s nice to meet you, Gideon.”
“So, you guys met for the first time today?” Gideon said.
“He was waiting at the church this morning,” Nikki said. “Hoping to join the service.”
“I was disappointed to hear there wasn’t one,” Eric said. “Lucky for me, Nikki and Beth were nice enough to invite me to lunch.”
“We’ve had our own little church service here.” Beth said, looking lighter than Gideon had seen her.
“It has been, hasn’t it?” Nikki said. “We haven’t stopped talking about God. It’s really been refreshing.”
“That’s good to hear,” Gideon said, but he kept his eyes on Eric. “What brings you to town?” He couldn’t help but feel an itch of suspicion. Fairfax had eyes and ears everywhere, and Gideon wouldn’t put a ruse like this past the man. Especially knowing Nikki was a thorn in the mayor’s side. “I take it you didn’t just come for church?”
“No,” Eric laughed. “Although I try to make it to a service on a Sunday no matter where I am. I’m not staying long.”
“Where’s home for you?”
“Everywhere and nowhere. I’m on a journey of sorts. And the road has brought me here.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have a lot to offer here in Asher. You would have noticed things have gotten quite depressed lately. With the drought, people don’t have much to give.” Just in case he had ideas about swindling anyone.
“That is the way things appear, yes.” Eric squinted. “But there’s more here than meets the eye. You just have to know which way to tilt your head.”
Gideon looked at Nikki to see if her reaction was similar to his, but she was focused on Eric, absorbing everything he said.
“You’re very philosophical.” Gideon didn’t hide his dismay. He knew when Eric’s eyebrow lifted a fraction that he’d caught Gideon’s meaning and hopefully also his threat. Mild though it may be. Whether Eric had bad intentions or not didn’t matter. He wouldn’t let Beth or Nikki be lied to. “How long are you planning on staying?”
“Not long. I have a couple of things to complete, then I’ll be on my way.”
“Complete? That’s an odd choice of words.”
Nikki cleared her throat. “I noticed the railing on the steps at the church was fixed. Do you know anything about that, Gideon?”
“The railing?” Beth said. “That had a wobble in it when your father was—Anyway. It’s had a wobble for a long time. Is it fixed now?”
“I stopped by yesterday,” Gideon said. “I knew you were still meeting for the Bible study there but figured no one besides you was looking after the place. I wanted to make sure it was safe. Let me know if there’s more work that needs doing.”
“I thought you were a mechanic,” Beth said.
“I am, but I do have other skills.”
“It’s nice what you’ve been doing around town. I don’t get out much, but the few people I’ve spoken to are very grateful for your help.”
“What’s he been doing?” Eric asked, but the question sounded rhetorical.
“Nothi—”
“He’s been secretly running a mechanical business,” Beth interrupted, leaning into the table so she could lower her voice. At home, she’d looked tired, but here at the table, talking about what they were doing to help the town gave her a sparkle in her eye.
If he hadn’t been worried about Eric’s loyalty, he would have encouraged him to extend his visit. “It’s my dad’s business. I’m helping get it organized to suit his condition and helping where I can.”
“Secretly?” Eric’s mouth quirked on one side.
“It’s nothing. It’s not a secret to anyone anymore that I’m a mechanic. I’m just helping people out.”
“That’s how you have to do business around here if you want to keep your money,” Nikki said. Gideon tried to give her a warning look, but she either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “You have to keep it quiet. Otherwise, you get robbed blind.”
“What about this diner?” Eric had an amused, quizzical look on his face like he was asking a leading question he already knew the answer to. “We’re not hiding in here, and this is a business.”
“That’s because Fairfax owns the place,” Nikki said. “Katrina and everyone else in here barely make enough money to survive. But please don’t say anything to anyone. It’s the only way this town survives.”
“And you all let him get away with it?”
“Of course not. If we knew how to stop him, we would, but nothing works.”
“Nothing at all?”
“We’ve run out of ideas.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about me saying anything. My intentions are all good.”
Katrina set Gideon’s food in front of him. “There you go.”
“Thanks,” he said, “but would you mind if I take this to go?”
“Oh. Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”
“I thought you were staying,” Beth said.
“Sorry. I have a few things I need to do. Nikki,” he said, standing. “Would you mind if I had a word with you outside?”
“Sure.” She followed him out. “Is something wrong?”
“You’ve just met this guy. ”
“You’re worried about Eric?”
“What if he’s connected to Fairfax? You’ve put the whole town in danger.”
She blanched, but then her face hardened. “He doesn’t work for Fairfax.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve spent the last hour talking to him.”
“Anyone can spin a good tale for an hour.”
“He’s different. He’s not spinning tales. He has a good heart, and he loves Jesus. There’s something about him.”
“What?”
She threw her arms out. “I don’t know. It’s not anything specific, but all I can tell you is a heavy weight has been lifted, and all we’ve been doing is talking. He’s been a breath of fresh air. Even Mom has brightened. You saw her.”
Katrina came out and handed him a bag. “Here you go. Enjoy.”
“Thanks.” He waited a beat until they were alone again. “I did notice how energized Beth was.” He didn’t want to steal that joy away from Nikki, but there was too much at stake. “But just because he knows how to talk doesn’t mean he can be trusted. Con men can be very convincing.”
“You really think Fairfax would hire a conman to talk to my mom and me about God?”
“I think he’ll say what you want to hear until he gets what he wants.”
“You know, you could have been a spy for Fairfax, but I trusted you. ”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“I grew up in this town.”
“And then you ran away from it. Why come back now? Maybe because the mayor invited you back.”
“All right. I understand what you’re saying, but I still think you need to be more careful. Keep talking to him about God. Enjoy it. Just leave the delicate information to yourselves.”
“Why do you even care?”
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I?”
“What difference does it make to you? You must be getting ready to leave town. Then, none of this matters anymore.”
That struck deeper than she’d probably meant for it to. “That’s not true. There are people in this town who mean a great deal to me.”
He reached for her without thinking, but she drew back.
“I’m not trying to fight with you,” he said. “I’m trying to protect you.”
“You’ve been here five minutes, and suddenly I’m your responsibility?”
“That’s not?—”
“No. I’m sorry. Honestly, part of me wants that. There have been so many times I’ve wanted someone to be there, ready to catch me when I fall, but you have to understand that I’ve been looking after myself and my mom for years without you. And soon you’ll be gone. If I lean on you now, what will I do when you leave?”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’m sorry for getting in your way. I’ll leave you alone.” He turned, but she stopped him.
“Wait. I don’t want this to be how our conversation ends. I don’t mean to be cold to you, but knowing that you’ll be gone soon makes me…I don’t know…frustrated. It hurts because I don’t have many friends around here, and I consider you a friend.”
“Thank you for saying that. I feel the same, and I want you to know I’ll miss you when I go. It’s probably half the reason we haven’t seen much of each other this week. The better I get to know people in this town, the more it will hurt when I go.” The conversation was getting too close to a deeper truth he wasn’t ready to admit.
“Is your dad one of the people you’ll miss? How’s that going?”
“Better than anticipated. But if you remember, I came with very low expectations, and I don’t think I’ll get much more than that. My dad’s my dad. I’ll be happy if we part on cordial terms.” He lifted his lunch. “I should get going. Just be careful with Eric. For me.”
“I will. We’ll keep our topics to God.”
He nodded and left, wanting so badly to take her with him.