Whatever Comes Our Way (Everyday Love Book 2)

by Jaycee Weaver

  Eva’s eyes shone brightly. Gina could scarcely believe what she was hearing, but the truth of her mother’s words was right there in those glistening brown eyes, so like her own. She reached out and grabbed her mother’s hands and squeezed.

  “Mamá, I am so happy right now. It’s a lot for me to take in, though. I’m going to need some time to absorb all of this.”

  “I know, honey. I just wanted to tell you everything. Part of my AA and NA journey is to make amends with all of the people I have wronged in my addiction. You and Tonya are at the very top of my list, and I haven’t been ready to make that move until now. I wanted to be able to prove to you both that this time, it’s real. It’s forever. I am never going back to that old me.”

  Gina would wait and see. She hoped with everything in her that it was true. If her mom could finally get clean and find healing, maybe Gina’s heart had a chance to fully heal, too.

  She rose to her feet and the two of them cleared the table in silence. The air was heavy with emotion, but this time it didn’t feel oppressive. She accepted the container of leftovers her mother insisted she take. It was hard to believe this food had been prepared in this kitchen, by her mother’s own hands. And with recipes Gina had thought had been long forgotten. If that didn’t speak to Eva’s testimony right there, there wasn’t much else that could. Never in a million years would she have thought it all possible.

  As Gina climbed into her beater sedan, she felt satisfied with where things were going for the first time in ages. She glanced up the short driveway to the front door of the duplex she owned and sighed happily. It was all worth it. Three jobs to pay for her own refuge as well as this little home she’d purchased for her mother a few years back. Three jobs to find peace of mind, knowing her mother would have a safe place to land and she’d never have to worry again about her mom being evicted or living out of her car or with some loser.

  She would forever count it a small sacrifice if it had in any way helped her mother be able to concentrate on building a new life and becoming a new person. She said a prayer of thanks for this, the best news she’d heard in all her twenty-seven years.

  A completely foreign sense of peace and positivity poured over her.

  Now, to watch and see if it truly stuck. Then maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about her mother anymore. She could finally worry about her own life. Maybe even live it.

  Chapter 10

  Jaydon

  Jaydon hadn’t been able to get Gina off his mind for days now. Hailee, either.

  What was it about both of these young women that spoke to his spirit and kept him wrestling through the night? He’d asked God for direction and discernment innumerable times, only to find himself being awakened again and again, burdened for one or the other.

  He’d prayed for their safety, for their salvation, for their protection, for their hearts, for anything and everything that had popped into his head. This kind of thing had happened with random people before, but nothing quite so pressing with two completely different people at the same time.

  It was becoming apparent that somehow, God was drawing these two women to his mind for a reason He was keeping to Himself. And wasn’t that just like God?

  After spending countless hours this week reorganizing the children’s and youth areas and getting a jump start on summer plans, yesterday had been a blissful day of rest. Praise the Lord for the ability to silence a cell phone and blessed, glorious sleep. Jaydon hadn’t even dragged his sorry behind out of bed until nearly ten. He’d needed it, though.

  This past Thursday and Friday nights had been the worst nights for feeling that pressing need to pray for Gina and Hailee. Hailee hadn’t shown up for youth on Wednesday. After rescuing her from that punk on Monday, he was worried about her and wanted to have the chance to check in with her. Mercifully, Harrison had mentioned that Hailee was at work.

  Standing in the balcony of the main sanctuary Sunday morning, Jaydon made a mental note to find out where Hailee worked. Maybe he could send a few of the youth over there to be friendly and make her feel welcomed enough to come back. The sweet but obviously hurting girl weighed on his heart big time. She was entirely too young to be facing that much ugliness.

  “Yo! P.J.!” Harrison’s voice called out from down below. The lanky, mocha-skinned boy was staring up at him with a sly grin.

  Jaydon loathed the shortening of Pastor Jaydon to P.J. He’d never understand why they didn’t just drop the title and stick with plain old Jaydon. Not like he ever asked anyone to use formal address.

  “Really, Harry? Do I look like a P.J. to you?”

  The boy gave a playful grimace at the shortening of his own name. “Yeah, I guess not. And don’t call me Harry, man. I’m no goofy, glasses wearin’ wizard.”

  Jaydon’s deep belly laugh rumbled through the high-ceilinged room.

  Churchgoers began trickling into the sanctuary. Most went directly to their usual seats. He smiled at the predictability of it. Heaven forbid someone come sit in the fourth row on the right side. Mrs. Truman wouldn’t know where else to go. And if anyone so much as breathed on the aisle seat on the second row of the far left-center, well, Mr. Dominguez would probably blow his stack like the proverbial old man hollering at kids to get off his lawn. How were they supposed to make new people feel welcome if everyone clung so tightly to their little bubbles?

  Jaydon looked forward to finding new ways to make people leave their comfort zones and circle the room to greet one another. The weekly challenge energized him and was fodder for jokes he entertained himself with all week long.

  Worship was incredible that morning. Of the three sound guys who volunteered in the rotation, the one today was his favorite. The guy had a gifted ear for balancing out the vocals and instruments. They had introduced a new worship song today, a contemporary blend of modern worship with parts of an old hymn. It was a piece sure to engage all generations, and the soulful beauty of it had ushered in just the right atmosphere for the Lord to move.

  Theirs was a fairly conservative non-denominational church, with a board of elders that monitored the administration in place of denominational oversight. The pastor, his father, reported to the board, and in turn, his father and a few of the senior elders met quarterly with some overseers and pastors of other non-denominational churches in the community.

  Throughout the morning service, Jaydon prayed for his youth. The teens usually sat up front, at his urging, in a few rows off to one side of the sanctuary. He looked toward Addison and Luke, who were holding hands in the last of the youth-occupied rows. Harrison was next to Luke, an empty seat next to him. Probably for Hailee.

  The cluster of boys in the middle row seemed to be paying attention for once, which was better than Jaydon could say for himself. He’d been running all over creation behind the scenes, trying to help locate the back-up wireless mic pack for his dad. The one he usually used was on the fritz again. Then the Sunday school teacher had cornered him to beg for a few of the youth to volunteer as assistants in the nursery and preschool classes. They’d been growing over the winter, but their regular pool of volunteers was dwindling by comparison. After promising he’d mention it, he’d had to run back up to the balcony and get the communication error fixed between the computer and the projector so his dad’s sermon points would show up without issue.

  In other words, a usual Sunday as both youth pastor and professional gopher in the church.

  Shortly before ministry time, he snuck downstairs and ducked through one of the back doors to the main auditorium. He cast a quick glance right and left before taking a seat in the very back. From this vantage point, he could see most of the congregation. One row ahead of him, off to the very edge, sat a young woman or teen with long, dark hair. He did a double take and realized it was Hailee. She’d probably come in late and hadn’t wanted to march conspicuously to the front to join the youth.

  He studied her surreptitiously for a moment and saw faint tear tracks down her profile. He turn
ed an ear to what his father was saying and was happy to learn the message was wrapping up.

  Dad was about to issue the altar call, skillfully tying in his sermon from 2 Corinthians 1 with the message of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. No matter how many times he experienced this part of a service, Jaydon always felt the tug of the Holy Spirit and the overwhelming love of God bathe him in pools of grace.

  “I want to read verse 4 one last time for you before we go on, this time from the New Living Translation. ‘He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.’

  “Verse 6, ‘Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation!’ it says. See, a lot of people try to make us feel better with platitudes like ‘God will never give you more than you can handle.’ While I like the sentiment, that’s not what the Bible says. The Bible never promises our lives will be easy. It doesn’t tell us we’ll be trouble free.

  “If anything, we’re cautioned that life is hard and troubles will weigh us down and sometimes we’re going to feel like breaking. But this! This reminds us who the source of our relief is, in those times of suffering, those times we’re in need. God himself comforts us, and he has given us his bride—his church—to come along side one another to provide that support and comfort.

  “We should offer that comfort to one another—believers and non-believers alike—because it is out of that solace he brings that we have the capacity to help others. Here in America we like to think we’re strong, we’re individuals. Here in New Mexico, there’s often this jaded attitude that you can’t depend on anybody, you don’t need anybody. But that is a bald-faced lie of the enemy. We need to comfort and be comforted, by God and by one another. And if we fail to receive comfort from the Lord, the giver of all good things, then we will be empty and unable to ease the burdens of people in our community.

  “So today, if you’re in need of comfort, if you need support and encouragement, or even just a kind word—come on up here to the altar area. Give your burdens to the Lord. Jesus tells us to come to him, all who are tired and heavy burdened. So, come. Come and pray—can we get our ministry team to come and be available to pray for people?”

  The worship leader was strumming softly on his acoustic guitar in the background. Slowly, a few people walked to the front. Gradually more joined them. Jaydon couldn’t believe how many people were hurting and in need. His heart was broken for the people here in his own church, in his own city, who knew Jesus and yet still needed him to heal their hearts over and over.

  His eyes flicked back to the now empty seat Hailee had just been occupying. He scanned the area in front of the platform where his father was continuing to invite people to come. She was on her knees, her hair cascading into a dark curtain that blocked her face and shaking shoulders.

  He made his way to Stephanie and tipped his head toward Hailee. She nodded and crept up behind her to place a simple, light hand on the young woman’s shoulder. His assistant leader closed her eyes in prayer and Jaydon felt the spirit of peace descend on the room.

  It wasn’t like this every Sunday. But when the presence filled the room like it was right now, it was the most beautiful thing. So many believers, young and old in their faith, were being ministered to by God and by one another. This atmosphere was what brought him through the failures of his younger self, past the pain of his failed marriage, and into a place of acceptance and healing.

  Oh, the wonder of God’s grace; his miraculous, freeing, saving grace.

  Chapter 11

  The signature smell that was Dino’s pizza—fresh baked crust, oregano, and something unidentifiably delicious—hit his nose the moment Jaydon walked through the door. It was tradition to caravan to Dino’s after church every Sunday, where their large number basically took over an entire dining area of the much-loved local chain.

  Teens occupied a dozen booths along the perimeter of the dining area, and the long six-person tables in the center held several parents and younger siblings. Big round metal pans of pizzas in a variety of flavors and toppings littered the tables, as did a number of paper lined baskets of sub sandwiches and their crispy cheese bread.

  Jaydon approached the order counter, having arrived late as usual. Helping his dad close up the building was a rather lengthy chore. He was debating between a ten-inch roast beef and provolone sandwich and a personal pizza named after the city, piled with green chile.

  “Hi! Welcome to Dino’s! What can I get for you?” a cheerful teenager in a yellow polo and red ball cap called out to the person behind him.

  “I called ahead. Order for Gina.”

  His new favorite brunette brushed his elbow and he grinned down to see her amber eyes shining up at him.

  “Well, if it isn’t the bridesmaid of the year.”

  “Shows how much you know, Pastor. It’s maid of honor of the year.”

  “Oh, forgive me!” He held up both hands in mock surrender.

  She laughed and they shared small talk as they waited for their separate cashiers to ring up their orders. His cashier passed a large iced tea across the counter at the same time Gina’s cashier brought her tray with a big salad that looked delicious, two cups of their low-fat ranch, and what looked to be lemonade.

  “Are you here with anybody?” he inquired in a low voice. He didn’t want to put her on the spot, but he was hoping the answer was no.

  She raised a sassy eyebrow at him with the left side of her full lips curled up.

  “As a matter of fact, no. I just had a craving and decided to stop in for a break before I get back to my weekend chores. You?”

  “Not particularly. My kids are all here, so…”

  At the word “kids,” her expression morphed to one of surprise. He laughed.

  “I mean, not my kids, but my youth group kids.”

  She nodded and laughed with understanding. “Yeah, I should have realized that. I say that about my students, too. Like, all the time.”

  “Care to join me? I think I saw a couple booths still open.” He couldn’t explain why he was hoping she’d agree, but he was.

  She hesitated only a moment before her smile broke free and his heart pounded. Man, that smile was a punch to the gut. Her smile shone from her eyes and he admired the red tint she wore on her full lips. Easy there, man.

  “I think…that would be nice.”

  He placed his hand on the small of her back as they turned toward the dining area without even thinking. He was surprised at how natural the gesture was and that Gina didn’t seem to object. Come to think of it, after her initial tense-up, she actually kind of leaned into his hand.

  When they found an empty booth, Jaydon hesitated, deliberating. The only one near the kids was a tiny two-person booth made for someone half his size.

  Gina broke his thoughts with a loud snort that about summed up what he’d been thinking exactly. And made him chuckle. A snort? Such a sound shouldn’t be adorable.

  “Yeah, that booth’s not happening,” she said with humor in her voice. They both scanned the area for a better option and Jaydon’s gaze landed on Harrison and Hailee, sitting across from one another in a wide four-person booth that probably could have seated six smaller people. It would do. He looked to Gina.

  “Hey, I have an idea. Are you game?” He tipped his head toward the younger couple. She looked confused at first, paused, and shrugged.

  “Sure. Why not.”

  He was surprised by her willingness to go with it. Kelly would have balked, and probably thrown a fit. And then spent the rest of the night berating him for being so selfish to make her sit with people so beneath them and why he couldn’t get a real job like a normal man instead of hanging around teenagers like the giant overgrown man-child she had always accused him of being. Focus, man, focus. Kelly is gone, in the past. What she would have said or done is irrelevant now.

  He approached the larger booth and
both Harrison and Hailee looked up at him. He caught a glimpse of Addison and Luke at one of the other two-seaters. Good. They wouldn’t be kicking anyone out of their seats.

  “Hey, guys, this is my friend Gina. Is it okay if we sit with you?”

  The couple glanced at each other, and he noticed Hailee shift uncomfortably in her seat before pasting a tight smile on her face. She was probably afraid he’d reveal her secrets to Harrison. No time like the present to make her see she can trust me. He slid in next to Harrison, whose dark eyes squinted in an assessing grin.

  Gina took the place next to Hailee. Jaydon motioned to the teens, “Gina, this is Harrison and Hailee. They’re both juniors in the high school group. Harrison here plays football and baseball and leads a Bible study group during lunch every week. I’ve only met Hailee recently, so I can’t tell you much about her.”

  Hailee smiled shyly at Jaydon and then at Gina. Even with her hesitation moments ago, he saw something different in her eyes. Whatever she had experienced in service that morning must have been significant. He made a mental note to check in on her soon, unobtrusively.

  “Hi guys,” Gina said. She gently shook her ranch cup and peeled back the foil lid. Like most Dino’s regulars, she placed her paper plate over the salad bowl, and inverted the whole thing. The green mountain settled on her plate and she carefully poured half of the ranch over it. She looked expectantly up to Jaydon, one eye raised as he realized he’d been watching every movement in fascination.

  “Dude, they called your name. You gonna go get your food or what?” Harrison teased with an elbow to his side.

  Ah. No wonder Gina was looking up at him like he’d lost his mind.

  He made a quick escape to the pick-up counter and returned with a large, round, paper-lined wooden basket. He’d opted for the ten-inch roast beef and provolone sandwich, with green chile, of course. He couldn’t wait to wrap his mouth around it. When he slid back into the booth, the kids were deep in conversation with Gina.