by Jenna Brandt
“Let me go!” Gabrielle shrieked. “I have to get her out of the way so you will come back to me.”
From behind her, Bryce barked out, “Stop it, Gabrielle. You need to stop all of this. You’re out of control.”
“If she was just gone, you would be mine again,” she whimpered as she let her body sag against him. “I want you back.”
Though Bryce wanted to make it clear it would never happen, he didn’t think upsetting her further would help the situation.
Mark was out of the car and removing the knife from Gabrielle’s hands. He put it on the concrete ledge of the building out of the way, then said, “Here, Mr. Montgomery. Let me take her until the authorities arrive.”
Gabrielle thrashed and screamed, not paying attention to what was going on around her. She alternated between talking nonsense, to begging for Mark to let her go.
Bryce gently took Lana by the arm and guided her away. “Are you all right?”
Lana was rubbing her arms as she shook her head. “No, I can’t believe she tried to hurt me. What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know. She was always somewhat volatile, but never dangerous. I don’t even recognize her right now.”
“When I got the text from you to come downstairs but didn’t see you, I was so confused. Then when I saw her coming towards me with that knife in her hand, I was so scared. If you hadn’t intervened when you had…”
He pulled her into his arms and whispered, “Shh, don’t even think it. God kept you safe by bringing me here when He did. I don’t know why you got that text, but it doesn’t matter. You’re safe now.”
A few minutes later, the police arrived and took Gabrielle into custody. They talked with everyone present and after looking into all the details, they informed Bryce about what they found out.
“When we talked with the suspect, we noticed she wasn’t making sense and acting erratic. We suspected she might be on drugs, so we checked her bag,” the detective explained. “Miss Rodriguez was in possession of several street drugs along with illegal prescriptions. We asked her how she knew where to find you. She admitted that several months ago, she had put tracking software along with spyware on your phone, Mr. Montgomery, as well as cloning software to read and send texts from your phone.”
Bryce’s stomach dropped. That explains so much. No wonder she could find me all the time.
“I’m assuming there is proof of all this on her phone?” Lana inquired.
The detective nodded his head. “We found a text on her phone asking you to come downstairs.”
“I can’t believe she used me to lure you down here to attack you,” Bryce stated with dismay. “I’m so sorry.”
Lana shook her head. “It’s not your fault. Obviously, she is very ill.”
“What will happen to her?” Bryce asked with concern. “Though she’s dangerous, I wonder if a mental hospital might be a better option than jail.”
“Between the attempted assault with a deadly weapon and the violation of the restraining order, she’s in a lot of trouble,” the detective stated. “The judge will determine if she is fit to stand trial. He may assess that a mental hospital is the best place for her since mental illness could be playing a part in all of this. We did find two anti-psychotic prescriptions with her name on them. Nothing is certain right now, Mr. Montgomery, except that she won’t be bothering either of you again for a very, very long time.”
“Thank you,” Bryce said before turning his attention back to Lana. “Why don’t we get you upstairs where you can rest.”
Lana nodded. “I can barely stand. My knees are like rubber.”
Bryce cradled his arm around Lana’s shoulders and escorted her to her apartment. He would do whatever it took to keep Lana safe and happy from now on.
Two weeks had passed and Lana had recovered since her incident with Gabrielle. Bryce and Lana spent every evening together and texted each other throughout the day. The two of them had formed a real connection built on admiration and respect, although neither had admitted how they were feeling.
Today was her call-back for the lead female role in a new television show spear-headed by a famous producer and director. Lana wanted the part more than any other she had auditioned for, but the competition was steep and riddled with established actresses with long lists of accomplishments. Though she desperately wanted to land the role, she doubted it would actually happen.
The man standing across from Lana stared at her blankly. She couldn’t quite tell if it was due to indifference or boredom. Either way, she needed to make sure she didn’t allow it to affect her performance.
She glanced down at the paper in front of her, and then back up at the other man, trying to focus on anything other than all the people in the room.
She gathered her jittery nerves and funneled them into her acting. “I’m sorry, Billy, but you should have known when you took this case to trial, I wasn’t going to lay down and let you walk all over me. When we were in college, all you wanted to see was the pretty girl, but now you have no choice but to see me as more.”
“You might think you’ve won, Cassandra, but I’ll have you know, this isn’t about one battle. You will have to fight against me every day, and I will not give up.”
Lana ignored the fact the man delivered his lies blandly. At most auditions, the person reading lines back often did so without emotion.
“Fight me all you want,” Lana declared with steely resolve, “but you will not beat me. I won’t let you. You need to—”
“Thank you, Miss Collins. That will be all,” the man with thick glasses and short grey hair said from the corner of the room behind a table.
Lana wanted to ask what they thought and when they would get back to her, but she had learned early in the process to never question the casting director. It never got her anywhere good, and more often than not, caused her to not be cast for a part.
She placed the script on the table, paused for a moment, then turned back around and headed towards the door. Before she made it out of the room, the casting director asked, “Why did you read the lines the way you did?”
Her hand rested on the knob for two full beats before she swiveled around to face him. “I know what it's like to be underestimated, not to mention having people judge you over things you can’t control. Cassandra is determined to prove all the people who doubted her wrong.”
The casting director nodded. “We’ll get back to you once we’ve decided.”
As Lana walked out of the building, she contemplated the afternoon’s events. Did she give enough to make herself a contender? Were they going to cast the part with a well-known actress to drum up publicity, effectively making her audition pointless?
Don’t get your hopes up, Lana. You always do, and then you’re devastated when it doesn’t work out. Grow some thicker skin so this doesn’t hurt every time.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket, reminding her she had turned it to silent during her audition. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Bryce was checking in:
How did it go?
Did you get the part?
Lana answered:
Not sure.
Don’t think they like me much.
They’ll probably just cast a Hollywood “it” girl.
He responded:
Don’t beat yourself up over it.
They don’t know what they're missing.
You’ll get the right part in God’s timing.
She texted back:
Thanks.
I needed to hear that.
Was discouraged.
It helps to hear you believe in me.
Are we still on for tonight?
He answered:
Yes, see you in an hour.
Get ready to forget all about what happened.
Lana put her phone back in her pocket, then headed into the subway to make her way home.
An hour later, with a final glance in the mirror, Lana left her room to head into the livin
g area of their apartment. Celeste was in the kitchen warming up soup when she heard the knock at the door.
Lana opened it to find Bryce on the other side. He had a bouquet of peonies in his hand. He offered them to her, which she took with a smile.
“Thank you,” she said as she lowered her head and inhaled the fragrant aroma.
“I can get those for you,” Celeste volunteered as she came over and took the flowers for her. “I’ll put them in a vase for you.”
Lana nodded, handing the flowers over. She grabbed her coat and purse before taking Bryce’s hand.
Once in the limo, Lana snuggled up next to Bryce as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I was thinking we could go to my dad’s place so we could tell him about the foundation I started.”
“Oh, yes, I can’t wait to see his face,” Lana exclaimed. “He will be so happy.”
“I hope so. I feel bad I didn’t do it sooner. My priorities were so off until recently.”
Lana reached out and placed her hand on the side of his face. “Hey, don’t do that. Don’t get down on yourself about the past. Focus on the future.”
He grinned as he leaned over and kissed her. “You’re right. We have a lot to be grateful for, and once you get that part, we’ll have even more.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “I already told you, I’m not getting the part. It was an exciting opportunity since the role was amazing and the filming would be in New York. I thought it would be perfect.”
“Don’t count yourself out yet. If it’s God’s will, you’ll get the part.”
They arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later and went inside. The hostess greeted them, then led them over to a quiet table in the corner.
“Can you get my father from the back?” Bryce asked the tall brunette. The woman nodded before scurrying off to do his bidding.
A minute later, Harry appeared with a large grin on his face.
“It’s good to see the both of you here again. Sandy told me you guys wanted to talk.”
Bryce nodded. “Do you mind pulling up a chair? I have something I want to tell you.”
His eyes grew wide with excitement as he did as his son requested. “Let me guess; you guys are getting married.”
Bryce’s face turned red, and he quickly shook his head. “No, Dad, we’ve only been seeing each other for a couple of months.”
The older man shrugged. “Don’t let that stop you. When you know, you know. I knew after one date with your mother she was the one I wanted to marry. We had twenty-two years together and I don’t regret a moment.” He patted his son’s hand. “You should make this permanent. Lana is the right girl for you. It was clear the moment I saw the two of you together, and it was confirmed even further when I talked with her.”
“Thanks, Dad. I agree Lana is amazing, but let’s table the discussion of marriage for a bit longer. I have something else I came here to tell you.”
Lana could tell Bryce was uncomfortable with the subject. Was it because of Gabrielle? Was he jaded because of his past fiancée? Not that she wanted to get married this minute, but the idea of it someday with Bryce was enticing. Did he not see a future for them beyond boyfriend and girlfriend? Was this what he wanted permanently?
“Okay, out with it Bryce. What’s going on?” Harry inquired.
“I wanted to tell you I started a foundation in Mom’s name to help with breast cancer awareness. The foundation will provide mobile mammogram machines that can go into low-income and rural areas to help screen for the disease before it’s too late.”
His father’s eyes were blank as he blinked several times, processing the news. Then a large grin spread across his face as his eyes danced with happiness. “That’s great news, son. I’m so glad you will do something with your money like that. It’s especially wonderful since you did it to honor your mother.” Harry looked over at Lana intensely. “I imagine I have you to thank for this as well. You’ve really helped my son return to the old Bryce before his mother died. He needs a woman like you to keep him grounded.”
“This was all Bryce,” Lana countered, not wanting to take any credit for his hard work. “I just encouraged him along his path.”
“Spoken like a true Christian woman supporting her man. He’s lucky to have you.”
Lana beamed under the man’s praise. It felt good to be not only accepted, but valued by Bryce’s family. Bryce was right; her hard day was completely forgotten as she sat with the Montgomery men and talked about all the lives the foundation would save.
13
Journey Church was thick with fall attendees. The crowd that had left the city during the summer had returned, filling the small building to capacity.
As Lana and Bryce made their way inside, excitement filled Bryce. He felt as if his insides were vibrating with anticipation. Every subsequent week that he attended after the first time, Pastor Greg’s sermons got better and better. He also enjoyed the communal energy from worshipping with fellow believers.
Joseph Stine, one of the older members of the church approached them. “Hey, Bryce, I wanted to say thanks again for helping make the booths for the fall carnival yesterday. We couldn’t have gotten it all done without you. The kids will have a good time tonight.”
“No problem. I enjoyed working with all the guys from the church. I haven’t done hands-on work in a long time.”
The other man chuckled while patting him on the back. “I can only imagine. Considering you probably haven’t had to in a long time, it’s nice to see you’re still willing though.”
“Are you guys good on help for the carnival?”
“We sure are, Bryce. You enjoy your time with Lana here,” Joseph nodded towards her with a knowing smile. “Did I mention, you two kids look good together?”
Lana blushed as she glanced away, saying, “Thanks, Joe, you really know how to embarrass a girl.”
“Well, you know, when you get to my age, there’s no point in pulling your words. When I see something that needs to be said, I say it.”
“We need to get inside and find a seat,” Bryce said, wanting to save Lana from further embarrassment.
As they entered the sanctuary, Lana leaned over and whispered, “Thank you. I love Joe, but he doesn’t do boundaries.”
“You can say that again,” Bryce said with a laugh.
Just as they found two seats towards the front, the musicians played a fast-paced contemporary praise song. Both Lana and Bryce clapped to the beat for the next two songs. Next, the lights dimmed, and the music switched to a slower tempo, ushering in worship time. The couple swayed to the music as they held hands and raised their other ones in a sign of devotion to the Lord.
Pastor Greg took his spot at the center of the stage. He smiled at everyone, giving a greeting before beginning his message on learning to adapt to change.
“Change is one of the hardest things for most people to accept. Often, we’re creatures of habit. We like having everything done in a particular order because we think our life makes more sense that way. We can’t imagine that change can be a catalyst for transformation and that when our lives change, though it’s difficult to adjust, we can come out more Christ-like.
“The key is to realize we don’t need to do it on our own. God will help us along our path and we can lean on Him to show us how to best accept it. We need to realize that God always has our best interest at heart. His plans are to prosper us and not to harm us.”
By the end, the service filled Bryce’s heart with contentment with hearing the truth of God’s Word, having the woman he loved next to him, and being surrounded by friends. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so happy.
Children in costumes, parents pushing strollers, and groups of friends filled the fall carnival in the park across from Journey Church.
There were over a dozen games including a cakewalk, a fishing pond, and a dartboard, along with some church ladies doing face painting
and a clown making balloons. Later, there would be a hula hoop contest and a raffle.
Lana’s stomach grumbled as they made their way further into the carnival. The enticing smell of various fried foods beckoned her to eat.
“I’m deducing from that noise you’re hungry,” Bryce teased. “You want to go grab food before we play a few games?”
“Sure, that sounds great,” she said, as Bryce took her by the hand and pulled her towards several of the food stands in one corner of the park.
A few minutes later, they each had a corn dog along with chili cheese fries and a funnel cake to share. They found an empty table and took seats across from one another.
Bryce reached out and took Lana’s hand. “Dear Lord, thank you for this wonderful evening. We’re glad everything turned out and pray Your hand be on the whole event. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Despite the cool air surrounding them, warmth filled Lana at hearing her boyfriend pray. When she first met Bryce, she wasn’t sure if it would work out since he didn’t seem to be in the same place spiritually as she was, but now, he was outpacing her.
“Dig in,” Bryce ordered as he picked up his own corn dog, dipped it in mustard, and took a bite. After chewing and swallowing, he said, “Wow, this is so good. I forgot how delicious a well fried corn dog could be.”
“How long has it been since you’ve had basic food like this?’
Bryce’s forehead wrinkled as he rubbed his stubbled chin in contemplation. “At least five years, but I’m thinking it was homecoming when I was in high school.”
“You went to homecoming?” Lana asked in confusion. “I thought you said you were a nerd in high school.”
“Oh, I was, but I wanted to fit in. It didn’t work out though. I ended up leaving right after half-time.”
“What caused you to leave?”
A frown formed on his face as he shifted in his seat. He took a long sip from his cup, swallowing several times before meeting her eyes.
“I ended up sitting on the wrong side of the bleachers and rooting for the wrong team.”
“You didn’t notice the colors for your school were across the way?”