Forever Friends

by Murray, Tamela Hancock

  Five

  The following weekend Kassia wiped down the kitchen counter even though it was already clean and she was dressed to go skiing. She had to do something to alleviate the tension she felt as she waited for Teague to arrive. She almost wished she’d agreed to meet him at the church instead. On second thought, no. Waiting at home was easier than being among a group of strangers.

  What was she thinking when she accepted Teague’s impromptu invitation? Well, at least she should be safe among those teens and the other chaperones. Even if Teague, like all the other men she had met, proved to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, most likely he valued his position as a youth leader too much to make a fool of himself chasing her around the ski lodge.

  Now why would she think Teague would pursue her as more than a friend? Was that just ego talking? Then a picture of Brad popped into her mind. At that moment she realized she had allowed Brad’s persistence to color her perceptions of Teague.

  A few minutes later when her phone rang, Kassia was sure the caller would be Teague saying he was on his way to pick her up or he’d be late. Instead a familiar female voice spoke.

  “Lexie!” Kassia squealed into the phone. “You’ve been so scarce lately.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to call, but you know how it is.”

  Kassia swallowed. She wished she did know what it was like to be a newlywed and to be as content as Lexie obviously was with Theo. Would she ever find such happiness for herself?

  “I can only imagine how busy you are.” Knowing Lexie, they’d be talking for a while. Kassia sat on the couch and leaned back against the cushions. “How was your trip? You went to the Bahamas, didn’t you?”

  “Our trip was as wonderful as any honeymoon could be!” Lexie cooed into the phone. “Yes, we did go to a resort in the Bahamas. It was fantastic.”

  “I’m sure! Did the weather hold out for you?”

  “Yes! The sun was wonderful.”

  “So you had quite a bit of beach time.” Kassia thought it was funny she was talking about the beach when she was about to go skiing in the mountains.

  “Every day. I managed to get a good tan. You should have seen the water, Kassia. It’s a transparent blue-green I’ve never seen anywhere else. And the sand is so white.”

  “Sounds beautiful. Did you go scuba diving like you hoped to?”

  “We sure did. We rented an underwater camera so we can bore everybody to death with our pictures of underwater life.”

  Kassia laughed. “I’d like to see those sometime. But as exciting as staying underwater sounds, I think I’d rather have spent my time in the city.”

  “I don’t know if you’d call Nassau a city like the ones you’re used to. It’s charming but not too big. We took a shuttle into the town then went for a carriage ride around the city and saw the governor’s mansion,” Lexie said. “They drive on the left side of the road there, which was different for me.”

  “Did you go shopping and get any good deals?”

  “I didn’t buy much. They had a surprising number of street vendors. I think they get a lot of business because so many cruise ships dock there.”

  “Makes sense,” Kassia agreed.

  “Quite a few little children were selling trinkets, and some offered to braid hair.”

  “I’ll bet they were sweet. Who can turn down a little kid?” Kassia remarked.

  “You’re so right. As you can imagine, I came back with a braid in my hair. Those kids made me miss Piper even more than I thought possible.”

  “So you bought her a bunch of trinkets?”

  “I managed to control myself for the most part.” Lexie chuckled. “I did get a little handmade doll for Piper from a woman selling them on the street. The doll had a hat and skirt woven out of straw. The woman sewed her name right into the skirt while we waited.”

  “Wow! I’d call that good service.” Kassia smiled. “I’m sure Piper liked that. And I’m sure she missed you as much as you missed her.”

  “I don’t know about that. Maybe a little bit. She was having fun at her grandma’s.” Kassia heard Lexie sigh. “Now it’s back to reality for all of us.”

  “But your reality isn’t so bad, is it?”

  “Not at all. But it’s a lot more like a rat race here in the States, running Piper to day care, running to work, running back to pick her up, running home to fix supper,” Lexie said. “The pace of life is so much slower there. No one is in a hurry to do anything. At least that’s the way it seemed to me.”

  “Sounds like fun for a few weeks, but I’m not sure I’d like to live at such a slow pace all the time,” Kassia said.

  “Hmm. Maybe not,” Lexie agreed. “I am glad to be back home. Or should I say, Theo’s house?”

  “It’s your house now, too,” Kassia reminded her.

  “I know. It’s hard to think of it as mine, though. I’m looking around now and thinking how difficult that is to believe.”

  Kassia remembered how Theo had barely touched his new house to decorate it. The last time she visited, the walls were bare except for a few framed posters. The furniture consisted of a few pieces from the off-campus apartment he rented during college, and they were hardly heirloom quality. She could just imagine how nice the house would look after Lexie had a hand in beautifying it. “You’ll put your own touches on it soon enough, and then you won’t remember a time when it didn’t feel like your own. I’m sure you’ve already thought about decorating, haven’t you?”

  “You know me too well. I’ve already consulted an interior decorator for the family room and dining room since more people will be seeing those than some of the other rooms—like Theo’s office. That’s hopeless!” She chuckled.

  “Aren’t most home offices?” Kassia pointed out.

  “Probably,” Lexie admitted. “I don’t blame Theo for wanting at least one room to keep as his own private space. After all, Piper and I have descended upon him with all our girlie-girl possessions.”

  Kassia smiled and twisted the phone cord. “I’m sure he loves every minute of it.”

  “He seems to. I’m so grateful he and Piper are still getting along well. He took care of her the other night while I met with the decorator. I want to get drapes and wallpaper to match. Maybe in blue.”

  “You’ll be busy, but I’m sure Theo will like the results. I know that place needs some color. Does Piper like her room?”

  “She does. I’m letting her choose the color she wants it painted. So far she’s picked out several shades of pink.”

  “Good for her.”

  “Oh, by the way, Theo and I are enjoying the espresso machine you gave us. It looks great in our kitchen.”

  “Good.” Kassia had splurged on their wedding gift. Lexie had once mentioned how much she missed having home-brewed espresso coffee since leaving North Carolina. “I’m glad I was able to get you something you wanted.”

  “Now I feel like I’m at home when I use your gift. And I want you to come for a visit soon and try a cup for yourself. You don’t have to wait for the drapes to arrive.”

  “I will. Visit soon, that is.” Kassia could imagine Lexie, content in her own kitchen, making breakfast for Theo and Piper.

  “You’re living a fairy tale. After all this time, you deserve it.”

  “Thanks, but I’m no more worthy than anyone else. I’m just thankful the Lord has chosen to bless me far beyond what I imagined. But since you brought up the subject of fairy tales, I understand you might be in the process of creating a story of your own,” Lexie noted.

  “Me? What do you mean?”

  “Don’t try to fool me. I know all about how well you and Teague hit it off at our wedding.”

  “And how do you know that?” Kassia twisted the phone cord even more tightly around her fingers. She could feel her pulse picking up speed.

  “Teague told Theo, of course.”

  “I might have known. And they say we girls are the ones who do all the gossiping.” Kassia
smiled.

  “I wouldn’t call it gossiping.”

  “Well, maybe not,” Kassia conceded.

  “Theo is just happy things are going so well for you two.”

  “So far, so good.”

  “I told you I was going to set you up with a great guy. Wasn’t I right?”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty nice.”

  “So tell me everything!”

  “We went out to dinner, and now we have a date to go skiing, if that tells you anything,” Kassia said.

  “Skiing? Wow! You move fast.”

  “I’m waiting for him to pick me up now, as a matter of fact.”

  “Oh, then I’d better hang up,” Lexie said.

  “No need to yet. Talking to you is making the time go by much faster,” Kassia said. “But, you know, I think he asked me more out of spontaneity than anything else. We’re going with his church youth group.”

  Lexie chuckled. “Then he’s recruited you to go on a working vacation.”

  “That’s what it sounds like, but I don’t think he expects me to do much in the way of watching the teens. Anyway, I imagine they’re old enough to take care of themselves.”

  “Maybe that’s not such a good thing.”

  “Hmm. I hadn’t thought of it that way. Well, I’m sure Teague knows what to do. And there are supposed to be some other chaperones.” Kassia took a fork in the conversational road. “Speaking of teen youth groups, I might have known you’d try to match me up with someone who goes to church all the time.”

  “Oh, Kassia, we didn’t put you two together as a ploy to get you to church. I don’t believe the Lord would want anyone to force Him on them,” Lexie explained. “Theo and I just thought you and Teague would enjoy each other while you were at the wedding. We weren’t trying to create any attachment beyond that. I promise. But judging from the fact you’re still seeing each other, it looks like our instincts guided us well.”

  “That remains to be seen,” Kassia said. “I do have a question for you. Is Teague sincere about his faith?”

  “Of course he is,” Lexie said quickly. “He’s one of the most devout Christians I know.” Her voice held a note of triumph, as though she was certain Kassia would be pleased to make such a discovery. “Why do you ask? Doesn’t he seem sincere to you?”

  Rather than comforting Kassia, Lexie’s assessment only made her more anxious. At least she was used to wolves. She hadn’t been that close to men from church in a long time.

  “Sure he seems sincere,” Kassia told Lexie. “I just wanted to know. Some men can be good actors, you know.” She heard Teague’s knock on the door. “Speaking of men, here is our devout Christian now. Gotta go.”

  “Have fun!” Lexie said before hanging up the phone.

  “I will. I hope,” Kassia muttered to herself after putting the phone down.

  She threw open the door to find Teague with a self-assured expression, dressed in a sharp-looking blue-and-white ski bib. He looked much more confident than Kassia felt.

  “I hate to rush you,” he said, “but I guess you figured out I’m running late. I’m sorry about that.”

  “No problem,” she assured him. “I doubt they can leave before you get there anyway.”

  “Yeah, that’s one of the perks of being the leader.” He looked at his watch. “But there’s late, and then there’s really late. And if we don’t hurry, we’ll be really late.”

  Teague was gentleman enough to pick up Kassia’s suitcase that was sitting by the door. The small gesture made her feel pampered.

  They exited her apartment amid laughter. For the first time since she’d last seen Teague, Kassia felt her heart was as bright as the sun shining over the horizon.

  Later, on the way to the ski resort, Kassia felt self-conscious. The church van proclaimed His Kingdom and Holiness Church in bright red letters on each side, followed by their city and a phone number. If that wasn’t enough, the phrase Jesus Is Lord of All was painted in bold orange letters on the front and back of the fifteen-passenger vehicle. She knew everyone passing them on the road would stare.

  Once she’d been in the van awhile, she realized she wasn’t used to being around teens. They had brought music tapes along for the ride, so the stereo blasted Christian tunes she barely knew. The whole scene made her feel uncomfortable at first. At least they didn’t tease her about being with Teague, unlike his predictions. That is, they didn’t tease her to her face.

  Three hours later they pulled into the driveway of a ski lodge that reminded her of pictures she’d seen of wooden Swiss chalets. The roof was covered with snow, and streams of smoke proceeded from both chimneys. The cold wind hit her face rudely as soon as they disembarked from the snug van. Kassia was eager to get in the lodge so she could sit by the fire with a cup of cocoa.

  “You’ll be at the meeting, won’t you?” Teague asked as the group unloaded their suitcases from the van, chattered, and stretched their legs.

  “Uh, meeting? What meeting?”

  “Oh, I didn’t tell you before?” His mouth set in a chagrined line. “It’s nothing formal. After we check in, we’ll be meeting by the back fireplace for a little fellowship along with a bit of praise and worship music.” He tilted his head toward one of the teens. “Matt brought his guitar. It’ll be fun.”

  “Yeah.” Kassia squirmed. Why did they have to spoil the whole ski trip by demanding that everyone attend a hymn sing-along?

  “You like music, don’t you?” His voice was encouraging.

  “Yeah, I guess.” She would never admit she was rusty on singing hymns. Even after several hours of listening to Christian music in the van, she was sure she wouldn’t know any of the contemporary tunes the teens preferred.

  Teague picked up his green nylon suitcase with one hand and retrieved Kassia’s red bag with the other.

  “You don’t have to carry that.” She reached out to grab her bag.

  “I don’t mind.” He started walking up the stone pathway that had been cleared of snow. Kassia strode by his side to keep the pace. “No one expects you to know the songs by heart,” Teague assured her. “You can just listen to the words and maybe learn them that way, if you like.” He sent her a disarming grin. “Why not come along and bring your Bible?”

  “I thought it was just going to be music.”

  “And a little bit of study and reading. Nothing long. I promise no one will ask hard questions or put you on the spot.”

  She nodded toward the other chaperones, who she gathered were parents of some of the kids. “Are you sure? They might ask a hard question.”

  “Leslie and Marvin?” He shook his head. “They won’t bother you. They’re not here to judge. Besides, they leave the teaching to me.”

  “Then I know I’m in trouble.” She laughed at her own joke, but Kassia felt the heat spreading over her face. She held open the door for Teague to enter the lodge. “Um, I didn’t realize we needed our Bibles. I left mine at home.”

  “Not a problem.” He grinned at her again. “I’ll share mine with you.”

  Following him to the reception desk, she wished she could come up with some other reason why she couldn’t attend, but no convincing reason—at least none she wanted to share with Teague—came to mind. How could he know her memories of the church youth group she once despised when she was a teenager? She had been different from the others and had felt excluded. Her parents’ prestigious positions didn’t matter to her peers, so their acceptance wasn’t a given. Besides, the leaders rammed the Bible down her throat and made her feel like an unredeemable sinner.

  Seeing no other alternative, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Uh, that would be nice. Thanks.”

  “The meeting will be short since everyone will want to eat soon.”

  She nodded. At least God had some mercy after all.

  After an easy check-in, Kassia hurried to her room to change into a pair of fresh indigo jeans and a soft white turtleneck sweater. Feeling confident after freshening up, she ventu
red down the rustic but sturdy wooden stairs to face the whole group.

  Lord, please don’t let me make a fool of myself.

  She took in a breath and stopped in her tracks. “Did I just pray?” When was the last time she’d said a little prayer, a casual request thrown skyward as though He were listening? She shuddered. Teague was getting to her after all. She couldn’t let him know. At least not yet.

  Six

  Teague’s face lit up a few moments later when he saw Kassia looking in the direction of the stone fireplace in the far corner of the lobby. “Over here.” He motioned with a sweep of his hand for her to join the youth group, which was just getting ready to begin their time of fellowship.

  Teague positioned himself on a comfortable-looking brown couch and leaned his elbow on the armrest. Kassia decided to sit beside him but made sure she wasn’t close enough to touch him. He looked pleased by her selection of where to sit.

  She set a Bible on her lap.

  “I see we won’t have to share after all,” Teague remarked, disappointment shading his voice.

  “I’m thankful for the Gideons. They’re always so super about placing Bibles in hotel dresser drawers, aren’t they?”

  Teague nodded. “That’s a great ministry. I wonder how many people have been saved because of those Bibles.”

  “Maybe we can write them and ask sometime.”

  Teague was nodding when a petite brunette teen interrupted with a question for him.

  The singing hadn’t started yet, and no one else paid Kassia any notice—another reason to give thanks. She was also glad she hadn’t told Teague she could strum a few chords on her acoustic guitar. Otherwise, he might have asked her to bring it and play along with Matt. Then how would she look to everyone when they discovered she knew very few Christian songs?

  Looking around the room, she realized the teens had split off into groups and pairs. Sitting on various seats that matched the couch where she sat with Teague, on the floor, or on the edge of the coffee table, they chattered among themselves as though they hadn’t seen each other in years despite the fact they had just shared a long van ride.

  Since Teague was still in the midst of conversation with several teens, Kassia made herself content to watch the flames crackling in the fireplace, offering a cozy feeling to the area. The fire accomplished no small feat considering the ceiling, unpainted and with beams exposed, was at least fifteen feet above the knotty pine floor.