What would Trevor say to her when he found out about her change of direction in spiritual matters? Would he try to dissuade her from returning to the Christian faith of her grandparents? How could she make him understand all she had learned from her father’s attempted suicide? Would they still be able to be friends? And wouldn’t starting a family actually help cement her bond with Steve? Surely that would erase any lingering feelings for Trevor.
As Michelle wrestled with these questions, Trevor sat in his condo in deep meditation. He was using guided imagery to picture the destiny he hoped to attain. In his mental scenario, Michelle was hiking up a mountain path in front of him. She turned and smiled his way, offering her hand in a gesture of intimate friendship. As he touched her, she drew him close, into her arms.
Trevor nodded his head. Michelle really did need him. She was so innocent and vulnerable. And now she was far away -- in California with her family. He was concerned about her grandparents and the impact they might have on her in her current fragile state. He could imagine them using all kinds of tactics to manipulate Michelle’s thinking with their antiquated Christian ideas and practices.
How could he rescue her from a regression to those outdated beliefs? His calm state gave way to a restless pacing as his concern for her escalated.
What am I doing? I need to get focused. Trevor walked over to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of wine, and sat down to think.
CHAPTER FOUR
Someone was gently shaking Michelle’s shoulder to awaken her. She opened her eyes and found herself on the motel bed beside her mother. Trevor was standing over her. He put his index finger to his lips and nodded toward her sleeping mother. Michelle returned his nod, acknowledging the importance of silence so as to avoid waking her mother. She slipped off the bed, careful not to make a sound.
Trevor beckoned her to follow him. Mesmerized, she softly padded across the carpeted room and out through the door he held open for her. Slowly, without a sound, they eased the door closed, leaving Sheila sound asleep within.
No words were needed between them. Michelle intuitively knew Trevor was taking her for a ride on his motorcycle. Holding her hand as she trailed closely behind him, she did not hesitate to go. Her heart was pounding with the anticipation of the thrill of a moonlit ride. Trevor looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. He gestured toward the gleaming motorcycle parked at the curb. She nodded and smiled back.
They climbed onto the bike, Michelle inching her body forward until her chest was pressed against his back. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she felt safe and secure as he pulled out into the street. The hum of the bike and the peaceful quiet of the late night sky hypnotized her. She completely lost track of time and space as they rode up a long, winding highway leading into the Sierras. Trevor skillfully guided his bike, giving grace to every movement of the powerful black beast. It felt like a dance as they glided around each bend in the road, working ever nearer to the summit.
Not a word was spoken between them. Nothing mattered except the feeling of oneness they experienced. Michelle’s heightened senses were sharply attuned to her surroundings. The moon bathed the empty highway in an iridescent glow. Towering pines cradled the ribbon of roadway, their branches reaching out like arms extended in friendship toward the lone riders. The air felt cool and refreshing on her face as it streaked through her long, dark hair. Trevor’s body warmed her torso beckoning her to lean even closer against him.
Finally reaching the summit of the mountain, he guided his motorcycle off the road and onto the paved viewpoint bordered by a low guardrail. He parked the bike and helped Michelle off the back. They stood side by side gazing out over the earth below them, the twinkling of streetlights down in the valley were sparkling like diamonds on velvet. Trevor turned Michelle’s body toward his. Without speaking they embraced and his lips found hers. She responded without hesitation, melding her body against his.
“You are mine,” he said without words. She nodded.
A bell rang harshly, breaking the reverie. Michelle tried to hold onto the dream, but it slipped away. She turned over on the bed, irritation coursing through her as she sought the source of the ringing noise.
Sheila was already up, flipping on the switch and picking up the receiver of the phone on the nightstand.
“Hello?” she said, her voice cracking as she forced herself awake. Michelle sat up and shook her head as if shaking off her dream. She pulled herself back to reality and watched her mother’s face for signs of good news or bad.
“It’s Steve,” Sheila said, handing the phone to her daughter.
Michelle cleared her throat. “Hi Steve,” she began, pushing Trevor from her mind. “How’s everything at home?” She glanced at her cell phone and saw the voicemail icon. Apparently she’d left it on vibrate again.
“Fine. But Max and I miss you. How’s your dad doing?” Steve asked, genuine concern evident in his voice.
“He’s doing pretty well. He’s responding more and more all the time. The doctors are blown away.”
“I’m so glad, babe. Well, here’s some more good news. I may have found a lawyer to take on your dad’s case.”
“Really? Tell me about him,” she said, sitting upright on the edge of the bed. Covering the mouthpiece on the phone, she whispered to her mom, “Steve thinks he’s found an attorney for Dad.” Sheila’s face lit up.
“His name is Clark Christianson. He has an office in Redondo Beach.”
Michelle nodded, jotting down the information on a notepad, partly to refer to later and also to include her mom in the conversation. Sheila looked pleased about his location. Redondo Beach was less than an hour away from their hometown.
“He specializes in these kinds of corporate cases and recently had a very similar one to your father’s,” Steve explained. “The guy’s a pretty high-powered attorney, but he seemed interested in your dad’s case. I’ll be talking to him on the phone tomorrow.”
“Thanks, honey. I really appreciate you going to all this trouble. I know you’re swamped at work. How’s everything going there?”
“I’m beginning to see my desk again,” Steve quipped. “When I decided to become an attorney, I pictured myself in the drama of the courtroom, not in the chaos of an office piled high with paperwork.”
“Hang in there. You’ll get caught up,” Michelle said, trying to sound encouraging.
“I miss you, hon.”
“I miss you, too,” she replied, a wave of guilt washing over her as she remembered her dream about Trevor.
“Maybe I’ll fly back down for the weekend,” Steve said tentatively.
“Whatever works out.” She didn’t want to make him feel unwelcome, but at the same time she knew he had a mountain of work he was trying to get through.
“I’ll know more tomorrow,” he told her.
“Okay. If you decide to come, give me a day’s notice, so I can get us our own room,” Michelle replied.
“Oh yeah. I almost forgot you’re sharing a room with your mom. Did I wake her up when I called? She sounded kind of sleepy.”
“Actually we were both asleep. We came back from the hospital around three, and both of us fell asleep.”
“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to wake you guys up. In fact, I thought you might be out for dinner when you didn’t answer right away.”
“That’s where we’ll be headed next. Probably to the cafeteria at the hospital and then back up to sit with Dad,” she replied.
“How’s everything going at the hospital?”
“Dad’s holding his own. I think we’re all feeling more optimistic about his recovery.”
“That’s good.”
“Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“My mom and I saw the cutest baby and his parents as they were leaving the hospital.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“He was so adorable and tiny. Mom started talking about me when I was a baby and then about how she wants to be a grandmother.”
Michelle glanced over at her mother and smiled.
“I’m sure she’ll get her chance,” Steve replied.
“Well, guess I’d better get off the phone and get ready for dinner,” Michelle said reluctantly.
“Okay, I won’t keep you any longer. Tell everyone hi for me.”
“I will. Talk to you tomorrow,” she promised.
“Love you, babe.”
“Love you, too.” She gently placed the phone on its cradle and turned to her mom. “Hungry?”
“A little. How about you?”
“Yeah. Let’s go get dinner.”
After freshening up, they left the motel room behind and headed out for another long night at the hospital. The sight of the full moon overhead brought Michelle’s dream back to the surface. She wrestled within herself, part of her wanting to push it away and part wanting to hold it close.
Trevor sat on the balcony outside of his apartment and gazed up at the huge sphere in the sky. “Wish you were here with me tonight,” he said to himself as he thought about Michelle and sipped on his glass of wine. He focused his mind, sending thoughts of oneness to this enchanting young lady with the dark, flowing hair.
He imagined them dancing together to the soft music playing in the background, the bouquet of the Chardonnay reminding him of the fragrance of her perfume. Trevor felt intoxicated by the images flooding his senses. He allowed his mind to explore a fantasy with Michelle. It was easy to imagine Michelle outgrowing her marriage with Steve. The shackles of tradition would fall away as she evolved into the free spirit she was meant to be.
“As I think, so shall it be. As I see us, so we shall be,” he chanted softly into the night air.
He nodded. He believed it was true. One day he would have a chance for an intimate relationship with Michelle, and he thanked his inner guide for the confirmation.
Steve was milling over his conversation with his wife. Why didn’t she seem eager for him to come back down for the weekend? Was he reading something into her response that wasn’t there? Or did she really seem ambivalent about seeing him?
Max interrupted his thoughts with a reminder that it was his dinnertime.
“Okay boss. I’ll get you some food,” he said. He fed the cat then got his own lunch out of the fridge -- leftovers. Picking up his Bible, he settled into the breakfast nook and began to eat and read.
Having read through the book of Revelation with his old high school buddy, Ben Johnson, Steve was convinced of the need to establish his own personal relationship with God. Ben Johnson had helped him understand how to do that. Once the popular jock and party animal of their high school, Ben was now a born again Christian and pastor who was about to start a church up near where Steve and Michelle lived in Sandy Cove, Oregon.
Steve hadn’t heard from Ben in about a week, so after he ate his dinner and read a couple of chapters in the gospel of John, he decided to give him a call. He needed someone to talk to about all that was happening with Michelle’s dad.
Ben’s wife, Kelly, picked up the phone on the second ring. “Hello?” Her voice was soft and gentle.
“Kelly? This is Steve.”
“Oh hi, Steve. How’s everything going with Michelle’s dad?”
“He’s getting stronger every day,” Steve said happily.
“Thank God,” she replied. “It’s truly a miracle.”
“Yeah. Even Michelle recognizes that. Did Ben tell you she’s started praying again?”
“That’s great, Steve.” Kelly’s enthusiasm was contagious.
Ben’s voice could be heard in the background. “How’s the packing coming along?” he called out to Kelly.
“Fine. I’m almost done with the kitchen cupboards. Steve’s on the phone.”
“Here’s Ben, Steve,” Kelly said cheerfully.
“Hey there. Are you calling from Bridgeport or Sandy Cove?” Ben’s big voice boomed from the phone.
“Sandy Cove, unfortunately,” Steve replied.
“Is something wrong?” Ben’s tone changed to one of concern.
“No. I’m just missing Michelle.”
“Well that’s understandable. So I take it she’s staying with her mom.”
“Yep. They’re sticking close to the hospital.”
“How’s Michelle’s dad?”
“He’s getting stronger and more responsive all the time.” In spite of the good news, Steve knew his voice lacked its usual spark.
“That sounds good, but you sure don’t. What’s up? Why the heavy mood?”
“Actually, I’m concerned about Michelle,” Steve began, feeling a little embarrassed to be bringing it up.
“What about her? Is she having a hard time dealing with all of this with her dad? The last time we talked, it sounded like she was turning back to God.”
“This may sound crazy, but when I talked to her tonight on the phone, she didn’t seem to care one way or the other whether or not I flew down there for the weekend. It really threw me off.”
“I’m sure she didn’t mean for it to sound that way, Steve. She’s probably got a million things on her mind right now. Try not to take it personally.”
“I know; you’re right. Guess I’m just feeling sorry for myself.”
“No, you’re just missing your beautiful bride. I think you should fly down there and surprise her. You know, come to think of it, Kelly and I will be driving through northern California this weekend on our way up to Oregon. I told you we found a house to rent, didn’t I?” Ben asked.
“No, I don’t think you did. Where is it?”
“You’ll never believe this, but we are actually going to be living about three miles from you in the outskirts of Sandy Cove. We found a great little fixer upper with a big living room/dining room combination that will be perfect for home Bible studies to help get our church started. You should drive by there and check it out. It’s on the corner of Fir and Second Street. The gray house with white trim. 408 Fir is the address.”
“I’ll swing by and take a look tomorrow,” Steve replied.
“And back to this weekend. If you think you’ll be flying down to Bridgeport, maybe Kelly and I could stay one night there, and the four of us could go out to dinner or something,” Ben suggested.
“Sounds good to me. I think you’re right. I’ll surprise her. She asked me to call a day in advance so she could get us our own room at the motel, but I think I’ll just call the front desk and make the arrangements myself.”
“Good idea. I know she’ll be happy to see you, Steve.”
“Hope you’re right.”
“Trust me, I am. So tell me exactly what’s happening with John,” Ben said.
“He’s making eye contact now and is able to nod or shake his head slightly to answer yes and no questions.”
“That’s great.”
“You should see the doctors. They just walk around with their mouths hanging open.”
“God’s got their attention.”
“Yep,” Steve replied.
“Well, why don’t we plan on meeting up in Bridgeport Saturday afternoon? Kelly and I should be rolling into that area around 2:00. We could just go straight to the hospital and meet you guys there,” he suggested.
“That would be great,” Steve said. “I’ll call the motel and book two rooms for Saturday night, one for you and Kelly and one for me and Michelle.”
“Hey, thanks. Then we don’t have to worry about where to stay. See you Saturday.”
“Saturday. And thanks again, Ben.”
He felt much better after he hung up the phone. Ben really knew how to put things into perspective, and he liked the idea of surprising Michelle. “I should have thought of that myself,” he said, fumbling through the mail and miscellaneous paperwork as he searched for the motel’s phone number.
It would be great to see Michelle and hold her in his arms again. And it would be fun to spend an evening with Ben and Kelly. He shot up a prayer asking God to nurture a friendship between Michelle and Kelly.
Steve was concerned about how Michelle would manage back in Sandy Cove with all her New Age friends now that she was reaching back to her roots in Christianity. Kelly could be just the bridge she would need to get re-grounded in her faith.
CHAPTER FIVE
The week flew by quickly, and before Steve knew it, he was handing the cat over to Monica for another weekend of pet sitting. Max seemed delighted with the arrangements, and Monica was happy to have her adopted “baby” back for a couple of days.
Steve had been using Michelle’s Bible ever since he started studying scriptures several months ago. Now that she was praying again and reaching out to God, he thought it would be a good idea to take it down to Bridgeport and leave it with her. It was time for him to have his own Bible anyway. He was continuously fighting the urge to write his own personal notes in the margins. Besides, this Bible had been a gift to Michelle from her grandparents. They would be happy to see her reading it during this drawn-out time at the hospital.
Because he wanted it to be special to Michelle, he had taken it to have her name embossed in gold on the cover and then had wrapped it in a gift box. Packing to leave for Bridgeport, he carefully sandwiched it between clothes. Then he picked up his new black leather study Bible, deciding not to pack it in his suitcase, but rather to carry it onto the plane to read during the flight.
Wandering through the house and closing all the blinds and draperies, he recalled the empty feeling he’d experienced coming home a week ago to a vacant, closed-up shell. He was already beginning to dread his return on Sunday night.
At least Ben and Kelly would also be arriving up in Sandy Cove. He’d driven by their rental house on the way home from work and was pleased it was so close to where he and Michelle lived. Maybe he could have a few dinners with them during the days ahead while Michelle was in Bridgeport. He could bring Chinese food over on Monday, so they wouldn’t have to bother with fixing dinner on their first day of getting unpacked.
Through the Tears (Sandy Cove Series Book 2) Page 3