“But let’s talk about how to get the two of you together now and of course to get Kent to stop gambling. It’s really quite simple. I think the solution has already been placed in motion.”
When everyone in the room, including Grace, stared at her in disbelief, she laughed and said, “Sure. Grace asked him to quit gambling and she also told him that they couldn’t have a future together unless he did.”
She leaned back in her seat and placed an arm around Grace’s shoulders as she did. “The clincher, if you will, is that she told him she was disappointed in him.”
Judy, who happened to be seated on Grace’s mom’s left spoke up then. “Yes, I do think that Linda may be right. When I had Kent in high school English, he was one of the brightest students I had. But the problem was that he lacked motivation. And whenever I could find just the thing that would get him going, he did fantastic work.”
Betty Sue was next and she just grinned at them all and said, “I guess I’m just here for moral support since I don’t know Kent very well at all. But I will say one thing. I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at you Grace. That boy’s head-over-heels in love with you.”
They all laughed then Joanne spoke up next. “I’ve worked alongside Kent as a teacher ever since we both started at the high school nine years ago. For the first five or six years, I didn’t have much contact with him. But then, probably about two years ago, we went out a couple of times.”
When Grace jerked her head toward Joanne, she grinned and said, “Nothing ever came from it but we did talk some. He told me all about Shelly and how she disappeared with Michelle. And he also talked so much about you Grace, that I knew then that he still loved you.”
Trish clapped her hands together and said, “Well, there you have it Grace. I think it’s all as clear as mud now, don’t you?”
Grace, who had been so entranced by all that the other women had said about Kent that she was startled by both Trish’s hand-clapping and her confusing statement.
Trish laughed at Grace’s puzzled expression. “No Dear, I’m not crazy. I think that all you need to do is just more of what you did this morning, just keep on after him.”
She laughed again and explained further. “Everyone here said basically the same thing. Kent loves you so much that if you keep asking him and keep him aware of the fact that you’re disappointed in him, then he will eventually quit gambling.”
She clapped her hands again and looked at Betty Sue. “And then, I’ll get to attend another one of my girls’ weddings.”
They all laughed at that and soon, they all began leaving. And Grace knew that she now had a plan and couldn’t wait to start in on it.
* * *
Finally, at a little after four that afternoon, Kent decided that it was time for him to try to talk to Grace again, if she would talk to him, that is. His own daughter had been avoiding him all day. He knew he needed to talk to Michelle too, but he felt that it was urgent that he talk to Grace now, and soon.
He was almost surprised when he called her and she agreed right away. She and Brianna were on their way over right now. But, he needed to talk to her without the girls nearby. Oh well, they’d figure something out when Grace got here.
When Kent let Grace and Brianna in the front door, he was startled by Michelle shouting out and giggling from directly behind him. Then he noticed that Brianna was carrying some sort of lawn game. He was so relieved when both girls raced out the back door and into his backyard with Snoopy barking at their heels.
Grace smiled up at him and she seemed to be waiting for him to speak first. But he didn’t know what to say or even how to start. So he led Grace into the family room and they sat across from each other on facing couches.
Well, he decided he’d just go for broke. He looked into her eyes and said, “Grace, do you love me the way that I love you?”
He was so afraid that she would give him the runaround again the way she had that morning. But she didn’t.
She smiled back at him and said, “Yes, Kent, I do love you that way.”
Again, she seemed to be waiting for him to say something. What? He couldn’t think of a single thing. His mind was whirling. Grace had finally admitted that she loved him. That was great! Wasn’t it?
They sat there, still staring into each other’s eyes for so long that Kent was afraid she might just get up and leave. Finally, she shifted on her couch, leaned forward and said, “But Kent, that doesn’t mean that I’m ready to marry you yet.”
Okay. He’d known it was going too well. What now?
She frowned then and he knew he was in trouble. “I am free now, Kent. My husband died over a year ago and I didn’t have much of a marriage at that, so I’m over that now. I’m free. But are you free?”
He started to protest but she stopped him with a hand in the air between them. “You are divorced and you now have Michelle and probably will be able to get full custody of her soon. But you’re not totally free ... not yet.”
All he could do now was to continue staring at her as she talked.
“No, Kent. You’re not free from your gambling.”
She sat back a little, as if letting that settle for a moment. “I want to marry you, Kent.”
That was exactly what he’d been waiting for. “When?”
She sighed. “That’s totally up to you Kent. As soon as you are free from your gambling and all the bad effects of it, then I would love to marry you.”
He should have seen that one coming. He’d been thinking all day about what he’d say if she did indeed say just that. While he was organizing his thoughts, Grace hit him with her final volley.
“Right now, Kent, I’m so disappointed in you ... that you’ve allowed yourself to fall into this horrible addiction.”
Addiction? That word bounced around in his head like a huge ball.
“What do you mean? Addiction?”
“Yes, Kent. That is exactly what being so controlled by your gambling means. It is an addiction.”
He jumped out of his chair and started pacing the room. He needed to think. He needed to get it straight in his mind what Grace was trying to say to him.
He stopped and turned back to her. “Is that what your dad calls it?”
“Yes, it is. Like he told you this morning, he’s worked with several people who were addicted to gambling.”
He walked back to his chair and slowly sat down. Leaning forward and looking down at his feet, he said, “I don’t know what to do Grace. I can’t stop gambling. I owe too much money in so many places that I’ll never catch up unless I can win it all back.”
Grace seemed to get excited over that. “Oh Kent, you don’t have to win it back. All you have to do is decide to quit. My dad said that he’s helped many people to rearrange their debts when they quit gambling so they can go forward from there free. So, you see, he can help you too.”
It couldn’t be that simple ... that easy. Could it? He’d been struggling with this for months now. It couldn’t just end the way she was saying. Could it?
Kent moved across the distance between them and sat next to Grace on the couch. “Would he do that for me, Grace?”
“Oh Kent, of course he would, even if I wasn’t in love with you. He does it for others all the time.”
Kent was still having a difficult time taking all of this in. He just knew that it couldn’t be all that simple. Then he remembered what else Henry had said that morning.
“Grace, your dad kept talking a lot about God this morning.”
“Yes he did Kent. You see, God is just waiting for you to ask Him for help.”
She seemed to think for a moment then said, “Kent, let me ask you a different question.”
When he nodded, she went on. “Do you like me Kent?”
He laughed. “That’s silly Grace. Of course I do. I love you.”
“No Kent, that is not what I mean. What I want to know is, do you like the person I am, the things I do and say?”
He gri
nned again. “Of course I do Grace. You’re one of the nicest persons I’ve ever known. You’ve been one of my best friends forever.”
She smiled then. “Okay Kent. The reason I am the way I am is because I have Christ in my heart. He lives in me and I live my life for Him. That is what makes me who I am.”
He shook his head. “I don’t understand now. Are you throwing some of that Holly-Roller stuff at me like they used to do whenever I went to my mom’s church?”
She seemed to be getting excited now. “No Kent. God is not like you think He is. He doesn’t expect anything from us except that we try to do His will in our lives. All the different churches have their own special ways of doing that. But the bottom line is that God wants us to turn everything over to Him and let him lead us in our daily lives.”
* * *
Grace was getting so excited now that she could barely sit still. She reached out a hand and touched Kent’s cheek.
“Christ is just waiting for you to ask Him and He will come in and help you for the rest of your life.” Suddenly she was afraid to go on but forced herself to do it.
“Do you want to do that right now Kent?”
Kent took so long to answer that Grace was afraid he was going to say no, but finally he reached up and took her hand in his. “Yes, Grace, I do. I’m tired of trying to do everything on my own. I want help.”
She couldn’t stop herself. She lunged into his arms and hugged him tightly. They just held each other that way for a long moment. But then she leaned back and said, “Do you admit that you have sinned and that you want to repent and turn to Jesus right now Kent?”
He nodded. “Yes, I do.”
She led him in the short prayer of salvation and then they embraced again. She whispered in his ear. “Now, you need to get with my dad so he can start helping you to work yourself out of your debts.”
Grace could tell that Kent was surprised when all it took was a quick phone call from her and her dad was on his way to Kent’s house.
She knew that Kent didn’t know what to expect next. He had told her about the way his mom’s pastor always preached at him every chance he’d gotten.
“You know Kent that my dad has never tried to push you into anything to do with church.”
When he nodded, she went on. “And he won’t today either. All he’s going to do is help you with your finances. Okay?”
They waited in a sort of peaceful silence for her dad to get there. Grace was still feeling excited that Kent was making so much progress. Soon, her dad was there with them in Kent’s family room.
She was pleased when all her dad did at first was to walk up to Kent and pull him into a loose hug.
“Congratulations Kent. I’m sure you will never regret the decision you made this afternoon.”
When Kent looked for Grace, she stepped up to him and allowed him to place his arm around her shoulders.
“Now, Kent, why don’t we go to your table so we can get started on organizing your debts and begin planning a budget that will allow you to get caught up as quickly as possible.”
Two hours later, Grace’s dad was going out the door and she could tell that Kent seemed to be much more relaxed than she’d seen him since she’d been back in Strawberry.
As soon as the door closed and they were alone, Kent turned to her and said, “I sure hope your dad was right when he said the bank would give me a second mortgage to pay off all my overdue stuff.”
She grinned back at him and said, “Sure they will. The bank president is one of the deacons at our church. And besides, I’m sure they would anyway since you have quite a bit of equity in your house.”
Just then, the girls came running into the living room hand in hand. They had spent the last hour or so in Michelle’s room and Grace wondered if maybe they’d heard any of what had been said around Kent’s kitchen table.
She was thoroughly surprised when Michelle stopped in front of her and said, “Are you going to be my mommy now too?”
Grace blushed and looked at Kent. She quickly saw that she wasn’t going to get any help from him. He was trying to keep from laughing but managed to say, “Yes, Grace, are you going to be my little girl’s new mommy?”
Brianna jumped up next to Michelle. “Yes Mommy. So me and Michelle can be sisters for real now.”
Grace looked down at Brianna, then to Kent, and finally back to Michelle’s uplifted face. She found the same expectant, almost pleading look on all three faces. How could she disappoint all three of them?
But before she could say anything, she burst into tears. Suddenly, she was being embraced by all three of the others. She pulled a tissue out of her jeans pocket and tried to mop up her tears.
Kent, apparently suspecting that she needed a moment to compose herself, said, “Come on girls. Let’s all go into the family room where we can be more comfortable while we talk. Okay?”
Both girls jumped up and shouted as they raced into the family room.
Kent then turned to Grace. “I love you more than I can ever tell you Grace. Will you marry me?”
She knew she should probably wait until Kent had proven that he would now be free from his gambling, but she couldn’t. That would be as if she was doubting God. She knew that once Kent had sincerely asked Christ for help, then the rest was going to go just as they all hoped and prayed that it would.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “Yes, Kent Jackson. I will marry you.”
When she and Kent arrived in the family room, arm in arm, the girls were sitting on a sofa together. Grace looked down at Michelle and said, “Yes, Michelle, I would be happy to be your new mommy.”
Brianna grinned up at Kent and said, “Will you be my new daddy too?”
Kent kneeled down in front of the girls and pulled both of them into a hug. “Yes, Brianna. I will be your daddy if you will be my little girl just like Michelle.”
Both girls squealed and as Kent stepped back, they raced out of the room. But they stopped in the doorway and Michelle said, “Where will we all live?”
Kent looked at Grace and she just smiled back at him. “My house is just a rental.”
Kent then turned back to the girls and said, “Then I guess we’ll all be living here.”
They squealed again and raced away toward Michelle’s room.
Chapter Seventeen
Kent was sitting at his desk after school on Thursday thinking about all that had happened to him since Saturday. Probably the most amazing thing to him was that he and Michelle had gone to church with Grace and Brianna Sunday. Not only that, but he had truly enjoyed it. He’d actually even felt somewhat comfortable. He’d certainly never felt comfortable in any way at his mom’s church. He knew the reason had to have something to do with the fact that the two churches were so much different.
Just as Henry and Grace had assured him, the bank had given him a second mortgage. It had closed yesterday and he had already paid off all of his overdue bills and maxed-out credit cards. Wow! That was absolutely fantastic.
Then, Kent had spent an hour each afternoon with Henry Livingston. He’d been surprised that Henry was doing more than just helping him with his finances. He also seemed to be teaching Kent more about the church and the Bible. And Kent was liking it. Amazing.
He leaned back in his chair and with a smile on his face and wished he could be with Grace right then. Oh yes, he and Michelle had been with Grace and Brianna for supper every night this week. They had alternated homes. One night they’d be at Grace’s house and the next night they’d be at his house. Of course Grace had done almost all of the cooking. But he and the girls had helped ... some.
He couldn’t wait for Grace to agree to set a date for their wedding. Of course, he suspected that she was waiting to make sure he was going to stay away from the casino.
Well, hadn’t he already proved to them that he was definitely walking away from his gambling and all that it had done to him? But, if he was honest with himself, he would have wanted more
proof if he’d been in Grace’s position.
Almost as if his thoughts had conjured her up, he heard a soft knock on his door and when he looked up, there she was shutting the door behind her as she made her way into his waiting arms. Wow! He sure was enjoying all these hugs.
Kent could tell immediately that something was bothering Grace. Sure, she hugged him back but she seemed to be rather tense. He pulled back, looked into her eyes, and could see that she had something to tell him. So, he waited.
“Oh Kent, I just knew that things seemed to be going too well.”
When she didn’t explain what she meant, he prompted her. “What is it Grace? What’s wrong?”
She sat down in the chair next to his desk and he sat back down in his chair.
“It’s Dr. Payne.”
That made Kent’s stomach almost drop to the floor. He knew the guy had been trying to get something on him.
“I just talked to my mom and she told me to warn you that Dr. Payne is going to present some kind of a case against you tonight at the board meeting so he can try to get them to suspend or even fire you.”
Kent saw red for several seconds and couldn’t seem to be able to find his voice at first. Then, he managed to say, “I knew he was scheming something. He even told me he was going to get me fired. But I didn’t take him seriously. He’s tried to get me into trouble with the school board just about ever since I’ve been here.”
“But Kent, we have to do something. He’s doing more than just threatening this time.”
He couldn’t think of a single thing at first. Then, he remembered that he was supposed to go to the church to meet with Henry in a few minutes.
“Okay, Grace. I’m on my way to your dad’s office as soon as I pickup Michelle. Why don’t you come with me and we’ll see what he has to say about this whole mess.”
Grace brightened up and said, “Oh yes, Kent. That’s exactly what we should do. I was so surprised and frightened at first that I didn’t even think of my dad. Let’s go get the girls and we’ll see him together right away.”
Walking Away (The Walking Together Series Book 2) Page 21