Chapter 24
Raine stopped midstride between the hedge and Canteen and peered at Drew.
He stood beside a white pick-up truck as it pulled to a stop in the grassy parking lot. Sam.
Her heart seized into a rock. It was late Friday, five days since she’d watched a cleaned up Drew leave for Sam’s. Sam must be in town for the weekend. That meant she’d be coming to campfire, the only time Raine couldn’t avoid being alone with Drew, the time she longed for each day.
Sam slid out of the truck and leaned toward Drew.
He looked up and caught Raine staring. He gripped Sam’s elbows, still holding her gaze over Sam’s shoulder. She waved, trying to appear like everything was normal, and stepped out of sight behind the hedge.
Oh, God. How was she going to do this? Watching Drew touch Sam was going to kill her. She folded her arms across her waist willing herself to pull it together.
“Raine!” Aly’s voice jarred her. “Hey, what’s the matter with you? You look awful.”
She pressed her lips together to keep them from quivering.
Aly looked around, her gaze stopping at the parking lot. “Does this have something to do with Drew and the hottie with the pick-up?”
She nodded, not wanting to totally lose it in front of Aly. Finally, she took a shaky breath. “He’s trying things again with his ex.”
“And this bothers you, why?”
She shot Aly a how-stupid-can-you-be look.
“Oh.”
Aly glanced back toward the parking lot. “They’re having, like, this mondo discussion, hands waving.” Aly looked at her. “So, this is why you didn’t completely fall for Cal. I told you Drew’s teasing meant he was into you.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Does it look to you like he’s into me?”
Aly glanced back at Drew and Sam. “They’ve calmed down. But they’re talking, not touching or giving each other gaga looks.”
“How am I going to survive the rest of the summer seeing Drew with the girl he’s been in love with for six years?”
Aly whistled softly.
“How am I going to get through campfire tonight with her there?”
Aly tugged her by the arm. “Let’s get out of here. I’ve got something to take your mind off Drew for a few minutes.”
“Good luck with that.”
Aly shot her a grin. “Trust me.”
She looked over her shoulder into the parking lot as Aly pulled her from behind the hedge.
Drew and Sam wrapped their arms around each other.
Aly followed her gaze. “Come on. You don’t want him to see you spying on him.”
“It’s too late.”
Aly hooked an arm through hers and pulled her close. “I need you to practice your missionary thing on me.”
“Are you saying this to blast me out of a mega pity party?”
Aly jerked her head firmly back and forth. “Nope. I’ve been doing a butt load of thinking this week, and I’ve got questions even the preacher’s kid can’t answer. I’d ask Kallie—”
“You’re speaking to your sister?”
“Yeah, I forgot to tell you. Kallie had Braxton Hicks contractions last night while Jesse was doing campfire and called me in a panic to take her to the hospital.” Aly shot her a ‘who knew?’ look. “We made up.”
“Wow.”
“Huge, I know.” Aly sat on the steps of their cabin, and she sank down beside her.
Aly turned toward her, her gaze intense. “Here’s the deal. I’m done having sex till I’m married—if I ever get married. Cal’s a v—never mind. I wish I’d never gone down that road.” She gazed off into the distance across the athletic field where the teens were playing flag football and back at her. “Can God wipe out my guilt?” Aly’s eyes begged for an answer.
Please, God, help me say the right thing. “Yeah, He can.”
Hope tinged Aly’s expression. “I used to sit in the dark sometimes and listen to Jesse preach when they had church around the campfire. He talked about Jesus paying for our sins. I’ve always felt like my sins were too big, or too many.”
“Here’s what God says, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ Believe it, Aly. It’s true.”
Aly stared at the flash of red and orange flags, kids darting down the field. “It’s a fight to believe that.”
“That’s why I memorized the verse.”
Aly looked back at her. “You know, that’s my favorite thing about you. You screw up.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“No, really. If God loves you, then maybe He can love me.”
Tears sprang to Raine’s eyes.
“You’re thinking about Drew.”
“I’m thinking you did make me forget Drew for a while.”
Aly smirked. “Told you so.”
#
Drew met Sam as she pulled into the parking lot. She’d come home for the weekend. Wasn’t this what he’d wanted since they broke up? Ironic, now that his dream was coming true, his heart wasn’t in it anymore.
Sam smiled at him. “Hi.” Her feet touched down on the ground and she leaned toward him like she was going to kiss him. Over her shoulder he saw Rainey and locked eyes with her. He gripped Sam’s elbows to stop her from kissing him. He wanted to kiss Rainey, not Sam. No way was he kissing Sam in front of Rainey.
Sam looked over her shoulder, following Drew’s gaze.
Rainey waved and moved behind the hedge.
“What’s going on between you and Raine?”
He blew out a breath. “Absolutely nothing.”
Sam eyed him for a long moment. “Spill.”
“I don’t want to get into this.”
“Look, Drew, if there’s some kind of triangle going on here, don’t I have a right to know?”
“I wouldn’t be asking you out if there was somebody else. I’ve barely been on a date since we broke up.”
“Don’t snow me. I went to kiss you ‘hello’ like we always used to—”
“Maybe I want to take things slower this time. Get it right.”
“We’re never going to get it right if you’re keeping secrets.”
“Geez, Sam—”
“Samantha.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic.”
She got in his face. “You want to get back together so we can argue?”
He jammed his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “No. No I don’t.” He could feel the fight woosh out of him. “I care about Raine, but she’s in love with someone else.”
“Is that what this is all about? Why you Facebooked me in the first place? Trying to make her jealous?”
“You know me better than that. I don’t play those kind of games.”
“Then explain to me why you asked me out when you have feelings for someone else. Make me understand.”
This was the last thing on earth he wanted to tell Sam.
“Well?”
She was going to think he was a nutcase.
“I mean it, Drew. If you’re not going to level with me, I’m out of here. And don’t bother to come back for another try.”
He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Back when we were together, I thought God told me to marry you.”
Sam’s eyes widened in shock.
“All these years I’ve never been sure. Did God tell me that, or was I so in love with you I imagined it? I still don’t know.”
“I had no idea.”
“I didn’t want to tell you. I sound like some kind of spiritual freak.”
Sam smiled. “I don’t know, even if you were wrong. It’s kind of sweet.”
“Raine’s in love with someone—has been the whole time I’ve known her. Nothing’s going to happen there. If you were willing, I had to at least revisit our relationship. I need to move past that question mark one way or the other.”
Sam was quiet for a long time. Finally, she said. “I won’t
date you while you’re in love with someone else. That’s too much to ask. I wish you’d come clean with me from the start.”
“You’re right.” A bud of hope pushed through the ground. She was going to dump him. The freedom to love Rainey, to at least pursue her, thumped in his chest.
“If you get Raine out of your system, give me a call. If I’m free, we’ll talk. Does that sound fair?”
He drew her to him. “More than fair.” He held on, his soul brimming with gratitude. He loosened his hold. “Thanks, Sam—Samantha.”
She stepped away, and a moment later she tossed him a half-smile and drove away.
He watched the dust kicked up by her tires. Sam had released him, but had God?
#
Raine surveyed the beach. She’d waited till the last possible moment to come down to campfire. The sky had already tinted rose, purple, and burnt orange.
Drew stood beside the fire staring into the flames—alone. Where was Sam? Had she gone to visit her mother?
She folded her arms over the quiver in her stomach. With everything in her she wanted Drew to believe it was fine with her he was getting back with Sam. She should be happy for him. When you love someone, you want what’s best for him. It sure looked like Sam was best for him.
She coughed to let Drew know she was nearby.
He looked up. “Hey, Rainey.” He smiled warm and wide, and wrapped warmth around her like an Indian blanket.
“Sorry, I’m running a little late. We need to pray for tonight.” She bowed her head. “Lord, please use the music to soften the kids’ hearts, and use Drew’s words to draw them close to You. Thanks so much for the awesome spiritual conversation Aly brought up today.”
“Amen.” Drew looked at her, brows lifted, waiting for an explanation.
“Aly says she’s beginning to believe God might love her.”
“Awesome.” Drew put his hand up for a high five.
She laughed and slapped his hand. He grabbed hold of her fingers. “I’m proud of you.”
Drew’s touch lit a fuse in her, and she snatched her hand away. She heard the kids jumping off the seawall onto the beach behind her.
“How’s Cal?”
She rifled through the information Aly had told her about Cal. “He’s got a place to stay, thinks he can get his job back at Stoney’s Tattoo, he’s working on a new painting this week, staying sober.”
The counselors herded their children into place around them.
“That’s great.” Drew picked up his guitar and played softly. He gave her another smile, a melancholy shadow of the one he’d given her earlier. She looked up toward the road for Sam, but didn’t see her.
She sunk down on the sand in the middle of a group of girls who were building a sand castle while they waited for the rest of the cabins to arrive. She stole a peek at Drew. He caught her, and she looked back at the girl who was chattering at her. She felt like she was in junior high again, mooning after Drew. Only now it hurt. Unbearably. She wrenched around and looked for Sam again.
#
Raine woke up. Something buzzed. Her phone on the table beside her head. She reached for it, her motion clumsy from sleep. Eddie. She glanced at the clock. Three in the morning. Terror shot adrenaline through her body. She flipped the phone open. “What?”
“I’m freakin.’ Come out to the beach by camp. I need you. I need you bad. You’re the only one I can trust. Come alone. I need you Rain-ee.” She heard the quiver in his voice. He was high.
God, don’t let him be tweaking. She forced her voice to be calm. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
She pulled on sweats over her sleep shirt, grabbed the tennis shoes from under her bed, and tip toed out of the room.
Chapter 25
Raine squinted at the brightness of the camp sign as she walked by, heading for the beach. This was the first time Eddie had called her in the middle of the night. Something wasn’t right. He sounded desperate. Oddly, she wasn’t afraid. She hadn’t been afraid of him since she forgave him. Warmth bubbled up inside her despite everything. She would finally get to spill her forgiveness out on Eddie. How could he help but feel her love for him?
She yawned and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. Part of her mind stretched to remember the research paper she’d done on tweaking when she was in high school. Mom let her choose her topics even though she thought Raine had a morbid curiosity about drugs, methamphetamine in particular.
Night’s dampness crept toward her from the openings of her sweatshirt, and she pulled her hands inside the sleeves. Was he tweaking—what she’d dreaded for years—his loading up on more and more meth till it ceased to give him the euphoria he was after? If Eddie was tweaking, she would need to pop her hands back out to keep them in plain sight. Paranoia was a common symptom. She would need to do anything she could to keep from frightening him. Weird when she’d been the one afraid of him for so long.
The wind tossed the tops of the pines and drove thick clouds across the sky, hiding the moon and stars. She could make out the outline of the bathhouse and shed beyond the streetlights.
Jesus, fill me with Your ability to communicate love and forgiveness to Eddie. Give me wisdom in how to deal with him. Make this a turning point for him away from drugs. Please.
She dropped off the seawall onto the sand. “Eddie? I’m here. Where are you?”
#
Drew heard the ping from his phone that he got a text message. He’d been tossing and turning all night anyway.
Aly. Raine meeting Eddie in five. Don’t know where. Afraid for her.
Alarm slammed through his body. Meth addicts were dangerous, and Eddie had already done violence to Rainey. He wasn’t taking any chances. He grabbed his phone, dialing 911 on his way out of the cabin. He filled in the operator as he sped across the athletic field. “My first guess is they’re meeting at the beach, but it could be anywhere a five minute walk from the camp. The guy has a history of violence.”
The dispatcher told him to stay connected. He tossed his phone into the pocket of his gym shorts and took off at a dead run for the beach. He hoped he guessed right. Rainey’s life could be in danger if he got it wrong. His mind blocked out the ground shells and pebbles under his bare feet. Keep Rainey safe. Help me find her.
#
Aly uncurled herself from the ball she’d clenched into after texting Drew. He’d sent her a one letter answer, k. The way Raine worried about Eddie, she didn’t trust him. Not one stinking bit. Meth addicts were capable of anything.
She slid over the edge of her bunk, stepped on Raine’s mattress and knelt on the floor.
God, I know You haven’t heard much from me. But I’m scared. Keep Raine safe. She’s totally into You. Do it for her sake.
She made the sign of the cross and climbed into Raine’s bed to wait.
#
Only the rhythmic crash of the waves answered Raine. The wind picked up, and she rubbed her arms—a feeble attempt to dispel the chill of fear crawling through her clothes.
“Eddie?”
“Over here.”
She turned toward the sound of his voice and saw her brother backlit by the neighborhood lights in the distance.
In case he was tweaking, she stopped about ten feet from Eddie. No need to make him feel threatened. “I’m so glad to see you. It was creeping me out being here in the middle of the night. I wanted to talk to you for the past week. This is going to sound weird, but I wanted to tell you how much I love you—to ask your forgiveness for being angry and resentful toward you over the meth. Will you forgive me?
“Sure, Raine, whatever. I appreciate the sentiment. But I’m in crisis here. I’ve been up for days.” He sounded perfectly sane.
“How many?”
“I don’t know. Five. Maybe six. What does it matter?”
Tweaking. Oh, God, help me.
He pulled something out of his pocket. “I need more cash. A lot of cash.”
It took a heartbeat for her mind to registe
r the metal object glinting in Eddie’s hand was a gun aimed at her. “Where did you get that?” She forced calm into her voice.
“Camp office when I was looking for money.”
“How did you get in?”
“Same as last time. Jimmied the lock. Piece of cake.”
“Don’t point that at me. I’m your sister.” She slowed her speech, hoping that made her sound calm.
“I need a lot of cash.”
She suddenly saw Drew back by the camp sign sprinting flat-out toward them. Panic flushed through her.
“I need meth.”
“Here comes Drew training for his triathlon in the middle of the night again. The guy is obsessed.”
Eddie whipped his head around.
Drew came to a stop on the seawall, his head darting back and forth, his eyes not yet adjusted to the darkness on the beach. His breath came in loud gasps.
“Hey, Drew.” She moved quickly toward him willing Eddie not to shoot.
Drew jumped down from the seawall and came toward her.
“I was telling Eddie about your freakish, middle-of-the-night training for that triathlon at the end of the summer.”
“Yeah,” Drew said between breaths. His arm went around her shoulders, and she could tell the exact moment he saw Eddie’s gun by the clench of his fingers into her arm. He shoved her behind him.
She scrambled around in her mind for something that would keep Eddie from shooting Drew. “Come on, Eddie, this is silly. I’m your sister. Drew is your future brother-in-law. Put the gun down and let’s talk.”
“I don’t trust him.”
“Yeah, well, he’ll grow on you like he did on me.” She could feel Drew’s breathing slowing to normal. His being close was helping her hold it together.
“We’re going back to camp.” Eddie’s voice quivered.
“I’ve got five hundred dollars I was planning on giving you last week—Tuesday when you didn’t show.”
“Times ten. We’ll take a cabin, the youngest kids, and hold them hostage till the camp coughs up money.”
Kicking Eternity Page 22