Page 71 of Lee

He didn’t stand right next to her, leaving about six inches between them, which she appreciated. Like she’d told his mom, he seemed like a nice man, but he just wasn’t the man her heart wanted.

Though earlier she’d been interested in what the sermon might be about, Rori now struggled to keep her mind on the service. She so deeply wanted to understand the faith that surrounded her new life, but the ache in her heart was a distraction.

While the sermon might have been hard for her to grasp, the music once again drew her in, offering her solace and hope. The songs were becoming more familiar to her, though she still needed the words that were projected up on the screen.

The one that touched her the most was the song they’d sung just before the pastor closed the service. Jesus Lover of My Soul. The poetic flow of the words was of a style she never would have thought would appeal to her.

However, its lyrics were a balm to the pain in her heart, especially the second verse.

Other refuge have I none;

hangs my helpless soul on thee;

leave, ah! leave me not alone,

still support and comfort me.

All my trust on thee is stayed,

all my help from thee I bring;

cover my defenseless head

with the shadow of thy wing.

She’d felt alone a lot throughout her life, and the thing that kept drawing her back to church was the idea that regardless of who was or wasn’t in her life, God could be a constant.

Still, when the service ended, she was eager to get away.

“Are you joining us this afternoon?” Jackson asked after they were dismissed.

“Not this time.” Also, she had no idea what the plans for that afternoon were since Lee hadn’t mentioned anything to her about them. “I’ve got some other plans.”

“That’s a shame,” Jackson said, his gaze friendly. His smile grew a bit, then he said, “By the way, you look nice.”

They were words she enjoyed hearing, but Jackson wasn’t the one she wanted to hear them from.

“Thank you for the compliment.” She gave him a smile that felt weak, but she hoped it was enough. “I better scoot. I’ll talk to you later.”

“For sure.”

She ignored the curious look in Jackson’s eyes as she turned and hurried toward the exit of the sanctuary, eager to leave before anyone else tried to stop her. She didn’t have to worry about Essie or Al because they were once again visiting their pregnant daughter for the weekend.

As she stepped into the sunshine, Rori lifted her face to the cloudless sky for a moment. She didn’t want to be cooped up in her apartment all afternoon, so whatever she decided to do, it had to be outdoors.

Though she wanted to explore the area more, Rori needed to have a conversation with Essie first, to see what suggestions she had for where to go. Also, she would prefer to go exploring when Essie and Al were around in case something happened. She knew that they’d come rescue her if need be.

The Halversons would probably help her, too, but they’d already done so much for her. She would hate to have to call on them for more.

Once she got home, she went to her chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of denim shorts and a tank top. It was a hot day, and if she was going to be outside, she wanted to be dressed accordingly.

She took her dress—that she had worn for less than three hours—and carefully hung it on a hanger. Then she placed it on the rod behind all the other clothes in the closet. She didn’t want a reminder of that day, so it was going to hang there for awhile.

After she had changed, Rori went to the kitchen and packed a lunch for herself. She’d been to the library earlier that week—thankfully, they had late hours a few days a week—and gotten herself a library card.

Now she had a stack of books to help pass the time when she wasn’t working, and she looked through them before picking one and putting it in her backpack. She had ebooks on her phone, but sometimes she liked to hold a book as she read it.

When she left the apartment, Rori had her backpack, camera bag, and a blanket that she planned to use to sit on. She’d decided to go back to the park, since that was the outdoor place she knew the best.

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