Page 124 of Hidden Ascent

“I can’t remember telling you that.”

“It was the first day we met. I was dealing with some issues in my team, and I had gotten lost in the drama. You helped pull me out of it. If you’re confused about Jemi, I’d say you’re letting fear get the better of you.”

“You sound like my wife. Annoying, but right.”

“She’s a smart woman.”

“Let’s go inside. I’ll finish up dinner, and you can keep Jemi company.”

“I wanted to say—” She stopped him before he went through the door. “Thank you.”

“You already said.”

“No. I mean, thank you for showing me what a loving father is like. Not everyone gets that chance. You’re always there for me, encouraging me and doing what you can. I know I can trust you and count on you, and that helps me see who God really is in my life. I struggled to see it before. But you show me what that looks like.”

He nodded, then went inside. Despite her disappointment about Jay leaving, she felt a great comfort knowing that God had good things in store for her future. She had a huge door open up in front of her to explore a life with God right by her side.

* * *

Isla knocked on the door, her heart in her mouth. It had been several months since she’d been back to Peter and Jemi’s house. It was only supposed to be a month before Peter gathered the group together, but with clashing calendars, it had taken almost three months before they could set a date. She hadn’t spoken to any of them besides Peter and Jemi in that time. She had thought she was over Jay, but knowing he was close, she realized how much she had been looking forward to it.

The door opened, and Peter pulled her into a big hug. “You’re looking fantastic.”

“Am I? I feel a little frazzled.”

“Bad day at work?”

“Not bad, busy.”

“Well, come in and take a load off. The others are already here.”

“I’m late?”

“Nope, they were early.”

Peter led her to the living room, and she waved to the room. “Hey guys.”

“Isla, great to see you again,” Charlotte said. Will was sitting beside her, and she had her legs draped across his lap. “Come sit down. We were talking about when Will and I had to escape out the window after opening Sharpe’s safe. I’m not a fan of heights, but here we are. Peter said everything’s turned out really well since then.”

“It has. But I’m glad we have this chance to catch up. You guys left before I could say thank you properly.”

“No need,” Maddy said. “We enjoyed ourselves.”

“You enjoyed almost dying?” Isla said.

“Did you notice how quickly I got to you when the shooting started?”

“Yeah. You beat me to it. I should have been the one to cover you.”

“That’s what I mean. My reaction time was superb. I wasn’t sure if I was fully recovered since I had been hospitalized, but that was the perfect trial. Thank you so much.”

Isla looked at Charlotte. “Is she always like this?”

“Always. She loves that stuff. The riskier the better.”

“Glad I could be of service. So, uh, where’s Jay? He’s not here yet?”

“He couldn’t make it,” Peter said. “I was going to reschedule, but he didn’t want me to. Asked if I’d go ahead without him.”

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