Page 26 of Gideon

“We’ve run out of ideas.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about me saying anything. My intentions are all good.”

Katrina set Gideon’s food in front of him. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” he said, “but would you mind if I take this to go?”

“Oh. Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”

“I thought you were staying,” Beth said.

“Sorry. I have a few things I need to do. Nikki,” he said, standing. “Would you mind if I had a word with you outside?”

“Sure.” She followed him out. “Is something wrong?”

“You’ve just met this guy.”

“You’re worried about Eric?”

“What if he’s connected to Fairfax? You’ve put the whole town in danger.”

She blanched, but then her face hardened. “He doesn’t work for Fairfax.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve spent the last hour talking to him.”

“Anyone can spin a good tale for an hour.”

“He’s different. He’s not spinning tales. He has a good heart, and he loves Jesus. There’s something about him.”

“What?”

She threw her arms out. “I don’t know. It’s not anything specific, but all I can tell you is a heavy weight has been lifted, and all we’ve been doing is talking. He’s been a breath of fresh air. Even Mom has brightened. You saw her.”

Katrina came out and handed him a bag. “Here you go. Enjoy.”

“Thanks.” He waited a beat until they were alone again. “I did notice how energized Beth was.” He didn’t want to steal that joy away from Nikki, but there was too much at stake. “But just because he knows how to talk doesn’t mean he can be trusted. Con men can be very convincing.”

“You really think Fairfax would hire a conman to talk to my mom and me about God?”

“I think he’ll say what you want to hear until he gets what he wants.”

“You know,youcould have been a spy for Fairfax, but I trusted you.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“I grew up in this town.”

“And then you ran away from it. Why come back now? Maybe because the mayor invited you back.”

“All right. I understand what you’re saying, but I still think you need to be more careful. Keep talking to him about God. Enjoy it. Just leave the delicate information to yourselves.”

“Why do you even care?”

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I?”

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