Page 126 of Jep

Jep hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time, but this new kid had a way of bringing the best out in all of them. Even Slate. He could remember seeing something in Bryce that day at the park when he’d saved him from being beaten up by the drug dealers, even though he’d had him arrested. It was a lifetime ago, but seeing him away from all of that, it was clear now that God was calling the boy to more. And Jep had the honor of being a part of that.

The sound of someone clearing their throat had them all looking toward the front of the workshop.

“Em?” Jep said, his mouth dropping open. He closed it when he realized his heart might jump out.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” she said, hesitant to step in any farther.

“No. Not at all.”

Bryce snickered, and Jep elbowed him but didn’t take his eyes off Em. He’d thought about her a lot since he’d come back, wondering if he should have made himself clearer about wanting to see her again. Wanting more, actually, but he didn’t want to push.

“I noticed you have a lot of cars outside waiting to be serviced,” she said, taking a few steps and looking around.

“Yeah. We’ve had an increase in support. Probably because I’m putting more effort into it. You remember Bryce?”

“We know each other?” Bryce said, stepping forward with a wide grin on his face. “I’m sure I would have remembered.” He pulled off his baseball cap and squeezed it to his chest.

“She’s the reason you’re still alive,” Jep said.

Em looked confused. “It’s nice to meet you, Bryce. I’m afraid I can’t remember either.”

“Sure you do,” Jep said. “When you first came here and dragged me away from this place, you saw what was happening in the park. Those guys were about to give Bryce a beating.”

“Oh, you’re that kid.”

“I’m not a kid.” Bryce straightened.

Slate rubbed the top of his head. “Sure you are.”

She looked at Jep. “How’d you manage that one?”

“I told him to give me a call if he wanted to change his life around. He called.”

“Smart move, Bryce,” she said. “I think you’ve got a lot of potential.”

“What makes you say that?” Bryce said.

“You like to lift up those around you,” she said. “That’s a good quality in a leader.”

“I miss this,” Jep said. “Your insight. You’re not looking for work, are you? ’Cause I know you couldn’t possibly be here to recruit me again.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. But you said I should come by some time, so I am.”

He could see how nervous she was. That could mean she was here for more than a casual visit. His heart beat faster. “I’m glad you came.”

“Yeah?”

When she bit her lip to hold back her smile and looked at the floor, his confidence rose. He hadn’t come right out and prayed that God would send her, but of all the women he’d ever known, Em stood out as someone he wanted to be with more thananyone else. Spending the rest of his life with her seemed like a dream.

“I can see you ditched the work clothes this time.” The skinny jeans and loose blouse looked better than it should have.

She lifted a foot to show off her sneaker. “I did learn a few things from you while we worked together, like dressing for the occasion.”

“You look good.” His eyes dropped down her body and then back up, catching her gaze flicking across to the boys, who were miraculously watching silently behind him. Probably because they didn’t want to miss the show.

“Ignore them,” he said.

Slate punched Bryce lightly on his arm. “Come with me. I wanna show you something.”

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