Page 24 of Rescued Faith

Was it crazy that he loved being there to protect her? If he had his way, he would always be there to watch her back and keep her safe, but considering what she’d just said about her sister, he’d better keep that to himself and play this cool. “We couldn’t have them putting holes in that pretty head of yours.”

“Right.” She chuckled and pulled out her phone. “I better call this in.”

And now she was already on the phone with dispatch.

Within minutes, Olivia Tazwell pulled up in her squad car. “You two can’t stay out of trouble, huh?” She looked at the building behind them. “This is the burning building you barely escaped from?” Her jaw dropped as she stared at the mess behind them. “Penny, you must have nine lives.”

“I think she’s down to seven. Maybe six.” Bryce bent down and picked up one of the casings from the bullets.

“All right, so walk me through what happened.”

After they’d both given statements to Olivia, Bryce debated his next move. Should he leave? Part of him wanted more time with Penny. Maybe she’d elaborate on that apology from earlier. Because maybe if he figured out why she’d left, he could change that part of himself, figure out what it took to be this new creation he was supposed to be. Not that there was a future with Penny.

It would probably be wiser to let the tempting woman go her own way, but when had he ever been considered wise?

“Are you hungry?” he asked her after Olivia had left.

“I should probably go?—”

“Come on. We’re investigating together. Might as well take a lunch break and get back to it.”

She scrunched up her nose as she thought. “I suppose it would save us time to grab something together. As long as there’s an understanding that it’s a work thing, right?”

“Of course. A working lunch.” And if they happened to get into a more personal frame of mind, so be it. Because they still had a lot to sort out about their past.

They settled in a little café tucked in next to a bakery downtown. The collection of random cookie jars on shelves all over gave the place an eclectic, homey feel. The servers still wore uniforms with aprons, and the chalkboard with the day’s specials was hand-drawn. Bryce slid into one of the red vinyl booths across from Penny. The server brought menus and placed water glasses on the Formica tabletop.

Penny looked around. “I don’t remember this place.”

“Been here forever. My grandpa used to bring Logan, Andi, and me here for malts. They’re famous for them.”

“That sounds delicious. I think I know what I’m ordering.” She set the menu down.

As she did, Bryce looked up to see John McClelland, a retired plumber and one of the guys he’d met at a Bible study, walking toward them. He carried his tattered Bible and wore one of his many Christian T-shirts.

“Bryce! How’s it going?”

“Hey, John.”

“Who do you have here?” He smiled brightly down at Penny and held out his hand, which she graciously shook, although Bryce didn’t miss the hesitancy in her own smile.

“This is my…friend, Penny Mitchell,” Bryce said.

“Hi, Penny. I’m John. Nice to meet you. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m on my way to the food shelf for my shift. Will we see you Thursday night, Bryce?”

“Uh, I think so. Unless I get called into work. We’ve been busy lately.”

“Right. Take care and I’ll see you when I see you.” He left with a wave, the little bell above the door jingling at his exit.

Penny stared at Bryce, one eyebrow quirked. “So…how do you know him?”

Her words about her sister earlier came back to him.

She’s gotten weird all of the sudden. She’s talking about God and praying and…hugging.

So maybe this wasn’t the best time to get into his own rather new relationship with God. “I met John at a function with my mom. There’s a group of guys that meets up weekly, and I bring my dad sometimes. John’s a nice guy.”

She seemed to accept his explanation. The waitress took their orders and left. They kept the conversation light while waiting for their food. It wasn’t long before the same waitress plopped a plate of thick, shiny french fries and a chocolate malt in front of Penny, and Bryce’s cheeseburger and onion rings in front of him.

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