Page 3 of Blessings in Disguise

“It only happened last week. Everybody agreed to giving him a second chance. I’m hoping I can reach him this time.”

“I’m sure you did your best. Some kids are harder to reach than others. I had a youth pastor work with me and he couldn’t help them all.” Maybe because he was too busy stealing Caleb’s wife. “Do you have any kids?”

“None. In fact, I’ve never married.”

He feigned recoiling. “I’m shocked! What is wrong with the men in Westwood?”

She laughed at the compliment. It was both innocent and sexy at once.

Caleb asked, “Shall we order first before we talk?”

She checked her watch. “I’ve got 90 minutes. So either is fine.”

“Talk first.” The waitress came over. “Hello, I’m Marlena, your server.”

“Hi, M-Marlena.” Caleb struggled to keep himself from reacting. “I-” He cleared his throat. “I’ll have coffee to start.”

“Me, too.” When the waitress left, Gemma asked, “What happened just now, Caleb?”

He cleared his throat. “Marlena was my ex’s name. It’s an unusual one.”

She reached over and covered his hand with hers. “I’m afraid I heard rumors.”

“I’m not surprised. Word spreads in Westwood.”

She shook her head. “I can’t imagine how traumatic it was to have a church blow up in front of your eyes.”

He felt himself close down. “I can’t talk about that, Gemma.”

“All right. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“Don’t be sorry. This is all on me. Now, you have to tell me something personal about you.”

Uh-oh. She wasn’t used to sharing either. But she blurted out, “I was falsely accused of plagiarism in my early career.”

He sighed. “This world. It can be heartbreaking to live in.”

“It can be. Thank God there are good psychologists like us to help people figure out their lives.”

He couldn’t keep himself from asking, “Do you believe in God?”

“I believe in a higher power. Not sure what its scope is, though.” Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t?”

“Not anymore. I lost God in that blast, too.”

* * *

She’d blown it. She asked about his personal beliefs after he told her he wasn’t ready to talk about his past. The rest of the meal was stilted and he apologized at the end.

“I’m sorry, Gemma,” he’d said after he insisted on paying the bill. “I ruined our lunch.”

“No. We talked about the pros and cons of a big practice and that’s what you called about.” She squeezed his arm. “I hope whatever you do, you’re happy.”

He sighed heavily. “I should go. Thanks.” He stood and walked away.

She waited until she was sure he’d left, then she stood and headed out of the restaurant. She had extra time so she walked down Main Street remembering when she first got here. She’d thought Westwood was smothering and decided she couldn’t live in the town. So she settled in Syracuse. But the commute got to her so she moved here six months later. Now, she lived on a hill near the lake. And actually, she’d learned to love the cozy little place.

“Gemma, hey.” Annie and Diego Rodriguez stopped to greet her. She’d been distracted so she didn’t see them coming. She noticed they were holding hands.

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