Page 14 of Look for Me

Ironically, four years later, Corinne herself was also a Christian now. She had asked God to forgive her for sleeping with Martin—albeit before either one of them became believers of Jesus Christ.

According to the pastor at Wanda’s church, when she sincerely asked God to forgive her, He would.

Psalm 103:12 drove the point home for Corinne.

As she carried the sleepy Dahlia down the hallway to their small bedroom, Corinne remembered the verse, and whispered it in her daughter’s ear. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

So. Is there hope left for Martin and me?

Why else would he come to town?

Chapter Six

It was too hot outside. Instead of walking off the fudge he ate, Martin took a nap, waking up long after the sun had set and the moon had risen over the ocean—to a text message from his sister Tina.

Martin washed his face and called her back. She was resting in her sunroom, she said, with her two-year-old, while Byron Moss was down the hall in his home office, preparing for his Bible Study lessons at church.

Martin was happy for his sister’s joyous marriage four years ago—one day after he became a Christian and one day before Corinne walked out on him.

“How did it go?” Tina asked. “I waited all afternoon for you to call.”

“I took a nap and just got up.”

“How long is the nap?”

“I don’t know.” Martin checked his phone. “Wow. It’s nine o’clock. I can’t believe I slept so much. Six hours.”

“You must be tired from all that driving.”

“Yeah. Must be. Now I could be up all night.” He yawned. “Or not.”

Martin could hear his niece laughing in the background. He padded to the couch by the sliding glass door that led to a small balcony facing the ocean.

Slowly, he explained what had transpired at the Key Largo Chocolate Shop, how Corinne took one look at him entering the shop and passed out in front of everybody.

“Don’t give yourself too much credit,” Tina said.

“Okay, let me add that she had been sitting outside in the hot sun eating lunch just before I entered the store. Maybe the sun was too hot and made her pass out. I think she needs to see a doctor to sort it out.”

“That’s not your job, is it?” Tina asked. “It’s her problem if she needs to see a doctor.”

Martin wondered if he should make it his problem.

Tina didn’t give him time to think. She had already moved on to the next question. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll go back to the shop tomorrow.” Martin wondered about the futility of such an action.

“What if she doesn’t want to see you?”

“That happened today.”

“Will tomorrow make any difference?”

“Maybe I scared her.” Martin sighed. “I don’t want to cause her trouble. I just want to talk.”

“The Corinne I knew was pretty tough—except for that time when she passed out in your hospital room.”

“You told me.”

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