Page 25 of Bidding on a Second Chance
“There was a deer and a patch of ice. Cody towed me out, no harm done.”
“Yesterday? And you didn’t tell me?”
“Like I said, I’m fine. The truck is—the deer, even.” He ran his thumb over the splintered finish. “And I can patch this up with a little filler, good as new.”
“But you had to get towed out? You should’ve told me. Was it steep?” Her hand pressed against her chest, and he knew her heart was pounding away beneath her palm. “What if you’d flipped?”
He placed his hands on her shoulders, looked her in the eyes, and willed her to calm down. “I’m fine, and I’m going to stay that way.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” The whites of her eyes turned suspiciously pink. And all over concern for his safety? After everything? “No one can promise anything. That’s what I’ve been trying to say. The things we love make us vulnerable.” She shrugged her shoulders in a move that seemed geared toward creating distance.
He let his hands fall away from her shoulders. He wouldn’t force a connection she didn’t want.
No. She wanted connection. He was almost sure.
She just didn’t feel safe loving people. Maybe that’s why her social circle was pretty bare bones—she was only close with a few immediate family members, Lucy, and, recently, him. Even if they would never build a future together, he did have an opportunity almost no one else had to speak into her life.
“Okay. You’re right. I can’t make promises about what’ll happen in the future, but I am fine, and I trust God with whatever comes my way.”
“Anyway …” She hoisted a plastic smile. The tears he’d predicted shimmered along her lower lashes. Instead of changing the subject as it’d sounded like she was about to do, she executed a clumsy W-turn to point herself toward the stockroom exit. She was going to leave, toting all that fear and hopelessness with her.
“I’ll come to Thanksgiving,” he said.
She froze, her shoulders at an awkward angle as if she wanted to shrink into herself. As if hearing his offer physically pained her. But she was in pain no matter what he did, and he needed a way to help her. Thanksgiving would be his chance to chip away at his relationship with Bryce, and he might also find a way to help Piper heal too.
“What can I bring?” he persisted.
She lifted a hand to her face, wiping away tears, maybe. Or maybe stalling as she decided whether to reject his offer. “I’ll check with Grandma on the menu.” The concession was a victory for Graham, but her soft and sad delivery dampened the satisfaction.
She was so afraid. What if the Lord had brought them back together to face this? To shed some light and hope into her life?
“Piper, seriously.” He paused, second-guessing himself. Why was he doing this? And was he really in a position to get through to her?
She shot a reluctant look back at him. Fear would be her enemy her entire life if she couldn’t defeat it.
He had to keep trying. “Don’t let fear and worry do this to you. You can trust God.”
“Of course. He’s in control.” But her tone held none of the peace that usually accompanied such statements.
“And He’s good.”
Piper curled her lips in, pressing them together, as she nodded.
“He loves you. You know that, right?”
Another nod, this one accompanied by a sniffle.
He rounded the scooter to stand in front of her. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but your life has good too. Don’t lose sight of it. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Maybe that’s the key here. Focus on what you’re grateful He’s given you instead of the losses or what-ifs or the future.” He watched for signs of her hope returning.
She blinked a tear onto her cheek and angled the handlebars of the scooter as if preparing to go around him. It was almost cute how she thought she could escape.
Graham sidestepped into the way. “Teddy’s pretty cute, isn’t he?”
She let out a little, rueful laugh. “When he sleeps.”
Though he wanted to brush away the tear, the touch seemed more like the sort of thing a boyfriend might do. He settled for a hand on her arm, the sleeve of her sweater soft beneath his fingers. “And your store is pretty great. Most of the town agrees on that.”
A little of the sadness left her expression.
