Page 79 of A Surefire Love
Mercy shrugged. “People who drink too much. Like that guy who fell into me at The Depot and sprained my ankle. I know you think Mom was one.”
Blaze patted the bed and waited until Mercy sat beside her to continue. “When people hurt, they want to feel better. Drinking can help them forget and have fun. At least that’s what they tell themselves. Sometimes they believe it so much, they don’t see how their drinking hurts other people, so they don’t see how much they need to change. That was Mom, and it could’ve been me.”
Mercy stole a sideways glance at her. “You?”
“That’s what I was writing about. I was angry that I needed to take care of things Mom should’ve taken care of. And that’s the truth. I shouldn’t have had to. But drinking wasn’t the answer—it made everything worse. I just couldn’t see that until one day, God used you to show me how much pain I was causing.”
Mercy’s lips pursed, and her brows lifted.
Blaze wrapped an arm around her. “If it wasn’t for you, Mercy, I don’t think I would’ve gone to church or decided I wanted Jesus. I’m really grateful for you. You saved me, and I love getting to share our lives. Most sisters don’t get to be as close as we are.”
Mercy hugged her back. “I’m sorry I got so angry.”
“I forgive you. And I’m sorry I was so careless.”
“I forgive you.”
Blaze took a deep breath. “Can you tell me about last night? When did you leave? Where did you go?”
Mercy played with her hoodie zipper. “I waited for you to come check on me when you got home, but you didn’t. You just went to bed. So I left. I read a book in the gazebo and then came home.”
The gazebo in the park was about halfway to the church. Nighttime temperatures dropped near freezing this time of year. “Did you go anywhere else? Maybe the church so you could warm up?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Just the gazebo. I put the blanket over my head, and it wasn’t so bad.”
Blaze’s suspicion spiked. She’d assumed a streetlight near the gazebo had provided illumination so Mercy could read one of her paperbacks. “How did you have enough light to read, then?”
Mercy stuck her hand in her backpack and drew out a small light with a clip. A book-light Blaze hadn’t gotten her.
“Where did you get that?”
“Amelia’s mom gave it to me.”
“Okay. Um … how did you get there? To the gazebo?”
Mercy snorted. “Don’t worry, I didn’t steal the car.”
Blaze rubbed her temple. That thought hadn’t even occurred to her. “What about your bike? Did you ride that?”
“No, I walked. I didn’t think of my bike, but the blanket would’ve tangled with the tires.”
That made sense. “Was last night the first time you snuck out?”
Mercy nodded. “And I don’t think I will again. The gazebo isn’t very comfortable.”
Knowing Mercy had left the security of home wasn’t very comfortable either. Blaze would have to be more vigilant. “It’s also not safe for a little girl to be out all night by herself.”
“I’m not that little.”
“Iwould’ve been scared outside like that in the dark.”
“Guess I’m just braver than you.” Mercy grinned up at her. “So. Wanna make pancakes?”
Blaze scoffed. “Not so fast. It’s not okay to sneak out. You’re grounded for the next two weeks.”
“Grounded?”
Blaze nodded as if she wasn’t making this up as she went along. She’d never grounded Mercy before. She’d never been grounded herself. But this seemed like the kind of situation that required a responsible guardian to assign consequences. “You scared me really badly, and that was so dangerous.”
