Page 54 of Love in the Storm

Lyric flipped through the hymnal.The words, notes, and lines were a confusing mess on the pages. She’d never learned to read music, but her mother had a gift. Stupidly hoping to pass her talent along to her daughters, she’d named her first daughter Melody and her second daughter Lyric. Too bad neither of them had pursued their mother’s dream.

“Welcome. Welcome. Open your hymn books to page 537, and we’ll start with one of the classics this morning.”

Lyric’s mouth moved, forming the words without sound as the congregation sang around her. Did God really walk with her as the hymn said? If He did, why was she still so brokenhearted? Was she selfish in hoping He would drop everything else to hold her when she felt like crumbling?

After the first chorus, Lyric gave up pretending to sing. It wasn’t in her heart this morning.

Kendra reached out and grabbed Lyric’s hand, squeezing it tight. She did have one person. She would always have Kendra beside her. And as much as Lyric wanted someone to blame, she knew questioning God wasn’t the answer to her problems. For all she knew, He was working out the fine print of her future right now. It was scary to hope, but she desperately needed something to hang onto.

When the worship service was over and Brother John stood in front of the church, Lyric began squirming in her seat. Shame and regret nagged at her. She’d spent the morning huffing at God for landing her in the situation she was in, and she wanted to hide or run away. The Lord could see her. She knew it. And He knew her heart when no one else did. Why did He have to have a first-class seat to the wreckage of her life?

Brother John’s deep voice filled the room. “Our Father sent us a Savior. That means you needed saving. That means I needed saving. We can’t do any of it on our own.”

Lyric hunched her shoulders. She was definitely doing it on her own, but she was supposed to let God help her. How could He help her? How did she get herself on His list?

“Jesus’s name means rescuer, and His mission was to save us from our sins. Jesus didn’t die for youto be lukewarm about Him or the sacrifice He made for you. Jesus didn’t come to put you in your place. He came to prepare a place for us to call home for all eternity.”

Tears slid down Lyric’s cheeks and landed on her best pair of pants, soaking into the fabric and disappearing as if they’d never been. She’d accepted Jesus into her heart, but everything about following Christ was still so new to her. She shouldn’t doubt Him anymore.

Brother John’s loud voice lowered, and he looked out over the congregation. “He has never lost a battle, and your battle is His battle. He’ll never leave your side.”

Kendra’s arm wrapped around Lyric’s shoulders, pulling her close. She had a battle ahead of her, but she wasn’t fighting alone.

When Kendra first told her she didn’t have to beg or borrow for God’s forgiveness, it hadn’t made sense. It didn’t seem possible, especially since convincing regular people to trust her was always an uphill battle. There had to be a price, right?

Now Lyric could see that the price wasn’t hers to pay. It had already been paid, and she’d been willing to give up mere hours ago. God never gave up on her. She shouldn’t give up on Him.

When the service was over, Lyric wiped her eyes before turning to Kendra. “Go ahead. Let’s get it over with.”

“I’m not going to say I told you so.”

“You just did.”

Kendra grasped Lyric’s shoulder. “I don’t want to be right. I wanted you to hear God’s Word this morning.”

Lyric went in for a full-on hug, breathing in the thick smell of Kendra’s hairspray. It was a scent Lyric had come to associate with happiness and with good reason. She couldn’t ask for a better friend.

19

ASA

Asa stared at the photo on the screen just as he had all week. No wonder he hadn’t recognized Lyric when they’d met at the cabin. She didn’t look anything like the young girl in the mugshot. Blue makeup was smudged around her eyes, her hair was matted, and her smile was mischievous.

It didn’t add up. Why had their paths crossed twice? Was it a second chance? Was it his second chance or hers?

The door to the office slammed, and Asa hurried to minimize the window on his monitor.

Dawson sighed. “Are you still pining over Lyric? Why don’t you just call her already?”

“I’m not pining, and I did call her. A lot.” One of those things was the truth, but he wasn’t so much pining for her as he was missing her.

Dawson flopped down into the nearest chair and pointed a granola bar at Asa. “Dude, you need to perk up. This gloominess is bringing me down. Are y’all gonna talk about things or not?”

Asa looked at the screen again. The window was hidden, but he could still picture Lyric. The image morphed between the messy girl and the beautiful woman. “I don’t know.”

Dawson leaned over the arm of the chair, crowding close to Asa. “How can you not know? I mean, you like her or you don’t.”

“I do like her, but it’s complicated.”

---