Page 10 of Organized Chaos

“It did.” She bounded to her feet and followed him. “Until you almost ended up with decade-old peaches down your collar.”

She deserved the grunt he gave her while he resumed his seat on the boxes.

“How are you in such a good mood about all this?” Phillip asked.

Sarah lifted her shoulders and let them fall. “Life happens. I’ve always been the type to roll with it. No sense getting bent out of shape over things you can’t change.” She watched him from the side. “Why does it worry you so much?”

“Because I can’t control it.” He scrubbed both hands through his hair. It was amazing how well she could see after hours in the dark. She saw every detail of his face, from the worry creasing his forehead to the slim amount of anger that tightened his hands when he lowered them to his sides. “It’s mortifying. I’m stuck inan old cellar, and I can’t get out. I have to sit here and wait for rescue.”

“Not necessarily.” She was about to say more when her toe caught on the corner of a shelf and she grabbed the nearest object to keep her balance. The object turned out to be Phillip’s shoulder. He eyed her hand, his gaze narrowed.

Sarah hardly noticed. Her attention focused on a slim line of brown resting under the edge of the shelf. She lifted a trembling hand and pointed. “Snake.”

Phillip moved so fast she felt the wind as he whipped past her. His hand gripped her arm and dragged her backward. “Get out of strike range.” His breath whispered over her ear. He put himself between her and the impending danger.

The move forced Sarah to look past the polished exterior and see the potential hero hiding under the pressed shirt and shiny shoes. She had to admit the view was pretty nice from this side of the dilemma. Except for their slithery friend waiting a handful of strides away.

Fear poised her into fight or flight mode. Her hands curled and her feet shuffled. Her body and mind argued the validity of going after the snake versus running away. Where would they go?

Phillip leaned forward and squinted.

Sarah grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled. “Don’t go near it. If you get bitten…” The rest of the thought trailed off. “I’m not sucking poison out of you.” She made her voice harsh enough that Phillip glanced back at her, eyebrows raised.

He tugged her hands free before her grip pulled the shirt collar tight enough to strangle him. “I’m just going to check something.” He plucked a jar from the nearest shelf, then leaned down again. With a gentle push, he sent the jar rolling toward the snake.

Sarah scrambled backward. Her knees hit a shelf and she cracked the back of her neck on another shelf as she landed inside the shelving unit. She jerked her feet up and held her knees under her chin. “You really are crazy.”

Phillip’s eyes shone and he cracked a smile while facing her. He stared at her and walked backward, toward the snake.

“What are you doing?”

He reached down and grabbed the snake, then flung it between them. “Catch.”

The wooden handle sailed harmlessly through the air and clattered onto the dirt.

Sarah let out a great whoosh of breath, then jumped to her feet. She ran at Phillip and smacked the back of her hand against his arm. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“That’ll be easy. I doubt I’ll ever see you again after this.” His shoulders dropped along with his smile. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“Eh.” Sarah lifted a shoulder. “I deserved it.” She rubbed at her neck. “We have to find a way out.”

“There isn’t one.” Phillip’s voice held the slow cadence of a man who knew the truth and wasn’t afraid to spill the bad news. He tempered the moment with a gentle squeeze to her arm. “Sarah, I’ve been in this cellar off and on my whole life. If there was another way out, I’d know about it.”

“I can’t believe that.”

“What?” He scoffed. “You still think I’m a serial killer or something?”

“No,” she objected. “But I’m too optimistic to believe we’re going to die down here. There’s a way out. We just have to trust God and find the right path.”

Phillip stiffened beside her, his head snapping upward and surprise widening his eyes. She waited for his rebuttal. She’dgotten used to hearing the scorn when she brought God into any conversation. Phillip blinked. Stared at her. Blinked again.

“You believe in God?”

It was her turn to scoff. “Not just believe.” She put a hand over her heart. “Born-again Christian.”

Phillip’s mouth worked but no sound came out. If she’d known talking about God was what it would take to shock him into silence, she’d have brought it up earlier.

“Me too.” He whispered several seconds later. A true grin stretched wide and put a twinkle in his eyes. “Imagine that.”

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