Forever Friends Read online

  But was He really? Kassia wondered. She thought about God, the big man in the sky with a long gray beard and flowing white robe that she had accepted as a little girl. The God who gave her comfort and soothed her childhood fears didn’t seem to answer her prayers now that she was an adult. No matter how often she prayed, or how fervently, He had never sent a good man—at least, not one who would be accepting of her and her lapsed faith. Maybe her parents were right. Maybe she wasn’t doing enough to work her way into heaven—or at least into God’s good graces.

  Why couldn’t she be as relaxed about God as Lexie seemed to be? “I talk to God every day,” Lexie once told her. “I feel such a sense of peace when I pray.”

  Lexie wasn’t being self-righteous when she made the admission. Her friend was only trying to describe the spiritual benefits she felt from a close relationship with God. Kassia wondered how Lexie could talk to someone she couldn’t see. How she could feel God’s peace for herself.

  Kassia wasn’t sure about anything at the moment, not even if she wanted to see Teague again.

  “Maybe I should give him a call and tell him the whole idea about going out to dinner was a mistake. He should forget he ever met me. If I did call and cancel the date, I’d be doing both of us a favor.”

  She picked up the cordless phone that sat on the table by the couch. Holding it in her hand, she stared at the number pad. Teague had given her his business card with his personal information written on the back. A short search through her purse and she would have the number—her ticket to putting them both out of any potential misery—misery sure to result from any connection she might form with such a devout man.

  Or would it? Maybe the fact that she and Teague met and then his surprising interest in her were signs she wouldn’t be unhappy after all. She remembered that strange and wonderful emotion she felt when their gazes locked. Was this God’s way of telling her something?

  She let out a huff and mentally slapped herself. Now she was thinking like Lexie!

  An image of Lexie popped into her head. If Kassia broke her date with Teague, she would disappoint Lexie and her old friend, Theo. She had made a promise to Teague, and to break it would be nothing short of rude.

  She placed the phone back in its cradle. “I made a promise, and I’ll keep it. But there won’t be a second date.”

  Two

  The following Saturday night, Kassia halfway watched a rerun on television as she waited for Teague to pick her up for dinner at the Berkley Hotel. This time she wasn’t eating ice cream. She didn’t want to spoil her appetite for what promised to be the best meal she’d had in quite some time. Plus she didn’t want to take a chance on spilling anything on her outfit. She had changed her clothes three times until she finally settled on a long-sleeved red-and-black patterned silk suit with a mandarin-style jacket. Black heels with pointed toes dressed her feet. Her purse was a small black beaded bag in the shape of a fan.

  Her goal in choosing the outfit was to say, “I’m happy to be going out with you to a nice place, but I’m not trying too hard to impress you. And I sure didn’t go out and buy a new outfit just for this dinner.” Which, of course, she had. She just hoped her choice would communicate the message she intended.

  The high collar on the jacket, which was the equivalent of a slit turtleneck, would pass muster in any church. Teague couldn’t think it was too daring. The oriental floral pattern was in good taste. Small embroidered flowers were hardly identifiable from a distance. The suit was too dressy to wear to work but not dressy enough for a formal affair. It was just right for dinner at an upscale hotel. She hoped.

  Why am I agonizing so much and being so careful? Why should I be concerned about what he thinks? I’m not going to see him again.

  Her lips tightened. Maybe she shouldn’t have bothered to try to make any impression at all, even if he was taking her to one of the fanciest places she knew. Maybe a plain dress would have been a better choice. Rising from her seat, she was about to head for her bedroom and search her clothes closet when she heard a knock on the door. Too late. The red-and-black suit would have to do.

  On her way to the door, she couldn’t resist stopping to check her reflection in a convenient wall mirror. The woman staring back at her looked polished. Good. She grabbed the purse she’d left on the table under the mirror and extracted her small perfume bottle. One more spritz should do. She hoped he liked gardenia. The scent had just been introduced by her favorite cosmetic line. Taffy, the saleswoman who always helped her, had assured Kassia that gardenia was a classic scent that was coming back into favor. Kassia tested it on her wrist and decided she liked its statement—feminine but bold.

  Confident she looked as nice as she could, Kassia was ready to meet Teague again.

  ❧

  Teague shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stood in the carpeted hallway in front of Kassia’s green apartment door. He waited for her to answer his knock. What was taking her so long?

  Maybe his secret wish had come true. Maybe she wasn’t home. Maybe she had forgotten. Or maybe she had deliberately stood him up. He couldn’t remember a time when he wished someone would leave him stranded on date night. This had to be a first.

  He studied the bouquet of mixed flowers he had picked up at the grocery store. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought flowers, but his good upbringing compelled him to be considerate under any circumstances. The blooms with their pink, yellow, and white faces stared at him with hope. If Kassia didn’t answer the door, he would give the bouquet to a random woman on the street. The flowers were too pretty not to brighten someone’s day.

  Then again what if it worked out? What if Kassia turned out to be everything he’d always wanted in a woman, and then some? After all, he had been attracted to her beauty the moment he met her at Theo’s rehearsal dinner. And he had been encouraged enough by her interest in him to ask her out in the first place.

  Since a small part of him had always been a dreamer, Teague had imagined what the evening might be like should Kassia prove to be the woman of his deepest desires. He tapped his chest and felt a piece of paper folded in the inner pocket of his blazer.

  Lord, please lead me tonight.

  He was about to knock on the door a second time when it whooshed open.

  Kassia stood before him, a brunette vision in a high-necked shiny red-and-black suit that set off her light complexion. Her lips were coated with a shade of red too daring for his taste, but he had to admit the color worked with the outfit.

  He noticed a heavy scent that reminded him of the floral fragrance his grandma wore. He sniffed the air and realized the overpowering aroma emanated from his date.

  Well, Lord, if You don’t want me to be attracted to Kassia, making sure she reminds me of Grandma was a good idea.

  If only Kassia weren’t such a vision—

  “Are those for me?” She pointed to the flowers.

  “Oh!” He handed her the bouquet and realized that in admiring her he had forgotten to present her with the token. “Yes. Yes, they are.”

  “Imagine that!” She chuckled.

  He couldn’t help but laugh in return.

  “Come on in while I get a vase. Have a seat.” She swooped her arm toward a comfortable-looking couch, then disappeared into the kitchen.

  He wasn’t sure they had much time to linger. Their reservations were for eight, and the hour was already well past seven. He decided to remain standing.

  Kassia reappeared and set the bouquet on the end table by the sofa. “Aren’t they lovely? I’ll think about you every time I see them.”

  “Maybe I should have brought silk then, so they would last longer.”

  “Speaking of silk, nice tie,” Kassia noted.

  Teague looked down at his chest and remembered he had worn his best tie, a geometric patterned red-and-black silk that went well with his charcoal gray suit. The color was similar to Kassia’s dress, so he could see why she was pleased with his choice. “Oh, yeah. Thanks.�
�� He fiddled with the change in his pants pocket. “Nice suit.”

  She looked at her skirt as though trying to remember what she was wearing. “Oh, this thing? I’m glad you like it.”

  He made a point of consulting his watch. “I guess we’d better get going. I made our reservations for eight.”

  ❧

  Now that Teague was standing before her, Kassia wished she had insisted on seeing a movie rather than going to dinner. Then they could have sat in a darkened theater, staring at a screen and munching on popcorn, not needing to talk. Not only that, but the movie itself would have provided a topic for conversation on the way home. A discussion about plot lines and actors would be much safer than anything such as religion—a topic Teague was sure to broach with her before dinner was over.

  Still, the flowers had bought him several brownie points. Maybe she could just think about them should the topic of religion come up. She couldn’t remember the last time a guy, especially on a first date, had been considerate enough to present her with a bouquet. The guys she usually chose were either too broke or too unconventional—or both—to bow to tradition. Remembering the light scent of the flowers, such a special treat in the dead of winter, made her wonder about the wisdom of her previous choices. Maybe this traditional stuff wasn’t so bad after all.

  Or maybe Teague wanted something from her, something she wasn’t ready to give. Maybe he was building up to an emotional commitment she had no intention of following up on. Or even worse, maybe he planned to witness about God to her all night, hoping to bring her back in line with the church. Tightening her lips, she vowed to stay on her guard. She would make it through the evening somehow.

  During the brief car ride to the hotel, Kassia managed to keep the conversation directed toward passing sights in town. When they arrived at their destination, a valet opened the door for her then took Teague’s practical blue car with the care one would give a limo. She hadn’t even entered the building, and already she felt like a queen. Teague took her by the arm as they stepped into a lobby of understated elegance rather than ostentation.

  The dining room was located only a few steps beyond the European-style hotel lobby, where they were greeted by a soft-spoken hostess. The room was dimly lit, with dark wood appointments. The diners themselves possessed a refined, sophisticated air. When Kassia peered in, she noticed almost every table was taken, but the crowd kept its conversation to a low and pleasant murmur. She glanced at the clothing the other women wore. She was relieved to see that her attire fit right in with theirs.

  To Kassia’s delight they were seated next to one of the many windows. She enjoyed watching people walking along the cobblestone street outside. Couples strolled by, hand in hand. Groups of friends dressed for a night out on the town loitered in front of the restaurant across the street. She didn’t mind the fact that they could see her, too, dining with such a handsome man.

  “I think I’ll have the venison,” Teague said, menu in hand.

  “Deer meat? Isn’t that a little adventurous?”

  “If you want to try something different, this is the best place, don’t you think?” he asked. “It’s bound to be prepared properly here.”

  “True. But I think I’ll stick with the filet mignon.” Kassia swallowed. All of the selections were pricey, but to her relief Teague didn’t do a double take or look distressed when he saw the menu. He must have known he was in for an expensive dinner when he asked her. She tried not to think of some of her other dates. Most of the men who had asked her out in the past would never have sprung for such an exquisite meal. She enjoyed being treated like a lady for a change. She realized she was smiling.

  To her surprise he didn’t speak once about spirituality as they talked through the salad course before dinner. Conversation flowed naturally as they learned more about each other.

  “This is really good,” Teague commented over his venison later.

  She looked at the slices of meat drizzled in a rich brown sauce. “I have to admit, it looks better than I thought it would.”

  “Would you like to try some?”

  She held up her hand. “No thanks. I’m not that daring.” She nodded to her plate of beef and sautéed mixed vegetables. “You’re welcome to try some of mine.”

  “I won’t deprive you.” He winked.

  Despite their differing tastes in entrees, Kassia discovered over the course of the evening that they agreed on everything in life that mattered—except perhaps God’s place in everyday affairs. She was thankful Teague didn’t mention Him during dinner. Maybe he wasn’t such a fanatic after all.

  She didn’t even mind talking about work with him, sharing anecdotes about her days as an office manager.

  “I really enjoy my work,” he confessed. “I managed to land a job in my chosen field right after I got out of school.”

  “You’re lucky. Most of the people I know are doing anything but what they majored in during college. But then again computers have been the up-and-coming thing for quite some time now. And I don’t think that’s going to change in the near future.”

  “I hope not. My boss, Will Herring, is great to work for. He just started his company, so I’m getting in on the ground floor.” Teague spoke faster.

  “You sound as if you can’t wait to go to work every morning.”

  “That is exactly the way I was thinking about my job the other day.”

  “I hope you can keep your enthusiasm up to such a level as the years go by.”

  “I hope so, too,” he said. “Sure, the job has its routine like anything else, but for the most part I can feel pretty creative. Right now I’m working on developing a new game.”

  “For personal computers?”

  “Yes, although the company who contracted us might develop a game console system to compete with the others on the market.”

  “Wow! A new game!” Kassia drew in a breath with such force that the burst of air caused a little whistle to escape her lips. “That sounds interesting. I wish I had such talent.”

  “It takes more patience than talent—at least that’s what I think. You just have to stick with it.”

  “Your game isn’t too violent, I hope. Not that I’m meaning to be judgmental or anything,” she added. “But it seems if you’re really serious about being a Christian, you might want to think twice about putting out any computer games at all.”

  He cringed. “Ouch.”

  She looked at her plate. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “It’s just that I’ve had some experiences in churches, and I know not everyone is as they seem.”

  ❧

  Kassia’s opinion took him aback, but at least her expression of doubt helped him understand why she seemed allergic to Christianity. “But most of the people you encountered were dedicated Christians, weren’t they?” Teague asked, hope rising in his voice.

  “Sure, but it’s the ones who weren’t who seemed to be the most memorable.”

  “Isn’t that always the way?” he agreed.

  Teague concentrated on his food for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. His gut feeling told him Kassia had been led to him for many reasons. Surely one was for him to be the Lord’s instrument in helping to counteract her negative view of Christianity. But how? He realized he had a long night of prayer and meditation ahead of him.

  In the meantime, he decided to navigate the verbal waters into somewhat less murky territory. “Back to the issue of computer games, I didn’t think you were being judgmental. I know the industry’s been under fire lately about violent games. I have to say, a lot of the criticism is deserved. But you’ll never believe what I’m working on.”

  “What?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  “Sure,” she said. “Unless it’s an industry secret.”

  “I wish the industry as a whole valued what I’m doing that much.” He grinned wryly. “I’m working on a Bible-based game.”

  “Oh! Sounds different.”

  “It’s not
totally different. Bible-based games have been released before and have sold well,” he admitted. “I’m hoping mine’s unique enough that it will capture mass-market attention.”

  “I’m sure it will. Good luck with it.” Kassia took a sip of water.

  “Thanks. I’m hoping for more than luck. I’m hoping that writing and selling this game is part of the Lord’s plan for me.”

  “I’m sure anything you write will be an improvement over the violent and suggestive games on the market now,” she told him.

  “That’s part of my goal in writing this. Of course, we’re going for an E rating so everyone can play. That’s one thing I appreciate about my boss. Not everyone would give me the latitude to introduce a Christ-centered game to a client. Some people I know would have laughed me right out of their offices just for suggesting such an idea.”

  “I think I can see why. I’m sure the market for Christian games isn’t as broad as for secular games.”

  He nodded as he stirred two teaspoons of sugar into his coffee. “Sad, but true.”

  “I’ve shopped for computer games,” Kassia said, “and have noticed a lot of them are either for teens or mature audiences. That makes it hard to buy many for little kids.”

  “Their parents would probably rather they play educational games anyway,” Teague pointed out. “Little kids don’t need to get lost for hours—or days—in a virtual world.”

  “True. It’s hard to stop some games once you start. You start playing on a Monday; then you look at the clock, and it’s—Thursday!” Kassia giggled. “I know Lexie wouldn’t want Piper to get too involved in anything like that when it’s better for her to play outside. And I always make sure she approves any type of game I buy for Piper.”

  “Good for you. She’s lucky to have such a considerate friend.”

  ❧

  The subject exhausted, Kassia looked into her cup of coffee and stirred it even though the sugar and cream had long since blended into the liquid. She enjoyed the brief silence as they waited for dessert to arrive.

  “So,” she finally ventured, “if you weren’t working in computers, what do you think you’d like to do?”