He had
made sure to get a seat next to Aliza, and as he sat down, he whispered in her
ear, “You look exquisite this evening.”
She
wore a simple black, A-line dress that landed at her knees, and had silver
buttons around a V-neck, and three-quarter length sleeves. She accessorized
with a silver comb in her hair, a black leather and silver bracelet, and short,
black, three-inch boots with silver buckles. “Oh, thank you. And you look very
handsome. I very much like that look.”
Fox
smiled and sat a little higher in his chair. “Thank you.” He did indeed look very
fine in his dark blue denim jeans, crisp, black collared shirt, black belt, and
freshly shined, black dress shoes. His wavy, blonde hair and goatee were
perfectly styled and trimmed.
After
everyone had full plates and glasses, Rachel raised her glass and addressed the
group of them. “I just want to say first that you all look so lovely this
evening.”
“You as
well, Rachel,” said Fox.
“Thank
you. I just want to tell you all how much you have blessed me and Lee with your
presence here at Narrow Gate. It has been an honor and a pleasure. We consider
you family and not just friends, and hope that you will stay forever. A toast
to our precious new family.”
Everyone
joined her and lifted their glasses, clinking them together in celebration.
“Can we
have chocolate cake now?” Pilot asked with a mouthful of mac-n-cheese.
“Not
yet, sweet boy,” Rachel told him. “We have to wait until everyone is done
eating dinner, okay?”
He
sighed. “Okay.”
East
watched Everly who sat across from him. Instead of ignoring him as she had
before, she looked up and smiled. He returned the smile, but did not allow his
eyes to linger so as not to make her uncomfortable.
For the
first time since he was a child, East had gotten on his knees the night before,
and had prayed. He had felt awkward, but had sought Lee’s guidance beforehand,
and although the older man had told him there were certain things that were
important to pray for, he assured him that there was no exact way to pray, and
that it was appropriate to simply share your heart with God.
So he
had prayed for forgiveness, repented, and asked Jesus into his heart and life.
He prayed for everyone at Narrow Gate, and for guidance regarding Journey, the
future, and Everly.
When
he’d awoken that morning, everything was suddenly clear; it was as if he had
been given new eyes! East was near to bursting to share what God had revealed
to him, and when this was clear to Lee and Fox when he came to them that
morning, they’d made time to meet with him, and were overjoyed to hear that he
had excepted Jesus. As he smiled, Rachel’s voice broke into his thoughts.
“Oh, I
forgot the cake cutter.”
“I’ll
get it,” Fox obliged, and got up from his seat.
“Thank
you, Fox. You should be able to find it in the Butler’s Pantry.”
“Okay.”
After a
couple minutes had passed and Fox had yet to return with the cake cutter,
Rachel said. “I think Fox may be having a hard time finding that cake cutter.”
Aliza
got up. “I remember where it’s at; I’ll help him.”
“Thank
you, sunshine.”
In the
butler’s pantry, Aliza found Fox searching through drawers and smiled.
“Reinforcements…excellent,”
he said when he saw her.
She smiled
at him. “It’s right in here, Fox,” she told him, but when she opened the drawer
it wasn’t in there either. “What? It’s not here. Weird. I could have sworn I
put it in here just the other day.”
Fox
came to stand behind her to check the cabinet above her, and when she turned
they were so close that she could smell his masculine leather and citrus scent.
She felt a little dizzy and had to grip the counter behind her.
He
seemed to have suddenly realized how close they were, and ceased his searching
to look down at her. Sweet mercy.
Planting
his hand against the cabinet behind her, he leaned in, their faces now mere
inches apart. With both hands now grasping the counter behind her, she held his
gaze, sensing a struggle within him. Aliza tried to will her body to move, but
to no avail. They searched one another’s eyes—exploring, contemplating,
questioning. Both of them breathless, they had no idea how long they stood
staring at one another with no words at all, until he finally clamped his lips
together, and shut his eyes.
He
suddenly looked up at the ceiling to regain some control, and heaved a sigh.
When he looked down again, he avoided her eyes, a look of resignation on his
face. Reaching for her hand, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it softly.
“Please let everyone know that I just needed to step away for a moment, and
that I’ll be back,” he told her in a near whisper, and then walked out of the
butler’s pantry, and down the hallway that led in the opposite direction of the
dining room.
Aliza watched
him leave, and then closed her eyes, taking a moment for her heart rate to
return to normal. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed the cake cutter
in a stand-up utensil holder on the counter—the only place they hadn’t looked.
Upon
returning to the dining room, she had smiled, passed on the message from Fox,
handed over the cake cutter, and reclaimed her seat at the table. But as she
did all these normal things, she felt as though she were in a fog; like she was
not actually present.
Then it
suddenly hit her like a steam locomotive: A very important piece of her was
missing—it had left along with one large, muscular blonde with a goatee, who
smelled of leather and citrus. And that piece of her that had left with him, she
realized, to her great dismay, was her heart.
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