Free Kicking Eternity by Ann Lee Miller Page A

the morning instead of taking her walk on the beach.
    She grabbed her canvas bag. “I need to go. See you tomorrow. Thanks for the offer—” She avoided Cal’s eyes. She gave a little wave in his direction and walked across the classroom toward the door. Six more steps till she was safely out the door—away from his sharp mind that made her leap and pirouette to keep up, his citrus scent, the full lips she’d almost tasted. Three steps.
    “Raine.”
    She stopped, one foot in the hall, one foot in the classroom.
    “Why do you do this? You were like a normal person the other night on the laundry porch. Now you’re this automaton. Cold. I finally decide there’s a real girl under the Bible college babe. A girl I like. Then you see-saw? Why?”
     
    #
     
    Drew sat on a two-by-eight in the outdoor classroom along the tree line. He ran through the last song he needed to practice before elementary campfire. From where he sat, he’d seen Rainey head into the lodge by the back door soon after dinner. Later, Cal had gone in through the front door. And he hadn’t come out.
    He should pray for Rainey. Maybe she was having that spiritual conversation with Cal she wanted to have. Please let that be the case. Okay, so that wasn’t the kind of prayer he should be praying. He was sitting smack dab in the middle of limbo—not in a relationship and not free to be interested in Rainey or any other girl—where he’d been for years. Before it hadn’t mattered. Did it matter now?
    Rainey thought enough about his music to order him to write it down. Had Samantha believed in him like that? Sam had been his world for a semester, yet he couldn’t remember ever singing in front of her. How did something that was such a huge part of his life not get woven into their relationship? Maybe after all this time he didn’t remember.
    The point was, Rainey’s compliment had drummed on his heart all week. There wasn’t much else in his life, except God, that was more important to him than music. And Rainey had chosen that one thing to encourage.
    Time had washed so much of Sam away. He remembered dumb stuff, like how the inside of her purse looked like a landfill; how her long, thin fingers laced with his like they were created for each other; that she liked Ranch on her fries and how she could beat him on the ropes course at Daytona State .
    What did he know about Rainey? She was flat out for God and had a whacked brother.
     
    #
     
    Cal stared at Raine across her classroom. She stood in shadow, beyond the russet sunset flooding through the windows. Why did she shut him down whenever he went looking for her?
    He’d been attracted to her the first night at the opening staff meeting, or he wouldn’t have spoken to her. But there was so much more to Raine than a pretty face with ‘Bible teacher’ stamped across her forehead. She was all about crawling under his skin.
    “I can’t let myself care about you, Cal. We don’t believe the same things.” The words sounded like they’d been drug through gravel.
    “You’re worried about the missionary-and-the-heathen thing.” He stood up and flipped his chair under the table. He could see her tense as he came closer.
    He stopped eye to eye with her. “I’m talking about friendship.”
    He watched her cheeks pink. She looked away and back at him. “As long as you understand that’s all it will be.”
    His gaze dropped to her lips and back to her eyes. “Perfectly.” Her rejection felt like a slap across his face. He put one shoulder through the doorway where Raine stood. Enough of this.
    “I didn’t mean to insult you.” Her breath warmed his cheek.
    He stopped and turned toward her.
    “You’re entitled to your beliefs. It’s just that—” She looked down at her fingers clenched on the straps of her bag. “—I’ve always wanted to be a missionary. You wouldn’t be happy with my goals.”
    “You’re digging yourself in deeper. I’m not good enough for you. Leave it at