Free Clouds by Robin Jones Gunn Page A

much more good news she was up for tonight. “Remember Jana, my old roommate from my freshman year? She and her husband live in Heidelberg. They oversee some kind of youth mission there. I called her today, and she invited us to come early and stay a couple of days with them in Heidelberg.”
    “Us?”
    “Yes, us. You want to go, don’t you? I mean, isn’t that the advantage of working for an airline? You can fly free?”
    “Well, almost free. When is this?”
    “In two weeks. The book fair starts the first Wednesday in October so I thought we could leave on the Thursday before and have the weekend through Tuesday with Jana. She says Heidelberg is beautiful this time of year. There’s lots to do there, too.”
    “You know,” Mom said, “you girls could rent a car and find the town my side of the family is from. I’ve never been there,but I understand it’s right outside of Heidelberg. I’ll have Mother write down the information for you.”
    Shelly’s mind was spinning with all the details of how to pull this trip off in only two weeks. The last thing she was worried about was spending a day looking for her ancestor’s grave site.
    “Do you have a passport?” Shelly asked Meredith.
    “Yes, of course.”
    “Then I guess we’re all set!” Shelly smiled broadly at her sister and then at her mom and dad. “This is going to be fun. It could be the biggest plus of being on the reserves list. Now I don’t have to find someone to trade hours with when I want to take vacation time.”
    “Your mother and I are glad to see you two taking advantage of these opportunities when they come along. It sounds as if your new publishing company has already put a lot of faith in you, Meredith. We’re glad to see that,” Dad said.
    “I think I’m going to like working for them very much. I fly back to Chicago for meetings four days next week. I’ll only be home a few days before we take off for Germany.” Meredith pushed her half-empty dinner plate away and leaned back. Her lilting laugh filled the room. “I still haven’t told you the most interesting thing I found out today.”
    They waited.
    “You’re not going to believe this. Especially you, Shelly.”
    “What?” she asked impatiently.
    Meredith drew them all in with her giggle and sweeping glance. Her eyes sparkled with her secret news. “I know where Jonathan Renfield is.”

Chapter Eight

 
    S
helly swallowed hard, trying with all her might to hide the way her heart had just leapt into her throat. She didn’t dare speak lest her words or even her tone of voice give away her thoughts.
    “Did he call you?” Mom asked.
    “Where’s he living?” Dad asked.
    “I haven’t heard from Gayle and Ted since two Christmases ago. I think they moved again. Is Jonathan with them in the Bahamas?”
    “No,” Meredith said, cutting into her parents’ speculations. “He’s in Belgium.”
    Shelly’s heart flew from her throat to her ears, where it pounded so loudly she was sure the others would turn to stare at her.
Jonathan is in Belgium? How far is Belgium from Germany?
    “Belgium!” Mom stated. “Whatever is he doing there? I thought he was going to become a forest ranger.”
    “He’s a youth director with the mission that Jana and herhusband oversee. When I called, she said she had been thinking of me because a few weeks ago they were visiting Jonathan in Belgium and it came up that he was originally from Seattle. She told him her old Bible-college roomie was from Seattle and did he happen to know the Graham family, and there you have it. Small world, huh?” Meredith’s eyes were on Shelly.
    “A youth leader,” Dad repeated. “For a mission, no less. My hat goes off to him. It has to be a challenge working with teens in a different culture.”
    “Actually,” Meredith said, “this organization works with American kids who are living on the military bases all over Europe. It’s a gigantic mission field since the teens are kind of stuck over