Free Plan by Linda; Lyle Page A

wanted to hear. Rachel shook her head slowly, trying to erase the ugly thoughts in her head. He must have known what she was thinking because he immediately began to give excuses.
    â€œLook, Rachel. It’s not the same for girls as it is for guys. I’m thirty years old. That’s a long time to wait. So, I slipped once or twice. Big deal! Everybody does it.”
    Rachel’s mouth dropped open and then snapped shut. “Everybody doesn’t do it, Kyle. Sex is meant for a husband and wife and no one else. All that stuff about it being different for men is just a line, and it’s no excuse. And what about the women you slept with, Kyle? What about them? If girls are supposed to stay pure, what about them? Are only certain girls supposed to stay pure, and the rest are free game?”
    Kyle didn’t answer. He just stared into the night. He had obviously tuned her out. She swallowed the rest of the arguments like a horse pill. Nothing she said would get to him now because he didn’t want to admit he was wrong. He had convinced himself that he was in the right.
    â€œTake me home.”
    Without another word he started the engine and backed out. The ten-minute drive to her apartment seemed like an eternity. She got out of the car without a word and started toward the door. She heard the tires squeal as he pulled away. Nothing would ever be the same again.
    Rachel tossed and turned all night, reliving the scene in the car. How could she have been so wrong? How could he sit in church every Sunday without ever being convicted of what he had done? Was it really that different for guys? Was it too much to ask for a guy that waited for marriage? Were they all like Kyle?
    The questions went around and around in her head until she was dizzy. Burying her head under her pillow, she tried to drown out the sounds, but it wasn’t until the early morning hours that she drifted off into a troubled sleep.
    The next morning over coffee, she remembered Randy’s visit. The grogginess wore off instantly. A panic seemed to spread through her at the thought of him leaving. What was she going to do? Rachel was taken aback by how much the thought of him leaving upset her. It was almost as upsetting as last night’s revelations about Kyle. She mentally shook off the thoughts and tried to concentrate on a plan of action. It didn’t matter why she didn’t want him to leave—what mattered was how to make him stay. She chewed absently on her fingernail until her cup of coffee was cold, and still no ideas came. Maybe a brisk walk would clear her thoughts.
❧
    Randy shifted through the samples of wallpaper and paint again. If he was going to move, he had to finish this house and put it on the market. The master bedroom and bath were the only two rooms left that needed remodeling. He just couldn’t decide how he wanted to finish the room. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand to relieve the strain. He had been up late last night looking at samples to keep from thinking about Rachel and that Kyle guy. What did she see in him anyway? He pushed the samples away in frustration and got up. Grabbing his coat from the banister where he’d left it the night before, Randy headed for the park.
    Whenever he was restless, which seemed to be all the time these days, he headed for the park. A brisk walk always seemed to soothe him and helped him open up his heart to God. He had to get quiet to hear that still, small voice. He walked around the park three times at a quick pace, but he couldn’t hear the voice, and the restlessness was still there. He was about to turn around and go home when he spotted Rachel standing in front of the remains of the community center. She was reading a sign. He couldn’t tell what it said from this distance, but from the way her shoulders drooped it couldn’t be good. He crossed the space between them in a few strides and tapped her shoulder. She whirled around,