“I must say,” Liam waved his hand toward Chase and Keith. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been touched by a film this powerful. I think this is the beginning of a long and accomplished career in movie-making for both of you.” He grinned. “My review will be in next week’s paper.”
Again the room burst into applause, and Keith shared a look with Chase. God was making it happen. Everything was panning out just like they’d prayed it might.
Thank You, Jesus…thank You for this.
Keith said the silent prayer as he pointed upward, his eyes lifted to the ceiling. This was all because of God, nothing more. The experience was so great, the reality was overwhelming. God was winning, and if they continued to follow Him through filmmaking, He would win again and again and again. That’s why he needed to talk to Chase later. Not only that, but he needed to talk to Andi, find out why she’d been so quiet, so withdrawn lately.
Only then could he be sure they were doing all they could to follow God now, the way they’d followed Him when they first began.
B
Y THE TIME DINNER WAS READY
, more Cru kids had shown up and the camp bustled with conversation and activity. In one corner a few kids played the guitar, warming up for the worship time around the campfire later. While they ate, Bailey could feel Cody’s presence like a physical touch. A couple times she glanced over her shoulder at him, and once she caught him looking too. He still hadn’t explained what had happened with his mother.
One of the other guys’ cabins had clean-up that night, so when they finished dinner, Bailey and her group of girls went to their cabin and made up their beds. They still had most of the hour before the worship time, and some of the girls wanted to make phone calls or write in their journals. Bailey made a quick call to her parents and then headed out to the fire pit. Cody was there, one of a group of guys gathering still more wood. He smiled at her and moved one more armful closer to the pit before taking the spot beside her.
She could feel his warmth even though their bodies weren’t touching. “Okay, so talk to me.” She kept her voice low. This wasn’t the place for a deep conversation. That wouldn’t happen until they were alone. But she still wondered why his plans had changed. “You were supposed to have dinner with your mom.”
His expression cooled. “She forgot.” He leaned over his knees and kept his eyes from hers. He wasn’t angry, but there was no denying the hurt in his voice. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.” He stood and stretched. “I have to get my bunk made up.”
She was on her feet too. Her heart felt like it had slipped down to her socks. “Umm…okay.”
He took a few steps toward his cabin, then stopped and turned. A long sigh rattled above the sound of the whisper of leaves overhead. “I’m sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair and stared off at the early evening sky for a moment. “It’s not your fault.” He looked at her, his eyes deep, more open to her. “If you have time…meet me at my cabin. Ten minutes?”
She nodded and shrugged a little. What was going on? All of a sudden she was shy around him.
You’re crazy
, she told herself.
You’ve known Cody forever.
She turned back to her cabin and found the other girls preoccupied. When she was sure none of them were looking to talk to her, she wandered back outside, down the path toward Cody’s cabin. She saw him long before she reached his little log building. He was sitting on a tree stump, staring at the lake, his shoulders broad and muscled.
She stopped and watched him, the familiar way he held his head, the way the fading sunlight illuminated his profile. What was he thinking, sitting there like that? Was he worried about his mom, or a new girl in his life? Or maybe he was merely taking in God’s beauty. She almost didn’t want to disturb him, but then—as if he could read her mind—he looked her way and smiled. “Hey.”
The path was smooth, but she watched her step anyway. Just in case some critter might cross in front of her. She was much more of a hotel girl, more comfortable at the Doubletree with samples of lotion and shampoo, than here in the woods. But she could appreciate both, and she was glad she’d come. Even with the threat of copperhead snakes.
She reached him and grinned. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”
For a second she thought he might tell her what he’d been thinking about, but then he set his jaw and his smile stayed guarded. “I’m glad you did.” He pointed to a path that led closer to the lake. “Wanna take a walk?”
“Sure.” They set out slowly side-by-side, and suddenly Bailey laughed out loud. “I just remembered something funny.”
“Which thing?” He hooked his thumbs in his jean pockets and chuckled a little. The way he always did around her. “Something funny’s always happening when you’re around.”
“Hey.” She pretended to be hurt. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“It is.” His eyes danced and he looked straight ahead again. “Believe me, it is.”
“Well, okay…remember when we were at the beach with my family, on the other side of the lake? We took a walk and you challenged me to a race.”
“Me?” He stopped and pointed to himself. “That was you, Missy. You’re the one who wanted to race.”
“Anyway,” she kept walking, undaunted. “I got about ten steps and I twisted my ankle. You had to practically carry me back to the picnic tables.”
“The summer before I shipped out.”
“Right.” She allowed her laughter to fade softly, mingling with the evening summer breeze. They turned a corner and were out of view of the campsite. The lake spread out before them, but still they walked on. Up ahead, the lake side of the path was bordered by a rocky outcropping, and when they reached it, they climbed onto the top and sat together. Cody seemed careful to allow space between them. For a while they were quiet, watching the lake, taking in the beauty around them. Bailey could’ve spent the next half hour sitting there in silence. If Cody didn’t want to talk, that was fine. It was enough simply to be with God, to be with him.
He broke the silence first. “My mom met some guy.” He drew a slow breath and frowned. “I’m not sure about him. I was sort of hoping she’d meet someone at church, but she met him at the health club.”
“They’re out tonight?”
“Yeah. She said she forgot about our dinner. Then she said it didn’t matter. She didn’t want me to miss the retreat on her account.”
“That was nice.”
“I guess.” He leaned back on both hands. “I worry about her.”
“I know.”
“It’s like that with an addict. Relapse is always possible.”
They were quiet for a while, and Bailey thought about Cody’s world. She could always count on her parents. That wasn’t true for him. She lifted her chin and filled her lungs with the sweetsmelling air. “I forget how great it feels to be out here.”
“That’s why I came.” He looked intently at her. “To really pray about this coaching idea and what else lies ahead for me.”
Bailey felt her heart warm, despite the cool stone beneath her. Even with his concerns for his mom, Cody’s future seemed to be taking shape. He was finishing school soon and his desire was to coach at Clear Creek High. His life was a living miracle, every aspect. “I still pray for you all the time.” Again she felt shy. “Every day, actually.”
His eyes grew deeper, the connection between them as close as she shared with any of her brothers, but different. More intimate. “The way I still pray for you.” He faced the water again. “Speaking of which, what happened to Tim? I thought he was going to be here.”
“He got sick. Strep throat.”
“Oooh.” Cody frowned. “That’s too bad.”
“Yeah.”
Cody was quiet for a long moment. In the distance there was the shrill haunting cry of an eagle, swooping low over the water. The sun had already gone down, and dusk was settling across the lake. “You and Tim,” Cody said finally. “You’re still serious, aren’t you?”
She sighed. He never quite understood that she had loved him first, that if he’d come back from Iraq and declared his love for her, she would’ve moved on from Tim long ago.
“Sorry.” Cody faced her. “You don’t have to answer.”
“No, it’s fine.” She folded her arms in front of her and pulled one foot up onto the rock. “Things are the same.”
“Your dad said you and Tim are auditioning in New York this summer.”
“In August.” She shrugged. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“They’ll love you.”
His compliment touched her, and she smiled despite the confusion clouding her soul. “I don’t know. Last time I was there, the city didn’t have the same appeal.” She looked out at the water, at the way the breeze sent ripples across the width of the lake. “New York’s crazy. Constant noise and strange smells, people living on top of each other. You have to look straight up to see the sky.”
“Hmm.” Cody gave a single shake of his head and narrowed his eyes. “Not my style.”
“Definitely not.” This time her smile felt sad. If she wound up in New York, that would be the end for her and Cody. Distance would have the final say. “My dad can’t stand it either.” The conversation was easy, without the walls she’d felt between the two of them for so much of the last school year. “When we go to New York, we shop, sightsee, go to the theater. We stay three days and then we’re gone. But that’s not how it would be if I lived there.” She looked at him. “I’d be commuting in on a bridge or by subway, walking fast and afraid of getting accosted. I’d pay high rent for a small apartment and have almost no fresh air.” The sky was nearly dark, but in the dim light that remained, a pair of eagles drifted up from the branches of a nearby pine. A breeze brushed against her face, and for a few seconds she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she smiled. “No moments like this.”
“What about Tim?” Cody seemed guarded when he talked about Tim. “How does he feel about the city?”
“He loves it. I think he could live there for the next five years. Maybe forever. He really wants to perform.”
“Are there churches in Manhattan?”
“A few.” She uttered a sad laugh. “But Broadway’s a long way from the Bible Belt.” They talked for a few minutes about a church not far from Times Square. “If I lived there, I guess I’d go there.”
Again Cody was quiet. Their hour was almost up, and they needed to get back soon. Besides, if it got too dark they could be in trouble. Neither of them had brought a flashlight. “So you really think it could happen, huh? You and Tim, performing on Broadway, living in New York City?” His smile was more guarded now.
“I guess.” She’d longed for the chance to perform professionally since her early days with Christian Kids Theater. But here, with the crisp lake air around them, and Cody by her side, her dreams were no longer clear. “What about you?” She hadn’t asked for a long time, and now she wanted to know. Even if she was afraid of his answer. “Any girls in your life?”
“Me?” A quiet laugh rattled around in his chest. “Definitely not. God’s still making me into the guy I need to be. I want that before I want a girlfriend.”
His answer left her starry-eyed.
“I’m saving my heart for her.” His eyes shone as he looked at her. “Really.”
“I’m impressed. Not many guys are willing to talk about something like that.”
“Yeah, well. She’ll be worth the wait.” He looked out at the water again. “Whoever she is.”
For the craziest moment, Bailey wondered if she might ever be that girl, the one Cody was saving his heart for. But she dismissed the idea as soon as it came. She had a boyfriend. She could
hardly think about loving the friend beside her when she had just finished talking about possibly building a life with Tim in New York City.
“What are you thinking?” Again Cody seemed to read her mind.
“Nothing.” Her smile faded. “Nothing I can tell
you
anyway.” She stood, brushed the sand off her shorts, and kicked at his tennis shoe. She hopped off the rock and onto the path. “I’d say let’s race back, but I can’t afford another sprained ankle.”
Again he laughed. He stepped on the path beside her. “That’s just one of the things I love about you, Bailey. You make me laugh.”
“Same with you.”
“Can I tell you something?” They were facing each other, maybe a little too close. He took a slight step back, keeping distance between them.
“Sure.” She tapped his foot again. “You can tell me anything, Cody Coleman.”
“Okay, now don’t weird out on me or think I’m trying to get between you and Tim or anything.”
“Go on.” She giggled. “At this rate you’ll never spit it out.”
He turned so they were both facing the lake, side by side. He crossed his arms and clenched his jaw, his eyes set straight ahead. Whatever he wanted to say, he was struggling. Finally he turned to her again and she watched his guard fall a little. “I’m glad we…I don’t know, I’m glad we found this again.” He hesitated. “I thank God every day for you. For your family and your friendship.”
Bailey tilted her head and let her eyes get lost in his. The moon was making its way into the sky and it shone on his face. Whatever else the future held, she’d remember this moment as long as she lived. She didn’t want it to end. Without wondering whether it was right or wrong, she put her arms around his neck
and hugged him. “That means the world, Cody.” The hug lasted longer than usual, and it took her breath. “I’m glad you told me.” She pulled back and felt her eyes start to dance. “Okay, my turn.”
He studied her, and there in the moonlight he almost looked like he had feelings for her. Feelings more than friendship. His voice was low and soft against her heart. “Go on.”
She could feel her expression growing more serious, deeper. “I was so mad at you last fall, when you wouldn’t talk to me.” She gently touched her fingers to the side of his face. “I thought in all our lives we’d never have a day like this again.”
“I was worried about it.”
“But here we are.” She eased her hands back to her sides, keeping her behavior appropriate. “That’s why God’s so amazing. He knows how to fix things, even after we make a mess of them.”
“Exactly.” He reached out his hand. “Come on; it’ll be pitch dark in a few minutes.”
She took his hand and felt the thrill of his touch all the way to her toes. Once they were on a steadier part of the path again she drew her fingers from his and kept the conversation light. But her heart was beating so hard she wondered if he would say something about the sound. Holding hands with Tim never made her feel like this, which was why she definitely couldn’t hold hands with Cody now, here. She wasn’t ready to analyze what that meant or what it said about her relationship with Tim. Better simply to keep her distance where Cody was concerned. Besides, he was holding out body and soul for the girl of his dreams. She didn’t want to get in the way of that, even if a part of her desperately wished she were that girl.
On the way back, Cody told her about a bear sighting in the woods not far from the campsite.
“Great.” She was about to tell him the story of her little brother BJ and the northern copperhead he rode his bike over, when her foot settled on something soft and slithery. She screamed and
fell all at the same time, her ankle giving way beneath her as she dropped. She had no idea how Cody moved so fast or how in the dim light he was able to catch her, but the next thing she knew, she was in his arms, clinging to his neck. She pointed down at the ground. “There’s a snake, Cody! Be careful.”