Brush of Wings

  Whatever was happening, Tyler had planned this all day. “You weren’t at a meeting this morning.”

  “Not for long, anyway.” He chuckled and slipped his fingers between hers. “Follow me.”

  On a path of white rose petals? Sami felt giddy, her heart racing. Where was all this leading? She was wearing her nicest heels, but she wasn’t worried. The path was paved. They set out along the flowers. “This must’ve taken you all day.” She looked up at him as they walked.

  “You’re worth it.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

  They followed the petals around the house to a small table covered in lace and topped with five pillar candles—the setting was beautiful.

  In the flickering soft glow, Sami could easily see a photo book at the center of the table. On the cover, the picture Sami kept in her memory at all times.

  A picture of Tyler and her, seventeen and in love.

  Her grandmother had taken the photo right here on the front porch of this very house. It was the afternoon Tyler said goodbye and returned home. Sami had kept that picture on the desk near her bed until Tyler’s second year in the minors.

  When she had no choice but to take it down.

  Even then the photograph had stayed in her heart, where it would always stay. And now it was on the cover of this photo book. She felt the sting of tears and at the same time she laughed, too amazed to speak until now. Sami turned to him. “You made this for me?”

  “Open it.” Tyler put his arm around her and together they looked through the pictures. On each page, Tyler had written a message telling her how he felt about the photograph and the time it represented.

  There was Sami in the stands at one of his high school baseball games and Tyler had written, You were always there, win or lose. No one ever believed in me more.

  And then a picture of him at her choir concert. I never saw anyone but you that night, never heard any voice but yours. The songs seemed like they were for me alone. And there they were at the beach and bowling with friends. You made everyone feel special and included. You have that gift, Sami. Every time we’re with friends it’s like the best time ever. Because of you.

  There were a few pictures from a day at Disneyland. Talk about a magical day! I remember sitting behind you on the Matterhorn and thinking how that roller coaster was nothing to the thrill I felt just being with you.

  And then there was a photo that still made Sami ache to look at it—the picture taken when Tyler was getting on the bus headed for his first week in the minor leagues. Worst day of my life. I never should’ve left you. If I had it to do over again, I never would have.

  On the next page Tyler had written “2010–2014” at the top. There were no pictures. And of course. Those were the years when she thought she’d never see Tyler again, when he had walked away from her and his family and made choices that nearly destroyed him. Over that time period Tyler had simply written her a message. Long and detailed. She glanced over it, her eyes skipping to the last line. I’ll always be sorry.

  “You can read it later.” He ran his hand along her arm. “It’s getting cold.”

  “Okay.” She was about to hug him again, thank him for the unbelievable gift, when he nodded toward the back of the house. The path of rose petals continued to a ladder anchored to the house. The sides were adorned with white satin bows.

  This time Sami gasped. “Tyler . . . what in the world?”

  “Looks like we need to go up on the roof.”

  She might as well have been seventeen again. Sami started that way but stopped. “My shoes . . .”

  “Hmmm.” Tyler’s eyes were full of secrets. He bent down and from a box near the ladder he pulled out a pair of her old running shoes. “These might work.”

  “You have them?” She laughed again. “I’ve been missing those!”

  “I had to take them when you weren’t looking. Last time I stopped by to pick you up and you weren’t quite ready.” He feigned an innocent look. “They were right there near the front door. What’s a guy to do?”

  “Tyler, I can’t believe this. Seriously.” She slid off her heels, set them in the box, and put the tennis shoes on. “You thought of everything.”

  He guided her up the ladder until they were sitting side by side on the roof. The exact same place where they’d sat that summer so many years ago.

  She turned to him. “I remember everything about that night.”

  “The last time we were up here.” He looked at her. “Me, too.”

  “The stars were so bright. This far away from the bay and the city lights.” She stared at the sky. “Like they are tonight.”

  “Exactly.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “We had our first kiss up here that night.”

  Sami smiled. “You asked me to be your girlfriend.” Her laugh mixed with the cool night breeze. “Crazy . . . I couldn’t say anything but yes.” She grinned at him. “I think I loved you from the first day I met you.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You were the only one who ever called me Sami. A name I still love, by the way.”

  “Your dark hair and pretty face.” Tyler put his hand alongside her cheek. “You looked like a Sami. The only girl who ever took my breath away.”

  “You don’t know how often I replayed that night in my head.” She looked all the way to his soul. “I was sure I’d never love another boy again.”

  “It was the beginning of the best year of my life.” Tyler took hold of her hand, his eyes still on hers. “Until this one.”

  “For me, too.”

  Tyler seemed nervous. She could hear him breathing harder. Sami brought his hand to her face and warmed it on her cheek. “That’s why you brought me up here?” Sami loved this side of Tyler, the one capable of pulling off the most romantic night ever. “So we could remember the last time we did this?”

  “Well.” He shifted so he could see her better. “See, the thing is, the first time I asked you to be my girlfriend it was right here on this exact spot. And you said yes, right?”

  “Right.” Her heart was racing again. “It’s still yes.”

  “Okay, so.” Tyler released her hand and dug around in the pocket of his jacket.

  Sami had her hands over her mouth as soon as he pulled out the small white satin box. “Tyler . . .”

  “I figured there really wasn’t any better place to ask you the only question that matters now.” He opened the box, his hands trembling.

  Sami felt tears on her cheeks before she could stop them. This was really happening, he was pulling out a ring. Here on the roof where she had first fallen in love with him.

  Inside the box was a stunning solitaire diamond. The exact ring she’d admired before in magazines. He took the ring and set the box aside. Then in a move that looked a bit precarious on the slanted rooftop, he shifted his body so he could bend down on one knee. With all the love they’d need to last a lifetime, he looked in her eyes and held out the ring. “Sami . . . would you marry me? Would you let me spend the rest of my life loving you?”

  “Tyler, please.” She took his hands and eased him back to the spot beside her. “You can’t fall off the roof.”

  “Good point.” He situated himself so he could see her. “You . . . didn’t answer.”

  This time she framed his face with her hands. “Yes!” She giggled, but the sound was more cry than laugh. “Yes, Tyler Ames. I’ll marry you!”

  “Really?” He kissed her and then pulled her into his arms. He held her for several seconds. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to the heavens. “God, You did it! She said yes!”

  LATER THAT NIGHT back at the hotel, Tyler had one final surprise for her. After she checked into her room and dropped off her bag, he walked with her to a banquet hall on the second floor. And there, gathered and waiting, were her grandparents and several of her UCLA friends. His teammates and his parents, too.

  Tyler held Sami’s hand up high over their heads. “She said yes!”

  Everyon
e clapped and cheered. Marcus was one of the first to congratulate them. “So happy for you two.” He hugged them both. Sami wouldn’t say anything, but she could tell from the look in Marcus’s eyes that tonight was a little hard for him.

  After all, it hadn’t been two months since he’d been turned down by his one true love.

  Still, the atmosphere was happy and full of celebration, the perfect coda to the best night of her life. Everyone admired her new ring and they talked about dates. Sami wanted a December wedding—and Tyler was all for it. Right at the start of his break from baseball.

  The proposal, the party, all of it was perfect. There was just one person missing, the one person who should’ve been there. Without her, Sami would never have reached out to Tyler Ames again. The person who had missed it all for the chance to live in Africa.

  Her best friend, Mary Catherine.

  12

  THERE WAS ONLY ONE PLACE Marcus wanted to go on his day off. One place where he could talk to God and think about Mary Catherine. Two more months had gone by without a single word from her.

  Marcus drove to Santa Monica Beach early that morning, parked across the street at the Georgian Hotel. He found a spot on the hotel’s front porch and ordered coffee. For an hour he answered emails. His manager had several offers for him, endorsement deals, projects he might want to take part in.

  On the porch of the Georgian, the morning sun lighting up the blue sky, none of it felt daunting. He worked faster knowing the beach was waiting for him. When he finished, he crossed Ocean Avenue, walked over the footbridge and across the stretch of sand to his spot near the shore.

  Their spot.

  He spread out his towel, sat down, and leaned back on his hands. For a few minutes he let the wind off the water wash over him, as if by sitting here he could go back in time and figure out how to never let her go. He breathed in, filling his lungs until the stress of the last four months lifted from his soul—the wins and losses, the slump he was currently in, and the missing her.

  All of it.

  Okay, God . . . I’m here. He squinted, looking to the distant horizon. Do You see me? The question was rhetorical. Kind of. Of course God could see him. God had been with him these past four months. The Bible said it in Romans, and he believed it.

  Marcus knew without a doubt that Jesus was with him.

  But today wasn’t about belief or doubts. Marcus wanted to experience God’s presence, feel the Lord walking on the beach beside him. Sense His whispered comfort that one day . . . no matter how far off . . . he might finally find a way to get Mary Catherine out of his heart.

  Marcus pulled one knee up and exhaled. Tyler and Sami had joined him for dinner last night and the conversation turned to the wedding. Plans were coming along. Tyler had asked Marcus to be the best man and Sami hoped Mary Catherine would be back from Uganda in time to be the maid of honor.

  Hearing Mary Catherine’s name had left Marcus no choice but to at least ask. He anchored his elbows on his knees and peered at Sami in the twilight. “You’ve heard from her?”

  “I have.” She had looked sad. “You haven’t?”

  “No.” He hadn’t let the reality linger. “How is she? What’d she say?”

  Sami had done her best to share the details. Mary Catherine was teaching every day and loving it. She had a new friend, a woman who helped in the classroom. “And I guess she’s staying at least a few months longer. Through mid-November. Apparently until another teacher can take her place.”

  “Hmm.” He had stood up and paced to the railing. For a while he’d just let the truth of it sink in. Tyler and Sami stayed quiet, too.

  “I asked her about the wedding, and she thinks she might be back in time.” Sami sounded discouraged. “I got the sense she couldn’t make any promises.”

  Marcus had raised his brows and shook his head. “She must be liking it. She told me she might never come back.”

  “I can’t believe that.” Tyler tried to sound hopeful. “That girl loves LA.”

  “And she loves all of us.” Sami had stood and moved to Marcus. She put her arm around his shoulders. “For what it’s worth, she does love you. I know it.”

  He had looked from Sami to Tyler and back again. “Then why? Why did she cut me out of her life?”

  No one had any answers, and eventually the conversation had shifted back to baseball. But the details about Mary Catherine stayed with him. Even still. She was staying another two months? Did that mean she was going to stay there? Forever?

  Marcus lay flat on his back and stared at the pale blue sky. Why couldn’t he forget about her? She’d been very clear. She wasn’t interested. Not in dating. Not in marriage. She clearly had no interest—she hadn’t even stayed in touch.

  So why was he lying here on the beach by himself on his day off, thinking about her? He closed his eyes and let the sun melt through him. The reason was the same now as it had ever been: He felt something with her. She felt it, too. She’d told him that much.

  They laughed at the same things and shared a love for God and people. There were times when they already felt like a couple—when they held hands and hugged, when they kissed. But then she’d pull away. Again.

  He wanted to do more than mourn the past today. Maybe he’d take a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains. Push himself to the top of a cliff so he could see to the other side. Maybe he’d find the answers there.

  The sun was higher in the sky now, and even at ten in the morning the day figured to be hot. Marcus sat up and watched the ocean. The sameness of the tide, the buildup, the cresting waves, the crashing surf. All of it felt like a picture of his life.

  Get up, run two miles, stretch for half an hour, stick to his low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein eating plan. Get to the stadium and wait for his name to be called. One in five games he’d get to throw—usually for a complete game. Another game, another three hundred pitches. Back home just to do it all over again.

  He sighed and shook off the despair.

  Why was he thinking like this? There wasn’t an ounce of truth to those thoughts. He ran the Youth Center, he and Tyler read the Bible together nearly every morning at the clubhouse. His life had purpose and meaning, and even though it was routine, it was the routine he’d dreamed about since he was a little boy. His life had everything he could ask for from God.

  Except for Mary Catherine.

  Marcus stood and collected his towel. God, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to complain. He shaded his eyes and looked out over the water. This was the place where he’d been baptized, where he’d dedicated his life to the Lord. The place where Mary Catherine loved to ride the waves and where she’d seen an entire school of dolphins once.

  But today the water was just . . . water.

  He breathed in and straightened to his full height. I don’t want to ask for a sign, God . . . some proof that You see me. He hesitated. But right now, well . . . yeah, it would sure be nice. Just to know You’re here.

  Seconds passed, and then one minute, and two. Marcus was about to turn around and leave when something in the near waves caught his eye. Again he shaded his brow and suddenly he could see it. A school of dolphins, just like the one Mary Catherine had talked about. They stayed in one area, making dolphin sounds one to another and playing in the waves. A chill came over Marcus. He stood there, unmoving, unable to look away, and as he did his feet no longer felt planted in ordinary sand but on holy ground.

  Thank You, Father. Marcus had never felt so small. You see me and You care. I always believed that. But this . . . this is something I’ll never forget.

  And like that, a whisper resonated in Marcus’s soul. My son, I love you. I have plans for you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

  He had read those words in the Bible, in Jeremiah 29:11. But here, now, he knew the whisper came from God Almighty. Slowly Marcus fell to his knees. He brought his hands to his face, overcome by the absolute goodness of God. He had needed this, the reminder that God was in control.
r />   Even where Mary Catherine was concerned.

  After a few minutes the dolphins swam away. Marcus stood, collected his things, and headed across the beach toward his car.

  He could not control Mary Catherine. If she didn’t want to respond to his email from four months ago, so be it. If he couldn’t see her, he could at least pray for her. For her health and safety and for her to stay close to God.

  While he was at it, he’d pray that Mary Catherine would make it back in time for the wedding. And if she did, that she would see things differently between the two of them. Yes, that’s what he would pray for. And he would believe in dramatic, miraculous results. After all, God was the great miracle worker.

  The dolphins were proof of that.

  BECK WAS STILL SAVORING the way God had answered Marcus, still amazed that the Father loved mankind enough to sometimes give a sign. The way He had today. But even as the dolphins swam away, Beck felt the presence of evil. Just ahead of where Marcus was walking back to his car.

  Instantly Jag was at his side. “Let’s go.”

  The two moved at lightning speed to their places on either side of Marcus. The darkness ahead was marked by hissing and a blur of evil activity. Something was about to take place. “Help us, Father . . . we need You,” Jag cried out. “Jesus be with us.”

  At the name of Jesus, the demons shrieked. The cloud of darkness dispersed, but it didn’t disappear. The enemy was definitely up to something. Beck and Jag remained next to Marcus, scanning the distance, ready to defend and protect him, whatever the battle ahead.

  “There!” Jag pointed. “Headed for Marcus!”

  A quarter mile down the road a teenager was driving toward them, his attention entirely on his phone.

  “Texting.” Jag kept his eyes on the young driver.

  “He has no idea.” Beck could see it all now. The teen’s car weaved in and out of his lane, but despite the honking from other motorists he stayed focused on his phone. He was closer now, half a block away.

  Marcus reached the crosswalk at Ocean Avenue. Beck felt the presence of evil again. “Jesus . . . help us. We need You.” He called the words out loud for all of the spiritual realm to hear. More shrieking. In the distance, the darkness swirled and swelled, the enemy’s soldiers hissing, ready for the kill.