gathered up her courage, looked up the number, and dialed.
“Hello?” Adrian’s deep baritone voice answered.
She sucked in a deep breath to compose herself. “Hi. This is Celeste.”
“Who? I think you have the wrong number.”
“No! Adrian, don’t hang up. It’s me, Miss Never Mind.”
“Miss Never…” His voice trailed off. Silence hung over the line for a few seconds before he continued. “So now I know your name, Celeste. You made it home safely, I assume?”
A nervous laugh escaped. “I seem to have accidentally kept your driver’s license and credit card. I’m so embarrassed, and so sorry. Can I come over to return them to you?”
“I don’t know if I’d trust that car if I were you. If you want I can come over to your place and pick them up.”
As nice as he seemed, she didn’t want him to know where she lived. For now, she wanted to settle into her new home the same way she was settling into her new job—only concerning herself with what directly affected her. “I’m actually not very far away at the moment. Besides, it’s illegal to drive without your license on hand. It’s no trouble. It’s the least I can do.”
“As long as you’re sure. Do you need directions?”
“No, I know where it is. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“You do? Well, okay… See you soon. Bye.”
Celeste tried to push back her nervousness as she hung up the phone. He sounded exactly the same on the phone as he did in person—friendly and likeable, but she was still going to take her own car rather than walk, so she could make a fast getaway.
She couldn’t remember ever meeting someone who could be so helpful to a stranger when there was nothing in it for them. She wished she had met him at a different point in time. If she had, her life might have been entirely different now.
But that was just foolishness. Nothing would change her past, or who it had made her. All she could do was continue on, and hope her past would never catch up with her future.
As she walked from the house to the car, Celeste studied her new neighborhood. The houses were older and fairly small, but well-cared for. Most of the people made tending the grass and flowers in their yards weekend projects. A few of her neighbors had waved at her as she hurried by, recognizing her as her landlord, Hank’s new tenant.
She smiled and breathed the fresh green scents deeply. This neighborhood had been a good choice for a new beginning, everything was beautiful and taken care of with pride.
The only ugly thing here was her mother’s car.
Gritting her teeth, she pulled the car door open, hoping the creaking hinge didn’t draw too much attention, and slid in. The four-wheeled monstrosity started with a chug and a backfire, but it did start. Celeste arrived at Adrian’s house in under two minutes.
Adrian lived in a small brightly painted bungalow with a well-kept yard. Celeste recognized his shiny black car in the driveway. Beside his car sat a small sporty blue model.
Taking a deep breath for courage, Celeste knocked on the front door and waited.
A deep male voice called from inside. “Hey! Adrian! There she is!”
The door opened. Adrian stood tall in the doorway as he smiled down at her. In the middle of the living room stood a rather handsome blond man about the same age. The man smiled as well and cocked his head to one side.
Celeste squirmed. She felt strange enough with Adrian looking at her. She didn’t want to be analyzed by his friend, although she didn’t know why she cared. After today, she would never see him again.
“Hi, Celeste. Or should I say Miss Mind?” Adrian grinned. She could see his eyes focusing over her shoulder, taking in her mother’s scrap heap of a car parked on the street.
Celeste lowered her head and quickly reached into her pocket for his license and credit card. “I’m really sorry about this. Thanks again for your concern this afternoon. Bye.”
Without giving him a chance to respond, she shoved the two cards into his hand, turned and ran back to the car.
“Wait!” Adrian’s voice sounded from behind her.
The second she inserted the key into the ignition, he appeared at the car door. With her heart in her throat and grateful for the shelter of the car, Celeste rolled the window down at the same time as she started the engine.
Adrian ducked his head toward her. “May I see you again?”
Celeste had to force herself to breathe. She would have been a fool if she didn’t know what he wanted. She wasn’t ready for that kind of relationship. She wanted to trust him, but she didn’t know if she had it in her to do so. Maybe she never would. But even if she did, for now, she still needed time to hide and lick her wounds.
Celeste cleared her throat. “I don’t think so, but I’m flattered that you asked.”
Adrian stiffened and stepped back, ramming his hands into his pockets. “I had to try. Take care of yourself, Celeste. If you ever need a hand again, you know where to find me.”
She drove away subdued. She didn’t want to live her life as a recluse—that wasn’t why she had moved so far from all that was familiar. However, meeting new people had turned out to be much more difficult than she thought it would be. The people she met at her new job were safe, because she would only see them at work. But this was different. Starting something with Adrian, even if it was only friendship, was too close to home. Literally.
When she pulled in front of her house, Celeste didn’t get out of the car. She turned off the engine and stared at the home that had been hers for only four days. God had provided a way for her to start again—she had a new job and a new place to live. She’d also prayed for God to send her some new friends, people she could trust and with whom she could be safe.
God had put what had appeared to be a trustworthy man in her path, but she’d let fear get the best of her. He’d offered what could be the beginning of a friendship, and she’d turned and run. Now she couldn’t go back without looking desperate.
Celeste lowered her forehead to the top of the steering wheel and shut her eyes.
God, I’m so sorry. I said I trusted You, but I blew it. I couldn’t do it. But I really need a friend, I really do. The next time You show me someone I can trust, I promise I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, just because I know You’re giving me what I asked for, and You know best.
Celeste sighed, picked up her purse, and went inside.
First she’d promised God, and now she promised herself that the next time God provided an answer, she would listen.
Adrian strummed the last chord of the final song for the service. As the pastor approached the microphone, Adrian placed his guitar on the stand. Along with Paul, Bob and Randy, his friends on the worship team, he quietly exited the stage.
Every Sunday he sat with his friends during the pastor’s sermon, but this time, when they shuffled into their usual seats near the front, Adrian kept walking.
During the short break when the children had been dismissed into Sunday School, he’d done a quick double-take as he looked into the congregation. Sitting almost at the back, if he wasn’t mistaken, he’d seen Miss Never Mind.
He’d been thinking about her all week. She’d hummed along to his favorite CD. For a couple of the songs, she’d actually mouthed the words to the choruses. That meant she’d heard them before, often enough to repeat them.
He’d taken it as a sign from God when she finally got inside the car. But then, the tiny tiger who had walked for hours rather than get in the car had turned into a frightened rabbit. He’d been almost afraid to look at her, for fear that she would fling