Read Online And the Greatest of These Is Love: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel by Staci Stallings - Free Book Online
Authors: Staci Stallings
Tags: Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Religion & Spirituality, Christian fiction, Inspirational, Christian Books & Bibles, Religious & Inspirational Fiction
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towels still in her hands as she shook her head. “We all do.”
“Please? May I take those?” he asked, never taking his eyes off of her or his hands from her wrists.
With a breath she buried every horrible thing she wanted to say to him, to scream at him, as if he was the cause of this horrible mess. “Sure,” she said, finally, surrendering the towels to his care. Stepping back, she put her hands on her waist though her gaze hardly came up an inch. “Put them over in that wastebasket.”
“Okay.” He nodded, took the towels from her, and went to dispose of them as she had said.
Not wanting to prolong the conversation or to get into another fight, Gabi turned her attention to straightening her own desk, but she couldn’t deny that her wrists still burned from his touch. Being so near him was like being caught in a mind-altering vortex, and she was pretty sure that wasn’t a good thing.
“So, aren’t you supposed to be writing your story or something?” she asked coldly, wishing she knew more about him and berating herself for that wish at the same time. She moved papers one way and then the other, having no idea what the importance of any of them was.
“Well, I got one story filed today between the times I was here,” Andrew said, coming back to the center of the room, his brief appearance at the courthouse playing through his mind. “But I thought I’d come back here before I went home.”
“It’s on your way, I suppose,” she said, gathering her things and walking slowly to the door as he followed her. Why did it feel so incredibly difficult to keep himself from reaching out to her? What was this magnetism that fused him to her presence like a neodymium on iron?
“Something like that,” he said, but they both knew it was a lie. It hung in the air between them as she turned off the light and locked the door. He knew she hated him or at the very least wanted to get rid of him, so he decided with nothing to lose, he would go for broke and lay out all the cards he held. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Isn’t that your job?” she asked, a hint of teasing sarcasm lining the question. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallway with an eerie, hollow sound.
Andrew had to breathe down the fear that was wrapping in dark shadows across his chest. “Yeah, well, this is kind of an official, unofficial question.” This was dangerous territory, and he knew it. “And if you don’t want to answer it, you don’t have to.”
“What’s your question?” Through the heavy wooden door she went, and with one push, they were out in the chilly night air.
“Well, I was actually wondering why you were crying earlier.”
Of every question Gabi had prepared herself for, nothing had prepared her for that.
“Oh,” she said as her heart began sobbing once again in the darkness that surrounded it. She took a deep breath and let it go slowly, willing herself to keep control. She would not cry again, not with him standing right there, judging her and her kids because he didn’t think they weren’t worth the tears. Forcing her shaking hands to stay steady, she locked the door. “I just found out one of my students is leaving, and I guess it just got to me that’s all.”
“Oh, why’s he leaving?” Andrew asked, almost as if he was genuinely interested.
“Sick relative so he says, but who knows,” Gabi said with an off-handed shrug, trying not to let the words find her heart. Together, they went down the steps and out to the parking lot.
He was walking slower now. Right next to her. Looking down at her in a way that made her senses stand on end, not in a threatening way, or at least not in a threatening way she wanted to name. “Do you lose a lot of kids out of the program?”
“Too many.” She headed across the lot to her car.
“It must be hard to let them go.”
“Impossible,” she said, and the depression wafted through her voice though she
“Please? May I take those?” he asked, never taking his eyes off of her or his hands from her wrists.
With a breath she buried every horrible thing she wanted to say to him, to scream at him, as if he was the cause of this horrible mess. “Sure,” she said, finally, surrendering the towels to his care. Stepping back, she put her hands on her waist though her gaze hardly came up an inch. “Put them over in that wastebasket.”
“Okay.” He nodded, took the towels from her, and went to dispose of them as she had said.
Not wanting to prolong the conversation or to get into another fight, Gabi turned her attention to straightening her own desk, but she couldn’t deny that her wrists still burned from his touch. Being so near him was like being caught in a mind-altering vortex, and she was pretty sure that wasn’t a good thing.
“So, aren’t you supposed to be writing your story or something?” she asked coldly, wishing she knew more about him and berating herself for that wish at the same time. She moved papers one way and then the other, having no idea what the importance of any of them was.
“Well, I got one story filed today between the times I was here,” Andrew said, coming back to the center of the room, his brief appearance at the courthouse playing through his mind. “But I thought I’d come back here before I went home.”
“It’s on your way, I suppose,” she said, gathering her things and walking slowly to the door as he followed her. Why did it feel so incredibly difficult to keep himself from reaching out to her? What was this magnetism that fused him to her presence like a neodymium on iron?
“Something like that,” he said, but they both knew it was a lie. It hung in the air between them as she turned off the light and locked the door. He knew she hated him or at the very least wanted to get rid of him, so he decided with nothing to lose, he would go for broke and lay out all the cards he held. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Isn’t that your job?” she asked, a hint of teasing sarcasm lining the question. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallway with an eerie, hollow sound.
Andrew had to breathe down the fear that was wrapping in dark shadows across his chest. “Yeah, well, this is kind of an official, unofficial question.” This was dangerous territory, and he knew it. “And if you don’t want to answer it, you don’t have to.”
“What’s your question?” Through the heavy wooden door she went, and with one push, they were out in the chilly night air.
“Well, I was actually wondering why you were crying earlier.”
Of every question Gabi had prepared herself for, nothing had prepared her for that.
“Oh,” she said as her heart began sobbing once again in the darkness that surrounded it. She took a deep breath and let it go slowly, willing herself to keep control. She would not cry again, not with him standing right there, judging her and her kids because he didn’t think they weren’t worth the tears. Forcing her shaking hands to stay steady, she locked the door. “I just found out one of my students is leaving, and I guess it just got to me that’s all.”
“Oh, why’s he leaving?” Andrew asked, almost as if he was genuinely interested.
“Sick relative so he says, but who knows,” Gabi said with an off-handed shrug, trying not to let the words find her heart. Together, they went down the steps and out to the parking lot.
He was walking slower now. Right next to her. Looking down at her in a way that made her senses stand on end, not in a threatening way, or at least not in a threatening way she wanted to name. “Do you lose a lot of kids out of the program?”
“Too many.” She headed across the lot to her car.
“It must be hard to let them go.”
“Impossible,” she said, and the depression wafted through her voice though she
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