Read Online As You Wish by Robin Jones Gunn - Free Book Online

with Todd. I love Todd. Why would I want to go out with Matthew?
    Christy suspected the thought was linked to her musings about rushing through college, accumulating units instead of dates. Todd had been in Spain when Christy started college, and aside from a bunch of fun dates she had had with Doug during her first semester as a freshman, Christy hadn’t gone out with anyone. She and Doug were close buddies, and their friendship had stayed strong even after Doug and Tracy ended up getting married.
    When Todd and Christy got back together in January of her freshman year of college, Christy felt certain she and Todd would be together from then on.
    But what if my family hadn’t moved to California when I was fifteen? What if we had stayed in Wisconsin? Would Matt and I have become a couple?
    She knew her imagination was taking her into the land of if only, and she didn’t trust what she was feeling. It was thrilling to speculate about dating Matthew, and for the moment those thoughts overpowered her deep, steady love for Todd. She felt dizzy, as if she couldn’t trust her own instincts.
    Why am I even thinking such things?
    Christy pushed herself to her feet and carried her tray to the back of the large cafeteria, where she tossed her silverware in the appropriate bins.
    I need to go to the chapel and have my quiet time. That will get my heart back on track.
    The walk to the chapel was along a beautiful trail leading to the edge of the mesa. Rancho Corona formerly had beena working cattle ranch. When the owner donated the land to the college, he had asked that a chapel be built with a stained-glass window depicting the ranch’s original insignia. The beautiful glass window, a gold crown with a cross lying in the crown’s center at a slant, was above the altar. The Spanish name of the original ranch was “Rancho de la Cruz y la Corona,” which meant “Ranch of the Cross and the Crown.”
    Christy entered the small, silent chapel and felt a welcoming hush come over her. She walked softly to the front and sat in one of the pews, where she bowed her head to pray. As she prayed, her mind began to wander.
    Why am I having thoughts about Matthew? Is there something between us that would grow if it had the chance to be explored? Would it grow stronger than what Todd and I have between us?
    Convinced she wasn’t going to get any serious praying done, Christy opened her Bible and readied her pen and journal. She read two chapters and jotted a few notes. Then her gaze rose to the stained-glass window. She noticed how brightly the sunlight poured through the amber gold pieces of glass that made up the crown.
    I should talk to Katie about all these confusing feelings. Katie always helps me get my mind out of the fog. Even if I don’t always like what she says, she gives me fresh perspective, and that’s what I need right now.
    Christy left the chapel and took the path that led past the baseball field instead of across the open meadow. As she approached the baseball diamond, she noticed two guys standing on the pitcher’s mound. One of them was Matthew.
    Christy’s heart did a funny little flutter. This is it. Time totest my feelings. If there is anything between us to explore, now is the time.
    Matthew spotted Christy and jogged over to where she had stopped beside the bleachers. “Hey, I missed—” Matthew began.
    â€œI’m so sorry—”
    They both laughed at how their greetings overlapped each other.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Christy said. “I went into town with Todd and Katie, and I didn’t get back in time for dinner last night.”
    â€œI thought I was the one who missed you,” Matthew said. “I ended up being about twenty minutes late, and I thought you had given up and left.”
    â€œNo, sorry.” Christy took inventory of her feelings. She felt surprisingly calm. The initial burst of fireflies had all flown