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

watched Matt on the pitcher’s mound, and she inventoriedher feelings again. No firefly flutterings or wishful wonderings rose to the surface.
    Who knows why my mind took off for the land of if only at breakfast. Matthew Kingsley is just Matthew Kingsley. He’ll always be my first crush—nothing more and nothing less.
    The last play of the game, Vicki hit a ground ball. Christy ran to scoop it up and pitched it underhanded to Wes, who tagged Vicki out at second base. With a loud cheer, Christy joined the rest of her team in celebrating the win.
    The thrill of victory was short lived. Sierra loudly challenged Matthew’s team to make it the best two out of three games. Wes took the challenge and said they would meet Sierra and her “bunch of losers” on the field tomorrow afternoon at four.
    They all headed for The Golden Calf, talking and laughing as if they had been friends for years. Matt walked beside Christy. “You know what I realized when I saw you there in the outfield?”
    â€œLet me guess. You realized I was serious when I said I couldn’t catch.”
    Matthew laughed. “No, you did great. You made the winning play with Wes.”
    â€œI guess I did, didn’t I?” Christy beamed.
    With a sincere expression Matt said, “What I realized, Christy, is that I wished you hadn’t moved to California. I wish you and I had had the chance to finish growing up together. I wonder what would have happened.”
    Without thinking, she said, “I’ve been wondering some of those same things.”
    â€œYou have?”
    Caught off guard by her own honesty, Christy quickly added, “I mean, I think Brightwater was a great place togrow up. It would have been fun to go through high school with the same people I started school with.”
    â€œI agree,” Matt said. “It would have been nice to have you around in high school.”
    Unsure of what to say, Christy offered only a timid smile and a nod.
    They were entering The Golden Calf, and Christy spotted Todd seated at a nearby table. With a chin-up gesture he motioned for Christy and the others to join him. The instant Christy saw him she felt a familiar certainty settle over her.
    Now, that’s the man I’m in love with.
    As if to test her response, Christy turned and watched Matthew as he went through the food line ahead of her. There was no comparison between Todd and Matt. All the “what if” questions she had entertained earlier about Matt seemed to evaporate. She didn’t know why. But at the moment, it didn’t matter.
    She looked across the room at Todd. He was watching her with “that look” again. Even though they were at least thirty feet away from each other in the noisy cafeteria, the moment their eyes met, Christy felt as if the rest of the world had rushed away. An invisible bubble had taken just the two of them to a magical place where her heart didn’t flitter and flutter, but rather beat steadily and sure.
    It’s a marathon for us, isn’t it, Todd? Not a quick, flittery sprint. You love me with all your heart. I can see it on your face. And I love you. I know I do.
    Christy followed Matthew through the sandwich line, content that her feelings had settled themselves. If she had stayed in Wisconsin, she and Matthew might have ended up testing their relationship on a deeper level.
    But I didn’t stay in Wisconsin. I moved here, I met Todd, and this is the relationship I want to stay committed to. I don’t think God jerks us around the way my thoughts about Matthew jerked around this morning. I don’t need to waste my time daydreaming about “what if.” All I need to do is keep asking God, “What next?”
    Just as Christy and Matthew left the sandwich line and headed toward Todd’s table, Katie bounced in front of them. With all the energy she had gained from sleeping until noon, she greeted them with an enthusiastic,