Read Online Jodie's Song by Marianne Evans - Free Book Online

what she wanted in her life. Didn’t she? Now her resolutions felt scrambled. What should come next? After all, they both dealt with intense family circumstances as well as personal and professional responsibilities. Romance tempted, but Jodie wondered all over again if the timing wasn’t off.
    God, why didn’t I meet him before all the drama and chaos? God, do You think he’d wait for me? Would he be willing to be friends until circumstances even out in my life and I can fully welcome a man like him into my heart?
    A tingle swept through her—head to toe—thrilling.
    Why do you fear, precious one? It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Now.
    The words from the Gospel of Luke were as much a conviction as a source of comfort. She wasn’t trusting, and she knew it. At the same time, her spirit felt bound and unable to soar free.
    “Can I admit something to you?” The question crossed her lips before Jodie fully considered what she wanted to say.
    Kevin looked into her eyes and nodded.
    “Until I came back to Angel Falls, until I moved in to Heart’s Haven, I buried myself away from life, and I used my late night work shift as an excuse for letting myself gradually become a hermit. I shut myself off from the world without even knowing I’d done it. I don’t much like the realization.”
    “It sounds to me like you’re being pretty hard on yourself. Don’t be. Your life proves God’s truth that to everything—to every season and emotion—there’s a purpose.” He speared one of his last remaining pineapple chunks. “The exile you’re talking about taught you self-reliance, didn’t it?”
    Jodie nodded and sipped from her drink. “Yes, but it also gave me a comfort zone. I’ve been alone, but I’ve also felt sheltered. Protected.” She took a bite of her sandwich.
    “Eventually we emerge from whatever shells we build, right? We have to, or we stop growing. In my experience, God doesn’t tend to let that kind of stagnation happen.” Kevin hiked a shoulder and kicked out his legs. “I mean, look at it this way. Maybe the exile you’ve described will help you come to terms with what you really want in your life, and help pave the way to what makes you truly happy.” He leaned forward and finished the last few pieces of his fruit assortment. Jodie watched, happily drawn toward him. “God wastes nothing.”
    “You’re right.” She unwrapped a chocolate chip cookie and split it in half, settling a portion on Kevin’s plate. “I’m coming to realize the ways I need to grow and change. Maybe that’s the rainbow across the sky of what’s happening to my dad right now.”
    Kevin tossed back a few chips. “Beautifully stated.”
    Jodie felt a blush stain her cheeks, so she ducked her head and fumbled with her soda can. “I give you credit for paying attention to where God’s leading.” Kevin lifted the last corner of his sandwich and polished it off. “Still, I can read it in your posture, in the way you reacted to our kiss in the elevator, that you weren’t counting on meeting me any more than I was counting on meeting you. Sorry if I overstepped. I didn’t mean to. I just…well…it happened out of caring. Hope you know that.”
    Heat flowed against her skin all over again. Jodie tucked back a curl of hair and blew out a breath of air. “Ah…”
    Kevin reached across the tabletop and took hold of her hand. He delivered an assuring squeeze. “Hey, that wasn’t meant to be pressure, just an observation. You know? I remember the day you moved in. While I worked in the yard, I watched the movers haul things into your unit. Your home life is comfortable and full of beauty—but I noticed the DVDs, the CDs, and yeah, that’s part of your job, part of who you are and what you do, but I wondered if a bit of hiding wasn’t taking place. Come out of your shell, Jodie. Open up. You won’t regret it.”
    The end note of his words filled the air with softness and promise.