Read Online Love's Stormy Gale (Heartsong Presents) by Lynette Sowell - Free Book Online Page B

sip.
    “Dad, are you okay?”
    “I’m fine. Just a summer cold.”
    “Ever since I’ve been home? That’s a long cold.” She wouldn’t bring up the pipe tobacco.
    “Like I said, I’m fine.” He spread the newspaper out on the table. With a grunt, Olivia’s father turned to the Sports section of the Boston paper.
    “Will you come to church this morning? Pastor’s been asking about you.” Olivia braced herself for the reply.
    “Tell him I’m doing great.” He set his coffee mug on the table with a thunk. “Business is so good, I need to rest and catch up on work around the house.”
    “All right.” The light blinked on the waffle iron. Olivia placed the steaming waffles on two plates, then brought them to the table.
    When she was a child, her father would drop her off at church and pick her up afterward. Either that or he’d let her go with Mrs. Flaherty next door. Why wouldn’t he come with her? Why the need to stay away?
    “I love God in my own way. I don’t need to show up to please people....” His voice trailed off.
    Olivia wouldn’t argue with him there she thought as she ate her breakfast. After Robby died, she had longed for the sanctuary of God’s house, but she couldn’t deal with curious glances and vague whispers and too-bright smiles. So she’d stopped attending altogether until she moved to Pennsylvania.
    Except Jonathan would nod at her, giving her a slight smile that didn’t mask the sorrow in his eyes. He had been through the valley of the shadow of death and come through alive. He understood. What must that be like for him?
    She brushed aside the somber thoughts and silently toasted the bright morning with her cup of coffee.
    “I don’t know if some of the gang will go out to lunch or not, but I’ll call you if we do so you won’t wait for me.”
    Olivia’s father grunted again in response and patted her shoulder as she left the table.
    * * *
    Maggie settled onto the chair next to her in Sunday school.
    “Hey, guess what?” Maggie beamed. But then she always beamed lately.
    “What?”
    “Todd’s mom gave me a gift certificate to the Children’s Orchard! She knew I’d be wanting to get a head start on shopping for the baby.”
    Olivia managed a grin for her friend. “Let me guess. You couldn’t wait for a baby shower. That gift certificate’s probably burning a hole in your purse.”
    “Shopping trip? In Newburyport?”
    “Sounds great!” She needed a diversion from Jonathan, from her paperwork-gathering for graduate school. A shopping trip would do the trick.
    Jeremy, their teacher, called the class to order and opened in prayer. “Now, let’s look at the first lesson in the quarterly journal. I know you haven’t had a chance to study it, but I figured we could start today as an introduction.”
    Olivia read the title of the lesson. “Calming the Storm.” Was this a conspiracy? She’d been sailing through a hurricane, thunderstorm and tornado all at once it seemed.
    A sideways glance at Jonathan showed brown eyes probing her for a reaction. Olivia set her jaw. She wouldn’t let him, wouldn’t let anyone see her reaction to the upcoming lecture.
    Olivia had heard the story from childhood, of Jesus sleeping inside the boat during the storm, while the disciples panicked. She remembered giggling with the rest of the class. Silly disciples. Scared to pieces while the Son of God accompanied them across the lake in a storm.
    Then she had grown up. Adult fear had replaced her child’s faith.
    Jeremy continued. “Note that in Mark 4:35, Jesus tells the disciples they are going to the other side. I’m sure He knew a storm was coming, that their very lives would be in danger. The lesson asks an interesting question on page three: Why do you think the disciples allowed fear to overcome them? Anyone care to answer?”
    “They were human,” someone called out.
    “Good,” said Jeremy.
    Olivia could understand the disciples’ feelings. Wasn’t fear a human