Read Online One Prayer Away by Kendra Norman-Bellamy - Free Book Online

didn’t mean to upset you. I know men can be egotistical and don’t particularly like to be reminded of their weaknesses. I’m sorry if I offended you. I was just trying to help.”
    â€œI’m not mad at you, Lisa. I’m just not in the mood to talk about Virtue right now.”
    â€œWho’s talking about Virtue? I’m not in the mood to talk about her either. I can relate to that too. I don’t want to talk about my ex either. Felander’s not worth my breath, let alone my time. And look at that! We’ve got another thing in common. Both our ex’s have crazy names. I thought Felander had a jacked-up name, but what drunk woman would name her daughter something like Virtue?”
    The line had been crossed, but before Mitchell could respond, Chris trotted across the lawn and came to a breathless rest at the back of the car where the two of them stood. It was difficult, but Mitchell forced a smile throughthe heat of his anger and accepted the brotherly pound that Chris offered.
    â€œWhat’s up, man?” Chris said, panting. “For a minute, I thought that you had missed church today. You were even later than usual.”
    â€œI overslept,” Mitchell explained. “I made it in time to hear the message, though.”
    â€œWell, the future Mrs. and I are going to get a bite to eat,” Chris said as he slipped his arm around his fiancée and pulled her closer to him. “You can hop in the car with us and we’ll bring you back to get your truck afterwards.”
    â€œYeah, Mitch. We’d love to have you join us.”
    I’ll bet you would,
Mitchell thought and then immediately punished himself inwardly for thinking the worst of Lisa’s urging. He knew lots of women who had the tendency to be overly friendly. That didn’t mean that they were offering themselves for a deeper relationship with every guy they flirted with. Chris had the intelligence of a Yale graduate. He would know if his girl was capable of being unfaithful.
    â€œCome on, Mitch,” Lisa urged, touching his arm again. This time her touch didn’t have the same feel as the ones she’d given prior to Chris’s arrival. This time, it didn’t challenge Mitchell’s comfort level.
    â€œNo thanks, guys. I’ll pass today but maybe later.”
    Chris looked at him in disbelief. “You’re not eating? You sick or something?”
    Laughing at his friend’s expression, Mitchell shook his head. “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to eat; I just meant that I’d pass on eating out.”
    Although he didn’t do it often, Mitchell was a superb cook who had learned almost everything he knew about meal preparation from his grandmother. The spicy oven-fried tilapia that he had planned for today was one of Grandma Kate’s favorites. He’d cooked it for Virtue ontheir first date. It was one of her favorites too. At least, it used to be.
    â€œYou sure, man?” Chris asked. “We don’t have to go to Bob’s today. We can go somewhere else if you like.”
    Mitchell smiled but shook his head, declining once more. He was tempted to try one last time to convince both of them that his refusal of their invitation had nothing to do with seeing Virtue, but it wasn’t worth the trouble. It was clear to Mitchell that his friends would never really understand the place he was in. The sighting of his wife didn’t make him want to hide from her. Instead, it had renewed his quest to find her and clear his conscience.
    â€œMaybe next week,” Mitchell said. “I have some research to do anyway, so I need to be near my laptop. I’ll catch you guys later.”
    With a wave of his hand, he made an escape and walked through the maze of vehicles pulling from the lot, finally reaching his own. Once inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. Revealing his marriage may have unburdened him to a certain extent, but talking