Read Online Plan by Linda; Lyle - Free Book Online

eyes out of her mind. She prayed for understanding and guidance. Thursday she flipped open her Bible at random. The words of David from the book of Psalms seemed to jump off the page. “Wait on the Lord.” She closed the book with a thud. She didn’t have time to wait.
    Kyle called for another date on Friday, and again on Saturday. With each date, Rachel became more and more frustrated. They were all the same as the first. They went to the movies or out to eat, but the conversation never got past small talk. More and more, she found herself thinking about her conversations with Randy. In a few meetings, Rachel had learned more about him than she had learned about Kyle in five years. She wanted to talk to Susan about it, but she could already hear the lecture and see the knowing look. She would just have to work this out on her own, or better yet, talk it out with Kyle. Maybe he just needed a little push in the right direction. She picked up the phone and dialed his number.
    â€œHello.” Somehow the sound of his voice was annoying. She shook the thought away.
    â€œHi, Kyle. It’s Rachel. I wanted to talk to you about Friday night.” She wound the phone cord around her fingers as she talked.
    â€œWhat about it? You’re still free, aren’t you?” The worry in his voice made her smile.
    â€œYes. It’s not that. I was just wondering if we could skip the movie and go somewhere and get to know each other better.”
    â€œOh, sure. That would be good. Where do you want to go?”
    â€œI don’t know. Just some place we can talk without so many people around.”
    â€œI know just the place. Why don’t I surprise you?” Something about the tone in his voice sent a warning shiver up her spine, but she ignored it. It was probably just nerves.
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œSee you Friday.”
    She hung up and finished getting ready for work. Monday was the same old thing, a repeat of the Monday before it. She hadn’t seen much of Randy since their meeting the week before. It was almost as if he were avoiding her. It was probably just her imagination. He probably had a lot of grading to do. With a sigh, she picked up a one-inch stack of papers and added them to her growing tower of papers.
    The rest of the week was a blur of grading and classes. One day proceeded after another in their onward march to eternity. She was getting overly dramatic these days. What was the problem? She should be happy, ecstatic, but here she was moaning and groaning. She finally had Kyle, so why was she so depressed? She stuffed the stacks of papers into her bag and headed for the Mag-nolia. Maybe a cappuccino would help.
    She spotted him the minute she walked into the room. Randy was sitting in their favorite spot, holding a cup of cappuccino like it was a lifeline. Rachel ordered her coffee and made her way through the tables, her step definitely lighter.
    â€œHey, stranger! What do you know?”
    He jumped at the sound of her voice, spilling hot liquid all over his hand. “Ow!” he yelped. She put down her coffee and grabbed some napkins in one smooth move. She dried his hand and checked for burns. On a whim, she kissed his hand.
    â€œThere. I kissed it and made it better.”
❧
    The scalding coffee was nothing compared to the fire that went through him at the touch of her lips on his hand. He wanted nothing more than to grab her and kiss her right then. Her smile seemed to light up the entire room. It had been a long two weeks without that smile. He had made a concerted effort to stay out of her path, hoping he could shake the growing need to see her. It only brought pain, especially when he thought of the other guy.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” She looked concerned. “Does it still hurt?” She turned his hand over and inspected it again.
    â€œOh, it’s nothing. I was just surprised, that’s all.”
    â€œWell, I’m sorry I startled you.