Read Online Safe from Harm (9781101619629) by Stephanie Jaye Evans - Free Book Online

walked out of the room. I heard the clatter of her heels on the stairs.
    â€œAnd maybe the best way to do that was to embarrass me,” I finished in the empty room. I made a big
X
on the tablet in front of me and blew out my breath. “Well done, Brother Wells. Handled like a pro,” I told myself. But I didn’t go after her. It wasn’t likely I’d come up with anything better if I tried again, even if Phoebe would let me try again.
    My belly hurt, which meant I’d been a tad tense during the encounter. I went back to my office.
    When I had eased myself carefully behind my desk again, Rebecca came in with a cold can of Spicy V8 and a glass of ice chips.
    She said, “That went well.”
    â€œDid you see her departure?”
    â€œBear, the whole building saw her departure. I’m not sure you won a soul for Jesus today.”
    I laughed and then groaned and held my stomach.
    â€œThanks for the juice.” I held the glass aloft.
    â€œYou’re so welcome. You want to tell me about it?” Rebecca sat down.
    I shook my head no. I wanted to talk to Annie Laurie and I wanted to talk to Carol Thompson who would have been less defensive and more effective with Phoebe, but then she’s a female therapist and I’m a male minister. I wanted someone else to tell me if I should go see the Pickersley-Smythes. I was out of my league. Way out. And this wasn’t a league I wanted to play in.
    â€¢Â Â Â â€¢Â Â Â â€¢
    Phoebe’s payback came the very day she made her visit to my office. I was going to tell Annie everything when I got home that night. See, any way I looked at it, it came up as entrapment. Yes, that sounds dramatic. But there was the way she was dressed, her insistence on complete privacy and the amateurish seduction moves—I do think it was meant to be seductive, even if I didn’t think for a second that Phoebe had any more interest in me than she did in Big Bird. So I was going to see how Annie Laurie thought we should handle it. But Phoebe made her move first. I got a call from a jubilant Annie.
    â€œJo and Phoebe have made up, Bear! It’s the best thing! They’re going to the movies together and then spending the night at Phoebe’s. It was all Phoebe’s idea. Oh, it’s such good news. That girl has been sitting on my heart. She seems such a lost thing.”
    No. Not the best thing. Not good news. What the heck was Phoebe playing at?
    â€œI don’t know, Annie. We need to talk about Phoebe. I think Phoebe has some issues.”
    â€œOh, my gosh. Her mom died, she’s living with her stepmom and Liz isn’t an easy person.
I’d
have some issues. Did you tell me you didn’t want Jo to go out with Phoebe?”
    I hadn’t had time.
    â€œDid you tell me anything about Phoebe that should, ipso facto, mean I shouldn’t let Jo go out with Phoebe?”
    I was about to tell Annie Laurie about Phoebe’s appearance in my office that morning, but when Annie Laurie starts borrowing her dad’s lawyerspeak, it’s time for me to get off the phone.
    When I texted Jo, all I got back was “brb,” and I don’t know what that means.
    Annie laughed at me when I told her about Phoebe’s visit. The more I tried to explain, the harder she laughed. It was this close to being insulting. Annie made it very, very clear that she thought I was “reading too much into it,” and said I shouldn’t worry and could I please get ready because we were due at the Sugar Land Skeeters Grand Opening Gala in an hour. It was “cocktail attire” or “vintage jerseys.” I wanted to wear my old UT jersey but Annie wouldn’t let me because she didn’t think a football jersey was what they were talking about since the Sugar Land Skeeters play minor league baseball. If she didn’t want me to wear my old football jersey, she should have bought me an old baseball