Read Online Stepping Up To Love (Lakeside Porches 1) by Katie O'Boyle - Free Book Online

Power was. She asked them, “What is this ‘God as we understand him’ thing? Do you all have some common definition of God?”
    Carol told her, “Just the opposite. You can understand God your own way; I can understand her my way.”
    Manda smiled. Apparently people from all beliefs and religions came together in AA. She was glad she wouldn’t have to argue about her God or explain him to anyone.
    “And it’s nobody’s business. But it’s important that you find a God or a Higher Power, not just to help you stay sober but to guide your life. Did I just lose you?”
    “No, actually, I know God’s been watching out for me lately.” She thought about her prayers in the car the night she left Kristof’s. That God had been listening and had dramatically changed her life in a single day. She had a feeling she could rely on that God and ask for help with all of the problems she was dealing with right now.
    “Keep talking to your God, Manda, and let Him guide your life. Do you have a sponsor yet?”
    “I know you just told me what a sponsor is, but could you say it again?”
    Carol said patiently, “A sponsor is a woman you can talk with, who’ll read through the Big Book with you, and guide you through the twelve steps. She’s someone who’s comfortable with her sobriety and who is living the way you’d like to live your life. Sometimes a woman continues to be a close advisor long after the newcomer has gone through the steps using the Big Book, so—"
    “I’m sorry. Can you explain what you mean by ‘the big book’?”
    Annette told her, “Tomorrow we’ll make sure you get your own copy of the book Alcoholics Anonymous . We call it the Big Book. It explains the program of recovery that men and women have been using for decades to recover from alcoholism, and it really works. For tonight we’ll give you our phone numbers so you can call anytime you want to drink. Or talk. Or have coffee.”
    Carol smiled. “Or get a burger.”
    “Maybe I’d better get a phone,” Manda mumbled. But she probably couldn’t go for burgers and fries every week without blowing her budget and gaining a ton of weight.
    Manda still had no phone a week later. After supper—a quick salad— she headed to the library and spread out her books, notes, and review sheets on a table. She had been using this quiet area of the library lately because it was in view of the checkout desk. She set her “creeper beeper”—the name students had for the electronic escort device issued to them by campus security—close at hand. She opened her laptop, and immersed herself in review for her Senior Accounting exam.
    When she heard the fifteen-minute warning just before closing time at midnight, she packed up her materials. She slung her tote bag over her shoulder and felt it bump against someone before settling on her shoulder. Hands gripped the straps of the tote and pulled it backwards and Manda with it. Instinctively, she activated her creeper beeper. Two alarms shrieked, one overhead and another at the entrance just beyond the checkout desk.
    “They won’t be here in time, Manda baby,” Kristof snarled. “I’ll have your face sliced and be out of here before they even get out of their chairs.”
    Manda wasn’t listening. She managed to shrug out of her tote, and she slipped out of his grasp, throwing him off balance. As she twisted away from him, she felt a searing pain in her shoulder. She made a break for the checkout desk but first caught a glimpse of a small knife—or maybe it was a straight-edge razor—in his hand. One student worker gaped at her. Another said helpfully, “Miss, you left your tote bag and laptop behind.”
    Manda took a steadying breath. “Call nine-one-one,” she ordered them, her voice hard.
    A librarian came out of her office, phone in hand.
    When she hesitated with her finger on the Send button, Manda yelled, “Now!”
    The call went through, and Manda took the phone to explain the problem. Just as