Read Online The Weight of Love by Jolene Betty Perry - Free Book Online Page B

ball, so even though its kids here, he’s having fun. It might be easier with the teens because he has something to teach them . He spends twenty minutes or so with some of the kids who play on their schools’ teams working on free-throws. He could use the support I know he’d get from the people here, so I’m glad he came.
    Out of the corner of my eye I see Jaycee freeze. I keep my eyes not directly on her, she’s too distracting, but I look her general direction. Her shoulder s slump and she glances at the floor before walking to the side of the gym. I let my eyes follow to where she’s looking.
    Hmm. A guy’s standing there watching her move toward him with a look I recognize. I wonder if she feels the same? And I know I shouldn’t be thinking this, but I’m just curious. I mean, she is one of the people we help out once in a while…
    He’s shorter than me, by a f ew inches I’d guess—blond, light brown eyes. I’m taking stock of this guy as if he’s competition. He’s not competition. I’m not in the running. At all. Nor should I be. And it’s not just the obvious, it’s that I have a whole life and job to try to get back together when I go home before I should even think about girls. This sucks.
    I turn back around and try to focus on the happy fact that we ended up helping wi th a youth activity, allowing my companion and I to do something we don’t often get to do. The ball is passed to me and I nail a three-point shot. Alright. This is okay. One of the kids passes me another.
    “We should go,” Elder Smitts says.
    “What?” I stop with the ball under my arm.
    “We should go. We have that movie to drop off to the Dean family and we need to be home before curfew so we can make calls for tomorrow.”
    “ Yeah. You’re right.” I scan the room, but Jaycee’s nowhere to be seen. Odd. “I’m gonna hit the restroom before we take off.”
    “ ‘Kay.”
    I walk down the hallway, blissfully alone. We really are together all the time. I get it, I see why it’s i mportant, but after more than eighteen months of always having a shadow, it’s starting to get a little stifling.
    I stop w hen I reach the corner. I hear Jaycee’s voice and a man’s voice. Probably short, blond guy. Okay, he’s not short , short, but he’s shorter than me. I can call him short.
    “I’m just not…” H er voice is quiet and sounds stressed.
    I hold my breath.
    “Did I do something wrong, or…”
    “No. And I know this is like the worse thing to say ever, but it’s not you. I’m just not… I’m just not ready.” There’s so much sadness in her voice that the single sentence cracks and pulls at my heart. I feel like a bit of a jerk suddenly for the passing thoughts I’ve had about her.
    I rest against the wall and listen.
    “I don’t know what to do.” His voice is still quiet.
    “I’m sorry, I…”
    She shouldn’t be apologizing. I feel myself tense up.
    “I know it’s been a long time and that I should be ready to move on, but I don’t feel it, not yet.”
    I’m trying to picture her face. Her small thin lips pulled down in a sort of apologetic frown.
    “Do you know when you’ll be ready?”
    Now, it could just be me, but it seems like kind of a jerk-off thing to say.
    “No.” It comes out a little sharp. I’m glad. She’s holding her ground. And ohmygosh I need to walk away right now. My legs don’t move.
    “I wish I did… ” She almost sounds like she’s crying. “It would make a lot of things easier, but I don’t know. I’m sorry, Jeremy. Again, it was really nice of you to drive all the way out here.”
    “I guess.” He lets out a breath. “I guess call me if you change your mind.”
    No one says anything, and I realize that I need to move. If either of them comes around the corner, it’ll be obvious I was listening in. I turn and walk back to the foyer where Elder Smitts is waiting.
    “Ready?” he asks.
    “Yep.” I follow him to the car, climb in and then remember