Read Online Where Two Hearts Meet by Carrie Turansky - Free Book Online Page B

cake she pulled from the freezer and an off-key round of “Happy Birthday.” Allison sang along for her niece and nephews’ sake, but her heart wasn’t in it. When she finally arrived home around nine, she checked her answering machine. There was only one message. It began with a long pause. She knew it had to be a telemarketer and quickly pushed the DELETE button. She was not in the mood to listen to a sales spiel.
    She called Tyler’s home and cell phone once more, leaving a second round of messages. Then she fell into bed and gave in to her tears. Lying there, staring at the ceiling, she tried to fight off the assault of accusing thoughts and painful memories. But the old fears of abandonment and betrayal rose to the surface, mocking her for believing Tyler had truly changed. She didn’t fall asleep until well after midnight, and she spent the night wrestling through disturbing dreams. When morning arrived, she resolved to stop fretting and do something.
    She knocked on Tyler’s door again, but he didn’t answer. Standing on tiptoes, she took down the spare key and unlocked the door. Tyler had shown her his hiding place above the doorframe last week when he’d been locked out.
    She slowly pushed open the door and slipped inside, feeling more like a burglar than a concerned friend. She called Tyler’s name and listened to her voice echo off the walls. A quick glance around the quiet living room and dining room revealed nothing unusual. She walked into the kitchen and spotted two coffee cups and a sticky cereal bowl on the counter. Looking more closely, she saw the cereal was hard and stuck to the bottom of the bowl. Definitely yesterday’s breakfast.
    A shiver raced up her back as she left the kitchen and headed down the hall. Peeking in the bedroom, she saw his empty bed. The blankets and comforter had been pulled up and straightened. A pair of white socks and gray sweatpants lay on the floor near the closet. She tiptoed across the soft, beige carpet and slowly pushed open the bathroom door. A towel, comb, and shaving gear cluttered the counter, but there was no sign of Tyler.
    She walked back into the living room, running through all the possible explanations for Tyler’s disappearance for the hundredth time. Should she call his mom or brother? The local hospitals or the police? Maybe she could find his dad’s number in Florida, but she wasn’t sure where he lived. Her gaze moved to Tyler’s desk in the comer of the room. His open laptop sat in the center of the desk. A tropical beach screensaver slowly faded to a second photo with palm trees and aqua water. Allison walked over and touched a computer key. The screensaver immediately disappeared and a desktop photo popped up, filling the screen.
    Her eyebrows lifted. She and Tyler stood arm-in-arm in the center of the sea of brilliant daffodils. She sank into the desk chair and stared at her own image smiling back at her from the laptop. She’d looked directly at the camera lens, but he looked at her. The affection in his eyes was unmistakable. Warmth flooded through her, relaxing her tense muscles. Tears misted her vision. How could she doubt his love?
    She sniffed and glanced at Tyler’s open Bible lying on the desk next to the computer. Leaning closer, she focused on a section Tyler had carefully underlined in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient, love is kind . . . It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs . . . It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
    Allison tilted her head slightly to read Tyler’s handwritten note in the margin. Surprise rippled through her when she saw her name and the date of February fourth, over a year ago, written there. What did it mean? Had he been thinking of her?
    Praying for her? It seemed strange since they hadn’t even been in contact at that time.
    She focused on the verses again, letting their message sink in. The unconditional love described there was built on choices and