theme to be God’scovenants. This is Abraham holding Isaac. The miracle child born in his old age.”
“I like it,” Brooke said. She lowered her voice so the ladies couldn’t hear, but he could see that they strained to listen. “But I don’t know that much about the Bible. I wouldn’t know where to begin with a covenant theme.”
“I’ll teach you about it,” he said. “It’ll blow your mind, Brooke. Really.”
Brooke bit her lip and nodded. “Okay, then give me some Bible references to look up, and I’ll do my homework and make some sketches.”
“You could start with Adam and Eve. For instance, the curse of God on Eve, where he said he would put enmity between the serpent and Eve, and between his offspring and hers. I’d like to do a window of Christ crushing the head of the serpent.”
“Crushing the head of the serpent?” one of the women erupted. “Christ never crushed a serpent.”
Nick’s face changed. “I’m talking about Genesis 3:5, Mrs. Inglish, when God made a promise. And it was a prophecy about Christ…”
Mrs. Inglish’s face reddened. “Oh, that.”
Nick shook his head and turned back to the table. Slowly he began gathering the sketches. “Why don’t we find someplace where we can work without interruptions,” he said.
Mrs. Inglish mumbled something to the other women as Nick and Brooke left, something neither of them cared to imagine. The room erupted into a low roar of cackles and chirps.
“Where are we going?” Brooke asked when they were out of earshot.
“Well, there sure isn’t any place around here,” he said. “1 guess we’ll go to my house.”
Brooke stopped in her tracks. “No.”
Nick turned and saw the resolution in her expression. “What, Brooke?”
“It’s bad enough that their gossip will be all over town before lunch,” she said, “but if we go to your house today while they’relooking for something to say about us, we’re only feeding it. I won’t do that, Nick.”
Nick leaned back against a wall, and his shoulders fell as he expelled a long breath. “It isn’t that, really, is it, Brooke? You’re afraid to go to my house with me for other reasons, aren’t you?”
“Of course not.”
His eyes were impatient, penetrating, as they locked her in their scrutiny. “Yes, you are. You’re afraid to be alone with me.”
Brooke’s mouth tightened into a thin line; anger flared in her eyes. “I can see now that maybe I was hasty,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“In telling Abby Hemphill I was staying!” she whispered. “I’m not looking forward to rationalizing every decision I make with you, Nick. I’m not interested in explaining myself constantly. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea, after all.”
Nick pulled her into his office and closed the door behind them. She leaned wearily back against the wall. Nick lifted his hands in apology. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Let’s just try to work, okay? Don’t quit on me just when we’ve gotten started. We can work in here.”
With a look that said it was against her better judgment, she nodded. “All right. Let’s work.”
Relief drained Nick’s face. He turned to the cluttered desk and cleared off a space for her. “We’ll each take one side of the desk, and maybe by the afternoon the Hysterical Society will have gone home.”
Brooke smiled.
“We’re going to get through this, you know,” he said. “I promise.”
Brooke’s smile settled comfortably over her face, despite the sigh unraveling from her lungs.
He only hoped he could keep that promise.
CHAPTER
B Y THE END OF THE DAY N ICK HAD walked Brooke through a mini-course in God’s covenants, and they had divided the circular windows into four panels each and had assigned a different covenant to each group of four. They stayed in the tiny office with the door closed until lunchtime. When they came out, they noticed the members of the “Hysterical Society” nudging each other. They went to a
“I like it,” Brooke said. She lowered her voice so the ladies couldn’t hear, but he could see that they strained to listen. “But I don’t know that much about the Bible. I wouldn’t know where to begin with a covenant theme.”
“I’ll teach you about it,” he said. “It’ll blow your mind, Brooke. Really.”
Brooke bit her lip and nodded. “Okay, then give me some Bible references to look up, and I’ll do my homework and make some sketches.”
“You could start with Adam and Eve. For instance, the curse of God on Eve, where he said he would put enmity between the serpent and Eve, and between his offspring and hers. I’d like to do a window of Christ crushing the head of the serpent.”
“Crushing the head of the serpent?” one of the women erupted. “Christ never crushed a serpent.”
Nick’s face changed. “I’m talking about Genesis 3:5, Mrs. Inglish, when God made a promise. And it was a prophecy about Christ…”
Mrs. Inglish’s face reddened. “Oh, that.”
Nick shook his head and turned back to the table. Slowly he began gathering the sketches. “Why don’t we find someplace where we can work without interruptions,” he said.
Mrs. Inglish mumbled something to the other women as Nick and Brooke left, something neither of them cared to imagine. The room erupted into a low roar of cackles and chirps.
“Where are we going?” Brooke asked when they were out of earshot.
“Well, there sure isn’t any place around here,” he said. “1 guess we’ll go to my house.”
Brooke stopped in her tracks. “No.”
Nick turned and saw the resolution in her expression. “What, Brooke?”
“It’s bad enough that their gossip will be all over town before lunch,” she said, “but if we go to your house today while they’relooking for something to say about us, we’re only feeding it. I won’t do that, Nick.”
Nick leaned back against a wall, and his shoulders fell as he expelled a long breath. “It isn’t that, really, is it, Brooke? You’re afraid to go to my house with me for other reasons, aren’t you?”
“Of course not.”
His eyes were impatient, penetrating, as they locked her in their scrutiny. “Yes, you are. You’re afraid to be alone with me.”
Brooke’s mouth tightened into a thin line; anger flared in her eyes. “I can see now that maybe I was hasty,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“In telling Abby Hemphill I was staying!” she whispered. “I’m not looking forward to rationalizing every decision I make with you, Nick. I’m not interested in explaining myself constantly. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea, after all.”
Nick pulled her into his office and closed the door behind them. She leaned wearily back against the wall. Nick lifted his hands in apology. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Let’s just try to work, okay? Don’t quit on me just when we’ve gotten started. We can work in here.”
With a look that said it was against her better judgment, she nodded. “All right. Let’s work.”
Relief drained Nick’s face. He turned to the cluttered desk and cleared off a space for her. “We’ll each take one side of the desk, and maybe by the afternoon the Hysterical Society will have gone home.”
Brooke smiled.
“We’re going to get through this, you know,” he said. “I promise.”
Brooke’s smile settled comfortably over her face, despite the sigh unraveling from her lungs.
He only hoped he could keep that promise.
CHAPTER
B Y THE END OF THE DAY N ICK HAD walked Brooke through a mini-course in God’s covenants, and they had divided the circular windows into four panels each and had assigned a different covenant to each group of four. They stayed in the tiny office with the door closed until lunchtime. When they came out, they noticed the members of the “Hysterical Society” nudging each other. They went to a
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