popular, and might even play
for the NBA someday. He buys me all kinds of gifts, like a watch and the cutest stuffed tiger and for my birthday got me some really cool perfume. All the girls are jealous of me, and I donât want to lose him. So Iâve been thinking about the sex
.
But when you talked about how you decided to wait till marriage to have sex, because âIâm worth itââit really made me think. How if a boy really loves you, he wonât want to put you at risk for getting pregnant or getting a disease or needing an abortion, stuff like that
.
Grace flinched. She forced her eyes back to the letter.
Like, thatâs so true! One of my girlfriends got pregnant and had a baby, and she canât do fun stuff anymore or anything. And her boyfriend didnât hang around after that either. So when you told us youâre engaged to a wonderful man who respects you, and it was âworth the waitââwell, I just want you to know I want to be like you! Iâm going toâ
With sudden fury, Grace balled up the letter and threw it across the room. Startled, Oreo jumped off her lap and crawled under the couch. Snatching a throw pillow, Grace sent it flying after the crumpled-up letter. Then she grabbed another one and hugged it tight against her chest as sobs shook her body and pent-up tears came fast and furious.
âO God, O God,â she wailed, âI donât understand why all this is happening!â Rogerâs devastating phone call ⦠Samanthaâs mother having a heart attack ⦠the horrible TSA people violating her ⦠her throat on fire ⦠her career up for grabs â¦
Was God punishing her? Sheâd thought sheâd earned his blessing with her passionate message about purity! Look at that letter! She took being a role model seriously. So whyâ
Rocking back and forth, crying, her throat raw, Grace almost missed the familiar ringtone of her cell phone. But pulling it out of her jeans pocket, she saw it was the doctorâs callback and hastily reached for some tissues to mop her face.
Five minutes later, she wrote on her Day-Timer page for Wednesday,
2:00 Dr. Stacey
, then looked around and called out hoarsely, âOreo? Kitty, kitty ⦠you can come out now.â
Chapter 8
Grace absently paged through a six-month-old copy of
National Geographic Traveler
, wondering how much longer before she could see the doctor. The receptionist had squeezed her in between Dr. Stacyâs Wednesday appointmentsâotherwise there wasnât an opening until next week.
But Grace was starting to feel nervous. Even getting in today was cutting it close. The sweetheart banquet was only a week and a half away, and when she checked her e-mail that morning, the banquet coordinator at Living Hope Church had sent her an attached schedule of the program, the name of the person who would be her âarmor bearerâ for the evening (
Sheâll make sure you have everything you need!
), and asked if she had any special needs or requests.
Weâre so excited that you and your fiancé are coming
, the e-mail gushed,
and weâre expecting a record turnout this year!
Grace had stifled a groan. Her name was going to be mud when she canceled.
But Bongo Booking Agency had been copied on the e-mail, and Jeff Newman e-mailed her an hour later wondering if she had a doctorâs certification yet. He really needed to confirm with Living Hope one way or the other, especially if he had to cancel.
Grace was starting to feel guilty about cancelingâbut she really wasnât feeling well. Sheâd woken up that morning feeling feverish and headachy and had taken her temperature, a hair shy of one hundred degrees. Nothing serious, but still.
âMiss Meredith?â A middle-aged nurse in a royal blue scrub jacket came to the door and eyed the five people in the waiting room. Grace gathered up her things. âThis way.â
Seated in
for the NBA someday. He buys me all kinds of gifts, like a watch and the cutest stuffed tiger and for my birthday got me some really cool perfume. All the girls are jealous of me, and I donât want to lose him. So Iâve been thinking about the sex
.
But when you talked about how you decided to wait till marriage to have sex, because âIâm worth itââit really made me think. How if a boy really loves you, he wonât want to put you at risk for getting pregnant or getting a disease or needing an abortion, stuff like that
.
Grace flinched. She forced her eyes back to the letter.
Like, thatâs so true! One of my girlfriends got pregnant and had a baby, and she canât do fun stuff anymore or anything. And her boyfriend didnât hang around after that either. So when you told us youâre engaged to a wonderful man who respects you, and it was âworth the waitââwell, I just want you to know I want to be like you! Iâm going toâ
With sudden fury, Grace balled up the letter and threw it across the room. Startled, Oreo jumped off her lap and crawled under the couch. Snatching a throw pillow, Grace sent it flying after the crumpled-up letter. Then she grabbed another one and hugged it tight against her chest as sobs shook her body and pent-up tears came fast and furious.
âO God, O God,â she wailed, âI donât understand why all this is happening!â Rogerâs devastating phone call ⦠Samanthaâs mother having a heart attack ⦠the horrible TSA people violating her ⦠her throat on fire ⦠her career up for grabs â¦
Was God punishing her? Sheâd thought sheâd earned his blessing with her passionate message about purity! Look at that letter! She took being a role model seriously. So whyâ
Rocking back and forth, crying, her throat raw, Grace almost missed the familiar ringtone of her cell phone. But pulling it out of her jeans pocket, she saw it was the doctorâs callback and hastily reached for some tissues to mop her face.
Five minutes later, she wrote on her Day-Timer page for Wednesday,
2:00 Dr. Stacey
, then looked around and called out hoarsely, âOreo? Kitty, kitty ⦠you can come out now.â
Chapter 8
Grace absently paged through a six-month-old copy of
National Geographic Traveler
, wondering how much longer before she could see the doctor. The receptionist had squeezed her in between Dr. Stacyâs Wednesday appointmentsâotherwise there wasnât an opening until next week.
But Grace was starting to feel nervous. Even getting in today was cutting it close. The sweetheart banquet was only a week and a half away, and when she checked her e-mail that morning, the banquet coordinator at Living Hope Church had sent her an attached schedule of the program, the name of the person who would be her âarmor bearerâ for the evening (
Sheâll make sure you have everything you need!
), and asked if she had any special needs or requests.
Weâre so excited that you and your fiancé are coming
, the e-mail gushed,
and weâre expecting a record turnout this year!
Grace had stifled a groan. Her name was going to be mud when she canceled.
But Bongo Booking Agency had been copied on the e-mail, and Jeff Newman e-mailed her an hour later wondering if she had a doctorâs certification yet. He really needed to confirm with Living Hope one way or the other, especially if he had to cancel.
Grace was starting to feel guilty about cancelingâbut she really wasnât feeling well. Sheâd woken up that morning feeling feverish and headachy and had taken her temperature, a hair shy of one hundred degrees. Nothing serious, but still.
âMiss Meredith?â A middle-aged nurse in a royal blue scrub jacket came to the door and eyed the five people in the waiting room. Grace gathered up her things. âThis way.â
Seated in
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