found his again. “You
won’t lose him.” Where did those words come from? Didn’t matter now. She’d
spoken them, and in a deep part of her heart she knew they were true.
“More than anything else, that’s
the one thing I pray for.” The deep emotion was evident.
A few seconds ticked by. “To be
honest, Daniel, I don’t know why I said that. It just came out of me.”
He simply held her gaze for several
moments. She couldn’t help wondering what was going on in his mind, though his
eyes showed his appreciation for her earlier words.
“Doesn’t matter why. I’m just glad
you did. I must’ve needed to hear it.”
The silence returned as they both
finished their pie. He still hadn’t given the answer to her question, however.
She was still interested.
“So, the reason you became involved
with the food drive was to help give back. Is that right?”
Chapter Seven
He couldn’t help admiring her
tenacity in getting to the root of something. After all he’d told her, she was
still seeking a direct answer to the question that had led to his trip through
the fields of his memory.
“Yep. That’s it, exactly.”
She seemed to ponder that for
several moments. “I guess that makes sense. But you said you hunted for it.
What brought you to that particular church’s food drive?”
A tiny grin forced itself upon his
lips. “I’d heard of a national organization, so I looked up a branch here in
New York. I was hoping my church would be involved, but it turned out to be one
in the Bronx. Didn’t really matter where it was, I just knew that’s what I
wanted to do.”
“Any particular reason you wanted
to be part of the national program and not a local one?”
“Before I answer that, you should
know that I hold nothing against locally arranged food programs. What drew me
to the larger one is the fact that their budget allows for some nationwide
advertising on TV. This brings the need into the minds of larger numbers of
people. The more people who know of it, the more donations that come in, and
the more people we can help. It’s that simple.”
“Okay, I see now. You just want to
help as many folks as you can.” She paused for a beat. “But I don’t get why you
feel the need to reach out to as vast a number as you possibly can.”
He felt his eyebrows knit together
as he tilted his head. “I’m not sure what you’re pushing for.” He thought he
knew, but wanted to hear it from her.
“I don’t mean any offense, but I
wonder if you’re doing as much as you can in order to build up a larger reward
later.”
“A bigger Heavenly reward? Is that
what you mean?” He tried to keep his tone neutral.
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
He couldn’t suppress the tiny
gurgling chuckle. “No. That’s not it at all. My motivation is to thank God for
everything He’s given me. The more people I help, the more I’m thanking Him.
That’s all there is to it.”
“After all the troubles you’ve had
in life, you want to thank Him? I just don’t get it.”
“What I’m grateful for is that I
was given the opportunity to have such great parents, a special wife, and a
son—all of whom gave me more love than I ever knew was possible. I give thanks
for all the difficulties also, because having found my way through them, I’ve
become the person I am today.”
Allison remained silent, seeming to
mull over his words in her mind.
Soon, the waiter brought the check,
and Daniel paid it with a credit card, leaving a generous tip. She remained
quiet until they were in his Lexus, only speaking to tell him her address so he
could drive her home.
What was going on inside that
beautiful head of hers? Yes, he knew she was having issues with her faith, so
he didn’t want to interrupt the process she was going through. This was nothing
new to him. He’d seen it happen over and over again. But this time—with
Allison—it was likely to take some time to come to fruition.
A part of him couldn’t
won’t lose him.” Where did those words come from? Didn’t matter now. She’d
spoken them, and in a deep part of her heart she knew they were true.
“More than anything else, that’s
the one thing I pray for.” The deep emotion was evident.
A few seconds ticked by. “To be
honest, Daniel, I don’t know why I said that. It just came out of me.”
He simply held her gaze for several
moments. She couldn’t help wondering what was going on in his mind, though his
eyes showed his appreciation for her earlier words.
“Doesn’t matter why. I’m just glad
you did. I must’ve needed to hear it.”
The silence returned as they both
finished their pie. He still hadn’t given the answer to her question, however.
She was still interested.
“So, the reason you became involved
with the food drive was to help give back. Is that right?”
Chapter Seven
He couldn’t help admiring her
tenacity in getting to the root of something. After all he’d told her, she was
still seeking a direct answer to the question that had led to his trip through
the fields of his memory.
“Yep. That’s it, exactly.”
She seemed to ponder that for
several moments. “I guess that makes sense. But you said you hunted for it.
What brought you to that particular church’s food drive?”
A tiny grin forced itself upon his
lips. “I’d heard of a national organization, so I looked up a branch here in
New York. I was hoping my church would be involved, but it turned out to be one
in the Bronx. Didn’t really matter where it was, I just knew that’s what I
wanted to do.”
“Any particular reason you wanted
to be part of the national program and not a local one?”
“Before I answer that, you should
know that I hold nothing against locally arranged food programs. What drew me
to the larger one is the fact that their budget allows for some nationwide
advertising on TV. This brings the need into the minds of larger numbers of
people. The more people who know of it, the more donations that come in, and
the more people we can help. It’s that simple.”
“Okay, I see now. You just want to
help as many folks as you can.” She paused for a beat. “But I don’t get why you
feel the need to reach out to as vast a number as you possibly can.”
He felt his eyebrows knit together
as he tilted his head. “I’m not sure what you’re pushing for.” He thought he
knew, but wanted to hear it from her.
“I don’t mean any offense, but I
wonder if you’re doing as much as you can in order to build up a larger reward
later.”
“A bigger Heavenly reward? Is that
what you mean?” He tried to keep his tone neutral.
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
He couldn’t suppress the tiny
gurgling chuckle. “No. That’s not it at all. My motivation is to thank God for
everything He’s given me. The more people I help, the more I’m thanking Him.
That’s all there is to it.”
“After all the troubles you’ve had
in life, you want to thank Him? I just don’t get it.”
“What I’m grateful for is that I
was given the opportunity to have such great parents, a special wife, and a
son—all of whom gave me more love than I ever knew was possible. I give thanks
for all the difficulties also, because having found my way through them, I’ve
become the person I am today.”
Allison remained silent, seeming to
mull over his words in her mind.
Soon, the waiter brought the check,
and Daniel paid it with a credit card, leaving a generous tip. She remained
quiet until they were in his Lexus, only speaking to tell him her address so he
could drive her home.
What was going on inside that
beautiful head of hers? Yes, he knew she was having issues with her faith, so
he didn’t want to interrupt the process she was going through. This was nothing
new to him. He’d seen it happen over and over again. But this time—with
Allison—it was likely to take some time to come to fruition.
A part of him couldn’t
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