Topaz Heat (Christian Romance) (The Jewel Series) by Hallee Bridgeman Page A

“What are you afraid of?”
    Lisa shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
    “Well, it’s obviously something. So, let’s talk about it. Why have you not gone on a date with this man yet?”
    Lisa walked back to the table and sat down again, immediately beginning to toy with the ring again. “Because there’s a man back in Wisconsin who thinks that we’re engaged to be married.”
    Sarah nodded. “So, the right thing to do would be to make sure he doesn’t think that anymore, right?”
    Lisa slowly nodded her head. “Right.”
    “And as for this new man, if he’s right for you, he’ll wait. God will speak to him. In the meantime, consider this.” She sat down and took Lisa’s hands in hers. The young girl met her eyes. “God doesn’t care about where we came from.” She thought about the descriptions of her childhood her sisters had given her – drugs and men and horrible living conditions. “God only cares who we are now. That’s what you need to look at.”
    Lisa licked her lips as the tears welled out of her eyes. “I know. I know you’re right.” She sniffed and scrubbed her cheeks. “I’ll try to get home next weekend and talk to him, give him his ring back.” She leaned forward and hugged Sarah. “Thank you for listening. I haven’t talked about it with anyone.”
    Sarah hugged her back. “I’m glad you talked to me. Do it any time. You have my number.”
     

    DERRICK sat in the back of the huge sanctuary and watched the activity spread out below him. Early service had just ended. The next service wouldn’t start for about thirty minutes. In the meantime, somewhere in this old stone and mortar building, and spread out throughout the vast downtown campus, thousands of people attended Sunday morning classes, learning about everything from Biblical marriage to the plans, specifications, and magnitude of Noah’s ark.
    In the foyer of this building, a staff member of the church worked the information center, giving guests and members alike the summaries of the classes offered. Volunteers stood by, ready to lead and guide people to the appropriate building and classroom. Derrick, however, just wanted to sit back and watch, remember.
    He’d come into this church for the first time on a freezing January Sunday morning. Walking in with Tony and Robin had somehow validated him, and everyone stopped to talk to Tony, which made Tony introduce him to about forty different people. For the first time in his entire life, he’d felt like he was a respected member of society, someone people enjoyed meeting rather than someone people mistrusted on sight. Men held their hands out to him to shake. Women hugged him. It made him feel good, strong, worthy.
    He’d like to say that he immediately felt the call of Christ in his life. But, he didn’t. Instead, he asked Tony a dozen questions after the service, and then he read the books Tony gave him to read and asked a hundred more questions. As winter raged around them and Tony and Robin planned their spring wedding, Derrick got to know God. Early summer, when the happy newlyweds returned from their honeymoon, Derrick was officially baptized.
    He looked at the baptismal behind the massive choir loft. He remembered rising out of the water and looking at the throngs of people who cheered and applauded the symbolic washing away of his old life and his rebirth into the family of Christ.
    As he smiled and remembered, he felt someone take the seat next to him. He turned his head and saw seven-year-old Tony, Jr., legs swinging because he was still a little too short to touch the ground while in the stadium style seat. “Hey, bro,” Derrick said, holding his hand out, palm up.
    TJ slapped the palm. “Hi Uncle D.”
    “What’s happening?” He looked down into the dark brown eyes of his best friend’s son.
    “Papa said to sit next to you and not get into anything. He had to go talk to Pastor Peter.”
    “Ah.” Derrick looked up and saw Tony halfway down the aisle