someone like you believing in them."
"We all need someone to believe in us, Michael. God always believes, but that isn't easy for a kid to grasp. Sometimes it just takes the belief of one person to make the difference."
"Do you believe…" He looked away, shaking his head but not finishing.
"Believe what?"
He laughed. "It sounds ridiculous for a grown man to say this."
"I've heard ridiculous before."
"Do you believe in me? " His gaze flitted away from hers, breaking the connection between them.
Maggie's heart paused, as if it, too, wanted to hear her answer. It had to take a leap of trust, one she hadn't taken in a long time. She trusted her grandmother. She trusted Faith and Pastor Banks. She could count dozens of people she trusted. But did she trust Michael?
She wanted to. She wanted to believe he wouldn't let them down. He wouldn't hurt her.
"You're really having to think about this, aren't you?" His eyes reflected pain, but he smiled.
"I want to believe in you."
"You're painfully honest, Maggie. I like that about you."
He stood and walked away, leaving her to deal with her painfully honest self. Yes, she believed in him. That didn't mean she had false expectations. She had believed in people before.
* * *
Michael glanced at his watch again. Only five minutes past nine. He hit the left turn signal and slowed the van to make the turn into the church parking lot. In the seat next to him Maggie laughed. After the conversation at the bowling alley, she had withdrawn. The laughter meant she was back with him. He shot her a look that asked for an explanation.
"You've looked at that watch every two minutes for the last twenty minutes." She reached out to pat his arm. "I hope we haven't kept you from something."
"My mom is hosting a fund-raiser. She expects me to be there."
"You don't want to go?"
"I'm not exactly the poster child of social acceptance at the moment. I'll go, people will stare, politely whisper behind their hands about where I've been and how embarrassed my parents are, and a few of them will ask me how I'm doing or if I have plans for the future."
"It sounds horrible." She cringed and shot him a sideways look that he caught in the dim interior of the van. "I'm sorry. I should have come up with something more optimistic."
"I'd rather hear that than platitudes about how it is all going to work out."
"But it is going…" She smiled. "Sorry again. But next time you have something going on, let me know. I could have dragged Faith along tonight, and you could have gone to the fund-raiser."
"I wanted to go with you tonight." He parked the van and cut the engine. "I'm not here just to kill some time. I want to be a part of this ministry."
The back door of the van opened and the kids piled out, leaving them alone. He wondered about their actions, which seemed suspicious.
Did teenagers play at matchmaking?
He turned to face Maggie and caught her watching him, an intent look in eyes that sparkled like sapphires in the dim light of the van. Her lips parted slightly, as though she meant to say something. But for some reason that gesture drew him to her. Mesmerized, he leaned, his breath catching in his lungs at the thought of Maggie in his arms.
The wary look that crossed her features stopped him. For a second it looked like panic. He leaned back into his seat, letting the moment pass. That was the smartest move. Neither of them needed strings. At least he didn't. He needed to get his life together, and to find out where he was going.
And better this way than to find out the moment was his, not hers. Maybe she hadn't felt it.
"I'm sorry." In the dim glow of the streetlight he saw her confusion. "I shouldn't push my way into your life." He tried to explain, reaching to tug at the tendril of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. The silky strand slipped through his fingers and what he meant as a playful gesture became something stronger and more intimate.
"I need to go." She reached for the
"We all need someone to believe in us, Michael. God always believes, but that isn't easy for a kid to grasp. Sometimes it just takes the belief of one person to make the difference."
"Do you believe…" He looked away, shaking his head but not finishing.
"Believe what?"
He laughed. "It sounds ridiculous for a grown man to say this."
"I've heard ridiculous before."
"Do you believe in me? " His gaze flitted away from hers, breaking the connection between them.
Maggie's heart paused, as if it, too, wanted to hear her answer. It had to take a leap of trust, one she hadn't taken in a long time. She trusted her grandmother. She trusted Faith and Pastor Banks. She could count dozens of people she trusted. But did she trust Michael?
She wanted to. She wanted to believe he wouldn't let them down. He wouldn't hurt her.
"You're really having to think about this, aren't you?" His eyes reflected pain, but he smiled.
"I want to believe in you."
"You're painfully honest, Maggie. I like that about you."
He stood and walked away, leaving her to deal with her painfully honest self. Yes, she believed in him. That didn't mean she had false expectations. She had believed in people before.
* * *
Michael glanced at his watch again. Only five minutes past nine. He hit the left turn signal and slowed the van to make the turn into the church parking lot. In the seat next to him Maggie laughed. After the conversation at the bowling alley, she had withdrawn. The laughter meant she was back with him. He shot her a look that asked for an explanation.
"You've looked at that watch every two minutes for the last twenty minutes." She reached out to pat his arm. "I hope we haven't kept you from something."
"My mom is hosting a fund-raiser. She expects me to be there."
"You don't want to go?"
"I'm not exactly the poster child of social acceptance at the moment. I'll go, people will stare, politely whisper behind their hands about where I've been and how embarrassed my parents are, and a few of them will ask me how I'm doing or if I have plans for the future."
"It sounds horrible." She cringed and shot him a sideways look that he caught in the dim interior of the van. "I'm sorry. I should have come up with something more optimistic."
"I'd rather hear that than platitudes about how it is all going to work out."
"But it is going…" She smiled. "Sorry again. But next time you have something going on, let me know. I could have dragged Faith along tonight, and you could have gone to the fund-raiser."
"I wanted to go with you tonight." He parked the van and cut the engine. "I'm not here just to kill some time. I want to be a part of this ministry."
The back door of the van opened and the kids piled out, leaving them alone. He wondered about their actions, which seemed suspicious.
Did teenagers play at matchmaking?
He turned to face Maggie and caught her watching him, an intent look in eyes that sparkled like sapphires in the dim light of the van. Her lips parted slightly, as though she meant to say something. But for some reason that gesture drew him to her. Mesmerized, he leaned, his breath catching in his lungs at the thought of Maggie in his arms.
The wary look that crossed her features stopped him. For a second it looked like panic. He leaned back into his seat, letting the moment pass. That was the smartest move. Neither of them needed strings. At least he didn't. He needed to get his life together, and to find out where he was going.
And better this way than to find out the moment was his, not hers. Maybe she hadn't felt it.
"I'm sorry." In the dim glow of the streetlight he saw her confusion. "I shouldn't push my way into your life." He tried to explain, reaching to tug at the tendril of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. The silky strand slipped through his fingers and what he meant as a playful gesture became something stronger and more intimate.
"I need to go." She reached for the
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