Love's Image (6 page)

Her expression suddenly became guarded again as she raised her hand to her cheek. He wanted to kick himself for reminding her of her accident.

“I am so sorry, Shannon,” he said softly as he slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “I’ve been such an idiot.”

“What?” She regarded him with a curious expression, like she thought he was nuts.

He shook his head and looked at her, then took a sip of his coffee so he could gather his thoughts before saying something stupid again. When he finally did speak, he hoped she’d listen and not shut him out.

“I keep opening my mouth and saying all the wrong things.”

“What are you talking about, Judd? Make sense, okay?”

“Let me start over.” He paused, borrowing time to run several thoughts through his mind. “Just hear me out, okay?”

Judd started to explain how he’d spent most of his free time taking education classes while working on his master’s degree. He told her he’d dated a little, but it wasn’t easy for a middle-school English teacher to meet women, and he didn’t want to hang out in nightclubs.

“I don’t like that either.” She gave a quick shudder. “That environment is creepy.”

“My sentiments exactly,” he agreed and paused to give her a chance to process her thoughts before slamming her with a little-known tidbit about himself. “What I’m trying to tell you, Shannon, is that I don’t have much experience with women in a one-on-one relationship.”

“Have you ever had a girlfriend?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Once, in eighth grade. But she jilted me when she found out Billy Bateman liked her. I haven’t been the same since.”

To his delight, Shannon tilted her head back and belted out a laugh. “Poor Judd. But I’m surprised.”

“Surprised?” he asked.

“You’re a very sweet guy,” she began. “And nice-looking and fun to be with, and—”

“Whoa!” He held his hands up. “You’re starting to embarrass me. I can’t handle all this flattery at once.”

“Well, it’s the truth.”

“Of course it is, but let’s not tell all of our secrets, okay? I don’t want my head to swell so big that I can’t get through the door.”

Shannon nodded. He loved her smile, which had returned, and he wasn’t about to take any chances with another of his stupid comments.

“I need to run a few errands this morning. We’ve made quite a dent in the lesson. Maybe we can do this again sometime.”

“Yes, I’d like that,” she said.

As hard as it was to take her back to her apartment, Judd managed to be stronger than his desire to spend the entire morning with Shannon. He was truthful about the errands. Uncle Garrett had asked him to take the choir robes to the cleaners, and then he needed to go to the school and meet with the parents of one of his students from last year. Shannon could have gone along with him, but too much of a good thing might wind up making her sick of him. He needed to take this nice and slow.

Shannon jumped every time the phone rang, hoping it would be Judd. The afternoon after they’d had breakfast together, she’d opened her apartment door and practically tripped over the Bible study workbook he’d left on the stoop, with a brief note attached that it was hers to keep.

Maybe if she spent a little time working on the lesson on her own, time would pass more quickly. But it didn’t. In fact, it dragged even slower than before.

The days literally crawled by. Janie was working late all week, so she couldn’t call her. Mom made too much of a fuss over the accident and her scar, so she wasn’t in the mood to go to her parents’ house.

Why wasn’t Judd calling?

Shannon tried to reason with herself, thinking he didn’t owe her anything. They’d finished the lesson, so there really wasn’t any reason for him to call other than to chat.

Being honest with herself, Shannon knew what she really wanted was to see Judd again. He was fun, interesting, and intelligent, which made her forget her problems.

Maybe seeing the scar bothered him more than he let on, she thought as she studied her reflection in the mirror. Without makeup on, it was still dark pink with tiny dots on each side of the line from the stitches. With makeup, the line was still evident, but it wasn’t so bright. Since it itched like crazy from healing, she didn’t wear makeup around the apartment. The numbing ointment the doctor had given her was the only thing that soothed the itch. Cold compresses worked in the beginning when there was swelling, but now that seemed pointless.

Finally, after four days had passed, Janie called. “Wanna go to the Bible study Monday night?”

“Of course I want to go,” Shannon blurted.

“I don’t want to put pressure on you, because I know how you hate that.”

“I said I want to go,” Shannon repeated.

“It’s just that—” Janie stopped before she squealed. “You what? Did I hear you say you wanted to go? This is so great, Shannon. Totally cool.”

“I enjoyed it.”

“Oh, good.” Then Janie grew quiet before adding, “Uh, we need to get you caught up on the lesson. I wouldn’t want you to feel lost just because you haven’t had a chance to prepare. Maybe Pastor Manning has some extra workbooks. I’ll call him right now and ask.”

Shannon laughed. “That’s all taken care of, Janie. I have the workbook, and I’m up-to-date on the lesson.”

“You are?”

“It’s about time you stopped yammering and listened.” Shannon chuckled. “Judd dropped off a workbook last Tuesday afternoon. And since I’m still not going out much, I’ve had nothing but time to catch up.”

“You have?”

This was the first time Shannon had ever heard her friend at a loss for words. “Yes, I have. I’ll be able to sound halfway intelligent in the discussion Monday night.”

“How about church tomorrow morning?” Janie asked. “Or is that pushing it?”

“No, I’m fine with church,” Shannon replied. “Maybe I can wear a big, floppy hat so people won’t be able to see my face.”

“Oh, no one wears hats to church anymore.”

“I was just kidding, Janie. Lighten up, okay?”

“Uh, okay, that’s fine.” Silence fell between them for a few seconds before Janie asked, “Since church starts at ten, want me to pick you up at nine thirty?”

“Fine.”

“Okay, see you then.”

“Janie, you haven’t told me what to wear.”

“I didn’t think you’d need to be told.”

Shannon was embarrassed to admit she hadn’t been to church in a very long time—not since she’d gone with her parents several years ago. But now she had to.

“It’s been a long time, Janie.”

Again, silence.

“Janie?”

“Why don’t you just wear slacks and a nice top? We’re pretty casual, since we’re so small and most of the people are pretty young.”

After she hung up, Shannon sank further down in the overstuffed chair, allowing the upholstery to envelop her. She was now reaching far out of her comfort zone, with all this church and Bible study business. But it felt right.

Shannon still hadn’t heard from Judd since they’d gotten together for breakfast. He had mentioned going out again, so why hadn’t she heard from him?

As much as Shannon hated to admit it, she was terribly attracted to Judd, in an odd sort of way. Although he was pleasant to look at, there were plenty of guys around who were better-looking. What she was experiencing went way beyond the physical; it was more of a spiritual and emotional connection.

Judd had admitted to not being a whiz at the Bible, but he was eager to learn more, just as she was, which also surprised her. For the first time in Shannon’s life, she was actually thinking about eternal life and what would happen to her soul when her earthly body wore out.

Perhaps the accident had changed her, or maybe she was going through a phase. At any rate, she found herself thinking quite a bit more than usual. For the past eight years, she had been too busy to stop long enough to worry about anything beyond her next photo shoot or Armand’s whims.

Shannon picked out something to wear to church and then took a long, relaxing, lavender-scented bubble bath to relax. She needed to get some sleep, or she’d have dark circles to go with her scar.

Her normal nightly routine of flipping through the latest beauty magazines didn’t hold her interest, so she picked up her Bible study workbook and began reading ahead. She felt the Holy Spirit working in her heart after she finished the next chapter, and her eyelids fell shut. She awoke as the sun rose, and she felt more rested than she had in a very long time. A smile crept over her face as she remembered she’d see Judd in a few hours.

Janie picked her up at precisely nine thirty. “Anything I need to know before we get there?” Shannon asked as soon as she was safely buckled in her friend’s car.

With a shrug, Janie replied, “Only that Judd won’t be there this morning. He took some boys on a weekend camping trip, and he won’t be back until late tonight.”

Disappointment fell over Shannon, but she tried to hide her thoughts and feelings. “That’s not what I mean. Is there anything different about church that I need to prepare myself for?”

With a chuckle, Janie shook her head. “No, God’s pretty much the same as He was last time you were in church. We have a few songs that are different, and it’s a lot more casual, but the message hasn’t changed at all.”

Shannon finally got to meet Pastor Garrett Manning, a tall, middle-aged man with graying temples and a quick smile. His wife, LaRita, radiated a glow of warmth that drew people close to her. She spoke softly and with sincerity.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Shannon,” LaRita said as they shook hands. “Janie has said so many nice things about you.”

Pastor Manning came up from behind her. “Judd told us you’re thinking about staying in Atlanta.”

Shannon shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. It all depends … “

Her voice trailed off as she saw his gaze drop down and focus on her scar. Automatically, she reached up to touch it.

“Sorry to hear about the accident,” Pastor Manning said. “But you were very fortunate, according to what I hear.”

“Yes, I suppose I was.” What was with these people, noticing her scar and telling her how fortunate she was?

Janie took Shannon by the arm and tugged. “We need to go find a seat now. See ya later, Pastor. LaRita.”

Once they’d gotten away from the pastor and his wife, Janie leaned over and whispered, “You looked like a deer caught in headlights. I had to get you away from there.” She patted Shannon on the hand and smiled. “Take a couple deep breaths, sweetie. I don’t want to have to scrape you off the floor.”

The sermon dealt with compassion and reaching out to those who were less fortunate. Rather than talking about pitying the poor, Pastor Manning spoke of believers sharing their faith with the lost. His words gave Shannon plenty to think about later. She took notes in the margins of her church bulletin.

After the services, Shannon turned down an invitation to join Janie and some of the other singles who had plans to get together at a buffet restaurant. She wanted to get home so she could look up a few things in her Bible. Although it didn’t appear she’d have a modeling career anymore, so many years of watching every bite that went into her mouth had become habit and instilled guilt. That would take some time to change, if she ever did.

“I hope you don’t mind taking me home first,” Shannon said.

Janie shook her head. “Of course I don’t mind.”