Part 23 (1/2)
Libby linked arms with Alice-Marie as they walked out of the Sunday morning service. Although Petey had invited her to attend the little rock chapel with him, she'd never accepted his invitation. Not since her weekend in Shay's Ford had she sat in a church service. How had she managed to be away for so long? She smiled, still basking in the glow of meeting with other Christians, singing hymns of praise, and listening to the minister read from the Bible and then offer applications of the words to the congregants' lives.
Looking back, she'd spent a significant amount of time in church. Before they died, her parents had taken her; and then she'd gone with Mr. and Mrs. Rowley to the chapel in Shay's Ford. Libby had spent more Sundays than she could count sitting on a wooden pew. She'd listened, but somehow she'd never accepted the messages. She'd been too busy trying to make G.o.d fit her idea of what He should be. Now that she'd realized that G.o.d knew best, she found a new joy in attending service. She couldn't wait for Petey to come back so she could tell him everything that had happened while he'd been away.
”Do you suppose Bennett will join us for lunch?” Alice-Marie fastened the top b.u.t.ton of her coat and pulled her little felt hat more snugly over her coiled hair.
”Bennett might skip church, but he never misses a meal,” Libby answered. ”He'll be in the dining hall, ready to be fed, I'm sure.” She only wished he would have come to service. The minister's message, taken from the fifth chapter of Matthew, offered a.s.surance that those who hungered for righteousness would be filled. Bennett needed to be filled, and Libby knew the best place to have his deepest hunger met was in G.o.d's Word.
She and Alice-Marie stepped to the side to allow another couple to pa.s.s them on the sidewalk. The man and woman walked arm-in-arm, slowly, their gazes locked. Libby's heart stirred at their intent focus on one another. She and Petey had looked at each other that way across the barn floor on Matt's wedding day. Would they ever gaze into each other's eyes that way again?
Alice-Marie's giggle disrupted Libby's thoughts, and Libby sent her roommate a puzzled look. ”What's funny?”
Alice-Marie pointed at the besotted couple. ”Do you see who that is? Caroline and Winston.” She giggled again, covering her lips with gloved fingers. ”Bennett was supposed to take her to the drugstore for a sundae, but she refused to go. Because she went with Winston instead!” Alice-Marie shook her head. ”Can you imagine choosing Winston over Bennett?” She heaved a heavy sigh, her eyelashes fluttering. ”But I'm relieved. I didn't like the idea of him spending time with another girl anyway.”
A rumble echoed in the distance, and Libby looked up. Gray clouds rolled across the sky, hiding the sun. ”We'd better hurry before the clouds decide to let loose. I smell rain.” Ducking their heads, they trotted the remaining distance. Just before they stepped into the dining hall, thunder growled overhead and fat raindrops burst from the clouds to pelt the ground.
Alice-Marie grimaced. ”I suppose we'll be trapped in here for a while.”
Libby shrugged, unconcerned. ”It's warm and dry, and there's plenty to eat.”
As Libby had expected, Bennett was already seated in the dining hall with a full plate of food in front of him. He barely glanced at them when they approached his table. Alice-Marie planted one fist on her hip and pointed to his plate. ”You couldn't wait for us?”
”You couldn't hurry?” Bennett countered. His tone carried a hard edge. For the past few days, he'd been short-tempered and moody with Alice-Marie. Libby wondered why the girl tolerated his boorish behavior. Libby would have cheerfully tossed him to Caroline days ago.
”We were in church.” Alice-Marie removed her hat and shook it until drops of water scattered. ”Why weren't you?”
Bennett leaned over his plate and spooned up an enormous bite of black-eyed peas. ”I don't go to church.”
”Maybe you should,” Alice-Marie said tartly. ”It would do you some good.”
He didn't reply.
Alice-Marie took a step toward the serving area. ”Let's go get in line, Libby.”
”I'll be there in a minute.”
After looking from Libby to Bennett and back, Alice-Marie flounced away from the table.
Libby slid out a chair and sat, leaning close to Bennett. ”Are you still mad and taking it out on Alice-Marie? Because that really isn't fair. She didn't do anything to deserve it.”
Bennett paused with his spoon aimed at his plate and flicked a squinty-eyed look at Libby. ”I'm not mad.”
”Then why are you so testy? You've hurt Alice-Marie's feelings several times in the past few days. You even made her cry.” The protectiveness Libby felt toward Alice-Marie surprised her. When had she decided Alice-Marie was more than an annoying roommate? Somehow, over the past months, they'd become friends.
He shoved another bite into his mouth and spoke around it. ”Sorry.”
”You don't sound sorry.” Libby refused to back down when Bennett frowned at her. ”Are you going to be nice when she comes back?”
He grunted.
She smacked his wrist. ”Bennett!”
Suddenly he burst out laughing. His eyes twinkled, and he gave her a boyish smirk. ”If I'm not nice, are you going to bombard me with dirt clods?”
Her irritation melted away as childhood memories filled her mind. How many times had she gotten even with Bennett for some misdeed, real or imagined, by hiding in the bushes beside the dormitory and a.s.sailing him with gathered chunks of dried mud when he least expected it? Many times, Petey had hunkered in the bushes with her, and it had taken all of their self-control to keep from revealing their hiding spot by giggling out loud as Bennett pa.s.sed by.
”I miss those days,” she admitted on an airy sigh.
”Yeah. It was a lot easier then, wasn't it?” Bennett glanced toward Alice-Marie, who stood at the food counter, her finger on her lips in great concentration as she chose what to put on her plate. His brows pulled low. ”She wants me to go home with her at Christmas-spend a couple of days getting to know her folks.”
Libby's eyes widened. ”I knew you were spending quite a bit of time together-Alice-Marie tells me everything. But I didn't know you'd become so close.”
”We haven't. At least I don't think we have. I'm not real sure what to do about her.”
Maybe that explained his churlish behavior. He was trying to scare Alice-Marie away. She gave his wrist a squeeze. ”Instead of being mean to her, why not be honest with her? Tell her you're uncertain how to proceed.”
He frowned. ”That would work?”
Libby laughed. ”Why wouldn't it?”
”I dunno. She's a girl. Girls are . . . touchy.”
She laughed again. ”You've never hesitated to tell me what you think.”
”Aw, but everyone knows you're not a normal girl, Lib.” The teasing tone let her know she hadn't ruined their friends.h.i.+p by scolding him about his behavior. But he was wrong about her not being a normal girl. Even now, she carried the heartache of a girl deeply in love with someone unavailable to her. She wished she could spare Alice-Marie that pain.
”Never mind about me. About Alice-Marie . . . promise me you'll tell her you aren't ready for a relations.h.i.+p beyond friends.h.i.+p.
She needs to know before she gives you her heart. It's a lot easier to fall in love than it is-” she swallowed, battling tears-”to climb back out once you've fallen. Don't hurt her that way.”
Bennett lowered his spoon and gave her his full attention.
”You all right?”
”Not really.” She sniffed hard, bringing her emotions under control. ”I foolishly let myself fall in love with Petey even though I know we're completely unsuitable for each other. You said it yourself, we just don't . . . fit.”
Bennett chewed the corner of his lip. ”Yeah, I said that. But you know somethin', Lib? I might've been wrong.” He tapped his spoon on the edge of his plate, reminding her of Petey's habit of tapping his peg leg. ”Lately you've been different. Calmer. More settled. More like Pete. What you said about finding G.o.d? It changed something in you.”
He squirmed in his chair, as if the conversation were making him uneasy. But when he continued, his voice was strong. ”Now, I'm not saying you should run out and ask Pete to marry you, but . . . in time . . . if you both still love each other and he should ask you . . . I don't think it would be so ludicrous anymore.”
”Oh, Bennett.” Without thinking, Libby threw her arms around his neck. He didn't hug her back, but he gave her shoulders some half-hearted pats. While she clung to Bennett, an idea seemed to sail through the air and hit on the back of her head. ”Oh!” She pulled loose. ”I have to go.”
”Go? Go where?” He half rose as she jumped from the chair and began b.u.t.toning her coat.
Alice-Marie hustled over, a tray in her hands and a frown on her face. ”Elisabet Conley, did I just see you hugging my . . . hugging Bennett?”
Libby waved away her roommate's concern. ”Yes, but don't worry-Bennett will explain.”