Part 5 (2/2)
”But the truth is I'm still a student myself.”
She giggled. ”How convenient.”
They had dinner the following Friday after Bible study, and a month later they were getting together twice weekly at the library-she doing her homework while he worked on his dissertation. The more she got to know him, the better she liked him-and admired him. He was intelligent and focused, but beneath his intensity was a fun-loving guy whose quick wit made her laugh. She was convinced Tim Jacobs was going somewhere, and she was curious to see where that place would be.
They had had dinner together more often as time pa.s.sed.
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Sometimes they had gone to church together or had taken in an occasional movie or concert. But Kari had been determined to keep things platonic. She hadn't been ready for a relations.h.i.+p. Not! when she knew it would take a lifetime to get over Ryan Taylor.
Kari turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel. She remembered something her mother had told her later that spring.
”You aren't going to wait for him, are you, honey?” They'd' been was.h.i.+ng pans side by side while Kari's siblings filled the ! house with sounds of homework and conversation.
Kari's heart skipped a beat. ”Wait for who?”
Her mother cast Kari a knowing look. ”You know who.”
”Ryan?” Kari's voice grew irritated. No one around the Baxter house had mentioned Ryan in months. Kari had absolutely forbidden it. ”I told you, Ryan and I are finished. Over. End of discussion. He's moved on without me.”
Elizabeth Baxter was silent for a minute. ”He won't play pro football forever, Kari.” She bit her lower lip and seemed to look straight into Kari's soul. ”I hate to see you make a mistake.”
”What's that supposed to mean?”
”I don't know. With Tim, I guess.” She shrugged her shoulders. ”Something about him feels, well, plastic. Like he works too hard to impress you. And I worry that he's too old for you.”
Kari dropped the dishrag into the soapy water. ”Tim and I are friends, nothing more.” When she felt sure she'd conveyed her frustration, Kari reached for the rag and resumed scrubbing. ”At least we pray together.”
Her mother didn't say another negative word about Tim after that. Throughout the semester Kari and Tim remained good friends, casual companions, and Kari told herself that was all they would ever be. But one day three months into their friends.h.i.+p, Tim was particularly quiet over lunch.
They had finished eating, and Kari sipped a cup of steaming cinnamon tea as she eyed Tim. ”All right.” She could feel the
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way her eyes danced, hear the teasing in her voice. ”What'd you do with Tim?”
”Hmmm?” Tim looked up from his plate as if her question had taken him by surprise.
Kari released a dramatic sigh. ”Now I know you're an impostor. My Tim would've laughed a little, even if I'm not that funny.”
Tim produced a fading smile. Something in his expression told Kari this wasn't a time to joke. She blinked and softened her voice. ”What is it, Tim? What're you thinking about?”
”Truth?”
She nodded.
There was a hurt in Tim's eyes that she couldn't explain. Not once did he break eye contact with her. ”Okay. I want to know about the special guy. Who was he?”
”The special guy?” Her heart lurched.
”That first day when we talked by your car, I asked you if there was anyone special, anyone you were seeing.” His tone was gentle, and she knew he was being vulnerable with her.
Where is this headed, Lord? Don't let me hurt him. Kari let Tim finish.
”The way you said it sounded like what you had was over.” Tim paused. ”But that isn't true. You still care about him, Kari- a lot. Maybe more than you're willing to admit.”
She toyed with the handle of her mug. ”How do you know?”
Tim shrugged, and it occurred to her that he was truly handsome, more so than she'd thought at first. Not like Ryan, who had a way of turning heads wherever he went, but very nice- looking in a friendly sort of way.
Tim sighed. ”You absolutely never talk about him.”
Kari leveled a gaze at Tim and grinned despite the sorrow that still filled her heart at the mention of Ryan. ”Okay, I'll tell you. His name is Ryan Taylor, and he was a friend of the family.”
When she mentioned Ryan's name, a strange look filled Tim's face. ”Not Ryan Taylor the running back? Signed with the
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Cowboys out of Oklahoma University? Set a record for most pa.s.ses by a tight end last year? Not that Ryan Taylor, right?”
Tim had been a sports reporter after college and still followed football. Kari should have known he'd recognize Ryan's name as She gazed down at her hands and nodded. ”That's him.”
A moment of silence pa.s.sed between them, and then Tim brushed his fingers together and pushed back from the table, extending a single hand out to Kari.
”Well.. . it's been nice. Now if; you don't mind, I think I'll go find a woman I can really impress.”I ”Stop!” Kari laughed and grabbed his wrist. ”Don't be stupid.”
Tim eased back in his chair and stared at her, his eyes so wide she could nearly see the whites all the way around. ”Ryan Taylor? He's the special guy? You're serious?”
Around the diner she saw other people looking at them, and she nodded quickly and put a finger to her lips. ”Yes! Shhh . . . everyone's watching.”
Shock played across Tim's face as he settled back in his chair. He looked as if someone had knocked the wind out of him. ”Why would a woman who's dated the great Ryan Taylor share lunch with a guy like me?” He grinned and held up a single finger. ”I know! Because you like my jokes! That's it, right?”
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