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“Oh no.” The man leaned back and relaxed. “This is the town’s bench. In fact, the town rebuilt the statue after Hurricane Irma a couple years ago. So you’re fine.”
Raine liked this man. And he was a pastor to boot. Who would’ve thought? So he asked, “Tell me, why did Saul hate Christians?”
The pastor smiled. “Saul hated Christians. He tried to kill them. One day, an angel stopped Saul in the road. He actually knocked him out and then told him to knock it off. And after that, Saul took on a new name. Paul. He became one of the most outspoken leaders of the teachings of Jesus Christ. There are many, many passages in the Bible written by Paul. I recommend them.”
Raine thought about that. “The Bible. I’ve never read it.” He shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ve had parts of it read to me, but I never understood it.”
Pastor Henry sat up straighter. “Never? Well, there’s no time like the present.” He reached into a pocket in his robe and pulled out a book. “You know, it’s the strangest thing. I woke up a while ago, and I just felt like I should grab a Bible and come down here. Do you think that’s because God knew you needed this Bible?”
Goosebumps broke out across Raine’s skin. He didn’t know what was happening, but he found himself reaching for the book. “I don’t know. Maybe.” Something akin to hope filled his heart. “Are you sure you want to give it to me?”
“I think it is for you, young man. Do you want to come to church tomorrow? You can learn more about some of the things in the Bible. And when you read it, if you have questions, I’d be willing to answer them.”
An overwhelming need to cry suddenly hit Raine, and he felt tears well up.
“Are you okay, son?”
Raine looked up into this old man’s eyes and swallowed the emotion that had surged into the back of his throat. “Yeah. I’ll come to church tomorrow. And I’ll read this.” His voice cracked.
The pastor hugged him.
At first, Raine was shocked. He wasn’t used to being hugged. Though, he liked this old man, so he decided it was all right.
Pastor Henry pulled back, and he had tears in his eyes. “I want to tell you something, son. The Lord loves you. You were sent here tonight, and I was sent to talk to you. He wants you to know that there’s hope for you and that you’re going to be okay.”
For the first time in Raine’s life, he felt like that might be true. He blinked and tears fell down his cheeks. “Thank you.”
The pastor stood and started heading back to the house. “Raine, my friend, I think God is working a plan for your life and you’re just about to see it.”
Raine was mystified. “I hope so.”
“I know so.” He paused and turned back. “I’ll see you at nine in the morning, son.”
“Sounds good.”
Raine watched the pastor go, and then he sat back down and turned on the flashlight on his phone. He opened the worn Bible that the pastor had given him. As he read the opening words, he decided this was where he was supposed to be—right here in South Port.
Chapter 1
Lucy walked the beach, holding Matt’s hand as the sun set; feeling like her heart would burst. “You’re really leaving, then?”
Matt nodded slowly. She’d always liked that Matt was a man of few words. Funnily enough, it was thesamereason that he drove her crazy.
He was moving to Raleigh, North Carolina, two hours away, so his daughter could be close to her mother—his ex-wife, Charlene. The woman had cheated on him and jerked him around for years before he’d finally divorced her, but he was still giving her a chance.
It was horrible to think of Matt moving, and it was even more horrible to think of losing his daughter, Tatum, too. Lucy was close to Tatum. The little girl often snuggled into her arms at night if they were watching a movie, and she liked to come to Lucy’s boutique after school most days and chat her ear off. Lucy’s heart was hurting, and Matt’s reluctance to talk about leaving was about to make her blow a gasket.
Lucy remained quiet for a few moments. Then she couldn’t hold back the gush of emotion that ran down her cheeks. “Matt, why are you doing this?” Lucy had been certain that Matt would overcome all of this crap with Charlene. She’d been sure he’d finally wake up and tell her he wasn’t moving. That he wasn’t letting himself be manipulated by Charlene anymore, but that hadn’t happened.
“Don’t cry, Luce.” Matt pulled her against him. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
She allowed herself to be comforted for a moment, needing the feel of him against her to make her feel whole, even for just a moment.
She’d fallen for Matt hard. His decision to follow Charlene to Raleigh confused her so much. She knew Matt loved her too. Maybe he didn’t tell her in the traditional sense of saying the words all the time, but he told her in every other way. He fixed everything she asked him to fix at the boutique or at her house. He spent loads of time with her and Tatum at dinners, parties, and events. They laughed and played on the beach together in the summers. For all intents and purposes, after dating for almost two years, having him and Tatum leave felt like more than a breakup; it felt like a divorce.
Matt took both of her hands in his. “Luce, you know my mother left me when I was eleven.” His eyelashes fluttered. It was rare to see this kind of emotion in his eyes. “Then Dad passed away. I can’t take Tatum away fromhermother. I just can’t do that.”
Lucy hesitated, fumbling with what to say.
