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“You clean up well, man.” Jackson grinned. “What’s the occasion?”
Ben’s face turned crimson as he smiled back. “I’m having dinner at Paloma’s tonight.”
Jackson was dumbfounded. “Wait a minute. You mean…?” Just then, the door to Amberley’s room opened, revealing the weather reporter in a slinky cocktail dress. Ben turned to her as she walked up to him and looped her arm through his.
“That’s right,” she said, “I asked this brilliant professor here to be my date tonight.” Ben beamed as though he’d won the lottery and escorted Amberley down the staircase to the cab waiting for the couple outside.
“Well, I’ll be,” Jackson muttered, “This summer is getting more interesting by the minute.” He found Callie snapping a brand-new navy leash onto a matching collar that Peanut Butter now wore around his neck. He chuckled. “I think this little guy has found a new home,” he said as he bent down to scratch behind the puppy’s ears.
“Aunt Fran said that she took him to the local vet earlier today to see if he was microchipped, but he’s not,” she said. “I don’t know how anyone could let such a cutie go, but I have to admit I’m glad to see a dog here at the inn again. My aunt and uncle were huge animal lovers, and their lab passed on shortly after my uncle died.”
“Sounds like Peanut Butter may be a gift from God,” Jackson said.
Callie led the way out the back door and down the winding path to the beach, stopping every so often for Peanut Butter to scamper a bit in the Saltgrass and smell the seaside scents.
“Have you always had a strong faith?” she inquired.
Jackson paused, wondering how much he should tell her about his past. He took a deep breath and began.
“Not up until a few years ago. I was in a pretty serious relationship for a while. Her name was Michelle, and she was a nurse. Things were great in the beginning, at least I thought they were. However, after a few months, she began acting strangely, like she would go for several days with almost no sleep or else I’d find her still in bed when I got home from work at night. Her emotions were all over the place, too. One minute she’d be happy as a clam, and the next, she’d be furious over something or other. I kept asking her if she was okay, but she always said she was fine, just stressed or tired from work. One night, we went out for dinner, and she said her food was cold. She blew the whole thing out of proportion and ended up throwing her glass of water in the waiter’s face. I couldn’t have been more embarrassed. Later that night, after we’d gotten back to my place, I told her how upset I was with her behavior and said that she was acting as crazy as if she were strung out on something. She screamed at me, how dare I accuse her of such a thing, and we got into a huge fight. She ended up breaking up with me and packed up her things and left.”
“That’s awful,” Callie said, tugging on Peanut Butter’s leash to keep going on the path.
“Yeah,” Jackson agreed. “About a month later, I learned that Michelle’s car had spun out of control in the middle of the night and slammed into a tree. The impact killed her instantly.”
Callie gasped. “I’m so sorry,” she said.
Jackson continued. “It gets even worse. The police found a bunch of pill bottles and prescription pads in her purse, and her blood work revealed a mix of drugs and alcohol. Doctors at the hospital where she worked discovered that she’d been writing herself orders for dangerous medications and forging their signatures. Apparently, this had been going on for quite some time, and I just didn’t see the signs until it was too late, I guess.”
“How could you know?” Callie whispered. “Even the doctors didn’t realize what was going on.”
“I guess she had developed an addiction. After she died, I didn’t know how to feel,” Jackson said. “Angry—at her for making such poor choices. Angry—at myself for not recognizing she had a problem and doing more to help her before it was too late. I felt confused, guilty, and mixed up. The whole thing was pretty overwhelming.”
“I’ll bet,” Callie said. “How did your family react?”
Jackson paused as Callie unhooked the leash to let Peanut Butter play in the sand. He stared out over the water at the darkening sky. “My parents were wonderful, and I can’t thank them enough for being there for me back then. My dad sat me down not long after the accident happened and told me that he thought I should start going to church again. I’d pretty much stopped attending after I graduated from high school. Life just got busy after that, I guess, and I was young and immature and didn’t have my priorities straight.”
“I know the feeling,” Callie said.
“The first sermon I attended after that was life-changing for me,” Jackson said. “The pastor spoke about letting go and trusting God, even when we can’t understand why things happen the way they sometimes do. The Scripture was Romans 8:38-39, teaching us that nothing can separate us from the love of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.”
Callie gazed up at Jackson’s face, shadowed in the fading light. “I need to remember that,” she said softly.
He turned to meet her gaze. “We all need reminders,” he said and reached out to squeeze her hand. “After church that day, I asked to meet with the pastor for individual counseling and prayer and have been walking with God daily ever since.”
The puppy seemed to be tiring, and they turned for the walk back to the inn.
“I can definitely understand why dating again must feel so uncomfortable after what you’ve been through,” Callie said.
“Exactly,” Jackson replied. “My relationship with the Lord is my first priority, and most women haven’t seemed to understand or be content with a man who follows Jesus in his everyday life rather than just identifying as a Christian. I study the Bible each morning and spend time in prayer.”
“I think that’s beautiful,” Callie said. “You are walking the walk, not just talking the talk, as they say. Isn’t that what it’s supposed to be about? Having a relationship with God means spending time with Him and in His Word.”
“Right,” said Jackson. “Hey, would you be interested in attending a church service with me on Sunday? I’m not familiar with the local churches here, but we could ask around.”
“Actually,” Callie said, “Aunt Fran is part of a local congregation, and I was thinking about asking if I could go with her this weekend. Maybe you’d like to join us?”
“I’m in like Flynn,” Jackson said. “Just let me know where and when.”
