After the Rains (23 page)

“So, how do you deal with it?” he asked, as if he’d read her thoughts.

She shrugged. “People have been really good about it. I— I’ve been offered a lot of … forgiveness. I’ve had a lot of support. But, I guess … you don’t have much choice. You just … deal with it. How about you?”

“Mostly God,” he said. “I mean, I’ve had a lot of support, too. But I’ve spent an awful lot of time alone. All those hours in the hospital … I’ve had a lot of time to think.”

“And what did you think about?”

“Mostly about God.” He looked at her as if to gauge her reaction, then blurted, “Do you believe in God, Natalie?”

“Yes. Definitely.”

“You know, if you’d asked me that question a year ago, I would have answered the same way … and I wouldn’t have had the slightest clue what I was saying.”

“What do you mean?” Natalie asked.

“You’re a churchgoing girl. I remember that. You guys went to the same church Jon and Sara did, right?”

She nodded.

“I never had that. I mean, my folks were good people and all that. I think they even believed in God. But they— We didn’t
know
God. But that’s all changed now. You know, Nattie, I said I wished the accident had never happened. And I mean that—for Brian and Sara’s sake, I truly mean that. But if it wasn’t for the accident I might not
know
God, know Jesus personally, as my savior. I know that might sound corny to you, but—”

There was such excitement and discovery in his voice that Natalie couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy in her own heart.

“No, Evan. I know exactly what you mean. The same thing’s happened to me. I mean, I asked Jesus into my heart when I was a little girl. And I meant it—as much as I could understand things at that age. But I— I guess I kind of forgot about it when I got older. No, I didn’t forget about it,” she corrected herself. “I was running from it. I think that was the whole reason I was at the party that night.”

Evan looked heavenward. “So things are okay between you and him now?”

“Yes. I … I still have some things I’m working on, but yes. We’re definitely on speaking terms.”

He smiled.

They sat in companionable silence, watching the comings and goings of the student union.

After a while, Evan said, “Hey, there’s a Bible study group that meets Wednesday nights at this church down by Aggieville.” He nodded his head in the general direction of the little community-in-a-community area that was a longstanding institution in this college town. “I’ve only gone a couple of times, but it was great. It’s all college kids. Some really great discussions. You want to come? With me?”

She looked at him, and found it hard to realize that the good-looking, engaging man who sat across from her now was the same Evan Greenway she’d barely tolerated in high school. “I’d love to,” she told him, almost without thinking.

“Okay. I’ll pick you up in the lobby of Ford at 6:15,” he said. “Oh … I don’t have a car here. Hope you don’t mind walking.”

“That’s a long way to walk on crutches,” she said, eyeing the metal contraptions propped against the booth beside him.

“Hey, I wasn’t named all-state running back for nothing.” He all but swaggered from the waist up.

Now
that
was the Evan Greenway she remembered. “Fine,” she laughed, “but I’m not carrying you if you wimp out.”

“Not gonna happen,” he said, flexing his biceps. Then he pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt back and looked at his watch. “Oh, man. I better book it. I have to go back and get something in the dorm before my one o’clock.”

“You’d better hurry Mr. All-State Running Back,” she teased as he got up and left.

Her heart felt strangely lighter as she jogged across campus toward the dorm. She couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of it. If anyone had told her, the night she went with Evan Greenway to homecoming at Bristol High, that there would come a day when she would anxiously anticipate seeing him again, she would have laughed them out of town.

Nineteen

N
atalie dashed across the hall to the dormitory bathroom, makeup case in hand. She looked at her watch. Evan was probably waiting for her in the lobby right now. She’d stayed at the library far too long, but at least she had enough material to finish the English assignment that was due Friday.

She dusted blush across her cheekbones and applied a smudge of lip gloss. Her hair was in a messy ponytail atop her head, but she didn’t have time to do anything different with it. She studied her reflection in the steamed-over mirror. She’d had better days, but this would have to do.

She stuffed everything back into her makeup case, ran back to her room to scrawl a note for her roommate, shrugged into a jacket, and raced down the hall, praying she wouldn’t have to wait for the elevator.

When she stepped into the front lobby, Evan was standing there, holding his wristwatch to his ear. He wore a bulky lime-green sweatshirt that flattered his tan and made his eyes appear sapphire blue. Why did she not remember him being this good-looking in high school?

“Hi,” she said, suddenly feeling nervous. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Just a couple of hours.” He grinned. “I was starting to think either my watch was broken or you stood me up.”

“I’m sorry. I lost track of time at the library.”

“Oh, the studious type, huh? I suppose you’re here on a full-ride academic scholarship or something.”

“Please. Not hardly. But I do have to keep my grades up if I want my parents’ help with tuition.”

He eyed the light jacket she wore. “Are you sure you’ll be warm enough? It’ll be pretty cold when we’re coming back tonight.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Well, I’m not loaning you mine if you wimp out,” he said, echoing her rebuke from their last conversation.

Feeling instantly more at ease, she punched him in the arm.

Laughing, he led the way through the doors of Ford Hall and out into a crisp September evening. They walked in silence, headed south on Manhattan Avenue along the edge of the university grounds. The campus was on the threshold of its usual autumn glory. The recent chill weather had turned the treetops into molten gold and crimson, and the ivy that scaled the distinctive limestone buildings shimmered in the fading evening sunlight. The few leaves that had already fallen crunched underfoot, and the pungent scent of woodsmoke drifted on the air.

Evan managed his crutches effortlessly, gliding gracefully beside Natalie.

“Sheesh, slow down, will you?” Natalie said after she’d struggled to keep up with him for several blocks. She put her hands on her hips and puffed as if she’d just run a mile. Evan beamed.

“Told you they didn’t name me—”

“Yeah, yeah,” she interrupted, singsonging, “Mr. All-State Running Man.”

“Running
man
?” He almost doubled over laughing.

“What?” she said.

“It’s running
back
,” he corrected, still laughing.

“Whatever.”

“I take it you don’t watch much football?”

“Is that the one where they try to get the little white ball through a hoop and score a home run?” she asked.

He howled and turned a pirouette around his crutches in the middle of the sidewalk. “Okay. That does it. Saturday afternoon begins the
real
education of Miss Natalie Camfield.”

“Oh, no,” she moaned, catching on.

“Oh, yes,” he said. “You
will
be in the stands with me bright and early Saturday when the Wildcats kick off.”

“How bright and early are we talking?”

“You goose,” he joked. “The game starts at two. You can sleep till noon. Unless you want to eat pizza with me before the game.” Now his tone was hopeful.

“Sleeping till noon I can handle. But pizza—even better.”

“So it’s a date?”

“Unless you do something that really annoys me before
this
date is over.”

He paused to wrap an arm around one crutch. Balancing himself, he put a hand to his chest and affected a shocked expression. “
Moi?
”

“Yes, you.”

“Hey, wait a minute …” Now he leaned on one crutch and faced her. “You said before this
date
is over … So this is a date, huh?”

She felt the blood rise to her face. “Well … you know what I mean. ‘Date’ in the ‘social engagement’ sense of the word.”

“Oh, so now we’re
engaged?
”

“No! Evan! Good grief!” She folded her arms in front of her. “I’m not saying another word.”

“Good idea … at the rate you’re going, we’ll be married, have three kids and a house in the suburbs by the time I get you back to the dorm.”

She couldn’t hold back the laughter now, and he joined in. His full lips parted to reveal white, even teeth, and his eyes crinkled at the corners when he laughed.
Get a grip, Camfield. It’s only Evan, remember?

They walked for ten minutes before they came to Aggieville. The often-raucous college section of town was relatively quiet early on a Wednesday evening. A couple of the bars and eateries were doing a pretty good business, but most of the shops were closed for the day. and the streets were almost empty.

They continued on a few more blocks until Evan stopped in front of a pale brick church building. A sign in the front declared the facility to be C
OMMUNITY
C
HRISTIAN
C
ENTER
.

“This way.” Evan followed a jog in the sidewalk and led her around to a side entrance. They went through the door and down a narrow flight of stairs, then wove their way through a maze of hallways until the sound
of laughter drew them into a room at the end of one hall. There were at least a dozen other college-age students there.

A husky, bearded man jumped up from his perch on a shabby sofa. “Hey, guys! Welcome! Come on in.” He extended a hand to Evan. “I’m Rob Gray. You were here last week, right? Evan, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Evan nodded, then turned to Natalie and winked. “This is my date, Natalie Camfield.”

“Good to have you here, Natalie. You guys help yourselves”—he indicated a long table laden with drinks and snacks—“and we’ll get started in just a minute.”

Natalie and Evan found seats together in the circle of castoff sofas and easy chairs that furnished the large room.

A couple of coeds accompanied them on guitar while they sang worship choruses, and then Rob led a short study of the New Testament book of Romans. Natalie didn’t take part in the discussion, preferring just to listen, but she was surprised at how vocal—and how articulate—Evan was. Judging from the insights he shared, he had changed a great deal in the months since the accident.

When they walked out of the church around nine o’clock, the sky was dark and there was a nip in the air. Natalie pulled her jacket tighter around her torso and put her head down against the brisk breeze.

“So what did you think?” Evan asked.

“I liked it,” she said, honestly. “Rob gets a tad too excited about some of that stuff, but it
was
interesting.”

Evan laughed easily and tilted his head toward her. “Wait up,” he said and paused. He took off his coat and handed it to her. “Your lips are turning blue,” he explained. “Put it on.”

Natalie blushed. “But you said—”

“I don’t want you to freeze to death on the way home.” He smiled, then said, “Wimp.”

“Hey!”

They walked back along Manhattan Avenue, and before she knew it, they were standing in front of Ford Hall.

“Thanks for inviting me, Evan,” Natalie told him, one hand on the door to the lobby. “It was a fun
date
.”

He grinned. “Well, don’t forget we have another one Saturday.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“I’ll pick you up at noon sharp, okay?”

“I’ll be waiting. Oh, don’t forget your coat.” She took if off and handed it to him, then went inside, and hurried to the stairwell. She ran up to the third floor and watched him from a lobby window until he disappeared into the night. She was still smiling when she flopped onto the bed in her dorm room.

Evan Greenway got off the elevator on the fifth floor of Haymaker, hobbled down the hallway to his room, and turned the key in the lock. Good. His roommate was still out for the night. He and Tom DeVane got along fine, but he wasn’t in the mood to answer any questions. Not to mention that he was in terrible pain.

Evan leaned the crutches against the wall and grimaced. He turned his hands over and inspected them. Angry blisters had risen on his palms and on his right hand, a raw sore between his thumb and index finger oozed. Gingerly, he pulled his sweatshirt over his head, along with the long-sleeved T-shirt he wore underneath. The muscles in his arms throbbed. What had he been thinking, walking such a distance tonight? Well, he was going to pay for it, that was for sure.
Macho man, indeed
.

He smiled to himself. It didn’t matter. It had been worth it. In spite of the nagging pain he’d managed to hide from her, he had loved every minute he’d spent with Natalie Camfield.

It was strange. After suffering from a desperate crush on the girl since at least the fifth grade, in the months since the accident he’d almost gotten over her. He knew God deserved some of the credit for that. The old Evan Greenway had had some pretty messed-up priorities in his life BTW—before the wreck. In the process of finally getting some things straight—of realizing that he made a lousy lord and master of his own
life—he hadn’t given Natalie much thought. But wasn’t it just like God to allow Natalie back in his life now?