Breach of Promise (32 page)

2

Last night I went out on the balcony of our apartment. The moon was big and silvery, like in the storybooks. I sat down on a plastic chair in the warm air and watched the sky for a while.

Then the sliding door opened. I thought it was Paula coming out. But it wasn’t. It was Maddie.
This was a little shocking, as Maddie had not wanted to be alone with me since we’d all gotten back together. She would cling to Paula, of course. And as long as her mother was in the room I was welcome. I didn’t push anything. Dr. Nelson said I should just let things happen naturally. Even though Paula had explained about the bad things she and Troncatti had made up about me, there was a wall between Maddie and me that had to be taken down a brick at a time. That project was only just beginning.
Maddie didn’t say anything to me at first. She sat in the other plastic chair and looked at the sky, too. Her feet, dangling from the chair, did not quite reach the ground. She swung them back and forth slowly. Still so little.
Finally, I said, “Hi.”
“Hi,” Maddie said.
“You like it here in Arizona?”
She nodded.
“Where’s Mommy?” I asked.
“Lying down.”
“Good.”
We shared a silence for a long moment. I wanted to be so careful.
“Maybe we could all go get some ice cream tomorrow,” I said.
“Okay.”
I looked back at the sky. “Big moon, huh?”
“Yeah.” Maddie’s eyes reflected the moonlight as she looked up. Then she started to hum something. I wasn’t sure at first what it was, maybe just an embarrassed tune to fight the discomfort of our moment. But as it went on I could hear it clearly. She was humming “Buffalo Gals.”
“You remember that song?” I said.
“Uh-huh.”
I stood up, slowly, so as not to scare her. But there wasn’t any stopping me. It was like I was being pulled up by a string from the sky. Facing my daughter then was like an actor’s horrible moment, when the casting director is about to announce who made the cut and who didn’t. Who would be called back for more auditions, and who would be sent home to lick their wounds and wonder whether they’d ever make it in the business.
What would Maddie tell me when I said what I just couldn’t hold back?
“Would you let me pick you up, Maddie?”
It was pushing it, I know. But I couldn’t stay silent.
Maddie looked into my eyes, like she was searching for a memory, one that was smudged and unclear but sitting back there in her mind as real as the dark hills off in the distance.
Then she stood up and came to me, raising her arms a little. I reached down and lifted her to me, being very careful not to squeeze too hard.
I shifted her so she was against my chest and she put her head on my shoulder, just like she used to. I smelled her hair. The scent of shampoo was on it and it was silky soft against my cheek.
And then we swayed, swayed, swayed. Time went completely away as we danced by the light of the moon.

A

 

CKNOWLEDGMENTS

As usual, I owe thanks to several key people who helped in the writing of this book.
Ronald Gue, attorney-at-law, was wonderfully generous with his time. He shared his expertise in California family law with me and gave me helpful comments on the novel as a whole.
Dave Lambert, my editor, once again helped me shape a better book. Karen Ball was insightful and encouraging in so many ways. What a blessing it is to have them on my side.
Many thanks to Heather Wilke, Eileen Clubb, Lisa Samson, Colleen Coble; also to Alan Perkins of Journey Christian Church, Westlake, Ohio, for allowing me to reproduce a portion of his sermon, “A Commitment to Prayer,” in these pages.
And to my wife, Cindy, my first editor and encourager throughout the writing process—I can’t thank God enough that you’re my partner in all things.

Deadlock
James Scott Bell

She is a Supreme Court justice.
She is an atheist.
And she is about to encounter the God

of the truth and justice she has sworn to uphold.

For years, Millicent Hollander has been the consistent swing vote on abortion and other hot-button issues. Now she’s poised to make history as the first female Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. But something is about to happen that no one has counted on, least of all Hollander: a near-death experience that will thrust her on a journey toward God.

Fighting every inch of the way, Hollander finds herself dragged toward belief in something she has never believed in—while others in Washington are watching her every step. Too much is at stake to let a Christian occupy the country’s highest judicial office. Even as Hollander grapples with the interplay between faith and the demands of her position, and as she finds answers through her growing friendship with Pastor Jack Holden, a hidden web of lies, manipulation, and underworld connections is being woven around her. It could control her. It could destroy her reputation. Unless God intervenes, it could take her out of the picture permanently.

 

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