“So you can choose to be like Job, trusting God no matter what. Or you can be like his wife who said, ‘Curse God and die.’ It’s your choice. I pray you will trust him.”
Brian closed in prayer and paused. “If you want to talk afterward, you know I’ll be here. So will Pastor Mike. But for now, I’m done. It’s your turn. Natalia wants to know all about you. In two minutes or less. And in English. So who will go first?”
Natalia was a little surprised at how quickly Brian went from serious to humorous, but the transition seemed very natural. Everything about Brian Younger seemed natural.
“I will go first, since I was the first one to meet the pretty lady.” Victor stood and walked to the front of the room. “I am Victor. I am fifty-seven years old, and I am from Cuba. I moved here twenty years ago with my family. I work as
an auto mechanic until this year, when I get fired for not talking good English. So I am here. Señor Brian teaches me English and he teaches me Bible, and I go back to work soon because of his good job.”
The group members clapped, and Victor pointed to the man sitting beside him to go next. One after the other, the members spoke of moving from their home countries. Natalia understood their tears.
But they have sacrificed so much more than I have. Their families, their reputations. Everything.
She was humbled at the joy the people had in spite of their difficulties. And her respect for Brian grew, hearing his praises from so many of the members.
Natalia was sad to see the evening end. She kissed each of the people as they left, feeling a connection with them she never could have imagined.
“They’re great, aren’t they?” Brian threw an empty carton of cookies in the trash. “I knew you’d get hooked.”
“Hooked?”
“Reeled in?”
Natalia had no idea what he meant.
“You like them.”
“I do.” Natalia snapped the cap on a container of orange juice. “I feel very at home with them.”
“So what’s your story?” Brian sat down, his blue eyes exploring hers.
The gaze was more than Natalia could handle. She took out her phone. “Oh dear. It’s already nine thirty. Maureen is probably sitting out in the parking lot. I’d better go.”
“I can give you a ride next week, if you want.” Brian stood, and Natalia could tell he was confused by her actions.
“No, that’s fine.” Natalia nearly stumbled out the door. “I will see you—later.”
Natalia rushed out to the parking lot and threw herself into Maureen’s car.
How can an evening be so amazing and so frustrating at the same time? And how in the world will I be able to do this every week this year?
Y
our dad is a senator, you’re majoring in premed, and you’re working here?” Brian looked at James.
He grabbed Brian’s crowbar. “Watch out for the wire.”
Brian sucked in a breath. “Good thing you’re studying to be a doctor. You may need to use those skills on me before the summer’s out.”
James slowly peeled a layer of drywall off. “Let’s hope not.”
“Seriously, man. Why work demo?”
“My parents want me to appreciate manual labor.” James shrugged. “I was just going to work here one summer, but I got hooked.”
“It is kind of fun.” Brian pulled the rest of the drywall down and threw it to the middle of the room. “Helps me get out my aggressions.”
“Like Spencer Adams?”
“How’d you guess?” Brian began working on another section of the wall.
“I knew guys like that when I was in high school.” James grunted. “I know guys like that in college.”
“You don’t know Spencer.” Brian looked at James. Brown hair, a tan, and muscles. Wasn’t that what all the girls wanted?
“My dad knows his dad.”
Brian mimicked Mr. Adams’s commercial. “‘Car accident? Hurt on the job? Call the law firm of Adams and Finley. We’re here to help.’”
“Adams supported my dad in the last election.”
“You don’t sound happy about that.”
James grimaced. “His support came with a whole lot of strings attached.”
“Really?”
“He and my dad ended up having a huge fight.”
“Why?”
“Dad wouldn’t give him what he wanted.”
“Mr. Adams didn’t like that, huh?”
“Not at all.” James grunted again.
“Explains why Spencer always expects to get his way.”
“He learns from the best.”
Brian took a sip of water. “Thing is, Spencer pretty much does always get his way.” Brian thought of Natalia. Spencer also had his eye on the beautiful new student.
James looked at Brian. “With a dad like that, though, his life can’t be easy.”
“Mine should be so tough.” Brian strained to pull out an eighty-year-old nail.
“Come on, man, you’ve told me how great your dad is. Would you really want to trade him for Mr. Adams?”
“No way.”
“I’ve heard the way he yells at his employees, and at my dad. Imagine how Spencer gets treated.”
“Don’t go making me feel sorry for him, James.” Brian finally got the nail out.
He laughed. “I’m just saying, sometimes perfect lives aren’t as perfect as they seem.”
Footsteps approached the dining room where he and James were working.
“Finally coming in to help us, Mr. King?” Brian called out.
“Mr. King isn’t helping?” Mr. Adams walked in, his expensive business suit a stark contrast to the piles of rubble he stepped over.
James’s eyes widened. “He just stepped out, Mr. Adams. He’ll be right back.”
“My multimillion dollar home is left to the two of you?”
Mr. Adams glared at them. “I figured out who you are, by the way.” He leveled his gaze at James. “You’re lucky I didn’t have you fired.”
“For what?” James laid his crowbar down.
“For being related to Senator Perkins,” he spat. “Do you know how much money I donated to that campaign?”
“No, but I bet you do,” James muttered under his breath.
Brian bit back a laugh.
“Excuse me?” Mr. Adams’s face was inches from Brian’s. “I’ve given plenty to your dad too.”
Brian knew he was referring to his donations to the school.
Amazing how people think the pastor personally benefits from gifts given to the church or school.
But it would not be wise to contradict him.
“I was just telling my son this morning how much of a
responsibility it is to be an Adams, how lucky he is, how grateful he should be.”
James met Mr. Adams’s gaze. “How fortunate for him he has a father who won’t let him forget that.”
The businessman’s face turned red. “There are other demolition companies out there. I can ruin this one. Believe me. So you better watch yourself and treat your betters with respect.”
Brian waited until the man was out of earshot before saying, “As soon as we see one of our betters, we will.”
A
nother great night.” Brian cleaned up the trash left on the tables after the last of the ESL group members left.
Natalia tried to convince herself that she was not attracted to him.
So why does my heart act like it’s going to jump out of my chest every time he looks at me
?
“So I heard you telling Victor that your mom is a broadcast journalist in Madrid.”
Natalia nodded. Brian had been trying to get her to open up more about her personal life, but she was afraid. She needed to keep their relationship as distant as possible.
“So have you gotten to meet any celebrities?”
Natalia grabbed another chair and spoke while walking to the corner. “A few.”
“Antonio Banderas?” Brian stood beside her. “I loved him in
Puss in Boots
.”
Natalia rolled her eyes as Brian tried to dance the tango by himself. “No. I’ve never met him. Most of the celebrities I’ve met are only famous in Spain. It’s no big deal, really.”
“Sure it is.” Brian kept stacking chairs. “So what does your dad do?”
“It’s complicated.”
“A secret agent? Like Antonio Banderas in
Spy Kids
?” Brian’s eyes widened, as did his smirk. “You can’t say or he might get kidnapped, and then you’d have to go to a private island and fight crazy bad guys to free him—I’ll take your silence as confirmation.”
“What is it with you and Antonio Banderas?”
“I just love Spanish people.” He shrugged. Then his face turned that adorable shade of pink. “I mean . . . it seems like a cool country . . . bullfighting and all that manly stuff.”
Natalia found his awkwardness endearing. Too endearing. “I’d really better go.”
“Wait.” Brian grabbed her arm. She turned to face him. His nearness, combined with the close contact, was almost more than she could handle. Almost.
“No, really.” Natalia pulled away, practically sprinting toward the door.
“But I’m taking you home,” Brian called out as she pushed the door open. “I called Maureen earlier. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about, and I knew we wouldn’t have time in here.”
Natalia prayed he wasn’t about to ask her out.
And if he is, how could Maureen, of all people, even agree to it? She hates men.
She remained silent as Brian poked his head in Pastor Mike’s office to say he was leaving.
Brian started his old pickup truck and put it in gear. Pulling out of the church parking lot, he finally broke the
silence. “So you’re probably wondering what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Look, I don’t—”
“Let me say it, then you can argue with me, okay?” Brian smiled, but Natalia wondered if that’s what she was like—always arguing with him whenever he spoke. She hoped not. “I want you to go on the mission trip to Costa Rica with the youth group.”
Natalia released a loud exhale. “A mission trip?”
“Yes.” Brian spoke quickly, obviously excited about this endeavor. “We went last year, and it was amazing. We spend our mornings working on a church. The churches there need lots of work, and most of the people can’t pay for it. So we paint and make repairs for them. Then, at night, we run a Vacation Bible School for missionary kids at a language school.”
“Language school?”
“It’s called the Spanish Language Institute, right in San José.” Brian almost missed the turn into Natalia’s neighborhood. “Missionaries go there to learn Spanish. Some stay a whole year, some just stay a few months. But when they’re done, they go off to serve in a Spanish-speaking country.”
“I never thought about what missionaries had to do before going overseas.”
“Me neither. That’s one of the great things about this trip. You get to talk with missionaries and hear their stories. They’re just regular people.”
“As opposed to . . . ?”
“I don’t know.” Brian pulled in front of Natalia’s town house and put the car into Park. “Growing up in church,
we had dozens of missionaries come through, and they all seemed kind of weird.”
“Weird?”
“You know, all those stories about living in the jungle and eating fried bugs or running from armed warriors.”
Natalia couldn’t tell Brian she hadn’t ever even seen a missionary. Her church supported some, but she’d never actually met any.
“Anyway, lots of the missionaries that go there have kids. There’s a Christian school for them, and they also learn Spanish.”
“It must be hard for them to leave home.”
“And grandparents and Twizzlers and PlayStations.” Brian nodded. “Tell me about it. And all for their parents’ call.”
“Call?”
“You know, people in ministry say God calls them there.”
“Oh, right. Call. Go ahead—the children.”
“Right.” Brian unbuckled so he could face Natalia. “We run a Vacation Bible School for them. And they love it. We want them to know how special they are, and how they are honoring God with their lives, just like their parents are. We bring candy and treats from the States. They get very excited about that. And we just love on them.”
Brian’s eyes lit up when he talked about the children.
He’s going to be a great father someday.
Natalia pushed the thought away as soon as it entered her mind.
“And you want me to come on this trip? Why? I haven’t been a Christian very long, and I don’t know anything about repairing churches or teaching children.”
“You can learn all that.” Brian dismissed Natalia’s concern with a wave of his hand. “Plus, it’s an amazing experience. And we could really use another translator.” Brian grinned. “My buddy Anthony came last year, but he’s at college now and can’t get away.”
“When is the trip?”
“September.”
“When would I need to decide?”
“Pretty soon,” Brian said.
“You don’t give a girl much time to make decisions, do you?”
Brian laughed, and Natalia found she loved the sound of it. “Sorry. But it’ll be worth it. I promise. I think Addy is going this year too. She chickened out last year, but a lot has changed for her since then.”