Take Four (4 page)

He stood at her door and watched her, sleeping beneath the
patchwork quilt Lisa made for her tenth birthday. The blanket had been Andi’s favorite since then, and here in the darkly lit room it was easy to pretend they were back in that time…Andi a fourth-grader and the quilt her only gift that Christmas—a gift Lisa had spent weeks secretly making.

Had they known then what they knew now, maybe they never would’ve returned from the mission field to work in movies. The cost had been so much higher than Keith ever imagined back then, back when he and Chase dreamed about making films with a Christian message and changing the world through popular culture.

Keith leaned against the doorframe and turned his attention to the dark shadows outside Andi’s bedroom window. Yes, the cost had been great, and they were still only halfway to seeing their dreams realized. Chase was no longer a part of Jeremiah Productions, and was working now at his home church back in San Jose, California. They didn’t talk nearly as much as Keith had figured they would. Chase had moved on. He loved being the church’s youth pastor, and he and his wife, Kelly, were closer than ever. Her issues of inferiority and insecurity were resolved in her new commitment to God and in having Chase home again.

A recent conversation with Chase came to mind, and Keith marveled again at how his longtime friend barely sounded like the same person. He talked at length about the programs at church, new families moving into the area, and getting their children involved. If Keith hadn’t offered details about the movies, he wasn’t sure Chase would’ve even asked. He remembered a conversation with Chase in the first few months of their time together as missionaries in Indonesia.

“It’s like all of life before this never even happened,” he had told Keith. And now that’s how Chase must’ve been viewing his time in Hollywood with Keith—like it had never happened.

Of course, Chase’s departure had been an answer to both his
own prayers and Keith’s, because it opened the door for Dayne Matthews—and Dayne’s presence had changed everything. But still, losing Chase’s constant friendship hurt. It was another sacrifice along the way to making movies that glorified God. Another cost was Ben Adams and Kendall—the father/daughter team Keith expected would be part of their production company for years. But Ben was fighting for his life, the cancer in his liver now, and Kendall was caring for him, barely having time for her work as his office manager.

Making movies hadn’t caused Ben to get sick, of course, but his and Kendall’s absence was a loss all the same. Keith looked down again at Andi. His daughter’s innocence was the greatest cost of all. He and Lisa had trusted Andi’s upbringing would be enough to keep her strong at Indiana University. For some kids, of course, it was enough. But not for Andi. They’d sent her off and basically put all their time and attention into making movies. Lisa ran things at home—the email and phone correspondences, the updates to investors, the scheduling details. And Keith had been busy dealing with every other aspect of filmmaking.

Meanwhile, they had been losing their daughter, and they hadn’t known it.

He walked quietly to her side and sat on the edge of her bed. Softly he brushed her bangs aside, and then he leaned down and kissed her forehead. His sweet girl…his Andi. If he and Lisa had known then what they knew now, they would’ve moved to Bloomington a year ago, let Andi live with them, and do whatever they could to keep her grounded. Maybe then he and Dayne would be talking about having Andi—not her friend Bailey Flanigan—read for the lead role opposite Brandon Paul. Bailey would be wonderful, he and Dayne were sure. The role would stretch her, but they wanted someone wide-eyed and untouched by the world. Bailey would only have to play herself, and she’d be marvelous. Andi didn’t know they were about to ask Bailey to
read for the female lead. Even Bailey didn’t know how big a part they were considering her for. But still…

A sad sigh came from him, interrupting the silence of the room.
God, you still have a plan for my girl…I know you do. Please be with her in the coming months. Help her hear your voice. Help her believe the best is yet to be, that she hasn’t lost her future because of her mistakes this year.

There was no answer. Not one that spoke loudly in his mind or rattled the windows in his soul. But Keith’s eyes fell on a small framed print on Andi’s bookcase. It was her favorite verse, the one she had believed in when she was a little girl:
“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”

Tears stung at Keith’s eyes and he blinked them back. They were going to be okay, all of them. They would get their movies out to the people, and the culture would be changed because they would pray believing, absolutely believing, God wouldn’t have led them this far without giving them the strength and blessings to see the mission through to completion. Sitting there beside his pregnant daughter, Keith prayed like he hadn’t in weeks, months maybe. He prayed God would part the waters of Hollywood and their mission would be wildly successful. If it was going to happen, the change would need to occur in the coming year—and so Keith prayed.

As he finished, as he took a final look at his daughter and tenderly touched her cheek, his heart broke for the hard road she had ahead. In time people would notice her growing belly. They would stare and whisper and use her as an example of what not to do, how not to be. His precious Andi. And there was the emotional cost, as well…going through the second half of her pregnancy when she’d feel her baby moving, when she would feel an undeniable connection to a baby she would never know, never hold or teach or read to. A baby who would never know her.

Only one truth gave him hope Andi would get through this, that they all would: the fact that Andi still clung to God’s Word. This had to be true, because otherwise she would’ve taken down the framed verse from her bookcase. But it remained. Telling the world and anyone who looked that Andi Ellison still believed in God’s plans for her future. And because of that, Keith would believe too.

Even if it took everything he had.

F
OOTBALL SEASON WAS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER
and Cody could hardly wait for the first game. But that wasn’t why this late August was better than any Cody Coleman could remember. The reason was Bailey Flanigan.

Now, with twenty minutes left in practice on the third Saturday in August, Cody couldn’t stop thinking about her. Six weeks had passed since the Fourth of July when everything had changed. Only then did Cody learn Bailey and Tim Reed had broken up, and only then did he finally understand what he had never known until that day: Bailey had feelings for him, the same way he had feelings for her.

Since then they’d taken things slowly. Bailey had dated Tim for two years, so neither of them wanted to rush into a relationship. But still, Cody spent much of his free time at the Flanigan house, and every day felt more unbelievable than the last. Being with Bailey, letting himself imagine this might be the beginning of a long-term relationship, made even the troubles with his mother pale in comparison. She was spending hours each day dancing, working out, and training for her next Broadway audition—and Cody encouraged every minute of it. If they’d survived everything up to this point, a little distance couldn’t keep them apart. Not for long, anyway.

Cody was working with the quarterbacks, lining them up on the ten-yard line. Bailey’s younger brother Connor Flanigan hadn’t come out thinking he’d be a backup quarterback, but his arm strength had surprised the entire coaching staff. They were
training Conner as the primary go-to guy if anything happened to their starter. Cody lined his quarterbacks up on the ten-yard line and shouted, “Footwork!”

The guys responded instantly, dropping into a squat for their ready position.

“Left,” Cody kept his eye on Connor and pointed where he wanted the quarterbacks to move. “Left again! Right…left.”

Connor looked almost better than their starter. By next year the job would be his, and by then Cody and Bailey might be…might be what? More serious, for sure, even if she was living in New York. She wasn’t a city girl at heart. If she took a job, she wouldn’t live there indefinitely. At least he didn’t think so. And if she did, then he’d follow her. She was his world, his reason for believing in God and hope and life and dreams. He loved her more every day.

He roped his thoughts back to the moment. He couldn’t think too long about Bailey, because when he did he wanted too badly to be three years down the road, with rings on their fingers and all the answers behind him.

Sunshine beat down on the field and humidity added to the late afternoon heat. The guys were given one more water break and another series of drills before practice was over. The Flanigan boys walked out of the locker room together and found Cody waiting for them. The plan was to head home and swim for an hour or so. Connor grinned and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “I can already feel that pool.”

“Me too.” Justin had his gear bag on his shoulder. “That was a long one.” He elbowed Connor. “You looked great today. Maybe you’ll get the nod to start.”

Cody thought the same thing, but he couldn’t talk about it. The decision belonged to Coach Ryan Taylor. They piled into the car and Shawn waited until they were out of the parking lot before he leaned forward and put his hand on Cody’s shoulder. “So,
what’s the deal with you and Bailey? You gonna ask her to be your girlfriend?”

“Hey,” Justin was sitting in the backseat next to Shawn. He gave his brother a friendly punch in the arm. “You can’t ask that.”

In the front seat, Connor stayed quiet. He was closer to Bailey than any of the Flanigan boys. Instead of joining the conversation he only turned a half-smile in Cody’s direction, as if to say, “Yeah, what are your intentions for her?”

Cody laughed under his breath. “Well, guys, sorry to disappoint you.” He kept his eyes on the road. “I don’t have any answers yet. It’s not smart to rush things with girls.”

“But you like her, right? I mean more than a friend?” Shawn was relentless.

Again Justin gave him a shove. “He said he didn’t know.”

By then they were all laughing. Cody glanced at the rear view mirror and raised his brow at Shawn. “If things get serious with me and Bailey, I’m sure you’ll be one of the first to find out.”

“Probably not.” Shawn slumped back against the seat, teasing. “She tells Connor and Mom everything first.”

“Okay, you’ll be second.”

“Probably third.”

Cody enjoyed the banter. The Flanigan boys had been like brothers to him for years—ever since he lived with their family. Cody had watched the boys grow up, and he loved the easy way they had with each other. He turned up the music, and in five minutes they pulled into the Flanigan driveway.

The boys emptied out with their gear, and Cody went inside with his own bag. The family’s downstairs guest bedroom was still always open for his use if he needed it, especially now that he was back from Iraq and in their lives on a regular basis again. He didn’t see Bailey, so he went to the guestroom and took a shower. He fitted his leg with his waterproof prosthetic, the one he used for swimming. Again he was grateful his doctors had been able
to save so much of his left leg. He had his knee and several inches below that. It was why his prosthetic looked so real and why he was still so competitive in sports. Most people never noticed his injury.

He headed to the backyard and stretched out on one of the Flanigans’ chaise lounges. Since the Fourth of July, Cody had thought constantly about how to handle this new connection with Bailey. Yes, they’d kissed—but only once. Since then he remembered once more how precious she was, how he’d looked after her and protected her when he was nothing more than her big brother, back when he lived here.

She was a precious girl, a gift from God. He didn’t plan to kiss her randomly, and maybe not at all until they had an understanding between them. Cody felt butterflies in his stomach, and he looked up at a single puffy white cloud making its way across the sky. He wanted to ask her soon, make it official so he could call her his girlfriend. But he didn’t want her to feel rushed. A two-year relationship, like the one she’d had with Tim Reed, needed a little time to heal—no matter who initiated the breakup.

Also, in the days since the the Fourth, they’d spent their time with her family, and not alone. Cody liked this because being with her family helped him keep his focus, helped him think with his head and not his heart. Bailey was a forever sort of girl; there was no need to hurry things.

He heard the screen door and he sat up a little higher. Bailey and Ricky led the way, with her other brothers a few feet behind. They were talking about practice, Shawn and Justin bragging that Connor was proving to be the best quarterback on the Clear Creek field.

“Seriously?” Bailey wore shorts and a T-shirt. She had a towel draped over her arm and a smile Cody could feel across the patio. Bailey looped her arm around Connor’s waist. “Way to go, buddy. I knew you’d love playing this year.”

“I miss CKT,” Connor grinned and put his arm easily around her shoulders. “But I have to admit, I’m loving me some football.”

The boys had already rinsed off, and all of them were in their swim trunks. They lined up and did a group cannonball into the pool. At the same time, Bailey looked at Cody across the deck. Their eyes met as she walked toward him, and Cody felt his heart slam against his chest. He couldn’t look away, could barely remember his name. That’s the affect she had on him.

She took the chair beside him, sitting on the edge, her feet on the ground. “Hi.” Her eyes turned softer, a little shy—not because she wasn’t able to open up to him, but because they both felt so deeply for each other. And because those feelings were out in the open now. It was all a little more than either of them could believe. She angled her head, her pretty blue eyes shining in the sunlight, her chestnut hair hanging in long layers around her face. “How was practice?”

“Your brothers were right,” he laughed and nodded toward Connor in the pool. “He’s about to beat out the starter.” He put his finger to his lips. “But shhh, don’t say anything. Coach Taylor has to make that call.”

Bailey laughed. “Hey, after we swim, wanna take a bike ride?” It was already almost five o’clock. “My dad’s barbecuing ribs for dinner. But after that, maybe?”

She could’ve asked him to walk on coals, and he would’ve said yes. Even on a day as hot as this one. He reached out and took her fingers in his for a few seconds. “Like a race, you mean?” He was teasing her, because that’s what he did. It was how they’d related to each other since she was a very young girl.

“Yeah, a race.” She flexed her arms. “You know me. Miss Triathlete.” She laughed again. “Then after you beat me, let’s take a slow bike ride. The kind where we can actually talk for a few minutes.” She looked over her shoulder. “Without every one of
my brothers trying to figure out…” again her expression turned shy. “You know.”

“I do know.” Cody told her about the ride home, how Shawn wanted to know what was happening. “Justin stuck up for us though. He said it was no one’s business.”

The conversation between them stayed easy and intimate. There was none of the getting-to-know-each-other awkwardness most couples had to go through. Through the swim and later after dinner when they took a couple bikes from the Flanigan garage and set out through Bailey’s neighborhood, Cody kept feeling the same way. He might be able to ask her soon. She wasn’t grieving the loss of her relationship with Tim. They’d basically been broken up for months before the actual ending. That’s what Bailey had said.

“What’re you thinking?” Bailey was riding beside him, the warm breeze on their faces.

“About you.” Cody smiled at her. The sun was setting, and the sky was streaked with pinks and pale blues.

They turned right out of her parents’ driveway, down a hill toward a dead-end cul-de-sac.

“Oh, yeah?” Bailey’s eyes danced. “What about me?”

“How you really should become a triathlete. I mean, the power in your pedaling is impressive.”

“Stop.” She laughed, her head back. Then with a burst of speed she took the lead, lowering her body over the handlebars and flying down the hill. At the bottom, she skidded to a stop and pointed at him, her face taken up by her smile. “See, I can ride a bike.”

“I know.” He was out of breath, but more from the thrill of being with her than any exertion from the ride. “Maybe you could train me.”

They were at the bottom of the hill at the end of the road, where a gravel path took off through a section of woods
surrounding the Flanigans’ neighborhood. She was still laughing when she climbed off her bike and shaded her eyes. “The sunset’s so pretty.”

“It’s one more reason I love living here.” Cody stepped off his bike, too. He had a feeling Bailey wanted to walk the path. Either way he enjoyed this, being alone with her. A short walk through the woods would be nice. There was a stream a quarter mile in where a family of box turtles had created a home, probably preparing to hibernate for the coming winter. “Let’s go find the turtles.”

“The ones Ricky says are in there somewhere?” She took a few steps toward the gravel path. “As long as we stay away from snakes.”

Earlier in the summer Bailey’s brothers had come across a copperhead snake, and Bailey hadn’t forgotten it. Cody laughed. “They’re in for the night by now.”

“I’m not sure.” She waited for him to start out on the path, and she walked alongside him.

This was the sort of moment they hadn’t shared much of this summer. Cody could’ve pushed for it, but again he wanted to make sure Bailey was comfortable with things between them first. He reached for her hand and gently eased his fingers between hers.

“I still can’t believe it.” She walked close enough to him that their arms brushed against each other.

Cody didn’t have to ask. He knew very well what she was talking about. “Me either.”

“Tell me something.” She lifted her eyes to him, their pace slow. The trees were still a ways off, so for now the sunlight still danced on her face.

“Anything.” He didn’t look away, didn’t want to be anywhere but lost in her eyes.

“Why did you tell me to stay with Tim when you came home
from Iraq?” The slightest shadow fell over the moment. “I figured you didn’t see me…” she lifted their joined hands, “…like this. You know?”

How could he answer her? It was too soon to put his feelings for her into words—the intensity of how he felt might scare her off, even now that they’d found this connection. He swallowed hard and looked straight ahead. “I told you why.”

“You said he was better for me.”

“I thought he was.” Cody slowed his pace and looked at her. “His background isn’t complicated like mine…he doesn’t have a past. I felt old, like I’d seen too much. I guess I wanted to keep you away from all that.”

“I care about your past.” Her voice was kind, but still a little hurt. “It’s not your fault…what happened in Iraq.”

“Not just Iraq.” He thought about his drinking problem, and the trouble with his mother. “I come with baggage, Bailey. You know that.”

“None of that matters.” She smiled, but there was sorrow in her eyes. “You know what I wanted you to say that day? The day you came home from Iraq?”

“What?” He ached to take her in his arms, but he resisted. He focused on her eyes, her heart.

“I wanted you to tell me to leave Tim. I wanted you to say you’d been thinking about me the whole time you were at war.”

Again Cody wasn’t sure how much to tell her. They kept walking, heading into a thicket at the entrance to the woods. They could hear the creek somewhere up ahead. “I wouldn’t have told you to break up with him.” He kept his tone soft, tender. “That had to be your idea.”

“You could’ve said that.” She wasn’t trying to fight with him, that much was obvious in her expression. “Instead I spent every day from then until this last Fourth of July thinking you weren’t interested.”

At that, a single laugh rattled in Cody’s throat. “Yeah, Bailey…I was interested. I was always interested.”

He could feel her smile. “Really?” She gave his hand a slight squeeze. “Always?”