impulsive, but it’s what I want to say, so I’m just going to say it.”
“I wish you would.” Everett almost smiled.
“I think I’m falling. . .you know. . .sort of in love with you,” she said. “Can’t help it. It just happened, so I wanted to mention it to you.” Lark could feel her words coming faster and faster like stones tumbling down a steep hill. Oh, what a silly goose I’ve become. “So, while you’re working things through over here, at least you’ll know how I feel over there.” Lark kissed her forefinger and then touched it to his cheek. She hurried back to her house, not wanting Everett to see the tears that were beginning to flow.
Eighteen
I’m a mess. I’m an absolute mess. Calli wouldn’t even recognize me. Lark shut the door behind her and leaned against it for support. Even as a girl, she’d never been one for bouts of tears like some of her friends. With her sunny temperament, she’d always discovered lots of things to be fascinated with rather than moping for hours. But this wasn’t a breakup from a schoolgirl crush. This felt like some serious peril to her heart. Or had Everett meant what he said? That he just needed some time.
Maybe I shouldn’t have told Everett how I felt. But couldn’t he see it in her eyes anyway? A dull ache trickled through her. Not good. Okay, options. Paint, play guitar, Mocha Madness, pray, or call Calli. Or I could sip some Earl Grey tea and think of the needs of someone else. Those were all good things, but first maybe she’d just treat herself to another round of tears.
Then she remembered what Calli had said—that God might have planted Everett next door for a reason. But what if the real purpose was to help Everett in some other way? What if the falling-in-love part wasn’t destiny? Wait a minute. Do I believe in destiny? She groaned, wondering how her mother would respond. Maybe she’d say, “You know, honey, maybe you can’t see the whole picture. Maybe God is working things out, and you just can’t see it.”
Okay, time for some prayer. Lark slipped on her gray sweats and knelt by her bed like she did when she was a girl. She surrounded herself with boxes of tissues like a fortress and began, “Please help me.”
“Please help me,” Igor repeated in his cage.
Lark slumped onto the bed. “Can’t pray in my bedroom.”
“My bedroom,” Igor squawked.
Yes, I guess it is your bedroom. She smiled and shook her head at Igor. She decided to pray silently, and this time, mean it. Please show me the way, and if Everett is meant only to be my good friend, then give me the courage to face it. Then she thought of the severed relationship between the two brothers and prayed for a miracle of forgiveness and healing. Her own lack of responsibility and impulsiveness came to mind, so she asked for maturity in all areas of her life. She stayed on her knees until a peace washed over her like a warm bubble bath. Maybe talking to God has more to do with sincerity and trust than the perfect words.
Lark picked up the bedroom phone. Now for a good talk with her best friend. Calli’s phone rang a couple of times, and then she answered. “Hey, girl. I was just thinking about you for some reason. Sent up a prayer, too. What’s going on?”
“My emotions have been jumbled like they’ve had a few rounds in a blender,” Lark said. “But I’m better now.”
“Somehow I know this has to do with that neighbor of yours. You’re either going to have to move or marry him.”
“You don’t know how true that is.” Lark related the latest as Calli made noises of astonishment. “But I’ve given it to God,” she finally added.
“It’s all you can do,” Calli said. “But I still think Everett needs to be slapped upside the head for good measure.”
They both laughed.
“Wait a minute,” Lark said. “I hear a funny noise in Everett’s backyard. Hold on.” Lark ran up to the loft with the portable phone to have a look. “You will never believe this. You know how Skelly throws pots and pans sometimes?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Everett thought it was so goofy. But I can see him doing it. He’s got his backyard lights on, and he’s out in the cold heaving pots against his brick wall.”
“Oowwee. He must be in a bad way about his brother,” Calli