hostess stand and gave their name, and the woman passed them a handheld buzzer. “About an hour,” she said.
Cyd regarded her companions. “An hour, with call-ahead seating.”
Heather smiled big. “Better than two hours.”
They left the restaurant and entered the mall, idling by the seating area with others.
“Hey, Heather,” Kelli said suddenly, “we should go to f.y.e.”
“Totally.”
“The music store?” Cyd asked.
Kelli nodded. “We found out we have that in common too—a love for music.”
Cyd took the stroll with them, but after a few yards she spied a train wreck coming around the corner, headed straight for them— Dana, Scott, and the kids, armed with shopping bags.
Scott did his best to avoid looking at Heather, distracting himself with the kids, but Dana mowed her down with a stare.
Cyd’s stomach cramped. “You guys must be taking advantage of the tax break.” She could hear how phony she sounded. Like she was talking to neighbors she barely knew.
“Aunt Cyd, you should see what I got from Justice,” Mackenzie said, reaching into her bag. “Look at this silver sparkly fashion scarf—” She seemed to just notice the others then. “Oh, sorry . . . Hi, Kelli . . . and . . .”
“And nobody,” Dana said. “Scott, we have to go.”
“Wait a minute, Dana,” Cyd said.
Kelli whispered to Heather, and they continued on.
“Kids, let’s check out the new stuff in the Apple store,” Scott said. “Dana, meet us over there.”
Dana didn’t comment. The pointed stare was now directed at Cyd.
“I can’t believe you said that, Dana, and in front of Mackenzie. That was uncalled for.”
“Great. Now you and Scott can take up for poor Heather. Fun night out for the girls?”
Cyd sighed, trying to find the right words. “I really don’t want this to be a source of tension between us. You’re my best friend, and I love you. But does that mean I have to hate Heather?”
“You’re hanging with her in the mall.”
“We just came to get something to eat after our Bible study.”
“Don’t you think that’s going beyond the call of duty? I can’t even tell you how this makes me feel.”
“Dana, I know how you feel. I do. But she’s not the person she once was.” Their earlier lesson came to mind. “There comes a time when you just have to . . . you just have to forgive.”
Dana’s face said the suggestion was ludicrous. “I’ve got to go, Cyd. I’ll talk to you later.”
Cyd let out a breath as she went to catch up with Kelli and Heather. Why did God put her in the middle? Why did they have to run into Dana and Scott? Would she lose a friendship of almost thirty years because of this?
Lord, please, somehow . . . touch Dana’s heart. Give her eyes to see Heather as You see her. As hard as it might be, help her to forgive Heather, for her own peace of mind.
Kelli came to Cyd the moment she entered the music store. “Heather has barely said two words. I know she brought all this on herself, but I can’t help but feel bad for her.” She looked over at Heather, who was standing by a selection of oldies, her head down. “Don’t you think Dana was kind of mean?”
“Kelli, I will never forget the pain and devastation Dana felt when she discovered Heather in her bed. If I were in Dana’s shoes, I probably would’ve done the same—or worse—if I ran into Heather.” Cyd glanced over at her again. “The funny thing about forgiveness is that God is much freer with it than humans are.”
She looked at Kelli. “Think about it. You feel bad for Heather, and you think Dana should’ve treated her differently. But how have you treated Brian? Have you forgiven him?”
fifteen
KELLI THOUGHT ABOUT CYD’S QUESTION ALL THROUGH dinner and on the way back to the house. Not that she didn’t know the answer—but for the first time, the answer was starting to bother her . . . especially after an afternoon with Heather marveling at how freely God had forgiven them. It was basic, but it hit her between the eyes nonetheless—Brian deserved forgiveness too.
They parked and waved good-bye to Heather as she got in her car and took off. On the way inside, Kelli’s phone rang. A wireless number she didn’t recognize.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hi, Kel.”
Her breath caught. Why, after all these years, did he still have an effect on her? “How did you get my number?”
“I’m not supposed to tell.”
“Stephanie.”
“When she returned my laptop Monday, she