Moving On (Rolling Thunder #7) - P.J. Fiala Page 0,11

his bike, and he wanted a backrest, so I started helping him. We talked long after the shop closed. He told me he was the Pastor of Grace Church. I couldn’t believe it. I told him we’d sat outside of the church a number of times because it was so beautiful. He invited me to service on the following Sunday. Then he said maybe we could go for a ride afterward. So, I did. A couple of years later I asked him if he offered to go for the ride, so I'd come to church and all he did was wink at me."

Closing her eyes, she wrestled with all of this information. Stepping away from Chase she walked over to the little bench at the side of the building and sat down. She tried holding back the tears that stung her eyes. What in the hell had she done? And why? For what? Look what she'd done to Chase and Dog and Joci. Shit, she hadn't even begun to let herself think of all she'd put them through.

Staring out across the small cemetery that lay alongside the church, she fought hard not to think about the sadness and heartache she'd been responsible for. Swiping at her cheeks, she felt the wetness of her tears without realizing she was crying. She didn't deserve to be here. She didn't. Guilt and suffering were heavy on her shoulders and she felt as though she'd crumble from their weight.

The soft sound of shoes on pavement brought her back to consciousness and she heard Chase’s voice.

"Hey there, I'd like to introduce you to LuAnn."

"I'd be honored," said a second voice.

Swiping feverishly at her face, horrified that she looked a fright, she then wiped her wet fingers on her pant leg and blinked rapidly to clear her vision.

A nice-looking man in his thirties came to stand before her. He wore blue jeans and a Harley shirt with flames in blue on the bottom of the hem and the sleeves. His blond hair and green eyes were friendly, his smile exceedingly kind.

He held his hand out to her, "Hello, LuAnn, I'm Greg, Chase's friend."

She stood and took his hand in hers. "Hi, it's so nice to meet you but how do you know who I am?"

"Call it a lucky guess. Chase wondered if you'd need another friend and thought I might fit the bill. Anytime you want to talk, I'm here."

She looked up at the sky, certain there would be a lightning bolt shooting down to smite her. She was ready. Or was she?

8

Staring at the ceiling, Chase's heart felt a bit lighter. He felt sort of bad ambushing LuAnn with Greg, but Greg had told him that if he and LuAnn were to ever have a chance at any kind of relationship, she had to come to terms with what she'd done. Not that she didn't know what she'd done, clearly she did, but she had no idea what her actions had truly done to the people around her. She had to confront the aftermath of what she’d done. She either had to accept it, deal with it, and make amends with those she’d wronged, or she'd just continue to do rash things without thought as to the consequences of them.

She'd cried so much tonight. She'd made an appointment to talk with Greg tomorrow after work. When he'd dropped her off tonight at Linda's, he'd softly kissed her lips and said, "Call me when you want to see me again, Lu."

He'd hopped on his bike without another word and left her standing on the front stoop. Now he lay here wondering if he'd done the right thing. But, they had to start somewhere; avoiding the people she'd hurt wasn't the answer and Greg would help her see that. Sunday he'd walk into church, pray for guidance, maybe ride with Greg and come home as usual. By then, he'd know if LuAnn ever wanted to see him again. She had about four days to think about it.

Rolling onto his side, he scrunched his pillow under his head, pulled his phone off the nightstand and tapped on his photo’s icon. Scrolling through the pictures, he looked at the pictures he had of LuAnn from years ago. She was unrecognizable in them. Still the same great tits and ass, but even the look on her face was one of unhappiness. She didn't have any peace in her heart back then, either, it was easy to see now. A couple