Truly, Madly, Deeply (The Baxters #31) - Karen Kingsbury

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Walking barefoot in the silky white sand of Karon Beach on the island of Phuket in the Andaman Sea, Tommy Baxter felt a million miles away from reality. Beside him was the only girl he had ever loved, a girl he had met his freshman year at Northside High School. The one who had his whole heart.

Annalee Miller.

“I’ll remember this as long as I live.” Tommy slid his fingers between hers, their pace slow and easy. “Every detail.”

Her pale blond hair danced over her bare shoulders in the Indian Ocean breeze. “When I write the story of my life”—she smiled up at him—“this page—being half a world away from home with you—will always be my favorite.”

And Tommy could barely breathe. Those green eyes had captured him the first time he saw her and they held his heart still. They always would.

The start of their senior year at Northside High was weeks away, but they still had a few days left on Phuket. Visiting the western beaches of Thailand with Annalee’s family was something they had looked forward to since May.

“The fishing boat leaves in two hours.” Annalee looked out at the water. “God gave us the perfect day.” She slowed a bit. “Let’s go back. I’m a little tired.”

Concern washed over Tommy the way it had yesterday when she mentioned needing more rest. “How did you sleep?”

“Good.” Annalee looked at him. “Don’t worry, Tommy. It’s the time change. That’s all.”

Yes, that made sense. After all they were eleven hours ahead of Indiana. But hadn’t they been here long enough to be used to the change? Everyone else in the group was rested by now.

Tommy held her hand a little tighter. “Maybe you should get to sleep earlier tonight.”

“Okay.” She didn’t look troubled. “Good idea.”

They took their time on the way back. Tommy surveyed the string of five-star hotels that marked the beach, the same beautiful stretch of shoreline that had been devastated by the tsunami of 2004. But there was no sign of that now. The beaches of Phuket had made a resounding comeback. Tourism was at an all-time high.

Vacation wasn’t the reason Annalee’s family was here this week, though. The Millers had come to the mountainous rain-forest island for work. Annalee’s parents ran Each One International, a ministry with offices across the world. The goal of Each One was to reach the least and lost in various cities, care for their physical needs and provide safety, and to tell them about the love of God.

Here at Karon Beach, Annalee’s parents had been taking meetings with local Each One leaders. Tommy was bunking with her younger brother, Austin, and Annalee shared a room with her parents. The rooms had been comped by the hotel manager, who was familiar with the work Annalee’s parents were doing. The stay wasn’t just a vacation. Annalee’s parents were being briefed on the work ahead.

According to Annalee, so far they had received very valuable information.

Tommy filled his lungs with the sweet salty air. The days here on the shore had seemed like they’d last forever. But the hard part of the visit would happen tomorrow. That’s when the group would head to Phuket City and Patong’s seedy Bangla Road. Annalee’s parents had warned them that the day would likely involve rescue work.

“Let’s sit for a while.” Tommy searched her face. Annalee’s freckled cheeks were tan from the days on the beach. But her beautiful eyes didn’t look right. “Or maybe you should take a nap. Before the fishing trip.”

Annalee shook her head. “I’m okay.” She nodded up the beach to their chairs. “This is good.”

They sat and stretched their legs. Annalee took a deep breath. “Senior year. How can it be?”

“The days flew.” The sun cast a thousand diamonds across the water. Tommy turned to her. “You’re sure about Indiana?”

“I think so.” She linked her pinkie finger with his. “I like NYU. But I’d rather be close to family.”

They had both applied early to Indiana University in Bloomington, an hour from home. All Tommy’s aunts and uncles lived there, along with his papa John Baxter. Tommy was deciding between Indiana, Harvard, Duke and North Carolina.

But there were days Tommy wasn’t sure about any of them. “I still think about the military. I could graduate in May and head to the recruiters’ office.” He raked his hand through his short blond hair. “Someone has to do it.”

“True.” They’d had this conversation before. Annalee wanted him to go wherever God was calling him. She understood the military would