Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,28

in their room or their friend’s basement and be awful first. You have to be willing to go through the process of being bad at it while you learn how to do something to ever hope to get good at it.”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t this,” Greg said, the anger dissipating along with a bit of the defeat. “This is…” He put his hands out. “…big. This is real. This isn’t just kicking it in the basement to kill some time.”

Although there had been a time that Taylor would have been hurt by the statement, today was not that day. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if it’s painting or music or medicine. You have to be willing to start where you are and grow from there. Maybe where you are right now isn’t at passing the test.”

That took a clear shot at him and hit him square.

“But that doesn’t mean you should give up. It just means if you’re going to do this, you’ve got to get serious about doing what it’s going to take to pass the test, and to learn the stuff to pass the next one. If you give up every time things get tough, you’re never going to get where you want to go.”

With a small laugh, he shook his head at her. “Have you been talking to Merel?”

Stymied by that, she took a chip of her own, thankful she’d thought to get more hot sauce because the first bowl between them was gone. “What’s a Merel?”

He laughed even more. “Not what. Who. She’s Pastor Dave’s wife at the center. You’re going to love her.”

Their fajitas arrived, and Taylor was glad to see his appetite was back. They talked about the center, about how he’d found it, about Pastor Dave and Merel, and even a little about her checking it out the next day. Taylor wasn’t so sure about that. With the whole gang there, she was sure to feel uncomfortable and in the way. Of course, she didn’t tell him that. Some things were better left unsaid.

When all that was left were a few strips of bell pepper and one piece of steak, Greg asked if she wanted it and she said, “Go ahead.”

It didn’t take anything for him to have it eaten. “Man, that is good.” He seemed almost back to his old self as he took a drink and sat back with a sigh. Looking at his watch, he ratcheted his eyes open a bit more.

“What time is work?” Taylor asked with concern.

“Oh, uh. I have to be there before six.”

She nodded, knowing it was at least three. “You going to go home and take a nap?”

His laugh made her heart settle. He was doing far better now than when she’d gotten there. “Probably not.” Pulling forward on the table with his elbows, his face fell into concern. “So have you called Mitchell yet?”

That spun her world in a completely different direction. It would’ve been nice to be able to face it head-on, as it was, it dropped her gaze to her lap. “Uh, no.” She wanted to say more, to come up with an excuse, but no more came out.

“He hasn’t called?”

Barely moving, she shook her head. “No, and now it’s Saturday, and…”

“You should call him,” Greg said, looking only at her.

Her gaze came up. “But it’s Saturday. He doesn’t want…”

“You should call him, find out if anything’s changed.”

Nothing in her wanted to do that, but with Greg sitting right there watching, she didn’t really have a choice. She took out her cell phone and flipped her hair back. “Okay. Fine. But if something had changed, he would’ve called.” It took her shaking hands far more time than it normally would have to place the call, and when she put it to her ear and listened to it ringing, she really hoped he didn’t pick up.

“Hello, this is Mitchell.”

Thoughts and words gnarled up in her like tree roots in the Enchanted Forest. “Hm. Hey, Mitchell.” She glanced at Greg and wished he wasn’t watching her. “This is Taylor… Grayson.”

“Oh, Taylor. Hey. Uh, yeah,” he said possibly to someone else because his voice faded out. “Excuse me for a second. I have to take this.”

“I’m sorry. Did I call at a bad time?”

“No,” Mitchell said, and the noise behind him died out. “I’ve been meaning to call you. I talked to Jason, and we worked out where I’d need to file down there. I’m assuming he’s going to drop that little tidbit to