Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,58

I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but whatever it was, it’s got to be one of the best things I was ever smart enough to do.” Reaching over, she didn’t stop until he had completed the hug across the console between them. “Thank you for being there for me through all of this craziness.”

He laughed softly. “Always.”

“How’s Taylor?” Wes asked when Greg made it back.

“Good, I think.”

“Okay. Good. So she wasn’t mad?”

“About?” Collecting his things from the door, Greg’s body registered exhaustion in a big way.

“Just… being here and us and stuff?”

“No. I think she was cool with it, or trying to be anyway. Way better than the other night.”

“She was just… different, I guess,” Wes said. “I was hoping we didn’t set her off again.”

Going to the chair, Greg set his things on it but didn’t sit. “I think she’s changed a lot, or she’s trying to anyway. I think it’s hard to figure it all out.”

“True, and that’s cool. Just as long as she doesn’t think she has to change for us,” Wes said. “I don’t want her to do that.”

Greg nodded. “Yeah. Me either.”

~*~

Do you need a ride?

The text from Greg came in the next morning. Taylor had settled on an apple and juice for breakfast in the downstairs cafeteria. She couldn’t eat much, her stomach was in a million knots. Looking at her phone, she tried to explain to herself that she should tell Greg no, he didn’t have to come and get her. He didn’t even have to come. She could drive. But, then again, it would be nice to have someone there in case she made it before Mitchell and her parents did. The last thing she wanted to do was sit there alone. Sure.

She had just texted that back to him when another text came in.

We’re praying for you!!!!

Yoli. Taylor smiled at that. With her friend’s new job as an assistant TA, they hadn’t had much chance to talk. It was nice she hadn’t been forgotten.

Thanks.

She put her phone down, and it buzzed again. Half-laughing, she flipped it over again.

Make today a masterpiece.

Lily. Taylor shook her head, and she remembered her talk with Merel. Maybe her old friends wouldn’t let her grow, but she had plenty of new friends who would.

Thanks, she texted back. Trying not to freak out over here.

Breathe. And remember God’s got this.

B.R.E.A.T.H.E…. Thanks for the reminder.

Just so you know, I’m praying God’s ears off!!!

He might not appreciate it, but I sure do.

Love you, girl. Whatever happens, you and God have got this.

Just keep praying.

I’m on it.

Greg was on high-alert for every nuance of how Taylor was when he picked her up. She wasn’t overly talkative. In fact, she seemed preternaturally calm. Of course, today wasn’t testimony day, just jury selection day, so the freak out might well be coming and just not have arrived yet.

At the courthouse, they walked in together, and Greg had to ask at the reception desk where the jury selection room was. The policeman there helpfully pointed it out.

“I thought it would be in the courtroom,” Taylor said, ducking toward Greg.

“I talked to Mom last night. She said they sometimes do this part in another bigger room especially if they need a lot of jurors to choose from.” Standing next to her, Greg kept watch for any and all hints of danger. He wished he knew more about this process. It would help to have some idea of how this was going to go.

Movement coming toward them from the outer doors snagged his attention, and he turned as her parents came up, followed by Mitchell. She hugged each parent in turn, and her mother did not remove her arm from around her daughter.

“We should go on in and get seats,” Mitchell said.

With a nod and duck of her head, Taylor headed inside. As they made it to each other, Greg shook Thomas’s hand.

“Thanks for coming,” Thomas said, his eyes filled with concern.

“Of course.”

They trekked down the aisle and turned to the left. The potential jurors seemed to be congregating to the right.

“Here is good,” Mitchell said, stopping their forward progress about ten rows from the front.

Thomas went in first, followed by his wife, who was followed by Taylor, then Greg, then Mitchell. When they were all seated, Mitchell leaned over to Greg as Taylor ducked the other way to converse with her mother.

“How is she?” Mitchell asked under his breath.

“Good, I think. Will Chris be here today?”

“More than likely,” Mitchell said. “I