Love Interrupted: A Sweet Christian Romance Read online

  “You hit my Grandpa’s car and want to take away what the church actually needs. I got to hand it to Derek; he knows how to pick friends!” She rolled up the window and waited for her grandpa to get in the car.

  “She’s a sweet girl when you get to know her champ,” He said heading towards his side of the car door. “We will see you around I’m sure!” Katie’s grandpa got into his car and began to drive away. Liam turned and shook his head as he went to get into his truck. Trying to tell me something Lord? Liam thought looking up at the sky.

  Putting his arm over the bench of his truck, Liam made sure to look back this time as he backed out of the spot. As he began to pull away, Derek came out of the restaurant. Liam rolled down his window and stopped, “That Katie gal is feisty man… What’s the deal with you two anyways?” Liam asked.

  “We know each other from high school. Outside of that, she’s helping with the fundraiser,” Derek said. She went to our high school? Derek caught the look of confusion on Liam’s face and said, “You probably don’t recognize her, she started after you left.”

  “Yeah… I didn’t recognize her,” Liam said. Someone behind Liam honked their horn startling him. Looking out his window back at the car, Liam raised his hand. “I better get going… I’ll see you in the morning at church.”

  “Take it easy man,” Derek said as Liam rolled up his window and was on his way.

  **

  Back at his grandfather’s house, Liam went inside to check on his grandfather Lenny and Tony. Walking in, he saw the firewood was low on the living room fireplace. Glancing over at Lenny, Liam noticed that he had spilled some of his soup on his shirt. I don’t look forward to that age. Going into the kitchen, he could see Tony through the window chopping firewood. He smiled as he watched his brother chopping away. What a kid. Liam grabbed some paper towels and returned to his grandfather to clean up the soup that Lenny had spilt on himself.

  “You okay Grandpa?” Liam asked crouching a little bit to meet his eye level.

  “I’m just trying to take a nap boy!” He snapped, turning his head away from Liam. Lenny had grown cranky in his older years; it took a turn for the worst when his wife Miriam died four years ago. Everyone suspected she was the better half of Lenny and with her passing; he had let his kindness he once had pass with her.

  Going out back, Liam turned the corner of the wood shed to find Tony quickly throw something into a bush. As Liam approached with a confused look, Tony swiped his hands through the air. “Was that pot?” Liam asked sniffing the air. Tony couldn’t help but smile and cough.

  “It helps me calm down…” Tony said grabbing the axe from the stump. Liam grabbed the axe from his hands and threw it off to the side.

  “Look where you are at! You are on vacation practically, away from all the busyness of life back home and all the responsibilities you usually have around the house… what do you need to calm down from? Dang it Tony…” Liam sat down on the stump and cupped his face into his hands. I thought Tony was a good kid… Dang it!

  “I’m not just a kid anymore Liam… You can’t stop me from doing things now.”

  “How did you even get pot? We’ve been in town for less than a day.” Snickering, Tony put his hand on Liam’s shoulder.

  “Calm down brother. I’m still the good boy you think you know. I just smoke a little here and there. I found it in Grandpa’s underwear drawer when I had to grab him a new pair… he crapped himself Liam…” Liam realized that his grandfather was much worse off than they had suspected back home. I can’t handle this all right now.

  Liam stood up from the stump, “Go back inside…” Tony laughed as he walked towards the back door.

  “You are going to church in the morning,” Liam said.

  “You can’t just make me go to church dude; I already told you I need to help Grandpa.”

  “Help Grandpa by smoking his pot? Look at it this way, your other option is I call Dad and let him know what you did.” Liam and Tony’s father was the type of guy that would talk to them for hours about a single issue and never lay a hand on you. Liam and Tony found themselves on multiple occasions wishing they’d be spanked instead of lectured on the ways of how to live a Godly and good life.

  “Okay, okay… I’ll go, jeez.” Tony went inside slamming the door behind him. I didn’t realize I’d be parenting on this trip, dang. I thought Tony was a good kid. Liam grabbed a chunk of wood and placed it on the stump. Rolling up his sleeves, he grabbed the axe and lifted it above his head before letting it fall, splitting the wood in two. He worked through the afternoon, chopping away until there was enough firewood to last at least a couple weeks. When he finished, he wiped the sweat from his brow and took a deep breath in of the chilled wintery air. That should be good; I’ll do some more later if grandpa decides not to come with us.

  4-Katie

  While remaining crouched, Katie got up from her seat in Sunday school class and made her way towards the door.

  “Katie?” Mr. Crank said, directing the entirety of twenty or so in the new adult class to look at her as she stood frozen near the door. She had only wanted to use the restroom, but that seemed to be too much of an interruption for Mr. Crank. He was the grump Sunday school teacher that led the 19-35 age group class known as new adult. Looking around at her peers, Katie felt mortified.

  “Just had to use the restroom…” she said quietly.

  “Be on with you,” Mr. Crank said. He turned back around to the white board and continued writing the genealogy of Christ. Katie opened the door relieved and slipped out into the hallway. Walking down the hall, she passed by the Sanctuary. She could see Liam standing up by the podium talking to the five or six kids that sat in the pews. It’d be a shame to build a structure for such few kids.

  Coming out of the restroom, Katie saw one young girl that had to be around fifteen or so standing up as she spoke to Liam and the group. Curious to what she was saying, Katie went into the sanctuary and took a seat in the back to listen in.

  “After that, my life hasn’t been the same…” The girl said as she choked on her words. She sat back down and the girl next to her put her arm around her to comfort her. I think that’s Tiffany’s daughter if I remember right. Her sister just died not too long ago.

  “We need to surround Rosie as she goes through this painful time in her life. Losing a sister is difficult in itself; losing one to drugs as Rosie has… is even more difficult.” Liam made eye contact with Katie as he finished saying it. I didn’t know she passed away from something drug related… Why’s Liam looking at me like that? Does he know about my sister? “Rosie can get support from friends, family and her church family here; but the real healing will come from the Lord in his time.”

  “God won’t bring my sister back…” The sobbing teenager expressed in a cry from the pew.

  “That is correct Rosie, but that doesn’t mean he wants you to suffer in heartache and pain. He is the great comforter, He wrote us all a love story that we can keep near our hearts and keep our hope alive for a brighter future.” Liam walked over to the podium and grabbed his bible, he began thumbing through it. Katie felt conflicted inside, she wanted to share her own experience with losing her sister to drugs, but her sister technically wasn’t dead, that Katie knew of anyways. Wanting to help the young girl, Katie stood up anyways.

  “Psalm 147:3-5 is a helpful set of verses…” She said looking at Rosie. The young girl turned around and looked at her with eager eyes hungry for more of God’s word. Katie continued, “’He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit…’ Most people have heard of verse 3, but not the other two. The other two helped me personally because I needed to know God understood me in my difficulty.” Katie’s eyes were welled up with tears as she sat back down.

  “I feel like God took my sister away and I don’t understand what He’s doing in my life…”
Rosie said looking back at Katie. Katie’s heart broke for Rosie in that moment. She’s too young to lose a sister. Katie’s tears were falling as she stood back up again and proceeded down the aisle towards the girl.

  “I know…” Katie said noticing Rosie had been taking down notes on the verses she had mentioned a few moments earlier. “You should write down Proverbs 3:5… ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…’ That’s another one that will help comfort you as your mind spins in circles of grief.” Katie sat down next to Rosie putting her arm around her.

  “What happened to your sister?” Rosie asked. Katie’s uneasiness sky rocketed as the words fell off her lips. My sister? Her mind flashed back to when she had seen her sister the last night.

  Katie was at home, doing her daily bible reading next to the fireplace in the living room when she heard a knock on the door. Jumping up, she unlocked the door and it was her sister Elana. Her skin was a ghostly white and sores were visible on random spots of her hands, arms and face. She looked like she was already dead. Pushing Katie backwards onto the hardwood floor, Elana ran past her upstairs to their parents’ room. Katie scurried up the stairs after her to find her dumping all of their mother’s jewelry into a plastic bag.

  Katie snapped out of the flashback and back to the sanctuary. “She’s… She’s just gone…” Katie stopped crying and wiped her eyes. “I have to get back to my class,” she said with a sharp tone. I don’t want to relive this… Slipping out of the pew, Katie speedily walked back down the aisle and out of the sanctuary. Rushing back into the ladies restroom, Katie fixed her make-up in the mirror.

  I need to get over it… it’s been three years; there’s nothing I can do about it now. Why would you let yourself feel that bad again? How could you do that to yourself? Looking up into the mirror, Katie saw her own sadness in her reflection and it made her cry even more. Bowing her head, she began to pray.

  Make the pain stop that is overtaking my heart, heal me and make me whole. It’s through your grace I live today and it’s through your power I’ll see tomorrow. You are my rock, you are my strength, and you are my everything. Lord, help me.

  5-Liam

  “Derek, could you take over? I’m going to go talk to Katie,” Liam said looking over at Derek sitting in the pew up front. Liam felt the need to go talk to Katie after she left so upset from the sanctuary but Derek stopped him as he stepped off the platform upfront.

  “Don’t you think I should go talk to her Liam? I’m her friend; you don’t even know her…” Derek said.

  “I feel drawn to talk to her. I’ll go talk to her if that’s okay…” Liam said.

  “Go for it bro,” Derek said patting Liam on the shoulder as he himself walked up onto the platform. Liam hurried down the aisle as he saw Katie walking by the window of the sanctuary. Pushing open the sanctuary doors, Liam spotted her going down the hall.

  “Katie!” He said as he trailed behind her. She stopped and turned around rolling her eyes Liam.

  “What do you want?” She asked sharply. Lord, why’s she have to be so rude to me? It makes it so hard! Please soften her heart just a little, Liam thought.

  “Thanks for helping Rosie back there…” Liam said quietly trying to not upset her more than she already was. She was acting hard and bitter, but Liam knew she was distraught about something from her past.

  “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for God… I felt like I needed to share it for that girl in there…” Katie’s eyes softened as she looked back towards the direction of the sanctuary. “The pain of losing someone you love is so… just painful…” Katie said.

  “I haven’t lost anyone… but I’m sure it’s painful,” Liam said putting his hand on Katie’s shoulder.

  “You don’t understand it then… It’s the worst experience in the world. I lost…” Katie stopped talking dabbing her eyes. Liam saw a part of Katie he didn’t see at the restaurant, he saw the side that her grandfather might have been referring to the previous day, the sweeter side.

  “Who did you lose?” Liam asked. Katie looked back to the sanctuary and then sighed. “My sister… She’s somewhere in Portland, she could be dead or alive or… I don’t know,” Katie said. Liam thought to himself, If her sister is alive in Portland somewhere, wonder if we could find her?

  “We should go find her,” Liam said. Maybe if I could help her find her sister, she could find some happiness in life. Katie’s face darkened as she looked down and shook her head.

  “No… she’s already dead to me,” Katie said wiping with a bit of fire behind her eyes. In that moment, Katie’s sadness turned to anger. “Why would I want to go find what’s left of her? If she isn’t already dead, I’m sure she’s in pretty bad shape…”

  “Maybe we can talk her into coming back to Lincoln City? How long has she been gone?” Liam asked.

  “You need to drop it Liam. Now,” Katie said with agitation. “You don’t know me, you don’t know my family and you don’t know anything, just leave me alone.” Katie stomped off angrily down the hall and out of sight.

  **

  Later that night, while Liam was doing his daily bible study, he thought about Katie. She kept being pressed on his mind along with the fact her sister wasn’t dead and was in Portland on the streets. He set his bible down and prayed.

  Dear Heavenly Father, please help me understand what you want me to do. I want to serve you and your will and this woman, Katie won’t stop popping up in my mind. I try to serve you fully and I want to, but with this woman and her life being in my face, I feel I can’t serve you fully.

  After finishing his prayer, he thought about his father, George. Wonder what dad would think. Liam got up and grabbed his phone heading outside. Out in the backyard, Liam sat on the stump and called is dad.

  “Hello?” George answered.

  “Hey Dad,” Liam said.

  “How’s it going son? Are you having fun with the youth group?”

  “It’s Sunday, I haven’t been here long enough. I am working on it though,” Liam laughed.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah… Dad, I have a question for ya,” Liam said.

  “Go ahead,” George said.

  “Well, it’s a situation I’m not sure on how to handle it…”

  “First thing you do is pray,” George said confidently.

  “Of course and I’ve done that. It’s just… this girl…” Liam stopped and took a deep breath in before continuing. “This girl… Katie, I don’t even like her, she’s not very fond of me either… but she keeps showing up and interrupting the stuff I’m trying to do here and now she’s getting into my thoughts. I keep thinking about her and I feel inclined to spend time with her… It’s really interrupting my plans Dad; I’m here for God, not to find love.”

  “Well son, did you plan to never get married or date anyone?” George asked.

  “Well, I was kind of hoping it would happen later on… I’m not sure when that later is, but not right now. I also thought maybe I’d just be alone, there are plenty of pillars of faith that never married.”

  “Of course, but they are the exceptions, not the rule. God said Himself that it’s not good for man to be alone. Instead of trying to push it all away, I’d suggest you embrace it and follow it, find out where it goes and keep praying.” Liam loved talking to his father, his words always seemed rehearsed and full of wisdom. It was like a glass of ice cold water on a hot summer day.

  “Thanks Dad… How’s everything on the home front?”

  “Pretty good, your mom is anxious to get you boys back and hopefully her father along with you. How’s he doing?”

  “It’s worst than we thought Dad, he’s really not doing well… He’s wearing diapers and spilling food all over himself, he’s a wreck…”

  “Wow, that’s terrible. Is your brother being good and helping?” Liam looked over towards the bush that his brother had thrown a joint into, but he didn’t want to break his promise to Tony.

/>   “He’s good; he’s been helping out a ton with grandpa. If he keeps it up, I’ll be able to spend all my extra time working on getting more kids to New Life.”

  “That’s great to hear… I worry about Tony sometimes,” George said.

  “So do I, Dad, so do I,” Liam said softly.

  6-Katie

  “Tristan called, she’s running late and will be here around noon,” Helga said as Katie walked into the kitchen looking for her coffee cup. Katie set a hand on the counter and ran her fingers through her mess of a hair as she sighed.

  “Did you call and change the appointments for Urbaca since she’s running late?” Katie asked.

  “Yes. Bay won’t be doing your hair though, she’s off at 1, but they have you with Stefono, which you’ve liked in the past…” Helga said as she poured a fresh cup of coffee for Katie.

  “Yeah, Stefono is fine,” Katie sighed sitting down on the island’s barstool. “Did she say why she’s running late?”