Love Interrupted: A Sweet Christian Romance Read online

  “She didn’t say why,” Helga responded handing her the cup of coffee. It’s not like Tristan to be running late. Pulling her phone out of her bathrobe, she glanced down to see it was 10 o’clock. “I’m going to get in the shower,” Katie took her coffee and headed up to her bathroom.

  As she put her make-up on for the day after her shower, she noticed her mascara was different. Why would Helga buy this cheap stuff? “Helga!” Katie shouted out her bathroom door. Helga came quickly upstairs.

  “What’s wrong?” Helga asked.

  “What is Great Lash?” Katie asked tossing her the pink tube of mascara. Helga looked mortified.

  “I was grocery shopping and knew you needed some mascara but your Chanel order wouldn’t be here for a couple days… I thought it would be okay,” Helga said softly.

  “So you bought me mascara while grocery shopping? You do know that Portland has a Nordstrom, you could have just gone there.” Helga looked at the floor as Katie spoke to her.

  “It’s a two hour drive and I had to get home to make dinner,” Helga said.

  “Okay, well… don’t do it in the future Helga. Just throw that away cheap stuff away…” Katie searched the bathroom drawer and found her near empty Chanel mascara. “This one still has some in it… I’ll just pick one up today while I’m in Portland.” Helga nodded and retreated out of the bathroom.

  As she continued putting make-up on, her phone buzzed. It was a text from her mother Lisa.

  Your father and I will be returning home around 10pm tonight. Our flight from Paris got delayed. Be sure to have Helga confirm the candle order for the Masquerade Ball with Jeffrey, the man is old and forgetful.

  “Helga!” Katie shouted again. Helga came running into the bathroom.

  “I’m sorry… did I do something else?” Helga asked nervously.

  “No, mother needs you to call Jeffrey and confirm the candle order for tomorrow’s ball.” Katie noticed Helga’s relief that she hadn’t screwed something else up. It’s a pity she feels like she’s constantly screwing up, but I can’t control her insecurities.

  “I’ll call him immediately,” Helga said retreating once again from the bathroom.

  **

  “That’s crazy that your dad made you clean before you got to leave… That’s super lame and not like him,” Katie said.

  “I know, right? I was ready to come to your house and everything, but he totally just stopped me and was like, hey you need to clean up your room and the living room, the maid quit today.”

  “It’s not that bad to clean once in a while, your maid did quit Tristan,” Katie responded. Silence fell between the two of them before Katie continued, “Why couldn’t my parents decide to live in Portland instead on Lincoln City?”

  “Probably has something to do with your dad owning those hotels…” Tristan said with a grin. “Plus, you know you love Lincoln City.”

  “Yeah… sure, the smell of the stinky ocean and the cost breeze that seems to constantly blow through the town just excites me like no other,” Katie laughed.

  “Can we stop in here; I saw a cute pair of jeans on their website that I want to try on…” Tristan said stopping in front of the Loft store. Katie nodded and they went into the store.

  “How’s it going girls? You out doing some shopping?” A perky young woman asked approaching Tristan and Katie.

  “We’re good…” Katie said. Why do they insist on bugging you?

  “Is there anything I can help you find… or did you want to know about our specials we have going on today?” The worker asked.

  “Nope, we’re good,” Tristan said smiling.

  “Okay, great, let me know if you need anything, okay,” the worker said as she went back to folding clothing.

  Katie leaned over Tristan’s shoulder and whispered, “I hate that!” Tristan chuckled as she perused the jeans. Katie went over and began looking at the shirts on the wall that hung near the entrance of the store. Suddenly a large bang could be heard coming from outside the store. What was that? Katie looked over at Tristan to see she wasn’t too interested in the noise. “I’m going to check out what happened…” Katie said.

  “Okay, I’ll be here,” Tristan smiled.

  Going outside, Katie looked left and right on the level to see nothing out of the ordinary. Glancing up as she approached the ledge, she didn’t see much up on the third level either. Then when she looked down over the railing, she saw that the Comcast kiosk’s TV had fell over onto the floor shattering the screen. The man at the kiosk was pacing in circles around a girl that couldn’t have been more than 16 or 17 years old.

  “You need to pay for this!” The man said pointing to the TV.

  “I don’t have any money!” The girl said.

  “I’m calling the cops. This is ridiculous, they will be able to get a hold of your parents and THEY will be paying for a new TV.” The man walked back over to his register at his kiosk and got on his phone. The young lady was looking around nervously and then looked up. Katie saw her for only a moment and a flashback hit her of her sister from the last night she saw her.

  “What are you doing with all that jewelry Elana? That’s moms!” Katie said storming over to Elana ripping the bag from her hands. Elana screamed and smacked Katie across the face so hard she fell to the ground. Elana grabbed the plastic sack of jewelry and ran out of the room.

  Snapping back out of the memory she leaned over the railing trying to get a closer look. That can’t be Elana… could it? Looking back over to the kiosk worker, she saw he had dropped a pen on the ground and bent down to get it. Quickly, looking at the young lady again, Katie saw her dart away from the kiosk and flee through a side hallway.

  Chasing after her with bags in hand, Katie exited the mall on the same side that paralleled the exit of the hallway the young lady took. I have to find out if that’s Elana! Once outside, Katie moved quickly to an elevator that brought her to the ground level parking garage. With bags banging against her sides as she speedily walked down through the rows of cars, she looked for the young lady. Katie caught a glimpse of her as the young lady turned the corner going out onto the main street’s sidewalk. Katie’s heart thumped loudly in her chest as she got closer to the young lady.

  As Katie rounded the same corner the young lady took, she was suddenly met with a knife in her face. The young lady pushed Katie up against a wall and held the knife up to her stomach.

  “Why are you following me,” the young lady said in a rugged tone. Her eyes were dark as her hoodie, her skin was ghostly white, but Katie couldn’t tell if it was her or not.

  “I thought you were my sister,” Katie said scared. The young lady pulled her hood back revealing her face, she wasn’t Elana. Sores littered the strangers face and the ghostly white skin matched the skin of Elana, but it wasn’t her. The stranger darted off down the street away from Katie. Katie had done well to keep Elana out of her mind most the time, but after the incident in the sanctuary, she had started to think about her more and now this. Suddenly, Katie’s phone rang.

  “Hello?” Katie answered.

  “Like, where did you go? I’m seriously confused,” Tristan said.

  “I thought I saw Elana…” Katie said softly.

  7-Liam

  Knocking at the door of an apartment, Liam looked back over his shoulder at the apartment complex’s dumpster as a middle-aged man tossed in a bag of garbage. He looked a bit stressed to Liam as he sighed heavily and began his trek back to his apartment across the parking lot. I should go talk to him, Liam thought. When nobody answered the door Liam had knocked on, he proceeded to the railing and leaned over it.

  “Hey!” Liam hollered down at the man. The man looked up and waved as he continued to his apartment. Recognizing the man wasn’t going to stop, Liam ran down the stairs and over to him before he made it into his apartment. The man stopped and stared at Liam in confusion.

  “What do you want?” He murmured. Liam noticed a scar above his left eyebrow that was a
bout an inch thick.

  “I’m just out talking to people and inviting them to church, letting them know about a youth group program called New Life that’s available to teenagers. What’s your name? I’m Liam.”

  “I don’t have children anymore and I don’t want to talk to you,” The man said angrily as he went into his apartment and slammed the door behind him. Liam felt devastated from the man’s response and hung his head low as he walked back to his truck. Liam got into his truck and prayed.

  Why’d I feel so inclined to talk to him just be rejected Lord? Liam’s head rested on the steering wheel with his feelings of defeat. Give me strength as I try to grow this youth group, it’s through your power and your power alone that it will be done.

  Liam lifted his head up to notice the grumpy middle aged man looking out the corner of his apartment’s windows curtain. As soon as Liam saw him, the man let the curtain fall back into place. He must be intrigued a little bit. Liam got out of his truck and continued door knocking the apartment complex.

  As he got back into his truck, he recalled the progress he had made. 2 yes’ and 15 no’s, not bad! Liam turned the key over of the truck and found it struggling to start. Pumping the gas, Liam said, “Come on baby… Come on!” The truck started and he was off down the road.

  Pulling into the church parking lot, he saw Derek sitting on the curb outside with his head hung low. Liam’s concern overtook him as he sensed something was terribly wrong. Liam parked and got out of his truck quickly approaching Derek, “What’s wrong?”

  Derek shook his head as he lifted it up to Liam with tear filled eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Derek cry. “It’s Rosie; she’s not doing well…” Derek said softly.

  “What happened?” Liam asked.

  “Her parents found cut marks on her legs,” Derek said. Liam sat down next to Derek and placed his arm around him.

  “God’s bigger than this and he’s going to help Rosie pull through… Where is she right now?” Liam asked.

  “She’s at home with her parents; they are trying to get her to talk about it and she won’t open up to anyone,” Derek said. Liam’s mind immediately went to Katie. I bet she’d be able to get through to her.

  “Let’s pray,” Liam said. Bowing their heads, Liam began to pray out loud. “Dear heavenly Father, we come to your throne today to lift up Rosie as she struggles with the loss of her sister. We pray your loving arms just wrap around her. Please give her the strength that she needs and help us be the best examples of Christ as we can. In your heavenly name we pray, Amen.” Derek lifted up his head and pushed his tears away in his sleeve.

  “I’m sorry dude… I don’t mean to cry in front of you, that’s not a very manly thing to do,” Derek said.

  “Jesus wept, man. It’s okay and it happens to us all.” Liam patted Derek on the back as he stood up. Looking back at the church, Liam said, “Have you went over there at all?”

  “No, I just found out about it and I was trying to take it all in,” Derek said. Liam looked at his phone to see it was three o’clock.

  “Let’s get over there and see if there’s anything we can do, we have three hours until New Life,” Liam said.

  **

  Over at Rosie’s house, her mother answered Liam’s knock at the door. Their house was more like a mansion and it sat with all the other wealthy people of Lincoln City right on the beach. The neighborhood district was referred to as Golden View Estates.

  “Hello Derek,” Rosie’s mother said as she opened the door. Startled by Liam’s happy appearance she asked annoyed, “Who are you?” Derek patted Liam on the shoulder.

  “This is Liam, he’s helping out with the youth for a couple weeks while he’s in town. Could we see Rosie?” Derek asked. Rosie’s mother stepped outside and shut the door behind her.

  “I don’t know who you are, but you need to wipe that smile off your face, this is no time to be happy…” She said sharply.

  “I’m Liam, what’s your name?” Liam asked.

  “Tiffany…”

  “Well Tiffany, I’m a born again Christian and I have a natural habit of being happy and joyful. I am well aware of the situation with Rosie right now and I didn’t mean to disrespect that. If my smile is bothersome, I can tuck it away, but honestly, I think Rosie needs the good and happy thoughts going on right now…” Tiffany stood in awe as Liam watched her whole aura about her shift from darkness to light. It was as if a light bulb went off and she took it to heart immediately right in front of him. Amen! Liam thought to himself.

  “I suppose she does need to be lifted up… I’m sorry; I just don’t know what to do with her. Ever since Shay passed, Rosie’s just been in a downward spiral. I thought after the other day at Church, things were looking better, but then we caught her cutting after a knife went missing…” Tiffany’s eyes welled up with tears. Liam felt inclined to give her a hug and she embraced it. Her crying grew harder for a moment as she cried on his shoulder. Wiping her tears away, she smiled and looked at the two of them. “Come in… Rosie will be glad to have company,” Tiffany said opening the door.

  Knocking lightly on the open door to Rosie’s bedroom, Liam and Derek walked in to find Rosie cuddled up in a ball snuggling a unicorn stuffed animal. Sitting on the opposite side of her bed, Derek put his hand on Rosie’s back. “I know it’s difficult…” Derek said. She began to weep lightly. This is so terrible… She’s so young… She’s heartbroken.

  “Why did you cut yourself Rosie?” Liam asked looking down at her face waiting for a response. She sniffled and wiped her nose.

  “I don’t want to talk about it… you wouldn’t understand,” Rosie said quietly. Katie would. Liam looked at Derek puzzled on what to do, Liam didn’t want to call Katie, him and Derek were the leaders of the youth plus he had no desire to see her again unless they had to.

  “Well what do you want to talk about…?” Liam asked.

  “Nothing,” Rosie said turning deeper into her curled up position.

  “Okay… Can we pray with you?” Liam asked. She nodded and Liam took a knee by her bedside. “Dear heavenly Father, please comfort Rosie and help her find peace inside of your arms. Give her the strength she needs to endure and move forward. Help her to see the people that love her and care about her. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.”

  “Amen,” Rosie said softly. Sniffling she continued, “Where’s Katie?” I guess I don’t have much option in the matter. It’s even what Rosie wants. I have to put my selfishness aside for the help of this girl.

  “She’s in Portland right now. I could have her come over when she gets back into town,” Derek said.

  “I would love that…” Rosie said. “She understands what I’m going through.” Liam stood up and motioned with his head for Derek to join him in leaving.

  “Take care, Rosie. We will pray for you tonight at New Life,” Liam said.

  “Call if you need anything Rosie,” Derek said shutting the door behind them as they left. Out in the hallway, Derek said, “I didn’t think about Katie helping… I should have thought of that.”

  “I did…” Liam said with his head hung low.

  “Why didn’t you mention it?” Derek said in a loud whisper in the hallway outside of Rosie’s room.

  “I just… I keep thinking about Katie and I’m trying to avoid her,” Liam said.

  “What about that ‘heart for only the Lord’ guy I talked to on the phone? Where’s that Liam?” Derek said confused.

  “I know, I know… I’m usually pretty good about avoiding girl interruptions, but this one is different. She moves me like I haven’t been moved. I don’t know why, but every time I see her, my desire to be near her grows without reason.”

  “Sounds like you are into her… and just so you know… I have no interest in her. I think it’d be good to follow the feelings you are having on this one Liam.”

  “I don’t want them to interrupt God’s will and desire.”

  “Well it already has… You didn’t ca
ll her because you are worried you like her. That’s an interruption in the exact way you don’t want interrupted. Seems like a losing battle, might as well just see what happens…” Derek said.

  “You are right, I’ll see where it goes. Anyways, give her a call about seeing Rosie,” Liam said. Derek dialed her up on their way into the living room, Derek split off into the foyer while Liam stayed behind in the living room. Tiffany was reading in the living room and looked up to see Liam.

  “Any success with Rosie?” she asked with hopeful eyes.

  “Not much, she’s not wanting to talk, she wants to talk with Katie… she’s this-” Before Liam could finish his sentence, Tiffany interrupted him.