Daybreak by Shelley Shepard Gray

Author:Shelley Shepard Gray [Gray, Shelley Shepard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Amazon: B0089LOLWU
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Published: 2013-02-12T00:00:00+00:00

chapter fifteen

It was snowing heavily when Ed arrived at the Christian Aid Ministry Association office at nine A.M. the next morning.

“Thanks for picking me up, Jared,” he said when they got out of the man’s rather spiffy black SUV.

“It was no problem. It would’ve been a difficult walk in the snow.” He looked to say more, but his cell phone buzzed.

With a small wave, Ed walked on, giving the other man his privacy, and allowing him a few precious seconds to get his bearings.

The rather plain, nondescript building always made him smile when he approached it. The CAMA headquarters didn’t look special or especially grand. Inside, however, it was filled with people who made huge differences around the whole world.

Shivering a bit under the thin comfort of his wool coat, Ed was thankful for the blast of heat that greeted him. Once again, it struck him how different he was after just twenty-four months in Nicaragua. The coat he was wearing had long been a favorite. He’d had it for years, and it had kept him warm and comfortable through many a difficult winter.

Now, however, the coat’s fabric felt little better than a sheet of cotton, and he felt the chill all the way deep into his bones. Not wanting Jared to have to wait for him, he’d stood on his front porch for ten minutes before he arrived. Now his body felt like it was regretting every minute of it.

Was he getting soft? Or perhaps, he was simply getting old enough to appreciate being warm and dry instead of chilled and damp? Maybe he shouldn’t blame his daed for not wanting to leave the comforts of Daybreak.

He pondered these big questions while he wandered around the lobby of the Mission offices, waiting for the chairman, James Cross, to finish up a phone call and invite him into his office.

The waiting wasn’t anything new. Mr. Cross was a busy man, and a good one. Like many others in the organization, he seemed to constantly be running five minutes late—the consequences of trying to do too much in too little time.

Usually, he never minded the delay. Usually, he would let the receptionist know he’d arrived, then have a seat for a bit until someone had time to meet with him. But the summons to the offices felt important. He couldn’t put a finger on why he felt that way, but he had the strangest feeling that his life was about to change.

After two more minutes, Mr. Cross entered the lobby. “Good morning, Edward. I’d apologize for keeping you waiting, but Patricia here has reminded me time and again that my tardiness has become something of a habit.”

“I didn’t mind.” He rubbed his arms a bit comically. “It gave me time to get warmed up. It seems I’ve gotten used to the warmer temperatures of Central America.”

Mr. Cross chuckled. He held out his hands. “Let me take your coat and hat for you. And coffee? Would you like some hot coffee?”

Feeling somewhat awkward, Ed handed over his coat and hat to the head of the organization.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.