Eye of the Beholder by Patty Froese

Author:Patty Froese
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-61116-231-8
Publisher: Pelican Ventures Book Group
Published: 2013-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

9

The ride home was a quiet one.

Tricia didn’t want to let go of that tender look on Jesse’s face. She couldn’t remember a man ever looking at her with quite that expression. She’d encountered admiration, flirtation, appreciation, even lust... But this was something she felt the urge to hold onto, tuck away in a corner of her heart.

The sun sank along the horizon, a fiery orange ball dipping behind the outstretched arms of the bare trees. Jesse didn’t seem inclined to talk either, but this time the silence stretched out comfortably between them. As the sun sank steadily lower on the horizon, her mind went back to their teenage years when Jesse had been a skinny kid with bad skin and she’d been the admired beauty of the school.

A memory during her senior year in high school surfaced, when the school district had held a writing contest. She’d been accustomed to winning these contests, but that year, another girl won. Tricia’s poem hadn’t even made it to honorable mention. Her pride had been wounded, more so because she’d written the poem the year before and it had won a different contest, so she’d been confident of another ribbon.

Standing in an empty hallway next to a water fountain, her excuse for leaving the crowded gym after the winners had been announced, she’d noticed Jesse. She hadn’t known his name then, but she had seen him around.

“Did you enter the contest?” He gave her a bashful smile.

She’d shrugged, not entirely willing to talk about it. She was always praised for her beauty, but she’d wanted so badly to be admired for her talent.

“It was a political win,” Jesse said.

“Sorry?”

“The girl who won, they chose hers because she wrote about peace on earth. It’s like beauty pageants. No one wins those by saying the thing she wants most is a career in law, even if she wants it to fight for single mothers. Peace on earth. She had to win.”

“She’s a good writer, though.”

“So are you.”

Tricia couldn’t remember how that conversation ended. More than likely, she’d been distracted by more “worthy” friends, and she’d gone off with them. But his words had soothed her wounded pride and they struck at something deeper inside. He’d seen her as something more.

In the truck, with the heater pouring warm air over her feet and legs, Tricia leaned back on the headrest and allowed her eyes to move over Jesse’s rugged features.

He was focused on the road, one hand on the steering wheel. He seemed relaxed and happy.

“Sorry about my mom,” he said when he noticed her gaze on him.

“Why? She’s great.”

“She’s always trying to get me settled down.”

“I did notice that.” She grinned. “Why, don’t you want to settle?”

He was silent, and she regretted her joking.

She turned her attention to the passing landscape, embarrassed at her gaffe. Every time she tried to get friendly with Jesse, he pushed her back out.

“Jesse, I thought you didn’t want to be on eggshells around each other,” she said, breaking the awkward silence.

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