Zenith in Love by Leanne Davis

Author:Leanne Davis [Davis, Leanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Leanne Davis

CHAPTER 9

EVERYTHING JIM DID BORDERED on being wrong. He wasn’t good at relationships, which he demonstrated with Kathy—and now? He really didn’t know how to refer to Kayla but seemed to insert his foot in his mouth every time he opened it. He worried she would leave him for his inept crassness.

But here she was, right now, charging through the church doors, looking for him. Guards trailed her, entering the church and taking their positions at all exits. Jim ignored them. No more mistakes of getting friendly with them. None were like Eric.

He took her hand, surprising her but feeling so grateful for her presence. Her face was pale and tightly drawn and he almost smacked himself in the head for his selfishness. Her nerves regarding this place were just as raw as his. She witnessed the same event. At least the bullets were not aimed at her. Jim shuddered at the feeling it always evoked: helplessness. His breathing and heart rate rapidly began to increase.

“I’m nervous,” Kayla stated openly before taking his hand. He held her and clasped her fingers tightly.

“Me too.” It was liberating to admit the truth.

“Should we just go ahead and walk in there? Rip off the Band-Aid, even though we both know it’s so much more than that?”

“Maybe that would be the best way.”

She turned and faced the doors, which were kept closed nowadays, and nodded. They both stared as if they were facing an enemy firing squad. Neither of them moved. He gulped. “I really don’t want to go inside there.”

She squeezed his fingers more tightly in hers. “It’s healing. Remember? We’ll be better in the end for it.”

“You don’t have to go in there again. Why are you doing this?”

She simply looked up at him and her gaze was simple and sweet. “For you.”

Right. For him. The guilt nearly ripped him in two. She wasn’t anything like he used to assume. She was so much better than him. Unspeakably so.

He held her hand and nodded. “Thank you.” It wasn’t enough, but all he could manage for now.

Gripping each other’s hands, they entered the double doors together. She was squeezing his hand and he held his breath, waiting for the terrible images to revisit him. The pops of the gun, the sight of Eric flying through the air before falling. The loud thud of his large body. Screaming, yelling, people scrambling, and trying to avoid the older patrons who could not move out of the way.

The room looked completely different. Now there was dark wood flooring and deep navy blue walls, in contrast to before when the walls were gray and the floors were tile. The altar was completely revamped. All the pews were gone and replaced by individual seats that were set in a new configuration. A single, central, extra-wide aisle now dominated the room, making it more easily exited in case of another emergency. Before, the two shorter rows of pews were on each side, and the aisle was too narrow because a wide line of pews occupied the center.

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