A Heart to Heal by Allie Pleiter

Author:Allie Pleiter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-04-17T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

If anyone had told Max he’d spend a Sunday night making a complete idiot out of himself with a Ping-Pong ball and a straw in front of a tableful of teenagers, he’d have laughed in their faces. The youth-group brand of fun was never his thing, even when he was the age to be in one. None of which explained how much he was enjoying himself tonight. This riotous version of “air hockey” had him laughing and puffing so hard he was starting to feel dizzy. With a conspiratorial look to Simon, Max sent the Ping-Pong ball the boy’s way and Simon shot it into the makeshift goal on the opposite site of the table. Victory hoots shot up from “Team Si-Max,” lording their conquest over a gangly sophomore and his uncle, the town banker.

“We advance to the finals after dinner!” Simon pumped his fists into the air. Max gave him a high five, enjoying the boy’s enthusiasm. It was clear the boy felt less stress here than at school.

“I’m too old for this,” complained a grandfatherly type Max recognized as George Bradens, the retired fire chief and Clark’s father.

“Aw, c’mon, Chief—you used to be full of hot air,” another man Max vaguely knew from the firehouse kidded George. Max had fun watching the two tease each other. His own dad was always so serious and task oriented—Max could have never invited his father to something so raucous as Friends Night. Max found it a pleasant surprise to know that, at least at Gordon Falls Community Church, “spiritual” didn’t always have to mean “serious.”

“Hey,” Simon pointed out, “Ms. Browning is here.”

Sure enough, Heather sat down at a dinner table with a gaggle of high school girls. “She didn’t mention she was coming,” he replied, trying to keep the warmth of her tender kiss from creeping into his voice. He hadn’t seen her since that night, and the memory flashed through him as he watched her laugh at something. She was really getting to him.

“She shows up for dinner a lot. She’s like an adviser or something.”

During dinner, Max tried to keep up a conversation with Simon and meet his friends while at the same time he could feel Heather in the room with him. He would sense her gaze and look up from spaghetti or chocolate pudding to find her eyes across the room. It was as if the world were moving on two different levels—one with Heather and one with everyone else. He couldn’t decide if the sensation was unnerving or exhilarating. Maybe even both—a whole new thrill for this consummate thrill-seeker.

He was elated when Team Si-Max took first place in the air-ball finals, winning an absurd trophy fashioned from tinfoil-covered paper cups. “Our champions!” Heather beamed, giving Simon a quick hug and Max one that lasted just a bit longer. Max was starting to find the scent in her hair downright addictive. From the flush in her cheeks as she stepped away, he was starting to have the same effect on her.

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