Running from Christmas by E.A. West

Author:E.A. West [West, E.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Astraea Press, LLC
Published: 2014-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“It was good to see you,” Alessandra said as she gave Kyle a hug in her brother’s driveway. “Thanks for coming...and for everything.”

“That’s what friends are for.” He stepped back and studied her. “I wish I didn’t have to leave so soon.”

“I wish you didn’t, either, but I’ll be okay.”

“As long as you don’t start hiding from your problems again.”

She ducked her head, the cold wind doing nothing to cool the fire in her cheeks. “Trust me, I’ve learned that lesson.”

“I know, but a reminder now and then can’t hurt.”

“True.”

“If you ever need another reminder, or anything else, you know how to reach me.”

“Thanks, Kyle.” She gave him another hug, and then watched him open his car door. “Stay safe.”

“I’ll do my best.”

After he drove away, she hurried into the house. Warmth wrapped around her, along with the ringing of the telephone. She closed the door and went to the kitchen to grab the handset from its base on the counter.

“Hello?”

“Alessandra? It’s Brad.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh, um, hi.”

“Are you busy?”

“Not at the moment. Why?” No matter how hard she fought against the suspicion, she couldn’t completely keep it from rising.

“Do you remember Laurie from the youth group?”

A memory rose of a shy, brown-haired girl desperate for acceptance and approval. “Yes. She’s a sweet kid.”

“She’s also an upset kid who’s here at the church with me and asked if you’ll be coming by.”

“What? Why?”

“I guess because she likes you.” His sigh drifted heavily over the line. “Would you mind coming to the church for a little while? Like I said, she’s upset. I’m worried because she doesn’t want to go home, but she won’t talk to me. Maybe she’ll talk to you, since she asked for you.”

Alessandra leaned back against the counter and closed her eyes. What did she know about getting upset teenagers to talk? Then again, she had plenty of experience with being upset and not wanting to talk about it. Maybe all the girl needed was the assurance that she wasn’t alone and had a sympathetic ear if she wanted it.

She opened her eyes and pushed away from the counter. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be there in ten or fifteen minutes.”

“I’ll let her know. Thank you.”

Alessandra replaced the phone on its base and headed for her room. After collecting half a dozen colors of paracord and a handful of buckles, she dumped the contents of a large leather purse on the bed. The cord and buckles went into the purse, along with a lighter and a pair of scissors. Laurie had mentioned a love of craft projects when they made wreaths. Maybe keeping her hands busy with the repetitive motions of making bracelets would help her relax enough to talk about why she didn’t want to go home.

By the time Alessandra arrived at the church, she was questioning whether she wanted Laurie to talk to her. What if the girl was pregnant and afraid to tell her mother? Alessandra had no idea how to handle a situation like that.

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