Fourth of July by Cami Checketts Page A

“Um hmm,” he cleared his throat. “I wanted to talk to you.”
    “Oh? What did you want to talk about?”Alexis could have smacked herself. Not the airhead imitation again. What am I doing?
    “I...” he began. “I just wanted to apologize for my conduct earlier.”
    “Oh, you don’t need to apologize. It was nothing.”
    It was everything . Alexis bit her lip, blinking to hold back hot tears.
    “Nothing, right,” Chris paused.
    “Was there anything else?” Alexis asked.
    She crossed her fingers like a little girl. Please let there be something else. Invite me over for dinner, a movie, anything.
    “No, no, there was nothing else I wanted to say,” Chris’ voice was gruff, distant. “I’ll see you at work. Goodbye.”
    “Bye,” she whispered.
    She held the phone close to her heart as a tear of frustration raced to her chin. She was so immature. She had no right to think Chris was interested in her.
    “Dumb, dumb, dumb.” She pounded the phone against her head a few times for good measure. Maybe it would knock some sense into her silly girl-brain.
    Falling to her knees, she prayed the Lord would bless her and relieve her mind of this infatuation. She needed to get back to work Monday morning and bury herself in helping others with their psychological problems instead of wallowing in her own.

    Chris stared at the phone for several minutes.
    Why had he called her?
    He’d spent the entire day working up the nerve to call. He had thought through everything he would say, anticipated how she would respond. Now he wished he could erase the entire uncomfortable conversation.
    Where had it gone wrong? Probably when she hadn’t even known who he was , he thought wryly.
    He had expected her to gush with excitement, but instead she was reluctant and distant. The conversation hadn’t gone anywhere near the direction he desired. Why had Alexis melted into his arms last night and now she sounded completely uninterested?
    He shook his head, remembering. He wanted to apologize for his conduct? Of all the stupid things to say. He didn’t want to apologize. He wanted to reenact the moment minus Danielle’s interruption.
    He fell onto his bed, covering his eyes with his forearm to shield out the overhead light. Why would he want to date a Bible-spouting Christian anyway? She would probably bore him to tears. The image of her in a black dress told him differently. Sleep was elusive as usual, but at least he could close his eyes and entertain himself with dreams of their unforgettable, albeit brief embrace.

DYLAN GRINNED AT RACHEL over Madison and Tyler’s heads. She winked discreetly. The preacher was saying something, but Rachel had a hard time focusing on anything but her handsome husband. Madison whispered something to him and his gaze shifted from hers. Rachel sighed happily. Sundays were wonderful. She loved church, the day of rest, and usually Dylan for twenty-four hours with no work interruptions.
    The meeting ended. Rachel stood with Tyler in her arms.
    “Mommy, I have a secret,” Tyler said.
    Rachel leaned her ear close to his mouth. “What is it, sweetie?”
    Tyler giggled as he whispered, “I’m glad the pweacher stopped pweaching.”
    Rachel compressed her lips to stop a smile. “You should like listening, Ty. He’s teaching us about Jesus.”
    Tyler shook his head. “No. He not even say Jesus today.”
    Rachel smiled. “I guess you’re right about that. When we get home shall I read you some Jesus stories?”
    Tyler nodded. “Another secret.”
    Rachel tilted her head toward his.
    “I like your Jesus stories best.”
    Rachel hugged him and laughed softly. Dylan waited for her with Madison’s hand in his. He placed his other hand on Rachel’s back and guided her out of the chapel. In the foyer, they were separated as they talked with friends. Rachel caught his eye and nodded toward the car. She wanted to get home, put Tyler down for a nap, plug Madison into a show, and spend some quality time