LITMIR.BIZ

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saved her from self-destruction, but he never tried. Instead, he had joined her, and eventually they’d brought each other down.

      Annie’s reappearance brought back all those guilty feelings. She seemed to be on his mind at every turn. Maybe after he got her connected with another attorney and let his dad know that she was at The Village, he could quit thinking about her.

      Every Friday Ian and his dad had a lunch meeting. They’d been doing this ever since Ian had finished law school. He liked meeting with his dad, but Ian always wondered whether getting together was just an excuse for his dad to make sure Ian hadn’t fallen off the wagon. He could never quite shake the idea that he still hadn’t won his dad’s approval even after all this time.

      The suspicions were groundless, but they remained in the back of Ian’s mind like pesky dandelions that reappeared in the lawn every spring. During these lunches, he kept the conversation light because he wanted to avoid subjects where there was a clear disagreement. But today’s lunch would force him to discuss two of those subjects—Annie and The Village.

      Ian usually went straight to his dad’s office, but today he’d chosen to walk through the auditorium. He wasn’t sure why, but despite the immensity of the place, it offered a place of solitude where he could figure out how he was going to tell his dad about Annie.

      After all, his dad was the one who had suggested giving Annie the ultimatum that made her leave. How many times had Ian wished he hadn’t told her that she had to quit drinking or move out? She’d packed her bags right then and there. He had always regretted the decision to follow his dad’s advice. Annie might not have left if he’d tried to help her more.

      Ian sighed. He sank into one of the chairs in the rows near the front. Putting his head in his hands, he began to pray for Annie. Pray for his dad. Pray for himself. Lord, help me find my way. Please give me the guidance and wisdom I need with my dad and Annie.

      “Ian.” The sound of Jordan Montgomery’s voice echoed through the auditorium.

      Ian scrambled to his feet. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

      “I came looking for you. I saw your car in the parking lot and wondered where you were.” Jordan knit his eyebrows together above his gray eyes so similar to his own. “What are you doing in here?”

      Ian lowered his gaze. What should he say to his dad? The truth might be a good idea. Taking a deep breath, Ian looked up at his dad. “I came here to pray.”

      Jordan smiled. “That’s good to hear. Would you like to share your prayers with me, so I can pray for those things, too?”

      “Let’s go to lunch. We can talk about them over our meal.” Ian turned toward the door. “I can drive.”

      “Okay. I’ve got to grab a few things from my office before we go. I’ll be out in a minute.”

      Ian wasted no time getting to his car. He got inside and pressed the buttons to lower the windows. While he waited for his dad, he figured he had a few more minutes to pray, but he barely had time to get into his vehicle before his dad appeared. “That was quick.”

      Jordan chuckled. “I may be getting old, son, but I’m not that slow. Where are we headed today?”

      “How about that mom-and-pop place just down the road?” His dad was still young at fifty-eight. He had a little gray hair at the temples and a few more smile lines than he used to have, but he could easily be mistaken for a man at least a decade younger. Folks were often surprised to know that Jordan had a son Ian’s age and even more surprised that he had two older brothers. “Suits me. I had a light breakfast, so I’m hungry and ready for lunch.”

      Ian didn’t say a thing. He usually would have agreed, but today his stomach was tied in knots. He wasn’t sure how much he could eat. With the hope of limiting any conversation, he turned on the radio, tuned to a Christian music station. That did the trick. His dad started singing along.

      When they reached the restaurant, they walked in silence across the parking lot. Inside the hostess led them to a corner table covered with a red-and-white-checked tablecloth and laid the menus on the table. Ian settled on the Windsor chair and picked up a menu. He looked it over, but all the choices swam before his eyes. He couldn’t focus because thoughts of Annie consumed his mind. The waitress took their drink orders and returned momentarily with them and took their meal orders.

      Crossing his arms, Jordan sat back in the chair. “Are you ready to tell me what you were praying about?”

      “Not really, but I suppose it has to be done.” Ian wondered whether he should start with Annie or the budget crisis at The Village. Neither topic was something he wanted to mention, but he wished to talk about Annie the least.

      A frown furrowed Jordan’s brow. “Have you fallen off the wagon?”

      Ian laughed halfheartedly and shook his head. “No, Dad, nothing like that. I need to talk to you about what happened at the board meeting on Monday.”

      Jordan grimaced. “Sorry I asked that question. I should’ve known better.”

      Ian hated that his dad had asked that question, but he understood his father’s rationale. He’d missed the signs of substance abuse before, and he wasn’t going to do it again. “I don’t fault you for asking. My former addictions are something I’ll always have to live with.”

      “So what happened at the board meeting?”

      “The board is threatening to close The Village because donations are down and the financial situation is critical. You know how much that place does for people and how much it means to me.” Ian gave his dad a recap of the board meeting.

      “So they asked you to tap us for more money?”

      “Yeah. I know you already give, but is there any way you could see clear to increase the amount and have the congregation become more of a partner with The Village?”

      Jordan steepled his fingers under his chin as he continued to lean back in his chair, his elbows on the armrests. “You know we’ve had our disagreements over the years about your work there, and we usually steer clear of the subject.”

      “Yeah.” Ian prepared himself for a lecture from his dad on how giving money to The Village was to spend more money on something that ultimately would never succeed. His dad was probably going to say he agreed with Bob Franklin.

      “You know that it isn’t really up to me. The church elders are the ones who allocate where money goes, but I can certainly call for more volunteers.”

      “You will?”

      Frowning, Jordan nodded. “Why does that surprise you?”

      “I thought you weren’t sold on what we do at The Village.”

      Jordan nodded. “In the beginning, I was skeptical that the concept would work, but I’ve had a change of heart. I’ve seen what you do and how much the center helps people.”

      “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

      Jordan shrugged. “I thought the fact that my congregation agreed to support the work spoke for itself. Guess you needed to hear that.”

      Ian nodded, realizing God had affirmatively answered one of his prayers. He hoped that boded well for his prayers concerning Annie. “What do you suggest I do to gain more support from your congregation?”

      “Talk to the elders.”

      “Really?” Ian would rather stand in front of a judge and jury. They might cut him more slack than the elders of this church. His past behavior hadn’t made him any friends on the church board.

      Jordan nodded. “I believe you’re capable of persuading them. After all, you’re a lawyer and good one at that. Plead your case.”

      Before Ian could respond to his dad’s praise and pep talk, the waitress brought their food. Jordan said a prayer, and then they ate in silence for several minutes.

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