“Hey, handsome,” Ashley said.
Niles reached for her hand, “Shall we?”
She slid her hand into his.
Soft jazz music filled the seafood restaurant muting the sound of people chattering and silverware clinking against dishes. In the distance, Ashley could hear a bottle of champagne being opened.
“Your entrees, Ma’am and Sir,” The waiter placed the tray he was carrying onto a stand and uncapped their meal before placing the food in front of them.
“This smells amazing,” Niles said.
“It sure does.” Ashley looked at her lobster dish and the hefty side of garlic mashed potatoes and melted butter. Centered on the table, a clear vase held one long stem red rose. On each side of the vase were lit tapered white candles.
Niles reached for Ashley’s hand. “I’ll say grace.”
“Yes, go right ahead,” she smiled.
“Lord, we thank you for this amazing time of fellowship. Bless this food to nourish our bodies and not to hinder it or harm it in any way. We pray this prayer in Jesus’ name.”
“Amen,” Ashley added.
“So, Ashley, tell me about your divorce.”
“Wow, well I guess it was going to come up anyway. I was married for a few years to a man who held secrets from me. One of which landed him behind bars.”
“Oh really, what happened?”
Ashley shrugged. “Money laundering and I had no idea. He had a great job, great salary. I guess greed must have set in. I was left with nothing, so I filed for divorce and moved from my very nice life in New York City all the way back to my hometown of Houston, Texas to live with my mother. It was humiliating.”
“That is a lot to go through. Divorce is such an ugly thing. I hate that you had to experience that, but be thankful you have a mother to move back home to and someone who can welcome you back. My mother passed shortly after my baseball contract was signed. She told me not to marry my ex. I should have listened. Mom was what the Bible calls a virtuous woman. Full of wisdom, humble, caring. You name all that was good and I will tell you it was the very essence of her.” Niles’ eyes glossed over as he spoke of his mother.
“Sounds like you had a great mother. Mine is a single, no nonsense kind of mother. She had to be strong, wearing both hats of mom and dad to me, her only child. I’ve never been without my cousin Yvette though. It was her idea to bring me on this trip.” Ashley changed the subject. “It’s nice how you guys named the retreat after your latest book.”
“Yes, it has a ring to it. I’ve attended singles retreats, marriage retreats, but I had never heard of a divorce retreat. I thought about ways to help people cope after losing their marriages. Give them my testimony and bring on some other coaches who specialize in the area of healing from divorce. We found some of the world’s greatest for our first retreat. I’m glad you could attend.” Niles smiled.
“Being here has helped me to really dig deep and let go of my failed marriage and trust God with this new beginning he’s given to me. Before this trip, I was stuck, lost even. I just went with the routine of a life I had not known walking by faith daily. I felt like my identity was stripped from me, my pride, goals…” Ashley looked down.
“I know the feeling. That’s exactly how I felt when God called me into ministry. I grew up in church. My grandfather preached when I was smaller until he got sick and passed the church to my dad, who had been the assistant pastor. I never thought God would call me. It was hard giving up baseball and my wife. But I knew God had called me. I lost things, but when he restored me, he replaced it with something better. My ministry has influenced people all over the world. My church, my books, my seminars… I made the right choice.”
“You made the only choice. God is so amazing, he’s a redeemer. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have him. I don’t even want to imagine such a thing.”
Niles filled Ashley’s glass with wine from the bottle that sat on the table.
“Thanks,” Ashley said.
“What do you plan on doing when you get back to Houston, Ashley?”
“Work, get back into the flow of things.”
“Where do you work?”
“I’m a consultant for a private bank in Houston.”
“Are you dating?”
Ashley choked on the sip of wine she was drinking.
“No, I haven’t dated in a while. I did go on a blind date once and it was the worst. The dating scene has changed. I prefer to give my dating life to God in prayer. He has to do a better job than I’ve been doing. What about you?”
“I’m on a date right now,” Niles teased.
Ashley felt warm, she didn’t know if it was the wine or the charmer that sat before her. Maybe both!
“Any dates before me?”
“I had one serious relationship after my divorce. I met her through a minister friend of mine. He failed to tell me that she used to be an old flame of his. She still had feelings for him and that ended that relationship. I’ve taken a few women out to dinner and movies after that but nothing serious.”
Ashley suddenly felt shy. She was really enjoying Niles’ company but also felt overwhelmed with how much she longed for more from him. “My lobster was great. How about yours?” She winced. Way to go with making the conversation awkward, Ashley.
Niles smiled, his eyes warm. “It was great. We better get the check and head to the all-white party. I hope you brought your dancing shoes.”
Ashley was grateful Niles didn’t comment on her disrupting their conversation. She looked down at her outfit. “Oh, I have to go change.”
“You look amazing just the way you are. In fact, I’m kind of jealous of your jeans. Pretty
