“Do you mind if I give thanks before we partake?”
She quickly withdrew her eager hand from the plate in the center of the table. “Certainly. Please, go ahead.” She bowed her head and concentrated on the fingers that squirmed on her lap. Her prayer life was sadly lacking.
“Thank you for bringing Melanie across my path today, and I ask a blessing upon her life. Strengthen Chrissy as she works tonight in her chosen career. And bless the hands that have prepared this food to nourish my dinner guest’s obvious hunger pangs. Amen.”
Melanie lifted her head to find Trevor staring at her with a mischievous grin on his face. If a girl couldn’t trust a man with such high principles, who, in this world could she trust? Her nagging suspicions transferred to the background, and she relaxed.
“I haven’t eaten all day. When we were kids, my brother always said my face told all of my secrets.”
“Not a good quality for law enforcement,” Trevor said.
“I’ve outgrown my transparency – at least, I hope I have. I’m a different person when in uniform, so don’t mess with me while I’m on duty.”
Trevor raised his hands in mock surrender. “Never my intention to cross to the other side of the law, Officer Baxter.”
Another layer of doubt disintegrated and her heart longed to unload on this man. The strain of the last two days lay heavily on her shoulders. “Glad to hear that,” she muttered.
“I’m afraid the little girl in you is shining through,” Trevor said as he reached for her hand, which was clutching her napkin within five, white-knuckled fingers.
Melanie bit her lip and blurted, “Mr. Knight, I am struggling with trust issues at the moment.”
“Toward me? I’ve given you no reason to doubt my authenticity.”
“True, you haven’t. In fact, quite the opposite.” Melanie bit her lip and pulled her hand out from under his.
“Yet doubt still holds you back,” Trevor said. “You can feel free to tell me what’s on your mind. In my line of business, my genuineness is often questioned, but you can rest assured, the relationship I wish to explore with you has no negative ulterior motives.” He passed her one of the small plates the server had left. “Fill your plate with appetizers. Trust always works better on a full stomach.”
“Thank you.” She chose one of every choice on the platter and began to eat. She’d love to have popped the small portions at a rapid pace, but she forced a show of manners. No use for the man thinking her totally rebellious of her proper upbringing.
As nutrition did its job to ease her headache and jitters, Melanie relaxed in the quiet of the moment. Trevor appeared fixed on the sunset and she turned to look.
“The view is new every time it falls below the horizon.”
“The Creator has an endless supply of originality.”
“Yes.” Maybe she could test the waters in the area of faith instead of diving into the nightmare concerning Chrissy. “My parents were strict church-goers while I was growing up. I didn’t mind – seemed that’s where all my friends hung out. But as I matured, I expected to see some of the teachings at work at home, but try as I might, none surfaced. I concluded religion was all for show and wanted no part of it.”
“I would’ve run from that form of religion as well,” Trevor said.
“And yours is miraculously different?” she said, sarcastically.
No sign of condemnation etched his features. “Mine is not man-made, and it doesn’t depend on service, status, or church membership.” He leaned back in his chair and sipped from his glass of juice. “I experienced much the same as you while growing up, but as a man, I discovered the narrow path Jesus had provided for the redemption of our souls and I could actually enjoy a relationship with the Son of God. This brought my faith to a whole new level of understanding.”
“Sort of personalized it?”
“Yes, and isn’t that what we all crave?” he asked.
Without answering the question, Melanie said, “I’m happy for you.”
“He didn’t die just for me. You can be part of the family, too.”
“Afraid I’m damaged material.”
“Come as you are, that’s His motto.”
Thankfully, the main course arrived, and Melanie exhaled a wave of relief. She cut into the medium-rare steak and pushed a piece into her mouth with a fork. “Now, this is something I’ve been craving for a long time.”
“What time should I come calling on Chrissy tomorrow morning?” Trevor asked innocently.
Melanie almost choked. “About Chrissy…” She watched his eyes darken at the sudden dread in her tone, and she turned away to scan the patrons closest to them, figuring any scum interested in her wouldn’t be found dining in such elegance. Suddenly, a new idea presented itself: rich scum could be here.
“The fear in your eyes is back. I’m sorry. Please, finish your meal. We’ll discuss it later.”
She cut more chunks of meat and piled her baked potato with butter, bacon bits, green onions, and mountains of sour cream. Her brain said eat, but she couldn’t bring herself to partake. Within five minutes, she pushed the meal away.
“Not as good as expected?”
“It was wonderful. Thank you for inviting me.”
“My pleasure.” He nodded at the server. “Charge the meal to room 602.” Trevor flashed his ID and reached for Melanie’s hand. “Shall we go for a walk along the beach?”
“That sounds wonderful.” When their hands touched, a bolt of emotion shot through her body.
Trevor had apparently felt the impact, too, for he squeezed her fingers gently before escorting her from the hotel.
Melanie followed like a lamb being led to the slaughter, not
