This Time (7 page)

Summer's soft morning light came
through the window, falling in streaks across the dull, scarred
wooden floor.

"
Glad you could come by, Burke." Coach motioned for him to
sit in the chair next to his desk.

"
I see you're still hitting the weights," Burke said, taking
a seat, motioning to the coach's muscular arms.

Coach Anderson shoved some
papers into a folder and dropped it into an open drawer. "You know
what they say, it's an old man's sport."

He laughed, nodding.
"You're not so old."

"
I turned sixty-seven this past May."

"
Sixty-seven?" Burke said, surprised.

Anderson confirmed with a
curt nod, then went straight to the point. "I suppose you wondered
why I called."

"
I'm curious," he admitted. "Something to do with football,
I guess."

"
I hear you're retiring."

Burke's eyes grew wide. "A
little bird named Jack told you?"

"
That'd be the one," Coach said, rocking back in his old
wooden desk chair.

"
Yes, I am retiring. It's not official until next month when
the press release comes out."

"
Well, I don't have an official press release coming, but
I'm retiring myself."

"
Congratulations."

"
You want the job?" The question came fast and hard, without
hesitation.

Outwardly, Burke showed no
emotion, but his heart leapt and his mind immediately clicked with
the idea. Excitement bubbled in his middle. "Coach high school
football?"

Coach Anderson laughed,
shaking his silver head. "That's the offer, Burke. It's not the
life in the spotlight you've been living, but the rewards are worth
more than fame and money."

Burke rested an elbow on
the desk. "Money is not an issue. The pros have done well for me.
Fame is a hollow experience at best. But I do have several job
offers my agent wants me to consider. One for sports commentating,
another for a sitcom."

"
An actor?"

Burke chuckled. "It's a
sports parody show. I did a couple of guest spots last season and
apparently my stint boosted the ratings. They want me as a regular
this year."

Anderson laughed outright.
"Somehow I can't see you in makeup, spitting barbs for a
living."

"
I had fun, but you're right, it's not for me."

"
Coaching high school boys is for you, Burke. You got your
college degree don't you?"

Burke nodded. "I finished
up five or six years ago in the off seasons. Physics
major."

Coach Anderson slapped the
desktop and spoke with confidence, not mincing his words. "There
you go, an athlete and a scholar. You're a wonderful role
model."

"
I'll be honest with you, Coach. I came home because I felt
the Lord had a purpose for me here. I've been praying for Him to
lead me to the right job."

"
I've never been a religious man, but you'd be molding young
men, Burke. Not only in the game of football, but in personal
character and integrity."

"
I'm well aware of the impact a high school coach has on his
players. And, for the record, I've never been a religious man
either." Burke's eyes met his old coach and friend's. "It's not
about religion, it's about a relationship."

Coach diverted his gaze.
"You're lucky to have found the keys to commune with the
Almighty."

"
A relationship with the Father is not like making a lucky
catch on the one yard line when your team is down by three. It's
more like falling in love with someone beautiful and magnificent,
someone who loves you more than you ever dreamed possible. That's
how Jesus feels about us."

Coach Anderson squirmed
and chuckled nervously. "I never heard it described quite like that
before."

"
Yeah, we often forget God so loved the world He sent His
only son to die for us. We tend to paint the picture of God being
so angry at the world."

Anderson paused for a
brief moment before he answered. "Tell ya what, Benning. I'll
consider what you've said if you'll consider what I've
said."

Burke reached across the
desk, offering his hand. "I'll call you by the end of the
week."

Anderson grasped his hand
with a powerful grip and shook. "I won't have to deal with your
agent will I?"

Burke laughed outright,
picturing the direct, no frills coach interacting with his
fast-talking, aggressive agent. "No," he said with a wave of his
hands. "No."

"
Good, I'll look forward to hearing from you."

Duke pushed his chair away
from the table and patted his stomach. "Good dinner, Belle. Hit the
spot."

Belle tossed her napkin on
the table and reached for the empty plates. "Thanks,
Daddy."

"
Fine company," he added, turning to Spencer, offering him a
toothpick from a thin wooden box.

"
I always get good conversation at the Jamison household,"
Spencer said, winking at Belle, declining the offer for a
toothpick.

"
You're an antagonist," she said, furrowing her eyebrows
with mock disdain, but unable to hide a wry smile.

"
He's a lawyer, Belle. Argues for a livin'," Duke said,
defending the Jamison's guest.

"
That's no excuse to argue for argue sake."

"
Sure it is," Spencer said. "Got to keep my wit
sharp."

"
If it were any sharper, you'd cut yourself," Belle said
drolly over her shoulder as she set dishes in the sink.

Duke and Spencer laughed.

"
Why don't ya two kids go relax? I'll do the cleanin' up,"
Duke suggested as he got up from the table and tried to ease Belle
away from the sink.

"
It'll only take a minute," she argued, squirting soap into
the sink and turning on the hot water.

"
Now don't go learnin' to argue from ole' Spence, there.
Obey your Pop and do as you're told. I'll bring ya some ice cream
out to the porch when I'm done."

"
Sounds good to me," Spencer said, his hand reaching for
Belle.

She tossed her dishtowel
on the counter and feigned a scowl. "Oh, fine. You contradict Daddy
all through dinner and now you decide to side with him."

"
Go on, Girl. I need some time to myself," Duke said, giving
her a gentle nudge on the back.

Outside, the evening breeze blew
softly, perfumed with the sweet scent of prairie grass. Belle sat
on the porch swing next to Spencer, and he gently set it to
rocking.

She faced the breeze and
took a deep breath. "Hmm, it smells good."

Spencer snorted, taking an
over exaggerated sniff. "Burnt grass and manure.
Marvelous."

She laughed and tapped him
lightly on the arm. "City boy."

Spencer dropped his jaw
and stared at her wide-eyed, his hand over his heart. "I believe
that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Belle just shook her head
and rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you?"

"
I thought you'd never ask." He scooted closer, slipping his
arm across the back of the swing and around her
shoulders.

She stiffened and slumped
forward a bit. She loved Spencer's company and friendship, but his
efforts to take their relationship to a deeper level made her
nervous.

He pressed her. "When are
we going to get serious?" The swing stopped its gentle
motion.

"
I like the way things are now," she answered honestly,
staring at him for a moment, thinking how handsome he was with a
lock of his thick black hair falling over his forehead and his
brown eyes sparkling as if he knew a joke no one else knew. But in
all the years they'd been friends, Spencer had never captured her
heart.

He repositioned himself
and leaned against the arm of the swing. "Have I been wasting my
time with you?"

She shot him an inquiring
glance. "Wasting your time, counselor?"

"
You know I've always wanted more than friendship. Maybe
marriage."

She slid off the swing and
leaned against the porch rail. "You never said that."

Spencer moved to stand
beside her. "So, I'm saying it now."

The meaning of his words
hit her heart like a sledgehammer. "Are you asking me to marry
you?" Her breathing became shallow, and her face
reddened.

"
Maybe," Spencer started, drawing out his words if he were
about to plea-bargain a case.

Belle ran her hands
through her hair, causing her short strands to stand on end.
"Sometimes I wonder if you just want what you can't
have."

Spencer let out a low,
cynical laugh. "You think I'm playing a game?"

Belle faced him, arms
crossed. "I don't think you've thought this through. Marriage.
Family. Diaper changes, crying babies, and a mini-van with sticky
seats. Is that what you want?"

"
Sure. Why not?" Spencer answered quickly.

Belle studied him a moment. His
attitude confirmed her suspicion that he hadn't truly considered
all the ramifications of married life.

Just then the front door
screen squeaked open and Duke hollered, "Ice cream, ice cream. Get
your ice cream-" He stopped mid-sentence after one look at Belle's
face. He handed them their bowls and left without a
word.

"
Intuitive man, your father," Spencer said, swirling his
vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup with his spoon.

"
Perceptive." Belle took a small spoonful, but it went down
cold and tasteless. With a heavy sigh, she decided to pour out her
heart. "After Burke and I broke up-"

"
You call that a break up?" Spencer asked, a snide laugh
punctuating his question.

She cut her gaze to him,
warning him that she had something to say. "You showed up at every
turn, making me laugh when I never thought I'd laugh again. You
helped me through the toughest time of my life."

"
See, there you go. We belong together like peanut butter
and jelly."

Belle sighed, shaking her
head. "Sticky and sweet. You seriously think we belong
together?"

Spencer hesitated. "I want
to."

"
But deep down, in that inner place where your thoughts
dwell when you're alone, or the pristine moments just before going
to sleep, you don't believe I'm the one, do you?"

He leaned forward and
stared at the porch floor, his jaw muscles knotting. "I love so
many things about you, Belle."

"
I love things about you too, but we both know that is not
enough."

Neither one of them said
anything for a long while. They sat on the swing, looking in
opposite directions, cradling bowls of melting ice cream. Finally,
Belle broke the silence. "After Burke abandoned me, I didn't think
I ever wanted to fall in love again. But, I know now that I
do."

Spencer set his bowl on
the porch and slipped his arm around her shoulders again. "Then
move on with me. Love me."

She glanced askance at
him. "I do love you. And in your way, I know you love me. But it's
not the kind of love that makes a marriage."

"
Have your prayed about us?"

She held his gaze and
answered his challenge. "Yes, I have. Many times."

"
And?"

"
And…" She shrugged, hesitating, searching for the right
words. "My love for you is as a friend and brother in Christ. I
believe that's all we are to be."

As much as she hated having this
conversation, she knew it needed to happen. She adored Spencer, but
the road of their relationship charted no detours to love and
marriage.

"
Then I have been wasting my time."

"
Are we back to that? Tell me, counselor, how much time have
you spent praying about us?"

"
I've tossed a few prayers toward the Almighty."

"
And?"

He shrugged, admitting,
"Nothing really. Pretty much what you said, I reckon. I just never
considered it His real answer."

Belle couldn't help but
laugh. "You can't relate to God as a lawyer. He's not trying to win
a case."

Silence fell between them again
as they watched the fading Oklahoma sky.

Suddenly, he chuckled
softly.

Belle turned to him. "Did
I miss the something?"