And the Greatest of These Is Love: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel by Staci Stallings Read Free Book Online

him and then glanced down at their hands still connected between them. A jerk of his thoughts, and he finally managed to pull his hand away. That didn’t stop the joy dancing in his soul as he noticed the leaves in her hair once again. Reaching over, he plucked one from the strands and held it up. “Looks like you’ve been attacked by an oak tree.”
     
    “Oh, my…” Instantly Gabi reached up to her hair and swiped at it in utter humiliation. Her smile disintegrated as she realized how middle school she was acting. “The children and I were just playing outside. I… didn’t have time to...” but explanations were useless at this moment because nothing was making any sense to her anymore anyway.
    “Gabi, Andrew tells me he’s going to do a whole series on the center,” Jerry said, and there was a lilt in his voice she hadn’t heard in a long time. “I thought he might want to interview you as a start.”
    “Me?” she asked. The swiping stopped, and she looked at Jerry in surprised panic. “Why me?”
    “Because next to me you know more about this place than anybody,” Jerry said matter-of-factly. “I thought maybe I could take your class for a little while and give the two of you a chance to talk.”
    “Now?” Gabi asked, her eyes widening as the air clutched her lungs.
    Jerry leveled his gaze at her as if to express the gravity of the situation. “Yes, now. Is that a problem?”
                 
    Andrew pleaded with God that it wouldn’t be a problem for her. If he could just spend a few minutes with her, he would never ask another thing for as long as he lived. She was fascinating, amazing, beautiful.
    “Well, we’re going to lunch in a few minutes,” Gabi said, glancing at him but only that. She seemed to be shrinking back or becoming angry, and he didn’t like either one.
    “Oh. I can take them to lunch,” Jerry said quickly.
    That stopped her and she verily glared at her boss. “You?”
    “Yes, me,” Jerry said with indignation. “I run this place — surely I can take care of a few children for one lunch.”
    Gabi looked at him, skeptically twining her lips, but she said nothing.
    “You can use my office,” Jerry continued, without pause. A long conversation passed between them, only some of which Andrew could read.
    “Okay,” she finally relented. “Just give me a minute to get these leaves out of my hair, and I’ll meet you there.”
    “Okay. Great,” Andrew said, trying to keep the breathlessness out of his voice. It didn’t work.
     
    Gabi stared at her reflection in the tiny mirror wishing desperately for make-up of any kind, but she only owned two pieces of make-up, and she reserved them only for important occasions — certainly not a normal day at the center.
    “This is stupid,” she berated herself harshly in the mirror. “He’s a reporter. A reporter. He’s not here to see you. He’s here to get a story. Get a grip already.”
    But her heart said differently, and no words were talking it out of anything.
     
    Andrew studied the office as if his life depended on how it looked. Sad and dismal were the two best words for the place, and he wished with all of his heart he could change that. He had one shot at this, and he wanted it to go well. He turned the two extra chairs toward each other, then pulled them to the side of the room, then replaced them. There was no getting around the fact that this felt like a principal’s office — and that was definitely not the feeling he wanted to evoke at this moment. Candlelight and roses, wine and chocolate strawberries. That would have been so much better.             
    Suddenly she slipped in the door, and when he saw her, his heart stopped again. How could anyone be so amazing? He fought with his mind to stay with him, but it was a battle he was losing quickly. There were no more leaves in her hair, and he kind of missed them. He smiled at her shyly, his eyes asking questions he didn’t dare say