Grace Alive: a Christian Romance by Natasha House Read Free Book Online

phone. Did I
really want him to call? Yes. Yes, I did.
    He has three kids, idiot! I told
myself and sighed again. I looked at the clock and saw that it read
8:27.
    Suddenly my phone buzzed on my desk, scaring
the crap out of me. I looked at who was calling. Unrecognizable
number. Oh no. Oh man! With trembling hands, I hit the answer
button.
    “Hello?”’
    “Hi! Is this Zoe?”
    “That’s me,” I said with a little dorkish
grin.
    “This is Branson, I was wondering if you’d
like to have coffee with me tomorrow around ten?”
    What was tomorrow? Saturday? What was I doing
tomorrow? I raked my brain for a minute. I didn’t work til’ two, so
that could work.
    “Yeah, I’d love to. Where at?” I asked as I
fidgeted with a pen.
    “Espress’ Yourself Café? You know the little
one by Meijer?” He sounded excited. I grinned.
    “Yeah, I know the one. I’ll meet you there.”
I picked up a pen and jotted down the information on a piece of
scrap paper.
    “Okay, well have a great night!”
    “You too! Talk to you later,” I said.
    “Bye.”
    We hung up, and I stared at my phone. What
had I just done? I should just shut down these feelings now, but I
hadn’t felt this excited about anything in years. I had a date. My
dad was going to kill me.
    I started thinking about what to wear for my
coffee date, the rest of the night blurring by. Should I tell Mia
about Branson? I got on Facebook and opened up the messages. I was
about to write her a quick note when I stopped myself. This could
be nothing. Did I want to tell her about Branson when it was
certainly going to be judged? All the good Christians married
virgins. Not some random dude with three kids. I exited out of
Facebook. I think this was going to be me and God’s little secret
for now. I felt guilty about it, but that didn’t stop me from
grinning like a little kid on Christmas morning. I had a date!

Chapter 7

    I was so nervous! I’d spent two hours just
picking out my outfit this morning. Finally I had decided on a lacy
off-white shirt, a soft pink pearl necklace, black skinny jeans,
and high black boots. I’d curled my hair with a clamp less iron so
that it looked beachy or whatever, and I’d applied a little more
makeup than I normally do. I didn’t want to look like a bum. I was
clutching a tiny silver purse that held my wallet, keys, and cell
phone like it was my lifeline. I’d gotten there an hour early. I’m
a freak like that. I hated being late for anything. Even coffee. I
found a nice cozy spot in the corner, where I felt like it was
private but not overly private. What was I going to say to him? Hi
I’m Zoe, and my life sucks. No, I probably shouldn’t go with that
one.
    Maybe, Hi, I’m Zoe, and I’m a pastor’s
daughter. Crap. That would probably make him run for the hills.
People are kind of afraid of pastors sometimes, and admitting that
I was the daughter of the no nonsense preacher of Northern
Michigan made people’s eyes fill with terror. I think they were
afraid that my dad was going to turn them over to Satan. Like those
guys in the Bible. Ugh! I’m so morbid!
    I pulled out a notepad and started writing
down some random thoughts for my book. I’d had a few ideas this
morning as I showered and got dressed. I hadn’t had a chance to
actually write down my thoughts. I tapped my lips with my pen. I
needed to pull this ending together. How was she going to get her
happy ending? Pretty soon an hour flew by, and I heard the door
open. Branson casually walked in. He spotted me, gave me a smile,
and a wave. I waved back as he came over to me.
    “Hi, Zoe,” he said as he pulled out the chair
across from me and sat down. I shut my notebook and set down my
pen. I had gotten so lost in my thoughts that I’d forgotten to put
that away before he came.
    “What are you writing?” he asked. His sandy
brown hair was messily spiky but in a good way, he was sporting a
nice, black, long sleeved shirt with a small logo of a panther, and
dark