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was so heavenly minded, so intent on playing only worship songs, that he was practically useless.

Chapter 5
    J ohnny wished he could put the whole thing behind him, but as the evening wore on, he continued to feel slightly haunted by Moss’s unexpected visit. As if a ghost from his past had come knocking. Although he’d been careful not to mention anything too specific about Mossy to Grace, because he could tell her antennas were up and he suspected that she didn’t approve of his decision to send his old buddy packing, he had capitalized on what he hoped was a teachable moment. Because if Grace couldn’t glean some things from her old man’s experiences, who could? Of course, in typical Grace style, she listened with an expression of skepticism on her face. What was it with eighteen-year-olds these days?
    After Grace turned in for the night, probably to escape further lectures, he sat down on the couch and thought about the whole thing with Mossy. He knew he’d been right to do what he’d done, but he did wonder if he might have handled it differently. After all, Moss was an old friend, and Johnny cared about where Mossy might be spending eternity. Perhaps he’d missed an opportunity. And yet, at the same time, the memories of how his own life had been so lost and adrift were unsettling.
    It was getting close to eleven when Michelle came in to inquire how Johnny was faring. “You alright?” she asked with concerned eyes. “You seem awfully quiet.”
    He shrugged. “Just thinking.”
    “What are you thinking about?” She sat next to him on the couch, pulling her knees up as she snuggled close.
    “You know . . . the business with Moss,” he explained.
    “You regretting your answer?”
    “No, no, that’s not it at all.”
    “I’m sure Mossy thought he was making you a tempting offer.”
    “Yeah, and I can’t blame him for trying.”
    “Didn’t turn your head?” she said in good-natured teasing. “Hearing about that American Idol kid? Not even a little?”
    “I stand by my decision.”
    “Then why do you seem troubled?”
    “Just seeing him again takes me back. You know?”
    She nodded, snuggling in closer. “Yeah. Me too.”
    He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. “And I feel kinda bad for Moss’s sake. He seemed so hopeful. I felt like I busted his balloon.”
    “And rained on his parade,” she added a bit glibly.
    “Uh-huh.” He sighed. “But he’ll be alright. Moss is a survivor.”
    “Yeah.”
    “It’s just that I haven’t thought about all that stuff, Michelle. You know, for so long.”
    “What stuff exactly?” she asked.
    “I don’t know exactly—just the past in general, I guess.” He sighed. “You know I used to talk about everything pretty openly, back when we were doing the church ministry. But getting settled here in Homewood these past few years, it’s almost like I lost touch with that part of my life. Like it didn’t really happen. You know?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Thinking about it all tonight, it just kinda hit me—how I shouldn’t even be here.” He turned to look into her face. “The drugs alone should’ve killed me.”
    “But they didn’t.” She gave him a sleepy smile. “Because God had different plans for you, Johnny Trey.”
    He hugged her. “Am I thankful for that.”
    “Don’t worry about Mossy,” she said quietly. “He’ll land on his feet.”
    “Uh-huh. He always does.”

    The next afternoon Grace walked into the bookstore, searching for Rachel. She’d called earlier, explaining how she really needed to talk, and Rachel had offered to take her afternoon break with Grace. “Just as long as you understand I have to be back to work on time,” she’d warned. “My break is only twenty minutes, you know.”
    “Rachel’s in the break room,” Lindy the cashier told Grace.
    “Thanks.” Grace hurried to the back of the store, finding Rachel reading a magazine and sipping on a soda. “You started your break without me?”