Read Leaving for Free Online Page B

locker room.
    Cody stood there, unable to move. In a moment’s time, he remembered a message from one of the Campus Crusade meetings. The group leader had talked about service to Christ and the purpose of life. The guy’s voice rang in Cody’s mind again: God never said life would be easy. The purpose in living isn’t about our personal happiness … it’s about serving God. When it comes to our relationship with the Creator, we should always … always have our yes on the table. If God asks us to do something, we do it. Our yes is a given.
    If Cody had wondered whether God was calling him to Lyle High, he had no doubts now. None whatsoever. DeMetri Smith had given him all the answer he needed. He began the walk to Ms. Baker’s office. Now he would give the principal the answer she needed. Cody would take the job.
    His yes was on the table.
    He signed papers and promised to start the following day teaching five PE classes and helping out with the Lyle football program. Twenty minutes later Cody was ten miles into the drive home when snow began to fall. It didn’t flutter slowly or take its time deciding whether it meant business. The clouds simply opened up and dumped. Cody slowed and focused on the road.His lights were on, but they did little to shed visibility on the road ahead.
    He drove that way—not more than twenty miles an hour — until the storm let up. The whole way, he couldn’t help but think of Bailey: what she was doing right now on Valentine’s Day, what her family was doing, and whether she ever thought about him. The storm was a lot like his life. He could focus all his attention on the road, stare through the blizzard as intently as possible, but that didn’t mean he could see what was ahead. No, the future was as much a whiteout as the afternoon. He — like DeMetri Smith — had to trust God for what lay ahead. With the drive home. With Lyle High. And with Bailey Flanigan.
    With Bailey most of all.

Three
    A SHLEY B AXTER B LAKE SPREAD PINK FROSTING OVER A COOLED batch of chocolate cupcakes and still managed to keep her attention on Cole, her twelve-year-old son. He was sharing his valentines from his sixth grade class, reading each one and explaining why that person was important and how he didn’t necessarily like this girl or that one.
    “This one’s from Carrie,” he gave a slight roll of his eyes, but he couldn’t hide his grin. “She’s the one who writes on my arm all the time, remember?”
    “I do.” Ashley picked up another cupcake, her eyes on Cole. “The cute one with the dark hair.”
    Cole shrugged, but his eyes sparkled. “I don’t know how cute she is, but yeah … she writes on my arm.” He took the valentine from its envelope and held it up. “Hers have these ballerina Barbie girls all over them.”
    “Which one did she give you?”
    “It says, ‘Valentine, I’d leap across the stage for you.’” Again he gave a slight eye roll. “But she doesn’t really mean it, Mom. Half the cards in the box probably say that.”
    Ashley laughed. “She might mean it.”
    “Anyway …” Cole’s cheeks were a little redder than before. He moved on to the next valentine.
    Across the kitchen, five-year-old Devin was helping little Janessa Faith color a Valentine’s Day card for Landon. “That’s right, Nessa … Daddy loves pink.” He pointed to part of the paper.He kept his voice low, because Cole was still going through his cards. “How ‘bout drawing a circus tent on this part? Daddy loves circuses.”
    Ashley glanced at him, struck as she sometimes was by how much he sounded like Cole at that age, how much the two of them looked alike. And Devin definitely had Cole’s imagination. Everything was all about circuses lately. Even, apparently, Janessa’s valentine picture. Not that she could really draw much of anything at three years old. But she liked to try.
    “And this one’s from that mean kid, the one who always makes fun of the short