Read Take Two for Free Online

but her mom. Tim wouldn’t understand. If she was happy dating him — and she was
     — then why would it upset her so much that an old friend had lost touch with her? That would be his question and he’d have
     a right to it.
    She would have no more answers for him than she had for herself.
    The front steps of the auditorium were covered and dry, despite the damp air. She sat down and rested her elbows on her knees.
     At almost the same time she spotted Tim. He was walking toward her at his usual determined pace, red backpack slung over his
     shoulder. When he saw her, a smile filled his face and he waved. Bailey returned the wave and waited for him to walk up.
    Dating Tim was easy, natural. The two of them had everything in common — their stage experience with Christian Kids Theater,
     their love for God, and the types of families they came from. Tim had no shady past, no troublesome background, no baggage.
     For years she had wanted nothing more than for Tim Reed to fall for her. And now he had.
    He jogged up the stairs and took the spot beside her. “Hey.” He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “You look
     cute in a rain jacket.”
    “Thanks.” She snuggled a little closer to him. “How were your classes?”
    “Great.” He reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb along her fingers. “You’re cold. Here …” In an act that was as thoughtful
     as it was romantic, he lifted her freezing hand close to his mouth and blew warm air against her skin. Once … twice … After
     the third time he rubbed her hand and grinned. “Better?”
    “Better.” She studied him, grateful. How many times had she dreamed of sharing a moment like this with him? “Tell me about
     your talk?” Tim was taking debate class and today they had staged a mock argument over Dr. Seuss’s book
The Butter Battle
. Tim’s side had argued in favor of buttering bread butter-side up.
    He laughed and shook his head. “Craziest thing.”
    He launched into a story about how the other side came dressed with the backs of their shirts dyed yellow, and how his team
     had acted out a skit that ended up being mostly bloopers, especially after one of the girls got tongue-twisted and began fighting
     for the wrong side. Bailey enjoyed the story, loved the way it felt to sit here sheltered from the rain on the steps of the
     college theater with Tim warm beside her. She thought about the conversation Andi was having inside, and a pang of guilt pierced
     her heart. She had no right to be bothered by Cody’s friendship with Andi. Neither of them meant to hurt anyone. Besides,
     for now it seemed possible that Tim was part of God’s plans for her. That meant maybe Cody was part of God’s plans for Andi.
     If that ended up being the case, Bailey could do nothing but embrace the situation. She was happy and content, and maybe this
     was only the beginning for her and Tim. Cody was simply a part of her past.
    If she could only convince her heart.
    Because no matter what logic said, she couldn’t shake the hurt in her heart over losing him. Or the fear she lived with every
     day — that a part of her would always love Cody Coleman, the boy who’d played football for her father and lived with their
     family through his hardest years.
    The once-in-a-lifetime guy she had fallen for when she was too young to know any better.

Three
    T HE RENTED S ANTA M ONICA STUDIO EDITING room was half the size of a single-wide trailer, with fewer frills. But that didn’t matter to Keith. He and Chase sat in
     front of a computer control panel, their eyes glued to the spectacular images on the large screen overhead. Never mind the
     stuffy room. The picture drew them in so they were no longer in Santa Monica, but in Bloomington, Indiana, where
The Last Letter
had been filmed.
    The editing equipment was state of the art, available for rent only in the Los Angeles area and provided by the earlier investment
     funds from Ben Adams. For the past few weeks