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only port in a storm, but still he enjoyed her confidence. “I don’t have to watch this if you want to talk some more,” he told her. “There’s nothing new here since what Bruce told us.”
    “No,” she said, standing. “Frankly, I’m sick of myself. Sitting here talking about my love life, or lack of it, seems pretty juvenile at this point in history, don’t you think? It’s not like there’s nothing to fill my time even if I don’t go back to school. I want to memorize Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation for starters.”
    Rayford laughed. “You’re kidding!”
    “Of course! But you know what I mean, Dad? I never would have dreamed the Bible would even interest me, but now I’m reading it like there’s no tomorrow.”
    Rayford fell silent, and he could tell Chloe was struck by her own unintentional irony. “I am too,” he said. “I already know more about end-times prophecy than I ever knew existed. We’re living it, right here, right now. There aren’t many tomorrows left, are there?”
    “Certainly not enough to waste pining away over a guy.”
    “He’s a pretty impressive guy, Chlo’.”
    “You’re a big help. Let me forget him, will you?”
    Rayford smiled. “If I don’t mention him, you’ll forget him? Should we get him kicked out of the Tribulation Force?”
    Chloe shook her head. “And anyway, how long has it been since you called me Chlo’?”
    “You used to like that.”
    “Yeah. When I was nine. ‘Night, Dad.”
    “‘Night, sweetheart. I love you.”
    Chloe had been heading toward the kitchen, but she stopped and turned and hurried back, bending to embrace him, careful not to spill her tea. “I love you too, Dad. More than ever and with all my heart.”

    Buck Williams lay on his stomach in his new bed for the first time. It felt strange. His was a nice place in a good building, but suburban Chicago was not New York. It was too quiet. He had brought home a bag of fresh fruit, ignored it, watched the news, and turned on soft music. He decided to read the New Testament until he fell asleep.
    Buck had been soaking up whatever he could from Bruce Barnes about what was to come next, but he found himself turning to the Gospels rather than the Old Testament or the Revelation prophecies. What a revolutionary Jesus turned out to be. Buck was fascinated with the character, the personality, the mission of the man. The Jesus he had always imagined or thought he knew about was an impostor. The Jesus of the Bible was a radical, a man of paradoxes.
    Buck set the Bible on the nightstand and rolled onto his back, shielding his eyes from the light. [_If you want to be rich, give your money away, _]he told himself.
That’s the gist of it. If you want to be exalted, humble yourself. Revenge sounds logical, but it’s wrong. Love your enemies, pray for those who put you down. Bizarre.
    His mind wandered to Chloe. What was he doing? She wasn’t blind. She was young, but she was not stupid. He couldn’t lead her on and then change his mind, not without being up front. But [_was _]he changing his mind? Did he really want to just forget about her? Of course not. She was a wonderful person, fun to talk to. She was a fellow believer and compatriot. She would be a good friend, regardless.
    So it had already come to that? He would give her the let’s-be-friends line? Was that what he wanted?
    [_God, what am I supposed to do? _]he prayed silently.
To tell you the truth, I’d love to be in love. I’d love to start a relationship with Chloe. But is she too young? Is this the wrong time to even be thinking about such a thing? I know you have a lot for us to do. What if we did fall in love? Should we get married? What would we do about children, if you’re coming back in seven years? If there was ever a time to wonder about bringing children into this world, it’s now.
    Buck pulled his arm away from his eyes and squinted at the light. Now what? Was God supposed to answer him aloud? He knew better than