Afterward, she’d thought he might be open to dating her. But no. In floating the proposition of dating, she’d somehow hurt him. Which she would make right.

As far as she knew, Luke hadn’t had a close relationship with any woman since his brother died. But honestly, how much did she really know about his years in Atlanta? Almost nothing. Her information about his Misty River high school years was suspect, too, because it was founded on gossip. Maybe he’d had some deep relationships. Maybe, like her, he’d loved and lost.

Before the earthquake, everyone said he’d been friendly, open, self-assured. A straightforward boy so courageous that he’d pulled other kids to safety when the ground of El Salvador started to shake.

Following that event, he’d become something much more complex—a man full of both virtues and vices. Aloof and intense. Disdainful of affection and clearly in need of affection.

She and Luke had experienced tragedy.

Tragedy left scars.

She was the last person on earth who’d criticize the way someone else’s scars had formed.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Late that night, when Finley couldn’t sleep, she clicked on her bedside light and pulled her laptop onto the covers.

She ran a few searches until she located a picture of Luke’s brother, Ethan, in an old news article. He had dark blond hair, freckles, a contagious smile. He’d been a cute kid. A normal, happy child. Unbearably, unfairly young.

When Ethan had gone on that mission trip, the vast majority of his years should have been ahead of him. High school, college, love, travel, career, old age—all of it. So many of the things life offered, he hadn’t tasted.

Tears collected in her eyes as she studied Ethan’s face. Tears for him. Tears for Luke.

Luke had only been fourteen when Ethan died. Several times since he’d come to work at Furry Tails, she’d tried to imagine the heart of a fourteen-year-old who believed himself responsible for his brother’s death. How had he gone on after that? How had he found a way to carry the weight?

Luke had made mistakes, but the fact that he’d survived at all was the unsung miracle of the Miracle Five.

Her friendship with him would continue. She’d pray, asking God to show her the role He had for her to play in Luke’s life and asking whether the time had come to put herself back on the dating market.

If it made her sad to think that she’d never again kiss Luke—which it did—then she needed to get over herself.

For one thing, she’d had her one great love. Which was more than many people received.