Promising Angela Read Free Page B

out to him. What a difference it had made.
    He didn’t know how he would have managed the past few years without the strength of Christ bolstering him. The loss of his father and uncle in a boating accident, followed by Kent’s spiral into drug addiction, were burdens that would have overwhelmed him had it not been for his reliance on Jesus. Ben’s heart ached at the route Kent had taken to find comfort. He sensed in Angela the same longing for acceptance and peace.
    As Angela’s direct supervisor, it was his responsibility to mentor her at work. As a Christian, it was his responsibility to be a good example. Inviting her to church was one way of mentoring.
    Mentoring … That was it. Just mentoring …
    A red light brought him to a halt. His thoughts skipped backward, replaying the flutter of her eyelashes and the flirtatious, “It’s a date.” His fingers curled over the edge of the console. He hoped he’d managed to squelch that idea. In his observations over the past two weeks, he’d surmised Angela had lived a rather self-serving lifestyle. She was entirely too flippant, too self-absorbed. If he were going to date, he’d want someone warm and soft, with an aura of holiness brought through a relationship with Jesus.
    Not to mention someone who didn’t shy away from the disabled. Shaking his head, he replayed several recent scenes. Yes, as he’d told her, he knew she was making an effort, but she had a long way to go to be completely accepting and supportive of the clients at New Beginnings. Anyone he dated would eventually be around Kent, and he wouldn’t risk having Kent hurt by someone’s withdrawal.
    The light changed, and he pulled forward, a small niggle of guilt striking at his thoughts. He hoped he wasn’t being judgmental. But Angela, despite her physical beauty, didn’t possess the qualities he wanted in a life mate. It would be unkind and dishonest to lead her to believe he had any interest in her beyond employer to employee, Christian mentor to mentee. He’d have to watch himself, not give her the wrong idea.
    He turned onto Elmwood Avenue, the last stretch. The six high-rise apartments of Elmwood Towers loomed ahead. Kent waited in Tower Three. Ben whispered a quick prayer of gratitude for the assisted-living apartments in each of those towers. It had taken some fancy footwork by New Beginnings’ owner Philip Wilder to get one quad in each of the retirement village’s apartment buildings designated for adults with handicaps, but what a service it was to those in the community who faced challenges.
    Getting Kent into one of those apartments had done him so much good. The small measure of independence had boosted Kent’s confidence, built his self-esteem, and put him more on a level with his peers. What single man in his late twenties wanted to live at home with his mother?
    Ben pulled into a visitor’s space, shut off the ignition, and picked up the pizza box. Hitting the automatic lock on his key chain, he turned toward Tower Three, but a glint of silver caught his eye. He stopped, turned, and stared.
    Sure enough. The silver rocket—Angela’s car—sat six stalls over.

three
    Angela popped the last bite of her fourth chocolate chip cookie into her mouth, swigged the final gulp from her half-pint carton of milk, and released a satisfied sigh. “Oh, Aunt Eileen, that was wonderful.” She patted her stomach, laughing. “But I think I’d better skip supper tonight! I’m going to waddle out of here!”
    Eileen and her friend Alma, on the couch facing Angela across the low walnut table scattered with magazines, empty milk cartons, and cookie crumbs, both laughed. The older women exchanged winks.
    “Now, Angela, when you look like me”—Eileen gave her own bulky midsection a two-handed squeeze—”you can worry about waddling. Until then, neither of us wants to hear about it!”
    All three women laughed. When Angela arrived at her aunt’s apartment after work, Eileen had suggested