Trinity's Hope Excerpt:
Trinity woke early in the morning feeling relaxed and refreshed from her time in the pool. As she lay there thinking about getting up, a strange quiver ran through her belly when the image of the tall, dark thug with the deep brown eyes and the thick lashes drifted into her mind. He had done like she said and kept his distance at the party, although she secretly wished he hadn’t. He was hard to ignore, the way the muscles in his arms and back rippled when he swam.
He even caught her staring at him while he played water basketball and again when he was drying off with a towel. That time he caught her licking her lips, something she didn’t even realize she was doing until he did the same thing. Trinity turned over on her side, thinking about his lips and wondered what it would feel like to…
“Girl, what are you thinking?” Trinity scolded herself, jumping up from the bed. She paced the floor, hating that she was so attracted to a guy she had just met. Despite what everyone said about getting to know people, she could not let this dude get in her head and cause her to mess up. It didn’t matter that he was fine, or polite, or Daniel’s friend. Involvement with him could only mean trouble.
“Better to squash it now than cry about it later. I gotta be about my business, and that does not include being involved with that thug.” Noting the time was a little before seven, if she hurried, she’d have time to run, eat breakfast, and be ready for the C-SET seminar that started at nine. She put on a pair of running shorts, a T-shirt, and her favorite running shoes. She slipped her room key, meal card, and cell in the pockets of her shorts then grabbed her white cap and pulled her braid through the back. When she got outside, she stretched her muscles then took off across the courtyard and settled into an easy rhythm, allowing her mind to run free.
Running was one of her favorite activities, and morning was her favorite time of day. She had started running with her dad when she was about eight-years old, and that became the time they spent one on one. As she worked to keep up with him, her competitive nature drove her to constantly challenge her limits, to the point that she became a top distance runner in their region. With a natural love of the outdoors, running was effortless for Trinity, and it gave her time to be alone with her thoughts and the Lord.
“Liberty was right,” She thought to herself. She did love to run because it didn’t require conversation, and that suited her just fine.
Trinity ran over the footbridge then turned towards the river, covering the distance faster than she had expected. She slowed her pace and ran along the grassy bluff overlooking the Mississippi, taking time to watch the ebb and flow of the churning muddy waters. She continued along a path that led to a duck pond near one of the campus dining rooms. Trinity decided to stop at the pond where she cooled down with a few exercises then sat on a bench to rest.
“Good run,” she whispered, feeling relaxed and mellow like she always did after a run. Leaning her head back, she gazed at the crystal blue sky through the trees. “I think I could get used to this place, Lord. It’s so beautiful.”
Trinity closed her eyes to take in the scents and sounds around her. The rustle of the tree leaves blown by the gentle wind that caressed her face. That same morning breeze brought the fresh smell of grass being cut by a lawnmower buzzing in the distance. Before long the smell of bacon prompted her to move on to the dining room for breakfast. After picking up a tray and utensils, she went through the serving line and selected grits, eggs, sausage, fruit, and a buttery biscuit. At the beverage area, she chose orange juice and water, then carried her tray to an empty table by a window overlooking the duck pond.
Trinity blessed the food and dug into the delicious meal. Running never failed to send her appetite into overdrive and she enjoyed every bite. While she ate, Trinity watched the ducks and tried to decide what she was going to wear to the seminar. When she noticed the time she knew she needed to get going so she wouldn’t be late. She drank the last of her juice, pushed her chair back and got up. As she turned around, she ran smack into a guy, sending his tray and his breakfast flying in every direction.
“Oh no!” She cringed when she heard the loud clash. Frozen in a state of horror, she didn’t know what to do as she looked down at the plates, utensils, and food splattered all over the floor.
“Are you okay?”
Trinity turned to see whose breakfast she had ruined and couldn’t believe her eyes. Her jaw dropped and her heart sank when she saw it was the thug.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t see you.”
“It’s okay.” He gave her a lopsided grin, standing there covered in grits, reminding her of a five-year-old.
“No, it’s not.” She stooped down and started cleaning up the mess, scooping up handfuls of food with her fingers. “I am so, so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” He bent down to help. “I shouldn’t have been standing so close. I was gonna ask if I could sit with you, but I didn’t know you were about to get up.”
Looking up at him, his ball cap was pulled down low, but she could see his eyes… kind eyes that didn’t show any anger or embarrassment. Even though she wanted to hate him, something about his eyes made her want to give him a chance. Her heart started pounding when she realized they were so close she could smell the cinnamon on his breath. When they reached for the same cup and their fingers touched, she jerked her hand away as if she’d been burnt by fire.
“Excuse me.” The dining room janitor stepped up with his broom and dustpan snapping Trinity out of her spell.
“Sorry about this,” Chris told the janitor as they stood up.
“No problem,” the janitor said. “Happens all the time.”
Still stunned, Trinity followed Chris to the front where he put his tray on the conveyor belt then took hers and put it next to his. She was so dumbfounded she couldn’t do anything but stand there watching as he used napkins to clean the food off his shirt.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked and handed her some napkins to clean her hands.
Trinity shook her head, searching for the right words as her eyes drifted from his cocoa brown eyes, to his gorgeous smile, to the dimple that made a sharp cleft in his chin.
“I...um...Looks like I’m the one who owes you the apology.”
“You’re fine.” His smile made her belly quiver. “No harm, no foul.”
Trinity pulled her eyes away from his to clean her hands. “I should’ve been watching where I was going.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He took the used napkins from her and threw them in the trash.
“But I feel terrible.” She pressed her hand against her chest. “I was so mean to you yesterday, and now I’m guilty of doing the same thing.”
“That just means we both need to watch where we’re going.” He replied, the grin never leaving his face. “We didn’t really get a chance to meet yesterday. I’m Christian, but everybody calls me Chris.”
Trinity looked down at his hand he offered. Finding courage from somewhere, she slipped her hand into his, wishing her sisters could see her now.
“I’m Trinity.”
She gave him one of her genuine smiles, the kind she reserved for people she trusted enough to allow them to grace her inner circle. Trinity was so busy admiring his two-inch height advantage, she barely heard him say something about the seminar.
Swishing her thoughts away like a nagging fly, she tried to focus. “Excuse me?”
“I was just saying I need to hurry up and eat so I won’t be late for the seminar.”
“Oh.” Trinity pointed toward the food line. “I can get another tray for you.”
“It’s cool.” His hand brushed hers. “I got it.”
“Oh-okay,” she backed away towards the door. “I’ll see you later then.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but Trinity didn’t give him a chance as she rushed out the door.
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