Take Four (28 page)

S
INCE THE PREMIERE
, B
RANDON HAD KNOWN SOMETHING
was changing inside him. And now, sitting on the back deck of Katy and Dayne’s house in the late afternoon of New Year’s Eve, Brandon couldn’t shake the memory of things he’d said and done last summer. The wild partying and crazy stuff with girls…the way he’d declared to anyone who would listen that he wasn’t a Christian, and he wouldn’t become one any time soon.

Katy and Dayne were going to the Baxter’s soon, and they’d offered to take him. But Brandon didn’t want to go. He could’ve called for a car or rented one, but he didn’t want that either. He wanted peace—perfect peace. Something he hadn’t felt since he was fourteen years old. Images from his recent past circled him, laughing at him as the sun set over the lake. So what if he was the most famous movie star in the world? His parents might’ve handled their fears wrongly, and they might’ve been the worst possible examples of what Christians should act like…but the verse his mother had told him three years ago was dead on.

What good was it for a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul?

He could die in a plane crash on the way home from Bloomington in two days and then what? The fame and money, his looks and charm…all of it would amount to nothing. And where would he be? A shudder passed over him. People had a way of ruining God for those who really needed Him. But that wasn’t God’s fault. Maybe the truth was like Bailey had told him that day at the beach.

Maybe the Lord had been calling him all along.

“Brandon?” Dayne stuck his head out and gave him a funny look. “You okay? You’ve been out here a long time.”

“Yeah,” he looked over his shoulder, pulling his windbreaker a little more tightly around his chest. “You leaving?”

“Soon.” Dayne stepped outside and shrugged. “You sure you don’t want to go?”

“No…I’m just thinking. Good thing to do on the last day of the year.”

Dayne nodded, and a smile filled his eyes. “I like that.” He paused. “You wanna talk about anything? The Bible verses I showed you earlier?”

“That’s okay.” He gave himself a light tap on the place just above his heart. “It’s in here, man. Can’t get away from it if I wanted to.”

“Good.” A smile filled his face. “That’s what Katy and I’ve been praying for.”

An idea hit Brandon, something he hadn’t thought about before. “Hey.” Brandon stood, leaning against the porch railing, facing Dayne. “Could you do me a favor?”

Dayne hesitated near the sliding door. “Name it.”

“Could you take me to Bailey’s house?”

A ripple of laughter came from Dayne as he opened the door. “Be ready in five minutes.” He hesitated a moment longer. “And make sure she’s expecting you. It’s New Year’s Eve, after all. We probably won’t be by to pick you up again until after one in the morning.”

“True.” Brandon ran his tongue along his lower lip, suddenly nervous at the thought of surprising her. He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and tapped in her contact information. The phone was ringing seconds later, and Brandon paced the back deck, squinting at the lake through the barren trees, willing her to answer.

“Hello?” She sounded surprised.

Give me the words, God…I have to see her. Right now…before this feeling goes away.
“Hey, Bailey…I’m not doing anything tonight, and I wondered if…if I could come over.”

“Now?” She laughed on the other end, but it sounded friendly. “For how long?”

Even the sound of her voice made him feel like a high school kid. “Like till one in the morning.”

“Hmmm. We’re having an open house…there’ll be people here.” She wasn’t going to tell him no, he could hear that in her voice and already he could hardly wait to see her. “But you can come, sure. Maybe wear your disguise so you don’t cause a stampede or anything.”

“If you wear that dress you wore for the premiere…you’re the only one who could cause a stampede. Let’s just say that for the record.”

They both laughed, but then her tone changed. “No, really. You can come. Of course.”

“Thanks.” He allowed the seriousness of his afternoon to seep into his voice. “I’ve been thinking a lot today, Bailey. I really need to talk to you.” He realized how that sounded, and he quickly corrected himself. “Not about us…about me.”

For a while she said nothing, and he could almost picture her smiling. “This could be interesting. Maybe God’s getting your attention.”

“Yeah.” He headed for the back door of Dayne and Katy’s house. “Maybe that.”

Half an hour later, after he’d been dropped off at Bailey’s house, and after he’d said hello to her family—all of them getting ready for the party—he asked Bailey if she’d sit with him in the family’s backyard.

“It’s freezing out there,” she gave him an uncertain look. “You sure? Outside?”

Her dad must’ve overheard him, because he was walking by the family room just then and he pointed out back. “I started a fire in the pit…figured it’s a clear night even if it’s cold. Some people might want to sit outside.”

Brandon swapped a look with Bailey, his more pleading. “Could we?”

A laugh came over her, as if she couldn’t quite tell him no—at least not on this. “I’ll get my coat.” She started to run off, then stopped and turned back. “And one for you. California boy with the lightweight jacket.”

While she was gone, her dad told him about the stack of wood not far from the fire. “Build it up. But not too big, unless you’re going to stay out there.”

Brandon agreed, and Bailey returned wearing a brown coat with a fur-lined hood. She handed him a black North Face jacket. “This’ll keep you warm.”

He wanted to say he’d prefer if she kept him warm, but he let the thought go as soon as it hit him. She made him dizzy, no question. He’d never met a girl like her, and he wasn’t giving up. The young coach wasn’t pursuing her—at least not as far as Brandon could tell—so he’d find a way to make her fall for him someday. He’d have to work harder, but he was ready for the challenge. Already this week she’d agreed to do another Jeremiah Productions picture with him. This time she’d play his girlfriend, so there was hope.

But today wasn’t about any of that. He was here because God wouldn’t leave him alone, and right now more than fame or money or movies…even more than Bailey Flanigan, he wanted answers. Answers and certainty that he wouldn’t go to hell if he didn’t make it home tonight. That he wouldn’t start the New Year headed down the same path he’d been headed before filming
Unlocked
.

He and Bailey walked across her back patio, past her covered
built-in pool and hot tub, along a path out to the open field behind her house. “Your house should be on that
MTV Cribs
show.” He grinned at her, not sure how to get serious about what was on his heart.

“I guess the producers asked my dad once.” Bailey made a face. “He said no, because…” she shrugged, “that’s not why we have the house. It’s nice and big and all, but my parents taught us to think of it as…I guess sort of like a church. We use it for Young Life and church youth groups, team parties. Whoever needs it, you know?”

“Yeah.” Brandon didn’t know at all. He owned a house like this with a staff of help, but the last time he had someone over who didn’t work there…his stomach turned at the memory and he looked down, unable to meet Bailey’s eyes.
See, this is how I don’t want to feel…I don’t want to be that guy anymore, God…give me the words. Help me explain myself.

They reached a five-foot section of fallen tree trunk the Flanigans had placed strategically near the fire pit. There were four other sections like it making a circle, and beyond that there were chairs—enough seating for twenty people easily. “Best fire pit I’ve ever seen.” He lifted his eyes to hers, but only briefly. The memory of the girl at his house still strangling him. “You’re right about the cold. Especially out here in the open.” Before he sat down, he pulled two large logs from the woodpile and placed them at different angles over the small fire. “There.” He dusted the wood chips off his hands. “That’ll help.”

They sat down on the fallen tree section opposite the direction the smoke was blowing. Brandon intentionally left considerable space between them. He didn’t want to be distracted by her nearness. Plus, he wanted to see her face, so he could really understand what he was feeling and her opinion about it. He stared at the fire, organizing his thoughts, looking for a starting point. He breathed in deeply and took in the moment, the starlit sky
overhead and the smell of campfire, the love and warmth that filled the Flanigan home. Like at the lake on the last day of filming, the words came before he was sure what to say. “I spent half the day sitting on Dayne and Katy’s back deck…thinking about my life.”

Bailey pulled up one knee and hugged it to her chest, her eyes sparkling from the light of the fire. “New Year’s Eve does that to me too.”

He looked at her briefly, but then he turned to the fire again, still sorting. “I’ve done a lot of stupid things. An awful lot.”

She could’ve pointed out that she wasn’t surprised, given his reputation, or that he didn’t need to list his indiscretions because she’d watched them play out on the tabloid covers. But instead she reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. Not for long—only a few seconds—but long enough so he knew she cared. This was why he’d come, right? Because he’d known without question she wouldn’t judge or criticize or mock him.

The feel of her hand on his shoulder stayed with him, encouraging him to continue. “I did something I never should’ve done.” He leaned over his knees and wrung his hands together. “I was at a club before we filmed, and some girl…she knew I was starring in
Unlocked
. She was…surprised I’d star in a Christian film.” He shook his head, disgusted with himself. “I told her not to look for me to become a Christian anytime soon.” He angled his head so he could see her. “Because you know, when I was a kid I never really gave my life to Christ. And that night I sort of promised I never would.” He sighed, wrestling his emotions. “Those words haunted me all night. But I guess, after a while I forgot about it.”

He wasn’t sure he could tell her everything, all the awful details of his recent life. The girl at his house, the drugs…The memories of who he’d allowed himself to become made him sick. Darkness was closing in around them, and Brandon was glad for
the fire. The heat cut the chill running through him. “Anyway, those words came back to me today.” He sat up straighter and shifted so he could see her. “You told me God brought me here…because He was calling me back.” He nodded, his head moving only the slightest bit. “I didn’t think so then, but now…I think you’re right.”

“Not only that,” her voice was faint and it mixed with the slight breeze swirling around the pit and the sound of the crackling fire. “I think that’s why I got the part. Because God wanted you around people who would help you hear His voice a little better.” She gave him a partial smile. “You know?”

He smiled, touched by her statement. “You won the part because you deserved it. Plain and simple.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I guess I just see the big picture. I mean, acting’s fine, but what’s the point, Brandon? You and I in a movie together…The Bible says all good things are a gift from God.” Her simple smile made her look like a much younger girl. “So why would God give me this part…except to have an influence on you?”

The possibility filled his mind with wonder, because maybe she was right. A book comes along that sweeps the country, and he falls in love with the story same as everyone else. He has a chance to star in the film, and he jumps at it—not realizing the story’s bound to be considered a Christian picture. In the end he’d told Bailey the truth—the only reason he’d taken the part was because of her, because of something special about her. Something he couldn’t define at first.

Maybe the special part of Bailey was God in her life—the Lord at work in her heart and soul.

“I guess what I’m saying is, I want to change.” He felt his expression change, felt himself grow more serious. “I’m sick of the old me.” He clenched his teeth, filled with a sudden rush of anger
and hurt. “Sick of blaming God for something my dad said ten years ago.”

Bailey slid closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder again. “You can change if you want to. You can decide that right here…tonight.”

“That’s what I wondered. I mean, I was raised in a Christian home, but in the end…in the end I walked away not believing any of it.” He swallowed, nervous and unsure. “I mean, shouldn’t I take a class or read a book or something? I can’t just decide, right?”

Her smile did more to warm him than the blazing fire a few feet away. “Of course you can. A life of faith starts with a single decision.”

“But then what?” He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. “I mean, so I decide…how does that change anything?”

“It’s a beginning. You’ve been reading the Bible, right?”

“Yeah, with Katy and Dayne. On my own too—since I’ve been back home.”

“So that’s God’s letter to us, God’s way of helping us live a life of faith.” Bailey explained that making a change involved admitting past mistakes and acknowledging the need for a Savior in Jesus Christ. “And getting baptized. Jesus talks about that too.”

“We read that.” He had loved that part of his Bible study. “Dying to the old self and coming up out of the water brand new…ready to live for God instead.”

“Exactly.” Bailey gave his shoulder a tender squeeze and then folded her arms in front of her. “You understand more than you think. But it’s a big decision, Brandon.”

“It is.”

“Because everyone’s watching you.” She slid a little closer to the fire and warmed her hands together. “Make a choice like this, and you almost have to be willing to tell the whole world.”

He nodded slowly. The idea seemed terrifying, because what
if he made a decision here and couldn’t follow through? But it seemed comforting too. Like he would be at peace finally. “That’s the other thing you said at the lake…the purpose of celebrity.”

“Right.” Her look was tender and kind, more understanding than he could’ve hoped for. “Your fame…that’s why you have to be sure.”