With All Your Heart

6~The Good News

It's obviously some sort of power outage," Parker explained, his tone condescending.

Josh glanced at Parker. "Since when do power outages affect your cell phone?"

Ty swallowed hard, his mind racing with questions he couldn't answer. He should be exhausted, but instead he felt alive and filled with purpose. Somehow he knew God had gotten them this far.

Tanner pressed his fingers into his eye sockets. "This can't be good."

"It's a miracle we're all alive. When I was in the water with the sharks, I prayed." Caleb's quiet admission surprised Ty. Not only because Ty had been thinking almost the same thing, but because Caleb looked more like a guy to brag about how he'd won a football game than a guy who'd thank God. He should know better than to stereotype.

Parker snorted. "Get real. Prayers didn't save you. We saved you."

Josh shot him a look of disgust. "Don't include yourself in the 'we'."

"Prayers can't hurt," Annie defended.

"Whatever," Parker grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Several others glanced away from Caleb looking uncomfortable.

Silence.

Awkward Silence.

"I heard someone call my name before I saw Annie fall overboard," Ty admitted, planting the seeds despite not knowing if they'd take root. "I prayed when Annie and I were in the water. God was with us. He's the only reason we survived."

Caleb seemed relieved to share some of the heat and gave Ty an appreciative nod for the support.

"I'm an atheist," Missy volunteered quietly, sending a look of apology Caleb's way.

"Me too," Tanner agreed. He cast a worried look at Caleb, and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "But to each his own."

"My family isn't religious. They're more enlightened," Josh shared. "My mom thinks she remembers her past life before she was reincarnated."

Rachel's gaze swung to Josh and she seemed troubled. "I didn't know that about your mom."

"Yeah, she went to a fortune teller a few years back to figure out why she kept dreaming of jazz dancing in a short dress with fringe. Madam See-All told her she used to be a flapper."

"A flapper?" Dani's brows rose.

"It's like a feminist in the 1920's who wore boas and feather headbands."

Missy smiled. "Cool. I've always wanted to be a flapper for Halloween."

"The fortune teller's name was Madam See-All?" Ty looked doubtful.

Caleb chuckled.

"That's what you get for twenty bucks a half-hour." Josh shrugged.

"No offense, Caleb," Dani said. "But most Christians I know are hypocrites."

Caleb studied her. "How many Christians do you know, Danielle?"

Her lips parted like the question caught her off guard. "I-I..." She seemed to think about it and appeared surprised at her failure to name any Christians. "Just you." Dani sighed. "I'm not calling you a hypocrite. It's just other people, you know the judgy ones."

"No worries. I'm not offended." Caleb flashed an easy smile. "No doubt I'm a lousy Christian, but then I've never referred to myself as one. I'm sure not judgy." He emphasized the last word, as if questioning whether she'd made it up.