Can Love Wait: Love, #1

By Mike Carselle

Pierce Evans had a normal life not unlike most other high schoolers living in small town America with one exception…he’s a Mormon. So when he falls for Zoe – an older girl that was not of “the faith” – it brings on more than a little bit of family conflict. But that was only the beginning…when Pierce is later called to do his Mormon “duty” and go on his two year missionary assignment, he faces the greatest internal conflict imaginable -- choosing between what he sees as “God” and “love”. Can he walk away from the faith he was raised in and be happy? Can he ever be truly happy without Zoe? Reconciling these feelings and making the right decision leads to one gut-wrenching question; can love wait?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mike Carselle
• Release date: Dec 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310303647

Book preview

Can Love Wait?

Mike Carselle

Copyright Text © Mike Carselle 2014

All Rights Reserved

Table Of Contents

Chapter 1: The Breakdown

Chapter 2: Zoe’s Empassioned Return

Chapter 3: Feeling the Call

Chapter 4: The Question

Chapter 5: Maggie Marie’s Testimony

Chapter 6: The ‘Spirited’ Debate

Chapter 7: The Assignment

Chapter 8: A Matter of Trust

Chapter 9: Pierce’s Return

Chapter 10: A Simple yet Elegant Celebration

Epilogue

Chapter 1: The Breakdown

The dewdrops glistened on the wild rose hips as the dawn began to rise over the dunes...and after an entire night of silent contemplation, I finally had the insight I had been looking for. I knew what I was going to do next.

It was the single hardest decision I'd had to make up until that point in my life. Everything I'd been taught about God and duty and life told me one thing—but my heart wanted something different, in the purest way...but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning.

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April, 1996: Manistique, Michigan: Big Boy Diner

I met her in Journalism class, I told my parents over a double bacon cheeseburger. I was a sophomore just starting my third quarter of high school. I lived way out of town, on the shores of Lake Michigan in a tiny community called Gulliver, but I went to school in Manistique—which is still smaller than wherever you're from, I'm sure. But I digress. I was talking to my parents about the girl that had caught my eye.

Her name is Zoe Danfield, I said through a mouthful of too much burger, and she's a senior.

My mom was instantly on the alert. She's older than you?

I nodded. She's super smart, too—she happened by my desk while I was sneaking time on my Algebra II homework, and she caught like three mistakes I had made just on the way past.

And she's not a member?  My dad. He was the bishop of the local ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—and a dentist, not that anyone ever cared about that part. When people heard that he was a Mormon leader, though, that was all they ever asked about. (He's not really even a leader—the title of 'bishop' really just means 'the middle management has picked you to be the abuse-taker for the next year or few'. It's not like he personally has anything at all to do with what the Church says or does.)

I shook my head, knowing that it was going to be a bone of contention...and I was validated instantly as my father gave his patented Disapproving Sigh™. Pierce, I can't condone you asking out a girl that isn't a member of the Church, he said gently.

I stared fixedly at my root beer. I'd tried to talk to him about this before. There just weren't any cute girls my age at Church. There were only about fourteen families in Church, and only