Until Then - Cornerstone Book 3

She agreed to attend a Christian college because her grandparents paid for it, but she’s about to get so much more than she bargained for.

Growing up with a distant mother and absentee father, Michelle's childhood has been far from idyllic. Her only attention comes from her partying friends and the guys who are more than happy to give her the affection she longs for. But when one party goes wrong, Michelle's grandparents hatch a plan to get her out of Chicago and away from her so-called friends.

College plans are low on Michelle's priority list, especially with no money to pay for it, until her grandparents offer to foot the bill for her entire tuition. There's just one catch. Michelle must choose between three schools - all hours away from Chicago and all Christian colleges.

Michelle's reluctant choice leads her to an unfamiliar place, where she finds herself surrounded by Bible believers, stuck with roommates she wouldn't normally associate with, and drawn to two handsome strangers - charming Simon, who sees her only as a friend, and his basketball star roommate, Sean, who's interested in more than just friendship.

These new relationships, unexpected friendships, and the decisions Michelle makes could alter the lives of everyone around her and change her heart forever.

There is NO WAY I’m going to a Christian college!”

The old, rickety table in the kitchen of the tiny two bedroom apartment was covered with brochures and catalogs from Cedarville, Cornerstone, and Grace—three religious colleges in Ohio, Michigan,
and Indiana respectively. All were addressed to Miss Michelle
Harrison.

“Well, you better get used to the idea.” Her mother, Louise, stood
across the table from where she sat.

Michelle shoved the papers across the table toward her mother. A few slid over the edge and floated to the floor. She flipped her dark, silky hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

Mom shot her a warning look.

Her father had been mostly quiet since he arrived with his parents
for this special family meeting. “This is important. This is your future,
Michelle.”

Michelle wished he would have remained quiet. “You didn’t have
to come all this way, Dad. Mom and I will manage. Just like we have all these years.”

Her grandmother piped in at that. “That’s no way to talk to your father.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “And I don’t need your help either.” “Well, I never,” Grandma huffed.

Grandpa shook his head. He was a man of few words, but Michelle
could sense his disappointment in her behavior.

“I’ll just go to a community college,” Michelle stated.

“We can’t even afford that.” Louise reached for the papers and retrieved them from the floor. She looked weary. Michelle couldn’t remember a time when her mother hadn’t looked that way.

“Well, I’ll get a job and pay for it.” She was determined to stand her ground, even if it meant working multiple jobs like Mom always had. “I can do this on my own.”

“You could do that and struggle your way through school.” Louise sat across from her and placed the fallen papers with the others. “Or you could accept your grandparents’ generous offer to pay for your tuition and not have to worry about the money.”

“You guys don’t even like me.” She picked at the chipping paint on the edge of the table, not making eye contact with her grandparents.

“That’s not true.” Grandma took two steps closer and laid her fingertips on the edge of the table. “We love you. But you haven’t made it easy.” She paused with eyebrow raised. “For any of us.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “You’re just doing this because you feel guilty.”

Grandma’s mouth fell open a little. “What do we have to feel guilty
about?”

“That your son is such a horrible father.”

Dad took a step forward and addressed her sternly. “You need to
learn a little respect, young lady.”

“Don’t yell at her, Robert.” Louise glared at her ex-husband like a mama bear protecting her cub.

“Well, maybe if you had done a better job with her, she wouldn’t be acting out like this.” He poked the bear.

“Are you kidding me? If anyone’s to blame, it’s you! She needed a father, and you walked out.”

Michelle covered her ears as she had always done when she was little. There had never been a shortage of raised voices in their home. It was how they communicated. When he bothered to be there, that is.

Almost since the day she took her first steps, he had been out the door on this business trip or that, rarely spending more than a couple weeks at home at a time. Her mother was a cold, paranoid sort of woman. Not once in all of her childhood could she remember Mom showing affection to Dad. She didn’t know if that was how she had always been or if her father’s lengthy absences and suspected rendezvous had caused it. She often wondered why they had married in the first place, because there seemed to be no love there.

They divorced when she was six, and she saw him once, maybe twice a year after that. He was a stranger, and he made no real effort to get to know her, which made their visits awkward and, in her opinion, completely unnecessary.

Mom did the best she could, but she struggled to pay the bills, every spare moment consumed by work. No time for her young daughter, who so desperately needed a mother’s guidance.

So Michelle was left to figure life out on her own. With a lack of positive female role models, no real girl friends in her life, and the absence of her father, she gravitated toward the company of boys, which inevitably led to boyfriends at an early age. And where her mother was cold and distant, steering clear of men after the sting of divorce, Michelle was the opposite, almost to the extreme. She was overly warm and affectionate, drawn to the opposite sex like a moth
to a flame. And the attention she had never received at home was found in the arms of whatever guy would have her.

Michelle squeezed her eyes shut. Harsh insults and rude remarks
overwhelmed the small space. Grandma had joined in, slinging opinions of her own. Her grandfather stood quietly in the corner, staying out of it.

“Stop!” Michelle finally cried. “STOP IT!”

The yelling ceased, but tension still hung heavy in the stale air. Michelle felt a sudden urge to run. She would rather be with Tyler and Eddie than sitting there reliving the fights of her childhood. It was like the worst deja vu moment ever.

Louise gently pushed the papers in Michelle’s direction. “Look, I don’t care why your grandparents wanna do this. This is your ticket out of this place.”

Michelle didn’t want out of Chicago. She was happy there. She had a life there. “I’m not leaving my friends,” she snapped.

Her mother snorted. “Friends? Those boys are a bad influence, Missy.”

She hated being called Missy. And she knew exactly what her mother’s comment was referring to—a certain party Mom would never let her forget.