“It took a lot of courage,” she said softly. “To leave.”
“More like desperation.” Gin shrugged. “But I didn't realize I was still running until we ended up in Banister Falls. God and I are working on things but sometimes I still shut Dan out. It's like the
messy closet in your house. You don't want anyone to see it . . . and you sure aren't going to invite them in to help you sort through the junk inside.”
“What did Dan do . . . when you blocked the closet door?”
A slow smile tipped the corners of Gin's lips. “He ignored me and barged in anyway.”
Evie smiled back. “Bold.”
“Stubborn.”
“I can be bold.” Evie
had
kissed Jack in front of half the Moretti family. “And stubborn, when the situation calls for it.”
“I believe you.” Gin laughed and started to rise, but Evie snagged her hand, giving it a quick, impulsive squeeze. “Thank you.”
To her amazement, Gin squeezed back. “How long are you going to be here?”
“Ten or fifteen minutes. Why?”
“The Lullaby Boutique on Main Street is having a sale today, and I thought I'd stop by and check it out. Want to come along?”
Evie hopped to her feet. “I'll make it ten.”
T
he first thing Evie saw when she arrived at church Saturday morning was Jack's ancient, paint-spattered radio sitting outside the door of the custodian's room, the cord wrapped in a tight wand and secured with a rubber band.
“Harvey?” She knocked once and the sound echoed down the hall.
The door opened and Harvey stood on the other side, pointing at his watch. “Seven fifteen. I was getting worried. Thought you had a flat tire or something.”
“No flat tire. I didn't get out the door as quickly as I'd planned this morning.” Thanks to Ginevieve, who'd talked her into watching a movie after they'd put a serious dent in the Lullaby Boutique's newborn inventory. Evie hadn't gotten home until midnight.
“I've got all the tables set up.” Harvey looped his thumbs in the front pockets of his Dockers. “You should be good to go.”
Evie fished an envelope from the outside pocket of her purse. “I meant to give this to you a few days ago. It's kind of a welcome-back-we-missed-you gift.”
Harvey popped the seal on the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. “My Place?”
“It's a diner on Radley Street. Sue Grangerâshe's the ownerâhas a great breakfast special called The Kitchen Sink. I thought maybe you'd like to try something new.”
Evie left Harvey to ponder that and walked back to her office. The red light on the desk phone was blinking, so she pressed the button to retrieve her voicemail messages.
“Evie . . . this is Dawn.” The financial secretary's brisk voice came over the line. “Gertrude Fielding mentioned she'd given you a check earmarked for women's ministries, but I see it hasn't been recorded yet. I'll need the total by Monday morning. Thank you.”
Gertrude's check.
Where had she put it?
The flare of panic subsided when Evie yanked open the desk drawer and spotted the envelope peeking out from underneath a folder.
Evie couldn't believe she'd forgotten about it.
Gertrude's loaves and fishes.
Smiling, Evie slipped her thumb under the old-fashioned wax seal.
The check fluttered to the floor, and Evie almost joined it when she caught a glimpse of the amount. She bent down to pick it up, slowly, to counteract the rapid beating of her heart.
“Gertrude.” Evie breathed the woman's name as she stared at the numbers, counting the zeroes a second time.
Fifty thousand dollars.
On the memo line, three words written in Gertrude's flowing script:
For the adventure!
“Good morning, Evie!” Belinda poked her head into Evie's office. Her straw hat, decorated with a cluster of bright-red plastic cherries, spanned the width of the doorframe. “I just wanted to show off my new hat . . . Are you all right?”
Evie glanced down at the check again. No, the numbers hadn't changed. “Look at this.”
Belinda crossed the room and gently pried the check from her fingers. Her mouth worked but no sound came out. Evie figured she was counting zeroes too.
“Do you think Gert made a mistake?” Belinda finally ventured.
“No.” Gertrude Fielding was as sharp as the proverbial tack.
Laughter drifted down the hallway as the first group of women arrived. Evie slid the check back into the desk drawer and closed it. “I can't think about this now.”
Belinda gave Evie's arm a comforting squeeze. “Gertrude trusted that you would ask God what to do with that money. Trust Him to provide the answer.”
Trust.
A word Evie had been hearing a lot lately.
Maybe it was time to start putting it into practice.
The scent of roses mingled with the classical music playing from the speakers hidden in the azaleas that hemmed in Victoria Kellan's patio.
Evie turned the tiny gold spigot on the beverage dispenser, and a trickle of bright-red punch flowed into her glass.
The turnout was larger than they'd predicted, the promise of a beautiful summer day beckoning women to put aside their usual Saturday routine and spend a few hours outside.
Nicki had joined Raine and Gin a few minutes before the tour started, and she'd brought along Ava and Grace. The little girls looked adorable in matching purple sundresses.
There had never been an age restriction on the garden walk, more of an unspoken rule that small children would remain in the childcare the youth group provided, but Nicki must have found out that Evie had invited Lily.
Every time Evie saw the girls, they seemed to be enjoying the outing as much as Nicki.
“If I could have your attention, please.” Evie waited until the hum of conversation died down. “On behalf of the women's ministry team, I would like to thank everyone for taking part in the garden walk today. As most of you know, all the proceeds from the ticket sales will benefit a women's shelter in India.”
Out of the corner of her eye Evie saw Victoria subtly move into position. “I would also like to thank the people, like Victoria Kellan, who graciously invited us to enjoy their gardens today.”
A scattering of applause followed.
“Everyone is invited back to the church for an old-fashioned ice cream social, compliments of Marie'sâ”
Something bumped against Evie's leg, and she glanced down.
Grace had somehow escaped from her mother's arms. She held up a dandelion, its shaggy yellow head drooping on the stalk, a white milky substance oozing between her tiny fingers.
“Fower!” Grace grinned up at her.
How many times had Cody toddled up to Evie, a damp bouquet of dandelions clutched in his hand, nose dusted with yellow pollen as he offered her the gift?
A flower, not a weed. A matter of perspective.
“I'm sorry, Evie.” Nicki sidled up, her cheeks stained red with embarrassment.
Victoria, Evie noticed, looked a little flushed too, anxiously scanning her manicured lawn for a possible dandelion uprising.
“Don't be.” Evie scooped Grace into her arms, dutifully smelling the flower waving under her nose before she addressed the group again. “Victoria's rose garden is officially the last stop on the garden walk, but this year we're adding a mystery garden. That's all I'm going to tell you about it, but if you're up for a little . . . adventure . . . before you cool off with an ice cream sundae, please feel free to follow me.”
A low murmur traveled around the patio. Out of the corner of
her eye Evie saw some of the women consulting their fliers, searching for any kind of clue that would help them decide what they should do.
Belinda and Sonya materialized at Evie's side.
“When,” Belinda whispered, “did we add a mystery garden to the tour?”
“About ten seconds ago,” Evie whispered back.
“I thought so.”
Jill joined them, her eyebrows practically touching over the bridge of her nose. “Fairview Street?”
“Fairview Street.”
“Are you sure about this, Evie?”
“No,” Evie said truthfully.
“That's what makes it an adventure.” Belinda lifted the hem of her broomstick skirt and revealed a pair of rubber clogs. “I knew there was a reason I wore these today.”
Evie looked at Sonya.
“I'm in.”
Jill shook her head. “I'll escort the women back to the church. Someone should keep an eye on things until you get back.”
It was clear from her tone she thought that someone should be the director of women's ministries.
Evie's hand shook a little when she stuck the key in the ignition of her car. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Belinda give her a thumbs-up.
But the closer Evie got to Jack's neighborhood, the more tempted she was to keep driving. Make a wide loop and head back to the church.
God . . . I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm going to trust that You do.
E
vie pulled up behind the apple-red Beetle parked in front of the vacant lot. Maggie, in her patched overalls and a red baseball cap, shaded her eyes against the sun as cars began to line up along the curb.
The women, a small, colorful remnant of the original group, clustered together on the sidewalk, waiting for direction. Evie had expected that Gin and Raine and Nicki would be there, but she was stunned to see Victoria Kellan towering above everyone like an exotic bird-of-paradise in her vivid orange dress and boat-shaped straw hat.
Maggie tucked her gardening gloves into the pocket of her overalls as she strode toward Evie.
“I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Maggie McClain.” At least Evie hoped they would still be friends after showing up unannounced. “Maggie's vision is to turn this vacant lot into a community garden next summer, and after you talk to her, I have a feeling you'll be as excited as I am about the project. Maggie?”
“Good afternoon, everyone.” Maggie's warm smile expanded to include the entire group. “If you follow me, I'll share a brief overview of the design.”
The women followed, the tight knot loosening a bit, and Maggie's laughter filling the spaces.
Thank You, Lord.
The knot in Evie's chest loosened a little bit too.
Maggie might not have fliers or sketches or photographs, but her enthusiasm would bring the garden to life.
“Lily?” Evie caught the girl's hand before she scampered after Ava. “How about we run up to Bert's apartment and let her know we're here?”
Bert had politely declined Evie's invitation to attend the garden walk as her guest, but Fairview was her neighborhood, the environment where she felt the most comfortable, and she liked Maggie. Maybe the younger woman could introduce Bert as her first official volunteer.
Evie and Lily crossed the street together, and Evie noticed that the plywood covering the broken windows was gone and sunlight glinted off the new glass.
Jack had made a lot of progress over the past few days.
Lily broke free and dashed up the stairs to find Bert, but Evie followed the trail of sidewalk chalk hearts to the open door on the first floor, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jack.
Sunlight flooded the space. A clean tarp had been tossed over the countertop. Luke and Ron sat on opposite sides of a spindly legged card table, the checkerboard between them. Andy watched them, swaying back and forth, Amber Lynn in his arms.
Jack emerged from the kitchen, a plate with a crooked Dr. Seussâlike stack of grilled cheese sandwiches in one hand and a pitcher of ice water in the other.
He spotted Evie in the doorway and his slow smile fluttered through her, stirred that sense of wonder that came with the first signs of spring. “What are you doing here?”
Being bold
.
Which was why Evie didn't wait for Jack to invite her in.
“We added a mystery garden to the tour.” She glanced over
her shoulder. Across the street, the women had formed a semicircle behind Maggie as she pointed to the graffiti-stained brick wall. Evie could almost hear her saying
This is going to be a mural . . .
“I sent Lily upstairs to find Bert.”
“Evie, look!” Luke pointed to the mound of red checkers beside the board. “I'm winning!”
“Not for long,” Ron grumbled.
“Help yourself, Andy.” Jack set the plate of sandwiches on the counter. “There's plenty.”
Andy cast a longing look at the food. “Are you sure?”
“I'm sure.” No one but Evie saw Jack make a neat cut through the center of the stack, dividing the sandwiches in half.
Loaves and fishes.
“I'll hold Amber Lynn.” Evie reached for the baby. Andy's daughter was wide awake, mesmerized by the fan chugging in a lazy circle above their heads. “When did you put the fan in?”
“When I got back from Travis's last night.” Jack poured a glass of water from the pitcher and set it beside Luke.
“You have to sleep once in a while.”
“There's a lot to do.”
And a lot on Jack's mind.
“Knock knock!” The women funneled in behind Maggie. They spotted Andy with his multiple piercings and tattoos, and Evie could almost hear the snap as they locked back together in a single unit just inside the door. Gin and Raine, looking a little confused by the unexpected traffic jam, guided Nicki and the children around them.
“We were hoping you could spare a few glasses of water, Jack.” Maggie tugged off her baseball cap. “It's pretty warm out there.”
“Sure.” Jack's smile surfaced, and suddenly he was the focus of a dozen curious looks. A friend of Victoria Kellan's began to fan herself with her straw hat, but Evie suspected it didn't have anything to do with the temperature.