Leaning down, Joan kissed her husband’s forehead, and when she straightened I saw tears glistening in her eyes.

“You moved into a second relationship slowly, then.”

“It’s what I advise you to do with Shay. Give yourself time,” Joe advised.

That was exactly what I needed to hear.

“My father gave me good advice following my divorce. He told me to find a woman who loved me and loved God, and that’s exactly what I did. You do the same, Drew. I know God has someone special in mind for you. It could well be Shay, but it could be someone else, too. Don’t be too quick to assume she’s the one.”

The one? I hadn’t thought of Shay as anything yet. We hadn’t so much as held hands. That didn’t mean I hadn’t thought about kissing her. My thoughts drifted in that direction far more than I cared to admit.

From certain things she’d told me, I knew she was experienced when it came to men and relationships. She once mentioned that she’d gotten involved with a gang member who was currently imprisoned. Their relationship certainly hadn’t been platonic.

“She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever known,” I admitted.

“Not a bad thing, you know,” Joe told me.

I avoided eye contact. “She’s been around, if you know what I mean.”

Joe locked eyes with me and burst into laughter to the point that Joan came into the room and helped ease him forward, allowing him to catch his breath.

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“Sorry, sorry,” Joe muttered when he was able to speak again. “My dear boy, God can use us all, no matter what is in our past. He’s already used Shay to touch your heart and that of your children. He doesn’t ask for any of us to be perfect.”

“I know…These feelings are unfamiliar, Joe. I’m not sure I have the right to feel the way I do. She’s beautiful and smart and she could date anyone.”

“Is she dating anyone else?”

This was the question I’d asked myself several times since Christmas. When Sarah had asked about Richard I’d been all ears, interested in what she had to say. When she mentioned his name, my heart had sunk until I learned that Richard was a homeless man old enough to be her father.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. We prayed together and I left shortly after four. By the time I arrived back in Seattle I was mentally and physically drained. Thankfully, both kids were involved in a movie. I thanked Linda for stepping in for me and gave the children the cookies Joan had sent home with me.

Sarah crawled into my lap and laid her head upon my shoulder. “Next time we need a babysitter…”

“I don’t need a sitter,” Mark insisted.

“Next time you leave us,” Sarah started again, “can we have Shay instead of Mrs. Kincaid?”

I kissed her forehead. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Laying my head on top of my daughter’s, I thought about Shay. She hadn’t been far from my thoughts the entire drive home, and I wished, with an almost hungry need, to spend time with her as soon as it could be arranged.

“You have a visitor,” Sadie said, coming back into the kitchen to get me. We were ready to close for the day and I’d already checked out.

“A customer?” I asked and wanted to groan. We were minutes away from locking the doors.

“By the looks of him, I doubt it.”

Him? I hoped it wasn’t Richard. Frankie wouldn’t take kindly to Richard coming inside the café. I wiped my hands on my apron and headed out front. It didn’t take me long to see Drew’s son, who sat in a booth with his back to me. Mark’s head was bowed and he didn’t look at me when I approached.

“Mark? Shouldn’t you be in school?”

He looked up and I gasped. His left eye was nearly swollen shut and was turning black and blue. “Mark, oh my goodness, what happened? Wait, let me get some ice. It will help take the swelling down.” Rushing behind the counter, I grabbed a plastic bag and filled it with ice.

The young teen groaned slightly when I set the makeshift compress against his face.

“It will feel better in a few minutes,” I assured him as I checked him for any other injuries. It looked like his lip was cut, too, as there was evidence of blood.

“School’s out,” he said, answering my question.

“I take it you got into a fight?” I continued to hold the ice against his face and gently pushed back the hair from his forehead. “Do I want to see the other guy?”

The question brought a hint of amusement, but then he grimaced, as if smiling caused him pain.

“I don’t want to go home,” he murmured, not making eye contact. “Dad’s going to be mad.”

“You sure about that?”

Mark nodded. “He doesn’t believe in fighting.”

“He’s right, you know. If there’s another way out of a confrontation, then you need to take it.”

“That sounds good in theory,” he muttered.

From what I knew of Mark, I strongly suspected he wasn’t a fighter. I’d wager that whatever happened hadn’t been instigated by him. “But it isn’t always possible to avoid a fight.”

“You’re telling me!”

I laughed, and after a few minutes I removed the ice to see if the swelling had gone down. It had, but only slightly. “You’re going to have a doozie of a black eye.”

His shoulders sagged, as if this was the last thing he wanted to hear. “I was afraid of that.”

As much as I longed to hug and comfort him, I didn’t think Mark would appreciate it. “You want to tell me what happened?”

“Not really.”

I was tempted to reach for my phone and text Drew. Because both our schedules were busy, mine with work and night classes, we’d taken to communicating by texting several times a day.

“Would you come home with me and talk to my dad?” Mark asked, keeping his head down, but he raised his eyes up to meet mine as if he wasn’t certain what I’d say.

I had night classes that evening, ones I couldn’t miss. “I’ll go to the church office with you so you can talk to your dad, if that’s what you want.” I wanted to give Drew a heads-up that we were on the way, but I knew he was busy that afternoon.

Mark’s shoulders fell when he realized he was going to have to be the one to explain the fight to his father. Slowly he nodded. “Okay, but you’ll still come with me?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“I do. Dad won’t yell as hard if he sees you.”

That was nice to hear, although I doubted it was true. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll walk to the church with you.” I’d be able to catch a bus to the community college from Fourth Street easily enough.

I returned to the kitchen, finished up what I needed to do, and bid Sadie, Alice, and Frankie goodbye before collecting my purse and coat.

“The kid okay?” Frankie asked before I joined Mark. Apparently, he’d caught sight of Mark’s shiner.

“I think so. He wants me to go with him while he talks to his dad.”

“His dad that preacher guy? The one who comes in, orders the special? The one you can’t keep your eyes off of?”

My gaze shot to Sadie. It seemed she’d mentioned my fascination with Drew to Frankie. My friend didn’t even pretend to look guilty. I was sorry I’d said anything to Sadie. I couldn’t be upset with either of them, though. Frankie refused to let me pay for the coffee I brought to Richard. He didn’t get upset when Chuck started showing up every so often, either. He was gruff about it, not wanting my appreciation or Richard’s.

“Yes, Mark’s dad is the pastor of Seattle Calvary.”

Frankie grumbled something under his breath. “Well, then, don’t keep the boy waiting.”

Grinning, I scooted out of the kitchen. When he saw me, Mark slid out of the booth and headed for the front door. I noticed a couple boys his age hanging around across the street. Both were much bigger than Mark, who was small for his age. I wondered if those were the boys he’d tangled with earlier. I was about to ask but decided against it. As soon as they saw me, the two other boys took off in the opposite direction. That got me to wondering if Mark had come into the café in order to avoid another confrontation. Maybe having me walk with him the rest of the way home was a safety measure.




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