“Everything ready at the apartment?” Drew asked.
“Yes, we have all of her belongings moved in. Lilly is there now unpacking. Everything should be shipshape for Shay once she’s released from the hospital.”
I should let them know I was awake, but it was easier to soak in the warmth and the soft voices and relax.
“I’m grateful,” Drew said.
I was, too. With no idea how long it would take me to recover from this surgery and my other injuries, it would be weeks before I could have found the energy to pack up and move. Having everything prearranged and managed for me was a totally unexpected gift.
“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing, Drew?”
I heard the hesitation in Linda’s voice.
“What makes you ask?”
An edge of defensiveness etched his words, I noticed, as if he resented Linda’s question.
“I know you’re fond of Shay.”
“It’s beyond being fond. I deeply care about her.”
He does? A warm sensation fanned out from my heart. More than anything I wanted Drew to know I felt the same way about him.
“What’s the problem?” Drew asked.
Linda paused as though considering her words carefully. “Don’t misunderstand me, Drew. I think Shay is great, it’s just that word has spread that she’s been in prison.”
Drew was silent, but even with my eyes closed I could feel the frustration radiating off him.
“And?” he pressed.
“And, well…there’s talk.”
“What kind of talk?” His voice was tight.
“Some of the church members have wondered how trustworthy she is. Having her live in that basement apartment has raised several eyebrows.”
“Are you one of the people who has questions?” Drew asked.
When Linda didn’t respond right away, I knew her answer, and my heart sank.
“My concern is not about Shay,” Linda continued. “I wonder how appropriate it is for you to associate with her when there are other women—”
“More appropriate choices, you mean?” Drew finished for her. “I appreciate you mentioning this. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. At the same time, I know that once my church family has a chance to know Shay, they’ll have a change of heart. She’s an amazing woman, and with time, the congregation will recognize that as well.”
“You’re sure of that, Drew? I’d hate to have the issue of Shay in your life raise questions with the congregation about your role as our pastor.”
This time Drew seemed to be the one searching for the right words. “That surprises me, Linda. I tend to think better of my church family, but if what you say happens, then so be it.”
Linda seemed to be speechless. “Drew,” she said, shock vibrating in her voice. “Are you seriously saying you’d leave the church for this woman? A felon, a woman with a tainted past, an ex-con?”
“Yes.” Drew didn’t waver in his decision.
A stunned silence followed before Drew spoke again.
“This shocks me, Linda, because I’ve always seen you as someone with generosity of spirit. In your defense, you don’t know Shay as well as I do. For as long as I’ve known her, she’s never once taken advantage of others. I’ve never heard her speak a negative word against anyone. She’s caring, considerate, genuine, and a hard worker.”
Linda’s response came quickly. “Drew, please, don’t misunderstand me. The only reason I mention this is because I felt you needed to know.”
“And I appreciate it.”
“One of the elders might approach you about having Shay move into the church. You squelched the idea when it was first presented and then went ahead and rented the space to her with no further discussion.”
“I sent the elders an email. It had previously been discussed and I couldn’t see that there would be a problem. If the subject comes up at the next meeting, I’ll deal with it then.”
The talk of Drew resigning as pastor because of me had my mind screaming. I refused to even let him consider such a thing.
“Lloyd and I will do everything within our power to make sure nothing gets in the way of Shay moving into the apartment,” Linda assured Drew. “I just felt you should know that there’s been talk.”
I continued to pretend to be asleep until I heard both Drew and Linda leave. My heart sank with what I’d overheard. While I loved the idea of living close to Drew, I didn’t want to hurt him or his career. I was falling in love with him, and the one thing I couldn’t, wouldn’t, do was put him in a position where he had to choose between me and the church he served.
I’d spent an uncomfortable afternoon dealing with questions from Alex Turnbull, one of the elders, regarding Shay living in the basement apartment. Linda had been right about the elders having questions and concerns about renting the apartment to her. I spent over an hour talking to Alex—an hour I didn’t have to spare.
At the end of our discussion, Alex remained skeptical. Thankfully, he was agreeable to giving Shay a chance, and not to bring my decision up before the board as a matter of concern. For that I was grateful.
When I returned to the house, Mark sat in front of the television, deeply involved in a videogame. My son seemed to spend more and more of his time involved in these games. I’d tried to get him interested in other activities, but he showed no inclination for anything else. I had few complaints when it came to my son. He got good grades and seemed to get along well with others. He did have that one incident where he’d gotten the black eye. He’d never told me the full story of what had happened. It seemed he preferred to put the entire episode behind him. I understood and respected his decision. I had to accept that he was simply an indoors kind of kid. I loved my son for who he was, and while I would have liked to see him more physically active, I wasn’t going to push him into something he didn’t enjoy.
Sarah was nowhere in sight and I suspected she was at Shay’s, who had been home from the hospital a week now. My daughter spent as much time as she could with Shay. It was good for them both. Shay was bored and restless and Sarah helped keep her occupied. And Sarah thrived on Shay’s attention. My daughter was hungry for a mother and had taken to Shay from the first moment they’d met.
“Where’s Sarah?” I asked my son as I walked into the house. I expected company any minute and put on coffee.
Mark ignored me. “Son. Sarah?” I repeated my question, louder this time.
Without looking away from the television screen, Mark answered, “She went over to see Shay.”
As I’d suspected. Shay wasn’t up for lengthy visits just yet. She remained weak, but determined to return to her classes and work as soon as she could manage it.
I appreciated all the help given to Shay. Several of her friends had stepped up to lend a hand. Lilly Palmer, Sadie and Alice, and a few others I wasn’t as familiar with made frequent visits to check up on her. There wasn’t much for them to do other than offer support, love, and encouragement.
I’d made more than a few visits myself, needing the reassurance that she was doing well. I knew Mark had been over to visit her, too, which surprised and pleased me. They apparently worked on questions of logic and played games involving math puzzles. Not my thing, but the two of them seemed to enjoy that intellectual stimulation.
I would’ve liked to spend more time with Shay myself, but that was impossible. My responsibilities at the church kept me away. I’d been at the hospital nearly 24/7 and was well behind with counseling appointments and other pastoral duties.
At last report Shooter remained on the loose, evading police detection. I’d been in contact with the authorities regarding his whereabouts. Sightings had been reported in the Seattle area, but no arrest had been made. He was a slippery devil, but he wouldn’t be able to avoid capture forever.
Because they were worried about Shooter finding Shay again, Richard and Chuck had made a point of standing guard over the church area with the promise to report any suspicious activity. Thus far, thankfully, they’d seen nothing.
“You going to visit Shay?” Mark asked.