“Can you give me a hand, Evie? I think there are some pitchers under the cupboard in the kitchen.”
“Of course.”
Now
she
was the focus of a dozen curious looks.
“We also have fresh-squeezed lemonade.” Bert, bless her heart, created a welcome distraction when she marched through the door, Hawaiian-print housecoat flapping against her knees and her snow-white Keds stirring up the dust on the floor. Lily was right behind her with a tower of Dixie cups.
“I'll find the pitchers, Evie.”
Evie gave Gin a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
“And I'll take the baby.” Raine reached for Amber Lynn.
Evie cleared off the bench so some of the women could sit down.
Gin returned a few minutes later with two pitchers of ice water and set them down next to Evie as she ladled lemonade into paper cups.
“This used to be the fabric store. I remember when my mother brought me here to pick out material for my prom dress.” One of the women ran her hand along the beveled edge of the counter. “We sewed every one of the sequins on by hand.”
“I miss Thomsen's Bakery even more,” someone else said. “There'd be a line halfway down the block on Saturday mornings when Mr. Thomsen was deep-frying crullers.”
Maggie took a sample of Bert's lemonade, and her eyes drifted closed with the first sip. “Yum.”
“My grandmother's recipe. The secret ingredient is lavender.” Bert handed Victoria one of the cups and watched while the other woman took a tentative sip.
“This is delicious.”
“It's easy to make too. I'll jot the recipe down for you.” Bert grabbed a carpenter's pencil and a scrap of paper off the counter.
Ava had found Lily's bucket of sidewalk chalk behind the counter and lugged it over to Raine. “Can you make a picture with us?”
“I will.” Evie nudged her daughter-in-law toward the bench. “I think Raine would like to put her feet up for a few minutes.”
“Thanks.” Raine wiggled her toes. “In this humidity, my ankles get ankles.”
“Me.” Grace held up her arms. Clutched in one hand were the remains of Luke's grilled cheese sandwich.
Evie picked her up anyway, propping her on one hip while Luke, Ava, and Lily ran ahead of them and spilled out onto the sidewalk.
The girls immediately flopped down on the concrete and sifted through the chalk, searching for their favorite colors. Luke was more interested in a beetle crawling along the foundation of the building.
Evie set Grace down so she could watch her sister and cousin. Laughter flowed out the door and Evie turned toward the window.
Chrissy Anderson was deep in conversation with Maggie, and judging from the animated expressions on the women's faces, Maggie had found another volunteer.
Bert refilled Victoria's cup and Evie smiled. The two women
did
have something in common. Victoria leaned toward designer labels, but both of them loved bold tropical prints.
Jack sat across from Ron, filling in for Luke at the checkerboard.
Sonya peeked her head out the door. “We better get back to the church pretty soon, Evie. I just got a text message from Pauline, asking if the mystery garden was in another county.”
Evie hadn't realized how quickly the time had gone by. She wiggled her chalk-dusted fingers. “I'll wash up and be right over.”
“Thank you for letting Maggie share her vision with the group . . . and be sure to thank Jack for letting us interrupt his work.” Sonya joined her on the sidewalk. “It was nice to get out of the sun for a few minutes and have something cold to drink.”
“I will, but Jack never sees people as interruptions.”
“I knew I liked him.”
Evie could have left it there, but she drew in a breath and took another step forward. “I like him too.”
The women began to file out the door, chatting together as they walked back to their cars.
Lily skipped up to Evie and tugged on her arm. “Can I ride back to the church with Ava and Luke?”
“If it's all right with your Aunt Nicki.”
Nicki, in the process of extracting a shard of purple chalk from the pocket of Grace's sundress, looked up when she heard her name. “It's fine with me, Evie.”
“Save some ice cream for me, okay?” Evie gave Lily's braid a playful tug. “I'll be there in a few minutes. I left my purse inside.”
Ron and Andy were goneâthey must have slipped out the back door that opened onto the alleyâand Jack was talking to someone on the phone, his cell wedged between his ear and his shoulder as he stacked the empty dishes.
Evie bumped him aside and carried them into the kitchen.
Without the dark paneling closing in on her, the room seemed larger than she remembered . . .
And suddenly Evie had a vision too.
A place where people could gather together. A place where they could be nourished, physically and emotionally.
A place for them to meet with God.
In the heart of the neighborhood. Right across from the community garden.
Evie gripped the edge of the sink, overwhelmed by the possibilities that began to flow through her mind.
“I didn't think Fairview Street was part of the tour today.”
She turned at the sound of Jack's voice. “It wasn't . . . until God put it there.”
“I can't wait to hear that story.”
“There's more.”
A smile teased the corners of Jack's lips. “I'm not surprised.”
“I am.” Evie pressed a hand against her stomach. She felt the same way she had the day Jack had taken her to Sandy Point. Terrified and excited at the same time. “Why couldn't Hope Community buy this building? It's the perfect location.”
Jack went from “not surprised” to stunned. “For . . .?”
“People to get out of the sun for a little while when they're working on their garden. And there's so much extra space back here. We could have a food pantry . . . or accept donations and have a clothes closet for moms like Nicki who don't have a lot of extra money in their budget . . .
What?
” Evie paused and dragged in a breath. “You think I'm crazy.”
“Crazy is the last word I'd use to describe you.”
“I know it sounds like a big project.” Evie caught her lower lip between her teeth. “But does it sound . . . impossible?”
“Yes,” Jack said promptly. “But Jesus fed the five thousand with a few pieces of bread and some fish. He performed the miracle but He let His disciples get in on the fun. It must have been like handing out presents on Christmas morning.”
It's not much . . . loaves and fishes, really.
“Jack.” Evie swallowed. Hard. “Do you ever hear God laughing?”
The first time we met
, Jack wanted to say, but he didn't think Evie would understand, so he nodded instead.
“All the time.”
“Let's look at the rest of the building.”
“Maybe I should take back what I said about crazy,” Jack teased. “You've already seen it.”
“Not like this.”
Jack hadn't seen Evie quite like this either. The light in her eyes . . . it reminded him of the day he'd taken her to Sandy Point.
He followed her back to the main room, and Evie pointed to
the area in front of the windows. “There's plenty of space for tables. Maybe even a sitting area. And once you refinish the counter, it would be a perfect place to serve water and snacks . . . or a meal once a week.”
“A meal?”
“Everyone loves your spaghetti, but we do need to shake things up once in a while.”
“Shake things up.” Visions of Post-it notes danced in Jack's head, but he tried to keep a straight face.
“I'd have to talk to Pastor Keith, but if the church could come up with the funds to buy the building, the rent from the upstairs tenants would subsidize the cost of the upkeep. As a ministry, it would be practically self-sustaining.”
She was right. But . . .
“Are you sure you haven't been planning this for a while?”
Evie didn't seem to hear him. She took a slow turn in the center of the room. “It wouldn't end up being converted into another liquor store either.”
“Liquor store?” Jack's gut tightened. “Where did you hear that?”
“From Ryan Tate, when I brought my team here last week.”
Jack tipped his head toward the ceiling. “Okay. I'm hearing God laugh right now. I have been praying for this neighborhood since I moved here, but I never . . .” He stopped, shaking his head.
“Never what?”
“Never imagined
you
would be part of the answer. I never thought I'd see you again after we met that night on Brewster Street.”
He had Evie's full attention now. “Did you
want
to?”
The question made Jack laugh. “Let's just say you make quite a first impression, Blue Eyes.”
“So that's a yes?”
“Yes.” Jack was about a millisecond away from backing up the words with action when his phone buzzed, signaling an incoming text.
“I have to go,” Evie said, “but we're going to finish this conversation later, because I just thought of someone who would be the perfect manager for the building.”
The bounce in Evie's step as she walked toward the door reminded Jack of Lily.
And the text message from his brother reminded Jack why
perfect
didn't come close to describing himâor his lifeâat the moment.
R
aine and I have something for you, Mom.”
Cody steered Evie toward the picnic table in his backyard.
“It isn't another celebratory sundae from Quigley's, is it?” Visions of blue ice cream and sprinkles danced in Evie's head. “Because I don't think I can eat another bite.”
“It's better.” Raine lowered herself onto the bench across from Evie and handed her a gift bag. “Open the one with the yellow ribbon first.”
Cody and Raine were practically vibrating with excitement as Evie dug through the tissue paper and lifted out a brightly wrapped present.
“It's our wedding picture!” Raine couldn't stand it anymore.
It was a candid shot, taken after the ceremony. Cody smiling down at Raineâwiping a tear from her cheek.
“I love it. Thank you.”
“There's another one.” Cody rattled the bag, earning a stern look and a “Careful!” from Raine.
Evie hid a smile. Raine was going to be a good mom. She pulled outâcarefullyâanother photo frame, and this time Cody and Raine didn't say anything.
For a moment Evie couldn't either.
She ran her hand over the black-and-white photograph, tracing every dip and curve of the delicate profile, the impossibly tiny fingers and toes.
“Meet your granddaughter, Mom.”
“A
girl
?” Evie breathed the word.
Cody nodded. “Ella Joy Bennett.”
“We couldn't keep it a secret anymore.” Tears glistened in Raine's eyes. “We had to share.”
Evie's throat closed.
“You're not disappointed, are you, Mom?”
“Disappointed?” Evie's head snapped up and she stared at her son. “Why would I be disappointed?”
“I thought maybe you were hoping we would have a boy. You know, so we could name him after Dad.”
“I'm not disappointed at all, Cody. I'm thrilled. Ella . . .” The nameâthe sweet faceâtook root in Evie's heart. “She's beautiful.”
“I know it's not the kind of photo people usually frame.” Cody threaded his fingers through Raine's. “But we thought you'd like it.”
“I'm going to put both of these on the mantel when I get home.”
“It's getting pretty crowded, Mom,” Cody teased.
Evie stretched across the table and wrapped her arms around her son and his wife. “I'll make room,” she whispered.
The opening notes of a song by Rend Collective Experiment began to play in the background, and Cody wiggled free.
“Sorry. That's me.” He dipped a hand into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Hey. Yeah . . . hold on. She's right here.” Cody handed her the phone.
Evie glanced at him before offering a cautious “Hello?”
“You didn't answer your cell phone.”
“Jack.” Another unexpected gift. “I left it on Cody's kitchen table.”
“Just thought I'd check in and find out how your afternoon is going.”
Evie slid to her feet and walked a few feet away. Cody nudged Raine and Raine nudged him back, and they both pretended they weren't listening in on the conversation. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“Right now . . . good. Travis went over to Brewster Street to mow the lawn and Lily is working on some new dance steps while I finish priming the kitchen.”
“Which one?”
“The one that looks like a backdrop on the set of
Leave It to Beaver.
”
“You're painting
my
kitchen? Without me?”
“Your kitchen.” A smile flowed into the words.
“I talked to Pastor Keith about Fairview Street after church this morning. He agreed to meet with me tomorrow and I made a few phone callsâgathered some reinforcements. I was hoping you could come too.”
Jack groaned. “I can't. I already promised Trav I would go to his preliminary hearing.”
“Then you need to be there with him . . . but I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” Jack murmured.
Good. Evie hoped that meant Jack wouldn't mind when she showed up at his door.
“Well,
hello
there. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?”
“Where's Jack?” Evie hadn't expected to see Travis saunter into the kitchen while she was trying to locate his brother.
“He went to the hardware store to pick up some paint, but he should be back in a few minutes.”