by Mary Manners
“That can be arranged.” Jade couldn’t help but laugh. She thought of the kindergarten class she’d left behind. Maybe she’d send the kids a postcard of the sun sphere downtown or the Star of Knoxville Riverboat. They’d like that, and maybe they’d learn a little bit about Knoxville along the way.
“I like you. You’ve got pretty hair. It looks like the honey Carol puts in her tea. Bees make honey, you know. My teacher told me that.”
“Thank you.” A flush of heat warmed Jade’s face. “I-I’d better get going. I’m late.”
“Let me help you.” Shane knelt to gather the scattered contents of her purse. “We need to clean your hands. They’re still bleeding. And your knee can use some attention, too.”
She stepped back. “I know how to clean a scrape and slap on a bandage.” No way was she going to let him near her knee. She slung her purse over a shoulder and pushed past him. It was dangerous, the effect he seemed to have on her, especially since he was married, judging from the flaxen-haired pixie of a girl who skipped down the sidewalk to retrieve her ball from the curb. “But thanks for the offer.”
“No problem.” He backed away, making room for her to pass. “And by the way, thanks for the coffee shower. It’s just what I needed to start my morning off right.”
A caramel stain splotched the front of his white T-shirt. “My pleasure, Shane.” She snatched her empty mug from his hands and strode up the stairs. So much for being on time her first day on the job, thanks to him. She pulled open one of the double doors and turned to glare at him. “Have a nice day.”
Air-conditioning kissed her overheated skin while she let the door slam behind her.
****
“Look at me, Daddy! I’m a butterfly!” Cool water from a sprinkler drenched Susie. She shrieked and zigzagged through the backyard grass. Shane watched groggily from the deck. He had nearly nodded off beneath a warm late-afternoon sun.
“Careful. Don’t step on Maggie.” The puppy’s coat glistened from a leap into the nearby kiddy pool he’d picked up at the store yesterday. She yapped and circled Susie’s ankles.
He sighed and settled back in the chair. The scents of freshly-mown grass and wild onions danced around him. He’d managed to get the chores caught up...for now, at least. Susie had gathered the puppy’s chew toys from the yard while he’d trudged the mower through overgrown grass. Together they’d filled a graveyard of holes along the fence that Maggie had dug, and repaired a section of planks she’d gnawed through.
What had he been thinking to take on the responsibility of a rambunctious puppy when his plate was already overflowing? But Susie loved the animal and it wasn’t that much trouble…if you didn’t count her mangled sandals and the new throw rug the mutt shredded. And the picnic table’s seat she’d reduced to kindling. Shane had replaced the ruined wood, but not in time to save Susie from three painful splinters he’d had the pleasure of removing from her thigh.
“Daddy, look what I can do!” Susie stretched her hands skyward and flung herself into a wobbly cartwheel.
“That’s great!” Shane clapped and whistled. “Do another.”
She looked so much like his sister had at that age, except instead of a fraying, hand-me-down swimsuit, Reid had worn a designer cheer outfit. By the age of seven she’d run with an elite crowd. She’d juggled a strict schedule of tumbling and dance classes and had cheered for his little league football team, where rivalries and parents’ tempers ran hotter than the August sun.
Reid, like him, had felt the pressure to run with the in crowd, to excel at all things social. It had been her tragic un-doing and nearly his as well.
“Daddy, wake up.” Susie crawled into his lap, a soggy, sweet-smelling bundle of energy tugging him away from his daydreams: What’s Jade doing back in Piney Grove, and working at the church, no less? Where’s she been the past ten years?
And...why am I still hopelessly drawn to her after all this time?
“I’m not sleeping. I’m just resting my eyes.”
“That’s what you always say.” Water dripped from the lopsided braid he’d clumsily woven down her back and splattered his grass-stained T-shirt. Susie had been with him for nearly five years now, and he still hadn’t mastered the art of braiding. Or Barbie dolls. Or matching sandals with shorts and frilly shirts. But he could play a mean game of Old Maid. And he could color inside the lines in Susie’s array of coloring books. He had that going for him, at least. “Can we take Maggie for a walk?”
Oh, where does she get the energy? Shane was exhausted to the bone, but he smiled despite the tiredness settling deep in his muscles. “After dinner. I made your favorite tonight.”
“Baked macaroni and cheese?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Susie squealed as he hoisted her, dripping and all, onto his back and trotted across the deck into the house. Maggie ran ahead, barking. “Now go dry off before I devour it all myself and leave you nothing but lima beans and carrots for dinner.”
“Oh, no, Daddy!” Her expression was pure mortification.
“Oh, yes.” He wrapped her in a beach towel, then patted her on the bottom and nudged her toward her bedroom. “Hurry.”
He watched her scamper down the hall, leaving a puddle in her wake. What had he done with all his free time before she’d come to live with him? He shook his head and prayed for strength to manage the overwhelming responsibilities swallowing the days ahead.
Mended Heart
2
Jade jabbed the computer’s keyboard with mounting irritation. Soft music drifted from a CD player across the room. It did little to calm her nerves.
She groaned and jabbed furiously. No luck. A shadow filled the doorway.
“Trouble?”
Shane leaned against the doorjamb. He snatched a peppermint from the jar on her desk.
“The hard drive’s frozen again. Third time this week.” Jade scowled and slumped in the seat. She’d been at it for two hours now, and her back felt like it had a permanent S-hook embedded in the flesh between her shoulder blades. Her head began to throb. “I think this computer has a vendetta against me.”
“Nah, don’t take it personally. She does the same thing to me every once in awhile.”
“She?”
His grin was contagious. “Yeah. You have to sweet-talk her. Let me show you.” He popped the peppermint into his mouth and came around to her side of the desk.
“Oh, come on. You’re kidding, right?” But she allowed him to lean over her shoulder toward the computer screen. “It’s frozen. I’ve tried everything.”
“Not everything.” Shane’s breath was warm on her neck, the clean scent of his aftershave nearly intoxicating. His voice slid over her like warm molasses. “Watch the expert work his magic.”
He placed a hand on one side of the computer screen and stroked gently. “C’mon, Sheila. You can do it, honey.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “This is ridiculous.”
He ignored her cynicism as his fingers caressed the keyboard. “C’mon, baby.”
The hard drive hummed to life and the cursor winked as if it knew a secret Jade wasn’t privy to. She gasped. “I don’t believe it. How did you do that?”
Shane winked. “A little sweet-talk never hurts.”
Jade recalled a brief moment from her past when Shane had attempted to sweet-talk her. His lips had warmed hers like the summer sun heats powdery beach sand, and she’d melted, if only briefly. She stared at those lips, mere inches from hers, wondering…
No! She stood abruptly, nearly toppling the chair. She cleared her throat and sputtered. “I-I’d better get back to work. Thank you for your help.”
“No problem.” Shane’s forehead creased and he backed toward the door. His hair shone glossy black beneath fluorescent lights, enhancing the blue of his eyes. “Are you OK?”
Her heart raced and her legs felt like wilted celery. “Y-yes.” She grabbed the edge of the desk as the room swam. She must be coming down with a virus or something. “You’
d better leave now. I have work to do.”
Shane’s fingertips got lost in unruly waves as he scratched his head. “Me, too. I just stopped by to check my messages.”
“Oh.” Jade sifted through the cluttered desk. “One just came in. Here it is.” She handed him the canary-yellow memo slip bearing a note she’d scribbled just minutes ago.
Shane scanned the message. He frowned. “This is awful. Looks like I’ll have to cancel the weekend retreat for the youth. Man, they’ll be so disappointed.”
She took the bait. “Cancel? Why?”
He sighed. “I need two female chaperones and Mrs. Johnson just bowed out. Her baby’s sick with the flu. That leaves just me and Mrs. Alvarez.”
“Isn’t there anyone else who can take Mrs. Johnson’s place?”
“No. I’ve begged and pleaded but the ladies’ mission trip is this weekend, too. Poor planning, I know. But—” He paused mid-sentence and grinned. “Hey, wait a minute. You’re not going on the women’s trip, are you?”
“Well, no, I…” She was still learning the ropes here, and hadn’t considered registering. Besides, she didn’t think she’d fit in. The women were friendly enough, but most of them were older—and married. They were enmeshed in their kids’ soccer practice and which laundry detergent worked best on what stains. Besides, she had her mom to think about. The heart attack had been debilitating, and surgery had taken its toll. Another follow-up doctor’s appointment was scheduled for next Tuesday.
“Please, Jade, I need you.”
“What? Me? Oh, no. I can’t.”
“You have plans?”
“Umm...” She had no plans besides curling up with a crossword puzzle and doing a little grocery shopping for her mom—nothing that couldn’t wait. Except for helping her mom, her weekend was wide open. How could she lie to Shane? “Well…not really.”
“Then please, Jade. I’m desperate.”
“Not exactly what a girl likes to hear.”
“You know what I mean. You’re great with kids. Pastor Charles said you taught school in Chicago.”
“Yes. Kindergarten.” She wondered what else Pastor Charles had shared. “But with teenagers I’m about as good as I am with that computer.”
Shane laughed. “I’ve seen you handle Susie when she comes in here begging for candy and asking you to braid her hair because I’ve butchered the job. The older kids aren’t all that different. They just need a little attention and encouragement. And, they do their own hair.”
Jade laughed and eased into a stretch to work the annoying kinks from her back. She and Susie were becoming fast friends. It was easy to like the little chatterbox; she had a sweet spirit. And Jade had wondered at the vast amount of time she spent romping around the church with Shane. Where was her mother?
“You’ll have a great time, you’ll see,” Shane continued before she could protest further. “We leave at six tonight.”
“T-tonight?” Jade checked her watch. It was already two o’clock. She needed to pick up her mom’s medicine from the pharmacy and do a load of laundry. And the dryer was still on the fritz. “Shane, wait—”
“I can’t hear you.” He turned his back to her, jabbed his fingers in his ears, and started walking. “Bring a sleeping bag and a warm jacket. The mountains can be cool at night, even this time of year.”
****
It was after midnight and Jade guessed she should be exhausted. She’d rushed from work to the pharmacy, then to the grocery store to pick up juice for her mom. A quick load of clothes, then it was back to the church to help Shane load the bus. Yet she felt oddly energized. The cabin was quieting, the teens having retired to their respective dorms—boys upstairs and a half-dozen girls down the hall. Mrs. Alvarez had bid them goodnight an hour ago, despite the chaos. Jade would join the girls soon. She’d called dibs on a bottom bunk closest to the door by smoothing her borrowed sleeping bag over the worn plastic mattress and squeaky springs.
“They’re settling down.” Whispers and giggles drifted down the hall as Shane came to collapse beside her on the overstuffed couch with Susie bundled in his arms.
“Boy, she’s out like a light.”
“Yeah.” Shane brushed a stray hair from Susie’s forehead. “Long day. How are you holding up?”
“I could go another nine rounds.”
“Good. Tomorrow we’re taking the kids to Ober Gatlinburg to ice skate at the indoor rink. You’ll need to bring your A game.” He shifted Susie on his lap and stretched his long legs.
“Wonderful. I skate about as well as I get along with the office computer.” Jade watched flames dance in the fireplace. The musky scent of burning wood filled the cabin as smoke whispered up the chimney. “You stoke a mean fire. It’s relaxing after a long day.”
“I’ve had a lot of practice.” His hand splayed across Susie’s back and rubbed in soothing circles. She snored softly into his shoulder. “The first night’s always the toughest. The kids have boundless energy to burn.”
“Hence the flag football game you mounted, despite the rain, right?”
“Yeah, followed by an old-fashioned game of Kick the Can.”
“I think it did the trick, especially on this little one.” She stroked Susie’s wheat-colored curls, matted and sweaty from the evening’s exertion. “Do you always bring her with you?”
“Yes, since—” Susie whimpered and burrowed deeper against Shane’s chest, lost in the throes of a dream. He studied her so lovingly that Jade’s heart nearly melted. “Hmm...I’d better put her down and then come back to get the breakfast foods unloaded from the bus for morning.”
“I’ll help,” Jade offered. “The work will go faster that way.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
As he padded up the stairs, Jade curled on the couch with her feet tucked beneath her. She wondered how her mom was doing at home all alone; she forced the worries from her mind. It was the first night her mom had been on her own since Jade returned from Chicago. She remembered the letter Mama had sent three months ago, the one that had finally convinced her to return. She’d memorized the words, like a song in her heart.
My Dearest Jade,
I miss you so, and I am proud when I think of what you’ve become, despite my many faults as your mother. Teaching children...what a wonderful way to share your special gifts.
Please know not a single day goes by that I don’t think of you, and pray that your heart will be open to forgiveness. I know I’ve hurt you.
With God’s boundless grace, I am changed in His eyes. I only wish I could be changed in yours, as well.
Bind these words to your heart: The Lord himself goes before you; he will never leave nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.—Deuteronomy 31:8
Time is precious and fleeting, my darling.
With Love,
Mama
The letter had come less than two weeks before the heart attack that nearly took her life. She must have sensed her own fragility. The realization of just how close she’d come to losing Mama, to never seeing her again, or hearing the lilt of her voice, or feeling the warmth of her hand, caused Jade to shiver. She leaned closer to the fireplace, mesmerized by the dancing flames Shane had coaxed to life.
The warmth of the fire lulled her into a dream state, and she was unaware of Shane watching her until he nudged her shoulder.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
“Oh!” Jade jumped up and rubbed her eyes. “I was just resting.”
“I know the feeling.” He handed her a jacket. “You’ll need this.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s go.” They slipped soundlessly through the front door and hiked through cool darkness to the church bus parked at the foot of the long gravel drive.
“The storm’s moved out,” Shane noted. “Not a cloud in the sky now.” He unhitched the rear door of the bus and it swung open. When he began to haul out boxes, Jade took the lighter of two crates loaded with dry cereal, oatmeal, Pop T
arts, and a variety of donuts. There were also packets of coffee, juice, and hot chocolate.
“We should have had the kids carry these in earlier.” Shane deftly juggled two boxes and hoisted a third onto his shoulder. “I usually do that...make them work for their supper.”
“I don’t mind.” Jade studied the moonless sky, nearly translucent with the glow of stars. “I haven’t seen a night this beautiful in a long time.”
“I think we could see Heaven, if we look hard enough.”
“How hard is hard enough?” Jade regretted the words even as she said them. Shane didn’t need to know about her personal struggles concerning her faith. Growing up without her father and watching Mama choose and discard men like last year’s worn out shoes had shaken her to the core. But Mama’s heart attack had ignited a glimmer of faith deep within her. The near-death had planted a seed of desire to know more, hope for more, and believe in more. It still came as a daily struggle, though. “You seem so certain. What changed you, Shane? You used to be so...”
“Arrogant?” When he laughed his shoulders shook. “Such a jerk?”
“If the shoe fits...” Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they hiked back to the cabin. The sweet scent of lilac mingled with pine while cicadas harmonized a symphony all around them.
“You know, Jade”—His voice was a melody against the backdrop of night sounds.—“it’s not about luck. God will guide you if you listen.”
Jade bristled at his words. What did he know about her relationship with God? She jostled the crate of breakfast foods and nearly lost the Pop Tarts. She grabbed them with one hand and tossed them back into the crate. “I didn’t know a sermon was included with hauling the food.” Suddenly, she was an angry, frightened seventeen-year-old once again, and she despised herself for it. She picked up her pace and hurried on ahead of Shane.
