“And I’ve missed y’all, too. Since my time’s freed up now, maybe I can get in a few days a week, like before.”
“I’ve been wondering…Do the people here at church know about Wade and me?” Namely, Grayson.
“I don’t really have close friends here that I talk about Wade with. Pastor Grayson knows about the broken engagement, but I don’t think I ever mentioned your name.”
Sylvie Kroft shot a disdainful frown at Adrea.
“What did I do?” Adrea pressed a hand against her fluttery heart.
Helen sighed. “Nothing.”
Midweek, Adrea was still in her pajamas and doing her makeup when the doorbell chimed. With mascara applied to the lashes of her left eye, but not the right, she hurriedly slipped her robe on before checking the newly installed peephole.
Once she recognized their guest, she wished her brother could answer. Alas, Mark was in the shower. Grayson had caught Adrea in disarray entirely too many times. What does it matter? There’s no future for us.
With no other choice, she answered the door.
Sadness clung to him like a shroud.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Helen. She fell and broke her hip.”
“Oh no!” Adrea pressed a hand to her lips.
“I’m supposed to go by her house and pick up a few things she needs, but I don’t know a thing about stuff like that. Grace is busy with a brunch of some kind, so I couldn’t bother her with it.”
“I’ll take care of it. Want some coffee to go?”
Grayson sniffed the air. “Smells and sounds wonderful.”
Mark sauntered into the room, already dressed.
“Helen broke her hip.” Adrea poured a cup of coffee. “I’m going to pick up a few things for her.”
“How is she?”
“In pain.” Grayson sipped the hot brew. “The medication is helping.”
“I’ve got two counseling sessions today.” Mark checked his pocket calendar. “But I can stay with her tonight and relieve you.”
“I’ll probably take you up on it.” Grayson headed for the door.
“I’ll go get dressed.” Adrea turned toward the hall.
“Um.” Mark pointed to her eyes. “You might want to do something about that.”
Her face burned. She’d forgotten all about her half-applied mascara.
An hour later, she arrived at the hospital and hurried up to Helen’s room on the third floor. Doctors and nurses scurried about dressed in scrubs and smocks, their rubber-soled clogs squeaking on the polished tile floor.
Grayson sat beside Helen’s bed.
“How good of you to come, Adrea.” The older woman reached a trembly hand toward her young visitor.
Adrea clasped Helen’s hand. “Of course I came. I had to see about my favorite lady. I’m so sorry. Are you in pain?”
“No, dear. Thank goodness Pastor Grayson came to check on me. I was hurting pretty badly and couldn’t get to the phone. But they gave me something and now I’m just tired.”
“We’ll go and leave you alone so you can rest.” Grayson stood.
“Please stay.” Helen barely managed a whisper. “I love having you both here.”
“I’ll stay for a while if you stop talking and try to rest. How’s that?” Adrea patted Helen’s hand.
“Very well, I guess I do need a little nap.” Her sad blue eyes closed and within minutes, her breathing evened and she began softly snoring.
Adrea gently withdrew her hand from Helen’s limp grasp. Nodding at Pastor Grayson, she turned to go, but he followed.
“What did the doctor say?” she asked.
“It’s a clean break and should heal well. They’ll transfer her to their rehabilitation center when she’s ready. It’ll be a long, painful road, but he expects her to fully recover.”
“Why did she fall? She’s always been steady on her feet.”
“She said she tried to get up too fast and got her foot caught in the sheet.”
“Poor Helen.” Adrea shook her head. “She’s frailer than she used to be—even more than just a few months ago. I cook for her sometimes, but I don’t think she’s eating well.”
“Wade’s problems have done a number on her.”
On all of us.
Saturday morning, Adrea hurried toward Helen’s room.
“Adrea.”
Heart pounding, she squeezed her eyes shut and turned around. Wade stood in the waiting room. She greeted him with a forced smile.
He looked like the man she used to know. The circles under his eyes had receded. Groomed hair, neat clothing, sober.
“How’s Helen?”
“Comfortable. Mark was here when I arrived.”
Great. “How’d that go?”
“Civil. I’m sorry about the way I’ve acted lately.”
“I’m just glad you’re doing better.”
“Much better. I got reacquainted with God and I’m back in church.”
Just what she’d prayed for. “I’m glad. Really glad.”
“I could still use your prayers. Shell ditched me in Missouri, and I followed her back here.” Raw pain shone in his eyes. “She’s pregnant. I’m trying to patch things up with her, but so far, she’s not interested.”
Despite the reminder of the children they’d planned together, his despair tugged at her. She touched his shoulder.
She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Grayson entered the waiting room.
Wade’s jaw twitched.
Her hand dropped to her side.
A frown furrowed Grayson’s brow.
Confusion with a tad of disappointment.
He cleared his throat. “Is Helen awake?”
Grayson, along with Mark, Adrea, and Grace did their best to keep Helen company since her move to rehab. Several members from Palisade visited, as well. Grayson often ran into Adrea there and a few times, they shared coffee.
In the cafeteria, Grayson chose a table near the door, so he could watch for her, as always, looking forward to the extra chance to see her. He drummed his fingers on the melamine table, hoping she’d show before he had to leave.
The scene with Wade and Adrea had played through his mind several times in the last month. Sober so far, Wade had a new job in Searcy. An alcoholic working at a country club? Par for the course of a golf instructor.
Grayson took a swig of the lukewarm, knock-the-top-of-your-head-off coffee.
Hopefully, whatever was between Wade and Adrea was over. Was that selfish? Wade needed her. With Adrea in his life, he might have incentive to stay sober. But she certainly didn’t need Wade.
Adrea stepped off the elevator. A breath of late-spring air dressed in a pale green top and white short pants. What do they call those things? Capris? Whatever they were, they showed off her slender ankles.
His heart skipped a beat.
“Would you like some bad coffee?” Great line.
“I’ll just go see Helen first.”
“The nurse ran me out.”
“All right then.” She hesitated at his table, then got her cup and added two creams and two sugars, just like she always did. With no further way to delay, she took the seat across from him.
“Helen’s making an amazing recovery.”
Distracted by something, Adrea didn’t respond.
He followed her gaze.
Sylvie Kroft headed their way.
She stopped at their table, apparently speechless, a rare occurrence for her. Grayson could see the wheels of gossip spinning.
“Well, well.” She found her tongue. “Isn’t this cozy.”
“Hello, Sylvie.” Calm and casual. Nothing of interest going on here. “We’re just celebrating Helen’s speedy recuperation. Her therapist plans to release her next week. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Just grand. Did the two of you come here together?”
“No, I had no idea Pastor Grayson was here.” Adrea traced the rim of her Styrofoam cup. “We just ran into
each other.”
“What a coincidence. Why just last week, Mrs. Jones said how nice it was that you two had visited Mrs. Fenwick.”
Poor Adrea. Her usually smiling mouth pulled into a tight line. With jerky movements, she set her cup down, sloshing steaming liquid on the table. She shouldn’t have to defend the completely innocent situation. Well, maybe not completely innocent.
He often caught himself not thinking of Helen’s injury at all, but instead, his mind strayed to the lovely woman sitting across from him. Curbing his thoughts, fearing Sylvie might somehow read them, Grayson took a sip of his tepid coffee.
“We’ve both been checking on her often. We don’t want her to feel lonely.”
“That’s nice.” Sylvie smirked. “She doesn’t have anyone except that horrible Wade.”
“Several people from church have visited with her since she’s been here. I’m really glad we have such a supportive church family.” Grayson frowned for effect. “We haven’t seen you here before or at the hospital. Is this your first visit, or have we just missed each other?”
Sylvie’s coral-tinted lips moved like a gasping fish out of water, then twisted into a fake smile. “Well, I’ve been busy. I’ll leave you two alone to visit or…whatever it was you were doing. I’ll just go see Mrs. Fenwick now.”
“You do that.” Grayson smiled.
She glanced back over her shoulder several times until she disappeared through double doors. Sylvie’s husband, an alcoholic, never stepped foot in church. Their two children, both grown and gone with lives of their own, never came for a visit. Instead of having empathy for the plight of Helen and Wade, since alcoholism controlled Sylvie’s life as well, she took all her heartache and picked apart the lives of others. Grayson prayed for her daily.
Adrea sipped her coffee. “Why does she hate me?”
“It’s not you. Sylvie’s life isn’t…easy. She lives next door to Sara’s parents, over in Searcy, and I think she got the impression they were the perfect family. Her daughter was friends with Grace and Sara. Sylvie idolized Sara.”
“I hope she won’t bother Helen about Wade.” Adrea downed the last of her coffee. “Maybe she’ll have enough gossip concerning us.”
“What can she say?” Grayson asked. “We’re sitting in an extremely public place having coffee.”
“She’ll say something. I’m certain of it.” She stood and threw her coffee cup away. “I need to get back to the shop, so I’ll check on Helen and be on my way.”
Grayson watched her go with a hitch in his heart. He always hated it when she left.
He’d been praying about his developing feelings for her, and somehow he got the impression Sara approved. Adrea loved Jesus and the church. She loved kids. She was great with Dayne, older people, and the hospitalized.
What if I let myself fall for her and she dies? Just like Sara.
No. Better to stifle such wandering feelings. He had enough people to worry about.
After class, Adrea returned to the sanctuary through the side door. A hush settled over the crowd already there. She’d noticed it all morning. Sylvie had done her job.
Helen was sitting in her usual spot. Her first Sunday back. Though she walked stiffly, with a walker, she’d even made it for class.
Whispers swished through the assembly, with several members looking toward the back of the sanctuary. Adrea glanced over her shoulder. Her jaw dropped.
Chapter 6
Despite the long hair hanging in his eyes, Adrea recognized the man flanked by Jack and Grayson. Wade stumbled down the aisle of Palisade.
Mark hurried toward her. “What’s he doing here?”
When Wade tripped, Grayson steadied him.
Wade jerked his arm away. “I can walk on my own.”
“I’ll sit with you.” Mark put a protective arm around her shoulders.
“No, you go on up front. I’ll be fine. He’s so far gone he may not even recognize me.”
“Wishful thinking on your part.”
Mark claimed his usual seat beside Grace and Dayne. Adrea hurried to the back of the sanctuary.
Wade sat beside Helen, tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn’t need this.
Despite his rough appearance, the congregation welcomed him. Several greeted him and Adrea heard snippets of how much his mother meant to them. With each greeting, Wade seemed more miserable.
Sylvie Kroft kept her distance, but her eyes never left his disheveled appearance.
The well-trained pastor’s son ran to meet the visitor and offered his hand. “I’m Dayne Sterling. Nice to have you at Palisade.”
Wade started crying.
Adrea’s heart lurched.
Grace hurried to retrieve her confused nephew.
Knowing Helen needed support, Adrea waited until the harpist began then forced herself to move forward and claim her usual seat on the other side of Helen. The whiff of alcohol turned her stomach. Wade was so out of it, he didn’t notice her presence at first. By the time he did, the congregational hymns had already begun.
During the song service, he jiggled his feet and twiddled his thumbs. Adrea watched him from under her lashes. His palpable nervousness proved contagious. She half expected him to break and run.
Grayson launched into his sermon. “People think they have to clean up before they come to Christ. They think they have to beat their demons before He will accept them. The complete opposite is true. If you’ll just trust Him, He’ll clean you up. He’ll take your burdens away. Jesus Christ will instill in your heart the desire to come clean. Commit yourself to Jesus and He’ll wash all your sins away.”
Halfway through the message, Wade had the entire pew bouncing as he trembled.
To drive his point home, Grayson quoted 2 Corinthians 5:17. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
The hymn began as everyone bowed their heads. Adrea felt certain at least half the church prayed for the jittering man seated beside his mother. The second verse began and Wade squirmed even more. Several people knelt at the altar.
Adrea continued to pray. Finally, as if he could stand it no longer, just as the song neared its conclusion, he sprang to his feet and staggered toward the altar.
Helen stood and made slow progress with her walker. Two deacons rushed to Wade’s side. As his stance tilted precariously, the men steadied him.
Pastor Grayson stepped off the stage and whispered something to Mark, then went to meet Wade. The entire congregation seemed to hold its collective breath.
Finally, Wade made it to the front and knelt at the intricate, hand-carved altar, joined by Grayson and eventually Helen. The song leader started the hymn over and after all four verses, ended again. Wade kept sobbing.
Mark stood. “Pastor Grayson would like the deacons to stay. Tom Deavers will offer the closing prayer and everyone else is dismissed afterward.”
After Tom’s prayer, the congregation filtered out of the pews and moved to the back of the church. Sylvie Kroft sat rooted to her seat, until Grace offered to walk her out.
In the lobby, Grace stopped beside Adrea. “Since Mark’s tied up, Dayne and I can take you home.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll wait for Mark.” Her heart hammered in her ears.
“It might be awhile and Grayson can take him home. I learned a long time ago, never to ride with my brother. That way I don’t get stranded here.”
“I’ll be fine. I want to make sure Helen’s okay anyway.”
“What was wrong with that man?” Dayne asked.
“He’s real sick, sweetie.” Grace patted her nephew’s shoulder. “But he came to the right place.”
Adrea waved as they left then went to her car and tried to enjoy the peaceful late May weather.
The parking lot cleared, leaving only a handful of vehicles behind. A few minutes later, the church door opened and Grayson ran to his car, followed by Mark and Tom.
Adrea fro
wned. What was going on?
None of the men seemed to notice her as they passed, with Mark driving.
Adrea didn’t know what to do. Go home or wait and see if Mark came back. As she tried to decide, the church door burst open. Wade stumbled out and headed straight for Helen’s sedan. Tires screeched as he tore out of the parking lot.
She watched until he was out of sight, praying that no one ended up in his path. Then Helen came out of the church and Adrea ran to meet her.
“Where did he go?” Tears streamed down the older woman’s face.
“I don’t know, but he took your car.”
“Go after him. Please.” The urgency in Helen’s eyes convinced Adrea to do as asked.
“How will you get home?”
“A deacon will take care of me. Just please go to his apartment. Make sure he arrives safely.”
Adrea climbed the rusty stairs to Wade’s room.
With no response to her hesitant knock, she tried the knob. Greasy, but unlocked. Dreading the encounter, she pushed the door open.
He sat on the sagging couch. The refuse around him wasn’t as bad as last time, but getting there. A glass of clabbered milk made her gag. She trekked through the strewn-about trash to take the putrid liquid to the kitchen sink, just to get it out of smelling distance. She shivered.
“Wade? Are you all right?”
“What are you doing here?”
“You tell me. Helen asked me to come.”
“How is Mom?” His chin quivered.
“She was upset.” Adrea perched on the well-worn sofa arm.
“I’m…leaving later.” He touched her hair and traced her jaw with his fingertips.
She turned away. “Don’t.”
“If only I’d loved you the way you deserved to be loved, we’d have gotten married and none of this would’ve happened.”
Unwilling to take the trip down memory lane, she studied her chipped, jagged fingernails, fighting the urge to nibble. “So, what happened at the church?”
He ran his hand through his hair and patted the seat next to him. “Come sit beside me. I won’t try anything. I promise.”
ARKANSAS WEDDINGS: THREE-IN-ONE COLLECTION Page 8
