“Wow. I had no idea. I told my mom I wouldn’t be late. She’s watching the kids.”
“Your mom is amazing. One of my favorite people, and someday I hope I can grow up to be just like her.”
“Yeah. She can be a little bit intimidating because she’s so…wonderful. You know?”
“I guess I don’t find her intimidating, because she’s always been very friendly and sweet, quick to laugh at herself, and I’ve never seen her get upset or impatient.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that, too. But she does have a voice, and when she uses that tone, you know she means business, and people jump to do whatever it is she wants. She doesn’t use it very often, but it’s very effective.”
“I would imagine it would be, if she was a single mom raising six kids.”
“Yeah. She was quite a woman.”
“Well, hopefully she doesn’t have to use her tone on you whenever you come walking in at midnight, and after telling her that she wouldn’t be there for very long.”
“The kids are old enough that they really don’t need a babysitter, but I like to have an adult around just to keep an eye on them. I… Maybe I’m a little overprotective that way.”
“Somebody had to take them home anyway. And something tells me your mom doesn’t mind keeping an eye on them.”
They had started walking back toward the bakery.
“I assume you live over the bakery right now?”
“I do.”
“All right, I’ll walk you home, since I kept you out so late.”
Him saying that made it almost seem like a date, when it wasn’t anything close. But… She had never been out on a date when she lost track of time so thoroughly as they chatted about everything and anything.
True to his word, he walked her to the bakery, which had a closed sign hanging on the window.
“This might be a stupid question, but you have a key, right?”
“I do. And if I don’t, I have my phone, and Summer will let me in.”
“All right. If you don’t mind, I’ll wait until I see you walk in. Mistletoe Meadows is as safe as any town, but there is always a lunatic around somewhere.”
“Unfortunately, that’s true,” she said as she pulled the key out of her pocket and put it in the lock of the door that was directly beside the window in the bakery.
“I had a really great time, thank you so much for your offer and for being willing to talk to me, and… Yeah. Thank you.” She wanted to say she was looking forward to moving in with him, but that sounded a little weird, and for some reason, she couldn’t think of any other words.
“Thank you. And I’m sorry I didn’t think of this earlier. I should have. It wasn’t very nice of me to only be thinking about myself.”
“Nobody thought that you should be offering your home or not buying a place just because I needed it. Honest.”
“I thought about that, but then… Christians are supposed to be different, right? I shouldn’t have been just thinking about myself, even though I’m the protector and provider of my family and my children should come first. I should have been thinking about a way I could help you, that would enable you to do what you wanted.”
“I don’t know about that. I guess I disagree on the one hand, but on the other hand, I do agree that Christians are supposed to be different, and too many times we’re not. We’re just as selfish as everyone around us, and people have to look really hard with a microscope almost in order to actually see Jesus in us. It shouldn’t be that way.”
“You’re absolutely right about that. I don’t want them to have to use a microscope. I want Jesus to radiate off me in such a way that people barely have to glance at me before they know that Jesus is here.” He tapped his heart.
She nodded, charmed, despite herself. The evening had been…magical might have been a little too strong of a word, but it had been wonderful at the very least, and to know that he felt that way about the Lord made it even better.
She was completely and totally content and happy about moving in with him and his three children. And even more relaxed and unafraid about opening her business back up, even though she no longer owned the stable. She was confident that he would treat her right, no matter what happened.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said as the lock clicked and she opened the door.
“Thank you. You’ll let me know if anything comes up, right?”
