Evie nodded and then turned her attention back to her abundant curls. She shared her thick, wavy brown hair with her mother and father. Feeling for additional pins and finding none, she took up her brush. She gazed into her mirror and thought of the party. Instantly her mind went to Max Garrison.
He was a very handsome man, she had to admit. And he seemed comfortable speaking to her about his beliefs and thoughts. She didn’t think that being paired up with him wouldbe difficult. He was intelligent and seemed unintimidated by her being the same. Perhaps it would be the start of a great friendship.
Perhaps something more.
Evie thought again about her nursing dilemma. Mother had suggested giving her the summer off, since she’d been studying so hard for the last few years. It had come as a pleasant surprise, but it had also given Evie all the more reason to avoid telling them the truth. Now it was August, and the summer was nearly finished. Her father had already mentioned her starting to make rounds with him. She would be expected to take her place as a nurse, and there would be no avoiding the matter.
She finished with the brush and plaited her hair for bed. She wanted to be what her parents needed her to be. She wanted to delight her father. All her life, she had been particularly close to him and loved pleasing him. She loved her mother as well, but Mother seemed content with her children no matter what they did. She liked that about her. Evie had always felt accepted and encouraged to do whatever she wanted, so long as it was useful in helping others and honoring God.
Evie sighed and glanced again in the mirror as she tied off her braid. She’d be twenty-two next month. Twenty-two and working at her father’s charity hospital. Taking charge of the nursing care in time. A job she was not at all looking forward to.
She buried her face in her hands.Lord, help me. I don’t know what to do. I know I need to tell them the truth, but I hate letting everyone down. The town is counting on me. My family is counting onme. Why did You allow me to be like this? Why must I get sick to my stomach every time I encounter injuries and blood? It’s just not fair. I wanted so much to be a nurseand easethe suffering of people. I wanted to help my father and earn his admiration.
The clock chimed midnight, drawing Evie out of her piteous prayers. She rose and went to her bed. “Just give me insight, Lord. Please.”
7
Evie joined her parents at the breakfast table. Upstairs was absolute chaos with her siblings running in what seemed to be twenty different directions even though there were only nine people involved. Twelve if you counted the various staff members.
“Good morning, my dear,” Mother said as Evie paused by her chair to kiss her cheek.
“Good morning, Mother. Father.” Evie wondered if perhaps she should just tell them about her issues with nursing. It wasn’t like it would take all that long, and with the coming onslaught of people for breakfast, none of them could long keep it the topic of conversation. Of course, they’d want to talk about it later.
“Morning, everyone,” Evan said, dashing into the room like a man on a mission. He grabbed two pieces of buttered toast and headed for the door. “Sorry I can’t stay. Evie, I’ll be here exactly at ten to pick you up. We’ll pick up Max Garrison on the way and then meet up with Carl and the others and drive over to the lake.”
Evie didn’t even get a chance to acknowledge him. He was already gone when she looked up.
“Well, he was certainly in a hurry,” Father said, looking over the edge of his newspaper. “It would appear he has something important to accomplish. And what’s this about going to the lake?”
“Just something Evan put together for a few of us,” Evie replied, taking her seat. “He wanted to spend the day with Christina, so it worked to his advantage.”
“And Max Garrison is joining you?” Mother asked. “That’s something new.”
“Yes.” Evie placed her napkin on her lap. “We both enjoyed meeting Max and thought it might be fun to include him.”
“So, it would seem with the others matched together, Max will be your escort,” Mother stated more than asked.
“I suppose so.” Evie smiled. “I enjoyed his company last night. He doesn’t seem at all offended nor intimidated by my intelligence, which is quite refreshing.”
Father snickered from behind his paper at this.
Evie heard voices coming down the hall getting louder and louder. The Turner children were hungry and well rested. All normal discussion came to a screeching halt, and Father put aside his paper knowing what was soon to come.
First into the room was Jared. At nine years of age, he was often the first to make his presence known. He bounced all the way over to their mother and wrapped his arms around her.
“Good morning, Mother!” he shouted. “We’re going horseback riding today!”
“Yes, I know,” Mother replied, hugging him close. “I don’t need to ask if you’re excited.”
“I’m so excited. Horses are the very best. I’m going to have two hundred horses when I get older.” He peeled himself off her and ran to his father’s open arms. Hugging him quickly, Jared then plopped into the chair beside him. “Why can’t you come riding too?”
Before Evie heard what her father had to say about the matter, she saw Jim and Abigail enter the room in some rapid-fire discussion. The two were both fifteen, with Abigail having been adopted just days after James, who preferred to be called Jim, was born. When Mother had heard about the orphaned infant girl whose mother had died at Bethany Home, she’d insisted they had room and ability to raise her alongside their son. After all, Mother had dealt with twins before.
There was a closeness between Jim and Abigail that was rivaled only by Evie and Evan. They were seldom all that far away from each other, and their glances and nods reminded Evie of how she and Evan often communicated. She smiled when they glanced her way. Each murmured a greeting as if realizing they had been far too consumed with their own conversation.
Next came Meri. She took a seat as thirteen-year-old Penelope and eleven-year-old Winifred went to kiss their mother.
Mother, ever attentive, looked over their hair and riding habits before nodding in approval. “You two are quite lovely today. Are you looking forward to your riding lessons?”
