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“You know what I mean.”
“I think it has to do with just allowing God to be in charge. I have to admit that He knows better than I do, and for me to try to micromanage what He already has under control is pointless. Sometimes I don’t remember that. You know I’m not always chill.”
“You’re the most chill person I know. And by chill, I mean content to allow God to run your life. I... I sometimes wish I could do that as well as you do it.”
“There are a lot of things I wish I could do as well as you. Like planting trees. I’m not sure I can get out of this truck. My body has stiffened up to the point where blinking my eyes hurts.”
“But talking doesn’t?” He gave her a lopsided grin as he jerked the handle of his door. “Hold on a second. I’ll come over and give you a hand.”
“You’re older than I am. I should be the one helping you.”
“What’s a couple of years among friends?” he said before his door shut.
She managed to get her door open. But honestly, she wasn’t joking when she said that her entire body hurt.
She was moving, but it was slow enough that he had made it around the pickup and stood in the opening of her door by the time she got her seat belt off and her body twisted and pointing out the door.
“Here,” he said, holding his hand out.
She put hers in it, and he froze.
He didn’t move back, didn’t move to help her, didn’t move at all.
“Pam?” he said, low and soft. His eyes still pointing downward.
She looked at the ground. Was there a snake or something down there?
“What?” she asked, more concern in her voice than she meant for there to be.
“I just realized something.”
“What’s that?” she asked, truly baffled.
“You don’t have a ring.”
“Oh my goodness.”
Her breath stopped. Her heart did too. At least it felt like it. Her mother would notice that immediately. Like, before she even had the door closed behind her. It wouldn’t matter if Pam was in the kitchen or attic or bathroom. Her mother would immediately sense that there was no ring on her finger.
“It’s too late to do anything about it. I told her we would be here.”
She couldn’t help it; her voice raised in panic. She hated to admit that she was panicking, but she definitely was. Funny how a small piece of metal could do that to her. “I’m sorry. I totally never even thought about it.”
“You don’t have to apologize. You did this for me.”
“You did it for me.”
His head lifted, and his eyes met hers, and she realized he truly was serious. He appreciated her doing it as much as she appreciated him. He really detested Stacy.
But Stacy wasn’t a permanent fixture in his life the way her mom was.
“I... I have some costume jewelry upstairs, and a couple of nicer pieces too, but my mom has seen every one of them. She’s the kind of person who doesn’t forget an outfit or any of the accessories that go along with it.”
“I suppose it would be a stretch to get her to believe that we didn’t buy a ring, but you used your favorite piece of jewelry instead. But I don’t like the idea of that.”
“I don’t either, but I’m at a loss for anything else.”
“Well...” The hand that wasn’t holding hers went slowly to the collar of his shirt, where he pulled down and hooked a finger around the chain that always hung around his neck.
