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“Sí, sí,” Oscar said, nodding enthusiastically. “We are so happy to have your help!”
A wave of relief and gratitude washed over Noah at hearing the words in lightly accented English. At least one of the locals would understand him. He wished he’d had more time to prepare and learn at least a few helpful phrases.
Musical laughter pulled at Noah and brought a smile to his face. In spite of the children’s unfavorable circumstances, this felt like a happy place. A safe place. The laugh sounded again, followed by a string of Spanish in a voice that tugged at his memory.
His smile faltered. Scanning the courtyard, his eyes passed over the heads of the giggling orphans and around the volunteers, searching for the owner of that laugh, that voice. The crowd parted enough to reveal a far corner of the courtyard where several of the children had gathered around a dark-haired woman and were tickling her and rattling away in Spanish.
Noah’s feet dragged him closer to the group, willing his eyes to disprove what his ears were hearing. Dark, curly hair tumbled about the woman’s shoulders, her head ducked as she spoke to one of the smaller children. She looked up, and the mirth froze on her face, taking with it all of Noah’s plans for fresh starts and reinvention.
Grace.
Of all the people. Grace. Nearly two hundred million square miles of surface area, over seven billion people occupying Earth, and now he would be trapped for five days on a couple of acres with the one person who hated him most.
Spectacular.
Noah’s thoughts swirled with the contents of his stomach. Would she acknowledge they knew each other or pretend they’d never met? He could see her discomfort and hated knowing he’d caused it. If only he could leave.
She was obviously better suited for this adventure, with her friendliness and uncomplicated life and affinity for children, not to mention her Spanish. One of the boys climbed onto her lap and pressed her cheeks between his hands, pulling her attention away and evoking another laugh as she replied to the boy’s rapid-fire entreaties. She agreed to whatever he was asking, wrapping her arms around him for a hug before setting him back on the ground and following him and several other children toward a swing set.
“You okay?” Vanessa pulled him from his blatant staring.
“Uh, yeah,” he said, scrambling to excuse his gaping. “Just... a little overwhelmed.” He hauled his eyes from Grace and her entourage, summoning a smile for Vanessa.
She took his arm and led him to a table where several of the children were coloring. “I don’t speak the language either, but what matters is that you make the effort to engage the kids. It takes a little longer for them to open up to the English speakers, but they’re very sweet.”
He faked cheerfulness and sat down to color. Luckily, it didn’t require much concentration, because his thoughts were stuck on Grace at the swings.
Thanks to the labeled crayons, Noah almost had his Spanish colors down when one of the nuns rang a triangle, prompting a migration of children toward a building at the back of the property.
“Volunteers,” Jane called, motioning them in the opposite direction. In his peripheral vision Noah saw Grace disentangle herself, encouraging her fans to follow the other children before heading his way. Not that she was coming tohim, but he did happen to be standing at the edge of their group. Their eyes met briefly, sending a zing of anxiety through his stomach.
“We’ll be staying in the east dorms,” Jane said. “Dinner is almost ready, so if you’ll grab your stuff, we can get things put away and go get some food.”
Noah picked up his bag and found himself face-to-face with Grace, who chuckled uncomfortably as they stepped in the same direction, twice, in an attempt to move past each other. He gave her a tight smile and motioned with one hand for her to go ahead, following in her familiar flowery-scented wake. Hopefully that would fade after a couple of days with limited showers.
Their accommodations consisted of one big room with a multicolored tile floor and six sets of neatly made bunk beds. “They’ve consolidated the kids in the other building, so we’ll have this room while we’re here. We’ll sleep on the floor to save them from having to clean the bedding,” Jane explained, “but we’ll set up sleeping arrangements later. You can stow your stuff along the wall for now.”
Noah took his time staking out a corner and arranging his things, stalling until Grace had left before following the other stragglers to the dining hall at the rear of the property. Right inside the door, the smell of soap and a row of sinks invited them to wash before lining up for fresh tortillas, beans, rice, salsa, and sliced watermelon set in a buffet. The children were already seated at several long cafeteria tables set in rows, but Jane encouraged the volunteers to disperse among them.
Last to arrive, Noah took the only seat available and ended up much closer to Grace than he would have chosen, their backs to each other at adjacent tables. He smiled at the children surrounding him but was unable to focus with the sound of Grace’s voice prattling away in Spanish. The tone she used reminded him of her teasing. Unable to understand a word on either side, he imagined she was coaxing them to tell her about themselves, teasing them into sharing their thoughts with her.
His hand tightened on his fork and sent a piece of watermelon splattering across the table, drawing a giggle from a young neighbor.Take it easy, he thought, shrugging with a smile at the pig-tailed girl at his side. She laughed again and went back to eating.
He’d been looking forward to a clean slate—a getaway from his usual worries and a chance to reinvent himself. Now Grace’s presence goaded him with reminders of his inadequacies. Limited options ran through his head as he ate without tasting the good food. He could pretend they didn’t know each other. She’d probably prefer that. Maybe they would work on different crews, allowing them to avoid each other most of the time. Grace had never mentioned any construction skills. If that were the case, it shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid her because she’d likely be assigned to other tasks. And his van-mates already knew he wasn’t talkative. The easiest course would be to stay quiet and keep his distance. The harder part would be keeping Grace out of his thoughts.
So much for losing his load.
Chapter 31
Fun Facts
The last few children scrapedtheir plates clean and piled them into a bin by the kitchen before scurrying out the door. Jane gave them knuckles as they left, then addressed the group of volunteers.
“Hey, everyone,” she said, waiting for their chatter to die down. “I’m so glad we all made it here okay, and I want to thank you again for being a part of this amazing week, especially those who have agreed to do the evening devotionals for me. Marcus, you and Grace have tomorrow, Emily has Thursday, and Friday will be our farewell dinner party with the kids.
“Tonight I’d like to do introductions, even though most of us already know each other. Give us your name, why you’re here, and one fun fact.”
Jane went first, explaining that she’d started coming to the orphanage five years prior with the family of a friend. Chad followed her and emphasized their wedding date coming up in a few weeks as his fun fact. Garth shared the backstory on his name, Emily said she thought this trip would be a good way to kick-start a better perspective, and Vanessa expressed her love of country dancing. Alec was excited to polish his rusty Spanish while working with the kids.
