Hope Springs (11 page)

“Wee-eell . . . you could've refused to take it.”

“Girl, please. If he knows I'm not serious and still wants to bless me like this, that's on him.”

“I'm surprised he's not with you tonight.”

“First I told him I had to work, which I did. We always have an event on New Year's Eve. But I'd worked on all the preplanning and the setup. When I told Dexter about Grandma Geri and the prayer service, he said I should go, that they had it covered.” She added, “Have to admit it was a hard call, though.
Everybody
goes to this New Year's Eve bash.”

Libby worked for one of the most popular event planners in the Raleigh-Durham area. Dexter Newsome had been featured in national magazines.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I left Al a voice mail at the last minute to say the plan had changed. He didn't need to be coming to Hope Springs with me again. It's starting to feel suffocating.”

Janelle stepped out of her jeans and lifted her top over her head. “Poor Al. He seemed so nice.”

“Poor Al? I doubt I'm the only one he's seeing. At least I hope not.”

Janelle pulled on a sweater and zipped her skirt. “So when are you settling down?”

“You sound like Mom and Dad.”

“Okaaay . . . is it a weird question?” Janelle sifted through her luggage. Why hadn't she put her makeup bag on top?

“It assumes I'm not ‘settled' now. My life feels very settled and comfortable, thank you very much.”

“If you say so.” She never wanted to judge her cousin's choices, but she didn't know how she could be happy moving from one guy to the next. She found the makeup bag and took it to the mirror. “Are you still seeing that other guy—Tony? I thought he was nice too.”

He'd driven with Libby to Maryland to see Janelle on a quick day trip a few months ago.

“From time to time,” Libby said. “But he's boring. Never wants to do anything or go anywhere. That trip to Maryland was like living on the edge for him.”

Janelle laughed as she powder-puffed her cheeks and nose. “I take offense at that on behalf of all the boring people in the world. We're worthy of love too!”

Libby laughed with her. “You know I love you, but I won't argue. You're boring too.”

“Long as you still love me.” Janelle quickly applied eye shadow and blush. “On a completely different note, that was an interesting exchange you and Travis had at Pastor Jim's gravesite. I haven't had a chance to ask you about it.”

Libby shrugged. “I just said I was surprised to hear he was a pastor. Weren't you, when you first heard?”

“Seemed like there was more to it than that.”

“Well, if we're digging . . . I haven't had a chance to ask
you
about that walk you and Kory had.”

Now it was Janelle's turn to shrug. “He was just telling me what happened with Shelley. Still can't believe he's going through that.”

Libby stared at her. “Mm-hmm. That was it, huh?”

“Basically.”

Estelle stepped in. “Girls, we've got to go
now
. It's eleven thirty. Your dad already took the kids to the car.”

“Coming.” Janelle wedged her feet into her heels, snatched her purse from the bed, and eased out of the room . . . happy to leave that part of the conversation behind.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

N
ew Jerusalem was packed and rocking. The choir clapped and swayed side to side, singing “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,” and the bodies in the pews clapped, swayed, and sang with them. Kory Miller stood, watching, wanting to praise. That's why he'd come. He knew this night would be hard, and if he stayed home he'd have to weather a flood of emotion. Not that he wanted Shelley back. He simply grieved the loss of what he'd thought they had, and the loss of a mother at home for Dee.

At Grandma Geri's house after the funeral, Kory had talked at length with Travis. The two men were about the same age and connected easily. Though Travis was a pastor, he was open about having walked a path that didn't glorify God, and how surprised he was that God would even call him to pastor. Kory shared his story as well, and when Travis heard that it was last New Year's Eve that his wife left him, he'd urged him to come to the service tonight.

New Jerusalem was about thirty minutes away from their condo in Rocky Mount, so Kory hadn't even considered Hope Springs in his search for a church. Besides, he favored larger churches and wanted an established kids' ministry for Dee. But after talking to Travis and hearing the message he gave tonight, he was already thinking he'd be back Sunday.

“I'd like everyone to be seated for a moment,” Pastor Travis was saying. He walked down the steps from the pulpit area. “We're about to have special prayer for a dear mother in the church, Geraldine Sanders.”

Dee patted Kory's arm. “Daddy, only twenty-three minutes and fifteen seconds till the New Year.” She had his phone in her hand, using the clock app to count down. This was the first year she'd gotten into the change in calendar year, not realizing its significance in her own life.

Kory acknowledged Dee with a smile and an arm around her shoulder, but he was focused on what was happening up front. Was something wrong with Grandma Geri?

“Grandma Geri, how long have you been a member of New Jerusalem?” Pastor Travis held the microphone in front of her.

Grandma Geri was dressed in white, seated in the front pew. “Elwood and I moved to Hope Springs shortly after we married, when he was working for the railroad. That's when we joined. 'Bout sixty-four years ago.”

The congregation reacted with
wows
.

“Sixty-four years.” Pastor Travis shook his head, then looked out at everyone. “And a faithful member too. I bet she hardly missed a Sunday in all that time.”

Grandma Geri said something, but she didn't have the microphone. Pastor Travis gave it to her. “We couldn't hear you,” he said. “Could you repeat that?”

“I said only if I was traveling, because you know I like to stay on the go!”

“Will the members of Grandma Geri's family come forward, please?” Travis watched them rise and move out of the pews. “While they're coming, I want to let you all know that Grandma Geri was recently diagnosed with lung cancer—”

“Oh, Lord, no.” Kory spoke to himself, but he heard the same rippling throughout the congregation.

“—but we know our God is a healer—”

“Yes, He is!” rang forth.

“—and we don't intend to go into the New Year relying on a doctor's report. We're relying on the Most High God who has already numbered our days and knows the end from the beginning.”

“Amen!”

“I believe all the family is gathered. I'd like to ask the congregation to stand again as we pray.”

“Hold on, Pastor,” someone said.

The church doors had opened, and Kory turned to see Janelle's parents and her uncle Wood coming in, and Libby—

“Daddy, Daddy, look! It's Tiffany!”

Kory had spotted her at the same time—along with her mother. Janelle must've stayed in town longer than planned. He watched them scurry down the aisle to complete the semicircle that had formed around Grandma Geri.

Those near Grandma Geri laid hands on her, and the others stretched theirs toward her as the pastor prayed. Kory listened to every word, and his heart fell when he heard the cancer was in a late stage. “Heal her, Lord,” he whispered in agreement. “You're able.”

As the prayer ended and the family took their seats, Pastor Travis headed back to the podium. “Five minutes until midnight,” he said.

“No, it's not. It's four minutes and forty-six seconds,” Dee whispered.

Kory kept Janelle in view. She and her kids had squeezed into a pew on the opposite side of the aisle.

“As we prepare to step into a new year,” Pastor Travis continued, “I want you to remember that one word I gave you. What was it?”

“Press!” the congregation yelled.

Earlier Travis had read the apostle Paul's words: “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Then he had led them through an exercise where he'd given several scenarios of what they might have gone through this past year, ending each one with, “But I”—and the congregation filled in the blank—“press!”

“I know some of y'all think I'm too young to know what it means to have to press.” He leaned over the podium. “But believe me when I say I've been through some things . . .”

Kory saw his gaze flitter to the section with Janelle and Libby.

“Press, saints. Don't live in the past. Don't let it stop you from living the abundant life Jesus died to give you today. Press on.”

The organist struck up a few chords.

“And you know what the organ means,” Pastor Travis said. “How many seconds do we have?”

“Twenty!” somebody shouted.

“Stand to your feet and let's count down.”

Kory felt the energy around him as voices rose and the organ played.

“. . . 18, 17, 16 . . .”

He felt his own energy rising within. He didn't have to focus on what happened a year ago. He could press forward.

“. . . 10, 9, 8 . . .”

Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus, for Your peace
.

“Daddy, it's almost here!”

Kory picked her up as the cheers rang out. “Happy New Year, sweetheart!”

Dee threw her arms around his neck. “Happy New Year, Daddy!” She watched people spilling out of the pews to hug those around them. She squirmed to get down. “Can I go say hi to Tiffany?”

Kory glanced in Janelle's direction, but couldn't see her or her children with all the mingling. “Sure, sweetheart.”

“Will you go with me?”

He felt awkward. He didn't want Janelle to think he'd shown up hoping to run into her. She'd been hesitant about being friends and certainly hadn't reached out to him yet. He didn't want to push.

“Daddy, come on.”

Dee started across the aisle, pulling him along. One thing was sure. He was glad Tiffany had brought his daughter out of her shell. He'd been praying for Dee to find a friend like that in Rocky Mount.

Dee moved through the crowd, finally spotting her quarry. She touched Tiffany's back, and Tiffany squealed when she turned around. “Dee!” They embraced like old friends.

Janelle turned, her eyes warm. “Hey. I didn't know you'd be here.”

“Same here. I thought you left a few days ago.”

She looked beautiful as always—gorgeous brown skin, beautiful hair—but it was the beauty that radiated from her soul that captivated him from the beginning. Since everyone was hugging around them, he gave her a quick one too. “Happy New Year.”

She returned it easily. “Happy New Year, Kory.”

They exchanged an amused glance as Tiffany and Dee started in on what they'd gotten for Christmas. Both girls had several pigtails, but Kory could see that Tiffany's hair was much better styled. He had a long way to go in the hair department.

“I was sorry to hear about Grandma Geri,” Kory said.

Janelle nodded. “It was a shock to all of us.”

“I was just coming to say that, how shocked I am.” Sara Ann had walked up beside them.

“Hey, Sara Ann,” Janelle said. “I don't know if you remember Kory.”

Sara Ann smiled. “I remember pushing your daughter on the swing.” She shook his hand and said hello to the girls.

“Do you always come to Watch Night Service?” Janelle asked her.

“I've come the last three years. Because I work at the diner, I miss a lot of Sunday services. But on New Year's Eve the diner's closed, and it hit me one year, hey, that's a service you can make. And what better time to praise God than ringing in the New Year. But Calvary doesn't have service tonight, so . . . here I am.” Sara Ann smiled and shrugged, then her brow creased. “And I wouldn't have known about Grandma Geri if I hadn't come. Is she scheduled for surgery?”

“She's not a candidate for surgery—it's too advanced. But she starts chemo on Monday.”

“Oh, wow. I'd like to pray with her.” Sara Ann glanced toward the front of the church. “She's got a crowd around her right now. I'll drop by tomorrow.”

“That sounds great, Sara Ann,” Janelle said. “I know she'd appreciate it.”

Kory thought about what she'd said as Sara Ann left. “So your grandmother's chemo starts Monday? That must be hard for you . . . I assume you have to head back to Maryland this weekend?”

Tiffany wheeled around with a puzzled look. “But we just got here.”