Chapter 21
A n hour and a half later, Shona was sipping a cup of hot chocolate with Joseph and Adele at their house. They’d picked up Adele from choir practice after they’d returned from helping the Santa’s Secret Helpers team.
For forty minutes, they’d delivered food boxes and backpacks to people who lived in Sapphire Bay. Everywhere they’d gone, people were grateful to receive the gifts. The families receiving the gifts for the first time were overwhelmed. Some were embarrassed, while others were almost in tears.
Shona knew how they felt.
When they’d dropped off the last of their deliveries, they’d driven back to the church to get Adele. To say she was excited to see Shona was an understatement. Since they’d left the church, she’d barely left her side.
“We had a good practice tonight,” Adele said. “Mrs. Terry is impressed with how we’re doing. She said if the competition was next week, we'd be more than ready.”
Joseph ruffled her hair. “That must make you feel good.”
“It does. And my stutter has gone to sleep, too.”
Shona squeezed Adele's hand. “I'm really pleased. How does that make you feel?”
“Amazing.” She took a deep breath. “I do that when my words get stuck in my throat. My speech therapist said singing is good for my vocal cords.”
“I imagine it is,” Shona told her. “Guess what I saw when I came inside?”
Adele looked around the living room. “The bookcase Dad made?”
“I didn't know he'd made that. It looks amazing, but it wasn't that. I saw the pincushion on the coffee table.”
Adele grinned. “I made it after our quilting class. Can I make another one?”
“Of course, you can. I have plenty of fabric off-cuts you can use. Would you like me to bring some to your house next time I visit?”
“Yes, please.” Adele yawned. “I think I’ll go to bed now. I’ve got school tomorrow and my teacher said to be early ’cos we’re looking for bugs in the playground.”
Joseph placed his mug on the table beside the sofa. “I’ll tuck you in.”
Adele shook her head. “I can go on my own.” She wrapped her arms around Joseph’s neck and hugged him tight. “Goodnight, Dad.”
“Goodnight, pumpkin. Sweet dreams.”
After she’d left, Joseph sighed. “That’s the first time she hasn’t wanted me to take her to bed.”
“She’s growing up.”
He nodded and stared into his mug. “Sometimes too quickly. We didn’t get a chance to talk about what we saw tonight. How do you feel about the trust now that you’ve seen some of the work we support?”
Shona thought carefully about what she wanted to say. “You were right when you said you’re making a difference. Your mom would be proud of what you’re doing.”
“I think so, too.”
Joseph’s softly spoken words made her heart ache. “I know what it’s like to want to make the world a little better after you’ve lost someone. When Chris died, designing and sewing beautiful quilts gave me something to focus on. Selling them made the world a brighter place for other people.” She sat her mug on the coffee table and turned to face him. “After the car accident, Nate and I had very little income and medical bills that were stifling us. When John discovered how much we were struggling, he sent us food packages, just like the people we saw today.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been a really difficult time.”
“It was, but we were blessed by people who cared about us. When Nate’s grades suffered because he was working three part-time jobs after school, Ben offered him a job at The Christmas Tree Farm. It was fewer hours than he’d been working, but it paid more. I found out last year the church subsidized Nate’s wages. Doing things like that for other people can change their lives. I’m proud of what you’re doing, of what you’re enabling other people to do.”
Joseph held her hand. “Proud enough to have dinner with Adele and me tomorrow night?”
“I’ll have dinner with you each night of the week if you let me bring tiramisu for dessert.”
“It’s a deal.”
He held his arms open and Shona cuddled into his chest. She didn’t know what their future held, but it was looking a lot better than it was yesterday.
Four days later, Joseph was oiling a table he’d made when Adele came into the garage. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, pumpkin. Have you come to give me a hand?”
“No, but you have a visitor. Nate’s here.”
It took a couple of seconds for Joseph to realize who Adele was talking about. “Nate Milligan?”
Adele nodded. “I asked if he wanted a glass of lemonade, but he said he was okay.”
Joseph picked up an old rag and wiped the linseed oil off his hands. “I'd better see what he wants.”
As he walked across the backyard, he wondered if Shona knew Nate was here. It was a long way to come to talk to the man who’d almost broken his mother's heart. Not that he blamed him for making the journey. If his mom had been upset, he would have done the same thing.
He took off his boots and walked into the kitchen.
Shona’s son was standing in front of the French doors, absorbing the same view that had made Joseph buy the house. “Hi, Nate. It's good to see you.”
Nate turned and frowned. “Hi. I hope it’s okay to come here and talk to you.”
“It’s fine.” Whether or not he knew it, he was so much like his mom that it made Joseph feel like he knew him better than he actually did. “Have you been in Sapphire Bay for long?”
“I arrived a few minutes ago.”
Joseph looked a little closer at him. It was easy to see he was tired, maybe even a little cranky. “Would you like something to eat?”
“No, thanks. I had something an hour ago.” Nate cleared his throat. “I wanted to speak to you. About Mom.”
Joseph looked at Adele. She was listening intently to what was being said. “Have you finished your homework, pumpkin?”
“Yep. And I read my library book, and I made popcorn.” She looked up at Nate and smiled. “Would you like some popcorn? It’s real good.” She leaned closer and whispered. “I put lots of butter on it.”
“Thanks, but I’m okay.”
Before Adele went through every shelf in the refrigerator looking for something Nate could eat, Joseph kneeled beside her. “Nate wants to talk to me. Why don’t you watch another episode of the Netflix series you like?”
Her gaze shot to Nate.
“You can talk to Nate after he’s spoken to me.”
“Okay. But as soon as you finish, come and get me.”
“I will.” Joseph didn’t say anything until Adele had skipped out of the room. “I’ve been in the garage oiling a table I made from birch. It’ll be stunning once I’ve finished.” Taking a glass out of the cupboard, he filled it with water, then sat at the kitchen table. “You’re welcome to have a seat.”
Reluctantly, Nate sat down. “Mom was upset when she found out about your trust. She said she’s okay now, but not telling her the truth wasn’t right. Just because you’ve got lots of money, it doesn’t mean you can treat her like that.”
Joseph cradled his glass in his hands. For a nineteen-year-old to have this conversation with him was more courageous than he would have been at the same age. “I don’t want your mom to be upset, either. I should have told her the truth from the beginning. Did she tell you why I didn’t tell her?”
“She said she would’ve missed out on leasing the cottage if she’d tried to find funding from somewhere else.”
“That’s part of it. The other part was important, too. I didn’t want her to treat me any differently because of the money.”
Nate frowned. “You can’t change who you are or what you’ve got.”
“That’s true. But I don’t want people to judge me on those things, either.”
“Mom’s not people . She’s the person you’re dating.”
With the grilling he was getting, Joseph wondered if Nate had ever considered being a lawyer. He should be in a courtroom. “I wasn’t talking about your mom when I said that. She’s special to me. I don’t want to hurt her and I’ll try my best not to do it again.”
Nate crossed his arms in front of his chest. His earnest brown eyes were as piercing as Shona’s. “What are your intentions?”
Joseph blinked. “My intentions?”
“Toward Mom. She likes you, but I want to know if you’re stringing her along.”
Joseph wiped his hands on his jeans. Nate was hitting some touchy subjects that didn’t sit well with him. “You and I don’t know each other very well. That’s something I’d like to change. But, for now, you’ll have to believe I’d never string your mom or anyone else along.”
Nate nodded before unfolding his arms. “Just so you know, I called Pastor John and asked him about you.”
Joseph’s eyes widened. “What did he say?”
“That Mom and I can trust you.”
To say Joseph was relieved was an understatement. John knew him better than anyone else. He’d seen him at his worst and still saw the potential of the person he could become.
Nate cleared his throat. “I didn’t tell Mom I was coming. She gets stressed when I’m driving because of what happened to Dad.”
“I can understand that. I’d be the same if Adele was older and driving to see me.” Joseph leaned forward. “Your mom’s special to me, Nate. Whatever happens between us will always involve you and Adele. I’m not your dad and I’d never expect to take his place, but I’d like to be your friend. What do you think?”
Adele stuck her head around the doorframe. “Say yes.”
Joseph looked at his daughter and raised his eyebrows.
“I was bored and listening to you was better than my TV show.” She skipped across to Nate. “Do you want to be Dad’s friend?”
“I guess so.”
Adele grinned. “Yeah! Do you want to watch TV with me?”
“Not tonight. I’d better go home and see Mom.”
“Okay. If you’re still at your mom’s house tomorrow, you should come here for dinner. Shona likes it when Dad cooks on the grill.”
Nate looked at Joseph.
“That’s fine. It’ll be great to have dinner together.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know what Mom says.”
As far as enthusiastic responses went, it barely registered, but Joseph didn’t mind. It was a start and that’s all they needed.