Savannah slowed as they neared the house, giving Jessie a longer look. “It’s a great place to go for a good think. Just don’t run through there. Lots of rocks and holes for your foot to catch.”
Jessie grinned. “Do you speak from experience?”
“Sadly, yes.”
She pulled the rental car to the back of the building, parking it alongside the passenger van. “I volunteered you as manual labor to Tabitha in exchange for room and board. You’ll be painting the garage.”
Jessie laughed. “Yeah, right.”
“Okay, maybe not. She did say plenty of things needed to be done, so you could either help me in the kitchen or tackle her To Do list.”
“I don’t have your cooking skills.”
“I’m sure if you really tried-” Savannah stopped herself as Jessie’s face clouded. “I mean, if you were interested, I’m sure you’d do great. I’d love to teach you what I know. But if you don’t want to, that’s okay, too.”
Jessie raised an eyebrow, looking wary. “Do you mean that?”
“Yes.”
Jessie nodded. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
They brought their bags into the house. The doors to the group therapy room were closed, a meeting likely in session. “Wait here,” she said. “I’ll see if I can find Tabitha.”
She went to Tabitha’s office, but she wasn’t there. An envelope with her name on it sat in the middle of the empty desk, however.
Welcome back! You and Jessie are in rooms 3 and 5. I’m off campus until 3, but will come find you when I’m back. I have a proposition for you.
Tabs
Savannah folded the letter and put it in her pocket. A proposition? That sounded intriguing.
She led Jessie upstairs, then took possession of her old room. She unpacked, then went to Jessie’s room to see if she needed anything. She’d put her things away already and was sitting at the window seat with a ball of green yarn and a few inches of a project hanging off the end of a red crochet hook. Savannah gaped. “You crochet? Since when?”
Jessie looked sheepish. “Adam’s mom taught me.”
Savannah took a breath. “Ah.” Then she smiled. “Will you teach me?”
Jessie grinned. “Seriously?”
“I’ve never tried anything like that. But I’d like to learn.”
“I thought you hated doing crafty stuff like this.”
“Well, yes, I did. I think because that kind of thing was always foisted on me by my mother, as though I couldn’t possibly be a proper woman if I didn’t know how to make things by hand. But I’ll bet it’s relaxing.”
“When I don’t forget how to do a stitch, yes.”
Savannah nodded. “Yes, I definitely want to try.”
“I’m not that good,” Jessie said. “I only know how to do a few stitches.”
“That’s more than I can do.”
“I have a hook you can use, but we’ll have to get you some yarn. Think there’s a store around here?”
“We’ll ask Tabitha. I’m sure she’ll know.”
“My ears are burning.” Tabitha poked her head into the room. “Did I just hear my name?”
“You did. We need yarn.”
“There’s a great place twenty minutes from here. We’ll take a field trip.” She extended a hand to Jessie. “I’m Tabitha. I’m so happy to finally get to meet you, Jessie.”
“Thanks, Tabitha. And thanks for letting me come.”
“Of course, of course. Folks are hanging out in the common room at the moment. Feel free to stay here or go down and mingle. I’d like to talk to your mother for a minute, though, if that’s alright.”
Jessie nodded, picking up her yarn. “I’ll go down and see what people are up to. Anyone else down there do anything like this?”
“Actually, yes – look for Anne, long curly red hair. I’ve seen her knitting a few times.”
Jessie’s eyes lit up. “Great, thanks.”
They all went downstairs, and Tabitha took Savannah to her office.
“Oh, a private talk. This must be serious.”
Tabitha chuckled. “Not so much serious as official.” She sat back in her chair and regarded Savannah with a smile. “But first of all, how are you?”
“You know, I feel pretty okay.”
“That’s an improvement.”
“A huge one, yes. I feel… peace, about selling the house and moving. Still no clue where we’ll move to, but I think it’ll all work out in the end.”
“You were this close to saying something that sounded decidedly Christian.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I know. I very nearly did, to be honest.”
“So…”
“Still doubting. But not angry. And not closed off to the idea. More… curious and confused.”
Tabitha beamed. “That’s fantastic. And it makes me even more sure that this is a God thing.”
“What’s ‘this'?” Savannah grinned. “Do I get to hear your proposition?”
“Yes. So here’s the thing. Aniyah is leaving.”
Savannah gasped. “What? No!”
“She’s been looking for her auntie lately. Just ‘felt like she needed to.’ And she found her – and she’s dying. She has no one, so Aniyah is going to go to her.”
“But-to go back there-”
Tabitha shrugged. “She thinks she’s ready to face her again. And she thinks God is telling her to go, so she’s not willing to say no.”
“So what’s going to happen to your kitchen? You going to start catering Chick-Fil-A or something?”
Tabitha laughed. “No. I was hoping to hire you.”
Savannah’s jaw fell. “You’re kidding me.”
“Not at all. When you called to say you wanted to come back with Jessie, and you told me about selling the house… it was like God wrote it on the wall.”
“But-but what happens if we move somewhere else?”
“I’ll keep you for as long as you’re willing to stay. If it’s a month, it’s a month. If it’s a year, it’s a year. I’m not too concerned about that. God has it figured out, so I’ll just sit back and let it unfold.”
“This is… this is amazing.”
“I think we’ll be able to work it so you can come to the therapy sessions, too, if you want to.”
“I’d love that.”
“Well, then, it’s official. I’ll get the employee paperwork together and get you on the payroll. Aniyah leaves next week, so you’ll have a few days of overlap for her to help you transition into the position.”
Savannah shook her head. “This is just incredible, Tabitha. Thank you, God.” Her eyes went wide and she slapped a hand over her mouth in surprise.
Tabitha gasped. “Savannah! Did you mean that?”
Savannah nodded. “You know,” she said, grinning, “I think I did.”
EPILOGUE
S AVANNAH’S CELL JANGLED IN HER POCKET. SHE GAVE THE gumbo one more stir, then set the lid onto the pot and pulled out the phone. Shaun’s number showed on the screen. “Hi, Shaun.”
“Hey, Savannah. I just accepted an offer on the house.”
She let out a whoop. “That’s fantastic! How much?”
“Only ten thousand under asking price.”
“Oh, Shaun, that’s incredible! What a relief.”
“We close January 25th, though, so we need to figure out where we-I mean, where I’m going after that.”
“Well…” Savannah brushed egg white over the top of the French bread dough. “I don’t know if you’re interested, but I’ve been keeping an eye on places out here; there are a couple really nice places not far from The Refuge. If you wanted to look at them when you come out, I’ll find a Realtor and get some appointments set up. When will you be out again?”
“I’ve got a ticket for the 23rd-but I may not be able to come out.”
“What? Why not?”
He paused; she could hear the deep intake of breath that always signaled unwelcome news. “I got a call from the Denver Post today.”
Her heart sank. “Oh no.”
“Yeah. She did it.”
“Oh Shaun -”
“It’s okay. I mean-it’s not at all okay, but I’m not surprised it happened, and I deserve pretty much anything they throw at me now.”