Page 47 of The Secrets We Treasure

Chapter 11

Two days later, Treasure found herself humming as she poured a bowl of cereal.

“You seem happy,” Cherry observed as she padded into the kitchen in her house robe, stifling a yawn.

“I am.” Treasure couldn’t stop a ginormous grin from filling her face.

“I take it things are going well with you and Greer?”

“They are.” The past two days had been some of the best Treasure remembered having in a very long time. On Saturday, she and Greer biked all over the island and sunned themselves on the beach. Later that evening, they ate at one of the restaurants in Harbor Village. Yesterday morning, Treasure went to church with her mom and Cherry. She and Greer had planned to get together later that afternoon and go sailing. She was happily surprised when Greer showed up at church and sat beside her on the pew. The preacher’s sermon felt like it was tailored just for her and Greer. He recited Proverbs 3:5-6. Treasure had memorized the verses long ago and tried to implement them into her life. Although, she knew that mastering the concept would take the rest of her life and beyond. Hearing the words recited from the pulpit brought moisture to her eyes. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

The preacher admonished the congregation to trust that the Lord’s plan is greater than ours. “He sees what we can’t,” the preacher explained.

Reflecting on her and Greer’s twisted path back to one another, there was so much regret. And yet, the time they spent apart gave them the opportunity to learn and grow in ways that they might not have done otherwise. Greer got the opportunity to live out his dream of going to MIT and becoming an engineer for NASA. Treasure had Tray, Helen, and Kevin. Ben taught her kindness and had prompted her to develop a relationship with God. She had a thriving career, which she never would have pursued had she and Greer stayed here on Honeysuckle Island.

She looked at Greer to get his reaction to the sermon and was surprised to see moisture glittering in his eyes. He caught hold of her hand as they shared a look of deep understanding.

“God is good,” he whispered.

“Yes,” she agreed.

Treasure pulled herself back to the present and focused on Cherry, who ambled over to the cabinets and pulled open the bottom drawer. She rummaged around in it, selecting an apron. “Don’t feel like you have to eat cold cereal. I was planning on making some biscuits and sausage gravy.” She tied the apron around her waist.

“Really? That sounds too good to pass up.” Treasure poured the bowl of dry Cheerios back into the box. “Do you need any help?”

An appreciative grin slid over Cherry’s lips. “I’ll never turn down help.” She motioned. “Grab you an apron, hon.”

Treasure did as Cherry instructed. “It’s so nice of you to stay here with Mom during her recovery.”

“I don’t mind. I’d rather be here than sitting at home all by my lonesome.” Cherry’s husband passed away a decade ago, and her children were grown and living in other states. Cherry preheated the oven before grabbing flour, baking powder, salt, and oil from the cupboard. “Get the buttermilk out of the fridge,” she directed as she retrieved a mixing bowl from one of the lower cabinets. “I’ll just whip up the biscuits, and we can get them in the oven.”

“What can I do to help?”

“You can fry up the sausage.”

“Sounds good.” Treasure grabbed the buttermilk and sausage roll out of the fridge. “Where’s the cutting board?” It had been too long since she’d been home. She’d forgotten where her mother kept everything.

Cherry pointed to the narrow cabinet to the right of the oven. “In there.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” Treasure remembered where the knives were. She grabbed one and began slicing the sausage. “Is Mom still asleep?”

“Yeah, I looked in on her before coming in the kitchen. She was sleeping soundly.”

It was fascinating to watch Cherry mix up the biscuits. She was quick and proficient. Treasure was surprised when, instead of rolling out the dough and cutting the biscuits, Cherry formed them into balls and placed them on a greased cookie sheet.

“You don’t cut the biscuits?”

“Nope. This is how my mama did it, how her mama did it, and so on.”

“Wow. That’s probably a lot faster.”

“I think so. And they taste better because the dough hasn’t been handled so much or been pressed flat.” A coy smile moved over Cherry’s lips. “Where’s Greer taking you today?”

“Nowhere.”

Cherry cocked her head. “What? He’s falling down on the job.”

Treasure chuckled. “He’s going out on the boat today with his parents, so I figure I’d cut him some slack.”

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