Page 115 of Share with Me

She had been reading her Bible every day, and there was this verse she had read in the last few days about overcoming evil with good. Dillon wasn’t necessarily evil, but his tactics were not necessarily good either.

“You fixed his commode.” Dillon laughed.

“It was more for his grandmother. She’s ninety-seven years old. She’s on a walker. I fixed it so she didn’t have to walk all the way to the back of the house. Indict me if you will. For the record, Ivan reimbursed me for it.”

With a home-cooked meal, but Brinley didn’t have to tell Dillon the details.

Dillon was silent. Then: “You’ve always had a heart for needy people.”

Brinley knew he wasn’t going to apologize.

“So I’m needy, Brinley. Help me out. Tell you the truth, I don’t want you to leave Brooks Investments. Since Parker died…” His voice choked up.

“I miss Parker too.” Brinley had invited his widow to join them for Christmas Eve dinner, but Riley and her two children were visiting her parents in Houston through the New Year.

Dillon regained his composure. “Maybe you can help me transition your position to a new sales VP.”

“How long do you think that’ll take?”

“I’m thinking a month.”

“Kanisha already knows what I do.”

“I’m not sure I want to keep her.”

“For the record, Dill, I do recommend her.” Brinley realized then for the first time that she had always pronounced the first syllable in her brother’s name the same way she pronounced “deal.” True to form, Dillon was always about making deals. Kanisha would get along fine with him. “When do you go back to Atlanta?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

Brinley was sad that her family had grown apart. Over the years, people moved away, lives changed, schedules differed. She prayed that someday when she had a family of her own that she and her husband would be able to start and keep a tradition of yearly family reunions with their children and grandchildren.Lord willing.

“Could you take Phinn’s present back to him?” Brinley asked as calmly as she could. “I’m not opening it.”

“Sure, sis, but I think—”

“Do I tell you what to do with Isobel?”

“No.”

“Then let me handle my own personal life, Dill.”

“All right. It’s just—”

“Dillon.”

“Okay.” Dillon got up. “Now that we’ve had our little heart-to-heart talk, let’s go eat.”

Well, it is Christmas Eve, after all.

Besides, maybe she could tell him about the Christ of Christmas. Possibly.

Or not.

Yun had said people had to decide for themselves whether to choose God.

“Is Aunt Ella back?” Brinley asked.

“She’s meeting us at The Cloister.”

“Someone dropping her off?”

“She’s there with Herbert or Hopper or somebody.”

“Hiram.”

“That’s it. Hiram. Apparently Aunt Ella has news for us.”

“News? What news?”

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