Page 107 of Wish You Faith

“Let’s go.” Evan held Rosie’s hand as they went down the elevator to the first floor.

As soon as they opened the glass doors leading to the sidewalk, he heard the hustle and bustle of the Central Business District, the business heart of Seattle. Surrounded by skyscrapers around them and cloudy skies above, Evan thought of the laidback lifestyle of the smaller coastal city of Savannah, the slower pace at the tree farm, the quieter riverfront…

Then again, this job he had at Cavanaugh Shipping had enabled him to provide for Rosie’s mom a place to stay at SSLR. He hadn’t done anything for Rosie per se, but he knew that she appreciated what he’d done for her mom. It made a lot of difference.

“A bit chilly.” Rosie zipped up her goose down coat.

“I think it’s in the upper forties. Chilly.” Evan also zipped up his jacket. “Nice coat you have there.”

“Yep. Mom bought it for me. I think it will last long after she’s…” She paused. Cleared her throat. “…gone, I mean.”

She had said it. Evan was impressed at her fortitude. He reached for her hand and held it. Her hand was warm. He started walking and Rosie followed him on 4thAvenue.

“The last time I was here, it was overcast like that, but it didn’t rain,” Rosie said.

“When were you here?” Evan knew that he would have a lifetime of discovering Rosie and the first twenty-nine years of her life.

“Some years ago before Dad died. We went on a cruise to Alaska, so we flew into Sea-Tac and then took a shuttle to the Port of Seattle to hop on the cruise ship. When we disembarked after seven days, we stayed another two days to check out the city.”

“Nice. So you’ve been to Pike Place.”

“Yes. I love the flowers there. Unfortunately, we couldn’t buy any because we were flying home the next day, and it was inconvenient.”

“When do you go home to Savannah?” Evan asked, but it pained him that they would be apart once again.

“Originally, we were going home tomorrow because I have to teach Sunday school, as you know. Since the plane left late, Mom and Mei ended up chatting, and you know what? Mom invited Mei to church on Sunday, and she said yes.”

“What?” Evan stopped walking. “Please repeat that.”

Rosie did.

“Are you kidding me?”

“I meant to tell you this morning, but you had to go to a meeting, and then I fell asleep and forgot all about it until now.”

“Let me process this.” Evan was still stunned. “Your mom invited my mom to my church and she said yes. Are my ears deceiving me?”

“I know, right? It was God all the way.”

He hugged her. “Wow. This is an answer to prayer. Which church?”

“Your church, of course. We’re here in Seattle, right?” Rosie waved her hand in the air.

“A miracle. Connor and I have been trying to invite her to church for years. She says no every single time except twice a year.”

“Yeah, you told me. You know, sometimes the hardest people to reach for Christ are our family members. They know all about us—our good side and our bad side. After seeing all that, some might not want to be saved.”

“Goes to show how important our personal testimony is.”

“I agree. However, it also shows how forgiving God is when Christians mess up.”

“That too.”

Rosie motioned for him to keep walking. “We need to eat lunch and then get you back to work, sweetheart.”

“Sooo… Does that mean you’re going to stay here until Sunday?”

Rosie nodded. “I found someone to teach in my place on Sunday morning.”

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