Page 37 of Through the Dark Night
“Me too. And I’m glad you’re going to be able to go to church tomorrow. You’re going to love it.”
“I’m sure I will. There’s nothing better than a small-town church. It just always feels so warm and welcoming.”
“It really does.”
“I think that’s what you needed, Mom. This town, this community, Lance maybe? Although, am I gonna get to meet him tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’m sure you’ll see Lance tomorrow.” Emma seemed to have accepted the fact that Lance might be a part of her life. Although, she thought that maybe Emma thought he was more than what he actually was.
“You seem happy here, Mom. But you also seem…scared almost. Like you’re waiting for something bad to happen.”
Shannon sat, slowly rocking, realizing that her daughter was probably right. She supposed that after thirty years of thinking that her husband was there, her rock that she could depend on, and then all of a sudden, he just exploded her life with the fact that he was leaving… Why wouldn’t she be afraid that another shoe was going to drop at any moment?
“You know, you would always tell me to just trust God. Thatwhatever He had for you was exactly what you needed. No matter what it was. And that things that looked bad to us weren’t necessarily bad things. You don’t know how many times I realized you were right about that? When a bad mark on a test just made me study harder for the next one. That losing a friend made me realize areas where I could improve and be a better friend to the next people that came along. That losing a boyfriend was probably the best thing that could have happened because I actually got to see from a distance what kind of person he was. And that he wouldn’t have been a good person for me. So many times, you were right. When those catastrophes—those teenage catastrophes—came along.”
“I know. You’re right. I guess… You know how if you’re walking across a bridge and a board breaks underneath you, you’re just a little bit more careful when you put your next foot down, right? Because you don’t know if another board might break.”
“But ‘underneath are the everlasting arms,’” Emma quoted softly.
That was a great verse for the bridge example that she had just given. “You’re right. God’s got me. And I just need to trust Him. No matter what comes.”
“I know you do, Mom. I wasn’t giving you a hard time, I just—I’m not used to seeing you…okay but not okay, you know?”
“I’m better than I was.”
“Right, and you’re going to be as good as you were soon. I can’t wait to meet this Lance. I feel like he’s going to have a hand in your healing.”
“I feel like that might be right.” And she meant that. Lance really had been good for her. Not only was he a great example, but he seemed to accept her, just as she was, and she knew he was not the kind of person who was going to up and leave at any point. When he said he was going to stay, he meant it. All she had to do was look at Katie to see that.
Fourteen
“It’s nice to live in a town where you can walk everywhere,” Emma said as they made their way up the main street of Raspberry Ridge toward the church for the potluck supper.
Shannon shifted the Nutella bread that Marina had made for the event. Marina had politely declined when Shannon had asked her if she’d like to go, and that slice of fear that always seemed to hover about her had shown in her eyes for just a moment.
Shannon got the feeling that she’d really like to go, but she was afraid. Afraid of what, Shannon wasn’t sure. Maybe that someone would see her and recognize her? Or maybe just afraid of meeting someone who might pull her out of her comfort zone.
She definitely had butterflies of her own. After yesterday, when everyone had been talking about Lance and her like they were some kind of thing, she wasn’t sure what to expect today.
But she wanted Emma to really get a feel for what an amazing community Raspberry Ridge was. Not that she thought Emma was going to move there or anything. There were no job prospects, unless Emma wanted to work at the inn or as a clerk at a store or whether she wanted to commute to some other town. But it was a nice idea thatEmma would love the town that she was in, even if she didn’t enthusiastically approve of the renovation project.
“In the winter, it might not be so nice.”
“You’ll just need a pair of cross-country skis,” Emma joked, and they both laughed.
Although that might not be a bad idea, Shannon thought to herself. Cross-country skiing would be good exercise.
It had been a long time since she’d been on skis, and cross-country was the best way to go for someone of her age. She wouldn’t be going so fast that she might crash into something and break every bone in her body. She was too old to even entertain that idea.
However, she kept that to herself. She didn’t need Emma lecturing her about how she shouldn’t be on skis at all.
“I hope that Nutella banana bread tastes as good as what it smells. I was hard-pressed not to ask Marina for a sample this morning.”
“Same,” Shannon admitted.
They hadn’t gotten up in time to attend church, which Shannon had been disappointed about, but everyone was invited to the potluck afterward, and Shannon wasn’t going to miss it.
“What were you guys gonna do if it rained?” Emma asked as they walked up the drive toward the church which sat on a rise overlooking the lake. It had one of the best views in town, although the view from the church didn’t hold a candle to the view from the inn.
