Page 85 of A Surefire Love
“Okay.” Mercy’s voice quivered, but she left the room.
With three clicks and a whoosh, the burner ignited. Blaze poured four more circles of batter as she prayed some more. For herself and Mercy. For Anson, because she’d promised. For whoever was responsible for the fire.
And please, Lord, don’t let that be Mercy.
31
Anson parked on the shoulder and walked up the Newsomes’ driveway past the rest of the leadership board’s vehicles. As he waited on the wraparound porch for someone to respond to the doorbell, he studied the distressed welcome sign beside the door.
Seemed fitting, since Eric’s welcome was bound to be reluctant.
Carter swung the door open, dressed in joggers and a hoodie, his hair one big cow lick. “Everybody else let themselves in.”
Everybody else had been invited. Anson didn’t regret ringing the bell, since it gave him this moment with Carter. “I’ve been sending you messages. You didn’t go out for the team.”
“What’s the point? You predicted this would happen. No college wants me.”
“What I said was fewer than one percent of high school athletes end up on a Division I team their freshman year. There are plenty of other options.”
“I haven’t heard from any of those places either.” The teen retreated inside.
“That’s no reason to give up.” Anson shut the door and started down the hall after Carter. “God can make some pretty awesome things happen, even when we think it’s too late. And even if He doesn’t miraculously open up a D1 spot for you, there are so many alternatives that could turn out to be blessings in disguise.”
They reached the kitchen. Warmth and the savory aroma of an egg bake met them. Samantha Newsome scrubbed dishes. Her smile of greeting was so fleeting, she wasn’t even looking anymore by the time Anson tried to return it.
Carter grabbed a plate. “I’m still on my club team. More people get recruited that way than through high school teams anyway.”
The basketball club offered a level of visibility, but not all clubs were created equal. “Your club doesn’t practice. If you do make it onto a college team, you’ll need the skills you could’ve honed on the Many Oaks team.”
“Too late for that now.” Carter scooped a square of the egg bake onto his plate and headed for the hallway that led to the stairs. “Besides, I could take any of the guys in my club—including the one who got an offer.” He disappeared around a corner, and pounding footsteps ascended to the second floor.
“Help yourself to some breakfast.” Hands buried in suds, Samantha pointed with her elbow toward the dish.
“I already ate.” Normally, it took more than a pancake and butter to fill him up, but his disappointment and concern were heavier than a nine-course meal. “They’re in the family room?”
She nodded.
With a prayer for help, he headed to the back of the house. A massive TV dominated one wall of the family room. Windows on another wall provided generous views of the backyard. The leadership team had spread out over the semi-circle of couches and chairs.
Eric perched at the edge of an armchair. “It could be months before the investigation concludes and we can rebuild. In the meantime, we have hard decisions to make regarding how to keep things going. I’ve brainstormed meeting places that are large enough for our church body.” He lifted a slip from the coffee table that resembled the grocery list paper Anson’s mom used to use. Decorative script at the top said,Be still and know.
Anson took a deep breath and attempted to apply the words. Whatever happened, God was still on His throne.
Mike and Greg moved down to make space on the couch, and Anson took a seat.
“The schools won’t rent to a religious organization.” Eric looked at the paper and pinched the margin as he read down the possibilities. “We can contact the performing arts theater, the movie theater, and the hotel.”
Greg folded his hands and leaned forward on his elbows. “We could also ask if another church would allow us to host a service before or after their own.”
“There’s only one other church in town with a building big enough and beliefs that mostly line up with ours.” Ed slid his empty plate on the coffee table, where there was already a collection of others. “Grace Evangelical.”
The crease between George’s gray eyebrows deepened. “If we meet there, what’s to stop our people from deciding they like them better?”
“Relationships.” Greg lifted his hands in a motion tocalm down. “Those have always been the core of the church.”
“To maintain our distinct identity, we’d do best to stay away from sharing a building with another church.” Eric shook his sparse list of options. “Hence the venues I suggested. The trouble is, any of these will charge to use their space at a time when I suspect we’ll see a drop in attendance, due to being displaced from our building and routine.”
As murmurs went up, Anson mentally ran through other options in town, places that could host a crowd and might be inexpensive. He’d been spending time in one every week for years. “We could ask The Depot. If we set up rows in the event space without the tables, the congregation would fit. The owner is a believer. He might give us a deal on the price.”
