Page 3 of Season of Mercy
After paying off Cole’s gambling debts that had kept popping up last year, she couldn’t afford to pay medical bills if anything happened to her or Stevie. Mercy took several more bites of chocolate with caramel ice cream and rubbed her forehead in thought. She could find a job as an accountant somewhere else, but it would take time in a small town. Besides, despite Mercy being a good employee, her boss had said she wouldn’t give Mercy good references if she tried to leave.
Mercy hushed down resentment against her supervisor and her late husband and hurried to finish her ice cream, though she could hardly discern the taste now. But no matter how disastrous her marriage had been, she was grateful to God for giving her Stevie.
Judging by the laugher and giggles, Ethan and her son were on the way back. Her boy was on Ethan’s shoulders again. She wouldn’t mind leaning on those broad shoulders...
Mercy winced.
What am I thinking?
Must be a sugar kick from too much ice cream.
“I need to talk to you,” Ethan mouthed.
She tensed. Nothing good ever came out of that sentence.
“It’s about me getting married, and it’s serious.” He settled Stevie in a chair.
Her heart sank. She’d never thought she’d see the day when Ethan would marry.
She should be happy for him. She really should. Moisture sprang to her eyes. Must be tears of happiness.
“Congratulations. Who’s the girl?” She pushed the words past the lump in her throat. Was it that redhead, Leah?
Ethan’s eyes widened. “Oh, you didn’t understand.”
They looked at Stevie, who was squirming in his seat by now, then glanced out the window at a small playground. They’d known each other for so many years, sometimes they could read each other’s thoughts.
“How about we go to the playground?” Ethan placed Stevie on his shoulders again while the boy let out an enthusiastic yelp.
They all headed outside. There was a kid already running through the maze there, his mom relaxing on a nearby bench, so Stevie found an immediate playmate.
Ethan and Mercy hung close to the playground. Mercy felt she’d burst from curiosity if she didn’t hear exactly what Ethan had meant.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “So are you or are you not getting married?”
Ethan sighed, not looking like the happiest man alive she imagined the groom was supposed to be. “Yes and no.”
Mercy couldn’t imagine a woman in their small town saying no to Ethan’s proposal. Everybody here adored him. But for some reason, it became easier to breathe. “She didn’t return your feelings? Or you didn’t ask her yet?”
“No.” Ethan shifted from one leg to the other.
She decided to chalk up her initial reaction to her disappointment at his keeping something as big as this from her. “Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this? I thought we were better friends than that. As soon as I realized I fell in love with Cole, I told you right away.”
“You sure did.” A shadow passed over Ethan’s face.
“When are you going to ask her?” Mercy kept Stevie in her view and blinked rapidly.
Those happy tears were coming back again. There was no way it could be tears of disappointment because Ethan was getting married.
“Now.”
“You mean, after you talk to me?” Mercy tapped her foot against the asphalt impatiently. Why did she have to drag everything out of him?
“No, I mean, I’m askingyounow.”
“What?” She must be hearing things. What had they put in that ice cream?
“It’s not me. It’s my dad.”
