Avery sighed and set the barrette on the table. “Go find your coloring book and crayons then.”
“And stickers. I need lots of stickers,” Addison called over her shoulder as she hurried into the dining room.
Julene watched her go. “How do you keep up?”
“I don’t.”
Avery checked the time on the stove’s digital clock. Hayes was taking an extralong afternoon nap. She quickly jotted some notes in her notebook then folded down a corner of the page and closed the magazine. By the time she had her computer shut down and her notebook and magazines stacked, Addison had returned with her coloring supplies. “Mama, are the ladies nice?”
“Sit here.” Avery patted the chair beside her at the table. “Which ladies?”
“The ladies that you’re building this house for and making it pretty. Are they nice ladies?”
“I haven’t met them yet. I’m sure they’re very nice.”
“Good ’cause mean people stink.”
Julene and Avery chuckled.
“That’s true, mean people do stink.” Julene pulled out a chair opposite Addison. “Was someone mean to you at the ice cream shop?”
“Nope, but Papa Greer saw someone being rude and he whispered it to me.” Addison selected a crayon from the box and started coloring a fresh page.
“Huh.” Avery studied her daughter. Surely no one at the ice cream shop would discuss her personal life with Greer in front of Addison. The thought sent a fresh wave of anger coursing through her. Greer hadn’t come inside yet. He’d probably gone down to the dock to fiddle with the boat. Avery reached for her phone to text him and make sure everything had gone okay, but Julene snatched it first.
“Hey, I need that.”
“Not right now. Why don’t we all color together?” Julene produced some scratch paper then handed Avery a piece, along with a meaningful look. “I know I’m the one who told you that you need to spend some time on social media but right now you need to take a breather. I’ll handle your next couple posts and keep an eye on the comments.”
Avery opened her mouth to object.
“The next time you post, it needs to be a behind-the-scenes video with you on camera talking about your goals and your vision for this project. People will love that, it will draw engagement, and doesn’t invite criticism.”
“Ha. Everything I post invites criticism.” Avery sketched an outline of the lake on her paper with a blue crayon.
“Featuring the project and sharing a brief glimpse helps you look focused instead of...”
“Floundering?” Avery said.
“Exactly.”
Addison slid off her chair again. “Mama, can I have a snack?”
“Didn’t you just come from the ice cream shop?”
“Yeah, but I’m still hungry.”
Avery glanced at the clock again. It would be a couple of hours until they had supper on the table. “How about some carrot sticks, apple slices or yogurt?”
“I’d like a cheese stick, please.”
“Here let me help you with that.” Julene followed Addison toward the refrigerator.
Avery chose another crayon, a forest green this time, and sketched trees around the lake. Coloring with her daughter was supposed to be relaxing, but her thoughts returned to the online comments she’d read. Addison was right. Mean people did and said some stinky things. Avery couldn’t let their words seep in and take root, though.
There wasn’t any point in defending the end of her marriage, not even to the people who had been the closest to her and Pax. She was stepping forward into a new life and this was the opportunity God had given her. No, her circumstances didn’t look the way she thought they would, but she couldn’t let her unmet expectations keep her from growing. These women needed a home and even though she still wondered why Cole had picked her, it was time to fulfill her commitment and stop wondering if he should have chosen someone else.
On Friday morning, Cole parked his car in front of the construction site, grabbed his messenger bag from the passenger seat and climbed out. Nail guns, saws and the aroma of fresh plywood greeted him. The walls had been framed and the joists for the roof were going up.