them at church, but then she remembered that they’d probably attended services in Sulphur Springs.
“I don’t think I ever did meet them,” she answered.
“They are both black. I’m the little white boy that Mama’s neighbor’s daughter died giving birth to, and the neighbor let them adopt me,” he said. “Mama was a registered nurse. Daddy was a lab technician. Both of them worked at the hospital in Sulphur Springs. I don’t think they’ll mind you being half-black.”
“You’re kiddin’ me,” she whispered.
“Nope, not one bit,” he declared.
He set his roller down, stepped over to where she was still sitting on the floor, and sat down beside her again. He removed his wallet from his back pocket and flipped it open. “Here’s me when Mama and Daddy brought me home, and here’s me with them on high school graduation night. Surely you noticed them then?”
She shook her head. “I’m so sorry. Denver and I were planning to run away, and we didn’t stick around after graduation very long. You were still wearing thick glasses then.” She touched his face in the picture.
“Yep, my biological mother smoked and drank, and God only knows what else, so I was born with poor eyesight. The doctors weren’t sure that I wouldn’t have mental issues or impaired motor skills. That’s why my biological grandmother didn’t want to try to raise me,” he said.
Kayla was struck speechless. The love in his mother’s eyes was undeniable in the picture. Will had wrapped his tiny fingers around his adopted father’s hand, and Mr. Barton was looking down at the baby as if he had been sent straight from heaven.
“So now,” Will said, “one more time, will you spend the day with me on Sunday? Meeting the parents is usually after many, many dates, and I’m sure Mama wouldn’t mind if I skipped going to see her for a few weeks, but—”
“I’d love to go with you and see these two folks.” She looked up at him.
“Great!” His head bobbed once. “I’ll pick you up at nine o’clock. That’ll give us plenty of time to drive to Paris, pick them up, and get to church on time.”
“Hey, y’all done in there?” Teresa called out from the other side of the hallway.
“Yes, we are,” Kayla answered. “We’ll meet you on the porch for a glass of iced tea.”
“Sounds good to me,” Teresa said. “Noah and I will pour the tea.”
“Thanks for sharing your story with me.” Kayla handed back his wallet. “I guess we have a little bit in common, don’t we?”
“Looks like it, and thank you for sharing with me.” Will stood up again and opened the door for her. “I guess I got in on the tail end of this painting job. I feel a little guilty about y’all doin’ so much for me when I’ve done so little.”
“That’s what friends do,” Kayla told him. “They help when and however much they can.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Will left pretty quickly after he’d drunk his tea, leaving the three of them sitting on the porch together. The sun had sunk below the far horizon in a bright array of colors that reminded Teresa of Miss Janie’s casket flowers and of the idea that the woman’s spirit really did represent all the shades of yellow, pink, purple, and light blue in the beautiful Texas sunset. Yellow represented her sunny disposition; pink and purple, her fantastic ability to love; and light blue was her understanding heart.
“I’ve got a few things I need to do at home.” Noah got up from the porch step where he and Teresa were sitting. He still had her hand in his when he looked down at her and asked, “Are you ready?”
“Not just yet,” she said. “Kayla can bring me home after a while.”
“See you there, then.” Noah let go of her hand. “I’m really not looking forward to painting a two-story house after doing this one.”
“But we get smoked brisket afterward,” Teresa reminded him.
“We’ve had so much fun with this one, I’m kind of looking forward to starting on Will’s place,” Kayla said. “I asked Sam about it when we were working in the living room, and he said that it’s got three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. There’s a living room, dining room, and kitchen on the first floor and a completely finished basement that’s paneled, so it won’t need any paint.”
“That’s good news.” Noah waved and disappeared.
Both women waited until the dust had settled behind Noah’s truck, and then they started to talk at once, realized what