Lavished with Lavender - Valerie Comer Page 0,50
mind’s eye, the nurse looked strangely like Tony.
Could she really give in to this fantasy and believe they could build a future? But kids still were never going to be an option. He’d care about that. She knew he would.
Kenna met Winnie’s gaze. “The doctor is pleased with her progress this time. It will still be a few weeks before that cast comes off. By then, her ribs should be completely healed and her pelvis ready for limited mobility. So, yes, she’s definitely on the mend.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I can’t tell you how thankful the whole family is for you. You’re an answer to prayer.”
Such a strange thought, right on the heels of what she’d been thinking. “Prayer... does that do any good?”
Winnie set down the moka maker. “It definitely does. God hears and answers.”
“How can you say that? Didn’t people pray for Al to get well after his accident?”
The other woman’s smile remained steady, though her eyes misted slightly. “So many people prayed.”
“And God didn’t answer.”
“He did answer. We asked for Him to heal Al if it was His will. And if it wasn’t, that God would be glorified in Al’s death.”
That just sounded like a cop-out. “I don’t get it.”
“Bad things happen on this planet every day. I’m sure I don’t need to start making a list of those.”
Kenna shook her head.
“But that doesn’t mean God has abdicated control. He’s given us free will. The woman who ran into Al’s truck exercised her free will to drink and drive.”
“You must hate her.”
“No. It was a struggle to forgive her at first, but I couldn’t imagine the pain she felt knowing her foolish action had taken someone’s life.”
Seriously? Winnie should be awarded sainthood.
“Kenna, my husband loved Jesus with his whole heart. He shared his faith with everyone he met. I know he led dozens of people to God during his life... but even more in his death. Hundreds of people came to his celebration of life. Pastor Tomas presented the good news of Jesus clearly. Honestly, though? Many of those people had heard it before. From Al. And now they were ready to believe. You’ve met Wesley Ferguson, haven’t you?”
Kenna tried to remember who he was. “The sculptor?”
“Yes. He’s married to Kass, one of the owners of Bridgeview Bakery and Bistro. He came to faith because of Al’s testimony. So did Dan Ranta, and that brought Dixie and several of her friends. Those are just a few examples of people you might know. Cards and emails and phone calls came in for months from people telling me how much Al had meant to them. I still get an occasional one two years later.”
What a legacy. It seemed a person didn’t need to have kids and grandkids to be someone remembered and revered. How would Kenna be remembered? Would anyone even care if she passed on?
“Most important, though, is the woman who killed Al. I’ve had the honor of meeting her. Praying with her. Forgiving her.”
“I don’t get it, Winnie. I really don’t. But I want to.”
“Jesus wants you to welcome Him into your life. Are you ready?”
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
Tony’d seen Kenna’s car come back not long before he needed to leave for Antonio’s. He’d also seen Aunt Winnie’s car, which had been enough to keep him from checking in with Kenna. If things were going to be awkward after those kisses last night, he didn’t want Aunt Winnie or Nonna around to witness it.
And if things were not going to be awkward? He also didn’t need witnesses.
So he wasn’t completely surprised when he slipped through the gate late that night after closing Antonio’s and caught sight of Kenna sitting in the shadows huddled in a fuzzy blanket. “Hi,” he said softly, stopping at the edge of the grape arbor.
“Hi. Do you have a minute?”
His heart warmed. “For you? Absolutely. But do you mind if I run down and grab a hoodie first?”
“Go for it.”
He returned a moment later, but she didn’t rise to meet him. What did that tell him? That she hadn’t spent the past twenty-four hours wondering when they could kiss again? He bent down and swept his lips over hers.
She kissed him back but didn’t reach for him.
Okay. Mixed signals. Since when was that anything new with her? He settled into the patio chair beside hers and laid his hand on the arm, palm up. Kenna nestled her hand inside his, and he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. This