baking. Grams used to say it’s good for the soul. Heaven knows I could use it.”
Evie patted her knee.
It didn’t take long for them to bounce through the pockmarked parking lot. Tosha and Cassidy were sitting on the curb, their knees pulled up to their chests. They hopped up when Evie killed the engine.
“Hello!” Evie waved energetically.
They responded with a quarter of the same enthusiasm. She tried not to take it personally; after all, this was a tutoring session, not a party. And there weren’t boys involved. Maybe one day there would be—once she finally got her act together and could take on more than the emergency case.
“You guys remember Terri? She’s going to cook something while we work.”
“Hey.” Tosha waved lightly.
“Why the long faces?” Evie motioned for them to head toward the church. There were ingredients in the kitchen and a large counter where they could all set up.
Cassidy gave a gusty sigh. “I got asked to prom, but my mom says I can’t go unless my grades are up.”
“That’s exciting!” Evie thrust the door open and held it while they trooped in. Terri came last, her face as long as the girls’. Evie shored herself up to be the perky one for the afternoon.
“It would be if I could actually pass this class. The teacher is impossible. She gives us essay on top of essay, and if we fall behind, there’s no mercy.”
“On top of that,” added Tosha, “I have to do a semester online to blank out the F from last term.” She threw her backpack on the floor.
“Welcome to life,” Terri muttered as she went to the sink to wash her hands.
Evie reached for inspiration. “We can only do the best we can do; then we ask for help. That’s what we’re here for. I’ll feed your brains; Terri will feed your stomachs. Hopefully, between the two of us, we’ll be able to move you along.”
The girls set up their school-issued Chromebooks and logged into the classroom. The assignments for the day weren’t big, but they took a while. The program was set up so that you had to get five right answers in a row. If you missed one, it bumped you back to the beginning with a new set of questions. Evie didn’t get the right answers all the time either. English grammar was a minefield.
“So, for who and whom, you just need to think of he and him.” She waited to make sure both girls were looking up from their screens before she continued. “If you can substitute him, then you use whom.”
They nodded together.
Suddenly, the kitchen filled with a delicious smell of chocolate chips warming in the oven. The three of them followed their noses to see Terri pulling a cookie sheet out of the oven. She’d been quiet, perhaps lost in her own troubles while baking, but finding three sets of eyes on her had her grinning. “Hungry?”
They nodded.
“They’re still a bit warm, but I won’t tell you to keep away. Maybe the preacher’s wife won’t like it, but I believe some temptations are made for giving in to.” She used a metal spatula to slide cookies onto napkins and then set one in front of each of them.
Evie broke off a piece and blew on it before throwing it into her mouth. The buttery cookie melted on her tongue, and she moaned. “This is so good.”
Terri brightened for the first time that day. Her eyes lit up. “You think so?”
Tosha waved her hand in front of her mouth to cool the hot cookie off. She’d gone right for a big bite. “I don’t even care that it’s so hot. I want more.” She wasn’t kidding; she went for it.
Evie would have scolded her, but she’d followed her example and had a mouth full.
“You’re amazing, Mrs. Terri.” Cassidy swiped at the chocolate around her mouth.
“Oh, go on with ya. It’s Granny’s recipe.” Terri flapped a hand. She stood taller and reached for the spatula. “You go on and have another—you hardly tasted the first one.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tosha took the new napkin in her greedy palms.
Terri pulled up a stool and sat down, bringing the cookie tray with her. It was probably a good idea, because two just wasn’t going to be enough—not for Evie, anyway.
“What’s your essay this week?” Evie asked around a mouthful.
Tosha hit a few keys. “We have to write about our goals in life.” She made a face.
Evie laughed. “What do you want to be when you grow