Chapter Four

      “Have a wonderful day, Rod,” Sara said as the tall, quiet boy shuffled his backpack over his shoulders, the last of the six boys to leave. “Enjoy your first day of school. And don’t forget we’re going to the greenhouse this afternoon.”

      Rod nodded, staring at her for several minutes. “You’re sure it’s okay?”

      “Pretty sure.” She patted his shoulder at the sound of Laurel tooting the van’s horn. “You’d better go.”

      He gave her another of those silent, soulful looks before he left.

      “Arriving near the end of the year like this can’t be easy for him, for any of them,” she mused aloud. “But surely they’ll be okay, won’t they, Lord? Laurel said the school agreed to hold summer courses to get them up to speed and ready for a new term in the fall. Please help them all use this opportunity.”

      Feeling a bit self-conscious about talking aloud, Sara refocused, wrinkling her nose at the stack of dishes.

      “What a mess. I think I’ll leave cleanup until after I finish prepping for dinner.” Humming to herself, Sara retrieved a box of apples from the storeroom then realized there wasn’t enough counter space.

      “Okay, then. Cleaning it is.” As she got to work washing and scrubbing away the remains of breakfast, she sang a praise chorus she’d learned at the church she’d attended in Vancouver. She’d barely made a dent in the mess when a small, delicate hand covered hers.

      “Oh!” She jerked away in surprise.

      “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” The very proper English voice came from a tiny woman dressed in trim jeans and a fitted white blouse. Her silver hair had been caught in a knot on the top of her head, revealing periwinkle-blue eyes that sparkled like stars when she smiled. “I’m Lucy Clow. And this is my husband, Hector.”

      “It’s very nice to meet you.” Sara blinked. “I’m afraid Laurel is—”

      “On her way to school with the boys.” Lucy nodded. “She knew we were coming.” She lifted the scraper from Sara’s fingers. “Let me do this. Hector and I are here to help.” The loving glance she gave the tall, bald man made Sara wish someone would look at her like that.

      “I do have a few things planned for today,” Sara admitted. Including cleaning Kyle’s greenhouse this afternoon. Having met Rod, she was confident he would enjoy working there. “Would you like a cup of coffee before you start?”

      When Hector cleared his throat, Lucy chuckled. “Hector’s hinting that he needs a good cup of coffee before he starts work on Laurel’s computer room.”

      Computer room? Laurel hadn’t mentioned setting up a computer room.

      The thought of it brought Sara a burst of anticipation. But she reminded herself that having a computer and being able to use one were two different things.

      She’d wanted so badly to ask Kyle about teaching her when she’d been to his house the other morning. His computer had been sitting right there, but she’d hesitated because he’d been in such pain when she arrived. Besides, wasn’t asking for use of the greenhouse enough for one day?