shared with her over the years. Yes, Jesus met us in our brokenness. Maybe that’s why she felt so close to Him. She glanced to the little boy who melted hearts with a simple smile, feeling the depth of her inadequacy in caring for him as he needed. She could only trust that God had a plan.
Cassandra leaned back in her seat. “I didn’t realize you had a daughter.”
“She’s away at college, doing a summer internship.” The bracelets jangled as she waved her arm. “Anyway, I worry what it will take to make Lew see the light. That man’s got a tougher shell than most.”
“Maybe he needs something to soften it.”
“Hmph.”
Cassandra’s mind meandered into thoughts of her own in-laws. She knew what it was like to have concerns on that front, though hers were completely different. Still, Tim had never given her a moment of grief. Too bad she hadn’t learned to appreciate the man enough until it was too late.
Kat’s eyes moved back and forth as if reading Cassandra’s thoughts. “What are you thinking about?” There was that question again.
Cassandra better learn to school her expressions in front of the woman. Otherwise, Kat might probe things Cassandra hadn’t planned to reveal. “My husband.”
“Tim?” Obviously, Mom had filled Kat in on her entire history—what she knew of it.
Cassandra turned her cup back and forth and nodded.
“What was he like?” Though Kat didn’t shy away from the hard subjects, she whispered the words as if requesting permission to ask. There was a safety in it.
Cassandra’s eyes stung less than usual, but the pain was still there. “Perfect.” She met Kat’s gaze. “And yet God took him from me anyway.” She hadn’t meant to sound so ungrateful, but maybe she was.
Kat patted her hand. “He’s hard to figure out sometimes, isn’t He?”
“Yes,” was all she croaked out.
“Yet willing to die for us.”
Cassandra nodded. A change of subject would be good. “So you stayed with Billy after all that.”
Her friend’s expression suggested she understood, and was willing to move once again to her own former troubles. “When he accepted the help, I couldn’t leave him.” She shrugged. “I love him.”
Sophie bounded up and dropped three CD cases in front of Cassandra. “Can I have an advance on my allowance? I’d really like to get these.”
Cassandra sifted through them—David Crowder, Third Day and NEEDTOBREATHE. Her favorites. Sure Sophie could have an advance. “Okay, honey.”
Sophie looked between the ladies. “Did I hear you talking about love?” Her eyebrows jumped.
They both smiled back.
Sophie swiveled toward Kat and dropped her chin in her palms. “How did you know you were in love with your husband?” Her favorite topic these days.
Kat leaned back and stirred her coffee round and round with the little red stick. “Hmm. Let me think.” Her sandaled foot bounced. “We’d known each other since elementary school. He pulled my hair in third grade when I sat in front of him in homeroom.”
Cassandra giggled. “Sounds like love to me.”
Kat’s smile was wistful. “I always thought he was a big pest until one day in middle school this little shadow appeared right here on his face.” She tapped the dip between her lower lip and chin then sighed. “Peach fuzz—powerful stuff. My heart was never the same. I’d never seen a more manly hunk—from my eighth-grade estimation—in my entire life.”
Sophie joined the chuckles and turned to Cassandra. “How about you, Mom?”
Uh-oh.
“When did you know you were in love with Dad?”
Cassandra stilled. She couldn’t answer. Both Kat and Sophie stared as if wondering what took her so long. She looked again to the little boy on the carpet whose features so reflected his father’s, his attention planted on her as though waiting for the answer himself. How could she tell them it was only after years of marriage that she realized she loved her husband?
“Mom?” Sophie
Cassandra leaned back in her seat. “I didn’t realize you had a daughter.”
“She’s away at college, doing a summer internship.” The bracelets jangled as she waved her arm. “Anyway, I worry what it will take to make Lew see the light. That man’s got a tougher shell than most.”
“Maybe he needs something to soften it.”
“Hmph.”
Cassandra’s mind meandered into thoughts of her own in-laws. She knew what it was like to have concerns on that front, though hers were completely different. Still, Tim had never given her a moment of grief. Too bad she hadn’t learned to appreciate the man enough until it was too late.
Kat’s eyes moved back and forth as if reading Cassandra’s thoughts. “What are you thinking about?” There was that question again.
Cassandra better learn to school her expressions in front of the woman. Otherwise, Kat might probe things Cassandra hadn’t planned to reveal. “My husband.”
“Tim?” Obviously, Mom had filled Kat in on her entire history—what she knew of it.
Cassandra turned her cup back and forth and nodded.
“What was he like?” Though Kat didn’t shy away from the hard subjects, she whispered the words as if requesting permission to ask. There was a safety in it.
Cassandra’s eyes stung less than usual, but the pain was still there. “Perfect.” She met Kat’s gaze. “And yet God took him from me anyway.” She hadn’t meant to sound so ungrateful, but maybe she was.
Kat patted her hand. “He’s hard to figure out sometimes, isn’t He?”
“Yes,” was all she croaked out.
“Yet willing to die for us.”
Cassandra nodded. A change of subject would be good. “So you stayed with Billy after all that.”
Her friend’s expression suggested she understood, and was willing to move once again to her own former troubles. “When he accepted the help, I couldn’t leave him.” She shrugged. “I love him.”
Sophie bounded up and dropped three CD cases in front of Cassandra. “Can I have an advance on my allowance? I’d really like to get these.”
Cassandra sifted through them—David Crowder, Third Day and NEEDTOBREATHE. Her favorites. Sure Sophie could have an advance. “Okay, honey.”
Sophie looked between the ladies. “Did I hear you talking about love?” Her eyebrows jumped.
They both smiled back.
Sophie swiveled toward Kat and dropped her chin in her palms. “How did you know you were in love with your husband?” Her favorite topic these days.
Kat leaned back and stirred her coffee round and round with the little red stick. “Hmm. Let me think.” Her sandaled foot bounced. “We’d known each other since elementary school. He pulled my hair in third grade when I sat in front of him in homeroom.”
Cassandra giggled. “Sounds like love to me.”
Kat’s smile was wistful. “I always thought he was a big pest until one day in middle school this little shadow appeared right here on his face.” She tapped the dip between her lower lip and chin then sighed. “Peach fuzz—powerful stuff. My heart was never the same. I’d never seen a more manly hunk—from my eighth-grade estimation—in my entire life.”
Sophie joined the chuckles and turned to Cassandra. “How about you, Mom?”
Uh-oh.
“When did you know you were in love with Dad?”
Cassandra stilled. She couldn’t answer. Both Kat and Sophie stared as if wondering what took her so long. She looked again to the little boy on the carpet whose features so reflected his father’s, his attention planted on her as though waiting for the answer himself. How could she tell them it was only after years of marriage that she realized she loved her husband?
“Mom?” Sophie
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