understand. Today she felt compelled to tell him what she had overheard Teri talking about at the café and how she turned off the bath water last nightand sensed that the Lord was asking her if she wanted to be made well.
“I said yes,” Genevieve said in a timid voice. “I don’t know what it means. I don’t even know why I’m telling you, but I thought something good was going to happen. I thought I’d feel better about myself and about our marriage. But the next thing I knew, the café was destroyed.”
A fresh batch of tears welled up inside Genevieve. Her shoulders began to shake. “I don’t feel better,” she said before the first sob came over her. “I feel like everything is falling apart.”
Steven’s expression remained steady. He didn’t tell her everything was going to be all right. He didn’t say, “See? That’s why I never put my trust in God.” All he did was listen.
Genevieve tried hard to stop crying. “I don’t understand what went wrong.”
“I don’t either,” Steven said solemnly.
“I don’t understand God.”
“Neither do I.”
They sat together in silence. Genevieve realized that was something her husband always had done well. He was good at being with her, listening to her, and supporting her through difficult situations. When he was home, he was 1000 percent home and 1000 percent with her.
What am I thinking? Steven is
not
here for me. Isn’t that what I’ve been saying all this time? How can I be sitting here thinking about how great it is that he’s with me?
“I’m going upstairs to bed,” Genevieve said in a smallvoice. “I think I need to get some sleep.”
“Good idea,” Steven said. “Would you like me to wake you at a certain time?”
“Wake me at ten o’clock, if I’m not up already.”
Genevieve fell into her unmade bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She closed her eyes and saw the ghastly, black charred remains of the Wildflower kitchen etched on the inside of her eyelids.
“My café,” she whimpered in a low moan. “My dream café.” Mercifully, exhaustion overtook her and silenced her with dreamless sleep.
Chapter Eight
I t took more than a month for all the paperwork to clear with the insurance company and for Genevieve to receive payment on the settlement for the café. The amount was almost double what she had expected thanks to Collin Radcliffe, a Glenbrooke lawyer who volunteered to assist her even after she insisted she didn’t need help. Collin helped her to think of items she had forgotten to list on the original forms as well as what it would take to replace some of the built-in equipment at the current market price.
The stroke of brilliance that put Collin at the top of the list of local heroes was that he researched the history of the café’s site. He discovered that section of Main Street originally had been the site of a library. In fact, it was the first library west of the Rockies that had been established in any logging town.
Genevieve failed to see why Collin grinned so broadlywhen he delivered all the documents to her a week and a half after the fire. Then he opened a file, and it all became clear. Since the site was a historical landmark, they could apply for funds from not only the Oregon state government but also the federal government. Certain criteria had to be followed, such as the placement of a historical marker in front of the café.
The promise of additional funds for rebuilding the café launched Genevieve into a planning frenzy, and for almost a month she had dreamed bigger dreams than ever for the café. Having such a consuming project had a wonderful effect on her energy and contentment level. Steven was home and that made it easy for her to ignore her harbored anger toward him. They worked together with polite consideration.
The only time during the month after the fire that Genevieve felt a sense of panic was on the Wednesday right after the fire. She remembered that Jessica and her
“I said yes,” Genevieve said in a timid voice. “I don’t know what it means. I don’t even know why I’m telling you, but I thought something good was going to happen. I thought I’d feel better about myself and about our marriage. But the next thing I knew, the café was destroyed.”
A fresh batch of tears welled up inside Genevieve. Her shoulders began to shake. “I don’t feel better,” she said before the first sob came over her. “I feel like everything is falling apart.”
Steven’s expression remained steady. He didn’t tell her everything was going to be all right. He didn’t say, “See? That’s why I never put my trust in God.” All he did was listen.
Genevieve tried hard to stop crying. “I don’t understand what went wrong.”
“I don’t either,” Steven said solemnly.
“I don’t understand God.”
“Neither do I.”
They sat together in silence. Genevieve realized that was something her husband always had done well. He was good at being with her, listening to her, and supporting her through difficult situations. When he was home, he was 1000 percent home and 1000 percent with her.
What am I thinking? Steven is
not
here for me. Isn’t that what I’ve been saying all this time? How can I be sitting here thinking about how great it is that he’s with me?
“I’m going upstairs to bed,” Genevieve said in a smallvoice. “I think I need to get some sleep.”
“Good idea,” Steven said. “Would you like me to wake you at a certain time?”
“Wake me at ten o’clock, if I’m not up already.”
Genevieve fell into her unmade bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She closed her eyes and saw the ghastly, black charred remains of the Wildflower kitchen etched on the inside of her eyelids.
“My café,” she whimpered in a low moan. “My dream café.” Mercifully, exhaustion overtook her and silenced her with dreamless sleep.
Chapter Eight
I t took more than a month for all the paperwork to clear with the insurance company and for Genevieve to receive payment on the settlement for the café. The amount was almost double what she had expected thanks to Collin Radcliffe, a Glenbrooke lawyer who volunteered to assist her even after she insisted she didn’t need help. Collin helped her to think of items she had forgotten to list on the original forms as well as what it would take to replace some of the built-in equipment at the current market price.
The stroke of brilliance that put Collin at the top of the list of local heroes was that he researched the history of the café’s site. He discovered that section of Main Street originally had been the site of a library. In fact, it was the first library west of the Rockies that had been established in any logging town.
Genevieve failed to see why Collin grinned so broadlywhen he delivered all the documents to her a week and a half after the fire. Then he opened a file, and it all became clear. Since the site was a historical landmark, they could apply for funds from not only the Oregon state government but also the federal government. Certain criteria had to be followed, such as the placement of a historical marker in front of the café.
The promise of additional funds for rebuilding the café launched Genevieve into a planning frenzy, and for almost a month she had dreamed bigger dreams than ever for the café. Having such a consuming project had a wonderful effect on her energy and contentment level. Steven was home and that made it easy for her to ignore her harbored anger toward him. They worked together with polite consideration.
The only time during the month after the fire that Genevieve felt a sense of panic was on the Wednesday right after the fire. She remembered that Jessica and her
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