10

Sitting in his home office, Nick shut the Bible in his lap, bent his head, and said a quick prayer. Preparation for this morning's men's breakfast had gone well, and his spirits were particularly high.

He always looked forward to the third Saturday of the month when the men's study group got together. It was a time when they could share what was going on in their lives and bond over hotcakes and sausage links. But that wasn’t the only reason for his positive mood.

An image of Maura barged into his head, bringing a smile to his lips. Co-existing with her had certainly been different since she showed up at church last week. She hadn’t come right out and told him, but he could tell that her feelings toward him had changed. Softened a little. They were both so busy they rarely occupied the house at the same time, but when they did bump into each other, the strain was gone. No longer did she scrutinize his every move, waiting for him to make a mistake or say something wrong. It was like the wall she’d erected between them when she came back to Granger had dropped a bit. He could see over it now without standing on his tiptoes.

It seemed the two of them had actually become friends again. And that was a really nice feeling.

Nick pushed himself out of his chair and left his office, nearly colliding with Maura, as she marched down the hall, cell phone pressed to her ear.

“No.” She jumped out of Nick's way, waving her free hand at him. She started pacing around the living room. “No, that won’t work … I understand that, but there's got to be a way … I see … Then that's what we’ll do. I’ll find a way to get those seats over to you by the end of the day.”

Seats? Nick tugged at his earlobe. Now what was Maura into?

She snapped her cell phone shut, turning to him as she did so. “Was I too loud? Did I disturb you?”

Nick dismissed her concern with a shake of his head. “No, I was just on my way out. Men's breakfast today. What's all this about seats?”

Maura let out a big puff of air, making her bangs do the wave across her forehead. “The theatre seats need to be reup-holstered. You know what condition they’re in. I had the details all worked out with this fellow in Beaver Falls, but now his truck's broken down, so he can’t come get the hardware to recover it, and to top it all off, his daughter just called to tell him she's getting married in November, so if he doesn’t start on my job right away, there's no way it’ll get done in time for the grand opening, which means I’ve got to find a way to remove all those seats today and get them to Beaver tonight.”

Nick had no idea how she’d said all that in one breath, but he’d managed to follow along. “So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to the theatre and I’m going to start ripping out seats,” she answered, determination clear on her face. “I’ll call Rachel on the way and see if she can find a truck to rent.” She grabbed her purse and headed for the front door.

“Have you had any breakfast?” Nick called after her.

She turned around, backing toward the door as she answered. “I keep a stash at the theatre. Bottled water and protein bars. I’ll just grab a couple of those.”

With a wave, she was out the door and on her way. Nick shook his head. He hadn’t seen this side of Maura when they’d lived together as a married couple. When they moved to Granger, he’d tried so hard to get her involved in things at the church, but the more he encouraged her, the more she withdrew, until one day, she was completely gone.

But now she’d thrown herself into this theatre project with abandon. And he could only hope her visit to church hadn’t been a one-time occurrence. Lainie told him afterward what a great job Maura did working with the kids, using drama to illustrate biblical principles.

It was as if God reached down and slapped the back of Nick's head at that moment. He finally got it. All the activities he’d pushed Maura to do in the past—the ladies’ Bible study, potlucks, hospital visitation ministry—none of them were part of Maura's gifting. If he’d stepped back and let her take her time, given her the opportunity to discover what she was passionate about, their lives might be different now.

Just that morning, he’d read in Romans that, though everyone is part of the body of Christ, each person has different gifts and serves different functions. Nick had planned on sharing that nugget with the men's group at breakfast, but now it took on a much larger meaning.

Grabbing his car keys and cell phone, Nick jogged out of the house.

 

 

Maura stood in front of the stage, looking out at the rows and rows of bedraggled seats that filled the theatre. The task overwhelmed her, and for a moment, she gave herself over to the feeling. How would she ever accomplish this? She didn’t even know if she had the right tools.

Stop it. She wasn’t alone. Rachel knew somebody who knew somebody who owned a semi, and she was sure they could hire him and his rig for the day. That was one problem down. All she had to do now was start removing bolts and get the stuff ready to go.

But she was only one woman. How could she possibly do all of this by herself?

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Maura frowned. Random Scriptures rarely popped into her head. It must be from all the time she’d spent with Lainie. And while she liked the thought of gaining strength from someone greater than herself, what Maura most needed was physical help. Another dozen or so pairs of hands could help her out of this mess.

Ask, and it shall be given to you.

This time, the Scripture that intruded on her thoughts brought Maura up short. What was going on here? It was like a challenge from God.

A challenge to trust Him.

“Okay, I’m probably an idiot, but I’m desperate.” Her voice echoed through the cavernous space. “So I’m asking. If you care about me so much, send me some help.” She paused and then added, “Please.”

She stood absolutely still, waiting for the doors to burst open, or for muscular, tool-wielding men to drop from the ceiling. She counted the seconds until she got to ten. Eleven. Twelve.

Nothing.

A wave of sadness washed over Maura, pushing her shoulders down into a beaten slump. What had she expected? She’d been a fool to get her hopes up.

There was work to be done, and she’d have to do it herself. Maura knelt down to get a good look at the bolts anchoring the seats to the floor.

With a mighty groan, the lobby door opened. At the sound, Maura jerked upright, her heart thumping in her chest.

In walked Rachel and her kids, wearing grubby clothes, armed with wrenches and other tools, ready to work. Maura blew out a slow breath. Just as she’d thought; her phone call to Rachel had produced more assistance than her begging to God.

“Hey!” Rachel called from the back of the theatre. “We’re all set. The truck will be here in about an hour. We’ll have no trouble getting this place emptied out.”

Maura put one hand on her hip and waved a wrench with the other. “Your positive attitude is refreshing. But in case you hadn’t noticed, there are about two-hundred seats in here and only four of us.”

“I’m fully aware of how big the job is,” Rachel answered, sounding smug. “But your body count is off. I ran into more helpers out in the parking lot.”

The doors to the lobby opened again, and the auditorium filled with the noise of at least a dozen men led by Nick. They fanned out through the room, inspecting the seats and discussing what tools would be needed for the job.

Nick walked up to Maura, giving her a brief salute. “Reporting for duty, Ma’am.”

“But what about your breakfast?”

“We brought it with us. There are donuts and coffee in the lobby for anybody who wants them.”

Every muscle in Maura's body tightened, from her throat to her chest and all the way down to her toes. “I don’t understand.”

“God reminded me it's more important to live out what the Bible says than to just talk about it. So instead of gathering at a restaurant, here we are.” Nick smiled at her, but all Maura could see was the love of God.

You see, I do care.

The thought filled her, and Maura let go of the control she’d held onto for so long. For the first time in years, she believed she wasn’t alone.

“Thank you,” she whispered and stepped toward Nick, arms open. He hesitated for a moment, but he reached out, pulling her into his embrace. He smoothed her hair with one hand and whispered back, “You’re welcome.”

 

 

The day took off in a flurry of nonstop activity. Not long after the arrival of Nick and his crew, Lainie showed up with half the youth group. The physical act of unbolting the seats from the floor turned out to be even more difficult than it looked, so that task was delegated to the men. Meanwhile, Rachel and Lainie supervised the teens in wiping the dust and cobwebs from the old seats and loading them in the truck. Maura went from seat to seat, using masking tape to mark the ones that were beyond salvaging and needed to be tossed into the dumpster. When that was done, she pitched in wherever she could.

At lunch time, someone ordered pizza, and the whole group took a break. Sitting in the lobby, surrounded by men and teenagers, Maura realized this was a part of the congregation she hadn’t interacted with when she and Nick first moved to Granger. She’d been so preoccupied with the church council members, the casserole-bearing Ladies’ Auxiliary, and all the other groups she felt uncomfortable in, she hadn’t considered there were others she might click with. She and Rachel were close friends, largely because Rachel made a point to get to know her without asking her to be the head of anything. But Rachel was the exception.

She’d felt so alone during that time. But now she was surrounded with people who not only cared about her, but who gave up their Saturday to help her out of a bind. It was pretty amazing.

She also took the time to really see Nick. Sitting cross-legged on the floor and holding a paper plate full of pizza, he talked and laughed with the men near him. A few of the boys had joined the group, and he made a point to include them in the conversation. She’d seen him like this before. No matter what group he was in, Nick could always find something to talk about. People were drawn to him because when he asked, “How are you doing?” he sincerely wanted to know the answer.

She finally acknowledged that this was the real Nick. He’d never tried to hide it from her. Since the day she’d first met him, she knew how much he cared about the people around him. She’d even found it endearing, until it took his time away from her. When that happened, she’d fought it till she was worn out and beaten.

Maura would never be like Nick. She couldn’t go into a room and instantly feel comfortable with everybody in it. But she finally began to understand that was okay. During the past few weeks, she’d discovered that when she followed her heart, getting involved in projects that inspired her, she acted more like Nick than she ever thought possible. Now it was a little easier for her to understand why he got so caught up in his work.

Lainie stood up from her spot on the floor and started collecting empty pizza boxes. “Okay, everybody, it's time to get back to work!”

A chorus of good-natured groans followed as teens and adults started picking up their lunch trash. Within a few minutes, the pizza party was over, and Maura's volunteer crew was back to work.

Maura stopped Lainie at the lobby door. “You’re a real slave driver, you know that?”

Lainie gave her a mock salute. “Yes, Ma’am, I do.”

“Why do you think I hired her?” Nick tossed a soda can in the trash and approached them.

“That's right. In my interview Pastor Nick asked me if I had any qualms about whipping kids into shape. I told him no-sir-ee. In fact, that's what I do for fun.”

Nick and Lainie laughed. Jealousy whispered in Maura's ear, and she turned away, wondering just how close the two of them were.

Something across the room caught Lainie's attention. “Excuse me. I need to wrangle up a couple of my kids.”

As she took off, Nick put his hand on Maura's shoulder. He bent down slightly, looking straight into her eyes. “Lainie has never been anything to me but a friend and colleague.”

Maura looked around frantically to make sure no one was close enough to overhear them. “How did you know I even … I mean … I never said …”

Nick put a finger to her lips. “You didn’t have to.”

She pulled his hand away from her face, but didn’t let him go. “That's good to know.”

Maura had never wanted to kiss him more than she did at that moment. But the spell was broken when someone called out, “Maura! I found an old ring on the floor. Can I keep it?”

“Sorry. I need to take care of that.” Her voice sounded husky and deep.

Nick smiled and let go of her hand. “That's okay. I know where to find you.”

 

 

By six o’clock that night the fully loaded truck was on its way to Beaver Falls. Inside the theatre Maura thanked everyone and received several good-bye hugs before they left. Nick, being Nick, walked out to the parking lot to see them off personally.

Maura sat on the lip of the stage, her legs dangling over the side, surveying the empty space. Now that the seats were gone, she could see how dirty the floor was. It needed to be cleaned before the refinishers came. The carpeting that ran up the aisles was beyond saving; it needed to be torn up and replaced. And, of course, there were the walls, which also would have to be touched up before anything was done to the floor. Maura pushed the to-do list from her mind. She and Rachel had made a timeline for all of the work to be done. Thanks to the help they’d received today, they were still right on schedule.

The lobby door hinges squealed, and Nick walked back in, his steps echoing down the side aisle as he approached her.

“Everybody's on their way home,” he said. He skirted the orchestra pit and climbed up the stage steps. He dropped next to Maura and followed her gaze. “Wow. It looks bigger now.”

She nodded. “Spaces always look bigger when they’re empty.”

“Funny,” he said after a moment, “our house felt smaller after you’d gone.”

A few weeks ago, that comment would have infuriated her. But now, she saw the sad truth in his words.

“Why do you think she did it?”

Nick turned to her. “Who did what?”

“Miss Hattie. Why do you think she gave me this place?”

“I don’t know. She never talked to me about it. Did you ever tell her about your dream of owning a theatre?”

Maura thought back. “No. But once I ran into her in the grocery store, and she started talking to me about destiny.”

“In the grocery store?”

“Right in the middle of the produce section. She told me that even though I was called to be your wife, God had a higher calling for me—something only I could do—and that I needed to find out what that was.”

Nick let out a low whistle. “She got that right. I guess God filled in the blanks for her.”

Maura nodded. “I guess so.”

They sat in silence for a while. Maura waited for it to feel awkward, but it didn’t. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to sit with him, and when he put his arm around her, she rested her head against his shoulder without a second thought.

“What are we doing, Maura?” Nick asked, his voice soft.

She hadn’t thought it through, but their relationship had changed again today. Another piece of the wall had been knocked over. “I’m not sure. I think we’re getting to know each other again.”

She felt Nick nod against the top of her head. “This may sound crazy, but it kind of feels like we’re dating.”

Maura laughed and sat back, looking at him. “That's funny, especially since we’re living together.”

“Well, we are married.”

“Yes, there's that.”

Nick took her hand. “Maura, there's nothing I’d like better right now than to take you out for a nice dinner. But I can’t.”

Maura frowned. “Why not?”

“Because you’re filthy.”

She yanked her hand from his and gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. “Look in a mirror, buddy. You’re kind of a mess yourself.”

“I’m sure I am.” Nick stood up, dusting off the front of his jeans. “How about we go home, get cleaned up, and dig some leftovers out of the fridge?”

He offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. She was inches away from him. If she took another step closer, she’d be back in his arms. Her heart urged her forward, but her head told her otherwise.

“Leftovers at home,” she said, taking a step back. “Right now, that sounds perfect.”