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Sunrise was just a faint blush on Garfield’s horizon when Mac scooted into a large circular booth at Lizzie’s Diner the next morning. She ordered five cups of coffee and waited for her friends. Her eyes drifted closed on a yawn. While the scents of morning bacon and java filled her nostrils, her heart reached out. Good morning, Father.
Good morning, daughter.
She breathed in the response. The simple reassurance of His presence thrilled her.
She was loved.
She was not alone.
Mac looked up when the little bell over the door jingled. She waved to catch Jesse’s attention and scooted to the center of the curved bench. Jesse took the place on her left with Randy next to her. Alex climbed in on the right, bounced her way over to Mac on her knees and threw her arms around her.
“I’m so proud of you.”
Charley took the remaining place and sent Mac a wink. “Multiply that by four.”
Lizzie approached with a pot of coffee and a tray full of heavy blue mugs. She filled them and handed them around. “What can I get you ladies this morning?”
Mac sent the aging woman her biggest smile. “You know that breakfast plate you make with the pancakes, eggs, and bacon?”
Lizzie nodded.
Mac swept her arm around the table. “We’ll need five. Bring me the ticket.”
Objections erupted as Lizzie departed. Not about the food or the calories, but about the ticket. Mac held up her hand. “My celebration, my treat.”
Randy sat back and shook her head. “We’re going to have to watch this one, ladies. She’s a quick learner.”
Mac answered the sarcasm with a smile and sipped her coffee. The world was a very good place this morning. She leaned forward. “And since we’re here to celebrate.” She opened her tote and pulled out four plastic bags knotted at the top with bright curlicues of multicolored ribbon. “I was a little...” Stressed didn’t seem the correct word for the unbridled energy of the previous night. “...um, jazzed last night. I made brownies.”
Jesse studied her. “Cooking is your go to emotional outlet?”
“Isn’t it everyone’s?” Mac asked, frowning at the blank stares from around the table. “It’s the only real hobby women are allowed within The Body. The men like to eat, and exploring new recipes gives the women an excuse to request a trip to town. This is my mother’s recipe, with a few tweaks from me that render them only a hundred calories each.” She passed them around. “I call it celebrating with a conscience.”
Charley examined her bag. “Breakfast and brownies. We didn’t get you anything.”
Mac’s eyes filled. “That is so not true.” She twisted her mug in her hands even as she fought the tears. “I wouldn’t have survived the last eight days without the four of you.” A single tear zig-zagged down her cheek. “I remember driving to the spa last Monday. Anxious to meet my first class, thinking that the day had such potential.” She swiped at her face. “Then everything seemed to collapse. But the worst turned into the best. I owe you guys so much more than brownies.”
“Beauty for ashes,” Alex murmured.
Jesse bumped Mac’s shoulder. “You have to stop unless you want us all blubbering.” Her expression turned serious. “Let’s get this out of the way so we can enjoy our breakfast. We’re”—her motion encompassed the table—“friends.”
“Sisters,” Randy provided. “Not by blood, but by design.”
“Sisters, then,” Jesse agreed. “I don’t know that any of us can tell you when or how that happened. It just is. It’s more of a God thing than anything we intended. You came along, and it seems like God wants you to join us.” She stopped to glance at the others. “You...fit. We love you. End of story.”
Those words again. Mac closed her eyes. We love you. So simple, so powerful. These four women threw those words around as if they were common. Could they ever understand the treasure that lay beneath them? Will I ever be able to say them with such freedom? “You...” She stopped, remembering Jesse’s warning against blubbering.
The women at the table waited as if giving her the opportunity to accept what they offered or run for the hills. Mac studied their faces, taking in each attribute. Alex offered compassion. Charley, an exterior toughness that belied the sensitivity beneath. Randy’s eyes held quiet wisdom, and Jesse met her gaze with a shrewdness that made her almost twitchy. Mac bit her lip. She wanted to be a part of this group like she’d never wanted anything.
She lifted her cup and held it over the table. She looked at Jesse. “Not the end of the story,” she offered. “But a new chapter.” Four cups clinked against hers.
Conversation stalled when their breakfast was delivered. Once the plates were positioned in front of them Alex held out her hands and bowed her head.
“Father, we are so grateful to you this morning. You have added a new friend and sister to our circle, and You have been faithful to cover Mac with Your grace. Give us wisdom in the days ahead to be steady and firm examples of Your love. Bless our celebration and go with each of us today.”
Amens echoed, and the women attacked their breakfasts with a gusto that would have made hungry lumberjacks proud. Mac smiled as she drizzled syrup over her pancakes. Despite the heartaches of the previous week, today life was sweeter than it had ever been.
* * *
JESSE ATE AND STUDIED Mac from underneath her lashes. Maybe the timing wasn’t perfect, but she had her friends in one spot, and there was still something that needed to be resolved. She pushed her empty plate to the center of the table and stirred creamer into a fresh cup of coffee.
“So, you like to cook?”
Mac nodded. “I’ve got boxes of cookbooks stored in the garage. I need to find someone to build me some shelves.”
Jesse’s brows rose over the rims of her glasses. “Dane likes to eat. I bet he could be persuaded.” She held Mac’s gaze steady with her own. “Now that we’re all on the same page with our beliefs, I’ll bet he could be persuaded about lots of things.”
Mac grabbed her napkin and hacked into it. She looked at Jesse with suddenly streaming eyes.
“Mac?”
Mac raised a hand. “Wait...I...” Muffled noises rattled from the napkin. “I swallowed wrong.” She lowered the napkin, gulped in air, and hiccupped. Her eyes narrowed in a frown at Jesse while Alex thumped her on the back. “Are you trying to kill me?”
Jesse shook her head. “I was just thinking about our talk on Friday. Now that you’ve resolved the belief part of the equation, maybe it’s time to explore that future with my brother we talked about.”
Mac lowered her head. “Do you think...? I mean, I hope you don’t think that I’d...I’d make this sort of commitment just to...” She looked up. “I didn’t accept Christ into my life to get to Dane.”
Randy picked up a piece of bacon from her plate and handed it to Jesse. “You might want to put this in your mouth instead of your foot.” She leaned across the table and laid a hand on Mac’s arm. “I don’t think that’s what she meant.”
Jesse returned the bacon to Randy’s plate. “Of course it isn’t.” She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. “I just meant that some of the obstacles that existed a few days ago aren’t there anymore.” She tilted her head. “Do you still think you might have feelings for my brother?”
Mac allowed her gaze to shift from Jesse to the others one at a time. She chewed on her lower lip. “You guys don’t shy away from the sensitive subjects, do you?”
“We will if you ask us to,” Charley said.
“But we’re here for you, if we can help,” Alex added.
Mac swallowed. “Yes, I think I have feelings for Dane.” The look on her face was a little lost. Her shoulders lifted. “I’m still not sure what they are, but something...weird...happens to my heart when he smiles at me. There’s this shift to the whole feeling of the room when he gets close.” She put her head in her hands. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
Randy fanned the air in front of her face. “Trust me, you’re doing a fine job.”
“Yes, she is.” Jesse thumped the table to emphasize her words. “Ladies, I’ve watched my brother dance around women ever since Sabrina Moss walked out of his life. If there’s a chance to see him happy, I’m going to do what I have to do to make that happen.”
She threw an arm around Mac’s shoulders. “Girlfriend, it’s been a long time since I saw my brother messed up, in a good way, over a woman.” She looked at the others. “We need a plan.”
Mac held up both of her hands. “Wait! I mean, good, but...” She sucked in a deep breath. “What sort of plan?”
“Well,” Charley said. “What sort of things do you like to do when you aren’t working? Let’s see if we can find some common ground between you and Mr. Handy.”
Jesse snorted. “Mr. Handy. I like that.”
Mac shrank in her seat. “I work and I go home and I cook. I read and I have my aquarium at the shop.” She closed her eyes. “I’m boring.”
A sly smile blossomed on Jesse’s face. “Food and fish. I knew it.”
“Wait a minute,” Randy objected. “Food maybe, but fish? There’s a great big difference from the pretty tiny fish in Mac’s tank and the bass Dane pulls out of your grandpa’s pond.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Jesse said. “They swim and they have gills. I think we’re on to something. Have you ever been fishing?”
Mac shook her head.
“I can teach you the basics.” Jesse drummed her fingers on the table. “What we need is an opportunity to flaunt your new found hobby in Dane’s face.” She shook her head. “That’s hard with Riley in the picture.” Jesse realized what she’d said and put a hand on Mac’s arm. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. I think the relationship growing between my brother and your son is wonderful, but this plan requires some alone time.”
Alex looked at Charley. “Is Kinsley free Saturday afternoon?”
“As far as I know, why?”
Alex pursed her lips and looked at Jesse. “If Dane had Saturday afternoon free, where would he be?”
Jesse’s eyes widened. “The pond, where else?”
“Exactly.” Alex shifted in her seat and grabbed Mac’s arm. “As your pastor’s wife, I think it’s time that I arranged for your son to meet some of the other young people in the church.” Her smile was crafty. “I saw the way he looked at Miss Brinkley on Sunday. If I offer to make snacks for Benjamin and Sean so they can have some friends over Saturday afternoon, I can make sure that Riley is on the guest list. What do you think?”
“I think you guys are having way too much fun.” Mac answered.
“We are,” Jesse confirmed. “I know my brother. His seat on the fence between like and love is a precarious one. We just need to rig the balance on the side we want. Two questions. How’s your fried chicken recipe, and what are you doing after work this afternoon?”
* * *
MAC HELD HER PHONE between her shoulder and her ear and squinted at the thin, nearly invisible line she’d just threaded through the eye of a very sharp hook.
“Take the short end and make a loop,” Jesse said. “Then push the long end through and wrap it a few times. Lick the line and draw it tight.”
“Eww... Lick it?”
“Suck it up. It’s clean line. Do you want to make Dane think you know what you’re doing or not?”
What she wanted was a chance to show Dane she wasn’t just another needy woman looking for a man to take care of her. She could take care of herself but love was an enticement she never expected to encounter.
“Are you still there?” Jesse asked.
“Yes.” Mac touched the line to her tongue for a millisecond, pulled it tight, and released it. The knot fell apart.
“How’s it look?”
Mac studied the tangle in her hands. “Great...really great.”
“OK, I’m sending you a text with a picture of three different lures. Study up on those tonight, and well talk about what makes them different tomorrow. Meanwhile, practice casting with that rod and reel I left for you.”
Mac sighed and gave voice to her fears. “Jesse, how is all this going to make Dane think I’m a better bet than Sabrina Moss? Fishing isn’t what our future will be built on, if we have one.”
Silence stretched. “I never figured you for a quitter.”
“I—”
“Practice.”
The phone went dead, immediately followed by the buzz of an incoming text. Mac swiped it open and there was the promised picture. “Top water, crank bait, spinner...” She rolled her eyes, tossed the phone on the counter, and went outside to see if she could figure out how to cast a line into a small kiddie pool in the corner of the back yard.