“Five, six, seven, eight.” Amy clapped as she counted in the dancers and the piano. The five girls with minimal ballet exposure twirled onto the stage while the quartet behind them began singing about their dreams for a white Christmas. It wasn’t a complete rip-off of the final scene of the Bing Crosby movie, but it should make the suggestion in most people’s minds. Homage. It was an homage. Provided the ballerinas didn’t kill each other before December. “Cut!”

Zach was already darting between the two girls who looked ready to come to blows. “Hey, hey. Settle down. You knock over the set me and the guys worked so hard on, we’re gonna be upset.”

“Mr. Wilson, you tell that skank she needs to stay outta’ my way and keep her hands off my man.”

Zach looked over his shoulder. “Serena?”

“If he’s your man, why he okay with my hands bein' on him in the first place? Huh, Rhiann?” Serena fisted her hands on her hips and jutted out her chin.

“I thought the two of you were BFFs, what happened?” Zach eased aside, keeping an eye on both girls.

“I was sick on Halloween, had the stomach flu or somethin’, so Jamal hooks up with her to help take her sisters around for trick-or-treat. Next thing he knows, she’s got her hooks in him and he’s trying to fight her off. But look at her, girl that size? Jamal ain’t got no chance, he’s skinny.” Riann’s eyes flashed.

“You...”

“Serena.” Zach’s voice brooked no argument and she stopped before the expletive could come out. He looked over to Amy. “Can you go see if Jamal’s in the green room and ask him to join us, please?”

Amy chuckled. She’d wondered where Jamal was hiding. He was part of the next number and the rest of the group was in the front row waiting their turn. Trusting that Zach had the situation on stage handled, she ducked through the side door and hurried to the green room. Jamal sat on the busted sofa, cradling his head in his hands.

“Jamal? We need you on stage.”

Still staring at his shoes he shook his head. “Nope.”

“Jamal.” Amy frowned. He looked...shrunken. “What’s going on?”

He glanced  up, eyes darting around. “Rhiann’s pregnant.”

Stomach flu. Of course. Amy closed her eyes for a moment. These kids...some of them needed so much more than teachers were able to provide. They needed Jesus. But more than that, they needed Jesus’ followers to come and be his hands and feet directly in their lives. “And Serena?”

“Man, I didn’t do nothin' with her. I tried to help her manage her sisters on Halloween, that’s all. Next thing I know she’s got her tongue in my mouth and her hands...” He cleared his throat. “Not where they s’posed to be. I ran, Ms. Harris. But Rhiann...she don’t believe me 'cause Serena’s tellin’ it different.”

Heart heavy, Amy nodded toward the door. “C’mon, Jamal. Rhiann needs you to come sort this out. I do too. ‘Cause those girls have got to dance together in a few weeks. Preferably without killing each other.”

He gave a weak chuckle and stood. “I don’t know how to be a dad, Ms. Harris. I ain’t got one. Not one worth anything. You know that. And Ma...has too much of her own sh—stuff to worry about. Rhiann says she won’t have an abortion. I offered to pay, so it’s not the money. I gotta do right by her...but I don’t know what that is.”

Amy’s heart broke at the unfettered heartache and confusion in the boy’s eyes. “Let’s straighten the ballet out first, then you, Rhiann, Mr. Wilson, and I will put our heads together and see about the rest. Okay?”

His whole face brightened. “You’ll help?”

“Of course. Come on.”

“I really appreciate this, Paige. I know you don’t get nights off...well, ever.” Amy looked around Paige’s tidy condo. It wasn’t much different from some of the apartment complexes in the city. Not in her neighborhood, maybe, which was mostly old row houses that had been converted to four units, but as you moved north and west, you started to see this kind of setup. Maybe Zach would be more comfortable in something like that? It’d still be downtown...maybe not quite the same as living in the school’s neighborhood, but how much did that really matter once you got out of the suburbs?

Paige chuckled. “I don’t get girls nights ever either. So this is a treat for me, too. You really don’t mind that Becca and her friends are coming?”

“Nope. As long as they don’t mind if we talk gardening for a bit.”

“I think they’re getting used to that. Just in case, why don’t we start before they get here? Then maybe they won’t have to suffer through quite as much.”

Amy sat next to Paige on the couch and opened a fat file folder on the coffee table. “Here’s what I have so far. It’s all kind of a jumble.”

Paige flipped through the clippings and computer printouts, stopping at a drawing on graph paper. “This is a good greenhouse design. Where’d you get it?”

Heat crawled up Amy’s neck. “I drew it. It’s based on a few different ideas I read about. Let’s see.” She shifted papers around and pulled out two stapled packets. “But neither one of these looked like it’d work as-is. So I kind of jammed them together.”

“You did a good job.” Paige’s tongue poked between her lips as she compared the three designs. “Tell me about the location you’re thinking of.”

Amy tugged the last sheet of paper out of the stack and spun it so the map of the school was oriented as it should be. At least to the best of her ability. Which wasn’t particularly high. Understanding cardinal directions wasn’t in her top fifty skills. Still, it seemed close. She tapped the parking lot at the rear of the school. “Right here. No one ever parks there because it gets so much sun. And it’s not really near any of the useful doors. The principal didn’t think there’d be any problem getting permission to build there, which is also a relief. Though he did also mention six, seven hundred times that I shouldn’t expect any funding from the school.”

Paige chuckled. “I know a couple of agencies that are interested in helping cultivate an interest in farming—or gardening—in the youth of today. If you’re not opposed to having multiple funding sources, and the multiple applications that involves, I think money will be the least of your problems.”

“That’d be a first.” Amy grinned. “As it happens, paperwork is one of my super powers. Just point me in the right direction.”

Paige scribbled at the bottom of the map. “If you look these two up online, their applications are easy to find on the main page of their websites. And I’ll see if I can think of any more places to look. At the very least, my mentor from culinary school might have...now that’s an idea.”

“What’s an idea?”

“Culinary school. There are always students looking for service hours. Some of the scholarships require recipients to give back. This would be perfect. And it’s free labor for you.”

Hmm. “I’m not sure if the school would need to do some kind of background check, but I’ll look into it. I’m all over the idea of free labor. Thanks, Paige.”

“My pleasure. Seriously and,” she broke off as her door buzzed. “That’s probably Becca, Sara, and Jen. Plus pizza.”

Amy’s stomach growled. She neatened the stack of papers and tucked them back into her file folder. That was enough shop talk for now. Maybe when she’d chased down the applications and found out about requirements for volunteers, she and Paige could have another meeting. Or just do some emailing. It probably didn’t have to be face-to-face. Sausage and peppers wafted on the air as the four women entered, laughing together, laden with boxes and bags.

“Amy! This is so great.” Becca grinned and leaned over to give Amy a quick hug. “Thanks for having the idea and letting us horn in on it. This is Sara, she’s a physical therapist like me.”

“Not quite like you, as I’ve yet to succumb to the outrageous good looks and flattering commentary of one of my patients.” Sara lifted a hand in greeting and plopped onto the couch beside Amy. “Nice to meet you. Teacher, right?”

“Yeah.” Amy nodded.

“Give Mr. Thompson some time. He’s cagey.”

Sara snorted out a laugh. “And ninety if he’s a day.”

Becca waved Sara’s objection away, pointing to the other woman who came in with her. “And this is Jen. She’s a computer person in Tyson’s. Doing something computery with her days.”

Jen took a plate off the stack of paper plates and passed the stack to Sara. “Hi. How’d you convince Paige to take a night off in the middle of the week?”

Amy shrugged. It hadn’t been all that hard. Should she say that? “I just asked...let her choose the day. Next thing I knew, it was Wednesday night girls night at Paige’s house.”

“Asked. Huh.” Jen elbowed Becca in the ribs. “See? We should try that sometime.”

“Okay, okay. I get it, I neglect my friends.” Paige set a tray of sliced vegetables and a bowl of dip on the table and opened the pizza. “I’m trying to get better. Wednesday is our slowest night. I tried taking a Saturday off so Jackson and I could have a real date and...Wednesday seemed like a better option. I don’t think Hector’s as ready for prime time as he thinks he is.”

The women chuckled.

“So, you’re putting in a garden at the school?” Jen licked her lips as she eyed the pizza then loaded her plate with cut up vegetables and a meager spoonful of dip.

Amy slid two slices of pizza, cheese dripping after them, onto her plate. “That’s the plan. Paige had some funding ideas, so I’m going to chase them down and see what happens.”

“How are things with you and Zach?” Sara dropped a small slice of pizza onto Jen’s plate before putting a large one on her own.

“Hey. If I wanted pizza, I would’ve taken it.”

“Just shut up and eat. You’re not fat and I get tired of watching you try to starve yourself into a shape that doesn’t exist naturally.” Sara offered a tight smile. “Sorry. Zach?”

Amy’s eyebrows lifted. Sara wasn’t wrong, Jen was lovely. Maybe not a size two, but who was? And yet...not getting involved in that particular discussion seemed like the better course of action since she happened to have good genes that kept weight from being one of her personal struggles. “Things are good.”

Becca sighed. “You’re as tight lipped as Ben. I’m going to have to ask Zach myself, aren’t I? Details, girl. We need details.”

Amy squirmed. She kind of knew Paige and Rebecca. But Sara and Jen? She was supposed to just spill her heart out for them the first time they met? Especially if Zach wasn’t telling his roommates much?

“Leave Amy alone.” Paige shook her head and pinned Amy with her gaze. “Ignore them. They mean well, but they don’t get out much.”

Sara and Jen laughed.

“It’s true. Sad. But true.” Sara took a huge bite of pizza. “I have to live vicariously through my engaged friend who can’t even bother to set a date.”

“Oh, a date.” Paige bounced in her seat. “Jackson and I finally have one. March nineteenth. Mark your calendars. Amazingly, the chapel at church—you know the little side one?—was still free. There’s a big wedding using the sanctuary that evening, but we’re going smaller, less formal, and in the early afternoon. So there shouldn’t be any issue. We’ll have a simple reception at Season’s Bounty after. Dad’s going to cook.”

“Did you ever consider eloping?” Becca wiped the pizza grease off her lips.

“Not seriously...are you?” Paige set her plate on her knees and frowned. “I thought you wanted a big to do?”

Becca shook her head. “Not really. Mom and Dad want that. Something about one of their friend’s daughter’s wedding and how they could do so much better and besides, what about blah blah blah. You know how they get. Dad’s doing better—mostly—keeping his thoughts to himself on how my life impacts his speaking ministry. But you can tell the thoughts are still there. And it’s not like we have to just go down to city hall and have a judge marry us. There are some places out near the Shenandoah—they’re cute, historic homes that have been turned into fancy hotels. Kind of destination elopements, I guess? Ben’s worried I’ll regret it.”

“You don’t think you will?” Amy picked a mushroom off her pizza and pushed it to the side of her plate.

Becca sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, I want Mom and Dad there, so yeah, if they missed it maybe I’d be a little upset. But not as upset as I’m going to be if I let them push me into some big soiree that I don’t want.”

Jen nibbled the tip of her pizza slice. “Aren’t your parents coming out for Christmas?”

Becca nodded.

Jen grinned. “I might have an idea.”

“That must’ve been some girl’s night you had last night.” Zach sauntered into Amy’s office and dropped his insulated lunch bag on one of the three student desks crammed in the room as he slid into the seat. “Mind if I eat in here?”

“Help yourself. I already ate. And yeah, it was fun.” Amy rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks a morning hunched over various paperwork had caused.

“Always good to organize another person’s life, right?” Zach unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite.

“What do you mean?” Amy drew her brows together. They hadn’t...oh. Jen’s idea. “I thought that was just an idea.”

Zach shook his head. “It is now, apparently, a done deal. You wanna be my date?”

“To their elopement?” Did you call it an elopement if it was planned? Wasn’t it more like a small, spontaneous wedding? She snickered.

“What’s funny?”

“I was just thinking how they’d tell their kids, ‘Oh, we went for a Christmas Eve drive and a wedding broke out.’”

Zach laughed. “I’ll pass that along to Ben. He’ll get a kick out of it. But seriously. I know it’s Christmas Eve, so you probably have plans with your family...but do you think you could come? I’d really like you to be there.”

Christmas Eve. Noche Buena. There was enough Spanish influence on both sides of her family—even if Dad’s island was predominantly Dutch—that a roast pig made its appearance on the table for Christmas Eve. Still... “I’ll double check, but I don’t see why not.”

His smile lit up his whole face and the set of his shoulders relaxed. “Thanks. Did you happen to mention Jamal and Rhiann?”

Amy’s heart sank. She’d meant to. Surely that group of Christian women would’ve had some suggestions. She shook her head. “I didn’t get a chance. I wish I knew how to help them.”

“As it happens, I was chatting with Jackson and Ben and they remembered that Pastor Brown’s daughter worked at a pregnancy resource center somewhere. So we did some poking around online. Lydia—that’s the pastor’s daughter—is out in Georgetown, so that’s not as helpful as it could be. But there’s one on Capitol Hill. Still a little ways from here, but maybe that’s for the best? And it’s not that far.”

Pregnancy resource center. “It’s not far but...what do places like that do? Rhiann said no to an abortion, thankfully, so...”

“No, it’s not like that at all. Exactly the opposite, honestly. They have programs that help you learn about child care and development, you can get points for baby clothes and that sort of thing, or they’ll help you with an adoption plan if you’d rather go that route. Basically, they’re there to help you give your baby life, whatever form that takes.”

Amy thought about Jamal and how he wanted to be a dad—a good dad—for this baby. “What about the men? Can they work with Jamal, too?”

Zach nodded. “It looked like they had stuff for dads, yeah. And...I’m torn on this myself, but both of them are seniors this year. They’re eighteen, or will be soon...maybe they should consider getting married? Setting the kid up with an intact family from day one.”

Married? They were kids. Sure, almost graduated from high school but...how did you build a lasting marriage at that age? Especially if you started it with a baby? “I don’t know about that. Is this place going to push that?”

“I don’t think so. They’re just there to help, not push an agenda. It was a thought I had. Maybe a bad one. I dunno. Thought I’d toss it out.” Zach balled up his trash and tucked it in his lunch bag. “Did you get any good tips from Paige on the garden thing?”

Toss it out and then change the subject immediately, apparently. Though maybe he didn’t see what else there was to say. She’d do some research on the pregnancy place before she mentioned it to Jamal and Rhiann. Just to be sure. “Yeah. That’s what I’m working on now, actually. She had two other places to apply for grants. So I’m wading through their applications. What about your math thing?”

“Math thing. Nice.” He chuckled and took a long drink from a water bottle. “I’m hoping to have the applications sent in on Monday. There’s a lot I still need to look up online, which I can really only do at home with any ease. So...I probably need the weekend. Jackson says one of the two has a pretty fast turnaround though, so it’s possible I’ll still have news by the new year.”

“That’s great, Zach.” Amy stood and stretched before casually crossing to the desk where Zach sat. “Finished with your lunch?”

Zach nodded. “Wh—”

Amy pressed her lips to his, enjoying the startled expression on his face before he leaned in. “Time for dessert.”