“I’m still not sure this was a good idea.” Rebecca reached up to straighten her father’s bow tie. He’d always looked handsome in a tuxedo. The passing years hadn’t changed that.

“Why not? Since your statement two weeks ago, there hasn’t been even a whiff about you anywhere. And I know this because I made sure Steve was looking for it. So if having your mom and me here can help bring new donors to the mission, or to Bread of Heaven, or both, then we’re happy to do it. Plus, it’s more time with you. Now that you’re speaking to me again, I’d like to soak up your presence and make up for lost time.”

Rebecca linked her arm through his and smiled up at him. “That’s why I’m glad you’re staying with me this time. Though, to be honest, I’m not doing a perfect job at this whole forgiveness thing. I have to keep reminding myself to let it go. I’ve prayed for that so many times...why can’t I just be past it?”

Her father’s smile was warm with a tinge of sadness. “Aw, baby, I wish it worked like that. But it doesn’t usually. The way we think about things is a habit just as much as anything we do. And when we couple it with sin, like bitterness or unforgiveness, it can be even more entrenched. What matters is that you’re asking the Holy Spirit to help you continue to let go. You’re committed to a new way of thinking. Over time, it’ll get easier.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Don’t be. Neither of us is perfect. What matters is that we’re practicing forgiveness and mending the rift.” He kissed her forehead and gave her a bright smile. “Now, show me around this open house. And I’d also like to meet this man of yours. Your mother has a leg up on me there and I need to catch up. Though if he got her stamp of approval, he’s already got mine. She’s much harder to please than me.”

Her cheeks grew warm. Where was Ben? He’d obviously been here earlier in the day since all the stations were set up around the room. But he was supposed to be here now, too. Of course, so was Paige with all the food. So maybe he was helping her? If he hadn’t appeared by the time she was finished showing her dad around, she’d text him. “I should be able to arrange both of those things.”

Rebecca led her father to the nearest display. “Our theme is ‘Faces of Hunger,’ so each area highlights a different aspect of hunger nationally and internationally. This one is urban hunger. We have facts and figures for the statistically minded, but we also networked with various charities in the major cities around the U.S. to get photos of their clientele. We wanted to showcase the fact that gender, ethnicity, age, and education aren’t necessarily predictors for hunger or food insecurity.”

Roland stood for a minute, his eyes moving back and forth between the large print statistics and the photos. “This is incredible. Why don’t more people know?”

Rebecca shrugged. “That’s the question, isn’t it? We’re trying to do our part to open a few eyes. And while we’d love that to turn into volunteers and donors, we also think it’s important that people are simply aware. That way, if they see their church organizing a food drive or they get a plastic bag delivered to their doorstep, they can help in little ways and know that, in reality, it makes a huge difference.”

“I’m so proud of you.”

Rebecca looked up at her dad. The expression on his face brought tears to her eyes. She ducked her head. “Thanks. Come on, there’s still suburban, rural, and international hunger to get to. Plus the display on ways you can help and the silent auction table.”

Roland shook his head and slipped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “Lead on.”

D’Andre let out a whistle that was awfully close to a catcall. “Lookin’ good, Miss Rebecca.”

Rebecca laughed. “Flatterer. What are you doing here? I know the mission’s still open for regular operations, but most of the folks who don’t sleep here were planning on grabbing dinner in the cafeteria and then heading home.”

The boy gave a shrug of studied disinterest. Rebecca fought a smile. He tried so hard to be cool. Did the other kids see through it as easily as she did? “Figured I could see what everyone’s talkin’ about. Maybe I can work it into an essay or somethin’, save myself some research. Libraries are the worst.”

“Ah, well then make sure you grab one of the booklets down on the far wall. They have all the important facts from the displays, plus some practical suggestions on how to help. Just make sure you do your report in your own words and don’t copy mine. I sent one of those to all the schools in the area, so they’ll know.”

He frowned. “I’m not a cheater.”

“I know that, D’Andre, but you could spread the word. Help keep other kids from getting caught.”

He snorted. “If they’re too stupid to do their own work, they deserve to get caught.”

“Now that’s a sentiment I like to hear.” Zach strolled up to Rebecca, followed closely by Ben and Jackson. “Hey there, D’Andre. We’ll be doing some fun math with those stats next week. Study up.”

The boy shook his head. “Fun math. Only you Mr. Wilson. Catch ya.”

Rebecca watched D’Andre melt into the growing crowd before turning. What a sight the three men made in their suits and ties. “Mmm. We should have the three of you stand outside and flag down cars. I’ll bet our attendance would skyrocket.”

Jackson snickered and raised his hand. “Spoken for. Speaking of which...where’s Paige?”

“Try the kitchen. Out that door, turn left, follow your nose.” Rebecca looked at Ben. “Everything looks amazing. I’d planned to help you set up but when I got here, it was all done.”

“Yeah, I had something come up that I needed to take care of, so I asked Jerry if it’d be okay to come early. He didn’t mind. And Zach was just grading exams, so any excuse to get away from that suited him just fine.”

“The life of a teacher. Work all week, grade all weekend.” Zach grinned. “I’m going to go look around. I do actually have some ideas on ways we can play with the stats in class. Maybe having it be practical will help some of the kids pay passing attention.”

Rebecca hooked her arm through Ben’s and studied the crowd. “Even if this is all the turnout we get, I’m going to consider it a success. Some of the conversations I’ve overheard have been encouraging.”

“Rebecca?”

She tilted her head up to meet Ben’s gaze. Something was off in his tone. Nerves? “Yeah?”

He cleared his throat. “You remember I mentioned Jackson’s friend Colin? How he was looking into that guy...”

“Sure. Carl. Did you find out more?”

Ben nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He freed his arm from hers and swiped the screen a few times before offering her the device. “You need to see this.”

Rebecca frowned and took the phone. The webpage was titled “The Life and Times of Bad-Girl Becky.” She winced and scrolled. Photos of her doing various things around the mission were accompanied by vitriolic rants about her pretending to be a do-gooder. Her stomach churned. At least there were no pictures of her home, or work. But still. “I don’t understand.”

“This is all done by Carl. Colin was able to track the IP of the posting computer to the public library down the block. Thankfully, they have security cameras everywhere. I’m not sure what strings Colin pulled, but he sent me this photo.” Ben swiped the phone again before turning the screen toward her.

She drew in a quick breath. “I’ve seen him around here...not recently. Jerry had to ask him to leave. He got caught trying to sell drugs to the kids. We know not everyone who comes here is clean, but generally they understand that they’re not to do, or sell, drugs on the premises. But if you get caught, or someone reports you, the first strike is you get asked to leave. You can ask to come back, but if you do and it happens again, then Jerry turns you over to the police. He makes that very clear. But what does this have to do with Carl?”

Ben tapped the phone. “This is Carl.”

Rebecca frowned. The photo didn’t look anything like the boy she’d seen in the yearbook photos, or the one she had vague memories of from school. The Carl from school had been well-built—that was part of what kept the girls flocking to him—and he’d had a thousand-watt smile full of gleaming, perfectly straight teeth. This man was gaunt and his visible skin was covered in scars and scabs. She couldn’t see his teeth, but the smile was missing, replaced by a curled lip and an expression that would keep all but the bravest from even bothering to say hello. “I...how can you be sure?”

“Library card. And I confirmed it with Jerry. That’s the name he gave when he came here looking for a place to bed down for the winter.” Ben gently pried her fingers off his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. “Do you remember who told Jerry he was selling?”

“A couple of the kids mentioned he’d approached them, so I mentioned it to Jerry. He said he’d look into it. I didn’t think anything more of it...accusations like that aren’t as rare as I’d like them to be. Jerry, and the rest of the staff, check them out thoroughly to make sure they’re true, not motivated by something else.” Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck. “I just do what we’re trained to do as far as reporting and leave the rest to the paid staff.”

Ben kissed the top of her head. “Sorry. I should have waited and told you another time. But I wanted you to be aware, so if you see him around...you should let someone know. I don’t think he’d hurt you, but from what we can tell, he’s been selling the pictures and little snippets about you for a couple hundred bucks. Probably to feed his drug habit.”

Tears pricked her eyes. Rebecca blinked rapidly. She wasn’t going to worry about this now. With a firm mental shake, she nodded and forced a smile. “All right. Now we know. I guess I should just be glad it wasn’t someone I trusted or called a friend in the past. Maybe I’ll feel better about it after I get some sleep. But until then...we have an open house going on, and I’m desperate to try some of the food Paige’s staff keeps refilling. Plus...my dad wants to meet you.”

Just after eleven p.m., Jerry escorted the last guest to the door. Rebecca kicked off her shoes and let out a gusty sigh before she grinned. “That is what I would call an unmitigated success.”

Ben shrugged out of his suit jacket and loosened his tie. “I agree, one hundred percent. Our goal was to educate and garner interest, and I’d say we did both. The silent auction was a good addition...though I was surprised to see your novelty salt and pepper shakers made up some of it.”

Rebecca smiled. “It occurred to me last night when I was putting the box of yearbooks away, that I have so many of them and hardly ever use them, let alone display them. I keep out my favorites and that’s enough of a reminder. So why not let others get a fun little reminder that they’re to be salt and light out there in the world, too?”

“And if it benefits the open house, then even better?”

“Something like that. They all sold for well over their minimum.”

“I liked the reminder cards you put with each one, that just a pinch of salt promised great rewards for the kingdom.” Ben took her hand. “You’re an amazing woman, Rebecca.”

Warmth spread through her. “Thanks.”

“I suspect the mission and Bread of Heaven will both be seeing an influx of donations and volunteers in the coming months. I know I’m going to recommend we do this annually and start a program to coordinate efforts in other cities nationally.”

Rebecca wound her arms around Ben’s waist and laid her head against his shoulder. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who has such open hands when it comes to God’s blessings.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are so many different ways you could have used this for your own gain, but instead, you’re focused on how it can help everyone and how to spread the success to others, even if ultimately it means Bread of Heaven has a slight downturn.”

Ben shook his head. “It’s all God’s Kingdom.”

“Like I said, I don’t think I’ve met someone with that attitude before.”

Ben hugged her tightly before easing back so their eyes met. “Yes you have.”

Rebecca furrowed her brow. “Who?”

“Your father.”

Her father? No. Dad was a good man, and their relationship was on the mend, but he was always focused on his own gain, even as he went about doing God’s work. The money he earned from his books and public speaking wasn’t something he invested further in the Kingdom...was it? Examples of Dad doing just that flickered through her mind. Maybe...she sighed. How had she allowed her hurt to color her understanding of him so badly?

“You okay?”

She nodded. “Just thinking about what you said. I hadn’t ever seen him in that light...but it fits. Thank you.”

“I enjoyed meeting him. He’s so proud of you it practically beams off him in neon letters. And it doesn’t come across like that’s a new development for him either. It’s nice that we have that in common.”

Warm tingles spread through her. “I’m just starting to see him that way. I can’t help but be sorry for the years I wasted.”

“There’ve been a lot of those.” Ben lowered his mouth to hers for a long, tender kiss. “I plan to make up for lost time whenever possible.”

“I love you.” Rebecca clasped her hands behind his head and gently tugged. A throat clearing made her stop and she tried to jerk away as her cheeks lit on fire. Ben loosened his grip, but didn’t let her go as they turned.

Jerry offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry. We’re all locked up on this side of the building...”

“Got it.” Ben chuckled and let go of Rebecca. “Grab your shoes. We’ll load up the last display and be on our way.”

“I didn’t see your car, Rebecca. Do you have a way home?”

“My mom and dad borrowed my car. Letting other people use it is starting to be a bad habit. Regardless, Ben’s going to drop me off.” Rebecca hastily jammed her screeching feet back into her heels. They were coming right back off as soon as she was in the car. She snagged the poster while Ben collected the rest of the display pieces. “’Night, Jerry.”