And the Greatest of These Is Love: A Contemporary Christian Romance Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

in every direction — to the two kids loitering on the sidewalk, to the broken out windows in the shop across the street, to the graffiti covering the surrounding buildings.
    He was six foot, two, and had played linebacker in high school, but he didn’t feel safe here. One thing was clear Bill was going to owe him one for this — big time.
     
    “All right, does everyone have their buddy?” Gabi asked with cheer she felt only because she was looking at the happy little, upturned faces.
    “Yes, Miss T,” 19 children chorused as one.
    “Good, now everyone put on their quiet faces. We don’t want to disturb anyone, right?”
    “Right, Miss T.”
    “Okay, here we go,” she said, opening the door and out the group went.
    This was her favorite time of the day — music time in the main lobby. It was the only time in the afternoon the kids got to go outside their own room. In two hours the halls would be jammed with the kids coming from school, and at that point, the place became a madhouse.
    “Everyone sit down with your buddies around the piano,” she instructed when they made it into the lobby.
    The children obeyed knowing that not obeying would banish them back to their room with no music. Not a fun idea.
    “Now what shall we sing today?” she asked as she sat down at the piano and raised the lid, careful so it didn’t fall apart. “Any requests?”
     
    “How many kids do you have here on a typical day?” Andrew asked, running through the questions in his notebook as quickly as possible. He was worried about his car sitting out in that parking lot. Stolen radio. Stolen tires. Stolen everything. It was not only a possibility, he was pretty sure likely came closer.
    “Rough estimate 300 — give or take 50 or so,” Jerry replied. He was older. Late fifties, early sixties. Balding. In ratty clothing that didn’t really match. It probably came from a thrift shop, but Andrew didn’t dwell on that more than to make the judgment and move on.
    “And what activities do you provide?” he asked, writing down the previous answer.
    “Basketball every day and a dance class once a week for the older students after school. Also, we try to help with homework and such if the need arises, but we really don’t have adequate volunteers to cover everything we’d like to do.”
    “I can imagine,” Andrew said shortly, wondering what kind of person would volunteer in a place like this — all he wanted to do was leave, and that didn’t even have anything to do with the worry over his car’s wellbeing.
    “Tell you what, Andrew,” Jerry said, clearly sensing that this was not going very well. “Why don’t we walk around the center and talk? That way you can get a better idea of what we do here.”
    Andrew wanted to walk all right, but around the center was not where he had planned. However, Jerry got up and led him out before he had time to protest. A few more minutes, and he would come up with some excuse to get himself out of here. That was a promise that could be taken to the bank.
     
    “I requwest Miss T play a song,” Leslie, a little girl with bright white teeth and tight pigtails, said, holding up her hand.
    Gabi laughed. “I have been playing songs.”
    “No. I want a Miss T song,” Leslie said.
    “One I wrote?” Gabi asked in surprise, modest even in front of four-year-olds.
    “Yes, Ma’am,” Leslie said in the tiny voice that sounded so much like bells.
    “Please,” the other children chorused.             
    “Well, okay.” Gabi smiled at them as she put her fingers on the keys. Then she looked down and grinned. “Why don’t you come up here and sit with me, Leslie?”
    In one motion, the little girl scrambled to her feet, and in the next heartbeat she was by Gabi’s side.
    Gabi smiled down at her. “This one’s for Leslie.”
     
    Music floated down the dingy hallway, and for a moment, Andrew thought the angels would start singing with it. “What’s that?” Andrew