Wedding at Willow Lake Read Online Free PDF Page B

lunch.”
    “Right. Yeah. That’s why I’m here.” Brody’s hands slipped into his pockets. He fished out his truck keys. “I figured you’d be ravenous by now, so I dropped by to take you to dinner.”
    “That sounds good, because my stash of peanut butter crackers isn’t cutting it.” She pressed a palm to her belly as it grumbled. “See what I mean?”
    “I do.” He jangled the keys and pointed toward the boulevard, where his Ford F-150 waited. “Well, Hunter enjoyed your sandwich, by the way.”
    “I’m sure he did.” She turned and headed toward the far side of the waiting area. “I just have a few things to finish here and then I’ll be ready to go.”
    “I can help. Give me a job.” He followed her, pausing to straighten a stack of magazines as she motioned to the coffee table. “I was worried about you, too. You said you had an emergency.”
    “One seven-year-old playing superhero plus one step-ladder equals one compound fracture of the ulna.”
    “I thought one and one equaled two.”
    “It does, if you factor in the kid’s two terrified parents.”
    “Is he gonna be OK?”
    “She. And, except for missing out on a summer of swimming, yes.”
    “That’s too bad…about the swimming, I mean.”
    He watched as she tossed blocks into a bin and straightened a row of colorful hard-plastic chairs lined against the wall.
    “And a girl? That’s a shocker.”
    “Why?” Catherine turned back to glance at him over one shoulder. “Do you have something against females acting on their ambitions?”
    “No. I’m all for that.” He followed her lead, straightened a second row of chairs. “The broken bone part…now that I can do without.”
    “It’s all a part of learning.”
    “I suppose.” He surveyed the room, nodding appreciatively at the splash of primary colors that added a burst of happiness. Someone had taken a lot of time to airbrush cartoon caricatures along a corner area that held a small playhouse and a bin of chubby-block puzzles. The opposite wall showcased a long, backlit saltwater aquarium that held an array of exotic fish. “You’ve put in a lot of work here. It’s nice.”
    “I’ve worked hard to make this area inviting. Kids are scared enough walking through the front door so I do my best to make them feel comfortable while they wait their turn.”
    “Lots of chairs to wait in.” He took a mental count. “Over two dozen. I suppose you draw quite the crowd.”
    “Depends on the day…and the season.” She slipped a final seat into place. “And moms and dads need a place to sit, as well.”
    “I guess so. You always did have a heart for kids.” Brody watched an angel fish circle the tank, darting through a tunnel along the way. It reminded him, for just a moment, of snorkeling in the keys where he’d seen everything from stingrays to manatees and barracuda, as well as fishes bearing every color of the rainbow.
    “You, too.” Catherine crossed the room to push pint-sized chairs in tight to a small wooden table.
    “Do you ever wonder what it might have been like, the two of us doing mission work together, like we planned?”
    “I’d be fibbing if I didn’t admit I think about it every once in a while.” She nodded. “But I’ve learned through experience that mission work doesn’t have to be done in a foreign country or some remote location to qualify as such. There’s plenty of need right here.”
    “I know that.”
    “That’s why you came back, isn’t it?”
    “One of the reasons. And that’s only one of the reasons I’m choosing to stay.” He waited as she rounded the corner to the receptionist’s desk and flipped a switch on the stereo console. The room went quiet as soft music faded into the shadows. “So, what would you like for dinner?”
    She added a new, crisp sheet of paper to the check-in clipboard and placed it back, with a pen, on the reception counter before looking up at him through the window opening. “Remember when we used to