“Yes, but he’s limping and his arm is in a sling. His face and hands are bruised and cut.” Elizabeth twisted a paper napkin between her fingers. Why was this bothering her so much? “When Ethan first told Will, he said Ryder had been shot.”
“I heard,” Pops said. “Ryder’s a smart officer. Experienced. He knows what he’s doing.” He tapped Elizabeth on the hand. “Did Will tell you he reserved our spot on Scott’s Farm for the Fourth? The Dorseys are defending our three-legged race title.”
“We could use you on our team.” Granny warmed the chicken and rice on her old gas stove. “Beka is seven months pregnant, so she can’t race.” Beka was a cousin-in-law, married to cousin Chuck Dorsey.
“I’m working the diner’s truck.”
“At least you’ll be there this year,” Granny said. “You always worked at the diner before. Maybe you can take a break, walk around, and see the booths and games. I heard Buck Mathews is bringing a special guest. I hope it’s Blake Shelton.”
Pops’s face made Elizabeth laugh. “She’s got a thing for that Shelton boy.”
“Matt Dorsey, I only have a thing for you. I just like Blake’s singing.”
“She never missed a season of The Voice until he left the show.” Pops pushed away from the table. “Betty, I’m headed up, otherwise I won’t make that five a.m. men’s prayer meeting in the morning.” He kissed her good night and patted Elizabeth on the head. “It’s good to have you here, Beth. We wish you’d never leave.”
“Matt, don’t start. We’re supporting her educational pursuits.” Granny set down a steaming bowl of chicken and rice in front of Elizabeth. “When you’re ready for love, find a man like your grandpa. Though I’m not sure they make them like him anymore.”
“Granny.” Elizabeth stirred the chicken, rice, and gravy. “Do you really believe all this stuff about God? Does He really care? I mean, does Pops getting up for five a.m. prayer meetings make a difference? What’s the reward? Does anything really change?”
“Elizabeth.” Granny sat in Pops’s chair, across from her. “Do you think your Pops is a smart man? A good man?”
“Absolutely. He brought Dorsey Furniture into the twenty-first century. He’s a leader in the community. If I found a man like him, I’d be pretty lucky.”
“Do you think he’d give time and energy to something that wasn’t real?”
“No, but a lot of smart people do. We all have our blind spots.” Elizabeth’s first bite of chicken and rice warmed away all her inner angst about school, Ryder, and love. And the fact that she, too, had blind spots. She just didn’t know where.
“We do. Which is exactly why Pops goes to those meetings.”
Elizabeth made a face. “To find his blind spots?”
“Your grandpa decided long ago to be a man of faith. So he gave himself to it. Just like he gave himself to our family, to Dorsey Furniture, and to exercising, but heaven knows he’s let that one slide.”
Elizabeth laughed. “When I was here in the summers, he always tried to get me to go to the gym with him. ‘You’ll love it,’ he said.”
“Then he wrenched his back, and that was all she wrote. But faith is something we all have to work out, Beth. Everyone believes in something or someone. Their education and intellect. Crystals and potions. Astrology. Nature. Their own strength and will. Even one’s family can be a form of faith, I suppose.” Granny pressed her hand on Elizabeth’s. “But seeking the God who made it all? Who loves you even though He sees all your blind spots? That’s one journey you won’t regret. Not in this life or the next.”
“I have faith, Granny. To succeed at Wharton, graduate top of my class with offers from top consulting or marketing firms, and—” Elizabeth glanced at her pinging phone. Her smile faded as she read the message.
“Something the matter?” Granny said.
“Not at all.” Elizabeth rose from the table, leaving half of her chicken and rice untouched. “I’m pretty tired.” She kissed Granny’s forehead. “See you in the morning.”
“Beth, I’m your grandmother. I’ve seen that look of disappointment on your face a hundred times. When you dropped your ice cream cone, when you got tagged out at first base.” Granny’s soft hands held onto hers. “Something about school?”
“Yes, um…” If she looked into Granny’s warm, brown eyes, she’d lose it and tell the truth—she’d been wait-listed. She wasn’t going to Wharton in the fall unless something changed. Soon. So she stared at the floor. “The apartment I wanted fell through.”
“Well, you’ll find something soon. Talk to Mila. She knows a lot of people in Philly. She grew up there.” Mila, Bobby’s wife, had already traveled the educational road Elizabeth was on.
“I will. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it.”
Because she’d break the moment Mila started asking questions. Or shared some grand, lovely story of her post-grad years. Or how exhilaratingly hard it was but oh so worth it.
She still had a few weeks. She’d make it. She always did. So don’t worry, Elizabeth Dorsey. But the fact that she stood in the same kitchen, in the same town as seven years ago when she graduated from high school, made her feel stuck.
Storing her uneaten dinner in the fridge, she headed up to her room, thinking of Pops and Granny, wondering if she needed a little bit of their faith.
5
