Just as he was getting ready to lift his hand to rap a third time, a ghostly figure shifted through the darkness, coming into focus just as the lock on the door clicked and opened partway.
"Olivia. I assume you don't have electricity?" he asked, his eyes roving over her face, more concerned than he wanted to admit. She looked like she was fine, though.
"Yeah. I just woke up about five minutes ago and realized it was all off. The storm's come in a lot harder than what they were calling for."
"Yeah. I think there were some late developments that caused it to be a lot stronger than forecasted. I haven't seen any snowfall totals, but I figured if I didn't have electricity, and your porch light was out, you probably didn't have any either."
"No. But I think we'll be okay for a while and—"
"I was hoping that you would go over to the fellowship hall and help get people settled as I bring them in."
She paused, and he held his breath. He knew she had an independent streak, and she wanted to prove that she was okay on her own, but he just wanted her somewhere where she was safe. That way he didn't have to worry about her as he worked to help other people.
But that was selfish in a way. It also showed thathis feelings for her went a lot deeper than what he wanted to admit, and probably deeper than hers. Funny how an emergency like this could show a person what they really felt inside.
"All right. Maybe you can come in and give me a hand with the boys?"
"I sure can. I left my car running along the sidewalk, so we don't have far to carry them."
"Thanks. I bedded them down behind the store tonight, since I figured we would probably lose power. I wasn't sure whether I would be carrying them out or not, and it's easier to do that if you don't have to go down the steps."
"That was smart on your part," he said. It would be a lot easier to get the boys out from the back room than it would be from their apartment upstairs. Although, he had to admit he was a little curious to see what it looked like. Olivia was creative and artistic, and he bet she had it decorated beautifully.
Where did that thought come from? He never noticed how people had their house decorated. He didn't really care. His job was to be concerned about their spiritual welfare, and their physical welfare second. However they chose to decorate or not decorate their house had absolutely no bearing on whether or not he did his job or how he did it either.
"Here's Aiden," Olivia whispered as she knelt down, then stood up with a little boy in her arms.
"Mommy?" Aiden said sleepily.
"It's Pastor Mark. We're going over to the church rec room for a bit. Snuggle in so you don't get cold."
"Why is it so dark?" Aidan asked, sounding slightly less sleepy.
"Because the electricity is out. We'll be able to use some of your mom's candles now," he said, hoping that the idea of the electricity being out didn't scare him.
"Mommy has some special candles set back. She told me."
He lifted his brows and looked back over his shoulder at Olivia, who came behind him. He couldn't see her face and couldn't meether eyes, but he wondered what in the world Aiden meant by Mommy's special candles.
"I was experimenting with some different shaped candles that would be a little safer to use in a group setting like we'll have at the church. I don't know if these are going to work, but my goal was that they would be less likely to start a fire if they got tipped over."
"Interesting," he said, meaning it. He had never even considered trying to make safer candles.
"As soon as I get Ethan in the car, I'll run back in. I have the box right there on the floor by the door."
"I can get it. You get in the car with the boys and try to keep them calm so they don't get upset."
She made a small sound, and he hoped that meant that she was agreeing to his suggestion. He didn't really ask her—he was commanding—he didn't want her out in the cold any more than she needed to be.
"I have a small bookbag packed with extra clothes for us sitting right beside the box."
"I'll grab that too."
She made another noise, and this time he was pretty sure it was agreement. He wanted to thank her for not arguing with him at this point, but instead, he opened the car door and waited for her to duck in, scooting over on the backseat with Ethan on her lap before he set Aiden down beside her and closed the door.
He had gotten a look at her face, which, while her cheeks were red, her eyes were clear and calm.
There wasn't anything to be afraid of. There was plenty of food, and the generator at the church would keep them warm. Still, he appreciated her calmness at what must surely be a high-stress time for her, with her two twins needing her, and having to leave her home. Especially so close to Christmas.
