Maybe he waited too long to say anything, because beside him, Olivia shifted.
"I better get back to the boys. They're not usually up this early, but if they do get up, I don't want them to wake anyone else."
"No. Of course not."
She didn't make any move to leave, though, and he felt like there was more that they needed to say to each other.
"It was good to talk to you. I appreciate that," he finally said.
"Yeah, it was nice to voice my concerns, I guess. Sometimes just talking about things makes them smaller in my eyes."
"It's funny. Some people need to talk about things, some people need to internalize them and roll them over that way."
"Yeah. My husband was one of those internals. He didn't say much."
"My parents were both like that. Neither one of them talked a whole lot, and I think they assumed that I knew things I didn't."
She didn't say anything, and he remembered that there seemed to be some kind of issue between her and her parents.
"Are your parents coming in for Christmas?" he asked.
"No."
She didn't elaborate. He wanted to push, to ask for more, but they'd already talked about their vulnerabilities, and he didn't want to pry.
"If you want to talk about it, I'm available."
She nodded, and then she turned and walked to the door.
He waited until after she left, thinking about their conversation, about the things that she said, and how she encouraged him, making him feel like he was just enough for the job at hand. Reminding him that God called him here, so therefore whatever he had was exactly right.
He had needed to hear that.
Lord, thank you for that reminder today, even though it came from a person, not from your word.
He walked over to the door, opening it and looking out.
Olivia had been right. There was at least a foot or a foot and a half of snow out, and it was still coming down hard. The wind had died down, though, so maybe the crews would be able to get out and work on getting the electricity back. It had to be wind damage, since they didn't have that much snow when it went out.
Somehow, the idea of not being around Olivia anymore made him wish that the storm would drag on and the crews would be slow today.
Chapter 16
"I was thinking the musicians could sit here at these X's, and where I have the circles would be candles," Olivia said as she talked to Grace about the seating arrangement for the candlelight concert. Musicians had been practicing all day, while she had been mostly busy in the kitchen, helping Marjorie make more pots of soup.
She'd also baked two dozen loaves of bread. Her arms felt like spaghetti, but she wanted to keep her mind active.
Ethan and Aiden loved having other children to play with, and Isadora McBride had had activities for the children all day long. Her three children had helped her, and Olivia felt like she had a lot in common with Isadora. Although Isadora's husband had cheated on her and left her, they still were single moms, raising active children. She thought Isadora was doing an excellent job, since her children seemed well-adjusted and happy. But maybe that had something to do with the fact that the McBride family stuck together, and while there was no father in their immediate family, Isadora had multiple brothers and brothers-in-law who would fill that role for her kids.
Olivia pressed her lips together and tried to pay attention towhat Grace was saying. She didn't have siblings, and she wasn't talking to her parents.
Maybe that was a mistake. That wasn't the first time she'd thought it, but she didn't usually allow those thoughts in. Because that would mean that she needed to reach out, apologize, ask for forgiveness, and overlook the things that they had done to her.
She wasn't sure she was ready for that yet. After all, she didn't feel like it was her fault.
Those were all uncomfortable things that she didn't want to face. It was easier to put all of her attention into baking bread, making candles, and designing seating arrangements.
"I think we probably ought to move one of these chairs over here. It would look more symmetrical that way, and folks on the side would be able to see the candles better."
