No one said anything.
“John?” Shelley’s eyes narrowed when she saw the guilty look plastered all over his face. “What have you done?”
“Nothing. We were just having a meeting.”
She looked at Joseph, then at the document in Shona’s hand. “About the trust?”
Joseph cleared his throat. “It’s not John’s fault. I asked him to show Shona what the Santa’s Secret Helpers volunteers do.”
John checked the time. “And we’re only halfway through the tour. I’ll find you when I get back, Shelley.”
Joseph followed John’s lead and hurried out of the room with Shona. From the frown on Shelley’s face, John would have a lot of explaining to do when he got home.
CHAPTER21
An hour and a half later, Shona was sipping a cup of hot chocolate with Joseph and Adele at their house. They’d collected Adele from choir practice after they’d returned from helping the Santa’s Secret Helpers team.
For forty minutes, they’d delivered food parcels and backpacks to people who lived in Sapphire Bay. Everywhere they’d gone, people were grateful to receive the gifts. The families receiving the gifts for the first time were overwhelmed. Some were embarrassed, while others were almost in tears.
Shona knew how they felt.
When they’d dropped off the last of their deliveries, they’d driven back to the church to collect Adele. To say she was excited to see Shona was an understatement. Since they’d left the church, she’d barely left her side.
“We had a good practice tonight,” Adele said. “Mrs. Terry is impressed with how we’re doing. She said if the competition was next week, we'd be more than ready.”
Joseph ruffled her hair. “That must make you feel good.”
“It does. And my stutter has gone to sleep, too.”
Shona squeezed Adele's hand. “I'm really pleased. How does that make you feel?”
“Amazing.” She took a deep breath. “I do that when my words get stuck in my throat. My speech therapist said singing is good for my vocal cords.”
“I imagine it is,” Shona told her. “Guess what I saw when I came inside?”
Adele looked around the living room. “The bookcase Dad made?”
“I didn't know he'd made that. It looks amazing, but it wasn't that. I saw the pincushion on the coffee table.”
Adele grinned. “I made it after our quilting class. Can I make another one?”
“Of course, you can. I have plenty of fabric off-cuts you can use. Would you like me to bring some to your house next time I visit?”
“Yes, please.” Adele yawned. “I think I’ll go to bed now. I’ve got school tomorrow and my teacher said to be early ’cos we’re looking for bugs in the playground.”
Joseph placed his mug on the table beside the sofa. “I’ll tuck you in.”
Adele shook her head. “I can go on my own.” She wrapped her arms around Joseph’s neck and hugged him tight. “Goodnight, Dad.”
“Goodnight, pumpkin. Sweet dreams.”
After she’d left, Joseph sighed. “That’s the first time she hasn’t wanted me to take her to bed.”
“She’s growing up.”
He nodded and stared into his mug. “Sometimes too quickly. We didn’t get a chance to talk about what we saw tonight. How do you feel about the trust now that you’ve seen some of the work we support?”
Shona thought carefully about what she wanted to say. “You were right when you said you’re making a difference. Your mom would be proud of what you’re doing.”
