Wanda E. Brunstetter Read Online Free Page A

need to provide is a place for me to set the table.”
    Dan was sure the woman wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so he removed the negatives and paperwork from his desk and slipped them into a folder. “You can put the food here.” He pulled out his desk chair, grabbed another one for Leona, and sat down.
    She quickly set out the dishes, opened the lid of the casserole dish, and served them both a hefty amount. “Oh dear, I forgot to bring something to drink,” she said with a frown. “Do you have anything cold on hand?”
    He reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and grabbed a thermos. “It’s coffee, so it’s not cold.”
    She smiled. “That will be fine.”
    “Mind if I pray before we eat?”
    She shrugged. “If it makes you feel better. I wasn’t planning to poison you, Danny.”
    He bit back a chuckle. That thought had crossed his mind.
    After the prayer, Dan poked his fork into the gooey mess she’d put on his plate and took a bite. Ugh! The stuff tasted worse than it looked. He grabbed his thermos, twisted the lid, and gulped down some coffee.
    Leona’s lower lip protruded. “You don’t like it?”
    Searching for words that wouldn’t be a lie, Dan mumbled, “It’s…uh…different.” He set the thermos lid down and wiped his mouth on the cloth napkin she had provided. “I’m really not hungry.”
    Leona pushed her chair aside, and it nearly toppled over. “I can tell you’d rather not eat it.”
    Dan opened his mouth to reassure her, but Leona gathered her things so quickly that he barely had the presence of mind to say he was sorry.
    “I’ll try something different next time,” she said as he followed her to the door. “Something I know you’ll like.”

Chapter 5

    D an took a swig of coffee and glanced at the clock on the far wall. Bev Winters should be here any minute and would be bringing her daughter along. He moved across the room and put the O PEN sign in the window. It was almost nine o’clock. Better to have the store ready for business on time, even if his new employee wasn’t here yet.
    I wonder if her bus was late, or maybe she had trouble getting her daughter out of bed. Sure hope I did the right thing in hiring her
.
    Dan thought about his favorite verses of scripture—2 Corinthians 1:3–4. It reminded him that God is our Comforter, and because He comforts in all our troubles, we should comfort those who have trouble as well. Through God’s Word and the godly counsel of his pastor, Dan had been comforted many times since Darcy’s death. It was only right that he should offer comfort to Bev, who was probably hurting from the loss of her husband and also her job. He’d known yesterday that he needed to give her a chance. If hiring her to work at Twice Loved could help them both during their time of need, then so much the better.
    Dan’s gaze came to rest on the clock again. It was now ten minutes after nine. Bev was late. Maybe she’d changed her mind about the job and wasn’t coming.
    The bell above the front door jingled, and his thoughts were halted. Bev entered the store holding a metal lunch pail in one hand and a brown pocketbook in the other. A young girl stood at her side, clutching the same doll He’d sold Bev yesterday afternoon.
    “I’m sorry we’re late.” Bev patted the sides of her windblown hair and smoothed the wrinkles in her knee-length, navy-blue dress, covered by a short black jacket. “The bus was late, and there was more traffic this morning than I’ve seen in a long time.”
    “It’s okay,” Dan said with a nod. “There haven’t been any customers yet.” He smiled at the little girl who stood beside Bev. She was a beautiful child—curly black hair like her mother’s, and the same brilliant blue eyes. She wore a beige-colored tweed coat with a pair of darkgreen overalls with patched knees peeking out from underneath. “So, this must be Amy.”
    “Yes.” Bev’s generous smile seemed to light up the room.
    Darcy used