Noble Pursuits Read online

  Craig looked at Nolan. His eyes were honest, and he was not offended by Craig’s interrogation. “You’re right. Grace is right. I overreacted. Thanks for understanding. Let’s go get that mattress.”

  ~*~*~*~

  Grace watched from her window as the two men laughed and carried in Nolan’s things. He had a credenza that she would have paid a fortune for, if she had a fortune to spend. She sighed. Making ends meet was hard enough without dreaming of furniture that she couldn’t afford.

  Grace measured the cinnamon and the trace bits of nutmeg and ginger she used in her applesauce. With everything ready, she set up her pans. Jugs of apple juice stood ready to add liquid if necessary. She arranged a chair with a Dutch oven on the seat and set up her apple-peeling gadget. She was on her second box of apples before Craig returned.

  “I found you some more hands, Grace. Where do we start?” Craig stood at the sink scrubbing his hands in preparation for a morning of fruit peeling.

  “Why don’t you scrub? Do you mind? The water is really drying out my hands for some reason.”

  Turning to Nolan, Grace smiled her welcome. “We’re happy for the company, and you’re welcome to just sit there and amuse us.” Grace chuckled and went back to turning her apple crank.

  “I can turn that. Why don’t you do something that you don’t trust me with? Peeling fruit would not be a good one. The last time I peeled a potato—well, let’s just say that I’ve seen larger plums than that potato after I was done with it.”

  Grace laughed. “This little jobbie does the peeling for me and doesn’t take off more than I want it to.”

  She showed Nolan how to pull the peel away from the fruit and dump it into her compost bucket. As they worked together, the fruity trio joked, laughed, and the rest of the morning flew past. Before long, the spicy aroma of Grace’s applesauce drifted down the hallway and woke Melanie from her extended nap. They all jumped when her voice called from down the hall, asking what they were having for lunch.

  “And you joke about my bottomless pit.” Craig smiled at his wife as she waddled into the room. He turned to Nolan. “This is Melanie, my wife, and recently she’s become the meal monitor.” Nolan’s chuckle grew deeper as Melanie bopped her husband’s head on her way to the saucepans.

  “I am so exhausted. Did I mention that I’m tired? I want to sleep some more. But, this baby thinks it’s lunch time, and looking at that clock, I must agree with him.” Melanie stood over the stove smelling the delicious aromas and kneading her back with her fists as she tried to work out the kinks of her unbalanced body.

  “Sandwiches anyone?” queried Grace as she mentally calculated the amount of leftover roast in her freezer.

  “Ok, but if you provide lunch, we’re taking you out for our ‘last supper.’ That ok with you, Mel?”

  Craig looked at his wife’s expression before continuing. “You’re welcome to come too, Nolan. We’d love to have you.”

  “Last supper?” Nolan and Grace both waited, confused, for an explanation.

  Melanie smiled. “It occurred to us last night that this baby might arrive any time now. I was due yesterday, so we should go out one last time as a couple without ‘visible’ children.”

  Grace shook her head as Melanie finished her explanation. “That’s a great idea, and I wish I could join you, but I just can’t. I’ll be up until almost midnight as it is, finishing these apples. Tomorrow, after church, I have the peaches to do. They’ll peak by then. I can’t go anywhere until I’ve canned all of this. I can’t afford to lose the fruit or the money from the fruit.”

  Nolan saw through Grace’s words. She wanted her brother to have his ‘last supper’ alone with his wife, and the truth made a beautiful excuse. The fruit would wait. He knew enough about fruit to know that a couple of hours wouldn’t make a difference.

  Grace offered casual but genuine hospitality. She made sandwiches, cut up peaches, and shook up a box of instant pudding. She served mint tea and the chocolate pudding in her living room after they finished their sandwiches.

  Craig, noting Melanie’s continued exhaustion, finally insisted that they leave. “I want you perky enough to enjoy our dinner.”

  Melanie smiled at her husband before turning back to Grace. “Honey, are you sure you don’t want to come with us? This can wait, can’t it? I mean, the apples should still be good on Monday.”

  “No way. I am going to finish my apples, and then I’ll study for the lesson tomorrow. That class is getting harder every week.” Grace grimaced as she thought of the work ahead of her.

  “You guys have fun, eat some dinner, and if that baby of yours doesn’t arrive soon, I’m going to bring over a few gallons of castor oil. Or is it cod fish oil? One of those is supposed to work, isn’t it?”

  “I am not taking castor oil, cod fish oil, or even baby oil! The baby will get here when he is good and ready. Meanwhile, I need a nap.” Melanie looked like a twelve year old with a basketball under her shirt. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned as she waddled slowly out the door.

  Grace waved goodbye to her brother and his wife and returned to her applesauce production. Nolan watched for a moment before he said, “I probably should get back to work. It was nice to meet everyone.”

  “Craig didn’t offend you?”

  Nolan shook his head. “Not at all. See you later.”

  As he opened the front door, Grace called him back. “I’ll bring over a bit of my dinner if you like. There’s no reason for you to try to cook and move.” Sensing Nolan’s hesitation, she added, “I have soup all made and ready to heat up, so it’s no trouble.”

  “Thank you, Grace. I’d appreciate that.” He didn’t know what else to say. Nolan considered her offer as he walked to his house and decided that Grace was probably more generous at heart than her pocketbook would allow.

  As Grace closed up her house that evening, the lights across the street made her smile. She’d been sad to see Mabel Gantry move to Milwaukee to live closer to her grandchildren, but the prospect of a new friend and neighbor was encouraging. “You’re good to me, Lord. I can’t complain. Now, do you think you could help me get these millennial positions straight in my head? I’m failing miserably right now.”

  Chapter Six

  “Good morning, Miss Grace!” Amber Christiansen’s elfin face beamed up at her.

  Sitting quickly, Grace leaned over the pew. With her arms resting on the back, she grinned at her little friend. “Morning, sunshine! How are you this morning?”

  “Mrs. Buscher wasn’t here this morning, so we didn’t have class. I get to sit with Mommy instead!” The little girl snuggled closer to her mother.

  Marci Christiansen’s love shone in everything she did with and for her child. Though she spent much “quality” time with her daughter, it was never enough for Amber. It seemed to Grace that the precocious child wanted her mother’s time more than the experiences that the overworked lawyer lavished on Amber, seemingly in every spare moment.

  “Well, I think that Melanie is just feeling extra tired these days. I’m sure she’ll miss you.”

  “Marci, do you still have to go to Chicago in the morning?” Grace looked back for her friend Paige as she waited for Marci to answer. Paige was MIA.

  “They rescheduled the meeting, and I have to be there by seven tomorrow morning. I had to rearrange my flights, and now I’m leaving immediately after church. There aren’t any flights to get me there in time unless I leave today, so, off I go!”

  The smile on her face did little to hide Marci’s pain. Grace wondered how often her friend’s work forced her to cut her weekends short due to the following week’s workload. Looking into Marci’s weary eyes, she realized that it must happen more than she’d previously thought.

  Life as a single woman was sometimes lonely, but Grace knew that she avoided much pain and heartache as well. Her relationship with the Lord was both genuine and intimate. It would take an extremely special man to tempt her to give up some of that closeness. In
her prayers concerning a husband and children, Grace prayed for a complete, peaceful understanding that the Lord was behind any relationship she might enter. Voluntarily sharing her innermost person with the Lord had taken years to accomplish. If it was that difficult with the One who knew all anyway, she didn’t plan to jump into another relationship lightly.

  The Apostle Paul’s cautions were serious. A single person did have a different relationship with the Lord than a married person did. Grace didn’t consider one better than the other, she believed that the Lord intended for most people to marry, have children, and shine as beacons in a world of pain, darkness and sin. Until that day, or in case she was one of the exceptions, Grace’s father taught her to rely solely on the Lord for her strength, identity, and even the emotional support that women need so desperately at times.

  Amber’s voice interrupted her reverie. “Look! There’s Miss Paige. Isn’t she beautiful?”

  Grace nodded. “She’s the most beautiful person that I know, both inside and outside, and that is a rare combination.”

  “Yep! Mommy says it’s a lie to be beautiful on the outside and ugly inside. We need to be beautiful inside, and then we’re always beautiful!”

  Before Grace could welcome her friend, she noticed Chuck Majors charging toward them. Visions of bovine marauders in specialty gift stores came to mind as he plowed past several children and narrowly missed toppling the fichus tree that stood by the side doors. “Storm brewing on the starboard bow.”

  Everyone around her seemed to understand Grace’s mutterings and prepared themselves accordingly. Amber, with a child’s fresh honesty, stared stonily at the approaching man. She was used to being the center of attention, and Chuck Majors tended to be too full of himself to notice a little girl starving for male attention.

  Grace watched as Paige sat down and thumbed through her class folder to find her notes. With a knowing smile on her lips, Marci helped Amber settle down with a coloring book and some crayons. Preparing herself, Grace sighed and squared her shoulders. This was going to be an interesting moment. Considering Chuck had been after Paige for months.

  “Paige! Where were you Friday night? I arrived right at eight, and you weren’t home! I waited for thirty minutes! I mean, I knew something important had to have come up and all. You don’t have my number, do you?”

  Chuck continued his monologue until the teacher started their class on eschatological views. Grace could feel Paige sag in relief as she settled into the corner of the pew. Chuck, obviously irritated that Grace sat between him and his current object of interest, finally settled himself in the next pew behind them. It was annoying, but Grace couldn’t blame him; Paige was too beautiful not to want to have in your line of view.

  Moments later, she choked into her sleeve as she saw the minister’s oldest son usher Nolan Burke to Chuck’s pew and asked Chuck to shift down a bit so that they could sit there. Paige was completely out of view, and now Chuck’s fine view was reduced to the side of Grace’s neck.

  Whispering to Paige, she chuckled and said, “I bet he loves the look of that mole back there!”

  ~*~*~*~

  Nolan overheard the comment and wondered. what mole was Grace talking about, and who was he? Was it him, the minister’s son, Jason, or the macho guy that they’d displaced?

  When Paige turned to pass back the handouts for the morning’s lesson, Nolan couldn’t help but notice the quiet, graceful way that she had about her. To his natural delight, she was also refreshingly beautiful. Most women of his acquaintance with her features were models, or the daughters of wealthy businessmen and were often brazen, forward, self-absorbed, or some combination of the three. As frustratingly irritating as his experiences with attractive women were, he certainly appreciated a lovely face that didn’t flirt when given half a chance.

  Nolan liked The Assembly. The class was stimulating and informative. He would soon understand a wide variety of eschatological views as well as when and how they became popular. The sermon and time of communion were refreshingly real—completely without pretense. As the congregation welcomed him, he appreciated their warmth, yet noted the careful way they attempted not to smother. The church obviously was truly a piece of the family of God and not just a social club for “good people.”

  “Hey, guys. Let’s go to Kirkland’s Buffet for lunch! I’m starved.” The group at large so quickly declined Chuck’s invitation that Nolan decided to follow suit.

  He raised an eyebrow at Grace when Chuck continued after four flat refusals, “Great, I’ll see you all there in ten. Paige, your lunch is on me—desert and everything.”

  Nolan waited until Chuck was out of earshot and asked, “Did I miss something, or did all of us decline?”

  Grace’s chuckle prompted others to follow. “Chuck never hears what we really say; he just hears what he thinks we should say. It will take him about thirty minutes to decide that all of us had an emergency and couldn’t show.”

  He indulged in an amused chuckle as he turned to introduce himself to Paige, but she skittered away before he had a chance. Turning to Grace with a bewildered look, Nolan asked if he’d been offensive. “I—”

  “Not at all. Paige is just very shy. It’ll take her a few weeks to feel comfortable around you. It’s nothing personal.” Grace smiled as she watched her friend slide into her little sports car and drive toward home.

  She turned to say something else to Nolan, but at the sight of Marci and Amber, she hurried over, gesturing for Nolan to follow. “Hey, you two. I had an idea. What do you think about Amber coming home to stay with me tonight? We can make applesauce together, roast marshmallows over the stove, and watch an old movie. Would that work?”

  Grace looked eagerly from Marci to Amber, hoping they would accept. Seeing them eyeing the man with her, Grace motioned for Nolan to come closer. “Oh, Marci, I am sorry, this is Nolan Burke; he’s my new neighbor. I was happy to see him here today! Wish Craig was here to see it.”

  At Marci’s pointed look, Nolan choked back a snicker. “Her brother was concerned at my intentions in regard to Grace. I assured him I intended to live in the house and be a good neighbor to his sister.”

  Marci looked at her watch and shrieked. “Arrrghhhh, I have to be at the airport in an hour! Are you sure that you want to take her, Grace? I have the sitter all lined up…”

  “I’d be thrilled, honestly.”

  “Go get your stuff, Amber, and put it in the bus. Jason looks like he’s getting ready to go.” Amber squealed with delight and skipped off to their van. Marci unlocked it with a remote while she thanked Grace again.

  Nolan waved at the two ladies and began walking to his car. Seeing Amber wrestling a suitcase, Nolan took pity on the little girl. “Can I help you with that, Miss Amber?”

  Amber giggled. “No one calls me Miss. That’s what I have to call the ladies who are my friends. Mommy says it is called common courtesy.”

  “That’s true, but it’s always courteous for gentlemen to call any lady ‘miss,’ even if she’s a little lady. So, if it’s okay with you, I’ll call you Miss Amber.”

  Amber’s eyes fairly sparkled as Nolan talked with her and transferred her little suitcase to the church’s van. Grace glanced at Marci as they watched the proceedings and saw the pain creep back into her eyes.

  “It still hurts, doesn’t it?” Grace rarely beat about bushes.

  “She’s so precious—and Roger never saw it. All he could see was bills, sleepless nights, potty training, toys on the carpet, and that I wasn’t as ‘polished’ as I was before she came along.” Marci fought tears.

  “Care to hear what I think, Marci?” Grace was blunt, but she wasn’t tactless. She knew when to speak out and when to ask first.

  “I’m better off without him?”

  “Amber is better off not seeing him reject her day in and day out. It happened once, not repeatedly.”

  Marci knew that Grace was right. Marci’s own father had been emotionally and sometimes physically
detached as she’d grown up. Marci didn’t want that for her little girl. Perhaps the clean break would turn out to be a better thing.

  With tearful and silly goodbyes, Marci drove toward the airport while Grace and Amber rode home. They debated fish sticks over grilled cheese and salad over celery sticks. Grace was at peace. She may not have children, but she could be a substitute mommy now and again, and that was a beautiful thing.

  ~*~*~*~

  “Amber! That’s my brother on the machine. Mrs. Buscher is having her baby! They’re at the hospital right now. Let’s pray that everything goes smoothly, and that babykins shows up soon, shall we?” Grace danced about, thinking of the new baby.

  They prayed, ate, and began marathon applesauce making. After a time, Grace noticed that Amber seemed to be losing interest. “Amber, why don’t you go play out front with the soccer ball? I’ll be done here soon, and then we can play a game.”

  Amber ran to the toy closet and pulled the ball from a box of “outside” toys. Soccer was the little girl’s passion. Between playing on two different teams, and watching every televised event that she could find, Amber seemed unable to tire of the sport. Marci joked that it was a beautiful way to kick out her frustrations, and though it was a tricky juggle of her work schedule, she supported Amber’s dedication to it.

  “Grace, you need to go to more of her games. Marci probably misses a few, and it would mean a lot to Amber if you went. Now find out when her next three games are, and get them on your calendar.” Grace’s mutterings to herself tended to serve as a mental reminder of what needed doing, and though she received a few raised eyebrows at the grocery store and the dentist’s office, she never seemed to mind.

  Grace giggled as she observed Amber attempting to con Nolan into a game. The enchanting little girl sweet-talked him from his car, and moments later, they chased the checkered ball across the yard. From her window, Grace saw Nolan straining from his exertions, but, with an excellent display of sportsmanship, he continued to play despite his obvious desire to quit. His slippery dress shoes didn’t make the job any easier.