“And no more chicken wings.”
“Really.”
“Well, they look so much like little chickens, Matt.”
“Understandably. Because they are indeed the wings of small chickens, Luce.”
Lucy stopped in her tracks, tugging at Matt’s arm until he stood still and looked at her.
“Please don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I feel kind of sick from today.”
“I know.”
“I don’t think I can eat dinner, Mattie.”
“There will be other things to eat.”
“But you’ll all be—” She paused and shuddered and then choked back a gag. “I don’t think I can watch you people eat them.”
“Go and get cleaned up. Then if you still feel that way, I’ll make your excuses.”
It was a good plan.
A few minutes later, Lucy was standing in the shower and letting the warm water cascade over her. The only trouble was, every time she closed her eyes, tiny golden-red marbles looked back at her.
Wrapped in a towel, she perched on the edge of her bed and ran a comb through her long hair, trying to think about anything other than flopping tails or wiggly worms.
“Today was such fun, wasn’t it?” Wendy asked as she plopped down on her own bed. “I haven’t had that much fun in ages.”
Lucy just smiled and flicked on the blow dryer.
Nothing like a little noise to cut down on the conversation.
By the time Lucy had diffused her curls, Wendy had moved into the tiny bathroom to take her turn in the shower, and Lucy was free to get dressed and apply some makeup in peace. She was tying the laces on the shoes that matched Wendy’s older pair when Wendy herself emerged.
She looked like a commercial for shower gel. Her silky blond tresses were wet and hanging loose around her shoulders. Her heart-shaped porcelain face was scrubbed clean and looked annoyingly perfect without a speck of makeup. And her long, shapely legs poked out from the folds of the terry-cloth robe as she moved across the room, completely unaware that she was mocking Lucy and making her feel wildly unfit for a secret competition for Justin’s affections.
“Do you mind if I don’t wait for you?” Lucy asked her. “I thought I’d make my way down to the lodge and have some tea.”
“Not at all. I’ll see you there in a little while.”
Wendy was such a sweet person. A little pang of guilt tugged at Lucy’s spirit for pitting herself against such an unwitting and kindhearted opponent. But the moment she stepped into the lodge, those thoughts melted away into featherweight petals, blown far away by the breeze of Justin’s presence.
“Hey there,” he greeted her, his warm smile stroking her cheeks and staining them pink.
“Hi.”
“Don’t you look fresh and pretty,” he commented.
“Thank you.”
Lucy realized it was sort of ridiculous how much she valued those few words spoken by him.
“Dinner’s fired up outside, but it’s a little colder out there than I’d anticipated, so I came in for some coffee. Can I get you some?”
“Is there tea?”
“Down at the end of the table.”
She could feel his gaze on her as she lobbed a tea bag into a cup of hot water.
“The other folks here on retreat belong to a family reunion,” he told her. “They went after trout up at White River. I think there will be quite a feast for all of us tonight.”
“Oh.” She tossed the used tea bag into a small bowl and doctored her cup with milk and sweetener. “How nice.”
“You had some bad luck out there today,” he commented.
“Well, it’s like that some days, isn’t it?”
“It sure is. I remember sitting in a rowboat with my buddy down in Grapevine Lake, near Dallas. He caught catfish and bass on one side of that boat, and I sat there all day without a single bite on the other side.”
The warmth of his empathy soothed her nearly as much as the tea, and Lucy took a deep, slow breath before drinking a little more.
“Want to take a walk outside?” Justin asked her. Her heart began to pound relentlessly against the wall of her chest before rumbling up into her throat.
“Sure.”
Several large barbecue grills were set up on the stone patio, and redwood picnic tables draped in blue gingham cloths dotted the lawn. Lucy and Justin meandered over toward one of the workstations where Betty Sue, the owner of the camp, was filling empty corn husks with bass filets and then sprinkling them with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Lucy looked away.
“I’ve never seen that done before,” Justin told Betty Sue, oblivious to Lucy’s avoidance of the table. “Can I help?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Go and wash your hands real good, and slip on some of the plastic gloves in the box by the sink.”
“You’ll be here when I get back?” he asked Lucy, and she nodded eagerly.
Justin hurried off to do as he’d been instructed, and Lucy looked up to catch Betty Sue’s eye on her.
“There’s going to be baked yams and macaroni salad, some steamed string beans, and a lovely butternut squash,” the woman said, and she smiled at Lucy with a knowing glint in her eyes. “You’ll find plenty to eat on the table over there without ever passing by the grills.”
“It shows?”
“Only to the trained professional.”
Lucy chuckled and then touched Betty Sue’s arm. “Thank you.”
“No problem, sugar.”
Lucy held her ground as Betty Sue continued with the preparations. After a moment, she felt the presence of someone beside her and glanced over to find a small girl standing there.
“I’m Annie,” the child said, her large green eyes glistening.
“Hi, Annie. I’m Lucy. You must be with the family reunion group.”
“Yeah. That’s us.”
The two of them stood there, side by side, both of them folding their arms and staring straight ahead. Lucy realized suddenly that they must look like life-size and miniature versions of the same statue.
The little girl finally broke the silence. “We caught bunches of fishes today.”
“I’m sorry to tell you, so did we.”
“It was gross.”
“It sure was.”
“And now we gotta eat ’em,” Annie said incredulously, and she turned and faced Lucy with a contorted face that made her want to laugh. “Can you believe that?”
“I can believe it. We’re eating ours, too.”
“I’m not gonna do it.”
“I hear ya.”
“I’m six, and I’m not gonna.”
“I’m twenty-nine, and I don’t think I will either.”
Lucy and the little girl both tossed their curls over one shoulder and shook their heads.
“I hope there’s cake,” Annie commented as an afterthought.
“Now there’s a food I can get behind,” Lucy replied.
The little girl giggled. “Yeah. Cake is good.”
“Cake is very good.”
The retreat is going pretty well, all things considered. I did have a few nice minutes with Justin, but I can’t really get a handle on whether he’s interested or just friendly.
My name was drawn after dinner, so I’ll be leading tonight’s Campfire Worship. We can do pretty much anything from singing worship songs to a scripture study, and I came back to the cabin to read my Bible and try to find some inspiration. I think I’m just going to choose one of my favorite passages and read it. Since Your word never returns void, I think I can pretty much count on that being an encouragement to the others.
And since You’ve heard me sing, I’m guessing You’re in agreement with the reading thing.
All fished out,
Lucy B.
Chapter Five
“I WAS SO MOVED BY OUR SURROUNDINGS THIS MORNING,” LUCY TOLD them. “The blue sky, the gorgeous colors on the trees—and I
was reminded that our Father created every bit of it for His own glory and for our enrichment and inspiration.”
The ten of them formed a circle around a roaring fire pit. Wendy was directly across from Lucy, and she held a steaming cup of coffee close to her face as she gazed intently at Lucy. When their eyes met, her lips tilted upward in a smile that lit the sapphire embers in her eyes.
“So I was drawn to this passage of scripture,” Lucy explained, and she paused to open her Bible to the center. “Psalm sixty-five, starting at verse five.”
Several of them opened their own Bibles to follow along as she read.
“By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the far-off seas; who established the mountains by His strength, being clothed with power; You who still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples.
“They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice. You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it. You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.
“You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance. They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain. They shout for joy, they also sing.”
“Beautiful,” Alison commented, shaking her head.
“That’s just how I felt when I saw the foggy mist moving over those hills this morning,” Lucy told them. “Like I wanted to shout for joy and sing. Of course, I thought better of the singing part.” They all laughed, and Lucy exchanged a knowing glance with Matt. “I didn’t want to scare any of the wildlife.”
“On behalf of the elk and the humans alike,” Tony quipped, “I thank you.”
A passionate exchange of appreciative observations about their surroundings ensued, and Lucy was so happy she’d chosen that particular verse and that exact topic for their group time. No one was left out, and everyone seemed excited to share something.
“I’ve always been a bit of an outdoorsman,” Justin told them from the folding chair beside Lucy. “Even at nine or ten years old, I can remember thinking what a magnificent thing God had done in creating the universe. But today, out on the river with all of you, I was reminded about the tiny details He’s so good at. The glint of red in the eye of a smallmouth bass, the fire of red and gold in the leaves, even the sparkle of the smooth stones in the riverbed. Like the scripture Lucy read, it made me feel very much like singing.”
“Why don’t we?” Cyndi suggested.
Tony produced his guitar and started to strum, and the others began joining hands. Lucy’s heartbeat was tapping much faster than the beat of the song as Justin reached out to her, and she slipped her hand into his.
He leaned forward and tipped his face toward her, smiling. And then he rubbed her hand swiftly with his own and whispered, “You’re freezing.”
She honestly hadn’t noticed.
“We love you, Lord,” Tony sang, and the others joined in. “And we lift our voice to worship You…”
Tony was probably the best singer in the bunch, but none of them were what Lucy would call especially gifted. Still, those ten voices blending together around the crackling fire, with nothing more than Tony’s guitar and the chirping insects to accompany them, sounded like sheer, harmonious magic.
When the singing drew to a slow and sweet conclusion, Lucy closed her eyes and soaked in the silence for several long moments. When she opened them again, she met a tearful glance from Wendy across the fire pit. Matt was next to Wendy, his eyes still closed, and Justin slipped an arm around Lucy’s shoulder and pulled her close to him for a moment.
“The presence of God is in His creations,” Rob commented. “In our surroundings, in each one of us, He is alive and present. Can you feel it?”
They murmured in agreement, and Lucy nodded emphatically.
“This is a special night,” Justin said in a soft, low tone. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
When he slid his arm away from her, Lucy looked up at him. The firelight cast a warm, orange glow upon him, and he smiled.
“I’m glad I’m here, too,” she replied.
From the other side of her, Brenda tilted her head down and let it rest for a moment on Lucy’s shoulder.
“What a beautiful night,” she said on a sigh.
“Who wants s’mores?” Alison asked, and everyone chimed in to voice their agreement.
As packages of graham crackers and marshmallows broke open, Lucy looked around at the nine other people with her. She’d never tasted s’mores, or even sat around a campfire for that matter, but the ingredients seemed to make it a no-brainer.
“How do you do this?” she whispered to Brenda.
“You put the marshmallow on the stick, like this, and you hold it over the fire until it gets all melty.”
Lucy took one of the sticks from Matt as he passed them out, popping a marshmallow over the pointed end.
“Who wants more insect repellant?” Alison asked, passing a bottle to Cyndi.
At just that moment, Lucy’s marshmallow went up in sudden flames, and she let out a little shout.
“Here,” Justin said, placing his hand over hers and drawing the stick toward him.
With quick little puffs, he blew the fire out.
“It’s all black,” she declared, disappointed that her marshmallow was ruined.
“It doesn’t matter.”
He took Lucy’s stick from her hand and balanced it across his knees. Then he produced two graham crackers and placed them on Lucy’s open palms. He smiled at her as he dropped a large square of milk chocolate on one of them. Coaxing the hot marshmallow off the stick and overtop the chocolate, he then closed up the two crackers like a sandwich.
Lucy took one bite and grinned from ear to ear. She would love anything that involved chocolate, graham crackers, and ooey-gooey hot marshmallow, even if she did have to cook part of it at the end of a stick.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed through a completely full mouth, and she caught Matt’s eye across the campfire. “This is really good!”
He nodded and then took a bite of his own cracker sandwich.
“Why are they called s’mores?” she asked Justin, and he laughed out loud.
“Do you want some more?”
“Yes, please!”
“That’s why,” he replied with a grin.
Lucy watched Justin closely as he poked a stick through two marshmallows and extended it over the flame. He was handsome in any light, but the glow of the firelight was particularly complimentary. His square jaw and chiseled features were highlighted by the shadows, and his green eyes were now a deep steel gray.
“Here,” he told her. “Get the grahams.”
She withdrew several from the package and laid them out on her open palms, just like he’d positioned them before. First the chocolate, then the sweet, melted marshmallows, and two more dream sandwiches were created.
“Whoever thought of this,” she told Justin at first bite, “was a genius!”
“Yeah, he was.”
“Or she.”
“Okay. Or she.”
Justin suddenly reached over and ran his index finger across the side of Lucy’s lips, coming away with a fingerprint full of chocolate and marshmallow.
“Oh,” she laughed, rubbing her mouth with the side of her hand. “You just can’t take me anywhere.”
“It’s true. You can’t.”
They both looked up to find Matt standing over them. “I’m heading up to the cabin,” he added to Lucy. “Want me to walk you back?”
Lucy considered it and then looked at Justin for an instant. “No, I think I’ll stay here a little longer.”
“Okay. Good night.”
“Night, Mattie.”
“Mind if I join you?” she heard Wendy ask Matt as he made his way up the sidewalk.
Perfect.
By the time they’d finished their s’mores, Justin and Lucy were alone on their side of the campfire. Rob, Cyndi and Jeff were on the other side, chattering about the activities planned for the next day.
“Oh, horseback riding,” Justin commented. “I’m really looking forward to that. Do you enjoy horses?”
Lucy paused for a moment before she nodded. “They’re beautiful animals.”
“They are. I’ve been riding since I was a kid. You?”
She didn’t want to lie, so she formed her words carefully. “I haven’t been on a horse in years.”
“It’s like riding a bike.”
“That’s what I hear.”
She’d been truthful. The one and only time she’d been in the saddle was when she was twelve. It had been a short ride, since the young mare had thrown her about twenty feet and galloped away with her laughing horse friends, leaving Lucy to hike back to the stable on foot.
“I’m sorry to tell you that my horse’s name was M. C. Hammer,” he confided and then started recreating the melody of one of the rapper’s most famous songs.
“So I guess tomorrow is Hammer Time again,” she suggested, and Justin hooted like an owl.
“Let me walk you up to your cabin.”
Justin stood and bent his arm at the elbow, offering it to Lucy. She smiled and accepted it with a nod.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked her. “Do you want my jacket?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you, though.”
They walked in silence, the cold fog of their breath floating behind them like clouds of cotton candy.
“I guess I’ll see you in the morning at breakfast,” Justin said when they reached the cabin.
“I’ll see you then.”
Lucy was so sure he was going to kiss her that she waited, frozen with anticipation.
“Sleep well,” he told her and then rubbed her shoulder and arm briskly with one hand before turning away. “Good night.”
Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas Page 5