CHAPTER 7
Jesse could hear Gabriel’s voice as she neared the living room. Just inside the door, she hesitated at the sight of Rachel and Gabriel talking to three men she didn’t recognize. From across the room, Gabriel motioned her over. “Jesse, there’s some people here I’d like you to meet.” As she approached, Rachel casually stepped around to position herself between Gabriel and Jesse. Appearing not to notice, Gabriel introduced Jesse before starting to name each man in turn.
Matthew Sanders was a tall, muscular African-American with sharp, brown eyes. The thin scar running the length of his cheekbone lifted a fraction in a smile. Several details about the man—short, neat hair, erect posture and carefully creased trousers, suggested the military training Gabriel later confirmed. Probably in his late thirties or early forties, the man chosen to organize a security team struck Jesse as a self-controlled man, a man who would undoubtedly prove to be fearsome in battle.
Anyone might think Steve Owens and Paul Sinclair were brothers. Although Steve’s auburn hair was a few shades lighter than Paul’s, they looked a lot alike. Jesse guessed the young men were in high school, possibly seniors, and their tanned complexions made her wonder if they played some outdoor sport.
She had guessed wrong on both accounts. The cousins graduated high school the previous year. They did spend a great deal of time outdoors, but not in any sport she would have imagined. Both were avid hunters, known in the area for their tracking skills. Even with their hunting credentials, Jesse was surprised to hear the young men were the first volunteers for the security team. Their open, boyish smiles and carefree laughter made her wonder if they had the toughness and strict self-discipline Matthew Sanders might expect.
When Jesse commented that Paul and Steve could be mistaken for brothers, Paul threw an arm around his cousin’s shoulder. “We might as well be brothers,” he said, ruffling the back of Steve’s hair. “We lived next door to each other all our life. Steve, here, has three older sisters and I have two. We had to learn survival skills early on.”
“Yeah,” Steve said, smiling. “Being the youngest boy with older sisters is murder.”
“That’s right,” Paul said, laughing. “I don’t guess Steve will ever forget the time Becky and Trista tried to make him play dress up. I know I sure won’t. If he hadn’t taken Becky’s favorite doll hostage, he’d a been wearing lipstick that day.”
Although laughing with the others, Jesse found it difficult to concentrate on the cousins’ humorous account of growing up with sisters while Rachel was busy inventing reasons to touch Gabriel. She straightened his collar, picked nonexistent lint from his clothes and generally hung all over him. Jesse might have ignored the message Rachel was sending, but not Gabriel’s response. He didn’t move away or seem to mind the familiar touches. When she looked over to see Rachel place a possessive hand on his shoulder before leaning in to whisper in his ear, Jesse had had enough. At the first break in conversation, she forced a smile and excused herself.
In the kitchen, Jesse slumped into a chair. Seeing Gabriel and Rachel side by side, she had to admit they made a striking couple. Rachel was as beautiful as Gabriel was tall, dark and handsome. A few minutes later, she turned at the sound of Gabriel’s voice as he came through the doorway. “Jesse, what are you doing?”
“Um, getting a drink,” she said, rising quickly and going to the cupboard. “Would you like some tea? Maybe your guests would like something to drink.”
“No, thank you. I don’t care for anything and our guests left a few minutes ago.”
She sat down at the table with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I should have said good-bye.”
He watched her a few seconds before taking a seat. “Are you alright?”
She stared at the amber liquid in her glass without making eye contact. “Yes, I’m fine.” She knew the seemingly insignificant question she was about to ask would tell her everything she wanted to know. She tried to sound casual. “Are we still going to see Mr. Drake?”
Before he could answer, Rachel came clip-clopping through the door. “Here you are,” she said, coming to stand behind Gabriel and rest her hands on the back of his chair. “What time are we leaving?”
He ignored Rachel’s interruption and continued to watch Jesse from across the table. “That’s what I came to tell you, Jesse. My plans have changed. Rachel needs to pick up some things from her house and I have something rather important to talk to her about.”
Nodding, Jesse said, “Sure, I understand. Maybe some other time then.” Lifting her eyes to Rachel’s face, she was prepared for the smug smile but not the contrived sympathy.
Rachel pursed her lips to say, “Poor, Jesse, bored stiff, I guess. We should let her tag along.”
Getting to his feet, Gabriel turned to face Rachel. “I would prefer we talk in private. I’ve been meaning to have this discussion for a while and I don’t want to put it off any longer.” Walking toward the door, he said, “I have some business to attend to but I’d like to leave in an hour.”
Jesse watched Gabriel leave the room before turning back to see Rachel’s catty smile. “He’s right, you know,” she said, crinkling her nose mischievously. “Our private conversation has been put off way too long.”
Jesse’s face was expressionless. Getting up from the table, she quietly walked toward the back stairway.
In her room, Jesse sat on the edge of the bed stone faced. Gabriel’s words echoed through her mind, “I have always loved her.” Now she knew. He has always loved Rachel. She didn’t blame Gabriel or Rachel for the way she was feeling. If she wanted someone to blame, she could look in the mirror. She should have learned her lesson ten years ago.
When her grandmother came in later that evening, Jesse complained of the headache that had actually developed by then. Inspecting her face, her grandmother noted her pallor before issuing orders Jesse was happy to comply with. “Take some aspirin, stay in bed and rest. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”
Later that evening, a knock at the door pulled Jesse from her dismal musings. Not wanting her grandmother to think she was in her room staring off into space, she pulled the Bible from the bedside table and opened it to a random page before calling for her to come in.
“Florence said you’re not feeling well,” Gabriel said, coming around the bed.
“Headache,” she murmured without looking up.
His hand felt cool against her forehead. “You don’t feel feverish. Can I get you anything? Maybe some aspirin or something to drink.”
“No, thank you. I took aspirin earlier.”
After a strained silence, they both started to talk at the same time. “Sorry, Jesse. Go ahead. What were you going to say?”
Closing her eyes, she lifted a hand to her temple. “Just that my headache is getting worse. Would you mind if we talk later?”
“Sure, it can wait,” he said. “Hey, sorry about canceling plans to see Mr. Drake today. It’s just that I’ve been meaning to talk to Rachel for a while now and the drive gave us the privacy—”
“Gabriel,” Jesse said, cutting him off. “I’m really sorry but I just can’t concentrate right now. Can we talk some other time?”
The door shut quietly and Gabriel was gone. Jesse’s hand came up to an aching throat. He was gone and nothing would ever be the same between them. When her heart was broken ten years ago, she had cried bitterly. Raw emotions would be better than the quiet, cold emptiness she felt right then.
Later that night, Jesse’s eyes fell to the Bible that she kept across her lap to use as a diversion in case someone came in. Sighing, she distractedly skimmed down the page before something caught her attention. She read the verse again. Jesus walked by strangers to say, follow me, and they dropped everything. They left jobs, families and homes to walk with a man they didn’t know? How strange. She turned back to read from the beginning of the chapter. Surely, she’d missed something important.
Several hours later, Jesse looked over at the clock display to see that it was seven in the morning. She laid the Bible aside to consider what she had learned. God had literally come to Earth in human form to save humanity, to save every person, to save her. She was amazed at His teachings, what He suffered.
How could she continue to feel depressed and alone when Jesus loved her and promised to never leave her? Closing her eyes, she felt the presence of God. The love she had searched for all her life had been right there in front of her all along. Sometime in the early morning hours, there had been a fundamental shift in her thinking.
Getting ready to go downstairs, Jesse looked in the mirror. The smile swelling in her heart lifted the corners of her mouth. God knew everything about her and still accepted and loved her. She picked up the Bible, God’s journal, to hug it close. His love and mercy were inexpressible, His promises unfailing. She might never fully understand God, infinitely more intelligent than her, but she felt certain that she was loved by the highest power in the universe. And that was more than enough.
From the kitchen door, Jesse greeted everyone with a new sense of confidence in knowing who she was. She would no longer wear labels that other people placed on her, labels she placed on herself. She was who God said she was, and God said she was beautiful, lovable and valuable.
“Well now,” her grandmother said, meeting Jesse at the kitchen door, “you look like you’re feeling better this morning.”
“Oh, much better, Grammy,” she said, kissing her grandmother’s cheek before noticing the notebook she carried. “Are you going somewhere?”
“No, just gathering cookbooks for Emma. We left breakfast out for you.”
Standing by the back door, Nick smiled. “Well, look at you, Jesse. You look like a ray of sunshine piped right in from heaven.”
Picking up the carafe to pour coffee, Jesse returned his smile. “Thank you, Nick. Actually, I feel like a ray of sunshine this morning.”
Gabriel joined Jesse at the coffee pot. “Glad to see you’re feeling better. Nick and I have some work to do this morning, but I’ll be back later. Maybe we can pray for Olivia then.”
Jesse’s hand came up to her flushing cheek. “Prayer was postponed because of me?”
Gabriel reached over to touch her shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Jesse. Everyone understood that you didn’t feel well,” he said before following Nick out the door.
Looking around the empty kitchen, Jesse glanced up at the wall clock to see the time. Half past eight. No wonder everyone had finished breakfast already. At the table, she was about to bow her head when she heard an all too familiar sound. Stilettos assaulted the floor with more intensity than usual. Rachel's shoes sounded angry. Jesse waited without turning, hoping the woman would take her coffee elsewhere.
The cupboard door slammed shut before Rachel came around the table to fall into a chair without speaking. Jesse looked across the table at the woman’s sullen face before bowing her head. The silent prayer was longer than originally intended. Seeing a quick puff of air push Rachel’s lips forward as she rolled her eyes, Jesse’s fingers tightened around the fork she lifted. Mentally counting to ten, she loosened her grip on the fork and forced herself to relax. She was determined not to let Rachel get under her skin. With all the cheerfulness she could muster, Jesse smiled. “Good morning, Rachel.”
Rachel stared into the coffee cup she held between both hands. “Yeah, right,” she muttered.
Ignoring the surly reply, Jesse focused on her food. What did Rachel have to be so grumpy about anyway? Hadn’t she spent the evening with Gabriel? Recalling Rachel’s suggestive comment on what her and Gabriel’s private conversation would entail, Jesse felt herself deflating. Still, her curiosity was beginning to get the best of her. Why wasn’t Rachel gloating across the table with the same smug smile she had yesterday? Maybe she and Gabriel had a disagreement or perhaps she was ill. A headache might explain her dour expression.
A few minutes passed in silence before Jesse shook her head. This is ridiculous, she thought—two adults sitting at the same table not speaking. She and Rachel might never be friends, but surely, they could be civil. After all, they might be stuck in the same house together for months. Jesse forced a pleasant tone. “Are you feeling okay, Rachel? You look like you didn’t sleep well.”
Rachel’s narrowing eyes glowered over her coffee mug. “Think I look bad, Jesse?” The cup smacked against the tabletop. “Well, let me tell you something. I could be in hair rollers and sweat pants and still look better than you on your best day.”
The strip of bacon fell from Jesse’s hand onto her plate. She stared back at Rachel a few seconds before asking, “What is wrong with you?”
Rachel’s chair scraped back and she stood up to lean forward with her hands on the table. “You don’t fool me, Jesse. I know the game you’re playing. I invented the game you’re playing.”
Living in a dorm, Jesse had heard countless doors slammed in anger but she had never heard a door slammed with more vigor than the one she was staring at right then. She was surprised to see the glass still intact. Propping her elbows on either side of her plate, her chin dropped between her hands. If Rachel had behaved that way yesterday, she would have been fuming, but today, today was different, she was different. Her grandmother would be proud.
Jesse was loading the last cup into the dishwasher when Gabriel leaned through the doorway. “They’re waiting for us upstairs,” he said before turning to leave.
“Gabriel,” she called his name. When he came back into the kitchen, she hesitated before admitting, “I’m a little nervous. I’ve never prayed in front of anyone before.”
“Hmm,” he said, thinking. “Each person prays in their own way. Some prefer to pray silently—whatever you’re comfortable with is fine. God knows our thoughts.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding. “That makes me feel better.”
In the glory room, Jesse stood with her grandmother behind Olivia who was facing the cross. Following her grandmother’s lead, she placed her hand on Olivia’s right shoulder. The Pastor rubbed oil between his hands before placing them on either side of Olivia’s throat. With Gabriel’s hand on the Pastor’s shoulder, Jesse was struck by the thought that they were connected, united in their purpose to call on God. As the Pastor began to pray, Jesse closed her eyes, imagining his words racing through the atmosphere to God’s ear.
With every fiber of her being, Jesse concentrated on God, recognizing Him as the highest power in the universe. She praised God for His love, His goodness and mercy. A sense of urgency quickened her spirit as she began to petition for Olivia’s health, for her life. Jesse thought the light breeze was coming from an open window until it grew stronger. At some point, she realized the wind wasn’t in the room but within her. She felt an exquisite sense of peace that could only come from the presence of God. She wasn’t sure how long they prayed, but somehow, she knew that God had heard their pleas.
Olivia turned to drop her face against Jesse’s shoulder, clinging to her as a child might cling to a mother. Wrapping Olivia in her arms, Jesse felt an inexplicable bond. “God heard,” she whispered. “Through faith, you have accepted healing given at Calvary.” She wasn’t sure why she said that. She wondered at her own words. Over Olivia’s shoulder, Jesse noticed the Pastor staring at her with the oddest expression. Falling to his knees, he bent his forehead to the floor and thanked God for healing the woman he loves.
Later, in the living room, her grandmother and Gabriel immediately stopped talking when Jesse walked in. Apparently uncomfortable, Gabriel took out his cell phone and excused himself to make a call while her grandmother busied herself searching for the remote. When her grandmother sat down to turn on the news, Jesse sat down next to her. “Were you and Gabriel talking about me, Grammy?”
“Yes,” she said, “as a matter of fact we were.”
Her grandmother’s candor was surprising, “Really? May I ask what you were saying?”
Continuing to watch the news, she answered, “Sure, go ahead.”
When she didn’t say more, Jesse realized that she was being teased. “Okay, Grammy, I’m asking then. What were you and Gabriel saying about me?”
Muting the news, her grandmother turned to Jesse with an excited smile. “I was just reminding Gabriel of a dream I had several months ago. In the dream, I saw a large puzzle, a child’s puzzle with only five pieces forming the picture of a human hand. Four pieces, four fingers of the hand were present but one piece was missing. For some reason, all I could think about was the missing piece. I was very troubled because I knew the hand needed every member to function properly.”
“Hm,” Jesse said, “that is a strange dream. What do you think it means?”
“I didn’t know what it meant then, but I do now,” she said. “The four fingers represent four people who would soon be joined by a fifth. The fifth member would complete the hand to make it whole. The hand is an instrument God will use in these last days.”
Jesse sat back, thinking. The four people were likely her grandmother, Gabriel, the Pastor, and Olivia. Without looking at her grandmother, she asked, “Is the fifth member still missing?”
“Not any more. She came home.”
Jesse’s eyes closed with a soft groan. Surely, her grandmother didn’t think she was the fifth person. She would only be a hindrance to a group that had spent their lives dedicated to God. She already knew the answer but she asked the question anyway. “And who do you think the fifth person is?”
“You, Jesse. You’re the fifth member,” she said.
Jesse shook her head. “No, I’m not. I couldn’t be.”
“Oh, yes—yes, you are,” she said. “I wondered before, but now I’m sure. I think Jonas and Olivia knew the day they met you.”
Sounding doubtful, Jesse said, “But I don’t know enough, Grammy. I’m—I’m not good enough.”
“Good enough?” Her grandmother said, sounding surprised. “No human is good enough. God, the Holy Spirit, dwells inside of you. He is good enough so you don’t have to be. And He knows you better than you know yourself. If God says you’re good enough, then you are. Will you argue with God?”
Jesse ran a hand through the top of her hair as she considered what her grandmother said. Her grandmother asked the same question she had answered the night before. “No, I won’t argue. I am who God says I am.”
Her grandmother patted Jesse’s knee. “God knows what He’s doing,” she said before lifting the remote to take the television off mute.
Jesse stared at the newscaster without hearing the words. Her mind was elsewhere. Was she really a piece of some puzzle? Her grandmother seemed to think so but she didn’t know what she might have to offer. How would she know what God wanted her to do? She started to ask her grandmother but noticed that she was focused on the news. Touching her grandmother’s arm to get her attention, Jesse said, “I think I’ll go outside, Grammy.”
In the back yard, Jesse closed her eyes to breathe in the sweet smell of honeysuckle tumbling in a yellow mass over a piece of nearby latticed fence. How could she have missed something so obvious for so long? In its beauty and complexity, nature truly does testify of a creator, an intelligent master designer.
Taking her time along the path, Jesse explored her surroundings while picking up a few pinecones along the way. She was surprised to discover that the blooming purple mountain laurel smells like grape. Preferring to be alone, she passed the path leading to the shelter, deciding instead to go to the boulder overlooking the upper pond. Many teenage problems had been pondered on that rock. She would go there now.
Jesse stopped to watch a squirrel scamper up and down a tree trunk. How did it keep from falling, she wondered. She was still thinking about the squirrel when a blackbird landed on a nearby limb. Curious that a bird would come so close to a human, she watched black marble eyes staring back at her. The bird seemed as interested in her as she was in it. Thinking that she might be near its nest, she dropped the pinecones and moved along the path at a quicker pace before looking around to see the bird land on a bush a few feet away.
Feeling a little spooked by the bird’s odd behavior, she hurried along the path before one foot stuck to the ground in mid-stride. Stop—the word echoed in her mind. She eased her foot back and stood still. Even when the blackbird opened its wings behind her, she didn’t move. Her eyes darted around nervously before a wave of dread washed over her at the sight of a bear crossing the path in the distance.
Her body was immobilized with fear but her mind ran wild, falling over itself in a panic—run, play dead, climb a tree, stay still. She couldn’t remember what she was supposed to do. Had she ever known? When the animal came up onto hind legs to sniff the air, she stopped breathing. Seconds stretched into an eternity before the creature came down heavily on its front paws to amble out of sight. When she thought her legs could obey simple instructions, she took a careful step back before turning to move quietly, quickly along the path in the opposite direction away from the bear.
Jesse’s quick pace turned into a full run as she neared the house. Rounding a clump of bushes, she tried to stop but her feet kept going as they scrubbed the ground. Sidestepping the oncoming impact, Gabriel’s arm came out to catch her as she would have slid past him. After steadying her onto her feet, he asked, “What are you doing?”
Gasping for air, she managed the word, “Running.”
He stared at her a few seconds. She couldn’t tell if he was annoyed, surprised, or both. She decided on annoyed, when he said, “Did we discuss the dangers of venturing into the woods alone?”
“Yes—yes, we did,” she said, still breathing heavily.
His eyes narrowed with a questioning look. “Is something wrong?”
Telling him about the bear would bring a lecture that she didn’t need to hear. She had already learned her lesson. “I’m just agreeing with you. I shouldn’t have gone off in the woods alone,” she said, stepping around him to start along the path.
He fell in step beside her. “I was hoping to find you, to tell you the good news. I called the hospital to check on Mr. Drake.”
“Really?” She said, excited. “He’s doing better, then?”
“Dr. Haynes said his condition has improved significantly, miraculously, considering the original prognosis.”
Hiding a smile, she asked, “And did you explain the difference between a miracle and healing to Dr. Haynes?”
He laughed softly. “No, I spared him the lesson, but he did say Mr. Drake may be released soon.”
“Amazing,” she said, thinking about the man’s condition just a few short days ago. She was still thinking about the awesome power of God to heal when she stopped. “That’s the bird,” she said softly.
“What bird?” Gabriel asked.
She turned around slowly to face Gabriel. “I know this may sound bizarre, but I think that bird, the one in the tree behind me—well, I think the bird was…”
When she hesitated, he asked, “Was what?”
She bit her lower lip, hesitating, before saying, “Following me.” She waited, expecting him to laugh, to say she was imagining things.
He didn’t laugh or even look amused. Watching the bird, he put a hand on her shoulder to guide her past the tree and into the back yard. On the porch, Gabriel turned to see the bird still watching them.
Safely inside the house, Jesse began to wonder if she were the victim of an overactive imagination rather than bird stalking. “Bird stalking,” she said under her breath, shaking her head at the absurdity. Maybe it wasn’t even the same bird. Most blackbirds do look alike, she reminded herself. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous the charge sounded. Offering Gabriel a bottle of water, she said, “I can’t believe I said that out loud—bird following me.”
“I’m glad you told me,” he said, taking the water and setting it aside. “You can’t walk in the woods alone.”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “I won’t do that again.”
“If you think you’re being followed by anyone or anything, will you tell me?”
She watched him curiously. Anything? Noting his serious expression, she didn’t argue or press the issue. Instead, she said, “You’ll be the first to know if I’m ever being followed.”
Apparently satisfied with her answer, he changed the subject. “I wanted to tell you about Mr. Drake, but I was also hoping we could go somewhere, maybe sit down and talk—some place we won’t be disturbed. I think you should know what Rachel and I discussed.”
Her head tilted to the side slightly. Did he really think she wanted to chat with him about his new girlfriend? Fighting to maintain her composure, she said, “If you go to that much trouble to have a private conversation, maybe it should stay private.” Her eyes fixed on the wall clock. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m in a hurry. I need to—to go do something,” she said before turning and hurrying toward the back stairs.
In her room, Jesse sat in the window seat staring out at the mountains. Gabriel wants to talk, to tell her what he and Rachel discussed. She knew what he would say. He would tell her that his relationship with Rachel won’t change their friendship. She couldn’t bear to hear it right then. She needed time—maybe a few days, a week, but not right then.
______________________________
The next day Jesse planned to stay close to her grandmother. She didn’t want to be caught off guard by Gabriel again. Still early morning, Jesse and her grandmother planned to go to the shelter. Just as they were about to leave, Gabriel, followed by several others, came bounding through the front door. Their smiles and laughter filled the room with cheerful energy. “Good news,” Gabriel said, quickly approaching. “The Pastor called to say Dr. Haynes ordered new scans and tests for Olivia yesterday. The test results are back.”
Jesse’s hand lifted to her heart. “And?”
“And,” Gabriel said, smiling, “there is no sign of cancer.”
“Grammy!” Jesse cried, turning to her grandmother.
Within minutes, Jesse was certain she had hugged everyone in the room. Making her way to the wall, she scanned faces until seeing her grandmother weaving her way through the crowded room toward her. Her once neat bun hung lopsided from her head with random pieces of hair sticking out. “Are you okay, Grammy? You look like you’ve been in a hurricane.”
“I know. Isn’t it great?” her grandmother said, laughing, as she tried unsuccessfully to tidy her hair.
Gabriel came over to stand between them. “Florence, I think more people will be coming to dinner than we can comfortably fit around the table.”
Her grandmother’s eyes sparkled with happiness. “Gabriel, are you suggesting a cookout?”
“Yes,” he said, smiling.
She nodded. “This might be the last chance we have.”
He turned to Jesse. “Are you up for a cookout?”
Right then, she would have agreed to anything. “Absolutely. That sounds great.”
A few hours later, Jesse dropped a peeled potato on top of the growing pile just before Emma and Victoria came rushing through the door. Emma took an apron from the hook. “Cookout,” she said, laughing. “Why, we haven’t had one in ages. I’m about ready for some good down-home fun.”
Tying the apron at Emma’s back, Victoria said, “It will be just like old times.”
That evening, Jesse looked down the counter at bowls of potato salad, baked beans and coleslaw. “I believe we have enough food here to feed a small army.”
Her grandmother nodded in agreement. “I think we have more than enough.”
“Don’t forget, cooks at the shelter are working on dishes, too,” Emma said.
Victoria was taking the last batch of cookies out of the oven when a male voice called from the living room. “In here,” her grandmother called back.
Steve Owens and Paul Sinclair stopped just inside the kitchen door. Steve tilted his nose in the air. “Mm—sure smells good in here.” His eyes scanned the counter of food before fastening on a plate of cookies. He started forward with an excited grin. “Is that oatmeal raisin?” He reached out to take a cookie before jerking his hand back. “Aww, Emma,” he said, rubbing the back of his hand.
A dish towel dangled from the hand on Emma’s hip. “Have you washed your hands young man?”
Looking down at his hands, Steve stammered, “Well, I—uh.”
Pointing him toward the sink, Emma nodded. “Mm-hm, thought as much.” Before she could turn around to say anything to Paul, he was hurrying to join his cousin at the sink.
While the cousins washed up, Emma poured milk and set a plate of cookies on the table. “Well, get over here, boys, and test these cookies for me.”
Thirty minutes later, Steve and Paul were still relaxing at the table with a sugar-induced glaze on their faces and empty milk glasses. With their backs turned, they didn’t see Gabriel leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. Winking at Emma, he walked into the room. “Emma, have you seen two men sent to carry food back to the picnic area?”
Emma’s eyes rolled up, thinking. “Nope. Can’t say as I’ve seen anybody ‘round here asking about food to carry back.”
Steve and Pau