Free A Fresh Start by Trisha Grace

and scooted in along with Mrs. Seymour. She had barely sat down when Mrs. Seymour looked around and began introducing Paige to a few of those seated close by.
    There seemed to be a selected group of people whom Mrs. Seymour would speak to. Some, she introduced with great alacrity. Others, she would merely grunt or give a curt nod before turning away.
    From all that she’d heard from Justin, from all that the Seymours had done for her, she was surprised to find an unfriendly side to Mrs. Seymour. Paige had assumed she was this nice to everyone.
    She looked over at Mrs. Seymour and smiled. Whatever reason Mrs. Seymour had, Paige was sure that she wouldn’t go wrong by following her lead.
    A buzz from her phone startled her. She smiled sheepishly when she saw Mrs. Seymour staring at her. Pulling her bag from the back of her chair, she placed it on her lap and leaned back.  
    She took out her phone and read the message from Justin.
    Did you get dragged to church?
    Her smile grew wider, and she shook her head. She was about to reply when she felt a strong sensation of someone staring at her.
    She looked up and turned toward the person sitting next to her.
    The woman with bleached blonde hair, probably slightly younger than Mrs. Seymour, stared intently at her phone. She was one of those in the greeted-by-a-grunt group.
    Paige frowned and waited for the woman to look up from her phone.
    It didn’t take long. The woman noticed Paige’s gaze and quickly turned her attention toward the pastor, pretending as though nothing happened.
    Paige scooted a little closer to Mrs. Seymour and typed a reply.
    They didn’t drag me, I went along.
    She looked up again and found another pair of eyes on her phone. This time, it was Mrs. Seymour.
    “That boy, always skipping church,” Mrs. Seymour whispered. “Tell him to join us for lunch.”
    Really? You didn’t want to stay in bed on a Sunday morning after a day of painting?
    Paige pushed her hair behind her ears. I’m not lazy, and you’re summoned for lunch.
    I’ll be there. And for what it’s worth, maybe you can find the answer to your question. See you later.
    “Is he coming?” Mrs. Seymour asked.
    Mrs. Seymour had probably seen his reply, but Paige answered her anyway. “Yes. He’ll be there.”
    She turned her attention to the pastor and tuned out the stares she felt on her back. If everything happened for a reason, if there was an explanation for all that had happened, she wanted to know.  
    She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Lord, I’ll settle with knowing that you remember me.
    “Jesus knows the number of hair on your head. He cares about you so much that He takes an interest in every area of your life, even the ones that you don’t think matters,” the pastor said.
    Then why did you let all this happen?
    “We may not know the answer to everything, but that doesn’t matter. God made it simple; all we have to do is trust. Trust that if the devil throws lemons at you, He will make lemonade out of it. Trust that the plan He has for you is a good plan.”
    She sighed softly. Trust. That was easier said than done.
    Once service was over, the woman beside her leaned over and said, “So, you’re the one who bought the haunted house.”
    Paige cracked a smile. “I—”
    “Come on, Paige. I’ll introduce you to some of the neighbors.” Once again, Mrs. Seymour’s hand wrapped around her wrist and dragged her away. “Stay away from that vulture.”
    Paige bit down on her lips to stop herself from laughing.
    “What’s so funny?” Mrs. Seymour asked with a hint of suspicion.
    “Nothing,” she quickly said.
    Mrs. Seymour arched her brow, but spared Paige of any further questions.
    Mrs. Seymour introduced Paige to many of her friends, giving her a background on who the person was. Most of the people Mrs. Seymour introduced were long-time friends who had volunteered in church.
    Whenever they went up to someone, the person would stop whatever he or she was