Iâm in one. And I have some clothes and stuff. I move around a lot, so I donât have much of anything.â
âThe Peppermons seem nice,â Vanessa said, not wanting to upset the girl.
âNice.â Kandi actually cracked a smile. âThereâs that word again.â
âYep.â Vanessa smiled right back, remembering how that seemed to be her new word. âLetâs change it to special, understanding, sweet, tolerantââ
âFun, playful, determined, demanding, fair,â Kandi finished. âI like them. I didnât like some of the others.â
A dark shadow passed over the girlâs eyes. A shadow that Vanessa recognized immediately. But before she could ask Kandi if anything had happened to her in one of the other homes, a woman poked her head inside the door.
âPreacher wanted me to check on you two and tell you supper is served.â
âWeâll be right out,â Vanessa said. âReady, Kandi?â
The girl nodded and brushed past the woman at the door. âAs ready as Iâll ever be.â
Vanessa and the woman exchanged knowing glances. âI know that feeling,â she said with a smile.
The woman grinned. âMe, too.â Then she gave Vanessa a big smile. âIâm Barbara, by the way. Iâm the church secretary.â
âNice to meet you,â Vanessa said. She cringed inwardly. That word nice was being overused today.
When Vanessa came back up the hall, she saw Rory and waved. He walked over to her. âWant to sit with Miss Fanny and me? Or do you want me to walk you home with a to-go plate?â
âIâm staying,â she said, her tone firm. âIâm hungry.â
âThatâs a good sign,â he said.
But Vanessa wasnât staying for the food. She wanted to get to know Kandi a little better. Because she needed to know if that young girl had suffered the same humiliation that she had.
And if so, she intended to do something about it.
Chapter Eight
V anessa listened while Rory did his thing. He read a short devotional about accepting Godâs love and allowing the Lord to love us.
âSometimes, we think weâre not worthy of Godâs love,â he explained. âBut if we think that, weâre doing the Lord a disservice. He died for our sins. That makes us worthy. We need to honor His sacrifice by accepting His love into our hearts.â
And that was it. No shout-outs about sinners. No condemnations about not sitting in church every Sunday. After the devotional, Rory asked some questions and got the kids to talking. He glanced at her a couple of times, his smile so sure and full of life that Vanessa had to swallow back the pain that seemed to clog her throat.
Why couldnât she feel that kind of peace and joy?
Was she worthy?
Or was she being too cynical for her own good?
âWhat if we donât deserve Godâs love?â
She glanced around to find a young boy sitting toward the back. Rory nodded at the boy, too.
âHi, Mark,â Rory said. âThatâs a good question. And the answer is even better. We donât really deserve Godâs love, but we are worthy. That probably doesnât make a lot of sense, but weâre worthy only because we are alive and because Godâs love is unconditional. So that makes all of us worthy in His eyes even if we donât feel worthy.â
âI donât get it,â Mark said with a shrug. âWhy would God want to fool with someone like me?â
âYou donât have to actually get it all the time,â Rory said. âBut stay open to the possibilities. A lot can happen when youâre open to love. Good things can happenâto you, to me, to anyone who wants the Lord in their life.â
âNot always. Bad things can happen, too.â
Kandi.
Vanessaâs gaze slammed into Roryâs, and she saw the understanding and compassion in his eyes. âYou got