About That Man

“You’ll have to decide that for yourself,” she said, then led Walker off in the opposite direction.

On the walk to the small riverside restaurant, which sat next to a weeping willow just beginning to get its pale green leaves, silence fell. At first Walker felt the need to fill it, but he realized very quickly that Anna-Louise was one of those rare women who didn’t expect conversation. She seemed perfectly content with the quiet.

The restaurant’s windows were shaded by blue and white awnings. Pots of just watered flowers sat beneath. Bicycles were propped against the building.

Inside Earlene’s, there was indeed a last booth available. The gray-haired waitress had their coffee cups filled practically before they’d slid into their seats. She gave Walker a thorough once-over, but didn’t ask any questions. Either she’d already guessed who he was, or she was the only person in town who kept her curiosity in check.

Instead of asking about him, she turned to Anna-Louise. “Honey, you look plumb worn-out. Has Richard been making you run again?”

The minister grinned. “He doesn’t make me. I’m trying to get healthy.”

“If you ask me, there is nothing healthy about working up a sweat on a day God just meant to be enjoyed.”

Anna-Louise’s expression grew thoughtful. “You know, Earlene, you could be right. Maybe there’s a sermon in that.”

Earlene patted her hand. “Honey, that’s why you’re so popular. You find sermons in all the everyday things people can relate to.”

When the woman had taken their orders and moved on to other new arrivals, Walker studied the woman opposite him. Funny, now that he knew what she did for a living, he thought he could detect an unusual serenity in her eyes that should have tipped him off. He’d seen the same thing in the eyes of police chaplains and other clergy he dealt with after a crime had taken a terrible toll on a family. He always wished he could grasp what it was they knew that lesser mortals didn’t. Even the other faithful didn’t seem to have it to the same degree. Men like him didn’t have it at all. And he couldn’t help wondering if a man like Richard Walton, who’d seen some of the worst the world had to offer, still believed in anything whatsoever.

“I can see your mind’s working overtime,” Anna-Louise said, cutting into his thoughts. “What are you grappling with? What to do about Tommy?”

“Actually, I was wondering what it takes to be a minister, especially a woman minister.”

“The same thing it takes a man,” she said at once. “Just a little more of it. Dedication. Faith. Compassion. And in my case, a healthy supply of grit and determination.”

“Something tells me it’s not as simple as you make it sound. Otherwise more people would answer the calling.”

“Okay, for a woman, maybe it takes the ability to withstand a few shocked looks, a lot of doubting remarks and occasionally an organized campaign to have us banished.”

“There,” he said. “That sounds more like it. Did anybody ever try to banish you?”

Her expression clouded over. “All the time at first.”

“But you were tough enough to take it,” he said approvingly.

“I had a strong backer,” she replied.

“Richard?”

“God.”

Walker was taken aback by the quick retort, but then a smile spread across his face. “Yes, He would be a help, wouldn’t He?”

“He usually is, if we listen.”

“I’m not sure I can hear what He’s saying about me and Tommy,” Walker confided.

She gave him a serene smile. “Oh, I think you can. Maybe you’re just not ready to listen.”

“You’re telling me I should pack Tommy up and take him with me,” he said, a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He almost regretted asking her opinion, because she was right. He wasn’t ready to hear it.

“No,” she said at once. “I’m not telling you anything. It’s for you to decide.”

“Do you think he’d be better off here with Daisy?” he asked, trying to get a clear-cut answer from her one way or the other.

“I know she loves him,” Anna-Louise conceded, clearly choosing her words carefully.

“I thought I heard a but in there.”

“Did you?”

He shook his head at the deliberate evasiveness. “I could find you extremely annoying, Mrs. Walton.”

“Anna-Louise will do. And you only find me annoying because I won’t make your decision for you.”

“I thought your job was to point people along the path to righteousness.”

“That puts them in good standing with God. This decision is about you and your family. A private matter.”

“What if I ask for your advice?”

She laughed. “I’ll answer with a question. What do you think is right and best for Tommy?”

He dragged a hand through his damp hair. “I wish to hell I knew,” he said without thinking, then immediately apologized. “Sorry.”

“No problem. I will give you this much advice. Give it time, Walker. You don’t have to decide today or even tomorrow.”

“Tell Frances Jackson that. She’s chomping at the bit to get Tommy off her plate and onto mine.”

“No, she’s just trying to make sure he’s with someone who loves him. Every child deserves that, especially one who’s just been through the trauma of losing the only parent he’s ever known.”

“Yes,” Walker said slowly. “Yes, they do.”

But was he in any position to give Tommy the kind of love he needed? Did he even have any love left to give? The three people who’d been closest to him in his life certainly didn’t think so.

Daisy’s gaze kept straying toward the back door. She’d expected Walker to show up by now. It was after eight, and there was still no sign of him. Fortunately Tommy didn’t seem to care one way or another. He hadn’t glanced at the door once.

Still, she was disappointed. It wasn’t that she’d expected him, exactly. After all, wasn’t she the one who’d anticipated that he might bolt straight back to Washington? She’d merely hoped that he would keep his promise and be here this morning–for Tommy’s sake.

“How come you keep looking out the door?” Tommy asked eventually. “You’ve already burned one waffle because you weren’t paying attention. Looks to me like the next one is going to go any second now.”

She whirled around just in time to see the steam coming from the waffle iron turn to something that looked suspiciously like smoke. “Blast it,” she said, yanking it open to reveal a waffle almost beyond edible.

“It’s okay. I’ll take it,” Tommy said, holding out his plate. “Looks like it’s the best I’m going to get this morning.”

“Very funny, young man,” she said as she tossed it into the trash instead. “The next one will be perfect. You’ll see.”

“I hope so,” Tommy told her, “’Cause I’m about starved to death.”