Flirting With Disaster

Josh didn’t get it. He looked blankly from Caleb to Cord. “Okay, what am I missing here?”

It was Caleb who responded. “I assume Cord filled you in on Amanda’s situation.”

Cord nodded. “I know her husband was killed a while back.”

“It was more than that,” Caleb said. “He’d gotten himself into serious debt and she was forced to declare bankruptcy. She’s been working two, sometimes three, jobs to try to pay off all the bills. She was about to be evicted from her apartment when we stepped in. At first we were just going to help out with the rent, which we did, but then someone had the idea to build her a house. Most of the congregation jumped on board, but a few people think we’ve picked the wrong person to help.”

“Why?” Josh asked.

“Because Amanda’s daddy is William Maxwell,” Cord explained. When Josh shook his head, Cord added, “Big Max is one of the wealthiest men in Charleston. Some folks think Big Max is the one who ought to be helping Amanda, not the church.”

There was obviously still some critical piece of information that Josh was missing. If getting this woman a place to live were that simple, it would have been done long ago.

“Why isn’t he?” Josh asked. “I assume there’s a reason.”

“There’s a lot of bad blood between the two of them,” Cord said succinctly.

“That’s an understatement and it’s not without reason, at least on Amanda’s part,” Caleb said. “Since you’re involved in this now, you should know what’s going on. Here’s the short version. Big Max disowned Amanda when she got married. He didn’t approve of Bobby O’Leary. He dug in his heels. Amanda refused to cave in to his pressure, so he hasn’t had a thing to do with her for almost ten years now. He’s never even set eyes on his grandkids. I think he regrets all that now, but he’s too stubborn to fix it, and Amanda’s too hurt and has too much pride to turn to him now that she’s in trouble because of Bobby’s mistakes.”

Josh got the picture. “But some folks think she should swallow her pride and go running to daddy now, instead of taking this opportunity away from some other family, one with no other resources.”

“Exactly,” Caleb said.

“I suppose I can see their point, but obviously she doesn’t think she can turn to her father or doesn’t want to after the way he treated her,” Josh said. “I can’t say I blame her.” He could empathize. Even if he discovered tomorrow that his father was rolling in dough, it would be a cold day in hell before he ever turned to the man for help, no matter how dire his own circumstances.

“As far as Amanda’s concerned, her father burned that bridge,” Caleb said. “She won’t ask him for a dime. So as far as I’m concerned, she’s a struggling single mom who’s as deserving as anyone else. And she’s doing everything she can to get back on her feet. It’s not like she came looking for a handout. People just saw a need and wanted to help. She’s one of our own. We have an opportunity to help her and we’ll all get something out of doing it.”

“So you want to go ahead, even though it’ll anger some members of your congregation?” Josh asked.

“Absolutely,” Caleb responded without hesitation. “And it’s really only one member who’s dedicated himself to stirring the pot. He just happens to be wealthy and powerful in his own right. He could complicate things if he switches from talk to action.”

“What sort of action?” Josh asked.

“Let’s just say he’s politically well connected and could hold things up,” Caleb replied. “Especially if he thinks he’s doing Big Max a favor in the process.”

“Has he threatened to throw up real roadblocks?” Josh asked.

Caleb shook his head. “Not yet. Mainly he’s been working to get the congregation on his side. He’s succeeded with some. We expected a larger turnout than this initially.”

“And as of this morning, Amanda’s balking,” Cord explained.

“Last night she got wind of the battle that was brewing, and she doesn’t want the congregation divided over this,” Caleb said. “I’ve tried every way I can think of, but I can’t get through to her that it’s only George Winslow flexing his muscles.”

Silence fell as they all pondered how to break the impasse. It was several minutes before Josh realized that Cord was studying him speculatively.

“You know, Josh, you might have better luck than Caleb did,” Cord suggested mildly.

“Hold it,” Josh protested. “When did this become my problem? I’m here to build a house, not to provide counseling services. Besides, I don’t even know this woman. Why would she listen to me?”

Cord didn’t answer.

“There won’t be any reason to build a house unless we get Amanda back on board,” Caleb pointed out.

“Hey, that suits me,” Josh said.

Cord regarded him with disappointment. “Josh, take a look out there,” he said, gesturing toward the main room. “See those kids. Who do they remind you of?”

Reluctantly Josh turned to look at Amanda O’Leary’s three children. They were sitting on metal chairs, their expressions glum. Two little boys, who should be out running and playing ball on a Saturday morning, and a pint-size girl with huge blue eyes who looked as if she might cry any minute. She was clutching a worn stuffed bear by one arm. Josh saw himself in each of those solemn faces. Once again he cursed the day he’d ever confided in Cord about his past.

“Well?” Cord prodded.

Josh wondered how different his life might have been if someone had ever sat his mother down and had a heart-to-heart with her about giving him a real home, instead of dragging him from city to city, from motel to motel. He heaved a resigned sigh.

“Okay, where is she?” he asked.

“Over in the corner trying to stay out of Dinah’s path. Dinah’s already tried and failed to persuade her,” Cord said. “Knowing Dinah, she’s just taking a breather, but maybe you can head her off.”

“I think you’re giving me way too much credit on all fronts,” Josh said. “But I’ll give it a shot for the sake of those kids.”

Rueing the day he’d ever met Cord, much less agreed to take on the building of this house, Josh crossed the parish hall to where Amanda O’Leary was sitting all alone, her jaw set stubbornly and her chin lifted high.

“Mind if I sit down?” he asked, already sliding onto the chair next to her.

“There’s nothing you can say to change my mind,” she said before he could say another word.

He grinned at her defiance. She might be down, but she was definitely not out. He had to admire her for that. “What makes you think I’m here to change your mind?”

“Oh, please,” she said disdainfully. “I saw you with Caleb and Cord. I’m sure they’ve given you an earful about how stubborn I’m being.”

Josh grinned. “They did say something along those lines. To tell you the truth, I get where you’re coming from. I grew up with folks thinking I was the perfect target for their good deeds. It wasn’t much fun.”

Amanda regarded him skeptically. “Then why are you over here pressuring me?”

“Pressure?” Josh scoffed. “Sweetheart, this isn’t pressure. This is just two people having a get-acquainted chat. Obviously I know who you are, but since we haven’t been introduced, I’m Josh Parker.”

Her gaze narrowed. “The builder Cord hired?”

“That’s me.”

“So you’re out of work if I don’t go along with this thing,” she said with a biting edge of sarcasm. “Not my problem.”

“It’s not about me. I don’t need the work.” He studied her intently, then glanced toward her kids. “But those children over there look to me like they could use a nice home.”

“And I’d love for them to have it, but not if it’s going to split this congregation apart,” Amanda said spiritedly. “That’s too high a price. Things might be a little cramped where we’re living, but we’ve been managing for the last year.”

“With a little help, I understand … Anyway, Caleb seems willing to pay the price, however steep it is.” He leaned toward her and confided, “Personally, I think he has visions of teaching some lessons about humanity and generosity.”

Her lips twitched. “I imagine he does, but it’s not up to him. I will not be responsible for him getting fired or friends taking sides against each other.”