LITMIR.BIZ

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could not wait to see what He had planned for the rest of the day.

      By half-past noon, Andrea had a signed employment contract stored in the new folder with Doris’s name on it, along with a full copy of the portfolio and notes of conversations she had had with two of the references Doris had provided. Andrea had her foot elevated on an antique needlepoint footrest that was very old and exquisite, and she was actually quite comfortable sitting in one of the wing chairs in her office. Doris had just finished a virtual online tour of the agency’s listings after familiarizing herself with the office equipment.

      “You can use my password online until you join the Tilton County Board of Realtors,” Andrea told her, “and you should see Tim Fallon on Monday to order business cards. He can take your photo, too, and use the template he made for my business cards. I’ll call him first thing to let him know you’re coming and tell him to charge it to my account as well.”

      “You’re not obligated to do that,” Doris protested.

      Andrea hesitated. “That may be, but it’s how we’re going to do it. Normally agents aren’t hired for a few weeks, either. Have you got a cell phone?”

      Doris rolled her eyes. “A necessary evil in this business. I hate cell phones, and I love them. Yes, I’ve got one.”

      “Good. You can pay for that.” Andrea glanced around the front office and sighed. “What we really need is a pair of strong arms to help rearrange the furniture. If we add one of the tables from one of the conference rooms, we can set up the work area to accommodate both of us.”

      Literally, before her words could fade to an echo, her front door opened and Jamie Martin stepped inside. Through the picture window, she could see his father, Shawn, watching from across the street, but she directed her attention to the young man who approached her.

      He walked with stiff determination and stopped a few feet away from her. All arms and legs, he topped six feet already. He had his mother’s dark hair and his father’s pale blue eyes—eyes that shimmered with remorse. “I came to apologize, Mrs. Hooper. I’m really, really sorry about running into you yesterday.” He glanced down at her foot and his cheeks flamed. “Is it broken?”

      She drew in a deep breath. Here she was, feeling as bruised and battered as if she had been hit by a truck, and he apparently did not have more than a little scrape on his chin. But he wasn’t a truck. He wasn’t even an adult. He was just a kid. A good kid.

      As much as she wanted to lash out at him and hurl every well-deserved criticism she could fathom, she did not have the heart. He looked scared. He looked penitent. He looked genuinely concerned about her well-being. “It’s a bad sprain, but the doctor said I might be better off if I had broken it. Apparently, it’s going to take a while to heal.”

      Jamie swallowed so hard, Andrea could see his Adam’s apple move up and down. “I sprained my ankle once. Hurt like anything.”

      Andrea caught a glimpse of Doris, quietly slipping behind Jamie and out the front door. “Skateboarding?” she asked.

      He cleared his throat. “Yeah. I mean, yes.” He stared at the floor for a moment. When he looked up, his eyes were clear. He straightened his shoulders. “I won’t be skateboarding for a while.”

      She cocked one brow. “You’ve been grounded,” she murmured, and wondered if he would notice the pun.

      His eyes twinkled. “Yes, ma’am. For the rest of the summer, at least. Mom and Dad said they’d decide then when I could get my skateboard back. It all depends…”

      “Depends on what?”

      “How I spend my summer. They left it up to me. I thought about it all night and talked it over with them at breakfast. They agreed with my idea. Dad wanted to come with me.” He nodded toward the window. “I asked him to wait for me across the street.”

      Curious and impressed that he had apparently not been forced to come to apologize in person, Andrea nevertheless remained silent.

      “Anyway, here’s my idea,” Jamie went on. “Instead of working at the school like I’ve been doing, painting and cleaning gum off the desks and stuff, I’d like to work for you. As a volunteer,” he added quickly. “I feel real bad that you won’t be able to get around because of what I did, so I figured you could use my help. I can be here to help you get inside when you get to work. I can go to the post office and mail stuff for you. Pick up lunch and bring it back for you. Take out the trash…whatever you can’t do because you’re on crutches, I can do. If you’ll let me.”

      Stunned, Andrea sat up a little straighter. “You’d work here all summer?”

      “Yes, ma’am.”

      “For free.”

      He never even blinked. “Yes, ma’am.”

      She narrowed her eyes. “What about your responsibility to your job at the school?”

      “I called my friend, Matt. He’s been looking for a job. Then I called my boss, Mr. Potter. He said it was all right if Matt took my place. I just have to call back this afternoon and let them both know if—”

      “If I’ll let you do your penance here?”

      He nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

      Moved, Andrea glanced at the ridiculous crutches Madge had given her and steepled her hands. The conversation she had had with Madge about forgiveness and the greater blessings received when able to forgive someone else replayed in her mind. Instinctively, her heart reached out and claimed those blessings—for herself and for Jamie. “I’d need you here at quarter to nine. Sharp. You can help me get from the car to the office Monday through Saturday. You can leave at three. We’ll try it for a week, see how it goes, and go from there.”

      Relief washed over his features. “When do I start?”

      She smiled. “How do you feel about moving some furniture right now?”

      That night, Andrea crawled into bed early and switched out her light. Well, crawled wasn’t exactly how to describe the way that she had scooted and scrunched into a sleeping position, but it was the best she could manage. Her shoulder was still sore. Pain throbbed in her ankle. But her spirit was hopeful as she waited for the pain medication to start working so she could fall asleep, and she had the “girls” to keep her company until she did.

      “I’m sleeping late tomorrow. It’s Sunday. Jenny and Michael won’t be picking me up until eleven for late services,” she murmured to the cats, as Redd found her usual spot and settled down against Andrea’s cheek. Redd’s sisters, Sandy and Missy, curled up on either side of Andrea’s bandaged ankle.

      Andrea sighed and closed her eyes. Normally, she could not sleep on her back, but tonight, she could have slept lying upside down. “What a different day this has been from yesterday. Thank you,” she whispered. She had scarcely begun her evening prayers when the doorbell rang, startling her.

      She groaned, reached over and turned on the light.

      Chapter Ten

      M adge hit the doorbell a second time and reached into her handbag for the key. She was not anxious to repeat what had happened the last time she had let herself into Andrea’s house, but she did not want Andrea to try to get up from the couch to answer the door, either.

      She let herself in, punched in the code to deactivate the alarm and knew in a single glance Andrea was not on the couch reading or watching television. “It’s only me,” she yelled, setting her tote bag and purse down on the floor next to the door. Since the kitchen was dark, Madge immediately went to Andrea’s bedroom and found her sister in bed. “I’m sorry. It’s only half-past eight. I saw the light on in the living room and thought maybe you were still up reading or watching television.”

      Andrea covered a yawn with the back of her hand and patted the mattress next to her. “Sit for a minute.

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