The Gift of Hope (3 page)

CHAPTER 3

Hope worked late Saturday evening to launder, iron, and repair the costumes for the Holy family. She couldn’t assign parts unless she knew the robes would fit.

Granny Doe had been right about the condition of the angel costumes. She would give the parents of the angels a choice of laundering and repairing them or making new on their own. Since they were made of inexpensive white cotton, it wouldn’t be a hardship to any of the families. Even an old sheet would suffice.

Before she left for the casting call Sunday afternoon, she checked the clipboard where she kept a list of all the things she had to do, happy to cross off one item.

Granny Doe had decided to stay home all day to rest her aches and pains from overdoing the day before. Getting around on crutches might look easy, but the older woman was using muscles she’d forgotten she had.

“Can I get you anything before I leave?” Hope asked after settling her grandmother on the living room couch.

“No, I’ll just do a little reading and maybe nap a bit. I wonder whether Reverend Langdon—Noah—will be there for your meeting. It’s hard to remember to call a minister by his first name.”

“There’s no reason why he should be there,” Hope said, trying to conceal her irritation at her grandmother’s determination to put her on the minister’s radar. “Even if he is, I’ll have more than thirty children to cast and assign costumes.”

“Well, good luck, dear,” Granny Doe said, feigning indifference.

Hope got to the church a good half hour before the scheduled time, wondering if the unseasonably warm weather would last much longer. She appreciated not having to shovel the driveway or scrape her car windows, but Christmas Eve without a shimmering white blanket of snow to mask the drabness of winter seemed wrong. She had fond memories of singing carols with her high school friends while big fluffy flakes turned the town into a wonderland on Christmas Eve.

Many of those friends were married now, and others had moved away in search of better opportunities. Although she loved her job and her grandmother, she sometimes felt lonely for the close relationships of the past.

Her mood brightened when Stacy Van Horn and her five-year-old daughter, Daisy, a curly haired little redhead who was practically a replica of her mother at that age, were the first to arrive at the church.

“Remember when we were shepherds in the pageant?” Stacy asked. “I still remember the boy who had to wear his mother’s bathrobe because he lost his costume. What was his name?”

“Gordon, Gordon Groton. Now that you remind me, I still have a few reservations about sending costumes home with the kids. What do you think?”

“Leave it up to the mothers. I’ll take a dozen or so home with me just to be safe. Diane Hughes won’t mind laundering a load too. Maybe she can be in charge of the sheep’s’ fuzzy little capes.” She picked up a boldly striped green and brown robe and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t remember them smelling musty last year,” Stacy said.

“It’s probably because the church had a water problem in the utility area of the basement last fall.”

They didn’t have long to chat before several other mothers, including Diane, arrived with small children in tow. Hope had a chart, and she wrote in each child’s name as he or she was assigned a role and a costume. Hope got so involved in the casting, she scarcely noticed when Anna arrived and stood patiently waiting for her part.

“I don’t want to be a shepherd,” one of the older grade-school children protested. “Girls didn’t take care of sheep in the Bible.”

“No,” Hope agreed, “but our sheep are preschoolers who need to be watched. I know fifth-graders can be trusted not to lose one.”

“I guess,” the critical girl agreed.

Hope was in the midst of handing out speaking parts to a few older children who would act as narrators and read from the Bible when her day took a turn for the worse. Harriet walked in with her granddaughter and made a beeline for the table where Hope was standing.

“I’m so glad Mary wears a blue robe. It’s Emily’s best color,” Harriet said, nudging her granddaughter closer.

Hope had thought long and hard about a kind way to tell the girl she was too big to play Mary. Not only was the costume much too small, she would tower over Keith, the boy she’d selected to be Joseph.

“You’ve done a really good job playing Mary for several years,” Hope began, trying to be as tactful as possible. “Don’t you think it would be nice to give someone else a turn? I thought maybe it would be fair to let Anna be Mary since it’s her first Christmas here.”

“My grandma said I could be Mary,” Emily insisted, her apple cheeks turning a bright rosy pink as she began to cry.

Hope knew the easy way would be to give in, but it really did seem unfair to let the same girl play the part year after year.

“I was a shepherd when I was your age. It’s a really important part because you’ll have to make sure our little sheep don’t get scared or wonder off.”

“Boys are shepherds!” Emily protested in a high whine.

“Oh, dear,” Stacy said beside her, sympathetic but as helpless as Hope to stop the flow of tears.

Harriet shushed her granddaughter to no avail, then turned to Hope with a stern face. “You’ve hurt her feelings. There’s no reason why Emily can’t be Mary. It’s only a children’s pageant.”

“We talked about the costume.…”

“I’m sure the hem can be let out. I’d do it myself, but sewing isn’t my thing. Maybe Emily’s mother…”

“I’m sorry, but Anna will play Mary this year,” Hope said, trying to sound firm but kind.”

“I really don’t mind if she does it,” Anna said in a soft voice.

“She doesn’t care!” Emily howled, wiping away a tear streaking down her face.

“Reverend Langdon, don’t you think it’s cruel to take away a part Emily has played for several years?” Harriet asked.

Hope looked up in surprise because she hadn’t realized the minister was in the room. She didn’t want to look like a tyrant in his eyes, although she didn’t know why his good opinion suddenly seemed so important.

“The costume was made for a smaller child,” she explained, speaking to him and trying to ignore the storm of protest from Harriet and her granddaughter.

“Emily, I remember the children’s choir singing during the service a few week ago. You did a splendid job. I suggest you sing the solo in the Christmas pageant. You can wear your prettiest dress and perform in front of the whole congregation. Is that something you could do?”

Emily rubbed both cheeks with the backs of her hands and frowned while she considered the offer.

“There isn’t a solo in the pageant,” Hope whispered to the minister, completely taken aback by his suggestion. Even though she didn’t know him well, he had earned a reputation for not interfering in the work of church committees.

“There is now,” he said in a firm voice.

Emily looked at her frowning grandmother, but Harriet seemed to have lost her fight. She nodded approval, and the disappointed girl somewhat belligerently agreed. The room was quiet as the pair stalked off, even the smallest children picking up that something wasn’t quite right.

“Can I speak with you a minute?” Hope asked Noah, torn between anger and disappointment at what she saw as interference.

“Come up to my office,” he said.

She reluctantly followed him, feeling a bit like an unruly student called to the principal’s office. When he sat down behind his desk, she felt even more diminished.

When Reverend Green occupied the church office, he had kept it Spartan and a bit intimidating with gray steel files and a matching desk that rarely had anything except a blotter and a penholder on top. In spite of her irritation, Hope had to admit to herself that it was greatly changed for the better. Noah had filled the walls with a collection of crosses and photographs of mission activities. He’d put the files in storage and brought the church records into the twenty-first century by having everything put on the computer that dominated his desk. A modern black leather swivel chair had replaced the old straight-backed oak chair with its faded brown seat cushion.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to give in to a spoiled girl?” she asked, speaking more harshly than she’d intended. “There’s no solo in the pageant.”

“I’m sure the choir director can come up with something,” he said. “It looked to me like you were letting the situation get out of hand.”

She stared at him dumbfounded, hardly able to believe what he’d said. Now that she thought of it, he hardly ever praised his own daughter in the hearing of others. Was he just being politic by appeasing Harriet?

“I was doing the job I agreed to do,” she said stiffly. “If you prefer to have someone else in charge, I’ll be happy to resign.”

“Please don’t.” There was warmth in his voice for the first time that morning. “I was trying to be helpful. If I overstepped my authority, I sincerely apologize.”

She didn’t know how to respond to his sudden shift in attitude.

“Can I do the rest of the pageant my way?” She still felt challenged by way he’d pacified Emily.

“Certainly. I’m afraid the tears got to me. I’ve not very good with crying.”

She tried to read his eyes, but the deep blue of his pupils was more distracting than illuminating.

“If you like, I’ll speak to Mrs. Llewellyn and tell her the solo was a bad idea of mine,” Noah said.

“Then she’ll insist on having Emily play Mary.” She couldn’t believe what a big issue the pageant had become.

“I’ll tell her it’s your decision, although you needn’t give the part to Anna. She’d hoped to be an angel, but I’m sure she’ll do whatever you like.” He folded and unfolded his hands on the surface of the desk.

“She’ll be a lovely Mary, and the costume we have will fit her. There’s no way Emily could squeeze into it another year, and I just don’t have time to make a new one.”

“I understand.” He stood and walked around the desk, reaching out and taking her hand. “I hope there’s no hard feelings between us.”

“There aren’t,” she agreed in a soft voice.

Hard feelings or not, she certainly felt something in the exchange with him. She hurried back to the commons area to finish the casting, thankful when her helpers didn’t question her about the conversation with Noah. Hope wasn’t quite sure herself what had transpired between them, but at least he’d said the pageant decisions should be hers alone. If a short solo pacified Harriet and her granddaughter, it was a pretty good idea. Emily did have a pleasant voice, and she wouldn’t be shy about singing in front of the congregation.

But it wasn’t Emily who occupied Hope’s thoughts as she went about organizing the pageant. She still felt disturbed by the encounter in Noah’s office. Why did being alone with him feel right and wrong at the same time?

CHAPTER 4

“How did the casting call go?” Granny Doe asked when Hope got home.

“Pretty well.” She dropped the big canvas bag with her clipboard and extra scripts on the green and burgundy Oriental carpet and flopped down in a chair across from her grandmother. “How’s your leg?”

“Oh, fine. I’m tired of talking about it. I can’t tell you how many friends have called to ask about my accident. Betty dropped by and brought a tuna casserole for dinner.”

Hope wrinkled her nose. Her grandmother’s friend was notorious for a casserole that included potatoes, pickle relish and hot peppers.

“She means well,” Granny Doe pointed out. “Was Noah there?”

“He looked into the commons room for a few minutes.” She wanted to say he’d poked his nose into her business, but she didn’t want to go into a lengthy explanation.

“Did you back down and cast Emily as Mary?”

“No.”

“Was Harriet angry?”

Hope knew how much her grandmother liked to be in the know. Staying home and nursing her leg was more frustrating than the fracture itself.

“At first she was, but Noah came up with a good idea. Emily is going to sing a solo instead.”

“That’s a really good idea.” Granny Doe perked up at this tidbit of information. “He was there helping you?”

“He just happened to be in the room when Emily started crying. I guess he’s a softie for tears.”

“Harriet won’t like it one bit if the minister is involved in the pageant. She wanted to overload you with work so you wouldn’t have time to get better acquainted.”

“He’s not involved. Do you feel up to Betty’s tuna casserole?” Hope asked, hoping to change the subject. “I thought I’d open a can of soup and make toasted cheese sandwiches.”

“We had that Thursday,” Granny Doe reminded her. “I think we have a frozen pizza in the freezer. Did Noah give you any other suggestions for the pageant?”

“No,” Hope said, trying to be patient. “About dinner.…”

“It’s a shame to waste food,” her grandmother said, “but the last time I ate Betty’s casserole I had an upset stomach for two days.”

“Point taken. Pizza it is.”

Admittedly, she was spoiled. Her grandmother usually did the cooking for both of them, but today she was eager to escape to the kitchen. Granny Doe wanted her to be excited about Noah’s involvement in the pageant, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about him. He was nice looking, but she’d dated handsome men in the past and learned appearance had little to do with compatibility. She’d been annoyed at what she saw as his interference, but he’d soothed her feelings by being contrite and willing to listen.

The worst consequence of the afternoon was she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She replayed in her mind everything he’d said to her that afternoon and thought of clever things she could’ve replied.

She loved volunteering at church, especially in activities involving children. Hopefully her one skirmish with the minister wouldn’t put a damper on her enthusiasm. Maybe she should try to avoid him, but something about that idea didn’t seem right. After all, he was the spiritual leader of the congregation. He’d shown skill in diplomacy when he offered Emily a solo, and he seemed to care about people’s feelings.

What did he think of her? She didn’t have a clue.

On the next Saturday, Noah didn’t need to check his calendar to know what was scheduled for the day. Hope would be rehearsing the pageant in the morning and supervising the decorating committee in the afternoon. This week they would string lights on the big evergreen in front of the church and take care of other outside lighting. The following Saturday was the big indoor decorating event.