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“Don’t let the wholeman of Godthing make you nervous,” she told him as she reached over to tousle Peter’s hair. “This one here is just a big old softy.”

“Hey, I spent a whole five minutes on this sweet ‘do.”

“Really?” Katherine delivered three mugs of hot water along with a basket of teas and sweeteners to the counter. “Maybe you shouldn’t try so hard. It might turn out better.”

“Ooh! Sweet burn!” Peter said, giving Katherine a high five. “I’ll have to try that one out on the youth group.”

Matthew watched as they laughed. “Are you guys always like this?”

“She is!” Peter pointed an accusatory finger at Katherine.

“Wow. And to think I went out of my way to get special permission to bringthese,” Katherine said, tilting the lid on one of the to-go boxes for Peter to see three neat rows of Millie Fraser’s secret shortbread cookies inside. “Now, what was that you were saying?”

“Dear God in heaven, reign blessings down on this wonderful woman who does no wrong.”

“Wait!” Katherine stopped Peter from digging in. “Millie says you’re not allowed to have one until you agree this never happened, and you have no knowledge of thiseverhappening.”

“Yeah, that,” Peter said, pushing her hand aside, he snatched up one of the shortbread cookies and stuck the entire thing in his mouth. “Sweet baby Jesus, I’ve been dreaming about these.”

Matthew and Katherine laughed as he chewed.

“No. You don’t understand. I’ve literally had dreams about these,” he insisted, pushing the box toward Matthew. “Try one. You won’t regret it.”

After Matthew thanked Katherine and took a bite, his smile looked much like Peter’s. Then, as the two men ate cookies and gushed over how great they were, Katherine set out the other boxes of food and poured each of them a glass of water before sitting down.

Talking, eating, and putting together the Petey puzzle, Matthew found himself liking the little moments when Katherine couldn’t help jumping in, insisting Peter tell the funnier parts of stories from his missionary days.

“Come on, you gotta tell the part about the monkey,” she begged. “It’s not as good if you leave the part about the monkey out.”

So, Peter backtracked and added the part that included the monkey, and they all laughed.

“I love that story,” Katherine said, laughing until she almost lost her breath in the process.

“It is a good one.”

“Tell it again,” she insisted. But when Peter started the story over, she stopped him. “No, wait, tell the one about the outdoor shower and the big gust of wind.”

Pastor grinned. “You pretty much just did.”

But Katherine convinced him to do it anyway, and again, they all laughed together.

“What made you give up traveling?” Matthew finally asked, and the room fell silent. Then Katherine busied herself with the box of puzzle pieces.

“Windsong is home for me. Born and raised,” Peter explained, drawing Matthew’s attention away from Katherine’s response. “So, when I was asked by the church council to lead Hope Community, it seemed like the right time for my wife and me to return home and start a family.”

“I’m sorry,” Matthew said, seeing how Peter’s demeanor shifted as dramatically as Katherine’s.

“Oh, she didn’t die if that’s what you’re thinking. But for a long time, it felt like it. Probably longer than I should’ve let it,” Peter said as he blinked away tears. “But like I was telling Katherine recently, I think I’m ready to get back out there and meet a new Mrs. Humble.”

“You’re a brave soul,” Katherine said, patting Peter’s arm. “Braver than I’ll ever be.”

When he smiled back at Katherine, Matthew wondered if there had ever been more than friendship between them. Deep down, he didn’t think so, but the mere thought of it ripped through his heart like a knife.

So, from that moment on, Matthew remained silent, letting Katherine and Peter do most of the talking. But it didn’t take long for him to realize they were just friends. And once he was convinced of that, he relaxed again and enjoyed the Friday sessions that followed.

Though he wouldn’t allow himself to converse with Katherine too much, he couldn’t help being bothered by the comment that she’d never be brave enough to find love again.

Still, Matthew made the most of his time in Grief Group. If nothing else, it was nice having the company.