Page 31 of Wish You Faith (Christmas Sweethearts #1)

Sonya followed him. “Are you all prayed up?”

Evan nodded.

“You move here if God calls you to, not if you want to.”

“Yes, ma’am. So the key is for my desire to match God’s call.” Evan smiled.

“If your relationship with Rosie is meant to be, then God will guard it for you. Don’t worry. Trust God. Keep praying. Walk by faith.”

“Good reminder. Thanks.” Evan gave Sonya a hug.

He wished that Mom was saved in Christ and could impart nuggets of wisdom on demand like that.

Alas, Mom had been resistant to the Gospel and any mention of Christianity.

Her religion was humanism and superstition, both of which had driven her to become a multi-millionaire.

Evan supposed that Mom’s religion was also money.

Dad wasn’t saved either, but at least he didn’t say anything negative about God or the Bible.

Connor was the only family member who could talk about God and pray Christian prayers with Evan.

“The Bible says to bring all your cares and concerns to God,” Sonya added. “Which verse is that?”

“Peter somewhere?” Evan was surprised at the Bible sword drill pop quiz. More tests from Sonya.

“That’s right.” Sonya made Evan look up 1 Peter 5:6-7 on the Bible app on his phone.

They were both staring at the screen when a woman’s voice said, “Whatcha looking at?”

Rosie had finally emerged from her bedroom, wearing a pair of new sweatpants and a Christmas Snoopy sweatshirt.

Evan read the verse aloud.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Rosie stepped closer. She smelled of fresh soap. Lavender. Her hair was tied up in a bun, but it looked wet.

“You showered.” Marcella sat down next to Dottie at the dinner table.

“Yeah,” Rosie said. “I like to shower after I’ve walked outside.”

“You mean when we were watching the movie?” Dottie asked.

Rosie nodded.

“Where did you go?” Dottie seemed to be the curious one.

“Evan and I went for a walk on the beach.” She picked a chair to sit in, and Evan sat down next to her.

“Must be cold.” Dottie put a napkin on her lap.

“If you want to walk tomorrow, we could.” Evan leaned toward Rosie and gently squeezed her hand.

“Afternoon maybe. It’ll warm up then.”

Evan nodded.

“When do you go back to Seattle?” Marcella asked.

“I fly after church on Sunday.”

“So you have three days to spend with Rosie before Sunday.” Marcella clapped her hands together.

“Let’s say grace before dinner gets cold.” With that, Sonya stopped any further discussion about Evan and Rosie’s impending separation. “Sweetie, would you pray?”

Rosie nodded and closed her eyes.

Evan reached over to hold her hand under the table.

“Father God, thank You for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, who was born humbly in a manger. He lived a perfect life on earth and died on the cross to save our souls from eternal death,” Rosie prayed.

“Christmas reminds me that two more special days, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, are coming soon. Thank You, Jesus, for saving us from sins. You fill our hearts with love, peace, and joy in this Christmas season.”

Rosie paused briefly and then continued praying.

“Lord, please bless this food we’re about to eat. Let it be nourishment for our bodies so that we will be healthy in every way and be able to serve You without our bodies breaking down. Protect us and keep us safe. Thank You, Lord. I pray all these things in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.”

They passed the food around, and everyone commented on the green bean casserole that Dottie made.

“My mom’s recipe,” Dottie explained. “She’s in assisted living now and doesn’t cook anymore.”

Evan was surprised.

“Dottie’s mom is eighty-eight years old,” Rosie said for Evan’s benefit.

“I made some green bean casserole too,” Marcella said. “However, my grandkids ate a quarter of it at lunch today, so I couldn’t bring leftovers.”

“Family comes first,” Dottie said.

Evan noticed that Rosie and her mom were alike. They didn’t start conversations unless they had something important to say. When it came to small talk and banter, they listened more than they spoke.

Dinner went well with enjoyable conversation and fun company. When Dottie and Marcella finally got Sonya going, the latter couldn’t stop. She went through a litany of Rosie’s childhood memories, including her first bicycle ride, her love for her dad, and their family vacations everywhere.

Perhaps Sonya had reminisced about the past for Evan’s benefit. Evan felt that he knew Rosie more and more by listening to her life stories.

However, it was the present-day Rosie whom he loved the most. Sweet and caring. Honest and confident.

If Evan had to quit his VP position at Cavanaugh Shipping and drive a delivery truck just to be with Rosie, he’d gladly do it. He didn’t care about position or income. He wanted to be near Rosie, to walk with her through life.

However, he had to return to his VP position so that he could make the deal with Mom to let Rosie’s mom stay at Grandpa’s condo for the rest of her life.

Mom held all the cards, and Evan would bend his knees if he had to.

However, Mom had left her Hong Kong culture behind and hadn’t ordered him to kneel before her.

Nonetheless, Evan didn’t want Rosie to think that he was buying her vote for marriage. The thought bothered him, but he knew that Rosie wasn’t like that. She had indicated that she would be with him, even without knowing all the details about the trust fund.

He reached into his jean pocket to make sure that the ring was still there. When he had arrived on Tybee Island this morning, he had taken the ring out of its red velvet box and carried it in his pocket because he thought he might pop the question whenever he sensed that Rosie was ready.

Roast and ham and sides filled Evan’s tummy. “I’m stuffed.”

“Me too,” everyone echoed.

“I ate too much,” Dottie declared.

“What are we going to do with the pumpkin pies?” Marcella asked.

“I want some.” Sonya got out of her seat. “Who else?”

Everyone raised their hands.

“So much for being full.” Sonya chuckled. “As for me, I’ll go on a diet on the first of the new year.”

“You say that every December,” Marcella reminded her.

“I mean it too.” Sonya was in the kitchen with Rosie.

Evan watched mother and daughter cut generous slices of pumpkin pie for everyone. He smiled at their loving relationship. He prayed that Sonya’s cancer wouldn’t return for a long time to come. God had given her a new chapter in life.

“How much pie do you want?” Rosie asked Evan.

“Average,” he said.

“What does that mean?” Rosie looked up. “Come here.”

Evan was in the kitchen in no time, standing super close to Rosie. He ended up with a slice of pie twice the size of Rosie’s slither of a pie. “No whipped cream.”

“We have that in common,” Rosie said.

On the other hand, her mom piled up whipped cream on her dessert plate, so much that Evan couldn’t see the pie buried under the whipped cream.

Evan helped Rosie carry the dessert plates and whipped cream container to the dinner table so that their guests didn’t have to get out of their chairs. Dottie and Marcella put a dollop of cream on each of their pie slices.

When Rosie lifted a napkin’s edge to Evan’s face and wiped something off his cheek, he recalled that evening at SSLR, when he wiped off melted chocolate from the edge of her lips.

“Bits of crust,” Rosie explained casually and continued eating.

Somewhere in Evan’s warmed heart, he was confident now, more than ever, that Rosie was the only woman for him. He thanked God for the multiple assurances he’d had over the course of the month. He prayed for courage to propose to her after Christmas.

Then again…

What if she said no? Would this mean that Evan had misheard God?

He glanced at his watch. It was nearly eight o’clock at night.

What? Only eight?

Four more hours to midnight.

What kind of excuses could Evan come up with to stay at the condo until tomorrow?

The group ate and chatted at the dining table for another hour. Sonya and her friends adjourned to the living room, while Rosie and Evan volunteered to do the dishes and clean up the kitchen.

Rosie put on a clean floral canvas apron. “Some of Dad’s old aprons are in the pantry. Top shelf.”

Evan went to the pantry as directed and reached up toward a tray on the top shelf. A striped apron with the words “Pit Master” fell out. He put it on. When he returned to the kitchen, Rosie was visibly moved.

“That’s Dad’s favorite,” she said. “We used to grill a lot when he was alive. He loved his charcoal grill and smoker. It wasn’t a big one, but he used it at least twice a month. I miss his smoked turkey, ham, beef brisket, and rotisserie chicken.”

“Where’s the grill now?” Not making any promises, but Evan thought he could learn to continue the barbecue tradition at the Hamilton household.

“Still there at the old house.” Rosie blinked away tears. She got busy rinsing plates and silverware to put into the dishwasher.

Evan stepped closer to her. “I’ll learn how to use a smoker.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. Do you have your dad’s recipes?”

Rosie shook her head. “They came from all over the place. He died so suddenly that we didn’t have time to prepare for life after Dad, you know?”

Evan put his arm around Rosie’s waist. He could feel her relax a bit. He planted a quick peck on her cheek.

“Evan, I’m busy.” She smiled as she said those words.

They worked in tandem. Evan rinsed off food particles from plates, and Rosie loaded them in the dishwasher because she knew how to properly arrange the plates, cups, and pots on the two wire racks.

Evan volunteered to wash by hand the remaining pots and pans that didn’t fit into the dishwasher. While he did that, Rosie wiped down the countertops and tables. She also put the cloth napkins and placemats into the washing machine.