AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Good grief, Lord! What’s gotten into her?Her friend had never behaved this way. And why would Jay’s friend jump in to help? Wasn’t he supposed to be watching over his patient?
“Thank you, Ryan. What about a theme?” Mrs. Walker looked around the table. “Last year we focused on the stars.”
The focus had to be something that wouldn’t cause the Reverend to have a stroke. “Since we’re doing an angel treebeforehand, what about angels?” Jay asked. “Even though the gifts will be distributed before the ball, our decorations can reflect the theme. It’ll be a reminder that we never know when we’ll entertain the angels.”
Bebe thought of the verse from Hebrews that said,“Do not forget to entertain strangers, forby so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”Jay had a good point. She could picture the décor already.
“Great idea, son.”
They ironed out more details, and Bebe relaxed as everything began to fall in place. This could work. They could celebrate Jesus and have fun. She wished the Reverend would loosen up. Sometimes he made it difficult to enjoy church. Peachwood Bay was small, and the only other church was a Catholic one. Since she wasn’t Catholic, His House Fellowship was her only choice.
And she hated feeling that way about coming together to worship.
Trying to turn a lemon into lemonade was one of the reasons she volunteered. She’d hoped getting involved would make church attendance more bearable and less rigid-feeling.
“What about entertainment?”
Mrs. Walker’s question yanked Bebe back into the discussion.
“I’ll do it,” she said.
“I’ll help.”
She glanced at Jay, her cheeks burning at their simultaneous offer.
“Oh, that would be just perfect, you two. Keep in mind it needs to be entertaining for adultsandkids. ’Kay?”
Bebe nodded. More time with Jay? What had she gotten herself into?
Entertainment.
Jahleel had volunteered to help because he could do the job. But being thrown together with Bebe was probably more than he could handle. Something about being back in Peachwood Bay had him questioning past decisions. Hanging out with her yesterday reminded him how much he’d enjoyed their friendship ... and her kisses. Could he plan the entertainment portion and keep his heart intact?
You have to! You’re not staying in Peachwood.
He stared at the empty conference table. Ryan had left with May, probably going to dinner so they could moon over each other some more. The rest of the committee had left as soon as they received their assignments. Now he and Bebe sat trying to ignore the feelings flowing back and forth between them.
Or at least he was. His heart had been racing from the moment she walked into the church, green eyes glowing. “What should we do for fun?” he asked.
“Games?” Her gaze barely touched upon his face.
“What kind?”
“Um...”
“Surely you’ve been to a Christmas party before.” Why was this so awkward when they’d had so much fun yesterday? Seeing her home come alive with the Christmas décor had loosened something inside him. He’d felt like he could breathe and remember why this season was so joyous. Now he felt awkward, thinking of how much more he’d have to fight from remembering their romantic past.
“Actually, it’s been a while. Will preferred an upscale party with no games.”
Ugh, he had no kind words to say about this guy. Jahleel wanted to make the entertainment work for everyone. “What do you like about parties?”
“The music.”
“Write that down.” He pointed toward her notebook. Hestill couldn’t believe Bebe Willabee—no, Gordon—was a schoolteacher. Then again, being a teacher wasn’t so far removed from being a counselor. He was sure she was impacting students with that softness and inner glow that made kids gravitate toward her. She was like a gorgeous Mary Poppins.
“We should have a mix of songs. Include classical, contemporary, et cetera,” Bebe suggested.
“Yes. Throw in some kid ones too. Like that hippo one.”
