The Matchmaking Pact

“Thank you, but I should get going.” He read her perfectly.

“But I’m so hungry, Daddy. I can’t wait.” Lily tugged on Silas’s hand, rubbing her stomach with her other hand.

Silas glanced from Josie to his daughter and she was convinced he was feeling as manipulated as she was.

“And it’s your birthday,” Lily added. “And I don’t want to eat hot dogs again. Not for your birthday.”

Now Josie felt like a real cad. Making the guy go home and make hot dogs for his birthday meal. “Please. Stay. I insist. We’ll have more than enough.”

“Auntie Josie always makes enough so we can have leftovers,” Alyssa put in. “And we had leftovers yesterday even though Gramma doesn’t like it.”

Josie shot her a warning glance. Mr. Marstow didn’t need to know the minutiae of their everyday life.

“Please, Daddy,” Lily pleaded, sensing her father’s weakening.

“Alyssa, why don’t you and Lily set the table. Make sure you have five place settings put out,” Josie said, putting an end to the awkward discussion. She gave Silas a cautious smile. “Now, you have to join us.”

“And we have birthday cupcakes for dessert,” Lily added.

“You come talk to me in the living room,” Betty put in from the doorway. “I remember your wife.”

And so, step by step, Silas and his daughter were pulled into the Cane family dinner.

As Josie directed the chattering girls, she put the finishing touches on supper. While she worked, her own emotions veered from annoyance with Alyssa and Lily for putting her on the spot and a curious sense of muted anticipation.

It had been six years since she had a man over for supper.

Six years since her responsibilities completely altered the course of her life.

Six years since she carried Alyssa away from the hospital, a little, confused girl of two, an orphan, with only her aunt to take care of her.

An aunt who, up until then, had lived life on her own terms and in her own way. Josie’s life had taken a 180-degree turn and there were many times, since then, that she thanked God for a second chance to redeem herself. Both in His eyes and in the eyes of the community.

But she was determined to be a good mother to Alyssa, to focus solely on the little girl and her needs. As a result she seldom dated and, in the past three years, had only gone out a handful of times.

Now a man’s voice reverberated from the living room, answering questions posed by Betty. A man was joining them for dinner.

“Tell Gramma and Mr. Marstow dinner is ready,” Josie said, setting the pot of rice on the table. She glanced over the settings, a feeling of self-pity loomed. The extensive china collection, inherited from her sister, had been reduced to a few chipped plates, a couple of cups and four bowls she and Alyssa salvaged from her broken house under the watchful eyes of a crew who was sent to remove debris.

The plastic chairs hunched around the rickety table had been donated, scrounged from various households whose possessions were still intact and who had extra to spare.

Her dining room had once boasted an antique dining room set, also inherited from her sister, a hutch that her parents used to own and a living room set that Josie had saved up for dollar by precious dollar.

All gone, she thought with a pang of remorse as she straightened the faded tablecloth she had bought at a rummage sale put on by the town for the tornado victims. Sure she had the insurance money, but dollars could never replace what she had lost.

She pushed her emotions aside, struggling to count her blessings. She had Alyssa. She had her health. She had the enduring presence of God in her life.

And Gramma? a tiny voice questioned.

Well that was another ongoing story.

“We’re here,” Alyssa said, leading the mini procession into the kitchen with a grin of pride.

“Smells good,” Silas said, pushing Betty’s wheelchair into the kitchen. “Where do you want us to sit?”

Alyssa directed traffic and a few moments later, they were all settled around the table.

“Shall we pray?” As Josie glanced around the full table, a curious sense of well-being sprung up inside.

It felt good to see new faces around the table. And as Josie’s eyes met Silas’s, she felt the faintest hint of possibilities.

Which she immediately quashed as she bowed her head. She had her plans. They had only been put on hold until her grandmother was settled.

“Thank You, Lord, for food. For a roof over our heads. For the blessing of Your love,” Josie prayed, “and thank You for the company that could join us this evening. May we be a blessing to each other. Amen.”

Josie waited a moment, then looked up.

Directly across from her, Silas was looking past her, his mouth set in grim lines. As if he was disapproving of something.

Chapter Four

“What made you move here if you didn’t know anyone?” Betty was asking, sounding unusually animated as she ate.

Maybe she should have supper company more often, Josie thought. Then she caught Alyssa pulling a face at Lily and she shot her niece a warning frown. Alyssa was getting positively giddy.

“I liked the size of the town. I liked the people I met,” Silas said, seemingly unaware of his daughter’s silly antics.

“And then you met Kelly, of course,” Betty said with a coy smile. “Your wife was in the same Bible study I went to. She was a lovely, lovely person.”

Silas gave Betty a tight smile but didn’t answer.

“I remember the first time she came,” Betty continued. “She wore a white dress. And the way she could quote Scripture. I’m sure her parents and grandparents were very, very proud of her, as were you,” Betty said with a faint sniff.

The admiration in her grandmother’s voice and the sidelong glance Betty shot her resurrected an unwelcome surge of self-pity. The underlying tone seemed to be that there were other children, grandchildren even, who could not create this pride. Who were unworthy.

Like Josie, for instance.

“Your wife was a treasure, Mr. Marstow,” Betty continued. “A blessing from God.”

“She was a treasure,” Silas said.

Josie glanced at him as she caught the pain in his voice. But his attention was on the few pieces of rice he had left on his plate.

“Daddy said that God took our mommy away from us, so we don’t talk about my mom or God,” Lily put in. “But I miss her.”

“I’m sure you do,” Betty said, but her eyes were on Silas. She opened her mouth as if to say more when Josie interjected.

“Lily, why don’t you get the cupcakes.” Josie raised her voice just in case her grandmother decided to voice the words hovering on the edge of her usually sharp tongue. “I think most of us are ready for dessert.”