"I'm fine, but I'm calling for a favor, and I'm afraid you'll feel I'm taking advantage of you."
"I don't think I will," she said honestly.
"Well, if you have other things going on, deadlines and such, and can't do it, just tell me."
"I will."
"Good. Gary and Mary Beth O'Hara have been married 25 years, and we're giving them a party on the first Saturday in December. Gary was the first pastor here at Meyers, even before Dave. We'll have a general announcement and so will Kingsbury, but we want to do up some invitations since there will be folks- you know, family and such-who don't attend either church. We have someone with a scanner and all that fancy computer stuff to put the invites together, but we all thought it would look so nice if the invitation had a little floral design or something, maybe even pinecones to go with our trees. What do you think, Delancey?"
"I think it sounds wonderful. I would feel honored to help. I work best when I know just what a person wants, so if you could be specific with me, I'll put something together."
"Oh, all right. I'll talk to the committee and get back to you. From there, however, could you go directly to the person with the scanner? That will make for fewer phone calls, I think, and things will be smoother."
"Of course. Whom shall I check with for approval of what I come up with?"
"I've seen your work, Delancey," she said with a smile in her voice. "We'll love whatever you draw."
"Thank you, Mrs. Brinker," Delancey said warmly.
The women were off the phone not long afterward, but Delancey thought about the conversation for a long time. Her mother had commented often about God's gifts, and even said as much about Delancey's art, but Delancey had never taken it in until recently.
It's such a privilege to do something for You, Lord. I wish that every Micah Bear book told children about Your love. I'm glad to
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do this for the O'Haras, Lord. I feel I'm honoring You with my work.
Delancey climbed into the shower then, her heart still thankful for all God's blessings. It would take a little more time before she understood that whenever she gave God the glory, even for a Micah Bear book, she was honoring Him. And it would be several weeks more before she saw that she could do other children's books, books that would tell about the love of God.
Having not bothered with a very accurate shopping list, Mackenzie threw a box of rice pilaf into her shopping cart, trying to remember if she had any in the pantry at home. She looked down into the basket at the odd selection of food and mentally shook her head.
Icould help you pay off your debts real fast, Roz. You can cook for me as well as clean-even once a week would be welcome. I tell You, Lord,she said changing her thoughts to prayer,cooking is just not my strong point. That's no excuse, but it's so hard when I ruin everything I make. I've also decided I don't like eating alone. I do so much better at Delancey's or when we go out.
"Mackenzie?" a voice called so softly that for a moment she thought she imagined it. She was going to move down the aisle but thought she'd better look. Her hands still holding the bar on the basket, she glanced behind her and froze. Jack Avery was standing ten feet away from her. His hair and mustache were grayer now, but he was still remarkably youthful for a man who had just turned 50. Not even remembering why she was in the store, Mackenzie turned and walked slowly toward him. She stopped when they faced each other.
"I tried to call you," she whispered, thinking of all the things she'd mentally said to him since coming to Christ. "I've wanted to talk to you for so long, but the phone-the number was a recording." He wasn't saying anything, only staring at her. "I'm so sorry, Jackson," she finished. "I'm so sorry about the way I treated you."
Too emotional to speak, Jack reached and pulled her into his arms. Mackenzie wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life. Jackson! She'd found Jackson.
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"I'm sorry," she said again.
"It's all right," His voice was hoarse and choked.
Mackenzie looked up to see tears coming down his face which started her own.
"I'll never treat you that way again, Jack. I promise I won't."
"It's over now, Mackenzie." He smoothed the hair from her face. "We don't need to talk about it anymore. All is forgiven."
"Jack," Mackenzie grabbed his arms. "I believe now. Jack, I came to Christ a year ago in September."
Mackenzie watched him work to maintain control.
"Delancey too," she managed. "She made a decision a few months after I did. She just moved here."
"Delancey lives here?" He said, wishing he carried a handkerchief. Every day since he met Marrell and her daughters, he had prayed for Mackenzie and Delancey, and since Marrell's death, he often asked God to reunite them. But the event happening in a grocery store in Lake Tahoe never occurred to him.
"We both live here," Mackenzie was saying.
Jack took a breath and tried to think. "Do you live together?"
"No. D.J. is at Christmas Valley. I'm at Zephyr Cove."
Jack stared at her. "I live at Kingsbury."
Mackenzie's mouth opened. "Do you go to the Kingsbury Bible Church?"
"Yes. Are you and D.J. at Meyers?"
Mackenzie could only nod.You tried to tell me, didn't You, Lord? but I was so stubborn. If I'd changed churches I would have seen Jack months ago!
"I want to talk to you, Micki. I want to know everything."
"Sure."
"Let me make a phone call, and, well, we could sit in my car."
"Or go to my place. I'm just up the road."
"Okay. Wait for me, and I'll follow you. What does your car look like?"
Mackenzie smiled. "I'm still driving the Jeep."
"I've gotta get out of here." Jack was tearing up again. "Wait for me up front. Oh, do you need to finish?"
"No, I made a horrible list, and I don't even know where it is right now."
Jack laughed. She was still the same Mackenzie.
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They split up then, Mackenzie going right to the check-out and then standing like a child, head craned to see the store. Jack showed up out of nowhere about five minutes later, checked out, and came toward her. She didn't know if he'd used the phone or not, but he walked right out to the parking lot and spotted her Jeep.
"I'm in the green Benz, so give me a minute to get pulled around."
"Okay. If I lose you, go to Skylark, then down to Lake Street, and I'm the last house to the south, next to the park."
"Okay," Jack nodded, and again they split up.
Leading the way, Mackenzie was spared from hitting someone only by God's protection. She spent more time with her eyes on the rearview mirror than on the road. She had found Jack. God had let her find Jack, and she hadn't even been looking. It was too wonderful to even take it in. Mackenzie's euphoric state lasted until she pulled into her garage, jumped out, and came to Jack as he climbed from his car. The look on his face reminded her of how far apart they'd been. Not until that moment did she realize how much explaining she had to do.
"This is where you live?" he asked softly.
"Yeah," she said gently, not wanting to laugh at his thunderstruck face. "Come on in."
Jack's heart filled with dread. The girls had gone off in anger, their hearts worldly and closed off to the things of the Lord. Many were the times he had to rein in his imagination as to what might have become of them. Now, as he walked into this fabulous lake home, he asked himself if Mackenzie was married or what type of work she'd gone into. Could she still be in the Army and living here? He had kept track of all the new Micah Bear books. There were a lot of them, but he didn't think children's books paid that well.
"Sit down, Jack," Mackenzie invited as she knelt to build up the fire. Without even looking at him, she could feel his eyes moving around the room. It had an odd effect on the author. By the time she took the other stuffed chair that flanked the fire, she was as nervous as a cat.
"Are you all ri
ght, Micki?"
"I'm fine, Jack, really. I just need to explain all of this. The problem is you can't talk about what I'm going to tell you, Jack,
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not to anyone. I think that's an unfair thing to ask a person, so if you'd rather I not tell you, I won't."
Jack thought about this a moment. He was not a naturally curious person-it was easy for him to stay out of other people's business-but this woman was special. It was like watching Marrell with dark hair. Mackenzie had the same graceful movements and some of her expressions. And they lived five minutes away from each other! Jack wanted to be involved again with no barriers. For this reason he said, "Tell me."
"All right." Mackenzie was relieved. She wanted him to know. "Did Mom ever mention to you that I was writing on my own, without D.J.?"
"I think she might have, but she didn't go into great detail. I remember now that she said it was something you wanted kept quiet, so we never spoke of it even to each other." He shrugged. "Then I forgot all about it."
Mackenzie nodded. "I'm published, Jack," she said simply. "Very successfully."
"Okay . . ."Jack drew the word out as understanding dawned. "You mean, more than just the Micah Bear books?"
"Yes."
"I haven't seen any of them."
Mackenzie took a breath, knowing how widely read her stepfather was, and said, "Yes, you have."
Jack frowned at her.
"I'm Mac Walker."
Understanding was not long in coming. His eyes grew huge before he threw back his head and laughed in delight. A moment later he was up, pulling her from her chair and into his arms.
"Mackenzie! I can't believe it!" He tried to squeeze the life out of her, and all Mackenzie could do was laugh. "They're fabulous!"
"Have you read one?"
"I've readeveryone. Everyone Iknowhas read them!" He looked down at her in delight. "I'm so proud of you. But tell me, why Mac Walker?"
"It started almost as a joke," she began but went on to map out all the events. By the time she was finished, Jack understood completely. Living in San Francisco, he had occasions to see
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how the public acted around celebrities. It was pretty awful. A name as big as Mac Walker's would not go unnoticed.
"Now," he said as he sat back down, "tell me the rest. Tell me about your conversion."
Mackenzie smiled and talked nonstop for the next 90 minutes. Jack cried with her, laughed with her, and felt his heart overflow time and again. It was nothing short of a miracle. Both women had gone so far away before God brought them to Him.
"Now you, Jack," Mackenzie said at last. "How have you been?"
"I've been very well," he told her warmly and sincerely. "But I need to start by telling you something important. I'm married again, Mackenzie."
Nothing could have prepared Mackenzie for this. She stared at him and then gave a short, breathless laugh.
"Well, congratulations," she said softly, gasping a little to keep the tears at bay. "I mean that, Jack."
"I know you do, Mic, and I would like to tell you about it."
"Of course." But she was biting her lip now, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Jackson. I still think of you as my mom's and now you belong to someone else."
Jack took her hand and led her to the sofa so he could put his arm around her. She and Delancey were the daughters he never had. He would choose to cut off a limb before he would deliberately hurt one of them, but her response was natural.
"Tell me," Mackenzie said. She was a bit teary, but she desperately wanted him to know she cared.
"It started when Bayside Architecture decided to put an office up here. That was late in 1989, the same year your mother died. They approached me, and at first I said no, but I came up here that Christmas, looked around, and met a pastor I really liked."
Mackenzie smiled. "Kevin DeLong or Harris Redick." She named the men at Kingsbury.
"Kevin DeLong. We met several times over a few days, and then I went home to discuss it with Pastor Mickelson, Oliver, and Shay."
"How are Oliver and Shay?"
"They're great. The kids are huge."
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"I don't know why I never thought to call them to track you down."
Jack smiled. "That would have taken away from the fun of the grocery store. Anyway, as it turned out, almost one year from the date of your mother's death, I moved up here, got an apartment, set up the office, and started attending Kingsbury Bible Church. That was when I met Joanne Stone.
"At first we just talked. It reminded me of your mother and me, only the roles were reversed. She was interested, although I didn't know it, and I was still in love with my wife. But we still saw each other at church, and we would talk at the different functions. She's a widow with grown children and a little older than I am, so I just never made the connection. Then she went to Kevin, told him how she felt, and asked if he would talk to me. To make a long story short, when I got over my shock, Joanne and I started to get to know each other in earnest. We were married this last March and just moved into a new home in Kingsbury."
"I'm happy for you, Jack; honestly I am. Angry as I was at everything, whenever I pictured you alone, it just about killed me."
Jack leaned close and kissed her brow. "Thank you. I want you to meet her."
"Oh, Jack-" Mackenzie hesitated. "Could I wait a little while for that?"
"Of course." He understood completely. "Whenever you want. You and Delancey can both come, okay?"
Mackenzie nodded. "I do need to meet her soon, Jack, because the Lord's made it clear that He wants me to start attending Kingsbury. Meyers is too far, especially in bad weather, but I've been digging my heels in like an idiot and haven't gone."
Jack grinned. "The change in you is amazing."
Mackenzie laughed. "It was too long in coming, I can tell you that, and sometimes I think I haven't learned a thing." Her face grew serious. "I was a fool to run from what you tried to teach us, Jack. It's so clear now."
"That's one of the things I love most about our heavenly Father, Mic-His persistence. He never lets us go."
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Mackenzie looked at him in wonder. "I just needed a few groceries. I never thought I'd find you."
"Shall we call Delancey?"
"Let's do one better, let's go see her. Do you have time?"
"Yes. Let me make one quick call, and we'll go."
The two were off just minutes later, this time in Jack's car. They talked nonstop all the way to Delancey's, at least Jack did, as he remembered to tell her that over a year ago he had lost his sisters within two months of each other. He also said he still had boxes of her mother's things for her to go through.
Once at Delancey's, Mackenzie was able to stand back while Delancey renewed her relationship with this special man. Watching them talk, seeing the love in Jack's eyes when he looked at both of them, only served to remind Mackenzie of the blessings God had for her.
Iunderestimate You, Father. I can't do that anymore. Thank You for blessings we don't even know we need.
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Forty
Delancey muttered to herself over the mistake shejust made and frowned at the drawing in front ofh
Lori Wick, Pretense
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