A Dime a Dozen by Mindy Starns Clark Read Free Book Online Page B

for the grant.
    While they talked I went around the yard picking up cups that had been discarded by the kids and crushed on the ground. Out near the back of the yard along the woods it was dark away from the lights, but the cups were white, so it was easy to spot them in the grass. I had found about ten when I heard a rustling sound beyond the woodpile, and I looked up, surprised to see a man running past through the trees.
    “Hey!” I called, but he didn’t stop or even glance my way. He disappeared into the darkness, and for a moment I wondered if I had seen anything at all or if it had just been an illusion.
    Goose bumps dotting my arms, I clutched the cups to my chest and quickly walked back to the deck, telling Dean and Ken what I had just witnessed. From the brief glimpse I’d had, I described the person as a young male, dressed in dark clothes and wearing a baseball cap. Beyond that, I hadn’t noticed any specific details.
    Dean seemed concerned, but Ken was a bit more relaxed.
    “Was he running toward the church or away from it?” he asked.
    “Away. He was kind of angling toward the lake.”
    Ken nodded, the yellow lights bouncing off the circles of his wireframed glasses.
    “Probably a teenager who stayed too late at the concert and had to get home before curfew,” he said.
    “Home where?” I asked. “In a cave? There’s nothing out that way but woods and water.”
    “Oh, no,” Dean corrected me. “They’ve put in a whole subdivision off of Marshall Road, about a quarter mile back from here as the crow flies.”
    “You’re kidding,” I said, finding the trash bag and dumping in the cups. “I didn’t realize that.”
    “Yeah, it’s a fairly pricey neighborhood. Especially the lots that are along the lakefront.”
    I said I would have to drive through there and take a look, which led Ken to say that I might see more from out on the water, which led Dean to remind me that I was welcome to use the canoe any time I wanted to go for a paddle. Soon we were talking about canoeing and the lake, and I had forgotten all about the man I had seen in the woods.
    Eventually I went inside, and when I got to the kitchen, I found Natalie there by herself, standing at the sink and staring absently at the window. Because it was dark outside, the glass had become like a mirror, with her own reflection looking back at her.
    “Natalie?”
    She turned to me, startled, and I realized that her face was flushed, her eyes a bit red.
    “Callie,” she said, reaching up to wipe her eyes. “I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.”
    “Are you okay?”
    She nodded.
    “I was just thinking that even with all of the family around, there’s still one person missing. There’s still one person who ought to be here and isn’t.”
    I knew she was speaking of Bryan, and suddenly it hit me that the thought of my coming here had been as unsettling for her as it had been for me. In an odd way, I found that comforting. I wasn’t the only one who knew there could be setbacks in the grieving process.
    “It’s still hard for you,” I said softly.
    “I have good days and bad,” she replied, glancing at me, embarrassed. “But I don’t have to tell you that.” We shared a sad smile, bonded in a way that neither of us would’ve chosen. “And anyway,” she said firmly, crossing the room toward me, “we’ve got a lot of work to do this week. Dean and I are so excited about this new grant, we can’t tell you.”
    “I’m anxious to see the program,” I said. “From what I hear, you’ve really done some amazing things.”
    “It’s been so rewarding,” she said. “The Lord has definitely blessed our efforts.”
    Natalie told me more about the charity and the things they had been able to accomplish. We talked about the grant approval process, and I explained that though I would be needing different documents and peppering them with questions, I wouldn’t really be taking up any large chunks of their time. I simply needed