More Than Words: Stories of Hope by Diana Palmer, Catherine Mann, Kasey Michaels Read Free Book Online Page B

it would take to do this.”
    “First times are notoriously hard,” Sam said. “We’ll get better at it. But perhaps we can find one more volunteer to go to the last two restaurants for us and pick up the leftovers.”
    “There aren’t a lot of volunteers who can work at night,” Mary fretted.
    “Listen, if things are meant to happen, the details take care of themselves,” Sam said. “You wait and see. Everything’s going to fall into place like clockwork, and you’ll wonder why you ever worried in the first place.”
    Mary glanced at him and was reassured by his smile. She smiled back. “Okay. I’ll go along with that optimism and see what happens.”
    Sam glanced out his window confidently. “I think you’ll be surprised.”

CHAPTER THREE
    A s the days passed, Mary and her helpers got more efficient at picking up the food and parceling it out. The truck ran perfectly, and Mary got better at managing her finances. She picked up two more cleaning jobs, which was the maximum she could fit into the week.
    Debbie, who’d loaned her the car, also suggested that a slight raise in her hourly rate would provide her with more money. Mary was hesitant to do that, for fear of losing customers.
    “You just tell them that I raised you two dollars an hour and they’ll be ashamed not to follow suit,” Debbie said firmly.
    “What if they let me go?” Mary worried.
    “You’ve come a long way in a short time,” Debbie said.“You’re much more confident, more poised, and you’re a whiz at organization. I’m amazed at the change in you.”
    “I’ve changed?” Mary asked hesitantly.
    “You’ve taken charge of your own life, and the lives of your children. You’ve organized a food rescue program to benefit needy people, you’ve kept the children in school and up with their homework, you’ve found a decent place to live and you’re on your way to financial independence.” Debbie grinned. “I’m proud of you.”
    Mary smiled. “Really?”
    “Really. You just keep going the way you’ve been going. You’re going to make it, Mary. I’m sure of it.”
    That confidence made Mary feel on top of the world. “You’re sure you don’t want the car back now?”
    “When you can afford one of your own,” Debbie said, “you can give mine back. Listen, honey, it sits in the garage all day and hardly ever gets driven. You’re actually doing us a favor by keeping it on the road, so that it doesn’t gum up and stop working.”
    “You make things seem so easy,” Mary said. “You’ve done so much for us. I don’t know how to repay you.”
    “I’m doing it for selfish motives,” Debbie whispered conspiratorially. “If you leave, my husband will divorce me when the dishes and the laundry pile up and start to mold.”
    Mary knew that wasn’t true. Debbie did, too. But they both smiled.
     
    The food rescue program was growing. Mary now had ten restaurants on her list, and two more volunteers who helped to gather the food and make it up into packages. One of the new volunteers had a car. And his identity was a shock.
    It was Matt Clark, the policeman they’d met their first night in the car. He was wearing a neat new sports shirt and khaki slacks with a brown leather bomber jacket. He’d had a haircut and he looked younger.
    “I’ve never seen him look so neat off duty,” Bev whispered wickedly as Mary entered the shelter with armloads of packaged food. “I think he’s dressing up for somebody. Three guesses who.”
    “Hush!” Mary exclaimed, blushing.
    “Well, hello,” Matt greeted her, taking some of the containers from her arms. “I had some free time and I heard you were looking for help. So here I am.”
    “We’re happy to have you here,” Mary replied breathlessly. “There’s so much food to pick up and deliver, and it takes a lot of time.”
    “I don’t see how you managed, when you were doing it alone,” Matt remarked as they put the food parcels on the long table.
    “I’m