The Greatest Gift by Diana Palmer Read Free Book Online Page A

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 beginning to wonder that, myself,” Mary had to admit. She smiled shyly at him. “This is just the first load. There are two more in the truck, at least, and the other volunteers will be along soon with even more.”
    “Where do all these go?” Matt asked.
    “There’s a list,” Sam volunteered as he joined them, grinning, with an armload of food. “How’s it going, Matt?”
    “Fair to middling, Sam,” came the reply. The two men smiled and shook hands, and then Sam went back to collect some more food packs.
    “You know each other?” Mary asked Matt curiously, in a low voice.
    “Before he retired, Sam worked for the city as a building inspector,” Matt told her. “I had to rescue him from an irate client once. We had a beer together and discovered we had a lot in common. We were having lunch once a month until Sam’s bad luck.” Matt shook his head. “Pity about what happened to him. I remember a time when ethics were the most important part of business. Now it seems to be that only the corrupt prosper.”
    “I know what you mean,” Mary agreed. “It’s nice of you. Helping us make the deliveries, I mean.”
    He