Stand by Me by Neta Jackson

Author:Neta Jackson [Jackson, Neta]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: General, ebook, Christian, book, Fiction
ISBN: 9781595548641
Google: gHl4pmLWvfEC
Amazon: B009F7RPEI
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2012-03-13T00:00:00+00:00

“So.” Kat eyed her housemates over a glass of pureed carrot juice the next morning. “We’re all going to the youth group picnic at the lake this afternoon, right? It starts at three.”

“Is it still on?” Brygitta looked horrified. “I mean, one of their pastors just keeled over in church and died!”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ve canceled,” Olivia said, munching on a piece of raisin toast.

“Wrong. I called Josh Baxter to check. He said getting the teens together is even more important since that happened, to give them a chance to talk about it.”

“Well, sure. Have a meeting or something. But not a picnic.”

Kat shrugged. “All I know is, he said the picnic is still on. Said Pastor Clark wouldn’t want them to sit around sogging in their grief. He’d want them to live.”

Nick leaned back in his chair at the kitchen table. “I like that. Makes me wish Pastor Clark were going to be around longer. I think there are a lot of things I could’ve learned from him.”

Kat smiled fondly. That was so like Nick. “Back to the question. Who’s going to the picnic? Livie? Brygitta? Would do us all good to get outside.”

Getting a promise that they’d try to get stuff done by three would have to do. Kat put some potatoes on to boil for a cold potato salad—they’d done some food shopping at the Rogers Park Fruit Market on Saturday afternoon after moving in—and tackled her Spanish vocabulary. Having a deadline helped to focus her attention, and by two o’clock she was peeling the chilled potatoes and chopping celery and onions for the salad.

At the last minute, Josh Baxter called and said they’d gotten a permit to use the fire ring up at the Lighthouse Beach in Evanston. They’d need a ride. But if they didn’t mind riding with a two-year-old, Edesa would pick them up in his parents’ minivan while he trucked the teens in the church van.

Kat was excited. She’d been wanting to get to know Edesa Baxter, especially since the young mom’s Spanish was so fluent. The Dodge Caravan pulled up in front of the three-flat right at three, and the four college students piled in. Nick sat in front with Edesa, Livie and Brygitta crawled into the third seat, and Kat and her potato salad sat next to two-year-old Gracie’s car seat in the middle.

The little girl watched Kat with big, solemn eyes. Kat smiled and waggled her fingers. “Hi. Remember me? My name’s Kat.”

The round, olive face puckered in a frown. “You not a cat. You a muchacha!”

Brygitta and Olivia snickered in the rear seat.

Kat caught Edesa smiling at her daughter in the rearview mirror. “Kat is her nickname, niña,” the young mother tossed back. “You should call her ‘Miss Kathryn.’ ”

The little girl howled with glee. “No-o! She Miss Gato! Me-oww.”

Now everyone laughed. Kat was tickled. “Miss Gato is just fine, Miss Gracie.”

As the car headed north along the lake on Sheridan Road, Edesa pointed out various places they were passing.

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