Words from the Heart by Kathleen Fuller

Author:Kathleen Fuller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2018-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

This was the first time since her father had become bishop that he’d had a meeting in their home. Usually he held them at other people’s homes, and no one minded that. But tonight at supper he mentioned he planned to hold more meetings at theirs. “I don’t want anyone to get the idea I’m hiding anything,” he’d said.

They all knew what was unspoken. Emmanuel Troyer had hidden plenty, and Ivy’s father had spent the last three years earning back the trust the former bishop had broken. She didn’t blame him for trying to be as transparent as possible.

Mamm had left for Naomi’s earlier that afternoon, so in addition to making supper for her father and brothers, Ivy had cleaned up the kitchen and prepared a snack for the board members. Two batches of brownies—one with nuts, one without—had baked in the oven while the family ate their evening meal. By the time the meeting was scheduled to start, she had coffee brewing and a pitcher of water at the ready.

She put the two plates of brownies on the coffee table next to a stack of plates and napkins. Seth had brought out extra chairs and set them up in the living room. The boys made themselves scarce, and Ivy would, too, once the meeting started.

She heard a knock at the door and opened it. Cevilla was standing there, Noah behind her. “It’s a cold night,” Cevilla said as she marched inside. Noah removed his aunt’s coat, and he’d started to sling it over his arm when Ivy reached for it.

“I’ll take that,” she said. She waited for him to remove his coat so she could hang both of them up in the mudroom.

Daed entered the living room. “Hi, Cevilla. Glad you could join us tonight. Although I’m a little surprised you wanted to come.”

“Why? Because I don’t have any kinner or grosskinner attending the school?” She lifted her chin. “I have a viable say in this community’s future, Freemont. And these kinner are the future. It’s about time I participated in some decisions around here.”

“Indeed.”

Ivy met Noah’s smiling gaze. Emmanuel would have never allowed Cevilla to be a part of the school board, and she was glad her father was fine with it. She’d suspected Daed had always been a bit amused by her outspokenness, and she was always respectful, which went a long way with him. While Ivy was cleaning the kitchen earlier he’d also said he didn’t have the heart or gumption to tell her she couldn’t appoint herself to the board or come to the meeting. “Hopefully the other fellas won’t have a problem with it either.”

Cevilla sat down in the rocking chair near the fireplace as the other members of the school board—Asa Bontrager, Timothy Glick, Thomas Bontrager, and Leanna’s brother, Jalon—arrived one after the other. A couple of the men raised their brow at the sight of Cevilla, but if any one of them didn’t want her there, he didn’t speak up.

Ivy hurried off to hang up the coats and then returned.

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