Page 53 of Worthy

I pull Aiden aside, “Now might be the time to tell Penny who I am. The chances of running into Gretchen are high, and with the recent article, word is bound to spread. Penny shouldn’t be surprised when people refer to me as Savannah.”

“I agree wholeheartedly, but you should be with me when I tell her. She’s going to have questions that I might not be able to answer.” He kisses my cheek and drags me behind him to where Penny is sitting. She looks adorable in her unicorn T-shirt, black leggings, and her favorite pink sparkly tennis shoes.

When Aiden and I sit beside Penny, everyone else gets the hint and heads for the kitchen to give us some privacy. Aiden takes her little hand in his and holds it gently. “Penny, do you remember last week when Mrs. Gretchen thought that Anna was her daughter Savannah Jones?”

“Yeah, but I made sure to correct her politely. You always said if someone needs to be corrected, it’s better to be done with care.”

I smile down at her. “You were very polite, and Mrs. Gretchen wasn’t offended by what you said.”

Penny looks confused. “Then what’s the matter?”

Aiden is unsure how to continue, so I jump in to help him out. After all, it’s my mess to clean up. “My name isn’t Anna Blackwood, Penny. It’s Savannah Jones. Mrs. Gretchen was right. She is my mother.”

“Why would you lie?” Penny isn’t mad, but she is sad that I kept the truth from her.

“Coming here wasn’t an easy thing for me, Penny. Mrs. Gretchen wasn’t always the sweet woman you know. I didn’t know she had changed, and I was scared that she was the same person I remembered.”

“But she’s super nice now! She’s got Jesus in her heart!” Penny exclaims.

Aiden pulls Penny into his lap and gives her a quick tickle to make her giggle. “You’re absolutely right! Anna has Jesus in her heart, too, which is why she doesn’t want to hide anymore!”

“Does that mean Mrs. Gretchen can come over and visit?” Penny fiddles with the hem of her T-shirt, afraid the answer might not be what she hopes for.

“That’s the plan, Pumpkin,” Aiden tells her.

The question that remains is whether the visits will continue while I’m still here or resume once I head back to New York. When growing up, all I ever wanted was a positive and loving relationship with my mother, and I gave up hope the day she turned her back on me.

The “Shaw Squad” drives the family and me to church in two separate vehicles, while the rest of the “Penny Patrol” follow along in the Suburban. Once we enter the sanctuary, Jessie and Jerry sit in the last row at opposite ends of the pew while Roger and Scott position themselves two rows ahead of us. Jeremy and Jack stand in the back to escort Penny down to children’s church when the time comes.

Several older ladies come up and introduce themselves, already well aware of who I am.

“We’ve heard so much about you, Savannah, at the ladies’ luncheon we had last Wednesday. Congratulations on your engagement to this stud,” one woman says, side-hugging Aiden affectionately. I might be a little jealous if she wasn’t pushing 70 and had an impish grin. The spry lady points to herself and then her friends. “I’m Wendy. This is Mary Lynn and Harriet.”

I extend my hand for them to shake while telling them, “Please don’t believe everything you read in the paper.” Not a single one of the women shake my hand.

“Don’t you know that we don’t shake hands around here? We’re all a bunch of huggers who are too old to care about personal space, or whatever you youngins are calling it now.” They pass out hugs, not only to me but also to Aiden and anyone within a five-foot radius.

Mary Lynn says earnestly, “Savannah, we don’t believe any of that trash you find in the grocery store tabloids, but that doesn’t mean we don’t talk about it. Your mother said, and I quote, ‘There is no way that my Savannah would ever marry someone for money. Savannah has a heart of gold and one of the purest souls.’”

Wendy and Harriet bob their heads in agreement. Wendy pinches my cheek and says, “I’m so sorry, Baby, for what you had to endure. Oh, don’t look so shocked! Your mama told us some of the stories to unburden her heart, and we prayed over her for healing and forgiveness. Don’t worry. She didn’t give us any of the nitty-gritty details, but enough to know that she didn’t make your life an easy one.”

My eyes are wide as saucers, and I’m utterly floored. I don’t know what’s more astonishing, the fact that my mother stood up for me and said nice things or that she admitted her own wrongdoing to her friends. The woman I knew would never admit she was to blame for anything. I have to keep reminding myself that the mother I had is long gone, only to be replaced by a stranger.

The Gretchen that everyone has come to love and adore sounds like a woman I would want to get to know.

Chapter twenty-seven

Aiden

As more people come up to greet Anna and congratulate us both on our engagement, the more relaxed Anna becomes. Not a single person is rude or makes any derogatory comments toward Anna, and I had been confident that would be the case. If anyone has anything unkind to say, they certainly don’t say it to our faces.

Guests begin to filter in and take their seats moments before the service starts. Gretchen and her husband, Max, enter the sanctuary through a side door at the front of the church, and I watch as she slowly surveys the room. Gretchen almost trips when she notices that Savannah hasn’t shied away from coming today.

Anna gives her mother a small wave, even though her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. However, Gretchen’s face lights up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Anna’s gesture is a small one, but it’s monumental to her mother.

As the music starts to play, Anna stands up with the rest of the congregation and begins singing at the top of her lungs. Penny mentioned to me this morning that she and Anna had been listening to worship music all week while I was away. This explains why Anna is able to sing with such confidence this time around.

The worship team plays Chris Tomlin’s version of Amazing Grace, and Anna shuts her eyes and lifts her face toward the heavens. Her voice floats through the air and resonates throughout the room—angelic, booming, and powerful emotions of praise. Quite a few regulars stop their singing just to listen to Anna, smiling and lifting their hands right along with her. Some of them even have tears of joy in their eyes.

---