Page 93 of Lee

“She was concerned that there might be health issues that I didn’t know about that might inadvertently get passed on to our children.”

Rori frowned at that. “I’m sure lots of people don’t know their medical history, including those who are still with their biological family. That seems a poor reason to end a relationship.”

“I agree,” Lee said. “But I’m still going to see if I can find out some information.”

“That must be exciting,” she said. “And maybe a little scary.”

“That’s very true.” He looked away when someone called his name. “What?”

“Gonna play for us to sing tonight?” Gareth asked. “I brought my cajon.”

“Sure. I’ll go grab the guitars.” As he got to his feet, he gave Rori a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

She watched him jog to the back door, then she pulled out her phone. First, she sent a quick text to Essie.

Would it be okay if I came out to see you tomorrow afternoon? If it’s not convenient, that’s fine.

The more time she spent with Lee and his family, the more Rori wanted to understand the faith that made them who they were. And she knew Essie could help her with that.

Essie: That would be fine! Can you come out around 1? We’re leaving at three to go to Coeur d’Alene.

Yep. Though are you sure it’s convenient if you have to leave?

Essie: It’s fine. I’ve already got what I need packed.

Okay. Thank you. I’ll see you then.

After sending a heart emoji, Rori opened up her camera app and switched it to video. Last week, she’d wished that she’d recorded the singing, not just because she had enjoyed it, but because she wanted to learn the songs so she could sing along too.

Plus, she wanted to look up the lyrics of the songs that touched her.

When Lee returned, he headed to where he and Jay had stood last time. He handed one of the guitars to Jay, then strapped on the other one.

Rori lifted her feet, tucking her legs to the side as she leaned back in the Adirondack chair. She lifted her gaze to the sky. The sun had dropped behind the trees, but the cloudless sky still held some light. It was warm, and the scent of fresh cut grass in the air told her that someone had taken advantage of the nice weather to do some yard work.

It was a lovely evening. About to be made lovelier because she got to watch Lee do something he clearly enjoyed.

She smiled as Elsa approached her, going up on her back legs to prop her paws on the arm of Rori’s chair. Rori scratched her ears, then bent over and gently picked her up. Elsa seemed totally on board with that, since she happily settled down in the space by Rori’s hip and rested her head on Rori’s thigh.

Strangely, the little dog’s acceptance of her was almost as important as her owner’s. People said animals and kids were good judges of character, and it seemed that both in this family liked her. Hopefully, that was a point in her favor.

As they sang, Rori noticed right away that Carisa was familiar with the songs. There were a few that had enough repetition that Rori picked up the words and could eventually sing along. She didn’t do more than mouth the words, however, because she didn’t want her phone to record her own voice singing.

They didn’t sing as long as they had the previous week, and soon the fire had died down, and people began to carry things back into the house. Rori helped clean everything up and was preparing to head out when Lee approached her with Elsa on a leash.

“Do you have to leave right away?” he asked.

Not if he didn’t want her to. “Not really. Why?”

“Want to go for a walk with me and Elsa? I usually take her out before bed to tire her out a bit.”

“Sure. I’d like that.”

Rori had no idea why he’d invited her along, but she would never turn down the opportunity to spend time with him.

By the time they stepped out into the night, the streetlights had come on as twilight blanketed the neighborhood.

Lee held Elsa’s leash in his right hand, then offered Rori his arm. She stared at him for a moment before tucking her hand into the crook of his arm.

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