Page 47 of Echoes of Eternity

She smiled, lowering her gaze to Chloe. “Chloe missed her uncle Ryan.”

Coming around the table, Ryan bent down on his knees and smiled at her. “Hi, Chloe. How you doing?”

“Good. How you doing, Uncle Ryan?”

Smiling, with tears welling lightly in his eyes, he said, “Good.”

He stood up and his gaze met Natasha’s. “I hope all of you are doing good.”

“We are. Jason is at home. He didn’t want to come out for the festivities today.” She looked hesitant to continue. “I know you’re a praying man, so pray for him if you get a chance. He’s been skipping his men’s Bible studies and keeping to himself a lot lately. I’m worried about him.”

“I will.”

Jack and Conner ditched their bikes in the patch of grass alongside the parking lot and came over to chat with Chloe.

After Natasha and Chloe had left, Conner turned to his father. “Hey, Dad. Want me to whoop your butt in cornhole?”

Ryan laughed. “What?”

Motioning with a nod down the street, he continued. “Mr. Vern has cornhole set up by his store, and it’s free to play. Want to play?”

Jack added, “Or are you a scaredy cat to lose?”

“You both are on! Give me a second here to clean up.”

After the cleanup from the barbecue, Ryan walked while the boys rode their bikes over to Mr. Vern’s Antique shop over on D Street.

“Ryan Fitzgerald, by golly. I don’t see you outside of that grill or church much.”

“I try to stay busy these days, Vern. How are you and the Mrs.?”

“Good, good.”

Conner interjected. “We’re here to whoop our dad’s butt in cornhole!”

Both boys giggled hysterically.

“Go for it. Ryan, afterward, can I have a word with you?”

“You bet.”

After Ryan showed his boys it’d be a while before they could ever beat their dad in cornhole, he went and found Vern inside the shop. The boys stayed outside and kept practicing.

“What’s up, Vern?”

Rubbing his forehead, he looked away as if he were debating on saying what he wanted to say.

“Out with it, man.”

“Well . . .” He took a step closer to Ryan and lowered his voice. “There’s rumors floating around town.”

Ryan froze as his heart dove into the pit of his stomach.

“Word is Bill has been going around to various members of the community and trying to garner support for getting you and your family to leave town.”

“What?” He shook his head. “Kick us out of town? Is that even possible?”

Vern shrugged and held his hands out. “I don’t know. But would you want to stay if the town voted for you to leave?”

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