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Logan shifted the Jeep into Reverse. “Never.”
And yet as he drove away, Logan couldn’t help thinking if anyone could convince him to get on a skateboard, it would be Pippa Gallagher.
* * *
“Pippa, darling?”
Taking the phone off speaker, Pippa rose to close the door to the storage-closet-sized office she had claimed for her own at the skate park. Outside, the afternoon shadows were lengthening, but with the first-ever skating competition being held Saturday, there were too many details yet to handle.
Since Pippa had been forced to stay, she allowed those few kids who had nowhere else to go on a Tuesday night to stay, as well. They were now having a grand time on the ramps while she struggled to hear her grandmother. The door muffled the noise to an acceptable level.
“Yes, Granny. Sorry, I’m at the park and the kids are making noise. Are you back from visiting Aunt Betsy?” She returned to the squeaky chair and ancient metal desk that the previous owners had left.
“Why are you at the skate park so late?”
“Just tying up some loose ends. The outreach is Saturday, although the kids would rather call it a skating competition.” Pippa leaned back and rested her head against the cinder block wall. “Anyway, everything all right with Aunt Betsy?”
“Everything is wonderful,” she said. “I’m having such a great time that I’ve decided to stay here in Dallas an extra week. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? No, of course not.”
“Will you let our contractor know? His is the only appointment I’ve not yet canceled. I thought perhaps you could tell him yourself, what with the familiarity I saw between you at the reception last Saturday.” A well-timed pause. “Interesting that the two of you left at exactly the same time. The speeches had barely begun.”
There it was. The reprimand she expected. Or at least the beginning of it.
“Yes, Granny, about that. I do apologize.”
“Do you?” Before Pippa could respond, Granny continued. “Well, we can discuss that when I return. Will you just please let our Logan know we’re rescheduling?”
“I will,” she said. “Would you like me to have him email the plans to you so you can look at them before next week?”
“Oh, goodness no. I’ve got a great-grandbaby to play with. Why in the world would I want to look at construction drawings? And besides, I prefer old-fashioned blueprints I can touch to some silly nonsense on a computer screen.”
“Then I’ll have him overnight the blueprints. That way you can study them.”
“Have you not heard a word I’ve been saying, Pippa? Just handle things until I get back. Make all the decisions you want. It’s going to be your home.”
“And your gallery,” Pippa reminded her.
“Yes, of course,” Granny said, “but Gallagher and Company is hardly the reason for this renovation. It’s just a very nice benefit of the project.”
“Oh? What is the reason if not to build a gallery for your art?”
“Sorry, darling. I really must go. Bye now.”
And then she was gone.
Pippa opened her laptop and sent a quick email to Logan canceling tomorrow’s meeting and rescheduling for the following Wednesday, then went back to putting together the skating competition.
A half hour later, she closed her computer, tucked it into her bag, then turned off the lights and locked the office. “Time to go,” she called to the three skaters who remained. And then, “Anyone need a ride?”
They all did, of course, but asking them was a formality she allowed, as was the stop she made at the Hamburger Hut. At least she would know these three got home safely and had a large if not completely healthy meal.
“Invite everyone to the competition,” she said as she turned down the street where all three lived.
“What if you can’t pay?” the youngest of the group asked.
“Not a problem,” Pippa said. “Anybody who can’t come up with the entry fee can do some work for me around the skate park to earn the money.”
That perked up all three, and soon they were chattering about decks and wheels and other skating essentials. When Pippa had dropped off the last of the trio at his door, she was still smiling.
If every kid had to work off his fee, she would still hold the event. The Lord would provide. It was just that simple.
Her route back to the rented cabin took Pippa past the building where she would soon be living. The windows were dark, indicating the work for today had ceased. A few minutes later she arrived home. The sound of the waves breaking against the shore filled her ears as Pippa grabbed her bag and headed up the stairs to the front door. Pausing on the deck, she placed her bag at her feet and then walked over to the rail to look out at the ocean.
The sun had dipped close to the horizon, but there was still plenty of daylight left. To her right, the wide sweep of beach ended at the marina where sailboats rocked at anchor. On the left, the neon lights of Pop’s Seafood Shack twinkled in the distance. In between, the sand shimmered as the water lapped at the beach and then quickly retreated.
Pippa inhaled deeply of the fresh salt air and then let her breath out slowly. Of all the things she missed about her life prior to coming to work for Granny, living in the city was not among them. Nor was the lack of fresh seafood or the ability to take a long run down the beach whenever she wanted.
And right now she decided that’s exactly what she wanted.
Ten minutes later, Pippa had changed clothes and laced up her running shoes. She headed toward the marina at a slow pace, picking up speed as she neared the docks, and then turned around and retraced her steps toward the cabin. Instead of stopping, she kept going in the direction of Pop’s Seafood Shack. If Leah was there, perhaps her friend would have time to share a slice of pie back in the kitchen. If not, then a piece of pie to go would do the trick.
Pippa took her customary route up the back stairs and into the kitchen with renewed vigor. It had been too long since she paid Leah a visit here. Unfortunately her friend was out.
“Leah’s taking the night off,” the cook told her. “You want the usual?”
“No catfish for me tonight,” she said. “But I would like a slice of apple pie to go, if it’s not too much trouble.”
A few minutes later, she paid for the pie and headed back down the stairs. She had almost reached the deck when someone called her name.
Logan. She turned to face her building contractor. He, too, appeared to be carrying a slice of pie.
“Great minds think alike,” he quipped as he closed the distance between them. “Did you come for the pie, too?”
“I had hoped for conversation and pie, but Leah’s not here.” Pippa nodded toward the take-out container in her hand. “So it’s just pie.”
“Want some conversation to go with it?”
“Sure,” she said as she followed him over to the deck. “I wasn’t expecting anyone but Leah to see me, so please excuse my choice of outfit.”
He laughed. “I just figured you had decided to run off your meal before you ate it.”
Logan settled at the edge of the deck, his feet in the sand, and Pippa joined him. Instantly several seagulls went on alert, hovering overhead and then coming to roost on the rail nearby. Pippa ignored them, just as she did every morning when she drank her coffee on the cabin’s front porch, and dug her heels into the sand.
“You know, maybe there is something to this running first and eating pie later philosophy,” Logan said as he reached for the plastic fork inside the container.
“Maybe so.” They fell into companionable silence until Pippa decided to ask a question that had been bothering her. “So, Logan, you said something at my grandmother’s party that has me confused.”
He glanced at her. “What’s that?”
“You said something about seeing kids up to no good. What did you mean by that?”
His attention went to the fork in his hand. Slowly he set it aside and then regarded Pippa with a serious look. “I’m not completely sure what you’re asking.”
“Well,” she said slowly, “since I work with kids who aren’t always considered socially acceptable, I’m wondering whether you were making that determination about the kids based on how they looked.”
Logan seemed to consider the question a moment. Then he shrugged. “Partly. I think. If I remember right, the rest of what I said was that they reminded me of myself at that age.” Logan reached for the fork again and then seemed to think better of it. “I wasn’t exactly socially acceptable, either.”
“I see.”
“You sound disappointed in me.”
In a way, she was. She let her silence speak for her.
“Look,” he said gently. “I saw a lot of things in Africa what weren’t pleasant, but what I did see was the family unit taking care of its own. We’ve lost that here. Kids roam the street and there’s little anyone can do. Or maybe little they will do. At least until the kids have gotten in enough trouble for the authorities to intervene. I would like to stop that cycle.”
“So would I.” Pippa warmed to the topic. “That’s why I’m so passionate about the skating outreach. These kids are outcasts, or at least they look like it, and they need a place to go so they’re off the streets.”
“I don’t think that would have worked for me, so I’m not sure I can agree with your method.”
“I see.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “And what would you suggest?”
“Rules, for a start. Some sort of order in their lives. Maybe a good talking-to or at least some incentive to stop hanging around doing nothing. I guess you could say I advocate a more direct approach between outcast and productive member of society.”
Oh.
Pippa opened her mouth to argue and then decided taking a bite of pie was the better course of action. Obviously Logan’s opinions and hers were in direct opposition.
He met her gaze. The man was attractive, even if he was completely wrong about the best way to win wayward souls to the Lord. “You don’t like my approach.”
“It doesn’t matter whether I like it,” she said. “I will say I disagree.”
Logan nodded. “All right. But you need to understand I’m thinking about what’s best for these kids. And considering I was one of them, I think I know what I’m talking about.”
He was wrong, of course, but for the sake of continuing the discussion, she decided to attempt a different argument. “All right, just one more thing.” Pippa mustered a smile. “I’m ready to prove you wrong.”
“Are you, now?” Logan seemed to think on that. “Considering we’re both wanting the same result for these kids, I hope you’re right. In the meantime, I’ll leave the skating to you and I’ll stick to building construction.”
This time her smile was genuine. “It’s a deal. Though you have an open invitation to come and see what we’re doing down there.”
Logan closed the pie container, his dessert now gone. “I’ll consider it,” he said. “Now what say I walk you home?”
She rose to toss the remains of her pie into the trash can nearby. “Thanks, but after eating this, I probably ought to run back, too.” Pippa smiled once more. “Oh, and consider this a formal invitation to come skate with me. Meet me at the building on Saturday at eight-thirty and we’ll drive over together.”
Pippa turned and headed off toward her cabin at a slow jog before he could respond.
“Hey,” Logan called. “I never said I was coming. I just said I was thinking about it!”
Pippa picked up her pace and didn’t look back until she reached the cabin. As she climbed the stairs, she glanced at the restaurant to see that Logan was still standing on the beach.
A moment later, her phone rang. Logan.
“Wondering what to wear?” she asked.
His laughter was deep and swift. “Hardly. I was wondering if I could strike a deal.”
She leaned against the deck rail. “What kind of deal is that?”
“I’ll skate with you if you’ll surf with me.”
“So skating on Saturday?”
“Not going to commit to that just yet.” He paused. “But only because I’ve got a contractor who’s been ditching me and I need to get him pinned down to a time he’ll be available. If it’s Saturday, then I won’t be there.”
“All right,” Pippa said. “Now, as to what to wear—I’d say any of your baggy jeans and hooded sweatshirts will work just fine.”
Logan was still laughing when she said goodbye.
Chapter Four
On Friday, Logan’s usual construction update arrived along with a spreadsheet that detailed expenses, workers’ time sheets, and other items pertinent to the project. Though Pippa was at the skate park, she opened the email and read the information it contained.
Finding everything in order, Pippa jotted off a note of thanks along with a reminder about tomorrow’s skating event. With a smile, she hit Send. To her surprise, Logan called her almost immediately.
“You’re not canceling on me,” she said in lieu of a proper greeting.
“I just wanted to ask if I needed anything besides my life insurance policy. Oh, and I’ll be sure to bring my medical insurance card, too.”
Pippa laughed. “I’ve got all the things you’ll need. Just—”
“Hey, I’m really sorry but I’m getting a call and I need to answer it. It’s the subcontractor I told you about who’s been ditching me lately, and I’d hate to miss him. I’ll call you when we’re done.”
Pippa said goodbye and set the phone down. She glanced up to see Rico Galvan, the artist who had painted her boots, standing at the door.
“Busy?”
“Come in,” she said. “I’m just going over the checklist for tomorrow.”
The teenager grinned and stepped inside, his paint-splattered coveralls telling where he’d been. For the past week, Logan had employed Rico to do demolition work, the dirty kind that removed the old in preparation for the new.
Rico had asked that Pippa not mention their association or his background at the skate ministry, and she had complied. He wanted to get the job on his own merits, something she understood completely.
“How’s the job coming along?” Pippa asked.
“It’s hard work, but I stay busy, and I like that.” He paused. “So, I wondered if maybe...”
“I might have the Bibles here?” She nodded to the oversize box next to Rico’s feet. “The delivery driver dropped them off a half hour ago.”
His face shone. “Do you think I could take a look?”
“Actually,” she said as she retrieved the scissors and walked toward him, “I hadn’t planned to open the box until we could see them together.” She handed him the scissors. “Here, Rico. You do the honors.”
Made specially for the skating outreach and competition, these copies of the New Testament bore a cover created to look like the graffiti designs that Rico had painted on the outside of the skate park. A skater’s Bible, one Pippa hoped she could someday afford to reprint and continue to give out as part of the ministry. Thanks to Leah and Ryan’s donation, they would have enough for tomorrow, and that’s what counted for now.
Rico made quick work of opening the box and then moved the brown paper aside to reveal a stack of copies. A low whistle was his only response. And then he reached in and took one out, cradling it first in his palm and then against his chest.
When he looked up, his eyes glistened with tears. “I can’t believe it.”
Pippa reached to hug him and then stepped back. “I’m very proud of them. And of you.”
The quiet young man could only nod.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then. Nine o’clock?”
Struggling to keep his emotions in check, Rico choked out a quick reply and turned to leave. Pippa watched him go. She was still watching him when her cell phone rang, drawing her back to her desk.
“I’m sorry I had to hang up so quickly.” Logan gave her a brief description of his call with the subcontractor and then paused. “Pippa, about tomorrow...I’m going to have to take a rain check.”
Pippa let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Oh?”
“This subcontractor’s the best in the business when it comes to restoring old brick, and your building needs a lot of work. He’s agreed to do it, but only if I meet him tomorrow to go over the specifics and supervise his guys.”
“I understand,” she said as she felt a small measure of relief. “And yes, you can definitely have a rain check.”
“You could always drop by and say hello. If the job entails what I think it does, it’s going to take most of the day.”
She paused only a second. “I can’t promise but I will see what I can do.”
“Oh?” Logan laughed. “That was fast. I only just canceled and you’ve already got plans.”
“Actually, we had plans. I was going to get you on a skateboard, remember?”
“Well,” he said slowly, “you were going to try.”
“Oh no, mister,” Pippa said with mock seriousness. “If I can get out there with the kids, then I expect you to do the same. I thought you understood that I was inviting you to an outreach and not just for the two of us to skate. Remember, I told you I would show you that you were wrong. I can’t do that without showing you what we do, now, can I?”
“I guess not. So our plans were to skate with kids?” Logan paused as the sound of hammering began. “Sorry, just stepped inside and it’s loud in here. Hold on a sec.” A door opened and then closed, and the hammering instantly ceased. “All right. Now, start over. I’m confused.”
“The outreach ministry where I volunteer is having an event tomorrow. The kids are calling it a skating competition, but I prefer to think of it as an opportunity to hand out specially designed Bibles that match our graffiti logo. And to skate, of course.”
“Of course.”
She couldn’t miss the less than enthusiastic tone in his voice. “Something wrong, Logan?”
Silence.
“Logan?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” he said. “Look, I know this ministry means something to you. I mean, it must for you to volunteer your time. But I drove by there yesterday. It’s the warehouse over on State Street, right? The one covered in gang graffiti?”
She didn’t like his tone or his insinuation. “That’s street art, and it’s our logo. Taken from Romans 10:14.” And painted by your employee, Rico, she longed to add. “Why?”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Pippa. The warehouse is hurting the value of the neighborhood. Do you have plans to cover that ‘street art’ any time soon?”
Well, that did it. Still, she kept her cool. After all, this was the man she had hired to turn Granny’s dreams into reality. For all she wished to tell him about his opinions of Rico’s art, her need to do so was tempered by the fact that Granny had the greatest respect for Logan.
“The art stays,” she said. “And I hardly see how anything could bring down the value of that neighborhood. Other than the abandoned machine shop next door, the rest of the block is filled with empty lots and buildings that are in dire need of being torn down.”
“Exactly,” Logan answered, “and that’s just what the guys from Starting Over are doing in a few weeks. Tearing down the dangerous buildings that the city owns but can’t afford to pay to have demolished and painting over the ones that need work.”
“That’s great,” she said. “I’m sure some of the kids would like to help with the cleanup. If I can get permission from their parents, that is. But the logo stays.”
Silence.
“Logan?”
“I’m here.”
She leaned back against the chair and let out a long breath. “Look, I thought we agreed to disagree.”
“We did,” he said evenly. “But this is different. That machine shop next door?”
“Yes.”
“I’m the one trying to sell it, Pippa. And that’s not going to happen as long as any potential buyers think the shop sits next to a gang hideout.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she snapped.
“Well, maybe so, but I guess that’s just one more thing we will have to agree to disagree about. And should you change your mind...”
“Go on,” she said instead of snapping back at him.
“Well,” he said in a surprisingly kind tone. “I understand that to the kids this is art. Or rather street art. I really do. But please understand what I’m saying, too. The For Sale sign has been up over a month and I’ve only had one person inquire. Nobody wants to buy property in the wrong neighborhood. And—”
“And you think we give that impression.” When he said nothing, Pippa felt compelled to continue. “I disagree, Logan. However, I would love to help any way I can with the cleanup. Who is in charge?”
“That would be me.”
“Oh.” Pippa forced a hopeful tone into her voice. “Well, good. Then count me in. I’ll bring friends. The more the merrier, right?”
She couldn’t help thinking as she hung up that Logan’s enthusiasm was sorely missing. Well, no matter. She and the R10:14 kids would do their part to clean up their neighborhood. Then Logan would see the value in what happened behind the brightly painted exterior walls.
Chapter Five
The last of the skaters left R10:14 a little after three on Saturday afternoon. Pippa tossed the bags into the trash bin and then walked back over to be certain the warehouse doors were securely locked. The day had been long, but thanks to the loan of an industrial-sized fan, the skaters had kept cool.
The first-ever Vine Beach skating competition had brought out several dozen kids from as far away as Galveston, and many of them were new to R10:14. And though the prizes were modest, none of the winners complained when he or she was awarded a T-shirt.
More important, each entrant received a copy of the New Testament bound in a trendy graffiti print courtesy of Rico and his tagging skills. The words of Romans 10:14, the ministry’s signature verse, were scrawled across the front cover in a brilliant hue:
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Pippa counted it a victory that only three skaters left their copies behind. She prayed over each one of the three, asking God to send those teenagers back and cause them to bring friends along with them. She added a prayer that somehow the Lord would soften Logan’s heart and help him to see the kids and the ministry the way she did.
Pippa climbed into her car and turned the key, bristling at the thought that a good man like Logan Burkett couldn’t see beyond the street art outside to the good things going on inside. As the Mini Cooper’s air-conditioning filled the space, she let out a long breath and forced her temper to cool, as well. She would win him over. After all, Logan wasn’t a bad guy. He just had a different way of looking at things.
“You’re in control, God,” she whispered.
Pippa reached into her bag to retrieve the copy Rico had proudly given her and traced each letter, thinking of how far the former juvenile delinquent had come. A tap on her window made Pippa jump and the book tumbled to the floor.
When Pippa lowered the window, Riley Burkett was quick to apologize. “I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said. “I saw you were here and thought I’d say hello.” His gaze fell to the book on the floor mat. “What’s that?”
“It’s Rico’s New Testament.” She leaned to retrieve it, then handed the copy to Logan’s father. “He did the artwork himself, and a donation from Leah and Ryan over at Pop’s Seafood allowed us to have plenty of copies printed up for the competition this weekend. I’m quite proud of him.”
“As well you should be,” the older man said as he opened the book and smiled. “Seems like yesterday I was having to report Rico once or twice a week for tagging my vacant properties, and now he’s using his artistic talent for something like this?” His gaze met hers. “This is incredible.”
Pippa smiled. Both knew the story of the eighteen-year-old who could just as easily have turned to a life of crime rather than a life led for the Lord. Thanks to Riley Burkett’s recommendation, Rico had been doing maintenance work and other odd jobs for Burkett Properties in addition to the demo job for Logan.