Page 54 of The Payback Adventure
As Elisabeth took a step, a larger hand took hold of herleft hand. Tingles raced up her arm and down to the tips of her ugly white shoes.
“Don’t worry,” Henry whispered. “We won’t lead you astray.”
His warm breath caressed her neck. Being led astray by him suddenly didn’t sound so bad.
Her shoes crunched on the gravel. “Where are we going?”
“Be patient,” Caitlin ordered in the same tone Elisabeth sometimes used with her.
They released her hands.
“You can open your eyes,” Abby said.
Elisabeth did. A soft gasp escaped her lips.
“Surprise!” everyone shouted.
She covered her mouth with her hands. “This can’t be our house.”
“It is,” Caitlin said, clapping.
On closer inspection, Elisabeth knew it was, but somehow, the front porch had been magically transformed from run-down and neglected to new and beautiful, like a layout from a home and garden magazine.
A sparkling white swing hung from chains. The broken slats on the railing had been repaired. A flower basket had been hung, and potted plants of different sizes had been added.
Sam was there. Gabe and Theresa, too.
Abby bit her lip. “Do you like it?”
Elisabeth gave her sister a reassuring squeeze. “I love it. So much. It’s beautiful. But who did this?”
Smiles lit up their faces. “We did.”
“Henry bought the swing and supplies,” Abby said.
Sam stepped forward. “Gabe showed us how to refinish it and fix up the porch.”
“Theresa did the plants,” Caitlin added.
Tears stung Elisabeth’s eyes, and she blinked them away. She ran her fingers along the edge of the porch rail. The front of the house hadn’t looked this good in years. “I still can’t believe this is our house.”
“This came out so great.” Theresa rubbed her eyes. “It reminds me of one of those HGTV shows.”
“This is better.” Happiness bubbled inside Elisabeth. Not because of the porch but because of the people who did this for her. “All this work. Thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”
“A hug would work,” Abby, ever practical, suggested.
Elisabeth grinned. “I can do that.”
She hugged each of the kids. Theresa, too. Gabriel was next.
“We all helped,” he whispered. “But this was Henry’s idea.”
Henry?
Once again, she’d been surprised by the unpredictable Henry. Emotion surged through her. “You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble, Henry.”
“I wish I could have done more,” he said.
