There’s quite a group in the fellowship hall by the time I make my way through the crowd. The large dining hall is flanked by a kitchen, where some of Callie’s churchmates have fixed lunch. They stand in a line behind a series of tables, serving food as mourners come through with trays.
Sydney isn’t eating. I see her across the room, shaking hands and collecting condolences. She looks more relaxed than she has at any time during this process. Maybe the laughter during the service steadied her.
I’m glad. I can’t stand to think of her trapped in sadness.
I make my way toward her, staying on the outskirts, trying not to look like I’m waiting for her.
A cute brunette moves gracefully in front of me. “I have to say this is the best-looking funeral crowd I’ve ever seen,” she says. She looks like another lawyer. She’s wearing a black suit with a white blouse and the trademark black pumps.
“You think so?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’m Joanie,” she says.
I shake her hand. “Hi, Joanie. How did you know Callie?”
“Oh, I didn’t. I work with her granddaughter. Well . . . worked, until Christmas Day. Imagine my surprise when I came in yesterday and got her cases dumped on me.”
“Yeah, bad day to lose your job. But she shouldn’t have been having to work that day.”
She takes a sip of her iced tea and grins up at me. “So how did you know Miss Callie?”
I smile. “I was her driver.”
Her warmth seems to cool a bit. “Seriously?”
“Yep. I drive a cab.”
“Oh, you’re the one who took her to the doctor?”
I’m surprised Sydney has admitted that. “Yeah, among other places.”
“Sydney mentioned that. She felt horrible that she couldn’t do it. But it was brutal at work. Seriously brutal.”
It sounds as if they’re friends, so I let my guard down a little. “So did you get stuck with her Burger King crasher case?”
“Yes. Yes, I did. I could kill her. I can’t believe she survived the staff cuts and then let this happen. I know it was Christmas, but if she could have just hung on.”
I bristle a little. “Her grandmother was dying.”
All traces of her flirty smile are gone now. “I know, but she needs a job. It’s her lifelong dream.”
“Maybe it’s your lifelong dream to work for a group of people who won’t let you have Christmas Day off when your grandmother is dying, all because your drunk client ran into an electrical pole. I don’t think it’s hers.”
She seems offended and mutters something about having to talk to someone. She moves on to the banker who’s hovering near Sydney.
I feel bad about insulting her. She did care enough to come, after all.
I go to the drink table and pour myself an iced tea. I’m closer to Sydney now, and I listen as Callie’s dry cleaner takes Sydney’s hand. “Your grandmother tried to fix me up with you,” he says. “I never paid attention. But when I saw you today, I realized she was onto something.”
Sydney laughs, and her cheeks blush. “Well, I’m sorry about all that. I never asked her to do it.”
“I thought maybe we could have dinner sometime. You know, in her honor.”
Her gaze snaps up to mine, and I turn away. I move out of the crowd so she can feel free to give her number out to as many of Callie’s picks as she wants. She seems in her element, and she looks lovely. I should have let her wear the first man-suit she picked out last night. What was I thinking, talking her into a purple that highlights the blue in her eyes?
But why shouldn’t she show all those losers what they’ve been missing? What made me think that she would settle for the only one who came for Christmas? Just because she seems perfect for me doesn’t mean I’m perfect for her.
I’m the cab driver. I’m Callie’s last resort, not her first choice for Sydney. Sydney turned to me in a vulnerable moment, but really, can I hold her to that? Can I expect any of it to continue after this awful time is over?
Why on earth would she ever choose someone like me?
After a while, the crowd begins to thin. Sydney makes her way to me.
“Hey,” she says. “Did you eat?”
“Not hungry,” I say. “You?”
“Not really. Maybe later.”
I try to keep things light. “Callie would have been thrilled with all these single men here.”
She laughs and looks back toward the people. “Yeah, that’s kind of mortifying. Finn, I know what you did. Almost all these people came because of you. I really appreciate it.”
I shrug. “They just needed to be told.”
“But still. Everything you’ve done . . . I don’t know what I would have done without you. I think God sent you when both Grammy and I needed a friend.”
“Wow,” I say. “That’s nice . . . to think of it that way.”
“It’s true. Thank you for everything.”
I look down at her for a moment, and I can’t escape the sense that she’s dismissing me.
Pastor Seagrove touches her shoulder, pulling her away from me. He says something that makes her laugh.
Callie would love the thought of her with him.
I step away, then turn and head to the exit. I look back before I leave. Sydney’s eyes are bright, looking up into the pastor’s face as he waxes humorous about something.
I make my way out to my cab and sit in it for a minute with the engine idling. I roll down the window, letting the cold wind whip through. This time with Callie hasn’t been wasted. My life is changed from knowing her. It’s changed for knowing Sydney. It’s changed for brushing against Jesus, who orchestrated a do-over for me, even if it wasn’t with my own mother.
I’m awake now, after years of being asleep. I’ll find a way to stretch my life back into place. And I’ll pray for what’s best for Sydney. I’ll root for her. I’ll be her biggest fan. Maybe even her friend.
But why is it so hard to leave this place? I put the car in reverse and back out of my space, then drive through the parking lot maze toward the exit.
“Finn!”
I stop when I hear my name, and I look in my rearview mirror. Sydney is running toward me, and suddenly, with certainty, I know Callie’s God is real.
She throws open my passenger door and slides inside. “Finn . . . thank goodness you didn’t leave. I needed to tell you . . . I wanted to say . . .” She’s trying to catch her breath.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yes.” She leans across the console and lays one on me. A kiss, that is. She kisses me.
It’s as if the clouds break on a hurricane day, as if the sun comes out to dry up the floods. It’s as if there are four rainbows encircling me, as if it’s early Christmas Day.
When she pulls back, I scramble for words. “I’m thinking of becoming a chef again.”
She squints at me. “That’s what you were thinking about while we were kissing?”
I realize it’s ludicrous. “I just want you to know I’m not going to keep coasting.”
She strokes my jaw and laughs aloud. “And I’m going to coast a little more. That okay with you?”
“Anything you do is okay with me.” I kiss her again, keenly aware that God is answering my prayer for Sydney. Maybe I really am what’s best for her. When we finally break again, I draw in a deep breath. “Do you want me to go back in with you?”
“No,” she says. “Just drive.”
“You don’t want to go back in there? There are bankers and ministers and business owners lurking in hopes of getting your phone number.”
Sydney shakes her head. “Too late now. Grammy died when her work was done.”
I couldn’t agree more. I can’t get the stupid smile off my face as I drive. That plucky lady knew exactly what she was doing.