Clover scanned the parking lot, looking for a certain shiny sports car. She didn’t actually expect Dustin to be here, but Jane said his donation check cleared, so she’d hoped he’d show up for one of his annoying photo ops. The stalls were decidedly sports-car-less, and a corner of her dried-out heart crumbled away. At this rate, her heart would be completely gone by the time the Redrocks left town again.

They were playing at home tonight, and traffic to the game was backed up along I-15. She’d taken the side roads and made it to work right on time. Gathering her strength as if she were about to hike a mountain, she slipped out of the car, gathered the groceries from the back, and slouched into the building.

Jane was at the counter, helping a woman with three small children. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes darted quickly to Clover as she entered, daring Clover to judge her for being there.

Clover offered a small smile, the best one she could manage these days, and headed toward the kitchen. The door swung open, and Clover came up short at seeing someone already behind the counter chopping vegetables. “Serena?”

“Clover!” Serena dropped the knife on the cutting board and skittered around the counter to give her a hug.

“It’s so good to see you up and about.”

“You too.”

Clover set her groceries on the counter and returned the hug, feeling the delicate outline of Serena’s ribs beneath her hands. Living on the streets had been hard on Serena, and she’d bet her car Serena skipped a meal or two most days so Damarius could have more to eat.

Clover pulled back and covertly inspected Serena as she went back to work. The right side of her face had a green cast where the bruises had been purple and black before. She moved slowly and carefully with the brace around her rib cage. They’d been fractured but not shattered. Her left hand sported a splint that held her pinkie and ring fingers still. It didn’t stop her from slicing the eggplant. The cabbage might prove to be more of a challenge; Clover would do that one.

“What are you doing?” Clover asked.

“I’m making dinner.” She pointed to The Pantry logo on her apron. “I am your new coworker.”

“What?” Clover’s lips cracked when she smiled, like a book that hadn’t been off the library shelf in years. She laid out several pieces of bread and began spreading peanut butter on them.

“When Jane came to visit at the hospital, she offered me a job here.” Serena lifted one shoulder. “It’s not much, but they’re letting me stay in the guest room until I can get my feet under me, so I don’t have to pay rent yet. I’ve never worked before, so I need some experience before I can get hired somewhere else.” She slowly bobbed her head. She spoke as if she was talking herself through the process and reassuring herself that all would be well.

“That’s great. I did the same thing.”

“And you have your own place now?”

She thought of the small apartment. “I do.” She brushed some crumbs onto the floor. “It’s my first real home.”

Serena smiled and leaned across the counter. Clover marveled at the brightness in her eyes. “Jane said your boyfriend was the one who made it possible for them to hire me.” Her knife made tapping noises against the cutting board as she worked. Tap. Tap-tap-tap. Tap.

“Oh—we’re not … I mean, we broke up.” She opened the jam and dropped a dollop in the middle of each piece of bread.

“I’m so sorry. Did he …?” Serena pointed to her face.

“No. Nothing like that.”

“Then what happened?”

Clover let her body sag. She felt like she’d been emotionally propping herself up for days and was exhausted. “I kept seeing myself as someone different when I was with him.”

“He was a bad influence?” Serena’s tone took on a protective mother quality.

Clover let her eyes unfocus as she thought back to the times she’d spent with Dustin. “He made me feel fascinating,” she whispered.

It took some time before she noticed the absence of tap-tap-taping. Clover slowly brought herself out of the pleasant reprieve.

Serena’s eyebrows were low. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you’re obviously in love with him.”

“Playing at?”

“Why aren’t you with him?” Serena demanded.

Clover’s defenses muscled forward. She’d never seen this side of Serena before. The woman was usually polite to a fault. “He was a child—who plays baseball for a living? There are thousands of children asking their friends to come ‘play’ and he figured out a way to make money at a game.” She drew in a ragged breath. “He dragged me away from my responsibilities. He wasn’t good for me.”

Serena huffed, and Clover thought she heard a curse word in there. “So he wanted to spend time with you, enjoyable time, and you got angry at him for it?”

“No.” She paused. “Sort of.”

“Did he make you feel like what you did was unimportant?”

“No.”

“Did he belittle you for caring about The Pantry?”

“Of course not.”

“Of course not. Clover …” She pointed at her chest. “You were happier when you were with him. I saw it that day at the park. It was part of the reason I agreed to meet Chad.”

The room spun. “So it was my fault.” She’d suspected as much, and now she knew.

“I remembered feeling that happy when I’d first started dating Chad. I mistakenly thought there might be a sliver of the man I’d fallen in love with left.” Her eyes raged like the ocean in a winter storm. “I risked my life for a piece of that—you should be willing to take a risk for him. Take it from someone who had to learn when a man was bad for her.”

“You’re owning your choices, Serena.” Clover was in awe. Not two weeks ago, this woman was lying broken in a hospital bed.

“I have to. I want my son back.” Serena’s voice shook. “I can’t stand to tell myself lies any longer, and I can’t stand to hear you do it either. It’s making me shake.” She set the knife aside and took a deep breath. “Clover. You are in love, and you should fight for a good man—take it from me, they’re not easy to find.”

Clover stared at the floor. “What if I messed up too badly?”

“Then you’ll have to fix it in a big way.”

Clover’s eyes fell on the cabbage, which reminded her of lettuce, which reminded her of the day Dustin came in and tried to teach her to catch with a head of lettuce. She glanced around the kitchen. “Do you need me here tonight?”

Serena’s eyes widened. “You’re going now?”

A thrill shot through Clover, telling her that this was the right course of action. She was supposed to go after Dustin—right now. “I’m going now.”

Jane came through the door. “How are things going in here?”

“Clover’s leaving, and I’m almost done with the eggplant.”

“Leaving?” Jane asked, her white hair falling over her forehead. “Where are you going?”

Clover shoved away from the counter. “I’m going to tell Dustin I love him.”

“But he’s in the middle of a game.”

Laughter bubbled up from Clover’s heart. The pitiful thing was doing its best to come back together. The thought of seeing Dustin was like a healing salve. “I have tickets.”

She pressed her palm against the door, hesitating. The last time she’d run out on The Pantry for Dustin, things didn’t turn out so great. But as she watched Serena move about the kitchen, she wondered if this is what the Lord had in mind all along. Not that He wanted Serena to get beat up, but that He wanted her within Jane and Pastor Paul’s ministry. And maybe that meant it was time for Clover to move on and make room for someone else. Not that she had to give up her volunteer time, but it was time to gain some independence and put another phase of her life behind her.

She burst into the red glow of sunset—not quite the time of new beginnings, but this wasn’t a new game. She wasn’t starting over with Dustin. This was a new inning, a new at bat. It was time to throw her pitch and see if Dustin would swing.