Well. Too late now, I suppose. My body flushes with heat, and I decide to tie on my old running shoes and go for a jog. I don’t make it very long, but I feel better when I’m done. Wrung out and more myself. Every mile is one I didn’t have to do but did, and maybe if I keep this up, I won’t embarrass myself next time Micah drags me on a hike. James is pulling out of the drive as I walk up panting and sweating. A glance at my watch tells me he’s going to be late for worship practice. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t propose before Christmas. According to Micah and Betty, he’s pined after Dani for at least five years.

Dani’s car is still in the drive, and she pokes her head out the front door. “You can come back now, Meg! Don’t think I couldn’t tell you were hiding. Besides, I have another batch of apple crisp baking that needs testing.”

I walk up the stoop and pass through the door she’s holding. “Listen, I didn’t want to infringe on my uncle’s game.”

The door closes, and Dani moves to sit on the couch, gesturing for me to join her. I toe off my shoes and go to the carpet instead. I’m not mega-sweaty, but I don’t want to sit on the nice furniture. Plus, I have a feeling sitting on that couch would bring me right back to where I was pre-run.

I stretch out a leg, and Dani leans back, cradling her mug in her fingers and tucking her feet beneath her. “I don’t think it’s possible to mess with his game. I’m hooked on that man.”

I throw my head back. “Finally!”

She giggles. “You’ve only been around a few months.”

“Oh, I know. But Betty has filled me in on the years and years of loaded glances and over-the-top thoughtful gestures.”

“He’s very sweet.”

“He’s in love.”

“He’s not alone,” she admits, blushing.

“That’s fantastic news, Dani.”

“After my ex … did what he did, leaving me after Noel was born and disappearing off the face of the earth, it took me a long time to trust another man in our lives. James has always been solid, but I wasn’t ready.”

“He waited for you,” I say.

She nods. “I made him wait too long, I think, but he didn’t give up. Thank God.”

I change legs, stretching the other. “I doubt he’d say it was too long. He had a lot to face on his own. You were both becoming the people you were meant to be.”

“That’s a very wise thing to say, Meg.”

I tilt my head to the side. “Is it? I’m mostly making it up as I go. But I think it’s true.”