“It was the highlight of my year. Nanny Lucy made us go to church every time the doors opened. Flynn fussed about it, but I was used to that and more. Other than that, I thought this place was paradise. She pretty much let us run wild over the property while we were here. Until we were teenagers, she sewed shirts for Flynn and cute little dresses for me and April when we visited her. I always loved the dresses and blouses she made for me. And she had her quilting ladies on Wednesday mornings. If I behaved, was quiet, and stayed out of the way, I could watch them quilt and listen to their stories,” Nessa answered.

“Did you like sharing her with the quilting club?” Jackson asked.

“Loved it.” Nessa’s smile lit up her eyes. “I have to admit that I kind of let my mind wander when they talked about the Bible or sang hymns, but when they got all involved with the quilt talk, it was right up my alley. I should have known then that my passion lay in that area, but then I had no idea it could be a lucrative business.”

“So what are you trying to sort out?” Jackson asked. “You don’t have to answer that if it’s too personal.”

Nessa shrugged. “It’s not too personal, I guess, but the truth is I need to know myself. I need to figure out what I really want to do with my life.”

“I understand,” Jackson said. “It took me a while to figure out the same thing.”

“What was holding you back?” Nessa asked.

“My brother and sister were teenagers when I was born. They both went into the law business, and I was expected to do the same, so I did. But I hated the job—it made me miserable. I wondered what made me so different from everyone else in my family, and it took me a while to realize I was more like Uncle D. J. than my father or my siblings.”

“I hope I can figure things out like you did. It seems like whatever happened here has rolled downhill to us three kids and helped to make us who we are. If we can understand why, then maybe we can get a better insight into our own lives,” she told him. “Kind of like those ripples in the water when you tossed in that rock. Nanny Lucy and Grandpa are the rock. The first ripples are their three children. The next ones are April, Flynn, and me. But there’s more that go out from there, so if we ever have kids, we need to know what made us who we are.”

“Why does that matter?” Jackson asked. “That’s in the past.”

“The past defines the present and affects the future,” Nessa said.