“To tell you the truth, it seemed like the most natural thing to invite her into the house, and as soon as she stepped in, we gave each other a big hug!”

Then Carolyn told Mitch as much as she could about the beautiful woman who had simply stepped into her life unannounced and had somehow relieved so much of her grief with the things she said and the way she said them. Carolyn told Mitch a few of the things Joanna couldn’t possibly have known unless she had some ability that went far beyond the rest of them.

“And, you know, even when she was telling me that she had been sent by God to help us, it seemed so normal and natural. I have to admit that I feel better than I have since Danny killed Rachel and Evan.”

And there it was. She had said it out loud and it hadn’t hurt her. She felt a little stronger for it.

Mitch also took note of the fact that Carolyn hadn’t used a euphemism, and that she seemed filled with joy rather than misery. He was thrilled to have his wife back, and if this woman could do that, he would be eternally grateful. He wanted to accept that this Joanna person was the real deal, but, despite his experience earlier in the day, he wasn’t convinced.

“Well, I’d really like to meet Joanna. If she is who she says she is, she’ll be able to explain a lot about what Danny did and why he did it.”

“That’s what we’re going to do tomorrow.”

“Okay, then I’ll get on the red-eye tomorrow night and meet you at Hopkins in the morning.”

“Okay, honey. Oh, and I forgot to mention what Joanna said I needed to tell you.”

“Yeah, what’s that?” Mitch steeled himself for some prosaic, feel-good slogan like “stop and smell the roses,” or “God will be there just in the moment you need Him.” The old Mitch was trying hard to make a comeback, but was dealt a serious blow.

“She said to tell you the butterfly thinks you have beautiful eyes.”

CHAPTER 16

An Open Heart

Let us forgive each other,
only then will we live in peace.
—Tolstoy

CAROLYN DROVE TO Hopkins to pick up Mitch, and then they headed straight to downtown Cleveland for their meeting with Joanna. They were thrilled to see each other. Somehow it felt a bit like they were on a first date because each had undergone such a dramatic emotional shift. Because she had already met Joanna, Carolyn had some idea of what to expect, but despite the fact Mitch remained in the sway of his transformative moment in Portland, his protective nature caused him to worry that perhaps Joanna was just a well-intentioned kook, or worse.