“It’s fine. I’m kidding.”
Orlando jumped up and then sweetly put his head on her lap.
“That dog loves you.”
“I don’t know. Jericho says that there is this thing with injured dogs, where they go to the person who makes them feel the safest.” Harley ran her fingers through his soft black hair. “In my case, that would be Jericho. So I don’t know what Orlando’s problem is.”
“Dogs are smart. They can sense fear.”
“Then this one has his sniffer off. Although, he was dead-on today while looking for my nephew.”
“I didn’t know you had a nephew.” Kennedy had closed her book.
“Yeah, me either. It’s a long story. But ... anyway...” She picked up the dog’s snout, met his eyes. “You did good today, O-dog.”
He gave her a kiss on the chin, and his tail thumped.
“Maybe you just smell good,” Kennedy said.
“That’s it. Call me Bella.”
Kennedy frowned.
“Twilight. Edward. Never mind. What are you reading?”
Kennedy held up the thick book. “A Bible just for grieving women. Pastor Neil’s wife, Sarah, gave it to me. Supposed to help, I guess.”
“And?”
“It is. It does.” She opened the book up. “Actually, I’ve just been reading the Psalms. Trying to get into the mindset of hope.”
Harley took a sip of cocoa. So good.
“David is such a poet and, despite his sorrow and fear, healways remembers that God is in charge. I guess I need to remember that too.”
Harley drew in a breath, the words with Jericho rounding back to her.“I’m scared too!”
Where they came from, she didn’t know, but frankly ... yes.
Most of the time, yes, she woke up afraid.
Kennedy’s gaze had settled on her.
“What?”
“Just thinking, you know ... how hope changes everything. I think that’s why David kept writing about it over and over.”
Harley frowned.
“There was this study done about words. Like, life and love and light ... positive words. A researcher took a bottle of water and said nice things to it.”
“Like what kind of nice things?”
“I don’t know. ‘I love you,’ ‘you’re pretty,’ ‘don’t be afraid, you’re safe’?”
Harley nodded. “Okay...”
“And then he said mean things to a different bottle of water.”