Elm Creek: A Readymade Family, Volume 2

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SEVEN

The next two days flew past and Saturday arrived. That morning after breakfast, Charity helped her mother clean up the house for the expected guests—which wasn’t fun at all—while her father went to buy what they’d need for the food. By nine o’clock, the house was spick and span to Serenity’s satisfaction, and Charity was sent to shower and change.

When Charity emerged from her bedroom half an hour later, attired in a dress instead of her usual T-shirt and blue jeans, Jake and David had already arrived with their parents. While Serenity and Charlotte were in the kitchen, Moses was in the yard with their father, and the two boys were in the den putting together a jigsaw puzzle one of them must have brought along.

“Hey, Charity,” David said when she joined them.

“Hi, Charity,” Jake greeted her. “Come help us. This is a really hard puzzle.”

Obliging, she sank to her knees next to Jake. “How many pieces?”

“Five hundred,” he said with a wince. “It’s David’s. It’s going to take us all day to fix it.”

“It’ll be fun,” David said.

Charity picked up the cover of the box to identify the picture they were supposed to be making. A pretty picture of a sky filled with colorful hot-air balloons was on it. Setting it aside, she studied the pieces David and Jake had spread out.

After some thought, she noticed some pieces that looked like they belonged together. She picked them up and placed them in front of her to connect them.

Several minutes later, while Charity, Jake, and David were immersed in putting the puzzle together, Missy and James arrived with their parents and sisters.

“A puzzle!” Missy said. “Can I help?”

“Sure,” David agreed.

James joined as well.

Even though both Rachel and Stephanie stood by to watch, neither joined. Eventually, the two girls wandered outside to join the adults, leaving them alone.

“Matt and Trisha haven’t come yet?” Missy asked, picking up a puzzle piece.

Jake shook his head. “Nope.”

“Do you think they will?”

“They said they would,” Charity reminded her.

Not much later, Moses’ voice interrupted them. “Charity, your friends are here.”

Charity turned to discover Matt and Trisha with her father. Unlike her and Missy, Trisha was in a T-shirt and jeans, as was Matt. Smiling, she jumped up to greet them, followed by Jake and Missy. “You came. Want to help us put together David’s puzzle?”

“Sure,” Matt agreed.

Trisha looked between Charity and Missy. “Was I supposed to dress up?”

“I don’t think it matters,” Charity said. “Mommy just likes me to wear a dress for our gatherings.”

“I like to dress up,” Missy said. “But the boys don’t.” She waved a hand toward James and David. Then she tugged on her hand. “Come and help us put together the puzzle.”

As Trisha wandered away with Missy, Matt followed Jake and Charity. She sat back down in her original spot with Jake beside her and Matt took her other side.

Matt pointed to the connected pieces in front of her. “Did you do those?”

She nodded. “Yeah. It’s a really hard puzzle. It’s got five hundred pieces.”