"Okay, okay. You've had your fun. Let's start again," Peter called out.

"Places. Places," Susan called as if she were the director.

"Like we really need you to tell us what to do," Wayne said as he pa.s.sed her.

Carrie watched the other young people interact with friendly horsing around as they took their places behind stage. Everyone seemed to get along except for Susan.

"I'm only trying to help. That's more than I can say for some people," Susan said pointedly.

As Carrie watched her, she developed an uneasy feeling. The others didn't seem to enjoy Susan's partic.i.p.ation, just to tolerate it. Now that she thought about it, she realized that she shadowed Peter in whatever he was doing and spoke up on every point, always agreeing with him.

"You might as well be his Siamese twin," another boy said under his breath. Sure they hadn't meant her to hear, Carrie frowned at the laughter that followed. They could only mean Peter was the other twin. She saw the hurt and angry look on Susan's face.

Carrie decided to stick around after the rehearsal and speak to Peter about it. He didn't give the impression that he'd noticed anything out of the ordinary, and she wanted him to be aware of the potential for a problem there.

She did not, however, want to explore her feeling of urgency in her concern for him except to decide she was acting as she would for any new friend.

Her chair was a little behind as well as to the side of Peter's as they watched the last run-through. As she watched she wanted to give the kids some hints, but felt hesitant.

Peter leaned back on his chair and turned to her several minutes into the show and smiled. "What do you think?" he whispered.

"Hmmm. Can I make a suggestion?"

"Sure. That's what you're here for."

Carrie took a deep breath and rose to step closer to the stage. "Stop! But don't anybody move," she called quickly so the puppets would remain where they were. She peered over the front of the puppet stage at the kids kneeling behind it. She grabbed at one hand puppet that started to sink. "Don't move. Look at your puppets."

"And?"

"What for?" the puppeteers asked.

"Is your puppet standing up straight? If your character is a tall man is his head higher than the other puppets in the scene? If your puppet is on an angle like this one," she said, squeezing the hand inside a drooping puppet, "is this puppet supposed to be bending over?"

"My arm's getting tired," Susan complained. "Why'd you have to stop us anyway? We already know the puppets are supposed to be up straight. We don't need you to tell us," she added with contempt.

"Then pick it up from here and show us," Peter suggested gently from his seat.

Carrie frowned as she returned to her seat. The puppeteers decided what line to begin on and the play resumed.

Carrie and Peter each stopped the action again later. Susan agreed with all Peter's comments and complained that Carrie just did not understand how the youth group did things.

After a final curtain call prompted by Carrie and Peter's standing ovation, the kids poured out from behind the stage to put the puppets all away in the big cardboard box.

"Great job. Great job," Peter shouted over all their conversations going at once. "Gather around. I have a surprise for you."

The young people loped over and with the normal amount of pushing and grousing, finally settled down enough to listen to him. As Carrie had expected from her previous behavior, Susan stood attentively at his side.

Watching from beside the stage, Carrie did not have a clue of what he was about to say. She waited to hear along with the others.

"What would you guys say to a dress rehearsal tomorrow afternoon in front of a bigger live audience?"

Both cheers and groans greeted his question. "What do you mean?" the kids asked. "Who'd want to see us now?"

"Thanks to Carolyn's help," he said as he turned and smiled at her. "You've come a long way today."

The kids cheered and clapped. Carrie laughed and took a very dramatic and deep theatrical bow with one hand at the front of her waist and the other extended out to her side. Everyone laughed more. Everyone but Susan.

"Here's the deal. Reverend Hoag called me yesterday on behalf of the Sunville Nursing Home," Peter announced.

Carrie gasped. Her head jerked in his direction. She hoped she hadn't heard him right.

"I bragged to him over a month ago that you would have something ready to perform about now. What do you think? Are you up for a trial-run show tomorrow afternoon at the nursing home?"

Carrie's legs weakened, and she sank in to her folding chair. He couldn't mean at the Sunville nursing home. She couldn't go there again... not ever.

The room was a buzz with conversations. Almost everyone had something different to say. "Do you really think we could do it?" Wayne asked.

"Aren't you jumping the gun on this?" Marc wanted to know.

"If you ask me, I think the show in front of a real audience would be great," Susan said.

"Carrie, what about you?" Peter asked. "We'll need you there to help."

Carrie dragged in a ragged breath and rose to stand beside Peter as she gathered her strength to speak to the cast. "I... I don't know what help I could give, but I think you'll give them a good performance. At the same time, you'll learn what the audience reactions will mean to your timing. You'll see where you have to pause for laughs."

"Carolyn's right," Peter agreed easily. He casually put his arm around her waist and gave her a little squeeze. Carrie could tell he'd guessed she was upset about something. Just as quickly he dropped his arm and went on talking to the kids.

She folded her arms across each other at her waist. Even holding her sides in that position, she could not duplicate the feeling that had skittered up and down her spine when Peter hugged her. What was it about him that he could do that? She figured it was useless to hope it was static electricity.

If he could pick up that she was upset, though, she worried the kids would. She tried for a neutral expression on her face.

"So, what do you say? Is it a go?" Peter asked.

"Carolyn will be there too, won't she?" Marc asked, holding up his hands to show his fingers crossed for good luck. "We need her backstage to give us our lines if we forget."

I can't go to that nursing home ever again, she wanted to say. "You will be fine without me," she said instead. She saw disappointment replace the hopeful look on most of the faces as the kids vocalized their objections. Could she manage to go there? "Well, I guess I can come as long as Bette doesn't mind staying with my grandmother again," Carrie said instead. "I'll have to wait and see."

"She won't mind. She's over there all the time," Marc a.s.sured her.

"You can't miss her when she walks down the block," the new boy said. "I've only lived here a few months, and I know who she is already."

The kids laughed.

"She's doing us a big favor," Peter reminded them.

"Yeah, we should write her a thank you note," Susan suggested eagerly.

"Good idea," Peter told her.

Susan beamed with his approval of her plan. "I'll write the note myself, if you'd like. My mom has some cards with 'thank you' on the front."

"That would be great," Peter told her.

"You're not his secretary, runt," Wayne told Susan.

Amidst the grousing from the boys about Susan playing up to Peter again, Carrie frowned. She didn't

say anything, but she felt that Peter should. Instead, he set up the time to meet for the performance the following afternoon. "Everyone will have time to go home and eat after church, but be back by two to help pack the stage and puppets into the cars to go to the nursing home," he told them. "We'll need another car. Marc, do you think your Mom would let you drive?" "Sure." "My mom can't drive because she has to work tomorrow," Wayne admitted. "She's always working." "That's okay. What about the rest of you?" "Susan, could your father drive?" "He doesn't live with us," Susan mumbled sullenly. Carrie couldn't catch the boy's response, but Susan's lower lip jutted out, and she turned away from him in a huff. "Carolyn, could you drive?" Peter asked. "Carolyn?" he prompted when she didn't respond right away. "What?" she asked. "Oh, I can drive, but I can only take a couple of pa.s.sengers in my small car." "That's all we'll need. That's it then. See you all in church in the morning." "I'll help you put everything away, Peter," Susan offered, using his first name as he encouraged all the kids to. "Kind of you to offer, Susan, but I can do it," Carrie said suddenly before Peter could respond. "I have to talk to Peter about something else, so I'll be staying for a few minutes. I don't mind helping pick up while we talk." Susan threw all her weight onto one foot and raised her hands to her hips. She appeared even less happy when the newest boy in the group spoke up. "Do you really think he wants your help when a beautiful mature woman is willing to help him, Squirt?" Susan spun around and glared at him. "Don't call me that, creep!" She stomped off with heavy steps that turned into a run before she reached the door.

Apparently used to such scenes, the others followed at a slower pace. "You'd think she'd take the hint," one grumbled. "See you all tomorrow morning," Peter called after them without commenting on the boys' statements.

Chapter Seven.

"Well, maybe miracles can still happen in church bas.e.m.e.nts, and they'll do a bang up job," Carrie said after they left. She packed away the puppets in a straighter fashion than the kids had left them. No sense wrinkling all the little costumes. The characters didn't have to look like they'd slept in them.

Peter switched off the lights they used to illuminate the stage, leaving only the bright sunlight streaming through the high bank of windows. "I know miracles can and do happen in church bas.e.m.e.nts, but I'm not so sure about how they'll do with the puppet show," he responded with a chuckle and a jerk of his thumb in the direction of the door through which the kids had left.

A smile tempted the corners of Carrie's mouth. It was amazing how concentrating on someone else's problems could take her focus off her own. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, folding up his chair and stacking it in the long rack with others.

"I... I wanted to talk to you about something that may be none of my business, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to mention it. And it might be important."

"Is something wrong?" he asked, straightening.

She had apparently aroused his concern because Peter turned to look back over at her. "Peter, it's Susan."

"Aaargh. Here I thought something was wrong."

"Peter, I think something is wrong," Carrie insisted. "Susan practically hangs on you every minute you're within sight."

"You're not telling me this because your jealous, are you?" he asked dramatically with his hand over his

heart. Teasing right back, she raised her hands palms out, rolled her eyes up, and groaned. He snapped his fingers as his arm swept downward. "Nuts." "Seriously, Peter, I don't know her home life, but she's obviously looking to you for attention and maybe affection that she's starved for." Peter walked over to her, but stopped a foot short. "Very perceptive. There's no male figure in her family life. I think she's picked me as the subst.i.tute."

"A tall, good-looking man like you is an obvious choice," she said quickly and then felt the heat rise into her cheeks for having told him what she thought without thinking.

"Good-looking, huh?" he asked with a grin.

She couldn't help but laugh as she spoke. "You can quit fishing for compliments. That's all you're getting from me."

Peter smiled as he picked up the last chair and dropped it in the rack without speaking.

"The other teens in the group ride her about her crush on you. I know you're aware of it. I hope I haven't overstepped my bounds by mentioning it, but I'm concerned."

He nodded and sighed. "I was sort of hoping that if I ignored it and treated her the same as I do everyone else, her feelings would dissipate."

In the short time Carrie had known Peter, she could tell his basic instinct was to help people, to reach out to them when they were in need.

"Maybe you're right, Peter. You're the expert here, but I believe you should make sure you don't find yourself alone with her anywhere away from the other kids. The papers are full of stories of weird things people of all ages do. She has already lashed out verbally at anyone who is at cross purposes with her." He nodded. "It's sad, but I think you're probably right. I'll have to keep a more attentive eye on her."

He stepped over to the stage. "You know, this situation only points out another advantage of having you here with me to help the kids, too. How about helping us on a regular basis?"

"Have you forgotten? I won't be here much longer," she said softly.

"Yeah. I do keep forgetting and I shouldn't." He sighed and closed the puppet box.

For a split second, she wondered what it would have been like to work with Peter. She'd never met anyone like him before.

"Carolyn, can you get that end so we don't scratch the floor?"

"What? Oh, sure." She ducked her head to hide the warmth that crept up her cheeks with thoughts of him as they carried the box of puppets behind the stage and pushed it against the wall. She was glad he couldn't read her mind.

"You know, I'm disappointed," he announced casually. "I was hoping you wanted to stay after rehearsal to ask me out on a date."

Carrie felt the heat increasing in her cheeks. Forgetting about hiding it, she looked at Peter only to find him grinning broadly. He was teasing her again. "Don't you wish," she answered in like tone.

Her comment earned his chuckle. He walked over to stand facing her. "And if I asked you out for a date, Carolyn, would you go with me?"

She looked away and took a few steps toward the door. "Peter," she said hesitantly. She took a deep breath and looked out at the broad expanse of lawn behind the church. "I... I don't think that would be a good idea." She turned back to him. "Not that I wouldn't enjoy being with you," she added quickly, shaking her head. "I obviously do. But I'll be leaving this town as soon as I can and I..." She shrugged and left her thoughts hanging in the air.

Did she want to go out with him? Yes. But would she? Carrie didn't see how she could and still be fair to either one of them. She had a feeling that Peter wasn't into casual dating. She wouldn't encourage him, not even a little bit.

They walked out the lower-level door onto the back lawn where Peter stopped. "I'd like to walk you home so we could talk some more, but I've got to lock up and go home to practice my sermon." He sighed. "The kids aren't the only ones who have to rehea.r.s.e on Sat.u.r.days."

Carrie smiled and considered how much he did for the church. "You put in a lot of time, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I do, but it goes with the job. And I love it."

"Would it be easier in a bigger church where you could have an a.s.sistant pastor to help?"

"No, I wouldn't want that. I love living in Sunville. Ever since I was a kid growing up with nothing but cement to play on, I knew I wanted to live in a small town like this one. I figured out that I wanted to go to seminary, and when I got the call here, I knew G.o.d was steering me toward Sunville. I think I'm here for a reason. I truly love it here."

Carrie shook her head. "And all I want to do is get away," she admitted. "This town holds too many bad memories."