Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) by Melanie D. Snitker Page B

several chairs at the far end of the table were still vacant. He had a seat and saw that Laurie placed her plate at the spot next to his before joining him. The healing scrapes on her palms were visible but she didn’t seem to favor them.
    Conversation floated around the table as several different subjects were discussed at the same time. Gideon didn’t stay in his seat long. He would take a bite of his hamburger bun, get down, and disappear into his bedroom, then come back in for another bite. It was something that Serenity had struggled with since he was big enough to get up and down from the table himself. She had tried everything she could to get him to sit still through a meal, but he truly was unable to do so.
    They finally figured out that, if she insisted he sit down, he ate little to none of his food. But when he was allowed to leave the table when overwhelmed, he would almost always come back for more a short time later. At least they got food into him that way. As Grams always said, you pick your battles.
    “This table is absolutely beautiful.” Laurie ran a hand lightly on the surface of the wood.
    Grams beamed at her. “Thank you! My husband crafted it himself, many years ago. He used walnut and it seemed like it took forever. A perfectionist, Nicholas. But it was worth the wait. It’s my favorite piece of furniture in this house.”
    “I can see why. Your husband must have been incredibly talented.” Laurie leaned over to catch a peek at the underside of the table. “Was he a carpenter?”
    “No, though he could have been. He was a farmer back in the day.” Grams set her fork down and used her hands to form a rectangle. “He made a few things as gifts for people, and he made each of our children a small box to put their treasures in. But this table was the largest piece of furniture he ever built.”
    At some point, Gideon had made his way around the table and was standing between Tuck and Laurie. “Hey, kiddo. What’s up?” Tuck placed a hand on his nephew’s back. Gideon looked at him and then turned his attention to Laurie’s plate.
    She had two extra slices of tomato sitting on it, and it was clear that was what he was focusing on. Laurie smiled at him and spoke softly. “Hi Gideon. I love tomatoes on my hamburger. Do you like tomatoes, too?” That earned her brief eye contact as his cocoa eyes sought hers before turning them back to her plate. “Why don’t you grab that extra napkin there and you can have these.”
    He met her eyes again briefly and looked at the napkin she talked about, but made no move pick it up. Laurie hesitated only a moment before she gently took his hand and helped him grasp the white paper. With a smile, she used a fork to pick the slices up and place them on the napkin. “There you go! Thank you for your help – I’m afraid I got way more food than I was going to be able to eat.”
    Gideon held the slices with both hands and carefully carried them around the table to the empty chair between his mom and Patty.
    Laurie took a sip of her iced tea. Tuck exchanged glances with Serenity and Grams. Their guest seemed oblivious to their share of information.
    When Tuck saw the moisture that had collected in his younger sister’s eyes, he knew she had come to the same realization that he had. In the small amount of time that Laurie had spent with Gideon, she had gained an understanding that few others had managed to do.
    They finished the meal and were cleaning up when Lexi grabbed Tuck by the arm and half dragged him into the living room and partway down the hall.
    Hands on her hips, she stared up at him. “You need to marry that woman.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Tuck was about to say something, but Lexi interrupted him. “Laurie is awesome! Did you see the way she interacted with Gideon?”
    He felt his mouth open in surprise and closed it again. He blinked at her, unable to formulate a complete sentence. Finally, he