“Are you behind in your other subjects?”
“No, I’m catching up. I had to stop doing my math homework first and do it last. I get done quicker with those subjects, but I can’t catch up on math.”
“Dyslexia can affect children in different areas. It could be just math that you need help with. I have no training to teach you, but I’ll work with you until someone at the school is assigned to you.”
Laying the paper on the desk, he started working the first problem on the sheet, showing her how he got the answer.
“You can try to do the next one by yourself.”
Concentrating on the numbers in the problem, she worked on the problem the way the pastor had shown her. When she looked up, she saw him frowning again.
“What did I do wrong?”
“I don’t understand. I don’t think you are dyslexic. There’s nothing wrong with the way you worked this one.” Taking one of the already checked homework sheets, he pointed to a problem on it. “This is the same problem here. You switched the nine and six, and you switched the second and third steps. Did your teacher show you how to work the problem this way?”
“No, the teacher didn’t show me how to work it. She just put the number of the handout for us to work on.”
“Then how did you learn how to do it?”
“I learned how to do problems like this when my dad homeschooled me. Dad wasn’t good at math, so he had Silas teach us. He’s really smart,” she bragged about her brother despite still being mad at him.
The pastor stared at her thoughtfully before pointing to another problem. “Work this problem the way I showed you, not the way Silas taught you.”
Focusing on the problem, she worked on it the way Pastor Dean had shown her. When she finished, she slid the paper back to him.
“Ginny …?”
“Yes, Pastor?”
“You’re not stupid. In fact, I think you’re smarter than you and your teacher give you credit for.”
“You think so?” His compliment was the first ray of sunshine she had felt since her dad and Leah died.
“Yes, I do. I’ll talk to Mrs. West when I call her after we’re finished and ask her permission for me to stop by the school tomorrow and come up with a plan to catch you up with your classmates.”
The ray of sunshine spread to her eyes. “You’d do that for me?”
“I will on one condition.”
She didn’t care what he wanted as long as it got Lisa and her teacher off her back. If the teacher kept calling Lisa to complain, she would call social services on her brothers. She was miserable enough without worrying about them being just as miserable if they were taken away from Silas.
“Anything,” she promised fervently.
“Good. Then I expect to see you in church this Sunday.”
Chapter Fourteen
“She’s on her way.”
Ginny nodded as she zipped up her backpack. “Thank you.” Rising to her feet, she slung her backpack onto her shoulder. “I’ll wait by the door.”
“Stay by the door. I have to get changed. A parishioner is in the hospital, and they texted me, asking me to come. I’ll keep you company until she gets here if you’re still here when I’m finished changing.”
Instead of moving away, she stood, looking at the pastor and trying to find the right way to thank him for showing her that she wasn’t as stupid as everyone thought she was without making herself seem lame. Coming up blank, she gave up, going to the door.
“You’re welcome.”
Flushing that her pastor understood what she had been trying to say, Ginny hurried to the front door. The last thing she wanted to do was keep Lisa waiting.
She had been on pins and needles about keeping her happy since their talk. She had blown it this afternoon, and she was terrified about what she would do if she made her angry twice in the same day. The strange thing was that Lisa hadn’t seemed upset. She seemed in a good mood when she had dropped her off while texting someone on her phone.
The parking lot remained still as she practically pressed her face against the door to look out. The silence in the church was eerie. The dim lighting left areas in the church encased in shadows, creating an otherworldly effect that had her shivering at the sudden wave of cold air that hit her, sending goose bumps up her arms.
Swallowing down a lump of fear, Ginny froze, feeling silly to be afraid in a church. Then, hearing a sound from the front of the church, she spun around.
Her heart nearly stopped when she saw a shadow pass in front of the cross. She placed her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming in terror. Frightened, she wanted to run to the pastor’s office to lock herself inside. However, incomprehensibly, she didn’t. Instead, she took a step forward, walking up the aisle toward the pulpit.