A Simple Act of Charity

"There's no one else I'd want to start that future with than you."

"Then kiss me. And don't stop until the sun rises," said Jenna coyly.

Austin eagerly pressed his lips to hers. It was a request he was only too happy to fulfill.

EPILOGUE—16 YEARS LATER

"Dad, why are we doing this again?"

Austin laughed and looked at his son, Ben. "Because it's the neighborly thing to do."

"But can't other people help out with this kind of thing? Just because we can do it doesn't mean we have to, right?"

Austin grabbed two shovels and handed one off to his son. "Wrong. Just because we can do it is all the more reason we need to. Old Mrs. Hess would surely appreciate us doing this for her. Besides, it's not like I don't know you have a thing for her granddaughter."

Ben went red in the face. "No, I don't," he said quickly with not nearly enough subtlety.

"Mm-hmm," muttered Austin with a knowing look. It wasn't too often that he wasn't able to see through most of his son's words. Now being one of them. "Come on, get your boots on."

Father and son finished getting ready and then stepped out the front door into the neighborhood. It was a cold February afternoon and a heavy layer of snow had just fallen. Their own driveway had already been cleared, but across the street, their neighbor Mrs. Hess still looked completely untouched.

Austin and his son quickly crossed the street and began to get to work. Luckily, the driveway wasn't big enough for it to be too much work for two men, and they were able to clear it in just a short amount of time. Austin grabbed a handful of salt from the bag Mrs. Hess left outside and scattered it around the driveway. That's when they heard the knock on the glass.

Turning around, they saw a teenage girl with blonde hair peering out the window. She waved to them, or rather, waved more so to Ben than anyone else. Austin watched his son turn red once again before he gave his own awkward wave back.

Once the girl had turned away from the window, Austin put his hand on his son's shoulder. "See what I mean? Now you have an in. You have a reason to talk with her now."

"That's what you think," said Ben sullenly. "All we did was clear off her driveway. There's no way she'd agree to go to the spring formal with me."

"You'll never know if you don't ask. And it looked to me like she was pretty happy to see you. I know the type of smile she gave you," said Austin as he nudged his son. "I think she likes you."

Ben looked up at his father. "Do you really think so? No jokes, right?"

He playfully rustled Ben's hair. "I do. Girls like the type of guy that can be handy. I'd say you should give it a shot."

"Maybe," grumbled Ben as they turned to go back to their house. "I'll think about it."

"Maybe you should ask Grandpa Robert about it. He'll have some stories to tell you for sure. Or maybe even your mother," said Austin as he nodded to their house. Ben looked up to find his mother on the front porch, waiting for them to get back.

"What do you think, mom? Should I ask out Beth Hess from across the street?"

Jenna smiled at her son. "You're off to a good start by doing this. That reminds me of a story by the way." She hugged her son before turning her affections to his father. Taking her husband in her arms, Jenna gave him a long, deep kiss.

Austin started to laugh. "You're not going to tell the whole story, right?"

It was Jenna's turn to blush. "Not thewhole story," she confirmed before giving him a wink. "Besides, you never know what can start from a simple act of charity."