Abide: A Christian Romance Novel (The Lewis Legacy Series, Book 7)

by JoAnn Durgin

  “Lauren, that might be too personal.” Caleb took a drink of his tea and darted a chastising glance at his daughter.

  “It’s okay. That’s a valid question deserving of an answer.” Caty stabbed a bite of tempura to stall for time while she considered the best way to answer. “He wanted things from me that I couldn’t give him.”

  Lauren’s jaw dropped. “He didn’t hit you or anything, did he?”

  “Nothing like that, Lauren. He just didn’t like it when I told him no.”

  “Oh, he wanted you to have sex with him.”

  Caty tried not to look shocked but didn’t succeed. On the other side of her, she heard Caleb’s deep sigh. With him so close, she felt the lift of those broad shoulders. Although he kept his voice low, she sensed his frustration. “Lauren, how do you even know these things?”

  “I have eyes and ears. People talk, and things are in the media all the time.”

  “That doesn’t mean you have to listen.” He sounded a bit testy. “Or read. Or pay attention. Take notes or whatever.”

  Lauren smirked. “I’m growing up. I’ve faced it, Dad, and you should, too. Wouldn’t you rather I be prepared for things like that?”

  Caty heard his low groan at that question. She turned to Caleb before her feelings of guilt could overtake her for bringing up the subject in the first place. “So, what do you think the chances are for the Astros to make it to the World Series this year?”

  The glance he shot her was filled with sweet gratitude and tugged on Caty’s heart. “Probably no better than any other year.”

  Caty grinned. “Ah, but we made it to the World Series in 2005, and ushered in the first-ever World Series game in Texas. We don’t need to talk about what happened, but it goes to show you that there’s always hope.”

  “That was also the longest game in World Series history, but I like your optimism.” Caleb toasted her with his water glass. “To baseball and…new friendships.” As he sipped his water, his eyes locked with hers.

  Caty was thankful for Caleb’s focus on things other than the corporation during their meal. He needed a break the same as everyone else did, and when he relaxed, he was an engaging conversationalist. Not that she was surprised, but he’d always seemed so serious.

  As a father, Caleb was clearly devoted to Lauren. Raising a child in a two-parent household was hard enough, but a man trying to do it alone with a precocious preteen daughter? That had to be one of the most difficult tasks of all.

  Lord, if there’s any way I can help him, please clue me in.

  Chapter 22

  “Thank you for lunch,” Caty said as they all exited the restaurant together. “It was very good, but the company and the funny stories you two shared were the best part.”

  Her compliment brought back his ready smile. She’d missed it during the last part of their meal. Even though Caleb carried his share of the conversation, he’d seemed somewhat subdued.

  “I’m glad we could go. Still want a piece of peach pie or do you need to hit the sub place in the next block?”

  “I think I’ll make it to dinner. Caleb, it’s my turn to apologize. I obviously wasn’t thinking when I brought up that story.”

  “No worries. If your story hadn’t triggered a remark like that, something else probably would have.” He rubbed a hand over his brow. “I warned you that Lauren’s twelve going on forty-five. I joke about it, but I’m afraid it’s painfully accurate.”

  “Kids that age say provocative things to get our attention.” Caty said. “She might be testing the waters with you to see how far she can push you. Not that I’m an expert, by any means.”

  “I think there’s a lot of truth in what you’re saying.” Caleb’s brow creased. “I’d like to keep her young and innocent for as long as possible. In today’s world—with phones and advanced technology—that seems like an impossible task. Even though I’ve installed parental controls, she still knows things that shock me.”

  “Unfortunately, all she has to do is turn on a television, a radio, or look at a magazine these days,” Caty said. “If she’s grounded, she’ll make the right choices.”

  He glanced her way. “I’m sorry that guy was such a jerk to you all those years ago. Sam sounds like a great big brother, and I’m glad he could be there.”

  “I was afraid to tell my mom and dad, but I did learn from that experience. It’s all part of growing up, I suppose.”

  Lauren darted here and there during the three-block walk and peeked in store windows. “Caty! Come over here and look at these cute shoes.”

  Caleb encouraged her to go with Lauren. “I’ll sit this one out.”

  “As you can tell, she’s getting very interested in fashion,” he said when Caty rejoined him. “Lauren understandably doesn’t want her father trailing along on a shopping trip although I come in handy to pay the bills.” He blew out a sigh. “I’m afraid I’ve overindulged her since her mother died.”

  Caty shook her head. “I don’t think that’s true. If you’d overindulged her, Lauren would be crying or begging for the shoes she’s looking at in that store window right now. Then you’d go inside the store and plop down your credit card so she could buy them. Do you know someone who might be able to take Lauren shopping?”

  Surely Caleb wouldn’t think she was fishing for information about his personal life. Well, maybe she did wonder a bit, but that wasn’t her primary motivation for asking.

  “Not really. The average age of the four closest women in my life is sixty—Lettie at the house, Cordelia in the office, and my mother and Helena’s mother in Dallas. Not that they don’t have a sense of style, especially the ladies in Dallas, but…”

  “I’d be happy to take Lauren shopping sometime,” Caty offered. “I used to take women and their daughters shopping as part of my ministry in Lubbock.” The shopping for the Montford Mission had been at a mix of discount clothing stores, consignment shops, and local charity thrift stores, but the theory was the same.

  Caleb stopped walking. “That means a lot that you’d be willing to do that, Caty. Not to be pushy, but would you have some time in the next week or two?”

  She nodded. “I’ll make time.”

  Caleb appeared relieved that Lauren was still preoccupied with her window shopping. “I had to pick her up at her school yesterday because she was caught smoking in the bathroom. Now she’s suspended until Monday.”

  “She told me.”

  “She did?” When he resumed walking, Caty fell into step beside him.

  “I’m glad she feels comfortable confiding in you. That’s not something she usually does with someone she doesn’t know well.” His smile emerged. “I shouldn’t be surprised since I feel the same way about you. I hope that’s not awkward for you because we work together.”

  “Not at all, and I wouldn’t offer to take her shopping if it did. I’m sure it’s not easy being a single parent, Caleb, and I like to believe we’re becoming friends.”

  “We are.” He lifted his arm but then lowered it, leaving Caty to wonder what he’d planned on doing with that arm. She liked how he’d phrased it as working together instead of making the distinction that he was her employer.

  “I’d like to pull Lauren out of her private academy, but I’m not sure where else I can send her.”

  “May I ask why?” Suspension seemed a logical and fair punishment for smoking on the school grounds.

  “It’s one of the best private schools in Houston and came highly recommended, but something’s missing.” They walked in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. “I guess the best way to describe it is that the atmosphere is oppressive. I didn’t meet any students, and Lauren says it’s not all that bad although the headmistress is rather…interesting. They’re subjecting Lauren to a drug test on Monday, and if she violates any other rules during her initial enrollment period, she’s out.”

  “I’m sorry, Caleb.” She could tell he wanted to say more.

  “Homeschooling is an option, but it�
��s not the best one for us. Lauren needs the social interaction with the other kids.”

  Caty hoped he wouldn’t be irritated by her next comment. “Not to sound like…well, like a snit, but rules are made for a purpose.”

  “I understand. Eliot and I discussed that the other night at dinner, as a matter of fact. My question was whether rules serve to confine us or whether they actually challenge us to be our best.”

  “I think the answer is both. Rules are made by men to keep order and peace just as God gave us His commandments,” Caty said quietly. “I don’t want to sound like I’m a know-it-all Christian, either. I’m not perfect in any sense of the word, and I definitely don’t have all the answers. Not by a long shot.”

  Stopping, Caleb turned to face her. “Your faith is part of who you are, Caty. A big part.” With a warm smile, he leaned close. “I get that, and I admire you for it.” He chuckled. “If it helps, I know you’re not perfect.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. Now I can relax. Were you a troublemaker in school?” Tossing him a grin, Caty increased her steps and forced him to catch up to her. With his long strides, it only took a few steps. Lauren kept pace with them, still peering in shop windows, but Caty suspected the little matchmaker had made herself scarce for their benefit.

  “I guess you could say that.” Caleb pushed his Stetson farther back on his head and then shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I initiated and participated in more than my fair share of stupid pranks.”

  Caty mock gasped and moved one hand to her cheek. “Were you a bad boy, Abernathy?”

  “The answer depends on your definition of bad. I never did anything that created lasting physical or emotional damage. It was more about getting together with my friends and making mischief. Nothing to do with loving and leaving the girls if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  One hand moved to her hip. “Now you’re telling me what I’m thinking?”

  The corners of his mouth quirked. “I guess I am. Sorry.”

  “No problem. I’m only teasing you,” she said. “Did you go to a private school like Lauren?”

  “Not at all. My mom, Jennifer, couldn’t have afforded it. Not that I cared. I didn’t know anything about private school, didn’t know anyone who went to one. My dad—his name was Charles—left us when I was ten. I think partly because I saw how hard my mom had to work to provide for us, I had these grand dreams of working in the oil industry one day.”

  “Because you wanted to take care of her one day like she’d taken care of you?”

  Caleb nodded. “Exactly. I also wanted to show her that not all guys would run off and abandon her. She didn’t deserve that. No one does. He didn’t go off with some other woman, and he didn’t have substance abuse issues, nothing like that. He just decided he didn’t want to be married anymore.”

  “That’s tough. I’m sorry,” Caty said.

  “As weird as this might sound, I think Mom would have preferred it if he had left her for someone else. That way, she’d have an answer. Something definitive instead of the unknown. He got his CDL license and spent the rest of his days driving frozen foods cross-country in a semi with a big dog on the seat beside him. We heard that from a guy back home who ran into him in a truck stop diner a couple of years after he took off.”

  Caleb’s voice had grown quiet and a frown creased his brow. “He never bothered to contact us again. We heard from a family friend that he died of cancer three years ago. I don’t even know where he’s buried except that it’s somewhere in West Texas.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “For all I know, he was cremated and his ashes scattered along the highway.”

  Caty’s heart hurt for Caleb and Lauren. Not knowing what else to do, she reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. She sensed he needed that connection. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sure that carries its own kind of pain.”

  He removed his Stetson and held it in one hand. “As selfish as this sounds, I hope he somehow knew that I was able to eventually make a good life for mom. Not to stick it to him, as some would say, but to prove that I didn’t allow his influence to negatively affect my life. To prove that I was able to make something of myself without any help from him. And to prove that, at least in some respects, I was a better man.”

  Caleb glanced into the distance and his Adam’s apple slid up and down in his throat. “What a pitiful waste of a life, you know? He walked away from and threw away the relationships he could have had with a wife who loved him and a son who wanted nothing more than to adore him.” Scuffing his boot on the sidewalk, Caleb’s voice caught and his gaze temporarily strayed from Lauren. Up until that point, his gaze had never veered away from his daughter.

  He cleared his throat and focused on Lauren once more. “He never met Helena, and he had a granddaughter he either never knew about or never cared to know.”

  Squeezing his hand, Caty waited until he looked at her again. How true it was that no one knew what sadness lurked in someone’s soul. Caleb had been through so much. “Not to sound flippant or to make light of it, but I’ll be happy to loan you my dad sometime. I happen to think he’s a pretty awesome guy.”

  Caleb studied her for a long moment without speaking. “Does he fly model airplanes?”

  Caty smiled. “He used to fly jets in the Air Force, so I’m feel pretty confident you could talk him into flying a model airplane. Want me to ask him?”

  A slow-moving smile creased Caleb’s handsome face. “I might ask him myself. When I give him a tour of my baseball collection.” He glanced down at their joined hands with obvious surprise as if he didn’t remember when that had happened.

  Suddenly self-conscious, Caty slowly withdrew her hand. Please continue your story.”

  “One of my high school teachers saw potential in me, and he recommended that I apply to Princeton,” he told her. “In my mind, I didn’t have a prayer. To be honest, I did it on a dare from a friend. Turns out Princeton looked at my grades and figured I might be a worthwhile risk. When I looked at their catalog, I liked what I saw and thought it would give me a solid business background.”

  Caleb lifted his shoulders with a boyish grin. “You’d think I would have gone to UT, but something about the Ivy League appealed to me. My mom was so proud, and I knew it meant something to her that I go there, too.”

  “I think you like doing things others don’t expect,” she said.

  He smiled, and the faint lines around his eyes showed. “And I think you know me pretty well. Anyway, Princeton offered me a decent scholarship, but my mom still had to scrimp and save to pay the incidentals. I worked in construction all through high school, in the summers during college, and then into graduate school to help out with the expenses. By God’s grace, I was able to get it all done in five years and with only a small amount of debt, a minor miracle in itself.”

  Caleb’s steps slowed again. Caty didn’t want their time together to end and wondered if he felt the same way. This felt like more like a first date—the getting to know you better part shared in the beginning of a relationship—than an office lunch with her boss. Instead of making it more impersonal, Lauren’s presence had somehow made their time together even more special.

  The office building loomed ahead in the next block. Running ahead of them, Lauren checked out a purse boutique. It was the last shop before they’d cross the street and then head into the building.

  “My parents sent me to public school,” Caty said. “I used to think if they knew half of what I heard or saw there, especially in high school, they would have yanked me out so fast my head would spin.”

  “Did you ever tell them?”

  “Yes, but not until I was at Wheaton College.” She smiled. “I wasn’t really surprised to learn they’d sent me to public schools on purpose. Even in the small hometown where they grew up, Mom told me those same things went on. Private schools aren’t immune or isolated from any of it, either.”

  “I doubt any school is immune,” Caleb said. “I�
�m sure your parents trained you well, and they trusted you’d make good decisions. My mom did the same thing. I made a lot of mistakes, but I tried to hold true to the values she’d taught me. Didn’t always work out so well, but I eventually came around.”

  “From what I can tell, you turned out pretty well.” Her compliment prompted another smile from Caleb. She was quickly growing accustomed to his smile. “I remember my dad telling me that time and place doesn’t matter. Sin has existed since Adam and Eve. It’s part of life and always will be. I remember he said, ‘Most people are going to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and with whomever they want. But you have the Lord in your heart, Caty. Follow His lead and He’ll never steer you wrong.’”

  “Wise advice. Your life has been blessed, but you don’t take it for granted, Caty. I admire that.”

  Caleb called for Lauren, and together they crossed the street and entered the building. With a number of other occupants in the elevator, it was a quiet ride up to the 35th floor.

  As soon as they walked into the Belac reception area, Suma’s surprise was almost comical as her gaze bounced between the three of them.

  Caty stepped up to the desk. “Mr. Reid, have you met Suma?” Did she have a last name?

  “I haven’t had the pleasure.” Caleb moved forward and offered his hand. “Caleb Reid. This is my daughter, Lauren.”

  Lauren asked to see Suma’s nails and then gushed over them, generating a rare smile from the quiet woman.

  “Thank you again,” Caty said quietly. “I had a wonderful time.” Something about saying that made it seem like the end of a date. At least she wouldn’t need to worry about the old will he try to kiss me? dilemma. With a parting smile, Caty headed for her office.

  “Hold up a second,” Caleb called after her. “It was very nice meeting you, Suma.”

  “Did you see that telephone board thing?” Lauren caught up to them. “With all those lights and beeps going off, it must be hard to keep everything straight.”

  “I know I couldn’t work the switchboard,” Caty said. “I’ll stick to numbers. They’re much less complicated.”