Secrets of the Heart

by Kelsey MacBride

  “It’s that true. Mr. Robbins, he’s a good man.” Heather sensed the conviction in Linda’s voice.

  “I think I’ll go unpack some more things until Evelyn wakes up. I noticed her schedule has her napping for about an hour before lunch.”

  “Yes, she can be cranky, especially after her chemo.” Linda chuckled.

  “Then I’ll see you at lunch.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Heather gave her a parting smile as she veered off down the hall to her bedroom.

  She spent some time flipping through her burgundy leather journal which recorded her dreams of fantasy trips and places in the world she wanted to visit. She envied Michael’s ability to travel all over the world and wondered if he had purchased the bronze statues while on a business or vacation trip to France. She could still remember the day she was walking home from high school, stopping by the window of a local travel agency to glance at photos of Paris, one of the most romantic destinations in the world. Images of the Eiffel Tower, the countryside, and the French Riviera captured her heart, and since then, Heather knew that someday she would visit the beautiful country.

  She only hoped it would be before she became Janet’s age, too old to travel. That was one of the main reasons why she had applied for a nursing abroad program there. But Heather knew better than to get her hopes too high. Competition was fierce for the opportunity, and her name had already been on a waiting list for months with no update from the agency.

  She closed her journal and placed it into her nightstand before organizing her nursing books on top of the desk next to her bed. Heather spotted the Bible Janet had given her lying at the edge of her bed and decided to read a short passage before lunch. She whispered a short prayer, asking God to bless her with a verse for the day and started reading wherever she opened it to. This morning, she landed on 1 Peter 5:7.

  “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”

  Heather couldn’t think of a better passage to describe how Michael must have felt. He was a very private man, one that that carried a heavy burden. She could see the heart-wrenching pain he suffered whenever he spoke about Carla and Evelyn. But yet she couldn’t understand how he could refuse to embrace the love that God offered him. Heather wished there was something she could do to help him. Not because of the way he made her feel euphoric whenever she was around him, but because she could see how deeply wounded he was.

  Maybe it had something to do with her natural tendency as a nurse to minister to those in need. She wanted him see that God was standing outside the door to his heart, waiting to comfort him. That he wasn’t alone in his struggles. She said a short prayer for him and hoped that the Holy Spirit would soften his heart.

  When she had finished her prayer, Heather glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was time for Evelyn to wake up for lunch, and she hoped the girl felt better after her nap. She did a quick hair check in her mirror before heading back to Evelyn’s room.

  Evelyn was still asleep when Heather slipped into the room. As she surveyed the girl’s bedroom, it dawned on her how immaculate the room was. It was something she had missed during their previous painting session. All her toys were neatly organized into separate containers, and the floor was free of clutter. Underneath her calloused demeanor, Evelyn recognized a responsible and sensitive girl much like she was growing up. She sat down in the rocking chair next to the bed and studied the peaceful expression on Evelyn’s face.

  There was something about the way Evelyn lay curled up in a ball that caused Heather to feel a pain in her gut, reminding her of a painful time growing up. She closed her eyes and slowly rocked the chair as childhood memories began to flood her consciousness.

  Chapter 10

  She remembered the day had been cold, gray and windy. She snaked a wool scarf tighter around her neck as the force of a winter wind slapped her across the face. The somber gathering at the cemetery was overshadowed by dark storm clouds, which threatened to drop several inches of rain over Southern California. Heather stood motionless as she watched the two men place the long wooden containers into the ground. One was for her mother, the other her father.

  Her nana stood next to her, her arm secured Heather closely to her side as if fate were searching for her granddaughter. Heather could see her mother’s features in Nana’s face. Heather could remember peeking out from behind her nana’s full length coat, taking in the saddened faces of those who came to pay their final respects. Her father had been well-known in town. A banker by trade, he would meet a lot of people each day and quickly earned the respect of the local community. There was old Mr. Barney from the machine factory there and Lila Smith from the drugstore in town. The middle-aged woman was crying hysterically, which told Heather how often her daddy must have shopped there.

  She recognized many other faces, but their names were on the tip of her tongue, like an Alzheimer’s patient trying to remember what happened five minutes ago. Her eyes slowly drifted back down to the dark stained containers. She could recall the preacher talking about God and how everyone had a special time when God called them home. But why? Why her family? Why both her parents?” Now she would be all alone with Nana, living like an adopted child.

  That morning, her grandmother had relayed the shocking news that Heather needed to move in with her. She could remember feeling overwhelmed, angry at the world for having to leave her only bedroom since birth, the only safe haven in a world of uncertainty. It wasn’t fair at all. Life wasn’t fair. Heather could feel the tension begin to spread throughout her back.

  But her troubles didn’t stop there. While Nana showered her with love during her adolescent years, the old woman’s health suddenly declined rapidly as she approached seventy, and soon she was unable to shuttle Heather to her daily activities. Her nana finally became bedridden, suffering from osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease of the joints. Heather remembered most nights she would crawl into the big bed where Nana lay and listen to her tell her stories about the past.

  She would hear stories about her daddy when he has a little boy and stories about some of the locals in town. Heather would listen attentively, often snuggling close to Nana, enjoying the warmth of her body and the lilac smell of her perfume. It wasn’t until much later that Heather discovered that Nana had also suffered secretly from pancreatic cancer, an incurable disease that would eventually take her life. Heather only lived with her Nana for four short years before she died, leaving her without the only person who really loved and cared about her. The loss of her nana left her angry at the world. But it wasn’t until the courts forced her to live with her aunt and cousin, that she learned what it was like to despise someone with all her heart.

  Movement from Evelyn’s bed drew her from her reverie.

  “Did you take a nap too?” Evelyn rubbed her eyes as she tried to focus on Heather.

  Heather smiled down at her. “No, not at all. I was just waiting on my new star pupil.”

  The corner of Evelyn’s lips lifted into a smile. “I almost forgot about the painting. Oh yes, I’m ready!” Evelyn sat up and Heather helped her move down to the edge of the bed and into the chair.

  “My hat, Heather; can you hand it to me?” Sheepishly, she took it from Heather’s outstretched hand and pulled it down over her head. Heather knew it would take some time for the girl to become less self-conscious about her appearance.

  Heather wheeled Evelyn back over to the side room where she had assembled the supplies to continue their art class. To the right of the work area was a small table complete with a lunch for the two of them consisting of mini sandwiches and what looked like chicken noodle soup as well as lemonade.

  “Heather, are you eating lunch with me?” Evelyn looked up at her in surprise.

  “If you’d like me to, then yes.” Heather rolled Evelyn up to the table.

  “Yes, I’d like that ...usually someone sets it up while I’m resting, and then Miss Watson brings it to me in bed. She usually keeps me company
while I eat, but I think she had an errand to do for my father. It would be a nice change having you here with me.” Evelyn gave Heather a smile. It seemed her fears about the new nurse were unfounded. Heather was pretty and treated her nicely, better than the last woman the agency had sent. Evelyn looked forward to learning as much about painting as she could from Heather. Maybe everything would work out okay with her as the new nurse.

  They enjoyed lunch together, chatting lightly about how hot it would be that day and how Evelyn wanted to visit an amusement park in the future. Evelyn took great pains to eat like Miss Heather, imitating the way she held the sandwiches between her fingers and sipped politely. Heather couldn’t help but smile and lift her cup with her pinkie finger extended as she took a drink of her tea. Evelyn imitated her, causing both of them to laugh.

  That’s when Michael entered the room. “I see we’re all enjoying ourselves this afternoon.” Even though Michael had a smile on his face, there was a serious tone to his voice.

  Evelyn’s expression sobered immediately as she looked up at him. Her father seemed so uptight and serious about everything, never being able to just relax and have some fun. It would come as no surprise to her that he would criticize her for something trivial.

  “Michael, what a nice surprise.” Heather stood and cleared away the dishes.

  Michael’s eyes traveled from her shoes up to her face. He smiled inside as he appreciated how the uniform fit her trim body perfectly, and the gray and white hues only enhanced her natural beauty.

  “I’m back from my early meeting this morning, and I thought I would check in and see how things were going.” He glanced over at Evelyn who ignored him as she played with the lace on the tablecloth.

  “Have you eaten, Michael? Would you care to join us for lunch? I could ask the cook to make an extra sandwich for you. I’m sure Evelyn would like that.” Heather’s eyes bounced over to Evelyn and back to his.

  Evelyn acted as if she didn’t hear Heather’s invitation.

  “Evelyn, your father wants to know if I am being nice to you or if I’m being mean. You better tell him quick before I get into trouble. It would break my heart if I had to leave so quickly, especially now since we just started becoming good friends.” Heather gave an exaggerated sigh and winked at Mr. Robbins.

  Evelyn’s head snapped in their direction. “What? Why would you leave? Daddy, Miss Parks is just fine. We ate lunch together, and we’re going to continue painting now. Look at what she has already taught me.” Her hand pointed to the painting she had started. “You won’t make her leave will you?” Her eyes pleaded with her father.

  “Of course not; she can continue to stay if you’re happy with her here. But the minute Ms. Parks starts to get all grumpy with you I want you to tell me.” A grin formed on his face, and Evelyn gave him a half smile in response.

  “I am a little jealous though ...” The smile on his face pulled down into a frown, “I wasn’t invited to lunch, maybe next time I can come too.” He looked over at Heather and back at Evelyn.

  “I think that would be lovely, Evelyn; what do you think?” Heather said with enthusiasm. The prospect of a renewed father-daughter relationship excited Heather, and she pressed on. “Maybe tomorrow we can have the cook put together a picnic and we have lunch outside before it gets too hot.” Heather watched as Evelyn’s eyes grew wider.

  Michael followed Heather’s lead. “That’s a great idea, maybe we can have lunch by the pond, and you could do some painting there?”

  Evelyn’s gaze bounced between the two of them. “Oh Daddy could we? That would be so cool.” The girl made no effort to contain her excitement. “Heather, don’t you think so? We could paint the ducks and even the slimy frogs out there.” Her body shuddered with enthusiasm.

  Heather had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. “I think that would be wonderful, Evelyn.” She turned to face Michael. “Michael, what a great idea.” She gave him a smile of approval. Heather could see he was trying to connect with Evelyn, and the sight of it touched her heart. She knew how vital it was for them to connect, and she was happy at the fact she had opened the lines of communication between them.

  It was something she longed for with her father but never happened. Even though Michael seemed like all business on the outside, she knew he had a sensitive and caring side to his personality, a side few people could detect or were privy to. Her intuition with people and their personalities was a gift God had given her.

  “Well, I’ve got to get going. I just wanted to see how things were going.” Michael headed toward the door.

  “But Daddy, we’re just about to paint. Why don’t you stay and see how much I’ve learned?”

  Michael stopped at the doorway and turned around. “I’m sorry, dear. I would love to, but I have a meeting I need to be at within an hour. I promise I’ll be here for lunch tomorrow, and I can watch you paint then. How does that sound?”

  Evelyn sighed as she forced a smile on her lips. “Alright, I suppose you can see me paint tomorrow. You promise?”

  “I promise.” Michael walked up to his daughter and kissed her on the head. Before he left the room, he paused at the doorway and stole one last glance at the nurse, noticing how beautiful and alluring she was.

  Without warning, Heather looked up and caught his gaze. Was Michael checking her out?

  Chapter 11

  She gave him an awkward smile as she nervously played with the silver cross on her necklace. Why was he looking at her all the time? Didn’t she make it perfectly clear that she wasn’t interested in dating any man? Heather diverted her attention back to Evelyn.

  Seconds later, Michael left the room, and Heather breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she was being paranoid and over-thinking things. Instead, she needed to focus on teaching Evelyn how to paint.

  Heather spent half an hour teaching Evelyn how to trace the outline of the shore before she began painting, showing her how much it helped with the final finish. It didn’t take Evelyn long to learn the new technique, and soon she was brushing the canvas like an experienced artist. As Evelyn placed her finishing stroke to the canvas, she turned to face Heather.

  “Do you really think my daddy is going to come tomorrow?”

  “I don’t see why not. He said he would.” Heather glanced down at Evelyn for a second.

  “Daddy is always so busy and maybe we shouldn’t hope so much because there’s a good chance he probably won’t come.” Evelyn set her palette down on the table.

  Heather could sense the doubt in her voice. “Sometimes daddies have a lot to do, but I do know that he loves you very much and will do everything he can to be there.”

  “Do you think daddies can get sad and not love you anymore?”

  “Well, I know daddies can get sad just like everyone else, but daddies don’t stop loving their little girls.” Evelyn thought about this for a moment, scrunching her mouth as she stared at what she had painted.

  Heather knew the relationship between them was strained. Losing Carla had been a blow to both of them, and Heather knew the only way to heal their broken relationship was to get them to trust in God and find a way to hold on to each other.

  After painting for another hour, Heather noticed Evelyn was having difficulty keeping her arm up.

  “Wow, painting sure can make you tired,” Evelyn said as she lowered her hand onto her leg.

  “Why don’t we call it a day? I think we’ve made wonderful progress with the shoreline, and tomorrow we can start working on the sky.”

  “Okay,” Evelyn said as Heather took the easel from her hand.

  She saw that it was close to 3 o’clock and began cleaning up and reorganizing the paints. As Heather finished placing Evelyn’s palette back into the storage container, the sound of Ms. Watson’s voice caught her attention.

  “How did the lessons go, my dear?’”

  “It was awesome.” A smile spread across Evelyn’s face. “Look at what I did.” She pointed to the corner of the room.r />
  “Oh my, well done, Miss Evelyn; I’m impressed with that ocean. It’s looking lovely indeed.”

  Evelyn beamed at the comment.

  “Now that you’ve had your recreational time, it’s time for our afternoon lessons. I know it won’t be as exciting as your painting lessons with Ms. Parks, but they’re just as important.”

  “It’s OK, Miss Watson; my arm is tired from painting. Heather says painting takes a lot of work, and she’s right. At least I can give my arm a rest while you’re going over the English lesson.”

  Miss Watson’s jaw dropped at Heather’s words. Seconds later, her lips formed a smile. “Well, I brought you a few cookies from the kitchen; why don’t you rest in the chair and eat some while I speak to Miss Parks for a moment.”

  “Sure,” Evelyn said as she settled comfortably into her chair and popped a cookie into her mouth.

  Miss Watson moved a few steps to the side and motioned for Heather to huddle closer.

  “Heather, I haven’t seen her this excited about something in months.”

  Heather looked over at Evelyn as she hummed a tune from the small stereo on her shelf. The girl appeared content; unaware they were talking about her as she took another bite of a cookie.

  “All I did was show her a few tips on how to paint. She really is a happy girl. I just think she needed someone to give her some inspiration and encouragement.”

  “Well, whatever you did, thank you.” Linda patted her arm.

  “You’re welcome. I just hope she’ll be as attentive with your lessons. If you have any trouble, I’d be more than glad to help out.”

  Miss Watson gave her a thankful smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll manage just fine. After all, I’ve been doing this for several years. Now go enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

  Having the next hour to herself, Heather tidied a few things in her room and began working on a few outlines for the next day’s outing. She headed down to the kitchen to speak to Miss Archer about the picnic.