“I’ll try.”
“You said the offering we got this morning for The Village would help, but that we have a ways to go.” Annie paused, almost afraid to ask the question. “Does that mean the board might still shut down the ministry?”
“Don’t worry, Annie. We’re going to make it.”
“You didn’t answer my question. I don’t want to lose my apartment and have to move the kids again. They’ve had enough upheaval in their lives.”
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“I’m sorry your mother roped you into babysitting for the cooking lessons, too.”
“Honestly, I don’t mind. I like your kids.”
Ian’s statement warmed Annie’s heart, but she still didn’t want to wear out her welcome in Ian’s life. “I hope you’re still saying that after you actually take care of them.”
“I’m going to get a lot of practice.” Ian chuckled. “Since I’ve been so busy with my legal work, tell me what’s happening with your work on the finances.”
“I like it a lot. I’m so thankful for this second chance to make something of my life.” Annie sighed.
He nodded. “I believe you deserve a second chance. I got mine. Now you can have yours, too.”
“I appreciate that.” What could she possibly talk about to fill this time? Their past was a no-no subject. Too many reminders of the decadent things they’d done. Keep it in the present. “Tell me about being a lawyer for The Village.”
“Sure. Sometimes it’s routine, and other times it’s a challenge, but whatever the case, I like helping people who have no other legal resources.”
“Like me?”
Ian nodded. “Folks come here for all kinds of legal advice, including child custody and support, divorce, landlord-tenant problems, employment discrimination, foreclosure defense, veterans rights and domestic abuse. Just to name a few. I spend time giving folks advice on contracts, and I may refer them to other attorneys who do pro bono work because they may be more knowledgeable in a certain field than I am.”
“Like you did with me?”
Ian gave her a wry smile. “Well, yours was a special case.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” So it wasn’t only her case he had referred to someone else. Should that make her feel any better? Silly question. She was learning that he did what was in the best interest of the person he was trying to help. He was a good man—a wonderful man.
“I especially like to help elderly folks on fixed incomes who need legal advice. They often don’t understand contracts or their rights in certain instances. They need an advocate.”
“People like Cora?”
Ian nodded again as he continued to expound on his work. Annie understood more and more about him—the man he’d become since turning his life over to God. As much as she’d loved him before, she loved him even more now. Why had she left him? She hadn’t been in her right mind. The decisions she’d made back then had been about her addictions.
“So what are your favorite TV shows?” Ian asked.
Annie shrugged. “I don’t watch much TV. If it’s on, something the kids like is usually playing. Maybe I should say my favorites are anything the kids will watch.”
“That reminds me of the time I was visiting one of my brothers, and I walked into their TV room and found him watching some kid program—not a kid in sight. He said he was so used to watching kid TV that he didn’t realize the absence of kids.” Ian chuckled. “How about books—what do you like to read these days?”
“Suspense and thrillers.”
Ian smiled. “Me, too, but that’s not what you used to read. I thought you liked sci-fi.”
“Yeah, that’s when I was trying to escape the real world.” Annie shrugged. “I’ve quit running away.”
As Ian went on to mention his favorite authors, Annie didn’t know what to make of his congenial conversation or his reason for staying till the kids got up. When she first came to The Village, he’d done his best to avoid her. What had changed?
No. She couldn’t let herself hope that this conversation or his forgiveness had brought about other feelings for her. She wanted to be his best friend, but how did she accomplish that? The people she’d considered friends through the years had been people she’d partied with. Maybe she wasn’t so good at friendship, but she was going to make an effort to learn what it meant to be a good friend.
While she made these plans about Ian and her, she had to remember that God’s plan was the best plan. She hated to think that God didn’t want them to reconcile, but she had to be prepared to accept that possibility.
Annie glanced toward the bedrooms. “Let me check on the kids. I know Spencer was asleep, but Kara wasn’t, and it’s all too quiet.”
Ian chuckled. “Yeah, I learned from my brothers that quiet and kids are often not so good.”
Annie tiptoed down the hallway and discovered Spencer still asleep and Kara snoozing on top of a book. Annie’s heart tripped at the sight. Her babies were worn-out from a jam-packed Mother’s Day. She prayed there would be many more wonderful days ahead for them. With the kids still asleep, what was she going to do with Ian?
Bridge. The thought struck her as she traipsed back to the living room. Would Ian go for some lessons? One way to find out. “Spencer’s still asleep, and Kara fell asleep, too. Since we have time, how about bridge lessons?”
“How? The game needs four players.”
“We’ll lay out cards like they do in the bridge column in the newspaper.”
Ian knit his eyebrows. “They have bridge columns in the newspaper?”
“Yeah, my grandma used to go over them with me.”
“Is that how she taught you?”
“Actually, she and my grandpa had me play with one of their friends. She had this tablecloth with the bidding rules on it, and I used it to bid. They dealt the cards and let me sink or swim.”
Ian chuckled. “Is that what you’re going to do with me?”
“No, I used one of the library computers to get some stuff off the internet.” Annie went to the drawer in nearby end table and pulled out a few papers held together with a paper clip. “Here they are.”
He took the papers and leafed through them. “So you’ve been lying in wait for me with your bridge rules?”
“You don’t have to do this, but Cora asks if you’re afraid to show up at bridge as well as dominoes.”
“You’re so easy to tease.” He tried to keep a straight face but finally burst out laughing. “Okay, show me how to play this game.”
“I’ll ignore your laughter.” Annie sat cross-legged on the floor on the other side of the coffee table and dealt out the cards faceup as she explained what constituted a game in the major and minor suits.
“Laughter is good for your health.” Ian also sat on the floor on the other side of the table and leaned against the sofa.
“Let’s see if you’re laughing when I finish with you.” She gave him a lopsided grin, then proceeded to have him figure out what he would bid in each case.
He studied the rules and made a bid. Then they worked their way around the table playing the hands. After a half hour of practice, Ian had grasped the basics. She had always admired his intelligence. She should’ve known he would easily pick up the game.
Annie gathered the cards as she stood. “Are you ready to take on Cora and Ruby?”
“What do you think?” Ian sat on the sofa.
“Only one way to find out. Play against them.” Annie put the cards in the end table drawer.
“Tuesday night?”
“It’s a date.”
Annie’s heart fluttered as she sat in the nearby chair. Was it a date or only an expression? Better not to read anything into it. “I’ll see you at the senior ce
nter, then.”
“You have someone to watch the kids?”
Annie nodded. “Julie, my neighbor, said she’d watch them since I watched hers while she was studying for exams when I first came here.”
“Good.”
“Mommy, what’s Mr. Ian still doing here?”
Annie turned at the sound of Kara’s voice. “We’ve been talking.”
“That’s not fun.” Kara wrinkled her nose.
Ian chuckled. “Grown-ups like to talk.”
Spencer toddled into the living room, his hair sticking up in a dozen directions. He rubbed his eyes as he settled onto Annie’s lap. “Looks like someone isn’t quite awake yet.”
Ian leaned over and tousled Spencer unruly hair. “What do you think, Spencer? Would you like me to pick you up from day care tomorrow so your mom can run an errand?”
“I would. I would.” Kara jumped up and down.
“One vote in my favor.”
Spencer scrambled up from Annie’s lap. “Me, too.”
“Two votes.” Ian stood. “Looks like it’s a go for tomorrow.”
“Are you leaving?” Kara asked.
Ian nodded. “Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow, but I have some work to do.”
“Ah. I wish you could stay.” Kara stuck out her lower lip.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Ian headed for the door.
Annie followed with Kara and Spencer close behind. “Thanks for everything today.”
“Thanks for the bridge lessons. I think.” Ian winked as he opened the door. “Bye. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.” Annie’s pulse skittered as she watched him go. He was so good with the kids. So good with her. Was it too much to hope that Ian could love her again? That they could be a family?
Chapter Eleven
On Monday after her finance work, with her kids safely under Ian’s care, Annie drove to her parents’ home in a suburban Atlanta neighborhood. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been there. As she approached the two-story brick house nestled on a wooded lot, she prayed even though she wasn’t sure what to pray for. Her parents had disowned her. They’d seen Kara once and didn’t know Spencer. Would grandchildren soften her parents’ hearts?
Annie parked her car in the drive. Holding on to the steering wheel, she sat there for a few minutes and said another prayer. Lord, give me Your peace no matter how my parents react to my visit.
Annie took a deep breath as she rang the doorbell. Her pulse pounded all over her body as she waited for someone to answer the door. For a moment, she hoped no one was home. When the door opened, Marcia Payton stood there still dressed in her business suit, her dark hair coiffed to perfection. The only thing missing was her business smile.
“What are you doing here, Annie?” Marcia said, her expression unwelcoming.
Annie swallowed the lump in her throat. “I was hoping we could talk.”
Marcia narrowed her gaze. “If you’re here to ask for money, we have nothing to talk about.”
Her mother’s response was not unexpected, but it still pierced Annie’s heart. She had brought this reaction on herself, but she wanted to show her mother the new Annie. Would her mother listen? “I’m not here about money. I have Kara and Spencer back, and I thought you might like to meet your grandchildren.”
“If that’s what you want, I suppose you can come in.” Marcia stepped aside.
As Annie glanced around she realized her mother had done a complete renovation of the decor. “I like what you’ve done.”
“Thanks.” Her mother actually smiled.
“Who’s at the door?” Richard Payton’s voice boomed from the back of the house.
Annie swallowed hard as her father appeared in the front hall.
Marcia looked back. “Annie’s here.”
Richard charged toward the door waving a hand in the air. “What do you think you’re doing coming here? I won’t have a drunk and drug addict in my house. Get out.”
Marcia put a hand on her husband’s arm. “Richard, please. She’s sober—”
“Don’t try to defend her. She’s brought nothing but trouble on herself and this family. She doesn’t belong here.” Richard turned and glared at Annie as he shook a finger at her. “Get out of here. I don’t want to see you again.”
Annie blinked and pressed her lips together, trying hard not to let her father’s angry tones make her cry. She gathered her courage. “Dad, I’m sorry you feel that way. I’ve changed—”
Richard opened the door. “That’s what you want us to believe, but we know you always slip back into your old ways. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.”
Annie looked over at her mother, but Annie would get no help from that corner. Her father had always intimidated even her usually strong-willed mother. Annie cast one last glance in her mother’s direction and read the sadness in her eyes. Forcing herself not to run, Annie walked to her car with her head held high. She backed out of the driveway and drove away without giving in to the urge to look back. She would not give her father the satisfaction.
A block away, she pulled the car to the curb, laid her forehead against the steering wheel and sobbed. She’d had such high hopes that her parents would want to get to know their grandchildren. Instead, they wanted nothing to do with any of them. When she returned home, Ian would ask what happened. How could she possibly tell him?
* * *
Ian’s first experience with babysitting was going well. He’d picked up Kara and Spencer from day care without any problem. They had seemed eager to go with him, especially when he suggested they visit Ms. Cora. The kids had been a hit with the seniors when Annie and he had taken them for a visit. With each passing day, Annie and her children were more a part of his life than he’d ever imagined.
After Ian and the children visited the assisted-living center, they had headed to Annie’s apartment. He’d placed an order for their pizzas while visiting the seniors and it arrived just minutes after they got to the apartment. He congratulated himself on heads-up thinking. The kids ate their pizza like champs, but Spencer had more sauce on his face than he did in his stomach.
After they ate and the last dish was in the dishwasher and the last crumb wiped from the table, Ian escorted the kids into the living room. What did he do with them now? Play games?
Kara quickly rescued him. “Mommy always reads us stories after we eat. Will you read to us?’
“Sure. Get your books.”
Kara raced away with Spencer trailing behind. She returned with a stack of books that she could barely carry. Had Annie checked out the whole children’s section from the library?
The little girl held out a book to him. “Read this one first.”
Ian recognized it as one Annie had read during the transitional meeting. He remembered how she’d read with so much expression. He didn’t think he could come close to her flair for reading, but he would give it his best shot. “You like this story?”
Kara nodded. “So does Spencer. He laughs when Mommy reads it.”
Ian grimaced. He had a tough act to follow. “Okay, kids, up on the sofa.”
With the children on either side of him, Ian read the book about the pigeon and the bus and considered it a moderate success when Spencer let out a little laugh. Then Kara handed him another book from the stack. He wondered whether he would get through the books before Annie returned.
Kara snuggled close as Ian read more books. When he finished the sixth book, she looked up at him with her sweet little smile and eyes so much like Annie’s. “I like it when you read books to us. Could you be our daddy, because me and Spencer don’t have one?”
Kara might as well have punched Ian in the gut. Her question took the breath right out of him. How could he answer? Could he make thi
ngs work with Annie again? Could she love him? He didn’t want to encourage a little girl’s hope or put unattainable dreams in her heart, but he didn’t want to make her feel unwanted. Did he have the courage for a little girl’s sake to talk to Annie about where they might fit into each other’s future? But how could he move forward with her when he’d been the one to report her to DFCS?
His niggling doubts about whether Annie could follow through, his fear of being rejected and hurt again and his lack of courage kept him from broaching the subject. They’d established a tentative friendship. Shouldn’t he leave it at that?
So what was he going to say? This was not the kind of trouble he’d anticipated when he’d agreed to watch Annie’s kids. While he tried to come up with something to say, the door opened. Annie walked into the apartment, and the kids jumped up to greet her. Saved by Annie’s return.
Hunkering down, she hugged them. They talked over each other as they told her about their evening. She looked at him over the tops of their heads and smiled. His heart bumped against his ribs. Despite her smile, he was pretty sure she’d been crying. Her visit must not have gone well.
She stood. “Will you help me put the kids to bed, then we can talk?”
“Sure.” He followed her back to the children’s bedroom.
After the kids said their prayers and Annie tucked them into bed, Ian went out to the living room with Annie. “So what happened?”
Closing her eyes, she pressed her fingertips to her mouth. Finally she dropped her hand to her side. “I can’t talk about it right now. Tell me how you and the kids got along.”
Ian wished he could take away the hurt in Annie’s eyes. Maybe honoring her request not to talk about it was the best thing he could do. Should he try to lighten her mood with a few quips about her kids, or would that make her feel worse? “The evening went pretty well. The pizza was a hit, but you should’ve seen Spencer. He had sauce all over his face.”
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