by Cindy Kirk
They continued down the street, admiring the unique colors of the large Victorian homes.
“I like that one.” Eva Grace pointed to a large two-story painted a pale yellow with swaths of stained glass above each window. The child’s eyes narrowed at the sign in the yard. “For Sale.”
She sounded out the words, then smiled triumphantly.
Jonah shot a glance at Abby. “She can read?”
“Eva Grace is very bright.” Abby’s gaze lingered on her daughter.
“What does it mean?” Eva Grace demanded.
“Being bright?” Jonah asked.
“No.” The child pointed to the sign.
“It means the owner is selling the house,” Jonah explained. “He or she is moving somewhere else.”
“I want to live there.” Eva Grace turned pleading eyes to her mother. “Can we live there?”
“I thought you liked living at the hotel.” Abby’s gaze slid to the house with the wraparound porch.
Jonah had a sudden memory of the afternoon drives he and Abby had taken when he’d first gotten his license, looking at the historic homes in Springfield. Like Eva Grace, Abby had loved the vibrant colors and styles of such homes.
“I bet that house has a backyard.” The little girl’s tone had a wistful edge. “And a dog.”
“Do you like dogs?” How little he knew about this child who’d sprung from his seed.
She nodded vigorously, sending her curly tail swinging. “We can’t have one because our ’partment is only big enough for Mommy and me.”
Jonah knew many people who had pets in places smaller than the space where Abby and Eva Grace lived. But he also knew that pets were a commitment. Not only of time and energy but of money. “Remember Ranger?”
The question popped out before he could stop it. He doubted reminding Abby of the past was a good idea.
When Abby didn’t immediately respond, Eva Grace’s head swiveled from him to her mother. “Who’s Ranger?”
Despite clearing her throat, Abby’s voice sounded rusty, as if she hadn’t used it in a century or two. “It—he—was a dog Jonah had growing up.”
“Did you get to play with him sometimes?” Eva Grace smiled at the thought.
“Ranger adored your mother. He’d sit and hold out his paw for her to shake whenever she came over.” Jonah pulled out his phone and scrolled to a picture of the black Lab. “This is Ranger.”
Eva Grace stepped close and studied the picture of a black dog with glossy hair and a red ball in his mouth. She looked up. “Can I come to your house and play with him?”
Jonah hesitated. Should he tell the child that Ranger had died years ago? He looked at Abby. Need some help here.
“Ranger belonged to Jonah’s parents. They live in Springfield.” Abby kept her tone light.
“Could Ranger some for a visit sometime?” Eva Grace pressed. “I could throw the ball to him.”
“Ranger lived a long life.” Abby spoke matter-of-factly. “When he was very, very old, he went to live in heaven with your grandmother. I’m sure she’s throwing the ball to him right now.”
“I don’t want him to be in heaven.” Tears filled the little girl’s eyes as her gaze settled on her mother. “I don’t want you to go to heaven.”
Abby swallowed convulsively. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“If you did, I’d be all by myself.” Like a dog with a bone, the child persisted. “You’d be with Grandma and Ranger, but I’d be alone.”
How had a simple conversation about a dog gotten so out of control? Jonah wondered.
“I’m young,” Abby reassured her daughter. “I’d never leave you alone. A mommy’s job is to take care of her children.”
Her gaze flicked to Jonah.
It seemed she was passing the relay baton to him. Though he hadn’t a clue how to handle it, he could punt with the best of them.
He gestured with his head to another home across the street. “What do you think of the purple house?”
Chapter Eleven
Abby’s head pounded by the time they turned back toward the Green. She felt like a conversational slug as she remained silent, letting Jonah and Eva Grace talk.
Once they’d gotten off the subject of death and her leaving Eva Grace alone, the walk had proceeded smoothly. Especially when they’d stopped at a small park enclosed in an ornate black wrought-iron fence with a gilded gate.
She’d expected Eva Grace to head toward the swings but had been startled when Jonah had claimed one of the U-shaped swings as his own. Exhausted, Abby took a seat on one of the benches beside a bush carved like a fawn.
She watched Jonah and Eva Grace fly high into the air. She smiled at her daughter, who emitted a shriek of laughter and loosened one hand enough to wave.
Seeing them side by side, blond hair catching the rays of the sun, blue eyes sparkling, the resemblance between father and daughter was even more obvious.
How easy it would be to simply forget the past and fall under the spell of that charming smile. Her past was filled with so many wonderful memories. Memories that included Jonah, Ranger, his parents, and Sunday-afternoon drives.
Before that day in the doctor’s office, she had been convinced she knew Jonah Rollins, knew how he’d respond in any situation. But that day, when it really mattered, she learned she didn’t know him at all.
When someone shows you what they’re like, believe them.
That day, Jonah had showed his true colors. In the process, he’d broken her heart.
“You can’t go down the slide.” Laughter filled Eva Grace’s voice. “You’re too big.”
“Watch me.”
Abby turned in time to see Jonah slide down the vintage metal slide.
Eva Grace shrieked and clapped her hands.
Abby’s heart clenched when he picked up her child and spun her around until they were both laughing and, no doubt, dizzy.
“Do it again,” Eva Grace ordered when he set her down.
He reached for the child, as if prepared to do just that, when Abby rose. “It’s time to head back.”
Two disappointed faces turned in her direction.
Jonah wisely said nothing.
“Awww, Mommy, can’t we please stay longer? Me and Jonah are having fun.”
“Another time, perhaps.” Abby forced a smile. “I’m feeling tired.”
Abby knew that look in Eva Grace’s eyes and braced herself, but Jonah placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “How ’bout you ride on my shoulders until we reach the bridge? You can count the number of dogs we see on the way.”
Jonah spoke as if the matter was already settled.
To Abby’s surprise, Eva Grace didn’t protest but giggled when he hoisted her to his neck.
He shot Abby a wink, then gave Eva Grace’s foot a tug. “How high can you count?”
“Fifty.” Eve Grace’s blonde brows furrowed. “Maybe higher.”
“I doubt we’ll see that many dogs before we reach the bridge.” Jonah spoke in a conversational tone as he held the gate open for Abby. “If we do, either I or your mother will take over the counting.”
“I can do it,” Eva Grace asserted. “Even if I see a hundred zillion dogs.”
Jonah’s lips twitched. They were back on the sidewalk now and headed toward the bridge. “While you look for dogs, I’m going to talk with your mom.”
Eva Grace chewed on her lip and thought for a moment. “You talk. I’ll find the dogs.”
Beside him, Abby stiffened. She hoped Jonah had more sense than to bring up anything heavy while Eva Grace was within hearing.
He smiled. “Since I’m new to Hazel Green, why don’t you tell me what you like about the community?”
Jonah’s voice had turned conversational. Almost as if she were an interesting young woman he’d recently met and wanted to get to know better.
Abby would prefer to spend the rest of their time together in silence. Simply being with him had been more difficult than she’d
expected. And the walk had left her exhausted.
Yet even though Eva Grace’s gaze continued to scan both sides of the street, Abby sensed the child was listening.
“I like the size. Twenty thousand isn’t all that big, but being a Chicago suburb gives us big-city amenities with the charm of a small town.” Abby didn’t wait for him to ask questions. If they were going to have a conversation, she preferred to control it. That way, she could be assured they wouldn’t venture into any uncomfortable areas. “The medical care available in the community is excellent, and the—”
“I used to go to doctors all the time.”
It wasn’t Jonah interrupting but Eva Grace.
“I had braces.” Eva Grace lifted a leg that had been resting against Jonah’s chest. “My foot turned in funny, and they had to get it to go the right way.”
“Is that right?” Jonah spoke as if sensing the girl expected a response. But his gaze turned wary as he slanted a glance in Abby’s direction.
She realized he was as eager as she to avoid certain topics.
“Yes.” Eva Grace nodded for extra emphasis. “The braces hurt. I used to cry and cry and beg Mommy to take them off.”
A look of pain, too potent to be faked, filled Jonah’s eyes. “You had to wear the braces for a long time.”
“Since I was a baby. But not anymore.” Eva Grace lifted both legs at the same time and would have tumbled back if Jonah hadn’t grabbed her ankles. She giggled. “Mommy took me for ice cream when we got them off.”
“Sounds like that was a happy day.” Jonah kept his gaze focused ahead, seeming to avoid glancing in Abby’s direction.
“Mommy cried.” For a second Eva Grace frowned, then a smile appeared. “Now I wear pretty shoes and dance and spin anytime I want.”
Jonah cleared his throat. “That’s good.”
“That’s five,” Eva Grace announced.
“Five?” Abby asked.
“Dogs.” Eva Grace pointed. “See him by the water?”
A bulldog, short and squatty, walked beside a tall redheaded woman at the edge of the pond.
“Someday I’ll have a dog.” Eva Grace spoke with the certainty of youth. “Maybe with a smushed face like that one. Or shiny black fur like Ranger.”
They’d reached the bridge. Jonah glanced up at her. “Time to walk, munchkin.”
Her arms went around his neck. “I want to ride.”
Abby opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Jonah chuckled and swung her down, making her fly through the air first.
Eva Grace was laughing by the time her feet hit the pavement.
Jonah cocked his head. “Can you hop like a frog?”
Without answering, Eva Grace crouched down and hopped her way across the bridge.
Jonah smiled. “If we could bottle that energy, we’d be millionaires.”
Abby sighed. “I could use a gallon or two of it right about now.”
After slanting a glance in her direction, Jonah’s brows pulled together. “You’re pale as a ghost.”
“Thanks.”
“We walked too far.”
Abby shook her head. “Eva Grace needed to get out.”
“Do her needs supersede yours?”
Abby shot him a sharp glance. “Her welfare comes first.”
“You won’t do her any good if you get run-down.” His lips curved as his gaze lingered on Eva Grace twirling in the sunshine at the end of bridge. “She’s such a happy child.”
Abby’s heart swelled with love. “Eva Grace has the biggest heart.”
“Seeing her in pain had to be difficult.”
Abby did not want to go down that path. Today’s conversation had solidified her belief that she must make sure Eva Grace would be cared for if anything happened to her.
While she still wasn’t convinced that Jonah was that person, she believed that giving Eva Grace an opportunity to get to know him had been the best course of action.
Tonight she would ask Jonah whether he was interested. Based on his supposed purpose in coming to Hazel Green, she didn’t doubt he’d be all for it.
It would be awkward, but Abby meant what she’d told Jonah.
Eva Grace’s welfare came first.
+
Jonah expected Abby to go her separate way once they returned to the park. Eva Grace’s eyes had started to droop, and Abby looked dead on her feet.
“I guess it’s time to call it a day,” Jonah offered reluctantly.
A scowl blanketed Eva Grace’s face. “I don’t want to go—”
“Jonah didn’t get a chance to see your new curtains when he was over.” Abby’s tone remained easy. “Would you like to show them to him?”
Eva Grace’s blue eyes brightened. She took his hand and began to pull. “They’re princess curtains.”
“Really?” Jonah let himself be pulled along.
Abby had done a one-eighty since the day of the committee meeting. There had to be a reason, but right now, he was just happy for extra time together.
When they reached the hotel, Matilda stepped out of the restaurant, her gaze settling on his hand, the one Eva Grace still held.
“Hi, Matilda.” Eva Grace sang the greeting. “I’m showing Jonah my princess curtains.”
“Is that right?” Matilda shifted her gaze to Abby.
“That’s right.” Abby offered her friend a reassuring smile.
Something in Matilda’s eyes told him the woman knew all about his tie to Abby and Eva Grace.
Her other friends didn’t possess that knowledge. Not as far as he could tell, anyway. Other than Nell, none of them seemed to be a good enough actress to hide it.
“Have a nice night.” Matilda leaned over and hugged Eva Grace. “Sweet dreams, little one.”
Matilda’s eyes filled with concern when they landed on Abby. “You need to rest.”
“I won’t be staying late,” Jonah told her.
“You don’t have to answer to me.” Matilda winked. “Abby is more than capable of telling you when to head home.”
Once inside the apartment, Eva Grace tugged him to her room.
An explosion of pink was Jonah’s first impression. The curtains, which he dutifully admired, were pink with white polka dots and bows. They matched the polka-dot bedspread, where six or seven stuffed animals rested against the pillows.
The room had been decorated with love.
Jonah cleared his throat. “You have a beautiful room, Eva Grace.”
“Thank you,” she said almost primly. “I like it very much.”
“Eva Grace needs to take her shower, then we read a story,” Abby announced, her expression inscrutable. “Perhaps you’d like to read to her tonight?”
Gratitude flooded Jonah. He didn’t know what had caused Abby’s change of heart, but he was profoundly grateful. “I . . . I’d like that very much.”
“There’s beer and soda in the refrigerator.” Abby gestured with one hand. “Feel free to grab whatever you want and relax while I get her ready for bed. I’ll let you know when it’s story time.”
The two chatted, the woman and the child, as they headed down the hall. Seconds later, he heard the sound of running water.
After retrieving a beer from the refrigerator, Jonah moved to the table of pictures. Because he had the time, he took it, picking up a picture and studying it intently before moving on to the next.
The pictures afforded him a snapshot of Eva Grace’s childhood, from infancy to her fifth birthday party. There was even one of her holding the dreaded braces, obviously taken the day she’d gotten them off, a broad smile on her face.
Several of the pictures were of her and her mother. The one of Abby leaning over an Isolette holding an infant Eva Grace was like a knife to the heart.
Abby looked so young. Fear mixed with love on her pale face.
He’d wanted so much to go to Abby and the baby, but he’d believed that his wife would have carried through with her threat to make life for Abby a living hel
l legally if he did. Those last months of Abby’s pregnancy had been difficult ones for his wife emotionally.
Veronica’s mother had told him many times how worried she was about her daughter. For an entire year, he and Carole had been united when Veronica had pushed for contracting with another surrogate.
Veronica had seemed to settle down. Then she’d once again broached the subject of trying again with a different surrogate. Again, he’d put her off.
“We’re ready,” Abby called from down the hall.
Jonah placed the beer he’d barely touched on a coaster and headed to his daughter’s room.
Eva Grace was sitting up in bed, her face clean and shiny, her hair twisted on top of her head. Her eyes lit up like Christmas tree lights when she saw him. “Are you really going to read to me tonight?”
Jonah glanced at Abby.
She inclined her head.
“I am.” He glanced at the stack of books beside her on the bed. “Are we reading all of those?”
Laughter bubbled from Eva Grace’s lips.
“I read two each night.” Abby smiled at her daughter. “Eva Grace picks the books. I thought I’d read one and you’d read the other.”
“Sounds good.” Jonah shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. He kept his tone even, though his insides quivered like a racehorse at a starting gate.
This morning, when he’d rolled out of bed, he’d never imagined that tonight he’d be in Abby’s apartment, reading a book to his daughter.
Abby’s hand was gentle as it pushed a strand of hair back from Eva Grace’s face. “Which books will it be tonight?”
“Best Friends for Frances.” Eva Grace reached over and pulled the book from the middle of the stack with amazing accuracy. She shoved it into her mother’s hands.
Something about the book cover, with its two badgers—at least he thought they were badgers—rang a distant bell in his memory. Had his mom once read this story to him and Jackie?
He took a seat in a white wicker chair near the wall as Abby read the story about Frances, who didn’t think her little sister, Gloria, could be her best friend.
When Abby reached the end, Eva Grace’s smile turned beguiling. “Someday, maybe, can I have a sister?”