Finding Faith (Love's Compass Book 4)

by Melanie D. Snitker

“Serenity?”

  Aaron nodded, curious to see what Letty thought about the idea, and said, “She seems nice enough. Although I think Zane might be jumping the gun a little, here.”

  Letty frowned. “Aren’t you worried about Cynthia’s new guidelines?”

  Aaron exchanged an equally confused look with Zane. “I think they’re insane. But what does that have to do with Serenity?”

  Letty’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you know? She’s got a son going to Hope. You met him on Monday. Remember Gideon?”

  The little boy immediately came to mind. He remembered vaguely thinking he seemed familiar. Now he realized why: Both mother and son had the same chocolate-colored eyes.

  He blew out a puff of air and shrugged. “I remember him. I hadn’t made the connection. So much for your matchmaking skills, Zane.” Aaron was trying to be nonchalant. It wasn’t easy when the idea of asking Serenity out had seemed like such a good one at the time.

  He was certainly glad Letty made the connection between Serenity and Gideon, though. With her in administration, Aaron likely wouldn’t see her often anyway. It was probably just as well. Dating wasn’t something he usually made time for, and when he did, he couldn’t seem to connect with the women on a personal level. Serenity being the mother of one of his students was an additional layer of complication he didn’t need in his life. The last thing he wanted was Cynthia breathing down his neck.

  Aaron bid his friends farewell and headed towards the parking lot. He considered eating at his desk in his classroom instead of the breakroom so that he wouldn’t risk spending too much time with Serenity.

  But as soon as the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it. He wasn’t going to run away. He barely knew the woman. All he had to do was keep treating her like he did any of his other co-workers. He could be friends with the new lady in administration.

  The new beautiful lady who smelled like lavender and had one of the prettiest smiles he’d ever seen.

  Yep, it ought to be easy.

  Chapter Six

  Serenity managed to survive her first week at Hope Academy and felt like it was relatively successful. While she had a lot to learn, at least she wasn’t stumbling over the computer keys when checking visitors in. And she knew how to replace the roll of adhesive name tags that printed out as temporary badges.

  Gideon seemed to have a good first week as well. She heard mostly encouraging reports from Letty and the notes she’d received from his speech and occupational therapists were all positive as well. By the end of the week, they’d started to settle into their new routine. Letty kept Gideon after school ended for an extra half hour in the classroom. When Serenity got off work at four in the afternoon, she picked him up and they headed home.

  Their second weekend in the Dallas area was a strangely relaxing one. The idea of having spare time was nearly foreign to Serenity. When she was employed at the restaurant, extra hours were worked in whenever she could get them. They were living pay check to pay check now, and while she felt tempted to find work on the weekends, for the first time in her life she had no one to keep Gideon. And she wasn’t about to find a random day care for him.

  Besides, Lexi had made her promise to give it six months in their current situation before trying to locate any other type of work. She was the only one Serenity had confided in when it came to her financial situation. Both of them were shocked and thrilled when Serenity had not only gotten the job at Hope Academy, but Gideon had received such a large scholarship. One that size was virtually unheard of.

  “It’s a God thing,” Lexi had told her. “Which means you need to give Him a chance to work the rest of it out. Don’t try to push it.”

  Serenity knew she was right. Even if Gideon didn’t receive the scholarship again next year, he would have one year at an amazing school. She had to focus on that.

  After doing a lot of reading over the weekend and checking out the local parks, she and Gideon both felt ready to tackle a new week.

  When she dropped him off at his classroom, Letty stopped her before she left. “Will you have about twenty minutes after you get off work? I wanted to talk to you about getting Gideon into some one-on-one music therapy. I think it would benefit him.”

  “Oh, sure. That’ll be fine.” Serenity tried to imagine what all would take place during the session and was grateful she would have the chance to ask her questions.

  “Great! Meet me here like usual and we’ll walk over to the music room. Aaron will wait for us there.”

  Serenity nodded her understanding, gave Gideon a kiss goodbye, and made her way through the maze of hallways back to the front of the school.

  All the while, Aaron remained on her mind. They’d eaten lunch together almost every day. Sometimes someone else joined them, and other times it was just the two of them. Either way, she always enjoyed the company. They usually kept conversation light and centered on activities within the school. Aaron rarely asked her any personal questions and she’d taken her cue from him.

  The day quickly turned into a typical Monday. Two kiddos came into the office sick, keeping the nurse, Candace, on her toes. The printer jammed, a parent came in and yelled at them for losing a permission slip, and Serenity spilled her water. Thankfully, she’d managed to mop up the mess before it soaked through the papers on her desk.

  Halfway into the morning, Aaron came through the office, giving her a nod and a small smile on his way out.

  Maggie grinned at Serenity. “I think he may be interested in you.”

  “I seriously doubt that.” The suggestion alone caused heat to flood her cheeks. “We don’t even know anything about each other.”

  “The Music Man is a busy guy. But I’d be willing to bet he’s come through the office about three times as often since you started working than he did before.” Maggie winked, her blue eyeshadow the same shade as the streaks in her hair. “I’m pretty sure it’s not because he’s got a sudden interest in yours truly.”

  Serenity shot her a dubious look and focused on the flyers she was stuffing into envelopes. On the inside, her mind was running ninety miles an hour, trying to process what her co-worker had just said. There was no way Aaron had an interest in her.

  Besides, the moment a guy found out she was a single mom with a child who had autism, any interest that did exist dissipated. It’d happened to her a couple of times and she’d reached a place in her life where she was okay with that. Or, at least, that’s what she told herself regularly. Most of the time the pep talk worked.

  By the time four o’clock came around, Serenity’s thoughts had worked her stomach into a knot. Picking at a hangnail, she made her way to Letty’s classroom. Gideon glanced up from his spot by the blocks and grinned.

  That smile — those sparkling eyes — it made everything worth it. The tension she’d been carrying across her shoulders all day melted away. She sat on the floor with him, pulling him into a hug. “How’d your day go, big guy? Did you build that tower?”

  Gideon patted the top block that was a little taller than him. A mischievous look passed over his face and the next moment, he executed a fantastic roundhouse kick, knocking the blocks into a heap on the floor.

  Letty joined them as she laughed. “Good job, Gideon. All right, let’s clean up and then go visit the Music Man.”

  As soon as he heard that, he rushed to stack the blocks in a series of piles near the wall. When he finished, he grabbed Serenity’s hand and tried to drag her through the door and out into the hallway.

  Apparently her son liked visiting the Music Man. It made her even more curious to see what his classroom was like.

  As they walked down the halls, Letty asked, “How do you guys like the area? Do you attend a church?”

  “Our neighborhood seems nice. We live in a duplex, but I have no complaints about the man who lives next door. And no, we haven’t found a church. I’ve gone to the same one since I was a child, so I admit I’m overwhelmed by the prospect.”

  “I completel
y understand. You’re welcome to visit ours. Zane and I go to a friendly one a few blocks from here. It’s the only church in town that has a dedicated children’s class for special needs. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.”

  Serenity had to admit that sounded tempting. She asked her several questions about the church as they neared their destination and finally agreed to go with Letty and Zane the next Sunday.

  There was no missing the music classroom. Entering it was like walking right into a colorful world all of its own. No wonder Gideon couldn’t wait to go back.

  She took in the colorful rug and posters on the wall, bins of instruments, and the line of music that ran from one wall to the other.

  Her focus went to the man seated at his desk. When he saw them, he stood and walked towards him. How was it that, in a room full of color, his blue eyes seemed to outshine everything else?

  ~

  Aaron tried to stay busy all afternoon, looking forward to the meeting with Serenity. When the trio walked in, he welcomed them with a wave. He knelt down and held out a hand towards Gideon, face up. “It’s good to see you, kiddo. Can I have a five?” The boy obliged, his eyes darting around the room. “I’ll bet I know what you’d like to play with.” Gideon’s eyes focused on him, filled with expectations and questions. “Are you kidding? Go get ‘em!”

  He ran straight to the bin of hand bells and pulled it over to the carpet.

  Serenity watched him take out one bell after another. “Now I know why he was excited to come back here.”

  She chuckled and Aaron drank in the sound of it. He’d been held up at lunch and didn’t see her. He didn’t think it would make a difference until he’d gone through the whole weekend and then today without talking to her. Apparently their friendly lunches were becoming addicting.

  He caught Letty watching him, her brows drawn together in concern. He hoped the barely perceptible shake of his head put her at ease.

  With a deep breath, Aaron took on his teacher role and tried to bury everything else plaguing his mind. “Gideon’s a great kid. Letty brings his class by on Mondays for music. You can probably guess what instrument is his favorite.”

  Serenity bobbed her head. “I could certainly speculate. I’m surprised you get him to leave again.”

  Letty laughed. “It’s not easy. All of the kids love coming to see the Music Man.” She tilted her head towards Aaron. “I don’t know if he told you or not, but Aaron also does a lot of one-on-one music therapy with some of the kids. We’ve been talking and we think Gideon would benefit from it.”

  Serenity smiled at Gideon. “It’s definitely something I’m interested in for him. What exactly does a music therapy session contain? What are your goals?”

  They were good questions. Serenity’s pretty brown eyes were on him, waiting for his response.

  “I usually start out with a song. In Gideon’s case, since he’s non-verbal, we’ll be singing songs that have a lot of hand motions or dancing to them. That way I can get him moving and give him motivation to try and copy what I’m doing.” Aaron found that mimicking was something a lot of kids with autism struggled with and, so far, he’d seen the same with Gideon. “After that, we’ll work on a particular task. Whether that’s learning to play an instrument or studying a music note. Finally, we’ll have a question and answer session and then that’ll be it. It will last twenty to thirty minutes, depending on how he’s doing that day.”

  He watched Gideon leave the hand bells lined up and start to explore another bin. “It may take us a week or two to get our footing. But the ultimate goal is to help him initiate interactions, extend his attention span, and use music to help with alternative communication skills. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

  Aaron never tired of seeing kids connect with him and others through music in a way they were unable to otherwise. It was a true gift from God to be able to be a part of it.

  Serenity seemed happy with his responses. “I think he’ll like that. Any extra therapy he can get is a good thing.” She hesitated, almost as if she were trying to get the courage to speak. “I was nervous about moving here like we did. We left a lot behind to come to this school. It’s only been a week and it’s exceeded my expectations. Thank you both.”

  Moisture gathered in her eyes, reminding him of molten chocolate. She sniffed quietly and Letty put an arm around her shoulders, hugging her. “Sometimes it’s almost overwhelming when we see evidence that God’s taking care of us, isn’t it?”

  Serenity nodded and leaned into Letty, swiping at the corners of her eyes.

  Something told Aaron that Serenity had been through a lot and she wasn’t the type to reveal much about herself. He was probably a glutton for punishment because right then, he wished he were the one offering her a hug.

  He’d made a point of keeping their conversations basic and somewhat impersonal in hopes of not fueling the attraction he felt towards her. If the pulse in his ears and the ache in his heart were any indication, it wasn’t working.

  Chapter Seven

  Zane and Letty insisted on picking up Serenity and Gideon at their house so they could go to church with them. Serenity had tried to object, more than once throughout the week, but they wouldn’t hear of it. She finally relented. Zane moved Gideon’s booster seat over and they were soon on their way.

  During the drive, she discovered the church was situated about halfway between her house and the school. It was insane how everything was so close together. What were the odds? On a nice day, she and Gideon could easily walk to the church.

  Serenity couldn’t remember not attending her family’s church. Hands shaking, she smoothed down the loose-fitting blouse for the third time since they’d left the house. Walking up to the large, brick building turned the butterflies in her stomach to airplanes.

  She shouldn’t have worried. From the moment they stepped through those front doors, she and Gideon were greeted with smiles and handshakes. Zane and Letty introduced them to several people they knew and then helped them find the correct classroom for Gideon.

  The class setup for special needs kids contained everything from building blocks to a tent filled with cushions. Gideon ran right in, dove into the cushions, and rewarded Serenity with a grin.

  Serenity visited with his Sunday school teachers, telling them a little about her son and filling out some information. She was given a number that was assigned to him and told that if they needed anything, his number would appear on the screen in the worship hall.

  Gideon seemed more than happy to stay, but Serenity still hesitated to leave him. Letty appeared out of nowhere beside her. “He’s in good hands. I’ve known Aster for years. She used to work at Hope so she knows what she’s doing.”

  That made Serenity feel a little better. She and Letty caught up with Zane in the worship hall. He was waiting for them in one of the back rows. Serenity claimed her seat and perused the bulletin she’d been handed on the way in.

  The worship leader opened the morning with prayer. When he’d finished, the lights came on over the stage revealing six members of the worship team. Serenity’s eyes immediately went to the man in the back left. She leaned closer to Letty. “Is that Aaron?”

  Letty nodded. “He’s played keyboard for the worship team for several years now. He’s really good.”

  Serenity watched as his fingers touched the keys, his eyes closed as he sang along with everyone else. The songs were heartfelt, leading to a sense of peace and closeness to God. It’d only been three weeks, but she’d missed this. When Aaron stepped forward to lead one chorus, Serenity was completely unprepared for how deep his voice was. His speaking voice was lower than average, but nothing like this. Chill bumps sprang up along her arms as the bass filled the room.

  His was the kind of tone that would sell a lot of CDs if he ever chose to record. Yet, he was working at a special needs school and playing music for his church.

  Aaron Randall was one surprise after another.

&nb
sp; ~

  After worship, Aaron made his way to the back of the church to join his friends. The last thing he expected, when he gained his seat next to Zane, was to see Serenity two chairs down. “Good morning,” he greeted her, his mind going in all different directions. He leaned over and whispered to Zane, “You could have warned me.”

  Zane smirked at him. “According to what you’ve told me, I didn’t think it mattered.”

  Aaron pretended like he didn’t hear his friend. He leaned down to retrieve his Bible from beneath his seat, giving him an opportunity for a quick glance at Serenity. She’d pulled part of her hair into a clasp at the back of her head. Shorter strands fell along her jaw and his fingers itched to tuck them behind her ears. It was a fight to direct his thoughts back to the church service, and it proved to be only partially successful.

  After the final prayer, everyone stood to gather their things. Letty turned to Serenity.

  “We planned to go to out for brunch after church today. You and Gideon are welcome to join us. It’s our treat.”

  The invitation had barely been uttered and Serenity was shaking her head. “We don’t want to impose.”

  “You’re not imposing.” Zane gave his wife a peck on the cheek. “You’ll be doing Letty a favor, adding a little more estrogen to the mix.”

  Serenity’s cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink and Aaron’s heart rate increased when she nodded.

  “We appreciate it, thank you.”

  By the time they all caravanned from the church to the restaurant, Aaron was more than ready for lunch. They had to wait for a table, but once they got seated, their waitress took the orders quickly. Gideon stayed busy doing a dot-to-dot on the back of the kid’s menu with the crayons he’d been given.

  Aaron was conscious of Serenity sitting in the chair next to his. She and Letty were talking about Hope Academy. He was half listening, since Zane was talking about baseball scores at the same time.