Michael turned his lips up into a wide grin. “Yes, there is. My God is watching out for Evelyn.” He eased back into the brown leather chair and combed a hand through his hair.
I’ll have my nurse give you directions on how to take her off the medication slowly, but it seems your daughter is going to be just fine. Now, I don’t want to be a naysayer, but the reality is her leukemia can always come back. Remission isn’t always permanent. But for now, she’s just like any other girl her age.” He clasped his hands together and rested them on the top of his desk.
Everything seemed surreal to Michael. The doctor’s words still echoed in his ears like a loud voice in a desolate canyon. God had heard his heartfelt request and words couldn’t begin to describe the gratitude he felt inside. He could feel wetness form in the corners of his eyes, and he instinctively wished he could call Heather and share the good news.
But a part of him was still angry at the nurse. Angry that she had walked out on him after a traumatic event in his life. How could someone who was so caring and loving with others treat him that way? Michael wasn’t the best at reading people’s emotions, but a part of him swore Heather had feelings for him. Feelings that she chose to deny. There was no doubt in his mind he could feel the attraction between them. Something he never felt with Cynthia.
No, Michael wasn’t ready to face Heather. He was afraid his emotions would get the best of him, and he might lash out from his pain. It would be better for his mother to relay the message. That would keep their friendship on good terms.
He exited the doctor’s office and walked into the waiting room where the rest of his family was waiting with nervous apprehension. There were different emotions displayed on each person’s face. His parents were terrified, Andrew was stone faced, and Evelyn was chatting away, without a care in the world. She trusted God with her outcome and had learned to be content with whatever happened.
Michael leaned over Evelyn and gave her a wide grin. “Honey, you’re cured.” He studied her face, waiting for her happy response.
For a moment, the words didn’t register in the girl’s mind as if he had spoken some foreign language. But seconds later, her cheeks pushed up into a joyful smile.
“Really, Daddy? I’m cured?”
“Yes, dear. God has cured you.”
The rest of the family reacted with shock and thankful praise to God for healing Evelyn’s health.
A tear slid down Eleanor’s face as she lifted her head toward the ceiling. “Thank you God for healing her.”
His parents hugged each other, and Andrew danced with Evelyn, who still couldn’t believe the fantastic news.
On their way home from the doctor’s office, they sang along with the songs on the radio and even stopped to pick up ice cream. Michael couldn’t remember a happier time in his life, except for the day he got married to Carla, and that seemed like an eternity ago. Nothing could stop the joy bubbling from his heart. Evelyn was going to be okay. She was finally able to live a normal life again.
Later that evening, Michael helped Evelyn pack for her visit to Santa Barbara. It had been a long time since she was healthy enough to go anywhere without having to take major precautions. For Evelyn, visiting Grandma’s house was more exciting than Thrill Mountain because now she knew that she was going to be normal again.
Michael watched his daughter neatly tuck her clothes into her pink carry-on luggage while chatting about which dolls she wanted to take with her. Suddenly she grew quiet.
“Daddy, do you think I’ll be able to grow out my hair now?” she asked with a soft voice.
Michael could sense the hesitation in her voice. Losing her hair had crushed her self-esteem, and now that she no longer needed chemotherapy, he could see the excitement grow in Evelyn’s eyes.
“The doctors said it would start slowly growing back now and should be just like it was before.” He reached out an arm as she walked over and sat next to him. Evelyn gave him a serious look.
“So I’m going to be okay now? I mean really okay? I’ll be here with you for a while, right?” Her gaze drifted to the hands in her lap.
“Yes baby, you will. Hopefully for a long, long time.” He gave her playful tickle, and she jumped off the couch, laughing as she ran away from him.
“I like it when you’re silly, Daddy. You haven’t laughed so much since Heather left.” She looked up at him with an innocent smile.
“Well, baby, I’m going to start laughing much more now. And you and I are going to have so many adventures together.” He hugged her tightly against his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head. For almost a minute, they treasured the moment together, basking in the warmth of their embrace.
“I’m so proud of you, Evelyn. You beat the cancer, and you came out on top. I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.” She pulled away from him and looked up at his face.
“I didn’t do it, Daddy ... God did it. I just believed in Him, and I prayed really hard. Heather said that sometimes when you pray really hard, good things happen to you. God could see me, even up there in Heaven, He could see me. He knew I was trying to be good, and I asked for forgiveness for everything I ever did ... well, almost everything.” Evelyn gave her father a shy smile. “Some stuff I can’t remember anymore. But I asked for forgiveness for everything I did remember.” She gazed into her father’s eyes.
“I know God did all this for us, Evelyn. I’m sorry I didn’t bring Him into our life sooner. I didn’t talk about Him to you.” She watched him intently as he continued, “I’m even sorrier that I told Heather not to teach you anything. She wanted to help, and if she hadn’t, we may not be sitting here now.” He gave her another tight squeeze.
“I miss her, Daddy. She was always nice and hugged me a lot. I want someone like that for a new mommy ... someone who likes to hug me, tucks me in and who loves God too.” Her gaze bounced from him to the painting on the wall. “Someone who likes to paint too, that would be nice.” She pushed her chest higher. “Heather and I, we painted that together. I couldn’t have done it without her help. She’s very good with details and taught me a lot of important things.” Her face scrunched up while she thought for a second. “Heather says the foundation is the most important part. Yep, that’s it.”
He sighed and studied the waves. There was no doubt in his mind that Heather had helped Evelyn become a better artist. It seemed that no matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about her or erase her from his mind. Even in the seclusion of his own room, there were constant reminders of her presence.
“I think it’s time for your bedtime, little girl.” Michael pushed a stray lock of hair over her ear.
“Do I really have too? I’m better now; I should be able to stay up later.” Evelyn’s lips pushed up into a pout.
Michael gave her a sympathetic look. “I know sweetie, but you’re just regaining your strength, and it’s important for you to get plenty of rest so your body can recover faster. You don’t want the cancer to come back, do you?”
Evelyn shook her head firmly.
“Then you need to get as much rest as possible.” Michael reminded Evelyn about her bedtime, and with a little prodding, he managed to shoo her up to her room where Andrew was waiting to read her a bedtime story and tuck her in to bed. Tomorrow would be a new day in her journey without leukemia, and he was thankful she would be spending it carefree in beautiful Santa Barbara.
Chapter 10
Evelyn’s original two weeks passed quickly, and when she begged Michael to stay longer, he consented, wanting her to catch up on life. Before Michael realized it, two weeks turned into two months, and the house began to feel empty without her heartwarming smile. Eleanor had enrolled Evelyn into several clubs and took her to several youth activities at their church. After hearing how much fun she was having, Michael didn’t have the heart to make her come home.
The Robbins estate was no longer a safe haven of warmth and laughter from the real world. Even though Linda was still around, he
r appearances were more and more scarce. Michael couldn’t help noticing the pensive look on her drawn face, and he wondered what was really going on inside her head. He would catch her and Miss Jamie spending their days working on new recipes for dinner or airing out some of the rooms in the east wing that were never used.
Besides a cordial greeting, Michael never engaged in any meaningful conversation with them. His mind was too busy with work. And the few moments when his mind wasn’t occupied with some important transaction, he would go for walks out in the garden, thinking about Heather and what God had planned for his life.
His thoughts turned to tonight’s events. An ache began to grow inside his stomach as he dreaded the drama that was about to unfold. It wasn’t because of the important business he needed to negotiate. It was because of his soon to be wife Cynthia. She had only been around twice since the hospital visit, and in his heart, he knew he didn’t love her. Tonight was the night he would announce his official decision about the matter. He had invited her to dinner, just the two of them, and he knew the decision he had made was for the best.
Heather had been gone for over three months, and in that time, he knew that if he couldn’t have her, he would rather be forever single. Tonight would be one of the most challenging times in his life. But he didn’t care how Cynthia would react. She had suffocated his heart like a boa constrictor killing its prey. And now it was time to set it free. Since the first day he met her, he had the uncomfortable feeling she wasn’t what he needed in a wife.
After Evelyn had mentioned how much she wanted a woman of God as her mother, he knew Cynthia wasn’t the right one for their family. He tried to get the prideful woman to commit to a dinner, but she was so wrapped up in her shows that she kept making up excuses about how she simply couldn’t make it.
It seemed his fiancée had no interest in building a meaningful relationship but was more focused on achieving chasing after wealth and material things. Michael couldn’t completely fault her. He had been stuck in that very same trap for years until someone special had come along and taught him what he was missing out of life. The loud chime of the doorbell woke him from his reverie, and he knew it was time to come clean about his true feelings.
“Harry that’s enough.” Heather grinned at him as he poured the rich chocolate syrup onto his ice cream. The energetic boy loved to push his limits, but Heather knew how to reign in his need to test every boundary. The blond-haired boy had an infectious enthusiasm and was always laughing, especially when he was trying to get Heather in on some new crazy experiment he had lined up. Like yesterday when he had asked her to help him attach balloons to a frog to see if it would float.
Heather took a step back and watched as Harry shoveled scoops of the chocolate laced ice cream into his tiny mouth. Besides catching a cold once in the two months, he remained healthy. Olivia had been a wonderful employer. She and Heather had established a friendship and even Kelly, Olivia’s sister-in-law, had become friends. Kelly was a year younger than Heather and often dropped by for short visits when she wasn’t busy with school.
As Heather finished cleaning up Harry’s face and mess he had created on the table, Olivia walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face.
“How’s he doing? Aha, ice cream day huh?” Olivia ruffled her son’s hair and kissed him on the top of his head before shooing Heather out. “I know I’m late; I’m so sorry. I got caught up in traffic. Go on, I know you have church. I’ve got it from here, Heather.” Olivia grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and motioned Heather out of the room.
“You sure, Liv? I can stay if you need me too.” Heather untied her apron and hung it on the rack inside the large walk-in pantry.
“Absolutely not, Heather. Church is very important, and I wouldn’t want to keep you away from being fed. We’ll be fine, won’t we?” Olivia gave Harry a playful grin.
Without another word, Olivia shooed Heather out of the kitchen so she could get ready for church. Tonight’s sermon was about faith and trusting God, a quality she desperately needed in her life. While she was thankful for finding a local church to worship, she still missed Pastor Avery and his heartfelt sermons. Her only comfort was the weekly progress reports he gave her on how things were progressing at the church.
She made her way to her car and drove east on the highway before merging north onto the I-5 freeway.
Her thoughts drifted back to last Saturday when a surprise visitor came to the house. It was late morning when she heard a soft knock on the front door. Liv had already left for an early morning meeting, and Heather was watching Harry play with his superhero toys in the living room. She encouraged the boy to continue with his make-believe attack on the Zoltar army before heading over to the front door to see who was calling. As she cracked the door open, her eyes grew wide with surprise as she saw a familiar face standing across the threshold.
“Andrew, what in the world are you doing here?” Her eyes looked past him, wondering if Michael had come along. The possibility that her former employer had come down to San Diego both thrilled and frightened her at the same time. Would she be able to stand strong and resist the temptation to crumble under his hypnotic gaze? Or would the walls around her heart crumble like the walls of Jericho without a fight? Heather tried to hide her curiosity.
“Heather, I’m so glad I caught you at home. Evelyn wanted to visit the San Diego zoo and insisted that we couldn’t leave to go home until she stopped by to see you.”
Heather turned her gaze to the large SUV parked in front of the house and saw the other family members inside eagerly watching their conversation. She waved her hand in excitement.
“Listen, my mom really wanted to speak with you for a few minutes if you have time. You know how she is, right?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I just want you to be prepared, that’s all.” Andrew pursed his lips briefly together before continuing, “He misses you Heather.”
She took a deep breath, hoping the erratic beat of her heart would settle before responding. “I miss him too, but I see now that it would never work. I’m sorry if I hurt him.”
Andrew wanted to say more and let her know that Michael had never been the same after she had left. That his life seemed meaningless and empty. But after witnessing the pain in her eyes, he decided to stay silent.
He motioned his hand toward the SUV, and Heather watched as the rest of the family exited the vehicle and marched up to the courtyard entrance to the house. Her heart swelled with joy as Evelyn jumped out of the backseat of the SUV.
“Heather!” The excited girl ran over and threw herself into Heather’s arms before she could offer a greeting. Heather squeezed Evelyn tightly as wetness began to form in the corners of her eyes.
Not here, Heather. Not now.
“Heather, guess what?” Evelyn was breathless. “I have omissions.” Her face radiated a vibrant pink, and Heather could have almost sworn there was a glow around it. Heather pondered her words for a moment.
“You what?”
She looked up at the group as they laughed unanimously and said, “She’s in remission.”
“Oh, Evelyn, I’m so happy for you.” Heather wrapped her hands around Evelyn’s and danced with joy around the yard for a few moments while praising God out loud for her miraculous healing. Words couldn’t describe how elated she felt knowing that Evelyn could live a carefree and normal life like other children her age. No longer would she need to wear that embarrassing surgical mask in public or worry about catching a virus. The girl could face life with renewed confidence and share her testimony with other kids in school.
Heather’s gaze drifted around the family and then to the car, but Michael was nowhere to be found. Who was taking care of Michael if everyone had traveled down to San Diego?
The answer hit her like a heavyweight knockout punch in a championship fight.
Cynthia Wilson.
Her body shuddered as images of the snooty woman attempting to nurse Michael back to health flashed before he
r eyes. The self-centered woman probably knew more about the art of true humility than providing medical care for Michael.
Heather shook her head as her thoughts returned to the line of cars stopped in front of her. She couldn’t believe more than several months had passed since she left the Robbins estate. It seemed only like yesterday that she had taught Evelyn how to paint the ocean waves. Eleanor still called Heather once every week to talk about Evelyn, but she carefully avoided any mention of Michael’s name at all. Heather appreciated her tactfulness and was glad she wasn’t reminded of his new happiness. The thought of her first love being intimate with another woman made her stomach nauseated.
Heather shook the image from her mind. There was no use in torturing herself about something fate had put into motion. She had made a final decision, and there was no turning back. Her new resolution was to focus on work, church, and trusting God to fulfill the desires of her heart.
The focus of that night’s message was about fear, and Heather felt as if God had intended that message just for her. Every word the speaker shared about God’s desire to heal a believer’s fears felt like drops of water to her weary and parched soul. The direction her life had taken began to make sense, and she knew God was leading her to be exactly where he wanted her.
But something the senior pastor said caused Heather to stir in her seat. The senior pastor encouraged the church to take risks, something she didn’t feel comfortable with. Taking a risk would not guarantee happiness or success. It was uncertain, and Heather had no room in her life for uncertainty. She needed to be in total control of her life and know exactly where things were headed. Heather soaked up as many points from the Bible study as she could. At one point in the sermon, she stopped writing when the speaker mentioned a verse from the book of John:
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