by Emma Easter
Davina nodded and left.
Rachel smiled and kissed Emily again. “Thank you, Lord,” she whispered. “Thank you for everything.”
Chapter 6
The meeting with his clients finally ended, at least for the day, and Taylor strode out of the hotel conference room. It was only the second day of the series of business meetings he and his clients had scheduled for the week, but he already missed Bree and Josh terribly and was ready to go home to them.
As usual, he wished with all his heart that he could bring them on his business trips, but that would not be possible. If Faye were still alive, he would still miss them, but he would not be so worried about them, knowing they were in good hands. Felicia seemed efficient and firm, but she was hardly nurturing, as a mother would be. He’d vowed to be a mother and father to his children, but going on all these business trips would not allow that to happen.
He stepped into the elevator to go up to his hotel room and then changed his mind. He didn’t feel like being alone in his room right now, no matter how luxurious it was. He glanced at his wristwatch. It was just five o’clock in the evening. He felt like going for a walk.
He punched the lobby button instead and rode the elevator down. Exiting, he walked briskly through the elegant lobby of the posh Tucson hotel he stayed in whenever he was in this city. He smiled and nodded at the concierge and shook his head when he was asked if he wanted a limo brought to him.
He began to walk down the street and then remembered he’d seen packets of his favorite brand of potato chips through the window of a department store on the day he’d arrived in Tucson. He’d been so excited to see the snack as he’d not seen it for years and had made up his mind to get some before he left for California. But the store was a pretty long walk from here.
He paused for just a second and then continued walking. Those chips were worth the long walk. From what he remembered, they were really, really good.
As he walked, he kept thinking about Josh and Bree, worrying about not spending enough time with them. Finally, too pained to continue to focus on his children, he shifted his thoughts to his sister. She had not sent him a message today, thankfully. Whatever changes were going on in Fallow Creek, it seemed she and that new husband of hers were at the center of it. He recalled the amazing story she’d told him of how God had told her and her husband to move there, and how He had made a way for them to do so, providing everything they needed. She wanted him to return to Fallow Creek now. He would be forever grateful to her for sharing the full gospel with him and leading him to the cross and away from the dead religion he’d had before that, but he was never going back to that town.
He kept walking and soon realized that the store was farther than he had thought. The buildings he passed began to deteriorate in appearance, and he entered a neighborhood that would be termed as a slum. He blinked in surprise. He’d been reading a financial journal in the limo that had taken him to his hotel the day he’d seen the store that sold his favorite chips and had not looked up long enough to realize it was in such a rundown area. There were abandoned cars and houses everywhere, and graffiti even on some clearly occupied homes and business places.
He passed a group of children playing way too close to the busy street and kept walking in the direction he remembered the store was in. He was good with directions and locating buildings, which was probably because of what he did for a living. He soon found the store and entered.
He walked down the aisles searching for the chips and finally saw the bright red-and-blue wrapper at the end of the aisle where he stood. A young woman was there, putting several bags of the chips into her cart. He hurried over, slightly afraid that there would be none left for him before he got there. But the closer he got, the less focused on the chips he became. His eyes were fixed on the petite young woman with waist-length, auburn hair and a perfect figure. But it wasn’t just her appearance that drew him. She looked really familiar. She raised her head and looked at him, and he sharply sucked in his breath. It was Lily Hunter, his childhood neighbor.
He had not seen her up close in years except for the day at the construction site in Fallow Creek. He had turned around because he felt someone looking at him, and there she had been, gazing intently at him. She had walked away quickly, and he had gone back to what he was doing. But for a short while after, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He’d finally succeeded in doing so and then totally put her out of his mind. Faye had been alive then, and he’d also been involved with Sarah. There had been no space for a third woman.
His heart did a flip once more. She looked even more breathtaking than she had that day, dressed in a fitted white shirt and jeans that showed off her lovely figure. He chided himself. There was still no space in his heart now.
Her eyes were as round as saucers as he reached her, and they shone with recognition. He gave her a small smile, and she blinked rapidly.
“Lily Hunter,” he said, trying not to sound too excited to see her. He cringed inwardly. He sounded a little cold. He adjusted his voice. “How are you, Lily? It’s such a pleasure to see you here.” Great. Now I sound way too excited. Dial it down, Taylor.
Lily looked shocked and she didn’t say anything for a short while. And then she found her voice. “Taylor Dalton? How come you’re here?”
“I should ask you the same thing,” he said with a chuckle. Before he could stop himself, he said, “You look great, Lily.”
Her expression turned slightly concerned, and she took a step back. She gave him a cautious smile, and he wondered why she looked like she was getting ready to flee. Did he look creepy or did he have something on his face that scared her? He impulsively touched his cheek and then quickly put his hand down.
They stood for a few seconds looking at each other in awkward silence. He pointed at her chips. “I see you had the same idea that I did. I saw these potato chips from the window when I was driving past this store yesterday. I knew I had to get them.”
The smile she gave him now melted his insides, but it made him a little wary. “I was so happy the first time I saw them. It was actually in a different store near where I used to live. It just transported me back to when we were kids. I had to get a bag, and I’ve now developed a dangerous daily craving for them. Thankfully, I found this store that sells them, and I decided to buy a large stash.” She laughed and his pulse quickened.
He smiled at her. “Do you remember how you used to sit outside the house with Rachel eating these chips, and how I used to come steal them right from your hands?”
She laughed again. “Yes. Rachel and I would chase you as far as we could, but you were always too fast for us to catch up. You were so mischievous then, Taylor.”
“Says the girl who used to climb trees with all the boys and then pretend that she had fallen from one of them and died when her mom came out looking for her.” He laughed and shook his head as he gazed at her brown eyes sparkling with mirth.
“I was a tomboy, wasn’t I?” She put another bag of chips into her cart. “It was so weird how close Rachel and I were then, because she was such a girly girl.” She stopped smiling. “Talking about Rachel, I really miss her. I was at the Restoration House when she was brought there and we renewed our friendship. I was happy when I heard that she’d left Fallow Creek. Even though she was banished, she’d wanted to leave town for a long time. It was a blessing in disguise. It was so sudden, her banishment. I don’t know where she went, though I think it might have been to a place called Destiny she told me a lot about. Do you know where she is?”
Taylor nodded. “She’s back in Fallow Creek.”
Lily’s mouth fell open. “What? Why? How?”
He gave her a very brief version of what Rachel had told him.
“Wow!” Lily looked up with a thoughtful expression on her face. “So Rachel left Mike and married the man she loved. I’m so happy for her. But at the same time, I know she must have gone through a lot. The men in Fallow Creek are not very forgiving when
they’re spurned. They are such…” Lily stopped talking and turned away from him.
He sighed. He knew what she wanted to say. He had been one of those men and had believed the same things they did until just recently. “It’s okay, Lily. You can say what you want to say. It won’t offend me. I’ll probably agree with you.”
She faced him fully, a suspicious look on her face. “I’d rather not,” she said. “Anyway, do you have a number where I can reach Rachel? I would really like to talk to her.”
“Yes, I have her number.” He brought out his phone and went to his contact list. He found her number and gave his phone to Lily. “Here it is.”
She brought out an old phone from her pocket and began to type Rachel’s number in. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her until she looked up at him and handed him his phone. “Thanks,” she said, smiling.
He put his phone in his pocket and said, “You haven’t told me why you’re here… out of Fallow Creek.”
She gave him that suspicious look again and said, “You didn’t hear? I was banished like Rachel.”
He raised his brows, a look of surprise on his face. “I didn’t hear anything. What happened?”
She shifted slightly toward him as a woman holding a little girl passed by. He involuntarily inhaled her sweet flowery scent and his heart thudded.
“I didn’t want to get married, but I was so tired of living in that Restoration House that I gave in to my parents’ demands and told them I would marry whoever they wanted. But the idea of marrying a man I didn’t love, especially one who might have other…” She stopped talking again.
“Other what?”
She shrugged.
“Tell me, Lily,” he said softly.
She sighed and turned her face slightly away. “Other wives. The man they wanted me to marry turned out to be Dennis Hamilton, and I knew I couldn’t do it. I was ready to go back to the Restoration House rather than marry him…” Her voice faded as she faced Taylor fully. “And please don’t tell me other girls in the community would have given their right arms to marry him.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“He was offended, of course, and decided I had to be sent away so I didn’t corrupt other women in Fallow Creek. I would have been thrilled to leave if it weren’t for the fact that he said I could never return and would never see my parents and sister again.” Tears formed in her eyes and a look of anguish took over her face.
It took everything in him not to take her in his arms and try to comfort her. He knew a little of the pain she was going through. “I’m so sorry,” he said. He wanted to tell her he could go back and speak to Dennis Hamilton on her behalf, but there was no use. He had tried to reason with the man and the elders on behalf of Rachel, but they hadn’t listened and had still banished her. Rachel had been able to enter the community again only because God had performed a huge miracle. God was Lily’s only hope to see her parents again.
“And you, Taylor. Why are you here? On business?”
“Yes.” He wanted to tell her he’d moved away from Fallow Creek because his wife had died, but he didn’t want to talk to her about Faye. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone about Faye at this time.
Her eyes suddenly lit up and she beamed. “Can you send a message to my parents for me when you go back?”
He felt conflicted. He wanted to help her, but the thought of going back to that community where his wife had died, the place he partly blamed for taking her life, was too much to bear. A man walked by gazing at Lily, and Taylor glowered at him. The man looked away quickly, and Taylor chided himself once more. She did not belong to him in any way. Another man could look at her.
“Taylor?”
“Oh… sorry.” He glanced at his wristwatch and his eyes fluttered. “Wow! We’ve been standing here talking for almost an hour. We should go.” She did not move, and he sighed. “I don’t live in Fallow Creek anymore, Lily.”
Her jaw dropped, and she looked shocked. “You? How come?”
“It’s a long story. I’d rather not talk about it right now.”
“So you have moved your son and wife — or is it wives — out of the community? Where do you all live now?”
“Northern California.” She thought Faye was still alive and she’d clearly heard about his misguided engagement to Sarah Lowery. He did not correct her assumptions. There was no use. After today, he would probably never see her again.
She nodded and he blinked. His heart skipped a beat. Was it disappointment he saw in her eyes? She’d just told him she didn’t want to marry someone who already had a wife and she clearly thought he was still married. Why would she care where he lived unless she had designs on him? His guard immediately rose up and he told himself to calm down.
Get over yourself, Taylor Dalton. She probably looks disappointed because she needs you to send regular messages to her parents for her. He had to try to help her somehow. But how would he do that when he’d vowed never to go back to their old community?
She looked broken. “So you’ll never go back to Fallow Creek, even to visit anyone there?”
He sighed. “I don’t know when I will go back there, but give me your phone number. If I ever plan to, I will call you, and you can send me a message for your parents.”
She still looked sad but slightly hopeful. “Thank you,” she said.
He brought out his phone, and she called out her number while he keyed it into his contacts. “Lily…?” He hesitated as an unwanted thread of worry went through him. “Umm… is it still Hunter?”
“Still Lily Hunter,” she said. “I’m not married.”
He had to hide the grin that almost broke out on his face. What is wrong with you, Taylor? Thank God he would never see her again after today. He was way too attracted to her, and yet he’d promised himself that there would be no one else after how he’d treated Faye and after losing her. He had also promised Josh not many days ago that it would just be the three of them and that no one would come between them ever again.
He put his phone back into his pocket and grabbed a single bag of chips. He gave her a smile and went to the counter to pay. The sooner he got out of this store and back to his hotel, the sooner he could put her out of his mind.
She caught up to him. “Thank you, Taylor. Please don’t forget to call when you decide to go to Fallow Creek again.”
He nodded. He remembered his manners in spite of his hurry to leave the store and let her pay for the things she had bought before him. She had a bunch of things in her cart, and as she took them out, her eyes grew wide and she looked at them with a surprised look. “I didn’t know I’d picked up so many things,” she said to the cashier. She looked embarrassed. “I have to return some of these.”
The cashier impatiently looked past her to him. “Next!”
Taylor turned to look at her as she passed by him and headed for the aisles. He paid for his bag of chips and began to head out of the store. He saw her coming toward him again, this time without a cart. She had just a bag of chips and a small box of tissues. She had put back most of the things she’d wanted to buy.
It occurred to him that she probably didn’t have any money to pay for those things. She’d been sent out of Fallow Creek with nothing. He was sure that, like most people from that town, she knew no one outside of it. Maybe she’d made a few friends now, but she didn’t have any qualifications to get a job, at least a good one, because Fallow Creek did not prepare women for employment. They were meant to get married and have their husband be the sole providers.
He felt sick with guilt. He had been thinking only about himself and hadn’t even asked how she’d been faring since she’d been driven out of Fallow Creek. Maybe because she looked so good, it had not occurred to him that she might be in financial difficulty. And he was about to run away because he feared his attraction to her. Surely, he could help her somehow without putting his heart on the line.
He waited for her in front of the store. She came out two min
utes later and stared at him in surprise. He went over to her and gave her a big smile.
“I thought you’d left,” she said.
He pointed at the bag in her hand. “That’s all you bought? Why did you return the other things in your cart?”
She shrugged and said nothing.
They began to walk side by side in silence. He wasn’t yet sure how he could help her, but he would figure out a way.
She suddenly stopped and turned to him. “Where are we going?”
Before he could think over his words, he said, “To your house. Where do you live?”
She blushed and he momentarily shut his eyes. Why didn’t he think about how his words would sound to her? “Umm… I didn’t mean…” He sighed and stopped talking. Whatever he said now would probably make things worse.
She gave him a small smile. “I know you didn’t mean anything by your question. I live in an apartment near here.”
“In this neighborhood?” he asked, looking around the poor area.
She nodded.
They couldn’t stand in the middle of the street, looking at each other. He had to think fast. She smiled again and said, “Well, it’s been great seeing you again, Taylor. I have to go now.”
“Lily, tell me the truth. What do you do now?”
“What do I do?”
“Do you have a job?”
She looked down for a few seconds and then looked up at him. “No. I haven’t found one yet.”
He fought with himself. He didn’t want to invite her into his life, but he couldn’t just leave without helping her. Besides, he would be going back to California in a few days. He wouldn’t exactly be inviting her in if he didn’t see her after that. He didn’t want to find her a job that paid minimum wage; he wanted her to be able to make a reasonably comfortable life for herself here. He wasn’t sure what that would be, but maybe one of his clients who lived in Tucson could help out. In that way, he could help without being in her life in any way.