Page 17 of Starting Anew

With that, he closed the door in her face and flipped the porch light off.

Lynn had told herself that she’d be okay no matter what happened. But it was all a lie. Dad’s rejection hit her with the force of a hammer, pushing her shoulders down and building pressure in her chest until it hurt. She turned away from the house and headed back to her car. When she reached it, she allowed herself one last look at the house.

That’s when she saw Perry standing in a living room window. Her beautiful cherub face stared curiously. Oh, how Lynn missed her. Missed the hours spent laughing together and reading. Perry used to love it when Lynn painted her finger nails or brushed her hair.

Pangs of regret and pain had Lynn grasping for control of her emotions. She raised a hand and waved. Perry smiled and waved back before the curtain was closed again and all Lynn could see were shadows.

While Lynn had a strong need to curl up in a corner somewhere and cry, at least the trip hadn’t been for nothing. At least Perry knew that Lynn had tried.

It wasn’t until she was safely inside her car again that she realized tears were flowing. She swiped at her cheeks. Stupid. She ought to be used to this by now. Seeing Perry had been worth it, though. Instead of the usual helplessness she felt after speaking with her family, there was the slightest glimmer of hope.

She sniffed again and pulled her phone from her bag to text Nathan. “Thanks for the prayers. I saw my sister briefly for the first time in years.”

It wasn’t long before a response came through. “I’m glad. That was a fast visit.”

“I wasn’t exactly welcomed by my parents. Heading home now.”

Lynn had just set the phone on the passenger seat and was about to shift the car into drive when her phone pinged again. “If you need to talk, feel free to call. Mia’s asleep, and I’ll be up for a while.”

Lynn couldn’t believe how tempting the offer was. But she’d told him so little about her past life or her identity. He had no clue what had alienated her from her family.

She needed to tell him—even wanted to. Tonight wasn’t the right time, though. Not with the wedding just a few days away. Feeling horrible for again deflecting away from details about her own life, she responded, “I shouldn’t. I think I need to crank the music and focus on getting home. Will see you tomorrow.” Her guilt only increased as she sent the message.

“Okay. Be safe.”

With a long drive ahead of her, and the pain of the truncated visit still fresh, she did need someone to talk to. Preferably someone who wasn’t small, covered in fur, and whose only advice was, “Meow!” She might have called Sharon if she weren’t worried she’d end up crying again, which certainly wouldn’t make driving back to her place any easier.

Lynn focused on Perry’s smile, and Nathan’s kindness, as she pulled away from the curb and once again watched her childhood home disappear in the rearview mirror.

Chapter Seven

Nathan had a hard time wrapping his mind around what happened to Lynn last night. How did parents who hadn’t seen their daughter in years find her on their front steps and still turn her away? There was a lot about the situation he didn’t know. He wanted to ask her questions when he dropped Mia off at daycare this morning. She was clearly reluctant to tell him more about the situation than she already had, and Little Lambs certainly wasn’t the place for him to push the issue.

His heart hurt for Lynn and the grief she must be experiencing right now.

Nathan taught his classes throughout the morning, took two different calls from Chess with questions regarding the wedding this Saturday, and was finally sitting down to lunch. He’d just warmed up his leftovers when Lynn’s name flashed across his phone.

He swiped to answer. “Hey, Lynn.” His first thought was Mia. The last time Lynn called him during the work day, Mia had fallen and gotten a large goose egg on her forehead. Unsure of what to do at the time, Nathan had rushed his daughter to the pediatrician where she was deemed fine. It’d taken several days before he stopped cringing every time Mia fell.

“Hi, Nathan. I’m sorry to bother you. Mia isn’t feeling well. At first, I thought maybe she was just tired and ready for an early nap. She fell asleep quickly, but when she woke up, she felt warm. I’ve checked her temperature twice, and it’s at 101.2.” The sounds of Mia crying floated in from the background. “There seems to be very little I can do to comfort her right now.”

The daycare center’s guidelines were that, if a child had a temperature over 100.4, he or she had to stay home. So based on that alone, Nathan needed to go and pick Mia up.

“It may take me a half hour or so. I need to arrange for someone to take over my classes this afternoon. But I’ll be there to get Mia as quick as I can.” He secured a lid on his leftovers and shoved the container back into his lunch bag. “Thanks for calling, Lynn.”

“You’re welcome. We’ll see you in a bit.”

Nathan had no trouble getting someone to cover his classes and was on his way to Little Lambs shortly. Once inside, he signed Mia out at the front desk and made his way to the nursery area.

Before he entered, a soft rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” made its way to his ears. He didn’t have to see the owner of the voice to know it was Lynn. Somehow, it didn’t surprise him in the least to learn that she had the voice of an angel.

As he rounded the corner, he spotted Lynn in a rocking chair, Mia in her arms. His normally rambunctious daughter was lying quietly, her eyes on Lynn’s face as the song concluded with one long, perfect note.

Lynn lifted Mia’s little hand, kissed her fingers, and smiled down at her. Anyone walking in right now might think they were mother and daughter the way they were wrapped up in each other.

Only then did Lynn glance over and notice him standing there. Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “Look, Mia. It’s your daddy.”

Mia sat up on Lynn’s lap. She smiled at Nathan, but her eyes looked tired and her face red. He lifted her into his arms. The extra heat from her body radiated into his. “Hey, sweetheart. I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. Let’s get you home, take some medicine, and see if we can bring your fever down a little.”

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