Page 72 of To Believe In You
She hoped.
Uneasy, she called Matt as she left the shop. He didn’t answer, and she hung up without leaving a message.
Dad had purchased Shane’s ticket. He might know when Shane’s return flight had been. Or the two may have met in person since the wedding, which would lend even more peace of mind that he was in New York and not Wisconsin.
After she got Dad’s voicemail, she tried her parents’ home number. Mom answered—and claimed to know nothing about Shane coming to Wisconsin or about Dad’s campaign to sell The Captain’s Vista. Instead, she started up on the latest about her various projects for clubs and charities.
Lina considered cutting her off and calling Tim for an escort home, but her glimpse of the man had been brief and obscured by sunglasses. He could’ve been anyone. If Shane were in town, why would he lurk without talking to her? It wasn’t as if he could get The Captain’s Vista by following her from a distance.
So instead, she let Mom talk as she drove away from Lakeshore. They didn’t chat often, and on the slight chance Shanewasin town, surely her mother would call 911 if Lina screamed and the call disconnected.
When she got to her own road, she made sure no other vehicles were in sight before she zipped up her driveway and into the garage.
“Cheryl informed me of the companyyou’rekeeping,” Mom said.
She’d been listening just closely enough to remember the last few words Mom had said each time she paused, but even having a sentence’s worth of context didn’t help this time.
Lina collected her purse, got out of the car, and scanned the garage as she locked the vehicle. Unless Shane was hiding in a garbage can, he wasn’t here. Besides, her doorbell cam covered the driveway and hadn’t alerted her to anyone’s arrival.
“What company?” She let herself into the house.
“Washed up rock stars.”
“Awestruck is hardly washed up, Mom.” Now inside the house, she locked the door to the garage behind herself. “They’re one of the top-grossing bands in the country.”
“I’m not talking about Awestruck. I’m talking about Matt Visser.”
Mom’s friend Cheryl, whoever she was, must’ve seen the photos of them leaving the wedding together. Lina checked the deadbolt on the front entrance. In place. “Matt is a teacher at Key of Hope and a pretty decent guy.”
“But is he going to marry you and provide any kind of life for you?”
“I don’t want him to marry me.” At least, she didn’t want that yet. She reached the sliding patio door that allowed access to the backyard. Cattails swayed in the marsh. No ominous shapes. She checked the lock and pulled the blinds. “Also, I have a life. I don’t need a man to provide one.”
The claim didn’t sit well. Financially, she didn’t need provision, but a husband played an important role in her dream of a family. Also, she wouldn’t mind having a man—a particular man with a knack for fending off bullies—around right now in case Shane showed up.
“Daisy Wentworth landed one of the Carson brothers. You should see the ring.” Mom described the wedding plans in detail.
The tactic to make Lina jealous might’ve worked, but the Carson brothers were no prize. While handsome, little mattered to them aside from appearances. Much like her own parents.
Mom paused—possibly for only a breath—and Lina cut in. “I’ll let you go, but have Dad call me, okay?”
“I’ll relay the message. But, dear, the clockisticking.”
“I’m sure it is, but I know how much you want me to be happy.” If only they didn’t have such different convictions about how to achieve that.
“Every parent wants only the best for their child.”
Before Mom could spoil the positive note by pointing out the discrepancies between their goals for Lina’s life, Lina bade her a cheerful goodbye and hung up.
Alone in the quiet of her living room, Lina could almost hear said ticking clock. This house wouldn’t be large enough for the two or three kids she’d always hoped to have, but it was comfortably furnished and in the countryside. She could see living here with a husband and perhaps a baby.
But could she see Matt as that husband? His openness and patience highlighted how closed off and demanding Shane had been. But the flip side of his courage was a disregard for consequences. He wouldn’t purposely bring trouble on his family, but accidentally? Her careful nature might not be strong enough to curb Matt’s risky impulsivity, and where would that leave their family?
Their non-existent family.
She prayed God would help her see Matt for who he really was. And for God to help her to act on what He revealed. After all, she had dismissed hints about Shane, and her heart couldn’t afford another such fallout.
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