Finding Faith (Love's Compass Book 4) (8 page)

Monday morning, Serenity got Gideon settled in his classroom and then made her way to the front office. The moment she stepped foot in the room, the sight of Maggie was as effective as lead weights in her shoes might have been. She stopped, her jaw dropping.

Maggie noticed her and stood. She turned slowly with her arms out to the sides. “What do you think? I thought I’d try something new. Yay or nay?”

Serenity took in the dress that was the same yellow as the neon sign for the diner down the street. The combination of it plus the numerous matching streaks in Maggie’s hair was enough to make her wish she’d brought sunglasses. What did she think? Colorful. Headache-inducing. “It’s cheerful.” That sounded a little better, right? “What inspired it?”

“I saw a patch of sunflowers. They always make me smile and I thought to myself, ‘Why not bring that happiness to work with me?’ And here I am.”

And how was she supposed to argue with that? She couldn’t, so she took her seat and leafed through papers from the metal rack. Tammy had started placing them there as a to-do list of sorts. Serenity didn’t mind.

Parents brought their children in to start the school day and Serenity often had to fight back the grin that threatened to break free when several of the parents gawked at Maggie.

She wasn’t sure if Maggie didn’t notice, or if she assumed they were soaking in the happy flower vibe.

Once the morning rush cleared out, the rest of the time dragged. Serenity had thought of little else besides Aaron and how he’d taken the time to come fix her A/C the day before. Couple that with the way he’d touched her hand and yeah, it was more than a little distracting.

She’d spent most of yesterday evening trying to figure out what she could do to thank him for his kindness. After agonizing over it for way longer than she should have, she decided to bake a batch of cookies. Hopefully Aaron liked chocolate chip as much as Tuck did. The toe of her shoe touched the plastic container filled with them that she’d stashed under the desk. 

She’d hoped to catch a glimpse of him that morning and finally resigned herself to wait until lunch at one. Simply thinking about it resulted in a fluttering in her stomach. Was Aaron looking forward to it like she was?

Maggie’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Did you see Crazy Day on the calendar for tomorrow?”

“Oh! Thanks for reminding me. I was going to ask about that. Do I dress Gideon in something silly?”

“Most of the kids come in with mismatched clothes and something funny done to their hair.” A mischievous glint appeared in Maggie’s eyes. She glanced around to make sure no one would overhear their conversation. “I usually do something fun for that day, too. But I had an idea this morning for something we could both do. It’d be good for some laughs.”

Serenity took in the other woman’s appearance, wondering how much crazier she could look. But as Maggie described her idea, Serenity had to admit it was a good one. When she agreed, Maggie clasped her hands together. They spent the next thirty minutes going over the details.

Several hours later, when it was finally time for lunch, Serenity arranged her food on a paper towel at her usual table. She’d been anxious to see Aaron and give him the cookies all morning. When he never showed up, her disappointment was like a sharp knife that sliced through her appetite and left her spending most of her break glancing at the door.

It wasn’t like this was the first lunch they’d eaten apart. She knew things came up. Even she had to take a lunch last week for a dental appointment. Regardless of what her common sense told her, she found herself running through everything that happened the day before. She’d truly enjoyed their time together and she was pretty sure Aaron felt the same spark of attraction she had.

Maybe she’d misinterpreted his actions? What if yesterday had left him so uncomfortable, he was avoiding her today? The thought brought together a tangle of nerves in her stomach.

Serenity did her best to finish her lunch and went back to work. By the end of the day, she was more than ready to escape and get home. She was holding Gideon’s hand and walking across the parking lot when she spotted Aaron just ahead. Should she say hello or keep going? The question left her glued in place when he turned and spotted them.

A hand raised in greeting, he approached them. “Hey, you two. Heading home?”

Serenity forced a friendly smile. “We are. It’s been a true Monday. I hope your day went smoothly.”

Aaron gave a half shrug. “I had an appointment this morning that got pushed back to one.” His gaze locked with hers. “I missed seeing you at lunch.”

“You did?” Serenity kicked herself for sounding pathetic. “I’m sorry about the meeting. That’s never fun. I missed seeing you at lunch, too.” She pulled the container of cookies out of her bag. “I brought these for you.”

“What’s this for?” He tapped the top of the container as he took it from her.

“It’s a thank you for going out of your way to fix our A/C. I can’t express how glad I am — and Gideon, too.”

She watched nervously as he opened it. He pulled a cookie out and popped it into his mouth. “Mmmmm…” He finished it and smiled at her. “Now that’s one of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. Did you make them yourself?”

“I did.” Serenity’s face heated up and she leaned down to remove an imaginary speck of dirt from Gideon’s shirt.

“These are completely unnecessary, but thank you.”

A chuckle escaped her throat and she shook her head. “You know, I put on a brave front yesterday. But I wasn’t looking forward to spending much time in that house without a working A/C. You were a huge blessing to us.” Her eyes went to a lock of hair above one of his ears that had gotten mussed and was sticking out a little. Serenity was torn between thinking it was cute and wanting to reach across and fix it for him just so she could touch the subtle curl.

Aaron replaced the lid. “I’m glad I could help.” He tipped his head towards the container. “If you ever need assistance in the future, all you have to do is holler. Especially if you pay in cookies.” He looked like he wanted to say something else. Instead, he motioned in the direction of their car. “See you tomorrow?”

Serenity nodded. “Tomorrow.” She took Gideon’s hand again and continued their walk across the parking lot. She felt his blue eyes on her but refused to turn around and see if she was right.

He’d had a meeting today. That’s why he hadn’t been at lunch. It wasn’t because he regretted spending the afternoon with them.

Relief flooded her system, quickly followed by annoyance. Since when did her entire day center on whether or not a guy wanted to eat lunch with her? How pathetic was she? She’d managed to eat hundreds of meals all on her own until now. If she continued to do so or not shouldn’t make a difference.

Except that it did.

Serenity opened the car door and sank into the seat. As she watched Aaron’s car weave its way through the parking lot and disappear, the truth wedged itself into her chest. Whether or not she wanted to admit it, spending time with him had become the highlight of her day. 

~

Aaron passed through the front office Tuesday morning, completely unaware of what was waiting for him. His feet stopped in their tracks and he took in the duo sitting behind the desk.

Maggie was dressed in a pair of jeans, a normal blouse, and her hair was brown. Just brown, with no streaks of color. He doubted it was her natural hair color.

Now Serenity, on the other hand, was wearing a bright floral skirt with a pink shirt that matched the blooms, and she had rainbow streaks in her hair.

The two women were watching him, matching amusement in their eyes.

Serenity’s lips twitched. “It’s Crazy Day. Didn’t you hear?”

Aaron chuckled and shook his head at them. “I did. But for me, crazy is a pair of mismatched socks and shoes.” He pulled the legs of his pants up to show off his clashing footwear. “I have to hand it to you two. If this were a contest, you’d be a shoe in for first prize.”

The ladies laughed and he bid them goodbye, catching a last quick peek at Serenity before she disappeared from sight.

The carefree smile on her face stuck with him through the morning.

At lunch, he got Mexican food again and carried it into the breakroom. Serenity already had her sandwich out. “Didn’t I tell you this was going to be Taco Tuesday from now on? Or some kind of Mexican food Tuesday, anyway.” He took in her bright attire and grinned. “Or did you switch personalities with Maggie? Do you not like Mexican food now?”

“Maggie doesn’t like tacos?”

He laughed. “I have no idea what Maggie does and doesn’t like.” He’d spent most of his time at the Academy avoiding the woman and her flirting. Though, come to think of it, she’d done very little of it since Serenity had started working there.

Serenity quickly packaged up her lunch and made room for the taco combination plate he placed in front of her. “This smells amazing. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Aaron nodded at her hair. “Was this Maggie’s idea, or yours?”

“It was hers, but I have to admit it’s a good one. She came over to the house last night and brought the clothes and hair extensions. I loaned her one of my shirts.” She tossed him a knowing look. “She’s not as bad as you think she is. It’s all exterior stuff. Inside, she’s smart and funny.” She chuckled, apparently remembering a previous conversation. “It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun. My sister says I’m too serious. That I don’t relax and laugh enough. I’ve been thinking she’s probably right.”

“I’m glad — carefree looks good on you.” He admired the long lashes that fell, blocking his view of her eyes. “What brought about this change?”

She peeked at him from beneath her eyelashes. “I think a lot of it has to do with the friends I’m around every day.”

Aaron’s heart stuttered and he suddenly wondered what Serenity truly considered him. Right then, he wished he could read her thoughts. He cleared his throat. “So those are hair extensions? I wasn’t sure if it was that, or if you’d dyed your hair.”

“Goodness, no. Though I’m thinking about getting it cut. I’ve had my hair long like this since before Gideon was born.” She curled some of the hair around her finger. “Maybe it’s about time I did something different.”

Was she waiting for his opinion? He thought her hair was gorgeous. But if it were shorter, it would flow around her shoulders more and he liked that visual. He gave a brief nod. “I have no doubt your hair is beautiful no matter what you do with it — and that includes adding rainbow streaks.” He gave her a wink. “But I think cutting it short would suit you well.”

Her cheeks slowly shifted color until they matched her shirt. Aaron did his best to hide his grin as he dug into his lunch. Spending this hour with Serenity was the best part of his day.

For Serenity, Fridays at Hope were usually busy — but in a good way. Everyone tended to be in a happy mood with the weekend on the horizon. But this particular Friday had started off poorly the moment she walked in the door.

The large printer quit working. She and Maggie spent the better part of an hour monkeying with it before admitting defeat and calling the company to come fix it. Cynthia wasn’t happy about that at all, claiming she had a large project that needed to be printed right away. As if there was a thing Serenity could do about it.

Not long later, a parent yelled at Serenity for being unable to locate a permission slip. She tried not to take it personally because the mother was clearly having a bad day. It was a shame she felt she had to share.

Serenity sank into her chair at the same time that the front office door swung open. Letty led the way and held the door for Aaron who came through with Gideon in his arms.

Serenity jumped to her feet. The moment she saw the blood on his face, her stomach fell to the floor.

Nurse Candace ushered them into her room. “What happened?”

Gideon reached for Serenity and she eagerly took him into her arms. Letty kept a hand over the cloth on his forehead.

Letty’s face was pale and her eyes wide. “He was playing out on the playground and jumped from the top of one of the ladders. He hit his head on one of the other pieces of equipment.” Her free hand was shaking. “Aaron saw me in the hall and carried him the rest of the way.”

Serenity had seen Gideon do that very thing many times before and had always told him he was going to wind up hurting himself.

Gideon was wailing, large tears escaping the corners of his eyes. Serenity brushed some hair away from the cloth and kissed his cheek. “Shhhh. Let’s let Nurse Candace see you. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Without waiting for permission, Candace donned some gloves and took over. She pulled the cloth away from the wound. A lot of blood was on the fabric, but only a tiny amount continued to ooze.

Serenity fought not to react to the gash. The last thing she wanted was for Gideon to see her worry. His eyes stayed on her face and she smiled.

Aaron patted Gideon’s knee. “You sure are a brave boy, Gideon.”

Candace rubbed a thumb on his head. “It’s true. You’re one of the bravest kids I’ve had come in here, did you know that?”

He’d stopped crying and sniffed loudly.

Letty shivered. “I’m sorry this happened.”

Serenity put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you kidding? I’ve watched him do the same thing. He’s fearless. This isn’t your fault.”

Letty seemed relieved to know that Serenity wasn’t going to blame her. But she continued to watch Gideon nervously. Aaron caught Serenity’s eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.

Candace took some fresh gauze out of a pouch, put some antibiotic cream on it, and placed it back over the cut. She then used some white tape to keep it in place. “He’s going to be fine, but that cut’s big enough, I think you should take him in for stitches. Especially with it being right there on his forehead. He’ll have a scar, but they’ll keep it from being a huge one.”

Serenity was nodding, but her hands felt numb. She’d never had to take Gideon to the hospital for any reason before. The first thing she wanted to do was call Lexi and ask her to stitch Gideon up. Or call Tuck and get him to go with them in case Gideon put up a fight. If he did that, how was she going to hold him still?

Tears built up in her eyes and she blinked them away. She would not let her little boy see her cry. Not when he needed her to be strong. She nodded firmly.

“Okay.” She turned to retrieve her bag but Maggie was already there, holding it out to her. “Thank you.” She slung it over her shoulder, and reached for Gideon. He wrapped his little arms around her neck as she lifted him off the table.

“You’re welcome.” Maggie rubbed the boy’s back. “I’m sorry about your head. You get to feeling better, okay?”

Letty put a hand on Serenity’s arm. “If you need anything at all, you’d better call me.”

“I will, Letty. Thank you.” Serenity’s head lifted when Aaron stopped in front of her.

“Do you want me to carry him out for you?”

“I’ve got him. We’ll be fine.” Her voice sounded wooden, even to her own ears.

“Then I’ll walk out and help you get into the car. Here, hand me your keys.”

Serenity obeyed. She thanked Candace and then walked quickly to the parking lot. On the way to her vehicle, Aaron told her the quickest way to the nearest hospital.

Serenity got Gideon settled and slid in behind the steering wheel. Thankfully, he’d stopped crying. She forced herself to focus on the road and finding the hospital.

Father God, please make this as easy as possible on him. I hate seeing my baby hurt.

~

Aaron got into his own vehicle and followed Serenity out of the parking lot. She’d made it pretty clear she intended to take Gideon to the ER herself. But he didn’t buy it. Not after seeing the fear that worked its way into her eyes. She never had to go through things alone back home and he wasn’t about to let her do it here, either.

He spoke with Maggie on the phone, letting her know his next class wasn’t until three and he’d be back by then in case anyone was looking for him.

After Serenity parked her vehicle, he chose a nearby spot and went to see if he could help. She shot him a wary glare the moment she spotted him. He was prepared and ignored it completely.

Serenity eased Gideon out of the car and into her arms. Aaron moved to shut the door behind them and followed them towards the ER entrance.

She peeked at him over the top of Gideon’s head. “You didn’t have to come. He’s my son — I’ve got him.”

He met her gaze without blinking. “I realize that. You have everything under control and Gideon’s one lucky little boy to have a mom he can rely on to take care of him. I’m here for you, Serenity. I’ve got your back if you need anything.”

Aaron could’ve sworn her eyes misted then, but she turned her attention to the sliding doors before he could be certain. Was she glad he didn’t leave? Or was she upset with him? Right now, it didn’t matter. He was confident she needed him, whether she realized it or not.

By some miracle, they only waited twenty minutes in the waiting area before being called back. Serenity didn’t tell him otherwise so he joined them.

The nurse helped get Gideon set up on a bed with hanging curtains providing a degree of privacy. His body appeared tiny compared to the white sheets around him. His eyes were red-rimmed and dried blood all over his shirt bore evidence of his accident.

Serenity took a spot next to him, smoothing back his hair with one hand. “I hope they get him stitched up soon.”

There was no mistaking the way her voice shook, or the way she kept her gaze on her son’s face.

Gideon rested on the gurney, his eyes looked tired and he didn’t move a lot. Aaron put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a brave kid. I’m proud of you.” The boy lightly touched the gauze on his head. “I see that. I’ll bet it hurt a bunch.” The pout in response made Aaron’s heart ache. He left a hand there and reached over to cover one of Serenity’s. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

She nodded. When she didn’t look up, he gave her hand a squeeze until she lifted her gaze to his. “I’m okay. Just worried. I don’t know how he’s going to react to this. Normally my brother would be here to help if he fights the nurse. Or my sister would do the stitching herself.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I probably should have stayed in Kitner. Maybe leaving was a mistake.”

Aaron knew that she was close to her family, but only now did he realize how much support she must have gotten for Gideon. To have people who had her back like that was hard to come by and it must have been difficult for her to walk away from it. He rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb before letting go. “I’m here and I’ll help in any way I can.”

Those brown eyes spoke her thanks even if she didn’t utter a word. 

A nurse came in with a set of scrubs that resembled a summer sky and wore a smile just as bright. “I’m here to patch this handsome little guy up.”

The nurse explained everything as she went, showed the instruments to Gideon, and then gave a nod to Serenity when she was ready.

Aaron reached over to hold one of Gideon’s hands while Serenity leaned down until her head was at his level. When the first shot went into the skin to help deaden the area for stitches, the poor little boy cringed and cried out as his body tensed.

“Baby, give it a few minutes and this will all be over.” Serenity rubbed his cheek with the back of her hand. “How about I sing your favorite song? Concentrate on the words and sing along with me in your head, okay?” Gideon’s eyes shifted to hers.

Aaron listened as Serenity sang a song he’d known since he was a child, but with a few slight differences at the end.

“You are my sunshine,

My only sunshine.

You make me happy,

When skies are gray.

You never know dear,

How much I love you.

And that won’t ever

Fade away.”

Aaron’s heart filled to the brim and expanded beyond what he thought was even possible. It wasn’t the way Serenity looked at her son, or how much Gideon calmed while she sang. The woman had a beautiful voice. Did she have any idea how pretty and rich it was?

“All right, that’s the worst part.” The nurse put the needle on the tray. “Let’s give it a couple of minutes, we’ll get that cut all fixed up, and you can get out of here. You did a good job, slugger.”

Serenity placed a kiss to his cheek. “I told you it’d be over quickly. You must have been singing really loudly in your head. I’m proud of you.” She gave Aaron a shy smile. “I didn’t like the original final line of the song. It made me sad. The whole song is. So I changed the chorus.” She shrugged.

Aaron played the song over in his head to the original end of the song.
Please don’t take my sunshine away.
“I can see that.” He patted Gideon’s hand. “You are doing awesome. I’m impressed you sing in your head. I bet you have as amazing a voice as your mom.”

Aaron caught Serenity watching him. Emotions tumbled over themselves as they took turns dancing across her face. He wished they were somewhere else. Because right then, he’d tell her about how her singing voice wasn’t the only thing that was amazing about her. She’d managed to get into his heart despite his attempts to keep the walls up. Now that he knew what life was like with her in it, he had no desire to go back to the way it was before.