Lakeside Sweetheart (16 page)

“I'm okay, Rory,” she said. Then she shook her head. “I have issues. A lot of issues. But I'm working through them with each room in this house.”

“Do you sleep in that bedroom?” he asked.

She went still, her eyes on the house. “I sleep on the couch in the den most nights.”

“All the time,” he amended. Then he reached for her and tugged her close. “You're not alone, Vanessa. I want you to always remember that.”

“I will,” she said against his chest. Then she lifted away and opened the car door.

Rory got out and stood watching her.

She turned at the steps. “Want to come in for coffee or a soda?”

“I thought you'd never ask,” he said.

He didn't want her to be alone tonight. At least this way, he could stay with her for a little while before he had to go home. But it also occurred to him that accepting her invitation to come in for coffee worked out for him, too.

Because he didn't want to be alone anymore either.

Chapter Eighteen

W
anda had sent brownies home with them, so Rory watched as Vanessa made coffee and got a plate.

“I shouldn't eat another one,” she said, bringing the plate to the living room coffee table. “But they're so good.”

“She makes them from scratch,” Rory said. He helped pour the coffee and followed her into the living room. “We can walk this off or go kayaking again. But I think working the sales on Friday will take care of burning off a lot of calories.”

Vanessa seemed pensive, her emotions close to the surface. “It's really going to happen, isn't it?”

“Are you ready for this?” he asked. “I did push you into holding your sale in conjunction with ours. Maybe I should have let you handle things on your own.”

“No. I'm glad you forced the issue.” She lifted her hand in the air. “I'd still be sitting in the middle of the floor trying to sort through all of this. I needed a firm deadline.” Then she shrugged. “I need to get this part of my life over and done with.”

Rory wondered what she would do with her life once this place was out of her system.

After they'd settled onto the old couch, he glanced around. “I like this house.”

“It'll be for sale soon. Make me an offer.”

He'd buy it in a heartbeat. But only if she'd come with it. “That's tempting. You're tempting.”

She smiled at that. “Is this brownie tempting?”

“Yes.” He grabbed the last one and held it away from her. Then he fed it to her, piece by piece, thinking he could get used to nights such as this. Nights with her.

“So where will that leave us?” he asked, hoping he wouldn't break the tender understanding they had between them now. “What happens after you sell this house?”

“I don't know.” She put down her coffee and stared out onto the big sunporch. “I never planned to stay here.”

“And I never planned to ask you to stay here.”

Her eyes glistened with hope and confusion. “Are you? Asking me to stay?”

“I can't make you stay but...I want you to stay.”

She gave him a sweet smile, but her eyes still held that trace of hesitancy and doubt. “I have my boutique and my website to consider.”

“And I have no right to tell you what to do about either of those. You're a businesswoman. You have obligations.”

Which didn't include him. So where did that leave them?

“I can visit—a lot.”

“Not if you sell the house. You wouldn't have any reason to come back here.”

“You'd be my reason, Rory. I mean, if you want to be my reason. If you want me to come back. And you can come and see me in New Orleans.”

“So we'd have this back-and-forth, long-distance type relationship?”

“Yes. I could stay with Marla and Alec. Or in a hotel out on the bay.”

He wanted more, but he couldn't ask for more. This was all so new and different. “We probably need to think about things and consider what we're saying here.”

Vanessa nodded, but he saw a trace of disappointment in her eyes. “You know how hard I fought this. I'm not the typical starry-eyed woman looking for love.”

He'd certainly seen that from the first. “You have a lot of love to give.” He had to ask. “Don't take this the wrong way. We're still...getting to know each other, but these are things I have to ask. Is the having-a-family thing holding you back? You really don't want to have children? Or is it me? Maybe you like me but you don't want to have a relationship with a minister.”

She stared over at him with those big eyes. “You have a right to know the answers to those questions. I just don't know the answers. I'm still afraid I'll mess it all up—marriage and a family. You. I'd rather keep you as a friend than lose you because I make the wrong move.”

Rory pulled her close. “You will never lose me. Ever. No matter what.”

And he prayed he wouldn't lose her.

Vanessa leaned over and kissed him. “I can't believe how I feel, Rory. It's so...rich. I feel full and rich, and my heart is doing a funny dance. I—”

Her cell rang. And then Rory's cell rang.

“It's Wanda,” she said, glancing at Rory.

“And Carl,” he said. “This can't be good.”

He answered Carl's call while she did the same with Wanda.

“Kandi is missing,” Carl said. “We went up for bed check, and she'd stuffed her mattress with pillows and clothes. But she's gone.”

“I'll be right there,” Rory said. Then he stood and watched Vanessa's face.

“We're on our way,” she said. She ended the call and rushed into his arms. “They think she's with the Goth guy.”

“Let's go,” Rory said. He needed to call in reinforcements. Blain would help. “I'll call Blain on the way.”

“We have to find her,” Vanessa said. “She was so happy tonight. She seemed like a different person. We talked and laughed, and she was so pleasant.”

“That's because she knew she would be leaving after dinner to meet up with him,” Rory said. “They've probably been planning this for weeks.”

“I should have paid more attention,” Vanessa told him. “I worried that she'd been through a lot of what I went through.”

“Not that I know of,” Rory replied. “But she might have been pushed around by other boyfriends. She spent a lot of time out there on her own growing up.”

They made it to the Peppermons' house in record time.

When they pulled up, all of the lights were on and a patrol car was parked in the yard. So was Blain's pickup truck. Blain must have put the pedal to the metal, too.

Rory and Vanessa rushed toward the house, but he pulled her close before they got inside. “We have to stay cool and positive, for their sake, okay?”

Vanessa nodded. “Rory, should we pray?”

Touched that she wanted that, he nodded and pulled her into his arms. Then he whispered an urgent prayer as they held each other there. “Help us to find this confused young girl, Lord.”

Vanessa held tight to him and then stood back. “I'm ready. Let's go inside.”

* * *

“We're doing everything we can to find her,” Blain told the Peppermons. “She can't get far since you discovered her missing a little while ago.”

Vanessa sat holding one of the younger children who'd woken in the middle of all the chaos. Her heart hurt for this loving family and for Kandi. Maybe this boy was okay and truly cared about her, or maybe he only wanted to seduce her and hurt her.

I need You, Lord
.

Vanessa kissed the little girl's reddish-blond hair. Emma. Little Emma. She now knew the names of all the children who lived in this house.

And she wasn't afraid of them anymore. Instead, she wanted to cuddle each of them and fight for them and protect them from that big, scary world out there. Why had she ever worried that her heart couldn't love? Right now, her heart ached with love.

Then realization filled her mind. It was the
love
she was so afraid of. This kind of love that took your breath away and held your soul in a tender capture. This fierce, protective love that made you want to harm anyone who dared hurt a child.

Had her mother felt that way at times?

She'd have to finish reading that journal.

She listened to Blain's soft, steady voice. He'd gone over every detail. Where did the boy—Jerome “Rocky” Asher—live? How old was he? How had they met? Did they hang out at school?

Jerome lived on the other side of town, and they'd met at an ice-cream stand out on the beach. He had dropped out of school and hung with an older crowd known for drug use and vagrancy.

The worst possible scenario. What if he'd taken her somewhere and enticed her to use drugs?

Wanda came over to Vanessa. “Do you need anything?”

“I should be asking you that,” Vanessa said. “I wish I could do more.”

“You're here and that counts.” Wanda took Emma. “I'm going to get her back to bed. You can man the drink counters. I have snacks in the pantry.”

Vanessa gladly took over kitchen duty. She made coffee and sliced homemade banana bread. Soon, several people from the church and the foster-parent support group showed up. Vanessa listened and watched and got everyone something to eat or drink. It was going to be a long night.

She watched Rory. He made sure everyone got prayed over or prayed with or prayed for. She loved him. She knew that in her heart right now, and she also knew that she couldn't leave him.

But she'd have to make some tough decisions about staying here. In this town, married to a preacher.

What do you think about that, Mom?

“How you doing?” Rory asked, his fingers tangling with hers after he'd walked up close.

“I'm okay. It's hard to breathe, but I'm doing what you said. I have to be strong for them. I love this family.”

“We all do.”

He gave her a quick kiss. “You should rest.”

“I can't. Do you want something to eat or drink?”

“I'm fine.”

He stood with her in the kitchen, waiting. The agony of not knowing, of imagining the worst, or hoping for the best, made Vanessa want to throw something.

But Rory's hand in hers held her there, steadying her like an anchor holding a lost ship.

“Is this how it feels?” she asked him. “Is this how God holds us when we're scared and out of options? The same way you're holding me now?”

“Yes.”

“I'm beginning to get it, Rory. I need Him in my life. I could never get through this night without Him. Or you.”

“We're here, both of us,” Rory said. “Hang tight.”

Vanessa heard her phone ringing. Searching on the counter for her purse, she dug inside.

“It's Kandi,” she told Rory.

Rory immediately called out to Blain and the Peppermons.

“Hello?” Vanessa said, trying to keep her voice calm.

“I need help.”

“Where are you?”

“In the park by the bay, underneath the white gazebo. Vanessa, come alone, please.”

“I'm on my way.”

She ended the call and told Rory and the others what Kandi had said. “I'm going. I have to.”

Blain nodded. “Okay, but you won't really be alone. I'm going to follow you and park my truck on the other end of the park. I'll walk it the rest of the way and stay in the trees.”

“I'm going with you, Blain,” Rory said.

Blain didn't argue. “Let's go then.”

“We'll call you,” Blain told Wanda. “Meantime, stay here and if she calls again, just assure her that Vanessa is on the way. Alone.”

Vanessa grabbed her purse and went to her car, glad they'd brought her car to save time earlier.

“Be careful,” Rory said. “It could be a setup.”

“I'll be fine,” Vanessa said. But she was glad to know Blain and Rory would be nearby.

And that the Lord would watch over Kandi and Vanessa, too.

Chapter Nineteen

T
he Bayside Park was dark and deserted this late at night. With one road forming a horseshoe that circled in and out, and dense shrubs and trees all around, it could be beautiful by day and dangerous by night.

Vanessa hadn't been here in over ten years. But she knew exactly why Kandi would come here with a boy. It was secluded and shadowy. Private. Too private.

Vanessa pulled her tiny car up into the gravel parking space and cut the engine. The white gazebo sat in the middle of the open area by the water, glowing eerily in the moonlight.

Taking a calming breath, she got out and started walking up the dirt lane to the water. “Kandi?”

“I'm here.”

Vanessa followed the sound of the girl's shaky voice. And then she saw a dark figure huddled on the round table inside the wide gazebo. Hurrying now, she rushed up to Kandi's side.

“Are you all right?”

Kandi looked up, and Vanessa saw the fear and shame on the girl's face. And the swollen right eye. “What happened?”

“He...he didn't like the word no,” Kandi said through a sob.

Vanessa felt sick to her stomach. “Did he...?”

“No.” Kandi shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “It got ugly but I'm okay.”

“Where is he?” Vanessa asked, hoping Blain and Rory would take care of finding Jerome.

“He took off through the park after we fought. I told him I was going to call the police.”

“Smart girl.”

“Not so smart,” Kandi retorted. “He had me fooled, you know. Said I was the one for him. That he could take away all my troubles.” She gulped in a sob. “Then later he told me he'd come back and finish the job if I ratted him out.”

“He won't,” Vanessa said. “The police will find him.”

“I should have known he was a loser,” Kandi said. “But he treated me so good at first.”

Terrible memories whispered around Vanessa, making her shiver in the warm wind. Gregory Pardue had been sweet and generous to her mother and to Vanessa, too, at first. Pushing the dark thoughts away, she asked, “Did he...try to give you drugs?”

“Of course,” Kandi said. “And I almost let him.” She wrapped her arms against her ribs. “He told me I'd feel good, that all of my troubles would disappear. But I thought of Miss Wanda and Mr. Carl and how much they'd done for me, even when I was so mean and ugly toward them. And I thought of my mom and how drugs and alcohol had killed her.”

Vanessa kept her hand on Kandi's arm but didn't speak. Emotion clogged her throat, but she had to keep it together.

“It was almost as if my mom was standing here, telling me to stop. Telling me to run away. When I was little, she used to tell me that I was special. That I'd be okay, no matter what. I had this image of her in my head, and that's when I told him no.”

“She's watching over you,” Vanessa said in a quiet voice.

A tear moved down her right cheek, an image of her mother whispering sweet words in her ear.
You'll be okay, honey. One day, your daddy will come for us.

How could she have forgotten that? And how could she love someone so much and still resent that same person for her past troubles? It all stemmed from needing to know the truth, from needing proof. But faith was the substance of things not seen...

Vanessa wished that day her mother had promised her had come, but she understood a lot now about what being a parent involved. Kandi and the Peppermons had taught her that. Rory had talked to her about family, too. Marla had shown her what a real family could be like. Miss Fanny had been family to Cora.

“Why did you call me?” she asked Kandi. “Why not Wanda or Carl?”

Kandi shrugged and sniffed, her cheeks shadowed with smeared mascara and eyeliner. “Because you're like me,” she said. “You lost your mother, and you never mention having a daddy either. And you were afraid to go inside that church the first night we met.”

“Yes, all of that is true,” Vanessa said. “You've got me pegged.”

Kandi looked out toward the woods. “I trust you.”

Vanessa's heart fell open, but instead of hurting, the old wounds tingled with a new awareness, a sort of healing. “I'm glad you called me.”

“I'm in a lot of trouble,” Kandi said. “I don't know how to get out of this mess. This life.”

“You will be okay,” Vanessa said. “You used your head, and you stopped this before it became too late.”

“But what if it's too late for me anyway?” Kandi asked, tears streaming down her face.

“It's never too late for you to turn your life around,” Vanessa replied, hearing the words herself. She needed to remember that. “You've got good people in your life, people who are willing to help you and love you. Let's get you home.”

Kandi got up and pulled at her torn clothes. “Are they mad at me?”

“They're worried,” Vanessa said. “But as soon as I call them, they'll be relieved, too.”

After she'd phoned Wanda and told her she was bringing Kandi home, Vanessa called Rory. “We're on our way.”

“I know,” he said. “You were great with her.”

Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Rory and Blain had been there in the shadows. “She's the one who helped me, Rory.”

“Blain has put out the word on Jerome Asher. He'll be brought in for questioning on several counts, and if we find drugs on him, he'll be in a lot of trouble. But it'll be up to the Peppermons and their caseworker on how to handle this situation. Or whether or not they'll press charges.”

Vanessa glanced over at Kandi. The girl leaned against the window, her eyes closed. “You know what I think should be done.”

“I'm getting the picture, yes. And I tend to agree with you. Get her home and we'll talk.”

At around two in the morning, Vanessa pulled up to the Peppermon house. Now that everyone knew Kandi was safe, most of the people who'd come to help had left. Probably best since the girl was exhausted, embarrassed and in no mood for prying eyes.

“Let's get you inside,” Vanessa said.

She guided Kandi up the steps, but the front door burst open before they could reach it.

Wanda opened her arms, tears misting in her eyes.

Kandi ran to her and held her tight. “I'm sorry, Miss Wanda.”

“Shhh,” Wanda said. “It's okay. We'll talk tomorrow. Right now, let's get you a nice bath so you can sleep.” She looked at Vanessa over the girl's head, her eyes wide with the one question.

Vanessa shook her head and mouthed, “She's okay.”

The look of relief in Wanda's eyes mirrored the relief Vanessa felt in her soul. She'd avoided a similar incident when she'd been Kandi's age. Another shiver moved down her spine. She was so thankful the girl had managed to get herself out of a bad situation, too.

Thank You, God
.

After Wanda gave Kandi some water and crackers and took her upstairs, Vanessa stood in the kitchen and stared out the window. The darkness swirled with memories and pain, a sort of frustration that she couldn't shake.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to find Rory standing there. He took her into his arms and held her close, his lips touching her temple.

Vanessa took one long breath, and then she burst into tears.

An hour later, Rory and Vanessa made it back to her house.

“I'm exhausted,” she said, her voice raspy. “I'm sure you are, too.”

“Yep.” He felt the weight of the night pushing against his shoulders. “I hope Blain hauls Jerome in and gives him a few good reasons to leave Kandi alone.”

“I hope he sends him to jail,” Vanessa said, a bitterness edging her words.

“This brought it all back, didn't it?”

He'd seen the way she kept staring out the window. How she held herself, her arms in a protective shield against her body.

“Yes.” She turned to him, her expression grim. “Jerome is younger and more edgy, but it's the same. Gaining her trust, telling her what she wants to hear, promising her something better. I heard all of that from Gregory. My mom heard all of that, too. I never thought about it until tonight, but that man tricked both of us.”

“He was evil, Vanessa. And he was working to put a wedge between you and your mother.”

“Well, it worked,” she said. “I let him do that to us. She let him do that to me.”

“You can let go of all of that now.”

“Can I?” she asked. “I thought I could. But tonight, it all came tumbling back.”

Rory didn't know how to reach her, and he worried that she would slip away again. “You helped a young girl, Vanessa. You helped her
because
of what you've been through and in spite of it, too. Look at the blessing in that...and be thankful that you were able to get through to Kandi enough that she trusted you to call you.”

Vanessa leaned against the kitchen counter and stared over at him. “It's late and we're both tired. We have a busy week, starting tomorrow.”

“I guess that's my cue to go,” Rory said, wishing he could stay. But they did have lots to do before the big event on Friday. And they still had work to do before they'd be free and clear of their past hang-ups.

He turned to leave, a heaviness centered in his heart.

“Rory?”

He whirled around. “Yes?”

“I'm sorry. You're right. I've still got a long way to go before I feel secure in this new skin. But I did turn to God tonight. I did pray for Him to help us. I need to accept that He's with me—all the time. Even at the worst of times.”

“I'm glad about that,” Rory said. “And I believe He hears our prayers even if He doesn't answer them in the way we think He should. But I also believe there can be a blessing in everything that happens to us, good or bad. Having faith is all about searching for the blessings. It's about the things we can't see.”

“That verse—you talked about it on Easter Sunday. It stayed with me, Rory.” She came to him and hugged him close. “I think faith is about the things we can't feel either. The things we long to feel, the things the Lord wants us to feel.”

“You're so right on that,” he said. Then he kissed her and headed back to his place, thankful that they'd managed to help Kandi and hopeful that the whole experience would help Vanessa, too.

* * *

“So I'll see you on Friday, too,” Marla told Vanessa the next day. She'd come by to help Vanessa get the last of her items on display. They'd tagged some of the big items and put signs on all of the display tables and surfaces to show the price structure. “You've got some good stuff here, Vanessa. The place is looking good.”

“Feel free to shop now,” Vanessa told her. “Things might get busy Friday. I'll even throw in some freebies to pay you back all the cupcake donations and to thank you for offering to help me man the checkout table.”

“I've only given you a couple of cupcakes,” Marla said. But her eyes lit up at the prospect of shopping early. “And I won't be the only volunteer here helping out.”

“You've given me more than just cupcakes,” Vanessa said. “You're a good friend, Marla.”

She'd told Marla about what had happened last night. But the Millbrook Lake grapevine had already taken on the story anyway. And Jerome Asher had been apprehended and brought in for questioning. If nothing else, at least maybe it would scare him into thinking about the consequences of his actions from now on. He was over twenty-one, and even though Kandi had gone with him of her own accord, she was still a minor.

“I'm so glad everything turned out okay with Kandi,” Marla said now. “And I'm really glad that you and Rory have grown closer.”

Vanessa couldn't deny her feelings for Rory. “He's amazing. He's been patient with me. And he's helped me work through some of my angst.”

“Rory is a good man,” Marla said, her green eyes bright with hope. “He needs someone to love him.”

“I think I do love him,” Vanessa admitted. “But I'm afraid to tell him that. I have to be sure.”

Marla tried on a straw sun hat. “What's holding you back?”

“I don't know,” Vanessa said. “Well, I do know. I live and work in New Orleans. I want to sell this house and get on with my life. This house has become an albatross of sorts, and now that I've inherited all of Richard's holdings, too, I'm not sure what to do with myself.”

Marla dropped the hat and picked up a floral cotton scarf. “You're blessed, Vanessa. You don't have to worry about money anymore. And believe me, I know that feeling. I married Alec because I love him so much, but the security of not having to worry about how to pay the bills is nice.” She tossed the scarf around her neck and lifted her red-gold hair. “Alec and I don't take any of it for granted. We can help the community and the church, and Alec is happy with his Caldwell Canines training facility.”

“You've both found your purpose,” Vanessa said. “I'm still searching for mine.”

Marla placed the pretty scarf in her growing pile of “to buy” things. “Well, now you can find a purpose. You have the ability to make a difference in the world.”

Vanessa glanced over at her mother's journal and wondered if Cora would have been happy with more money and more status. Richard had tried to give her those things, and for the last few years of her life, she'd been content.

Wishing now she'd spent more time with her mother during those happy years, Vanessa told herself she had to get past all the mistakes and failures in her life and start living, really living. With Rory.

“You're right,” she said to Marla. “I have an opportunity that few people get. I can do something good in this world. Now I have to figure out what that is.”

A knock at the front door caused her to whirl around. “That might be Rory.”