Longing for Home (17 page)

Kate bit her lip. Leave it to a professional to read between the lines. “Not really, but last night was better.”

Because she had taken Alex’s advice and plugged in a nightlight.

“I’m not surprised.” Grace sighed. “I visited their home yesterday. The fire only caused minor damage in the living room so all it needs is to air out and get a good cleaning. The fire chief gave the okay for them to move back in when it’s time.”

“Do you know when that will be?” Kate knew this moment would come but she hadn’t realized how much she’d been dreading it.

“I talked to Jenna Gardner this morning. Apparently she hasn’t heard from her sister since Logan was born. She seemed pretty upset when I told her what happened.”

Upset enough to come to her niece and nephew’s aid?

“Does she
want
them?”

Grace hesitated. “She wants to do what’s right.”

Was that the same thing? Kate wasn’t sure.

Grace read her mind. “You know I won’t place Tori and Logan with their aunt if I don’t feel it’s the best situation.”

“I know.” Kate pushed the words past the lump in her throat.

“I’ll call you as soon as I have more information,” Grace promised. “Keep praying and don’t worry. God has those two kids in the palm of His hand and He won’t drop them.”

“I know.” Kate blinked back a fresh coat of tears as she hung up the phone.

She knew the children would be leaving but she hadn’t realized how difficult it would be.

Grace is right, God, but Tori and Logan have been through so much. They need stability. They need someone who will listen to them and read them stories and love them
— Kate stopped and smiled in the middle of the prayer.
I’m sorry, Lord. I’m not telling You anything that You don’t already know.

Her smile grew wider as her gaze fell on Alex, who sat cross-legged on a picnic blanket next to Logan, listening intently to something the boy was saying.

God had already provided the very things Kate had just asked for.

In a very unexpected way.

Alex Porter wasn’t the only one with a “grand plan.” If only he would begin to see that God’s was the only one worth seeking.

Chapter Eighteen

M
att blew the whistle around his neck to signal the end of the lunch break.

“Ready to find out who won our castle building contest?”

The boys yelled and pumped the air with their fists. An enthusiastic response that quickly faded to disappointment when they ran down to the lake.

The waves had eroded their best efforts.

“Half of it washed away,” Alex heard one of the boys complain.

“Ours didn’t,” Logan whispered, his eyes round with astonishment.

Alex smiled and put a finger to his lips as Matt motioned for all the boys to sit down in a circle around him.

“I’d like to read something to you.” The pastor pulled a small leather book from the back pocket of his jeans and thumbed through it.

“Jesus spoke these words a long time ago, but the thing about God’s word is that it never goes out of style, kind of like the shoes Zach likes to wear.”

Zach Davis grinned and lifted one of his size thirteen feet so the group could admire his Hi-Top Chuck Taylor All Stars.

Matt waited until the giggling died down before his gaze dropped to the worn Bible cradled in his palm.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

Matt paced down the beach and stopped up short beside the only sand castle that had remained intact.

“Who built this one?”

Alex nodded at Logan and the boy tentatively lifted his hand.

“Me and Alex.”

“It didn’t wash away like the rest of them.” Matt looked a little astounded.

“We put sticks down before we built it,” Logan said, his cheeks turning red from being the center of attention.

Matt’s lips twitched. “Well, let’s call this Exhibit A. I wasn’t expecting this, but we’re going to go with it.”

“He’s an architect,” Logan said with a hint of pride that stained
Alex’s
cheeks red.

“I’ll read the rest of the passage now and I think it’s safe to say that we can label the other castles Exhibit B.”

Still smiling, Matt glanced down at the passage once again. “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

He closed the Bible.

“Jesus told this story to a crowd of people—if I had to guess, I’d say some of them were boys, like you. He wanted them to know that what a man builds his life on matters. It’s the foundation that determines whether a house will stand during the hard times, not what it’s made out of.

“When you built your castle, you mixed together the right combination of water and sand. Maybe you even added a few sticks and rocks to make it look good. But what made them all collapse? The fact that you built them on sand.”

“You told us to!” one of the older boys shouted.

“Exactly.” Matt looked pleased rather than annoyed by the comment. “A lot of people are going to tell you that in order to be successful in life you have to build your life on something other than Jesus. But He’s our rock. Our foundation. A relationship with Him is the only thing that will keep us strong. Keep us from falling apart when things get tough. It’s the only thing that lasts.”

Matt let his gaze touch each boy in the circle as he slipped the New Testament into his pocket.

“Let’s close our time together with a word of prayer.”

“He’s sneaky,” one of the boys next to Alex whispered.

Alex had been thinking the same thing.

Matt bowed his head and said a short prayer, thanking God for His faithfulness, fellowship and the food He had provided. The boys’ rousing amen served as the benediction.

“And speaking of food, Kate has ice-cream sundaes for everyone,” Harold Davis announced with a wide smile.

Cody Lang, who’d been sitting near them, leaped to his feet. “Come on, Logan.”

Logan looked at Alex, a question in his eyes.

“Go ahead. I’ll be right there.”

Matt grabbed an end of the tow rope and began to wind it up. “Something on your mind, Alex?”

“You’re good, I’ll give you that much.”

“Thanks. I guess that means I’ll see you in church tomorrow morning.”

Alex, who’d bent down to pick up an empty soda bottle, shot the pastor a wry glance.

Really
good.

Matt gestured toward the castle Alex and Logan had built. “I appreciate the prop, by the way. I figured all of them would have collapsed by the time we finished dinner but I didn’t know I had an architect in the group.”

“I’m not an architect.”

“Maybe not,” Matt said easily. “But you knew the castle needed a foundation.”

The irony wasn’t lost on Alex. When it came to building a sand castle, he’d known exactly what to do. He wasn’t so sure he could say the same thing about his life. Not anymore.

The night before, he had asked a question.

Are You trying to tell me something, Lord?

Sidestepping a wave that dissolved half of the castle next to his foot, Alex figured he’d just received the answer.

Now he had to decide what he was going to do about it.

Kate plunged her hands into the soapy dishwater and closed her eyes.

The bubbles…the soothing hot water…both reminded her how long it had been since she’d taken a long, therapeutic soak in the tub. Showers didn’t count. In, shampoo, condition and out. The drive-thru of cleanliness.

The housekeeping staff had returned at promptly six o’clock and swept away the remains of the picnic and left her with nothing but a few stray coffee cups to wash.

Thanks to Alex, the man who had predicted she would be too tired to change her mind by the end of the day.

Kate didn’t want to thank Alex. She didn’t want to see him, either. Not while her emotions simmered just below the surface of her skin, ready to bubble up at a moment’s notice.

Every time she looked at Tori and Logan, Kate wanted to wrap her arms around them and hold on tight. Promise them that everything would be okay.

She wanted to believe that for herself, too. But something told her that Tori and Logan weren’t the only ones who would create a void in her life when they were gone.

A week ago, Kate would have thought she’d be counting the hours until Alex returned to Chicago, but now all she wanted to do was make them last a little longer.

She needed a cup of tea. And chocolate.

“I should have known you’d be in here.”

Alex’s rough velvet voice tugged at the edges of her already frayed emotions.

Hot tears poked the backs of Kate’s eyes, proof that she needed to curl up with her Bible and soak in God’s promises even more than she needed a long soak in the tub.

“Tori and Logan are watching a movie. They’re both pretty tuckered out.” Making small talk was safer than the alternative. Falling apart in front of Alex.

“I just checked on them.” Alex wandered into the kitchen, looking like the cover model for an issue of
Outdoor Millionaire Monthly.
Hair ruffled by the wind. A faint grain of stubble on his angular jaw.

It wasn’t fair that he smelled terrific, too. Like fresh cedar boughs and sunshine.

After an hour spent flipping burgers and brats on the grill, Kate was pretty sure she smelled like Smoky the Bear’s prom date.

Alex picked a cup out of the drainer and put it away. “Tori fell asleep on the sofa. Do you want me to carry her upstairs?”

The Gardner siblings weren’t Alex’s responsibility and yet he’d spent the entire afternoon with Logan. And now he was offering to help her with Tori.

All Kate could do was nod. “Thank you.”

She dried her hands on a towel and followed him into the gathering room, where an antique armoire harbored a flat-screen television.

“I’m going to carry your sister upstairs so Kate can put her to bed, if that’s okay with you, Logan,” Alex said in a low voice.

This was the man that Kate had labeled “insensitive.”

When Logan nodded, Alex gathered Tori into his arms, blanket and all, and made the trek to the third floor as easily as if he were carrying a feather.

Logan trailed behind them, one yawn tumbling after the other like dominoes.

“Sounds like you’re ready for bed, too,” Kate whispered.

“I’m gonna read for a while.”

Kate tried not to chuckle when the boy picked up Abby’s worn copy of
How to Survive and Thrive in the Woods
and disappeared into his room.

Alex laid Tori down on the bed. “I’ll let you take it from here.”

The little girl stirred and opened her eyes.

“Mommy?”

Kate’s heart broke when she saw Tori’s gaze dart around the room, desperately searching for something familiar.

“Would you like me to sit with you awhile?” When Tori nodded, Kate sat down on the bed. Tori immediately snuggled up next to her and Kate wrapped an arm around her thin shoulders.

An hour later, she stumbled toward the kitchen and ran into Alex instead.

Kate had planned to take a walk to clear her head and here he was, standing in her way, threatening to muddle it again. Ordinarily, she faced a tough situation head-on; but tonight it felt as if her heart was beating on the outside of her chest, bruised and exposed.

She didn’t want to think about losing Tori and Logan.

Or Alex.

“Come with me.”

Kate tried to muster some indignation at his autocratic tone but was too tired. She thought they were going to his office, but Alex turned in the direction of the kitchen.

Had Mulligan and Lady been playing tug-of-war with the scatter rug?

Was Mrs. Avocado acting up again?

“Sit.”

Kate scowled at him. “You really have to stop watching reruns of
The Dog Whisperer
.”

“
Please
sit down. Is that better?”

“Alex.” Kate balked in the doorway. She couldn’t pretend anymore. “I’m really tired.”

“I know.” His hands lightly cupped her shoulders and he steered her toward the table.

The gentle touch made Kate’s knees buckle and she slid bonelessly into the closest chair.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” She closed her eyes.

“Kate? Look at me. Please,” he added.

“Fine. But only because you said the magic word,” she muttered.

When she opened her eyes, there was a bowl sitting in front of her.

She blinked. “Is that chocolate chip cookie dough?”

“It’s truth serum, only…chunkier.” Alex handed her a spoon. “I discovered it when Abby was a teenager. She would tell me everything when I made up a batch of the stuff. Now take a bite.”

Kate did. And a tear leaked out of the corner of her eye. His kindness was going to snip the last thread of her self-control.

“Now, tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Grace called this afternoon while you were outside with Logan.”

Was it her imagination, or did she see a spark of concern in Alex’s eyes?

“What did she say?”

“Their aunt, Jenna Gardner, wants the weekend to decide what to do. She hasn’t seen the children since Logan was born. What if she wants to take them back to Minnesota with her? They don’t even
know
her, Alex. They need stability and love, not to be uprooted again.”

“You want to keep them.”

Leave it to Alex to cut to the heart of the matter.

“Yes. But I can’t. I’m not certified for long-term foster care.” Kate sighed. “Like you said, my apartment is too small. There’s no yard.”

“Get something bigger.”

“Spoken like a man who has a house on every continent.”

“Not
every
continent.”

Kate caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’ve always wanted a house, but I can’t afford one. Every spare penny goes in a savings account for the café.”

“You want to renovate it?”

Tell him, Kate.

“I want to buy it back.”

Alex frowned as the words sunk in.

“I thought your father left the café to you when he moved to Arizona.”

“That’s what everyone thinks. But Dad wouldn’t have been able to start over there unless he sold the café
here,
so he made a deal with a local investor. Jeff agreed to let me manage the café as if it were mine. Kind of a silent partnership.”

“Jeff?” Alex’s gut tightened.