Finding Faith (Love's Compass Book 4) (3 page)

Cynthia certainly didn’t have to worry about Aaron. The only thing he could afford to focus on was teaching his students and his music.

Serenity strained her neck until she could see Gideon’s face in the rearview mirror. “What do you think, big guy? Are we ready?” He pointed at the large brick building with “Hope Academy” on a plaque above the oversized double doors. “Okay, let’s go do this.”

It was Thursday and they had an appointment to come by before school started on Monday. A couple of weeks ago, they went in for her interview and an evaluation for Gideon. Now, they wanted to show her a little about what she’d be doing and have her fill out some of the other forms — primarily health insurance. They’d assured her that one of the teachers would take Gideon and let him play in the gym while she did so.

Her nerves rolled around in her stomach like pool balls and she swiped her sweaty palms against her pants as they got out of the car.

They walked hand-in-hand to one of the large doors and opened it together. She led Gideon towards the long desk where parents were supposed to check in. A woman looked up and smiled brightly, her head full of tight, red curls bouncing as she moved. Serenity guessed they were around the same age. “Good morning. Can I help you?”

“I’m Serenity Chandler. I have an appointment with Tammy to finalize some paperwork before starting Monday.”

“Oh! Of course.” She shuffled some papers around in front of her. “My name’s Maggie. I think we’re going to be working together. Which is great, we’ve been shorthanded up front for a while.” She turned her attention to Gideon. “And who do we have here?”

“This is my son, Gideon. He’ll be attending the school starting Monday as well. Kindergarten, right buddy?” Serenity put an arm around his shoulders and patted his chest. “When I spoke with Tammy on the phone, she said one of his new teachers would take him to the gym while I got things settled.”

Maggie gave him a wave “It’s nice to meet you, Gideon. Welcome to Hope Academy. I think you’re going to like it here.” She picked up a phone. “Let me call for Letty. I have a note saying she’ll be Gideon’s teacher. She’s here and I’m sure she’d be happy for the chance to get to know him a little. I’ll inform Tammy as well.”

Serenity nodded. “I appreciate that.” Good. Letty was the one who evaluated Gideon when they came a few weeks ago. She would be familiar and hopefully he wouldn’t mind going with her.

They chatted for a few minutes until Letty arrived. As soon as she saw Gideon, she knelt down to his level and waved. “It’s great to see you again, Gideon! Would you like to come and play for a while? We’re going to have a lot of fun.” His experience during his evaluation must have been a good one because he immediately took a step towards her.

Serenity ruffled his hair. “Make sure you mind Miss Letty. I’ll see you in a little while.”

Letty took his hand. “We’ll be fine. Take as long as you need to.” She turned to Maggie. “Call when you’re ready and I’ll bring him back up here.”

Serenity watched them disappear from sight, comforted by the fact that he never even hesitated. She’d been praying that the school would be the perfect fit for him. For both of them. Moving away from home was huge and she needed this to work. 

A door opened on the other side of the room and Tammy walked in. “Hi, Serenity. It’s good to see you again. Are you getting settled in your new place?”

“We are, thank you. It’ll take some time, but we like the neighborhood pretty well so far.”

“Great to hear. If you’ll come back to my office, we’ll finish up some paperwork and then I’ll let Maggie introduce you to some of what you’ll be doing Monday morning.”

By the time Serenity rejoined Maggie out front, she’d lost count of how many times she’d signed her name.

Maggie explained to her how to check parents in if they were going into the school and how to scan the printed stickers to show they’d left. “It’s part of the security system and we do it to keep the kids safe. We want the parents to be able to go back with the kids or participate, but we can’t let just anyone walk in off the streets.”

“I agree completely.” Serenity tapped the plastic badge she’d clipped to the hem of her shirt. “It’ll be nice to have the ID.”

A deep voice brought their attention away from the computer. “Hey, Maggie. Has FedEx dropped anything off yet this morning?”

Serenity’s gaze followed the voice and found a man striding towards the desk with a stack of papers in his large hands. Dark auburn hair curled slightly where it touched the tops of his ears and the base of his neck. He carried himself with purpose, his clean-shaven jaw working as he leafed through the papers.

“They haven’t been by yet. If anything comes in for you, I’ll give you a shout.” Maggie shot him a wink, even though he hadn’t raised his head yet to catch it.

“That’ll be great, thanks.”

He moved away from them and Serenity didn’t think he was even going to look up. But his eyes lifted at the last moment, going first to Maggie with a hint of wariness and then landing on her. His dark blue eyes widened slightly and the hand that still held the papers lowered.

Serenity shifted in her seat. How one pair of eyes could make her feel self-aware and curious about him at the same time, she had no idea.

Maggie chuckled. “I take it you two haven’t met yet. Aaron Randall, this is my new desk buddy, Serenity Chandler. She’ll be starting on Monday, I’m showing her the ropes for a couple of hours this morning. Serenity, Aaron is our music therapist. He’s been with the school for several years now and is one of our most eligible bachelors.”

~

Anxious to get the shipment of rainbow hand bells Aaron had ordered, he thought he’d check and see if it’d arrived. Before entering the room, he steeled himself against Maggie. He was confident the woman would flirt with an unattached orangutan if given the chance. He made a point of not being alone with her in a room if he could help it. Even after she told him FedEx hadn’t been by yet, he could have sworn he felt her wink.

Aaron didn’t like to be rude, even when she made him uncomfortable. He was glancing up to give Maggie a nod of thanks. That’s when he saw
her
.

Serenity was such a contrast to the woman training her. Maggie wore copious amounts of makeup and her hair color changed every other week — he seriously doubted even she knew what color her hair was before the first bottle of dye.

On the other hand, Serenity’s rich brown hair was so dark it was nearly black. It flowed like a waterfall down her back, making him wonder how long it really was. If she was wearing any makeup, he couldn’t tell.

He stepped forward and extended a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” She placed a much smaller hand in his, her touch sending a jolt of awareness from there straight to his heart. He cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his reaction. “Welcome to Hope Academy. You’ll enjoy working here — for the most part. Just watch out for this one.” He jerked his head towards Maggie, who only laughed in response. “She thinks any single guy is eligible.”

Maggie threw her head back and laughed loudly, her red curls bobbing with her giggles. “You bet I do.”

Serenity smiled. “That’s good to know.” She hesitated. “It’s going to take a while to get the hang of everything. But so far, everyone’s been very welcoming.”

Aaron couldn’t look away from her brown eyes framed just right with long, dark eyelashes. There was a small, circular scar at the corner of her right eye and he wondered how she’d gotten it.

Forcing himself to break eye contact, he cleared his throat again and released her hand, immediately missing the connection. “I wish you the best of luck Monday, then.”

“I appreciate that.” Serenity’s smile was hesitant and didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Aaron made a hasty retreat, but he wasn’t quick enough. Maggie’s voice could be heard behind him, “What’d I tell you? Dreamy, right? I’d like to be the one to take him off the market.”

He groaned and rolled his eyes. With a total of only three unattached men working at the school, he didn’t have a lot of hope that Maggie would set her sights on someone else. He was used to being employed in an environment where he was vastly outnumbered by women — until he was in the same room as Maggie.

With other things to do, he forced all thoughts of Maggie from his head. As his footsteps echoed down the hallway, he realized it wouldn’t be as easy to do the same with Serenity.

Especially when all he could see were those eyes that reminded him of warm, melted chocolate.

Milk sloshed out of the bowl when Serenity poured it, leaving a puddle on the table. Gideon wasted no time in sticking his tongue out to lick it. She snatched a rag off the counter, mopped up the mess, and handed him a spoon for good measure.

“I promise, Mom. We’re fine.” She moved her cell phone from one ear to the other. “We’re all set to start work and school on Monday. Gideon’s been to the school twice now. They gave me his schedule and we’ve gone over it several times. We’re both about as ready as we can be.”

Serenity wanted to be annoyed that Mom had called every single morning since she and Gideon moved out. But the truth was, having never lived on her own, she dearly missed the sound of both Mom’s and Grams’ voices. Besides, the Chandler house would be getting ready for church and then, later that evening, meeting for family dinner.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d missed one. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She furiously blinked them away. Mom would catch on if there was even a hint of sadness in her voice and the last thing she wanted was for Mom to worry.

“How about the people you work with? Are they nice?”

Serenity was glad for the distraction. Although the shift in thoughts brought a new one in the form of a handsome man with auburn hair and unforgettable blue eyes. Keeping him out of the conversation, she told Mom about Maggie in great detail. They both had a good laugh. Serenity suspected that beneath Maggie’s tough – and obnoxious — exterior was someone who enjoyed being around people and was probably good at her job.

“I miss you, honey. But I hope you know I’m proud of you, too.”

What control she’d gained over her tears disappeared. One escaped to slide down her cheek. “I miss you, too, Mom. Look, I’d better let you go so you can get ready for church.”

“Okay. Once you get settled, you’ll have to ask around and find a church there.”

“I will.”

“Have a good morning. Call me tomorrow evening and let me know how your first day goes.”

“Promise. Love you, Mom. Give everyone else my love, too.” Serenity set her phone on the counter and kissed the top of Gideon’s head.

She had every intention of finding a new church, although the idea itself seemed overwhelming. Maybe she would meet some people at the school and could ask which churches they attended.

Aaron’s face came to mind and she mentally shrugged it off. Like she had the other two dozen times she’d thought about him since first meeting him the other day.

A scuffling noise brought her head around to face the door. She half expected someone to knock. When there were no other sounds, she peeped through the hole in the door and didn’t see a thing.

Maybe having a cop for an older brother made her overly cautious, but she decided not to open it. It wasn’t until later when she and Gideon were headed to the store for a few last minute items that she saw a navy blue backpack resting against the side of their duplex.

Serenity cast a suspicious glimpse up and down the street before nudging it with her foot. A sign pinned to the front pocket read, “For your first day of school, Gideon. Welcome to Hope Academy.”

She grasped it by the loop on top, surprised by how heavy it was. Gideon followed her to the kitchen table. As soon as she sat it down, he went to task unzipping the pockets and pulling everything out.

“This is insanely generous,” she muttered, taking inventory.

Every school item a boy might need in kindergarten was accounted for, from safety scissors to a superhero notebook. On top of that, there were all kinds of snacks.

No one at Hope Academy had mentioned a thing about a welcoming package. It was certainly more than she ever would have expected. She’d have to make a point of thanking someone tomorrow.

~

Aaron grinned as he held the door open to his music room and watched Letty’s kindergarten class come through. Their little faces lit up as they took in their surroundings. For many of them, this was their first trip there. Only those who had started coming to Hope Academy as preschoolers were familiar with the layout. Letty brought up the rear and closed the door behind her.

He smiled at her. “How’s your first day going?”

“It’s going well! A bit like herding cats, but that’s to be expected for the first week or two with a new class.” She chuckled. “I think the rug’s a hit.”

Aaron followed her gaze. Cecil, who had been coming to the school since he was four, spotted the piano rug immediately. He’d stretched out on the floor, his body angled the same direction as the first key, a look of pure joy lighting up his face. Methodically, he rolled his body across each of them, humming a tone as he did. “Those notes are right on.”

“The boy knows his music.” Letty’s love for her students was evident to anyone who met her.

Aaron couldn’t agree more. While some people might meet Cecil and see a child with Down syndrome, Aaron saw a little boy with sandy brown hair who had a kind heart, a gentle spirit, and who would likely become a musician someday.

Most of the kids had found an instrument in the bins to play with. The conglomerate of random sounds and notes filled the room. There were a lot of new little faces.

One boy in particular drew his attention. He had dark brown hair that was nearly black. His arms carried an entire bin full of the hand bells Aaron had finally received and found himself a spot on the edge of the room. One by one, he pulled them out and lined them up in order of color according to the rainbow. Aaron angled his head in the boy’s direction.

“Autism?”

Letty nodded. “That’s Gideon. He’ll be six in a few months. He just started today. He’s non-verbal, but knows some signs and gestures. I got to spend a few hours with him on Friday. He was friendly and relaxed then but I think all of the kids are a little overwhelming today.”

Aaron picked up a small, red bell that he kept on his desk and rang it loudly. That gained the attention of all eight children in the room. “Hi, everyone! My name is Aaron and I’m glad you’re here. Do you know what everyone calls me? I’m the Music Man!” He picked up a guitar and strummed a few chords. “Every time you come to my room, you’ll get to play with anything you see for ten minutes.” He reached for visual timer he used and set it. “When this timer goes off, we’re going to sit in a circle so we can talk about some music, then we’ll learn about an instrument, and sing a few songs. How does that sound?”

Happy faces and a few shouts of “Yay!” followed his question. Two little girls seemed uncertain about it and Gideon continued to keep his focus on the hand bells.

That was okay. Each year, it took a week or two to get the kids into the routine. Before long, they would all know what was expected and things would go relatively smoothly. There was always going to be a kink or two, but that’s what kept things interesting. He smiled to himself.

He crossed the room and sat next to Gideon. There was something about the boy that reminded him of his little brother, Kenneth. The realization was painful but there was also a strange peace in it as well. He missed Kenneth even after almost two decades and sitting next to Gideon soothed that little piece of his heart.

Now that the boy had the bells in order by color, he was picking them up and studying the note etched into the side of each one.

“Those are musical notes.” Aaron pointed to one of them. “That’s a C. This is a B.” When he picked up the orange bell, Gideon retrieved it from him and set it quickly back in its place in line. “Have you tried making music with them yet?” Gideon said nothing but he didn’t seem to object, so Aaron picked up the red bell, rang it, and set it down in its place. “That’s an A note. Why don’t you ring the next one?”

Gideon did as he suggested and continued on down the line until the last bell had filled the room with its tone. When it faded, Gideon peeked up at Aaron with a smile on his face that lit up his eyes. There was something about him that seemed familiar, not only because he reminded him of Kenneth, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

“Good job, kiddo. Maybe one of these days I can teach you how to play a song with the bells. Would you like that?”

The timer went off then. He and Letty worked together to place carpet squares in a circle and led the children to their spots. Then they sat down among them, Letty supporting one of the younger children who had trouble sitting upright.

Aaron let his gaze touch each of their faces, saying a quick prayer that he would be able to make a difference in their young lives. If there was one thing he learned in his years at Hope Academy, it was that no matter what type of challenge each of the children faced — and whether it was evident on the outside or hidden within — every single one was a gift from God and he was humbled to have a part in teaching them.

He smiled at them. “Who can tell me the name of an instrument?”

“Guitar!”

“Drums!”

“Piano!”

It was no surprise that the last one came from Cecil. Aaron chuckled. “That’s right. Anyone else? What other instruments can you think of?” He watched Gideon as the boy’s eyes went from him to the bin of hand bells and back again. “That’s right, Gideon. Bells are a kind of instrument, too. Did you know that your voices can be an instrument as well? Each instrument plays a part in making music.”

He got his guitar and played “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” inviting the kids to sing if they knew the song. The combination of little voices made his own heart sing. And even though Gideon didn’t say a word, he seemed to enjoy the antics of his classmates around him.

Aaron had fun teaching Letty’s class and later had individual music therapy sessions with two other students. By the time lunch came around, his stomach was growling.

He headed for the breakroom, more than ready to dig into the cold pizza he’d stashed in the community fridge. His stomach growled in anticipation. He didn’t expect to see too many other people in the kitchen since it was nearly one and that was fine by him.

As soon as he entered, his eyes zeroed in on the woman he’d met at the front office the other day. She was holding a book in one hand, a sandwich in the other, and seemed completely oblivious to him or anyone else in the room.

Aaron retrieved his pizza from the fridge and got a soda from the vending machine. He started to head to his usual table in the corner but there was something about her that stopped him. He sure hated to leave her there eating alone on her first day of work.

Changing direction, he approached her. She kept her attention on the book until he cleared his throat. Her head lifted and her gaze snapped to his.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.” Her cheeks took on a slight hint of pink. She allowed the book to close and set it down on the table. “I met you last week. Aaron, right?”

“Good memory. And you’re Serenity.” He glanced at her left hand, noting the lack of a wedding ring.

She smiled. “Your memory’s not bad, either.”

In a lunch room filled with way too many food smells, the light scent of lilac surrounding her was a welcome change. He latched onto it, finding himself drawn to the pretty woman sitting in front of him.