Ready-Made Family (16 page)

“And certainly an important turning point for our relationship, should we have a future in store.” Ben knew the recent ladder maneuver had been bold, but he couldn’t help it. Chalk it up to recon for Amelia’s feelings. He wanted to know if she was interested in him as more than a friend.

“Definitely.” Joel transferred to the free weights, leaving Ben alone with his thoughts. Ben lowered himself onto the leg-press machine and let Amelia take over his mind.

Sure, she had some faith issues to work out first, and he knew he couldn’t be unequally yoked. But he had a feeling that once she truly got to know God and experience His unconditional love and acceptance, she’d surrender her tender heart for good. Hopefully Ben’s kindness reflected God’s heart toward her.

And as far as the other big obstacle—her dad having racial hang-ups—he’d figure that out as they went along. Hopefully the odds weren’t insurmountable.

If anyone can make a way, You can. I rest my trust in You.

H
is DZ duties concluded, Ben drove to the garage to pick up Amelia and Reece, who were becoming regular as wrenches at Eagle’s Nest. Amelia worked on her drawings between phone calls and filing.

Like clockwork, the foursome, including Bearby, piled in Ben’s car as they had for weeks. Ben smiled. Amelia had stopped apologizing for inconveniencing him. Progress. Growth.

“A princess movie! Yay!” Reece held the DVD Ben rented for their Friday video night.

“Animation okay?” Ben asked Amelia as rubber met the road.

She nodded and picked a cloud-covered pamphlet off the seat. The front said
Refuge DZ
. Multicolored parachutes dotted it like candy in the sky. “Ben, what’s the DZ?”

“It’s a skydiving facility term.
DZ,
or
Drop Zone,
is the area skydivers are supposed to land.” Ben laughed.

“What’s funny?”

“When Refuge revamped addresses to zone for a 911 system, they let Joel, who now owns Refuge DZ, rename the streets around the facility. My teammate Manny crashed through a grove of trees between the building and the Drop Zone. Joel named the road near where he crashed Pena’s Landing.”

“Ouch. I take it he’s okay now?”

Ben nodded.

Amelia flipped through the pamphlet. “Must be a town thing. Because Miss Evie mentioned naming Mustang Lane after a woman who crashed her car into the B and B.”

“Yup. That would be Joel’s wife, Amber. She offered to watch my—” he nearly said “brother when I have to leave on mission” but remembered he hadn’t told Amelia “—stuff when I have to travel for work,” he finished. Stuff? He’d reduced his brother to “stuff” now?

Pathetic, Dillinger. He just needed a tad more time to figure things out with Hutton.

Problem was, the day that they’d agreed for Hutton to come live with Ben was closing in faster than a ruthless enemy soldier.

He needed to come up with the courage to tell her before then, or trust would become a casualty.

Ben’s phone rang, as it had been several times a day. Ben knew from Gus that people continually ordered Amelia’s caricatures. He’d been seeing them everywhere around town.

People loved seeing themselves depicted as exaggerated cartoons that featured them in spoofy poses in their jobs. Her talent amazed him. Maybe she’d do one of his team once she met them.

Amelia closed the phone after her conversation. She looked back at Reece. “That was Glorietta. She leads a group of girls your age, like Girl Scouts, only it’s based out of her church. The group is called GIGs and it stands for Girlfriends In God. She’s wondering if you want to go to meetings with her?”

“Yay! Yes. Can Bearby go?”

“Well, er—he’s not really a girl.” The look on her face provoked Ben to laughter. He could tell she argued with herself about why she was even conversing about this when the bear wasn’t real.

“Maybe Bearby could be the GIG mascot,” Ben said, laughing.

“I know! I’ll let you Bearby-sit him, Mr. Ben. In case the other girls don’t carry stuffed animals.”

Now it was Amelia’s turn to laugh. “I think that’s a grand idea. Anyway, GIGs meet Tuesday evenings, but tonight they’re having a sleepover at Miss Evie’s church.”

Which was Ben’s church. Only he hadn’t thought to tell Amelia. Yet another secret.

“I wanna go, but I told Mr. Ben we’d watch movies.” Reece eyed him.

“We’ll watch the princess show another time if you want to do the GIG thing.”

“You sure, Mr. Ben? I wouldn’t want you to get lonely.”

“I won’t. Your mom and Bearby will keep me company.” He smiled at Amelia. Their first date alone without Reece. Maybe they’d open up more. He didn’t want to talk about certain aspects of his job around Reece, anyway. He sensed Amelia had perceived that.

“Glorietta’s meeting us at Haven Street Park when she gets off. We have time to run by the B and B, pack Reece’s overnight bag then play at the park until she gets there.”

Once there, they raced each other across the grass to the swirly slide. After they took several spirals each down it, Ben motioned toward the swings. “Come on. I’ll push you guys.”

Reece stuffed Bearby into a plastic baby swing next to them then sat in the rubber-strip swing beside Amelia.

Ben positioned himself in the grass behind the swings. He took a running start and pushed Amelia so high her feet cleared his head. He ran beneath the swing then around back. He didn’t push Reece high. He got a rhythm going so they were all three, including Bearby, airborne in different positions at once.

Glorietta arrived and Amelia handed her Reece’s backpack.
“Here are her clean clothes and pajamas.” Amelia hugged Reece. Then Reece hugged Ben before snatching Bearby out of the swing and skipping with Glorietta to her car.

Ben grinned. “You still wanna watch the princess flick?”

“No. I’d like not to watch animation if I can help it.” She laughed.

“We could explore the hiking trails behind the B and B,” Ben said on arrival.

Amelia took the hand Ben extended and they ascended the steep hill behind the B and B later.

“Can you describe what you do during a rescue?”

“Nope.” He grinned. “But I can show you.” He swooped her up and slung her over his shoulders, then ran full tilt in a sweat-producing sprint up steep, treacherous terrain and rocky trails.

She squealed at first then relaxed to the point of laughing. He kept running. She kept laughing. Thirty minutes later, he set her down near the trail that led to the waterfall.

“How did you ever build up endurance to do that?”

“In my training, which is as constant as breathing.”

“Is that where you go on Saturdays?”

Ouch. “Yowza. You should consider a career in interrogation.” He chuckled and braced hands on his knees. “Yup, training is where I go. Some of the time.”

She eyed him, but didn’t press. They hiked at a rapid clip up the remainder of the trail. They got close enough to the waterfall that mist sprayed their faces.

Catching her breath, Amelia sat on a flat rock and pulled off her shoes and socks. Her toes stretched out and glistened as water misted her feet. “What are some of the rescues you’ve done that I might have heard about?”

She wasn’t giving up for anything. She was nothing if not tenacious. He needed to give a little. She deserved that.

He sat beside her on the rock, enjoying a rainbow visible in the wall of water. “Helped in Asia after the tsunami.
Rescued climbers from Oregon’s Mount Hood. That’s always fun. I’ve been to Everest and into the deep Atlantic. I’ve recovered astronauts after water landings. Every nook and cranny of the world, I’ve been there. Glaciers. Every sea. Most national disasters you hear about on TV, and some you won’t hear about, I’ve likely been there. Floods. Earthquakes. Tornadoes. Terrorist attacks. I’ve dropped behind enemy lines to rescue downed Allied pilots. Also helped rescue Katrina victims after the hurricane that devastated New Orleans and the Gulf coast.”

“Wow. I’m in awe, Ben. Speaking of which, it’s under way.” She shivered.

“What?”

“Hurricane season. My parents live in the danger zone.”

“Ahh. Hopefully they won’t be too bad this year.”

She laughed. “My parents? Or the hurricanes?”

He leaned in, letting the mist cool him off. “Is there much difference?”

“Not really. They are decent people. It’s just, they had high hopes for me. I’m hoping distance will strengthen our relationship.” She pulled her socks and shoes back on.

“So, once your dad finds out I’m part Asian, how’s that gonna work?”

She opened her mouth to speak, then clamped it shut and looked away. Dismay widened her eyes, telling him what she couldn’t bring herself to say.

When Dad finds out, it’s not going to work.

He stood, pulling her up with him. He drew her into his arms in a loose embrace. “I am not sure how this’ll pan out. But I am sure that I can’t stand the thought of you and Reece not remaining in my life. Somehow.”

Amelia gulped. “Well, it’s not like Dad and I are even talking right now.”

“I can’t imagine a man not wanting anything to do with his
daughter and granddaughter forever. He’ll eventually come around.” He released her and led them, hand in hand, back down the trail. Darkness would descend soon.

“I hope you’re right.”

A disturbing thought detonated inside Ben’s brain.

If her dad came back around, would Amelia shun Ben for the sake of her father, and for Reece knowing her grandparents?

Ben sensed a hard decision on Amelia’s horizon.

“I
’ll bet Amber’s embarrassed to drive down the road,” Amelia said the following Tuesday, as Ben drove them along Mustang Lane to the B and B after dropping Reece off at Glorietta’s for GIGs.

“Miss Evie asked her permission. Amber has a great sense of humor. I think she felt honored.”

“Your friends sound fun-loving and nice, Ben.”

“They are. Hey, I’d love them to meet you. In fact, one of my teammates is having a birthday party Friday night at the local Mexican restaurant. I’d love it if you went with me. Bradley’ll be there so Reece can meet him. There’s also someone else I want you to meet the weekend after. Someone very important to me.”

There. He said it. Now he was bound by his word to introduce her to Hutton.

They exited the car and walked up the B and B steps. “Sure we wouldn’t be intruding on the party?”

“No way. I’m the one planning it.”

“You’re a good friend to people, Ben.”

“And you’re deserving of good friends, Amelia.”

“Friends. Now that’s something I can use.”

“You’ll make plenty this weekend.” Ben motioned toward a bench swing on the wraparound porch. “Joel told me his wife and Manny’s have been dropping by your place.”

“Yeah. I really like Celia and Amber. I envy their friendship. I had that with Nissa before she met this creep. Did you put them up to coming here?”

“Nope. They decided all on their own.” He grinned. “They want to get to know you. They’re curious.”

“Why?”

“Because my team, we’re like family. They know how important you’re becoming to me.”

“You saying I have to pass inspection?”

“You already have. Now they’re just hanging around because they like you. And because they know I like you but can’t always be here if you need something. So they cover for me of their own volition.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had something to look forward to. I’m excited about getting to know them better this weekend. And meeting the rest of your team and learning more about what you do.”

Ben smiled. “I’m sure Celia and Amber will fill you in.”

Amelia’s stomach was a bundle of nerves Friday. Ben would be here any minute to pick up her and Reece. She rearranged refrigerator contents for the umpteenth time. Townspeople had been coming by to drop off food, welcoming them to Refuge.

Amelia would feel terrible if she and Reece didn’t end up getting to stay. But so far, not one of the dozens of applications she’d turned in had resulted in a job. Even Ben said it was strange. Each day that her phone—Ben’s phone, actually—didn’t ring with a job, her panic escalated. Thankfully, orders for her caricatures were keeping them afloat.

She remembered Ben’s offer to find her a job. She hoped
it didn’t come to that. In her mind, not securing a job herself meant failing Reece. People couldn’t bail her out forever.

The doorbell chimed. Reece ran toward it then stopped. “Oops. Forgot. I’m not supposed to answer phones or doors.”

“It’s great you remembered the rules. It’s probably Ben, but it’s always better to be safe.” Amelia eyed the wall clock on her way to the door. If it was Ben, he was early.

Amelia peered outside. “Oh, it’s Miss Evie.” She unlocked the door and swung it wide.

Miss Evie stepped inside, holding papers. “Hello, Amelia. I came to let you know I reviewed your application for the kitchen position. You made the final cut for interviews. I whittled my choice down to five applicants.”

Thumping started in Amelia’s chest. “I didn’t realize you were in charge of hiring.”

“Yes, I pretty much run everything here. But I’m getting up in years, and I look to start handing over the reins more. I can’t stay but a minute. Just wanted to know if you can come for another interview the first of next month.”

That was four weeks. School started in five. Amelia really needed more time than a cramped week to figure out whether to sign Reece up for school here. But this was the first sign of a job. “Sure. But if you have a slot open sooner, I’ll gladly take it.”

The woman chortled. “No, four weeks it is. Which reminds me, you didn’t list references. That’s why I stopped by.”

Her hands wrung. “Truth is, I’ve only had one other job. An insurance office, but the owner passed away and they closed it.”

“Don’t fret this, Amelia. But even if you have a previous teacher, or a relative who can vouch for your character, it would improve your chances for the job.”

Maybe her mom would give a reference. But that would mean calling. And risk getting yelled at by Dad. But truth was, she missed her parents, especially her mom. This would give her an excuse to call.

She walked Miss Evie to the door. “I’ll get names and numbers to you in the next few days.”

“Sounds good. We’ll talk later.” Miss Evie left as Ben, decked out in a black T-shirt and green camouflage pants tucked into combat boots, jogged up the steps.

He pulled off a maroon beret and walked into her living room like it was commonplace. “I know I’m here before we agreed to meet. But I finished drowning people early.”

“Drowning?”

“Yeah. Underwater training with PJ recruits. We weight them down with lead, then hold them underwater for near fatal lengths of time and inflict harassment until they pass out.”

Her neck craned. “Underwater?”

“Yup. We only had to haul two students out and revive ’em today, though. So it was a good day.” He grinned.

“Are you serious?”

“See why I keep aspects of my job from you?”

“I’ll say. Be right back. I’m going to change.”

“Hopefully not your mind, now that you know what I do.”

She shot him a cheeky grin that thrilled him as much as a HALO jump. “Not on your life.”

Reece skipped over. “You wanna play tea party with me, Ben?”

“For a minute.” Hopefully none of his teammates strolled by. His ego would need a hoist extraction.

Reece led him to a miniature table embellished with a girlie tea set. “Hey, you think you’d ever wanna marry my mom?”

“Why do you ask?” He sat next to Bearby, who occupied the tiniest chair he’d ever seen.

“Dunno. You got weird eyes. She’s got weird eyes. You could have babies with weird eyes.”

Ben laughed and held the tiny cup she handed him.

“And give me a hundred brothers and sisters.”

Ben’s laughter died in his throat. “You want siblings?”

“Lots and lots. And I want Shasta back to live with us.”

“What would you think if I did want to marry your mom and be your stepdad?”

“I think you’d always be nice to us and you’d never yell or leave us and I think you could give me brothers and sisters.” She poured invisible tea into his dainty cup. “Especially sisters to play tea party with me.”

He pretended to sip. “Maybe I could start with getting Shasta back.”

She stirred something invisible into Bearby’s cup. “I heard siblings fight over things a lot. Mom said cousin Nissa is like a sister and sometimes they argued growing up. Grandma said she told them the one who got the toy first could have it first. That was the rule.”

“That right?”

“Yup. So I don’t care how many brothers and sisters you bring from the baby place as long as they remember that I’m the one who found you first.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. “I love you, Mr. Ben.”

Overcome with fierce, protective emotion, Ben set his cup down and hugged her back. “Love you too, princess.” He pulled back with his arms still braced on hers. “So why don’t you stop calling me Mr. Ben and just say Ben?”

“But Mommy says that’s not good manners.”

He leaned in. “Can I tell you a secret?”

She nodded.

“I don’t think your mom will mind if you just call me Ben. Besides, that might help her think about marrying me so I can help her bring you all those brothers and sisters you want.”

She covered her mouth and giggled like she held the world’s biggest secret.

Then Ben realized this was perfect for a practice moment of truth. “You know, I’ve got a brother.”

“You do?” She refilled Ben’s and Bearby’s teacups.

“Yup. He has special needs so he lives with our parents. But soon, he’s coming to live with me for a year.”

“Does he have cancer like Bradley?”

“Nope. He was born with a birth defect called Mosaic Down Syndrome.”

“Mosaic. Sounds like something my mom paints. Something very neat and colorful and makes ya feel good to look at.”

“Well, that really describes my brother. Would you like to meet him next weekend?”

“Yeah!”

Amelia reentered the room. “Who are we meeting?”

Here it was. The real moment of truth. Ben held Amanda’s gaze. “My special needs brother.”

Her steps paused. She nodded slowly and resumed.

“My mom’s bringing him next weekend. To live with me.” Rising, he moved closer, out of earshot of Reece and Bearby. “Look, I know I should have told you about him before.”

“I’m sure you had good reasons why you didn’t.”

“Thanks, but in fact I’ve been a coward about it. I don’t want you to think I didn’t tell you because I’m ashamed of him. I’m ashamed of me. I’m not the best at talking or relating to him on his level. But I’m learning.”

“I’m sure you are. I’m also sure you are not a coward. Can I make a suggestion, Ben?”

“I’m all ears.” And all mush, the way she stared at him with smiles beaming out her eyes like that.

“Just be what you’re best at.”

“What’s that?”

“His friend, Ben. You’re a good friend to people. The best I’ve seen. If you treat your brother like you treat everyone else, things will work out.”

Why hadn’t he thought of that before?

“There’s no way you could know this, but that’s all Hutton—that’s his name—all he wanted growing up. For me to treat
him like everyone else. Be his friend. I’m ashamed to admit I was ashamed of him then.”

“It’s clear you care about him now. If you want to win him over, just be yourself.”

“So, I’ve been myself around you. Did it work?”

“What?”

“To win you over?”

“From the first moment I met you.”