Seeking His Love (9 page)

The S.O.S. flashing from his blue eyes grabbed her heart and she nodded. “Okay. I’ll try.”

He released a deep breath. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

A flash of blue in the hallway caught Rachel’s attention.

A young girl with long curly blond hair, large blue eyes and a slim figure looked in the door. This had to be Kayla. The family resemblance was clear in the shape of her chin and high forehead as well as her hair and eye color.

Cam froze, and Rachel could easily read the silent question
running through his mind—how much of their conversation had Kayla heard?

Tears shimmered in the girl’s eyes. Her rigid posture and fisted hands, said she wanted to be anywhere but there.

Rachel’s heart twisted. She was one scared kid. “Hi, Kayla. I’m Ms. Clark. Come on in.” She walked over and met her at the door. “Your uncle and I were just talking about drama camp. We have some great things planned this summer.” She tipped her head and smiled at Kayla. “How about you and I go get a soda in the lounge, and we can talk about it?”

Kayla pushed her hair over her shoulder with a trembling hand. “I’m not very good at drama.”

“That’s okay. A lot of the kids who come to camp have never been on stage before.”

“I’ll probably be the youngest one there and feel totally stupid.”

“Actually, you’re right in the middle age-wise. We have three groups—kids who are ten to twelve, thirteen to fourteen and fifteen to eighteen. Since you’re turning fifteen pretty soon, you could try either of the older groups and see which one you like the best.”

Her tense posture eased a bit. “Could I just watch the first day?”

“Sure. But I don’t think you’ll want to sit on the sidelines too long. Most of the activities are really fun, more like games.”

“That sounds a whole lot more interesting than hanging out with me in the frame shop all day,” Cam added.

Rachel laid her hand on Kayla’s shoulder. “Come on. Let me show you around, and we can stop and get that drink I was talking about.”

“I guess that would be okay.” Kayla walked with her toward the door.

Rachel looked over her shoulder at Cam. “We’ll check back with you later.”

He mouthed the words, thank you, and sent her a heartfelt smile.

She suppressed a triumphant grin and looked back at Kayla. “The key to fitting in at drama camp is just being yourself. Everyone is a little nervous at first. That’s totally normal. I’m sure in a couple days, you’ll feel like you’ve been part of the group for a long time.”

C
am glanced at his watch and knocked on Kayla’s bedroom door. She had retreated to her room as soon as they’d finished dinner about half an hour earlier, leaving all the dishes and clean up for him—again. He didn’t mind the solo K.P. He was used to that. What he did mind was her ungrateful, sour attitude. For the past four days he’d tried to be patient and give her time to adjust, but all he got for his effort was an icy cold shoulder. “Kayla?” He knocked again, harder this time.

“What?” Even through the door he could hear her irritation loud and clear.

He swallowed his sharp reply. “May I come in?”

A couple seconds passed before she gave him permission.

He pushed opened the door, scanned the room and stopped cold. Clothes littered the floor. Dirty dishes, DVD cases, soda cans and wadded up candy wrappers covered the top of the dresser and trunk. Kayla sat in the middle of it all, looking like the queen of clutter, enthroned on her bed with her computer open on her lap and her earphones plugged in.

His gut twisted. So much for the beautiful room he and
Rachel had worked so hard to set up for her. “I’m going out back to water the garden.”

She focused on her computer screen, ignoring him.

He clenched his jaw. “Take your earphones off,” he growled.

She glared at him and slowly pulled them out.

“I’m going outside and I didn’t want you to look for me and wonder where I was.”

She lifted her brows, looking at him like that was the stupidest remark he’d ever made.

“Okay. That’s it.” He pointed his finger in her direction. “When I come back I want this room cleaned up.”

She stared at him like he was speaking a foreign language.

“Did you hear what I said?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not deaf.”

“Kayla—” he pulled in a deep breath and released it slowly “—I know you’re not happy here. Believe me, I get it. But pouting and trashing your room isn’t going to change anything.”

She narrowed her eyes to a hateful glare. “You don’t have a clue.”

“Maybe not. But next time I see this room, it better be clean, or there will be consequences.”

Her blue eyes flashed. “Like what?”

“Clean it up to my standards, or you’ll have to say goodbye to your computer, iPod and phone.”

She gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“Oh yes, I would. So you better get busy.”

She slammed her computer closed and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“The vacuum is in the hall closet. The cleaning supplies are under the kitchen sink.” He pointed at the stack of dirty
dishes on the dresser. “And be sure you load those into the dishwasher. I already cleaned the kitchen.”

Her face flushed pink, and lips scrunched into a jagged line.

He checked his watch. “It’s now seven fifteen. I’ll give you until eight o’clock to get the job done.”

Her mouth gaped open. “That’s only forty-five minutes!”

“That’s right, so you better get hoppin’.”

She jumped to her feet. “Oooh! You are so…mean!”

He clamped his mouth shut and walked out the door. Heat pulsed from his face. His heart pounded like he’d just run a 5K race. That little girl had him totally tied up in knots. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm his rushing thoughts.
Please, get her moving. If I have to follow through, she is going to hate me for the rest of her life.

He opened his eyes, surprised he’d sent off a prayer. He and the Almighty weren’t exactly on speaking terms—and for very good reasons.

Though he tried to stop them, memories swept over him like a rising flood. Once again, he walked the sterile hospital hallways, begging God to save his wife. It was too late for his son. Tyler had died immediately. But after two agonizing days and countless pleas, he had lost his wife as well.

If God wouldn’t stoop down and save the life of a faithful, loving woman like Marie, how could Cam ever trust Him?

Rachel pulled the last plate from the rinse water and set it on the counter to dry. Looking out her kitchen window, she soaked in the peaceful view, the gentle sway of the deep green fir trees lining the backyard, the wide expanse of blue sky above. A soft breeze floated through the screen, carrying the sweet scent of roses from the trellis by the back porch.

What a gift. She loved her apartment, the well-kept yard
and garden, the quiet neighborhood, and the reassuring thought that Cam was right downstairs. For the first time in months she felt settled and safe. No one would bother her here.

But memories of the troubled student who’d stalked her for months rose and taunted her, sending shivers up her arms. She swallowed and closed her eyes, wishing she could forget the terrible accusations he’d made against her. But that was impossible. The administration had called her in, the school board got involved, and the police grilled her with humiliating questions.

Of course she denied everything. She’d never had a romantic relationship with Kyle, but she was suspended from teaching while they conducted the investigation. Weeks of waiting and wondering what would happen just about sent her over the edge emotionally.

A lawyer from the teachers’ union prevented the case from going to court, but by then two damaging articles had been printed in the
Seattle Times
for the whole world to read. When the charges against her were finally dropped, the
Times
gave the story one paragraph at the bottom of the obituary page.

But it was too late to save her reputation or her job. Kyle’s lies convinced almost everyone she was the predator, and he was the victim. In the end her only option was resignation.

But that didn’t satisfy Kyle. He’d continued to follow her and make her life a nightmare until she finally had to flee Seattle.

It was shocking that one unstable young man could unleash such a huge tidal wave of trouble simply because she refused his advances. But that was exactly what had happened.

She blew out a deep breath and tried to refocus her thoughts.
Father, please help me forgive Kyle and everyone who hurt me in Seattle. I know I’ve asked this so many times
before, but I’m still struggling with it, and I need Your help. I believe You can somehow use all of this for good even though I can’t see how right now. Help me hold on to that and trust You. Thank You for loving me and watching over me always.

She stood still, with her eyes closed, waiting for peace to fill her heart. But instead, more troubling questions rose in her mind.

What if someone found out why she’d left her job in Seattle? She’d told Suzanne the basic facts when she applied for the job as director of N.C.Y.T., but she hadn’t shared the whole story. She was afraid to be totally honest. Everything pointed toward her guilt. Hardly anyone in Seattle believed her, why would people in Fairhaven think any differently?

Bile rose and burned her throat. How could she build a new life on a shaky foundation of incriminating secrets? But she had no choice. The whole episode was humiliating, and she wasn’t about to expose herself to that kind of scrutiny and condemnation again.

With a stubborn shake of her head, she wiped her hands on the dishtowel. Everything would be okay. God would take care of her. Hadn’t He proven that by bringing her to Fairhaven, giving her a new job, new friends and a chance to make a fresh start?

She was about to turn away from the window when Cam walked across the backyard. He tugged the hose along with him, his black T-shirt stretched tight across his broad chest and strong arms. But weary lines creased his forehead. Had he heard bad news from his sister? Whatever the problem, he looked like he needed a friend. She tucked her keys and cell phone into her pocket, and headed downstairs.

Cam waved to her as she crossed the brick patio. She slipped off her flip-flops and padded through the soft grass. Taking a seat on the stone bench under the cherry tree, she
watched him set up the sprinkler. When he finished adjusting the water level, he walked over to her.

She smiled up at him. “Isn’t it a beautiful evening?”

He scanned the sky frowning slightly. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

She invited him to join her and slid down the bench to make room. He sat down and left a bit of space between them.

She waited while crickets chirped and insects buzzed. Finally she asked, “Everything okay?”

He sighed and crossed his arms. “Kayla is definitely not happy here. I’m worried about her.”

She sent him a sympathetic smile. “It’s not easy stepping into the parenting role.”

“You’re right about that.”

“If it’s any consolation, she seems to be doing better at camp. She chose to stay with the older group, and she’s fitting in well.”

“Yeah. Camp’s the only thing she likes right now. Most mornings she’s up and ready to go before I finish breakfast. Probably can’t wait to get away from me.”

Rachel grinned and bumped his shoulder with hers. “Ahh, don’t take it personally. I’m sure she still loves you.”

He shook his head. “Her last words to me were, ‘you are so mean!’”

Rachel chuckled. “What did you do?”

“I told her she had to clean her room.”

“It couldn’t be that bad. She’s only been here a few days.”

“Oh, believe me, it’s a disaster. Looks like a hurricane blew through.”

Rachel covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

“Go ahead and laugh, but when the health department condemns the house, you’ll be out on the street, too!”

“So how did you convince her to see things your way?”

“I threatened to take away every piece of electronics she owns.”

“Wow, you really know how to hurt a girl.”

“Just trying to motivate her.” His playful expression grew more serious. “I’m not sure what I’ll do if she doesn’t listen.”

“Oh don’t worry. She’ll come around. No teenager wants to lose their connection to their friends.”

“Hope so.”

Rachel paused for few seconds. “Cleaning her room is important, but what about the other issues she’s wrestling with?”

“She doesn’t talk to me about anything.”

“Maybe if you did something fun together, that might build a connection and help her feel more comfortable with you.”

“Like what?”

“Well, what does she like to do?”

“I don’t know. All I’ve seen her do is talk on the phone or watch movies on her computer.”

“Then that’s your first assignment. Find out what she likes to do for fun, and then make a date with her.”

He frowned and rubbed his jaw. “But I’m a fly-fishing, ocean-kayaking, mountain-climbing kind of guy. What if she wants to go rollerblading or sightseeing?” His face twisted into a painful grimace. “Or clothes shopping?”

“All the better.” She turned and faced him. “If she sees you’re willing to do something she loves, then it’ll mean even more.”

His gaze drifted toward the garden. “But how am I supposed to get past that mile-high wall she’s put up.”

“That’s your challenge—get to know her so well you can scale that wall and win her heart.”

He huffed. “I’m definitely not good at that.”

She tipped her head and smiled. “Oh, I don’t know.”

He shifted and focused on her, unspoken questions in his blue eyes.

Her face flamed, and she looked away. Was she flirting with him?

“Thanks for the advice. Can’t believe I’m so incompetent as a stand-in parent.”

“This would be a challenge for anyone.”

“It shouldn’t be that hard for me.” A shadow seemed to drop over his face. “My son, Tyler, would be seven this year.”

Her heart clenched, and she swallowed. “I’m sure you were a wonderful father,”

“I wish that were true.” He squinted toward the sinking sun.

She didn’t know what else to say, so she laid her hand over his.

He blew out a soft breath. “I need to head back inside. I told Kayla I’d check her room.” But rather than getting up, he turned his hand over and clasped hers. “Pray for me.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “I will.”

“Thanks.” With a warm smile that tugged her heart toward his, he stood and walked back inside.

Why did his eyes seem to reflect so much guilt when he talked about his son’s death? Facing the loss of a child had to be devastating for any parent, but both he and Hannah said a drunk driver caused the accident. It wasn’t Cam’s fault. Surely he didn’t blame himself for his son’s death, did he?