Texas Weddings 3 & 4 (11 page)

Shauna opened the front door, letting him in. “I don’t
believe it,” she said with a cool grin. “How did you figure out where I
worked?”

“Where you work?” He looked confused.

“How did you find me?” She couldn’t help but wonder, though
the fact that he would take the time to find her workplace warmed her heart.

The puzzled look never
left his face. “Find you?”

“Yeah. How did you
know which day-care center to look for?”

“Shauna,
I.
. .”

“You could have just
called,” she whispered, looking around for Mrs. Fritz. “Not that I’m not happy
to see you. I am. I really am. But our director’s not really keen on strangers
coming into the facility. Just the parents.”

He had a curious look
on his face, one she could not seem to read. For some reason, he looked nearly
as surprised to see her as she did to see him. Something about all of this just
seemed.
. .wrong. Off.

“Shauna, you don’t understand,” Kent stammered.

“What do you mean?”

“I
mean.
. .” He reached out his arms to scoop up an all-too-familiar youngster. “I
am
a parent. And I’m here to pick up my
daughter. That’s all. To be honest, I didn’t have a clue you worked here.”

Shauna stared in
disbelief at the child in his arms and fought to catch her breath.
You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Charity?”

***

Kent drove home in numbed silence, trying to absorb Shauna’s
words.
Your daughter needs discipline.
You daughter is a problem in the classroom. Your
daughter.
. .

How could Shauna
Alexander possibly begin to understand all that his daughter meant to him? How
could she comprehend the fact that Charity was the last piece of Faith he
had—the only lasting reminder? How dare she spend so much time focusing
on the negative without once mentioning Charity’s need for love and acceptance?

In her entire
conversation, she hadn’t taken the time to once address the need in Charity’s
life, only the lack. Well, he would show her. He would telephone Mrs. Fritz and
deal with this first thing in the morning.

Just as soon as he had a chance to cool
down and think a little more rationally.

“Daddy?” Charity’s voice rang out. He heard it, but his
thoughts wouldn’t still themselves long enough to respond. Shauna had no right
to pass judgment on a child she barely knew. She had only worked at the school
a few weeks, for Pete’s sake. And Mrs. Fritz would have let him know if Charity
was really as bad as all that.

“Daddy!” Charity let
out another squeal. “Teacher mean!”

Yes, she is.

“Teacher mean. Charity
no like teacher.”

“I know, honey.” He
sighed. “But don’t worry about that now. We’re going home.”

“Go store.” She kicked
her feet against the back of his seat.

“No. We’re going home,
honey, not the store.”

“Go store, Daddy. Buy
baby
a toy.” Whining followed then a few tears.

“You’re not a baby
anymore,” he corrected. “You’re Daddy’s big girl.”

“Toy!”

“We’re going home,
Charity.”

She let out a cry, and
he struggled to keep his wits about him as he drove. Sure, Charity was a
handful, but so were all two- and three-year-olds. No reason to think she
surpassed the other children with bad behavior.

“Toy, Daddy!” Charity
continued to cry out. “We go to store!”

“No store, Charity.
Now be a good girl and stop crying.”

Instead of heeding his
plea, she cried even louder.
I do need to
pick up a few things from the store.
Kent sighed.
I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to stop off at the toy department and pick
up a little something for her. She’s had a hard day. We’ve both had a bad day.

His thoughts shifted
to Shauna again. “She’s the reason for my daughter’s bad day.”

Oh, but how Shauna’s beautiful
eyes had glistened as she had poured out her heart in the lobby of the day-care
center. Her cheeks had flushed with a passionate glow as she laid out a plan
for change. For some reason, her words and her passion left a lasting memory
etched upon his seared conscience. Was she right? Did he need to make some
changes? Was Charity as bad as she seemed to think?

“Toy, Daddy!” Charity
kicked the back of his seat, bringing him back to his senses. With his thoughts
a jumbled mess, he turned the car in the direction of the store.

twelve

Shauna brushed away a loose tear as she struggled to bring
some order to the classroom. “Children, pick up your toys. We’re going to go to
the playground.”

As usual, most of the
children chattered merrily as they picked up the colorful blocks and puzzle
pieces. All but Charity, who refused to
cooperate.
Instead, she sulked in the corner.

Shauna gazed at the
youngster, her heart twisting.
How could
I not have noticed her bright green eyes—same as Kent’s? And that round
bulb of a nose? She’s almost a duplicate, feature for feature.

Charity yanked up a
block into her tiny palm and threw it across the room, nearly hitting one of
the other children. Shauna scolded her as she reached down to pick up the
block. “Charity, be careful.” When she did not receive a response, she added,
“It’s time to pick up.”

“No.” The youngster
folded her arms. “No pick up. You.”

Shauna shook her head,
trying to imagine how someone as wonderful as Kent Chapman could possibly
manage a handful like this.

Of course, he hadn’t seemed so wonderful during their last
exchange. In fact, he had been downright rude.

Well, maybe not
rude—but irritated. And determined to prove her wrong.
Am I wrong? Have I been too hard on his
daughter? If I had known Charity was his little girl, would I have treated her
differently?
Would I have treated him
differently?

Too
late to worry about all of that now.
Chances were pretty good Kent
Chapman would never speak to her again.
If
he doesn’t, that’s just childish. We can be friends, at the very least.
Besides, someone has to be honest with him about his daughter. She’s spoiled
rotten. If I don’t speak up, who will?
She glanced down at the youngster,
who sat on the floor playing, completely ignoring Shauna’s instruction.

“Charity, pick up your
puzzle.” This time, instead of raising her voice, Shauna walked over to the
youngster and helped her with the task. Charity’s cheeks blazed pink with
excitement. “Outside! Play.”

“Yes, we’re going out
right now.
Just as soon as you finish picking up.
That’s what big girls do.”

“Charity baby.”

“Charity is a big
girl. You’re Daddy’s big girl, and you’re teacher’s big girl, too.” Shauna gave
the warmest smile she could muster.

“I big girl. I pick up.” Charity flew into action, scooping
up puzzle pieces. She smiled as she finished. “Go outside now?”

“Yes, we go outside.”
Charity stood and reached for Shauna’s hand.

Shauna led the little
ones out to the playground, where they at once headed for the swings.

Soft-spoken Dinah gave Marisa her spot on the swings. Clay,
ever the clown, made faces at the two of them, and they giggled then told him
to go away. He refused, choosing to tease them even more.

Precious Abigail climbed to the top of the slide but seemed
hesitant to slide down until Joey and Jonathan came up behind her and insisted
she give them a turn. McKinsey Chesterfield and petite Elizabeth Darby held
hands and spun in a circle.

Bobby lingered behind, begging for a snack. When Shauna
refused, he sauntered off to join Danny on the teeter-totter, though Bobby
clearly weighed a good fifteen or twenty pounds more. Danny sat perched up in
the air, all smiles—clearly happy to be the smaller of the two, since it
put him in the higher position.

Sweet April Madison
sat alone on the ground, playing with a doodlebug. And Charity, never one to
rest on her laurels, made the rounds from child to child, demanding her turn on
every piece of playground equipment. Shauna couldn’t help but understand the
children’s frustration at the little girl.

I can’t focus on her flaws. I have to stay
positive.

Shauna turned her attention to Ellen, who entered the
playground alone. “Are you on a break?”

“Nope.” Ellen’s brow wrinkled as she spoke. “Mrs. Fritz sent
me out to keep an eye on your class for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“She, uh, she wants to see you in her office.” Ellen
gestured toward the door where Mrs. Fritz stood waiting.

“Did she say what she wanted?” Shauna whispered.

Ellen shook her head, and a sense of foreboding came over
Shauna. She couldn’t help but wonder at the seriousness in Mrs. Fritz’s eyes.
Rarely had she seen her with such a stern expression.
What in the world did I do?

“Children, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Shauna called out
across the playground. “Mind Miss Ellen while I’m gone.” With a deep breath,
she turned and made her way toward the back door. She followed along behind
Mrs. Fritz toward the front office like an obedient puppy. They walked inside
the tiny room, and the older woman closed the door with a click.

“I know you’re
probably wondering why I’ve called you in here.” The director settled herself
into the chair behind the desk.

“Yes.” Shauna could
only manage the one word as she sat. Her nerves wouldn’t allow much more. The
clicking of the clock on the wall distracted her momentarily. Or was that the
sound of her heart beating in her ears? She couldn’t be quite sure. At any
rate, she needed to stay focused.

“To be honest,” Mrs.
Fritz said, “I’ve been a little disappointed in your work these past few days.
You haven’t been yourself, and it shows.”

“Really?” Shauna let
her imagination run wild for a moment. “I’ve been working harder than ever, and
there haven’t been any unusual incidents with the children, so I’m not sure
what you mean.”

“What I mean,” Mrs.
Fritz gave her a thoughtful stare, “is that you haven’t been happy. You’ve come
across as a little sharp-tempered and uncaring, and that’s out of character for
you.”

“I have?” Shauna’s
heart began to race. “
I.
. .”

“Some of the other
teachers have noticed. And I’ve spent a little time observing you the past few
days, as well.”

“You have?”

“
Perhaps.
. .perhaps I made a
mistake by placing you with the two-year-olds.”

No mistaking her
meaning there. “It is true that I’ve spent more time with the older ones, but I
feel sure I can adapt what I learned in school. You said it yourself that first
day—‘Children are children.’ ” Shauna felt tears well up.

“I’m concerned about
your ability to connect with the little ones in your class.” Mrs. Fritz’s eyes
narrowed a bit. “Just because you’ve studied children doesn’t mean you have a
natural way with them. That has to come with time and opportunity. I’ve wanted
to give you that opportunity.”

“Wanted to? Are
you.
. .are you firing me?” Tears spilled out onto her
lashes now, and she brushed them away.

“
Shauna.
. .” Mrs. Fritz stood. “I don’t want to be hurtful, but I felt like I needed to
say something. There’s no point in moving forward if you’re really unhappy.”

“I’m happy with
everything
except.
. .” Shauna’s gaze shifted to the
floor.

“Charity.” Mrs. Fritz
spoke the child’s name softly, and tears tumbled down Shauna’s cheeks.

“Yes. Charity. I can’t
get a handle on her. She doesn’t like me, and I can’t seem to get her to mind,
no matter what I do. It’s not that I haven’t tried. I have. In fact, I lie in
bed at night trying to think of ways to deal with her. I’ve tried everything.
Absolutely everything. At least, everything I’ve been taught.”

Mrs. Fritz leaned back
in her chair and pursed her lips before finally speaking. “Has it occurred to
you that she senses your dislike?”

“Dislike?” For a
moment, Shauna thought about arguing but settled back into her chair, overcome
with shame.
Lord, is that what it is? Do
I really dislike her?

A scripture came to mind at once, one she could not ignore:
Whoever welcomes a little child like this in
my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe
in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around
his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Regret washed over Shauna immediately.

Mrs. Fritz placed a
gentle hand on Shauna’s shoulder. “Some things just take time. And I want to
give you the time to fall in love with Charity. It will happen, trust me. I’ve
had dozens of tough cases through the years, and there were times I thought I’d
quit before working with some of those children again.”