“I’m glad you came. I think Mia was excited to see you. She’ll do just fine with you at the wedding.”
Lynn nodded. “I think it’ll work out, too.” She tilted her head toward the house. “Your family seems great. I had no idea you’d only just met your brother last year.” Her voice was thick with curiosity, but to her credit, she didn’t push with more questions.
Nathan never minded sharing how things had worked out. “Chess pretty much took care of me when I was a baby. When I was three—and he was eight—we entered the foster care system. It’s a long story, but a couple adopted me, and Chess and I got separated. I was too young to search for him, and he had no idea about the adoption, so it took a while for us to find each other again. But once we did, I didn’t hesitate to move up here so we could be closer to family.”
“Wow, it sounds like something straight out of a movie. I’m glad you guys reconnected again.”
“Me, too.” He paused, watching her closely. “So what’s up with your family? Why aren’t you in touch?” Yeah, he was being pushy. And the guarded look in her eyes told him she wasn’t likely to open up to him. Not now, anyway.
Lynn gave a subtle shrug. “Let’s just say I’m a huge disappointment. The one thing my father didn’t want me to pursue in life was my dream. I chose to follow that, and it left me all but disowned. And my sister…” Moisture gathered in her eyes. “She has Down syndrome along with some other special needs and still lives with them. So when I lost my parents, I lost her, too.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He couldn’t imagine Lynn doing anything that would be worthy of a parent disowning her. The thought of it made him angry. He watched Lynn as she folded her arms in front of her like a shield between her and the world. His heart went out to her. “I know what it’s like to be alone.” He motioned to the house. “We all do. We’ve had periods in our lives where we didn’t know if we’d ever find a family. But God brought us together.” Nathan put a hand on her arm and wondered whether her skin was that warm, or if his hands were cold. “I have no doubt that He has a plan in mind for you, too.”
She shrugged again. “I hope so.” Lynn smiled then as her cheeks turned pink. “I really didn’t mean to get into all of that. Thank you again for the invitation to join you all for dinner. I enjoyed it.”
“I’m glad, so did I. I guess I’ll see you on Monday?”
“I’ll see you then.” She raised a hand. “Bye, Nathan.”
“Bye, Lynn.” He watched until she’d gotten in her car and it rounded the corner.
There was something about the beguiling woman with those vulnerable hazel eyes. She needed someone, and heaven help him, he wanted to be there for her.
“Alright, God. I have no idea if this is just me potentially making a mess of things, or if some of this is Your idea.” Either way, he was glad he’d asked Lynn to care for Mia during the wedding. Truth be told, he’d enjoyed spending extra time with her and was already looking forward to seeing her again on Monday.
Chapter Four
Lynn spent the rest of the weekend thinking about her dinner with Nathan’s family. By the time Monday morning came around, she had no idea what to expect from Nathan. Would he act like he normally did, as though she hadn’t had dinner with him at all? Or would things be different? Did she want things to be different?
Even Lynn knew she was way overthinking everything. But she couldn’t help the way her heart hiccupped when Nathan came in with Mia on Monday. He waved at her with a smile, signed in, and then lifted Mia up.
“She smells a lot better today than she did last time.” His blue eyes sparkled with humor.
Mia reached for Lynn, and she took the baby. “Yes, she does.” Lynn chuckled. “Thank you again for inviting me on Saturday. It was a relief knowing that Mia won’t freak out on me when I show up at the church.”
“Truthfully? I think she’s just as comfortable with you as she is with Chess, Brooke, and the others.”
Something flashed across Nathan’s face, but Lynn couldn’t quite decipher its meaning before it’d disappeared. Nathan studied Lynn for a moment before shifting his gaze back to his daughter. “You be good for Miss Lynn. I’ll see you in a while.” He kissed the baby’s cheek and smiled. “Thanks, Lynn. I hope you both have a great day.”
“You, too, Nathan.”
With one last look behind him, Nathan left the daycare center.
“It’s you and me, bug.” Lynn cuddled Mia close and took her into the nursery. “You ready to go play?”
The day went smoothly. That evening, Nathan picked Mia up, Lynn helped Sharon disinfect toys, then it was time to go home.
While Lynn tried not to eat out too often, she reserved Monday evenings for such a treat. After debating her choice of food, she finally pulled into the parking lot of one of the burger joints in town. It was more fast food than anything, but their bacon cheeseburger was calling.
Determined to go in instead of using the drive through, which was well known for its slow progress this time of day, Lynn parked and entered the busy building. She placed her order, including a chocolate milkshake, and then stood to the side to wait for her name to be called. Only then did she allow her gaze to roam the interior of the burger joint. That’s when she spotted Nathan and Mia sitting at a table on the other side of the dining area.
Nathan looked up at that moment and saw her. Surprise showed on his face followed by a smile. He waved.
Lynn returned the gesture at the same time that someone at the counter called her name.
She picked up the bag of food along with her shake. She couldn’t really leave without saying hello, so she changed course and headed for Nathan’s table. “Great minds think alike, I see.”
“Yes, but don’t tell Joel we’re eating here. He and Anna own a crazy good burger joint in Quintin, and this is, by far, a distant second to that. But you do what you gotta do.”
