Stephanie had always taken care of herself and everyone else, as well. Her mom had fallen apart after her dad deserted them, leaving Stephanie to raise her little sister. Stephanie had paid her own way through school and Emily’s Bible college bills, too. She had never expected anyone to take care of her, but nothing she had faced up to this point had felt so big and so completely beyond her own ability to handle.
All of her energy was gone, her arms suddenly too heavy to lift. “I don’t know what to do,” Stephanie admitted. Tears pooled, threatening to fall.
Val’s arm circled her waist. “We’ll figure it out together, honey.” She guided Stephanie into a chair at the table. “And in the meantime, we eat.”
Chairs scraped across the hardwood floor as everyone took a seat, crowding around the small round oak table. Val and Terrell nestled close together, and Haddie and Joash sat beside each of them. Rick scooted his squeaky chair in next to Stephanie, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his leg. The realization of his nearness made heat move through her own body to her cheeks.
She couldn’t count how many times she had been in this house feeling like a third or fifth wheel. That is, unless someone had been playing matchmaker, then of course she would be sitting next to some awkward blind date. But this felt different, comfortable even. If the reason they were here together wasn’t so heavy, she would choose to stay in this moment for a long time.
You are grasping for security, Stephanie O’Brien. You are scared, and Rick saved you today. That’s all this is. Don’t read any more into it than that.
Stephanie wiggled in her chair. Thank goodness no one could read her mind and see her silly fantasy. Rick Powell wasn’t even her type. He couldn’t be. He had a career in Seattle and a purpose to fulfill here. She wasn’t his type, either. If she could stay alive long enough to do it, she was moving to Liberia full-time. Stephanie wanted a life like the one her sister had found when she married Ty and started their mission work together. The right man for her would want that, too.
She caught Rick’s profile in her peripheral vision. His espresso-colored hair was cropped short on the sides, but he kept it a bit longer and messier on top. She liked how his strong square jaw saved him from looking too cute. She had never been a fan of men who looked like catalog models. The skin around his hazel eyes crinkled kindly as he smiled at a story Joash was telling him.
Stephanie sighed. As good as it felt to forget about Julian Hale for a minute and pretend she was here with this attractive man in a uniform, it could never be more than a fun diversion. They were two people on different life tracks.
“Hadassah Grace, it’s your turn to say the blessing,” Terrell told his daughter.
Haddie stuck her fingers in her mouth and shook her head with vigor. “Huh-uh. You pray, Daddy.” She hid her face in her mom’s arm. Stephanie had never seen the spunky girl so bashful. Rick Powell’s presence must be affecting both of them. No one can blame us, Haddie. He is cute.
Terrell grasped Val’s hand on his right and Joash’s hand on his left. Stephanie jumped as Rick’s large hand wrapped around her smaller one. She had forgotten about the Watkins family tradition of holding hands when they prayed. Stephanie relaxed and wrapped her fingers around Rick’s palm, feeling his calluses and his strength. Tears pricked her eyes again as Haddie’s little fingers grasped her other hand. Stephanie was so grateful to be a part of this circle.
“Father, we thank You for the blessing of this food,” Terrell prayed. “We praise You that Stephanie is safe with us, and we pray that You would continue to watch over her and protect her. Grant her peace and the ability to trust You. Equip Rick and me in our work and help us to bring Julian Hale to justice soon.”
Amens circled the table, but Rick did not drop Stephanie’s hand after the last one. Instead, he squeezed it. She met his gaze. His eyes were amazing. If she had to define the color, she would probably call them hazel, but they had a metallic, reflective quality that gave them a silvery glow. She forgot to blink.
“We’ll find him, Stephanie. I won’t stop until we do.”
“Thank you, Rick,” she whispered. Once again she hoped he knew how much that meant to her.
During the rest of the dinner they all tried valiantly to keep the tone light. The kids finished earlier than the adults and were excused to watch a cartoon and eat their dessert in the living room. Joash skated around the kitchen in his socks, while Haddie bobbed with excitement. Val didn’t let them eat outside the kitchen often.
Stephanie had hardly tasted her food. It was difficult to swallow anything with her stomach in so many anxious knots. She tried to decline dessert, but Val set the pie and mug of hot coffee in front of her despite her protests.
“You are an evil temptress,” Stephanie accused her. Val returned a smug smile.
“Hey, you can tempt me all you want,” Terrell informed his wife, patting the empty spot at the table in front of him. “Where’s my pie?”
“I’ll eat yours for you, Stephanie,” Rick teased. He leaned back in his chair and winked. “It’s a dirty job, but...” He shrugged.
Stephanie pulled her pie close and encircled it with her arms. “Back off, Powell. Now that it’s in front of me, it’s all mine.”
The laughter swirled around her, lifting the weight off her chest. Could we all just stay right here, happy and safe like this? But she knew they couldn’t. It was too soon before Terrell and Rick pushed back from the table, their half-hour lunch break long past.
Terrell pulled Val into his arms and kissed her forehead. A pang of jealousy hit Stephanie as it always did when the Watkinses were affectionate in front of her. Terrell and Val fit together; they had always been a perfect match. What would it feel like to be loved like that?
Terrell walked to Stephanie’s chair and squeezed her shoulder. “Until Hale is captured, I think it is a good idea for you to stay here with us,” he told her. “I can drive you over to your place after work to pick up whatever you need.”
“I don’t want to put you guys in danger,” Stephanie protested. “You said Julian has been following me and had a detailed list of all of my activities. I’m sure your address showed up on that chart a few times.”
“It’s a risk we are willing to take,” Val said, her hands on her hips. “You can’t go back to your house alone.”
Stephanie didn’t like the idea, but where else could she go? Should she try to leave town? What about teaching in the morning? Should she show up at her school or take a leave of absence?
Question after question marched across her mind demanding answers, making her head pound. There were so many details to figure out. She would impose on Terrell and Val only as long as it took for her to figure out an alternative plan.
Haddie waddled into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. Stephanie didn’t know a more adorable little girl. Haddie’s creamy brown skin and melted-chocolate eyes came from Val, but the black hair that her parents left all natural came from her daddy. She always wore bows or headbands, but her beautiful hair made a statement all by itself. Haddie was a walking, talking reminder of Stephanie’s dreams for the future. She reminded Stephanie of all of the girls waiting for her in the Liberian orphanages. Stephanie wanted to fill up those hungry little girls until they radiated as much life, love and health as this sweet girl did.
“Mommy,” Haddie said to Val. She crinkled her button nose. “I no like smoke.”
Val scooped her into her lap. “What, baby? Are you sleepy?”
“No, I not sleepy!” Haddie pounded her fists