Second Chance Reunion. Merrillee Whren
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Annie had been very close to her paternal grandparents. When they died suddenly within six months of each other during Annie’s junior year in high school, her life had shattered.
Ian had stepped in and offered her comfort, hoping to get close to the young woman he’d admired from afar for months in the church youth group. Little did he know their relationship would shatter his life, too. But he couldn’t blame her. He’d been a willing participant in the behavior that eventually nearly killed him and took Annie in a ruinous direction.
“Thanks for bringing this delightful young lady to see me.” Cora’s comment brought him back from the past.
Ian smiled at Annie, glad she could make a new start where people looked at her with fresh eyes. “You’re welcome, Cora, but now I have to take this delightful young lady away because I still have a lot of things to show her.”
Cora patted Annie’s arm. “Thank you so much, Annie, for stopping and making an old lady’s day.”
Annie’s smile matched the sun beaming overhead. “You made my day.”
He always loved her smile, but he turned away before he got too caught up in it. Loving anything about Annie Payton was a dangerous thing for him to do. “On to another part of the campus.”
“Okay.” Annie almost skipped as they made their way toward the children’s homes. “Thanks for giving me the time to talk with Cora. I’m going to visit her again.”
“She’ll be grateful. That’s the beauty of this place. We have folks from all walks of life and all ages who can give each other help in a variety of ways. It’s truly like a real village.”
“I can see that.” Annie looked up at him. “You like working here, don’t you?”
“I do. It has blessed my life more than I could ever have imagined.”
“What does your dad think about it?”
“His church supports it.”
“I didn’t ask about his church. I asked about him.”
Annie’s tendency not to hide what she was thinking had been evident from the minute they’d met again. She knew about the disagreements between father and son, and she wasn’t going to let Ian slip by with a half answer.
“He’s glad I’m doing productive work.”
“Somehow I sense a but in your statement.”
“Okay, you got me there.” Ian marveled that Annie could still read the nuances in his words. “Dad thinks I could’ve made better use of my law degree.”
“So he doesn’t like you working here?”
“I didn’t say that. He supports my work here, but sometimes he has trouble seeing the point of my helping people who frequently find themselves in trouble again.”
“People like me.”
Ian didn’t know how to respond. He wished he hadn’t answered her question, but Annie’s assessment was exactly right. Sometimes, people took more than one try to get it right. Annie fit that scenario. She seemed determined to stay clean this time. He hated to admit he was more like his dad on Annie’s account. She had to prove herself, because she’d fooled him before.
Annie jumped on his nonresponse. “Don’t know what to say?”
“Let’s not go down that road. We’ve had a nice time today. Don’t ruin it.”
Annie’s smile faded as she hurried ahead. Ian wasn’t going to try to soothe her feelings. Maybe this outing hadn’t been such a good idea. When they got back, Melody was sure to be there waiting for a report, and Ian would finally have to tell her about his past. He had to talk to Annie about it.
Annie finally slowed her pace, and Ian caught up to her. “Over your pout?”
“Yeah.” She looked up at him again. “I’m beginning to see why you shouldn’t be my attorney.”
Ian nodded. “I’m glad you’re finally seeing it my way. Why the change of heart?”
“There’s too much acrimony between us. Too many bad memories that won’t go away.”
What about the good ones? The thought slipped into Ian’s mind. He pushed it away. Annie had assessed the situation correctly. The bad memories far outweighed the good. The truth put a dagger in Ian’s heart. As sadness welled up inside of him, he sighed. “And I have to talk to Melody about it.”
“Should I be there, too?”
“I think it’s best if I do that alone.” Ian didn’t want Annie to hear some of the things he would say. She didn’t need to hear a lot of negative stuff about herself, but it would probably have to be said in the course of the conversation he would have with Melody.
“I suppose so.”
While they walked by a playground where a group of children played with abandon, Ian prayed this work wouldn’t be disrupted because of financial problems. Where would these people go? What was worse than having the ministry end? Having Annie see it fall apart just after she’d gotten here. If the facility went under, how would the loss affect her life? Would she stay strong or buckle at the first temptation to return to her former life?
Ian didn’t want to find out.
“Is this the area where you have the children’s homes?” Annie pointed toward the cluster of homes on two cul-de-sac streets.
“Yes, these used to be college faculty homes, and they converted nicely to twelve homes for children. Each one has six kids. The house parents are fabulous people.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Six kids is a lot to handle.” A cloud of sadness drifted over Annie’s face as she gazed up at him. “I couldn’t even deal with two. How will Spencer and Kara ever forgive me?”
Ian wished he knew. “I can’t answer that.”
“I know, but Kara was only three and Spencer two when they went into foster care, and I’ve only seen them a few times in the past year.” Tears welled in Annie’s eyes, but she blinked them back as she pressed her lips together.
“When you’re reunited with them, it won’t take long for them to bond with you again.” He hoped that would comfort her. She was trying not to cry, and the sight of her on the verge of tears pulled at his heartstrings. He didn’t want her plight to produce tender feelings in his thoughts. Such feelings might lead him to care too much. He’d gone down that road before. Never again. It was the road to heartache.
“I hope you’re right. Thanks for believing in me.”
Did he believe in her? Not completely, but she needed encouraging reinforcement in her life. Right about now he needed God to rescue him. Annie was getting to him. At that moment, he spied Melody’s car headed their way. God had perfect timing. “Looks like Melody’s back.”
Melody rolled down her window as she slowed her sedan. “Ian, we need to talk.”
“You get your lady settled?” Ian wondered what was on Melody’s mind.
“Yeah, hop in and I’ll give you the details.”
Ian glanced at Annie. “You want a ride back to your place?”
Annie shook her head. “I think I’ll stop by and see Cora again.”
“Are you sure?” Ian hoped Annie didn’t feel dismissed, but he had to talk with Melody alone.
“I’m sure. You and Melody have stuff to talk about.” Annie lifted her eyebrows until they disappeared under her dark fringe of bangs.
“Okay. Talk to you later.” Ian got into the car and hoped Melody didn’t notice anything odd about Annie’s comment or her expression. He had to work up to the conversation he was going to have about his relationship