Hometown Proposal (16 page)

Seth immediately dropped his arm. “Please don't shut me out.”

Finally looking at him, Elise straightened her shoulders. “I need some time to think about this. I'm not sure how to deal with it. I need some space.”

“Okay. If that's what you need. When you finally make up your mind, I'll be here, waiting for you.”

“Goodbye, Seth.” Standing, Elise gathered all her dignity as she left the room.

Elise walked calmly through the reception area. As soon as she was out of Seth's sight, she sprinted to her car. The numbness that shock had brought was fading. She wanted it back. Then maybe this whole thing wouldn't hurt so much.

While she drove home, the confusion about Seth returned with a vengeance. How was she supposed to know what to do?
Was she being selfish? Maybe. But she couldn't go forward with their relationship until she could deal honestly with her feelings about Sophie, Olivia and Seth.

Elise knew Olivia deserved to know her mother. It was good that Sophie wanted to have a part in her daughter's life. But Elise wasn't sure how that would affect her. She had to be sure she could handle these tangled relationships in Seth's life. If she was going to be a permanent part of his life, Sophie would be coming and going, too. Elise had to square this in her own mind and heart. She also had to deal with the fact that even though Seth said he loved her, he'd kept this from her. How could they have love without trust?

After Elise pulled her car into the garage, she leaned on the steering wheel and cried. She cried for the hurt and misery in her heart, and she cried for Olivia and Sophie. In all the disheartening events, Elise hadn't told Seth about her job. What did it matter now that she'd been offered a teaching position in Kellerville?

How could they resolve this situation? Elise didn't see any answers, even from God.

A
s Seth carried Olivia into the church fellowship hall, he saw Elise, Juliane, Barbara and several other women working in the church kitchen. Elise's laughter echoed through the empty hall. The sound broke his heart. She was happy without him. He wanted to make her happy, but he'd done nothing but bring her pain. Why had he messed up again?

Her graduation party would start in about an hour. Elise probably wouldn't welcome him, even though her parents had sent him an invitation. He wanted to celebrate with her, but he'd told her he'd give her space. So he'd drop off his gift and leave. Although leaving would hurt, he didn't want his presence to ruin her very important day.

With an ache filling his chest, he stopped near the doorway and set Olivia on the floor. He held Elise's card in one hand while he held Olivia's hand in the other. As he observed the banners and streamers decorating the hall, Elise walked out of the kitchen.

Instantly, Olivia escaped from his grasp and ran across the room to Elise. “'Lise, we bringed you present.”

Reaching down, Elise smiled and picked up Olivia. “That's very nice of you.”

Olivia pointed in his direction. “Daddy gots it.”

Elise looked up and met his gaze. As she walked toward him, her smile disappeared, and he read the sadness in her eyes.

A huge weight seemed to be crushing the air out of his lungs, but he took a step forward. “Hi, Elise.”

“Daddy, gib 'Lise present.” Squirming to get down again, Olivia reached out her hand, oblivious to the discomfort brewing between the two adults.

Elise put Olivia down, and she scampered to meet him. Seth handed the card to Olivia. Could his little girl smooth the way for him? He wished she could, but he couldn't use his child to gain access to Elise's heart. He had to stand on his own. This time he was putting everything in God's hands—something he'd forgotten to do when faced with Sophie's letter.

Olivia raced back to Elise and handed it to her. “Open.”

Elise hunkered down beside Olivia. “Will you help me?”

Nodding, Olivia tore open the envelope. Elise pulled out the card and opened it.

Seth held his breath.

Would the simple poem inside convey to her how proud he was of her accomplishment? He wanted her to know he was sorry. He wanted to say these things out loud and beg her to take him back, but he had to honor her request to give her space.

As Elise read the card, Seth couldn't decipher her reaction. She never looked his way but continued to share the card with Olivia. Elise pulled a folded paper from the envelope and unfolded it. A smile crept across her face as she examined the paper.

“I love your drawing. I'll put it with all of your others.” She gave Olivia a hug. “Thank you.”

“See more.” Olivia pulled a smaller envelope out of the bigger one and shoved it at Elise.

Elise opened the flap and pulled out the tickets. She shuffled through them, then stood as she finally glanced his way. She took Olivia's hand and slowly walked toward him.

Olivia danced around them as Elise stopped in front of him. Tightness around her mouth indicated a forced smile, but at least she'd made the effort.

“Thank you.” Shaking her head, she spread the tickets in her hand. “I can't believe you did this. How'd you know I wanted to see these plays?”

“I know how much you love musicals. Two tickets for each, so you can take a friend.” His heart hammering, he wished he were that friend, but he couldn't say so.

“I hope you enjoy them, and I hope you have a wonderful party tonight. Congratulations on your graduation and your job.” Seth picked up Olivia. “I just wanted to drop that by. We'll be going now.”

“Thanks for stopping.” She stared at him as if she were going to say something else, but she remained silent.

“You're welcome.” With an aching heart, he knew she wasn't going to ask him to stay.

Seth turned toward the door, and thankfully, Olivia didn't complain. He'd promised to get her ice cream on the way home, so she wouldn't make a fuss about leaving. Could he drown his own sorrows in ice cream? No. He had to live with his mistakes, face the consequences of his actions and find the answer about his future that God would provide.

 

On the Sunday before Labor Day, Elise's mother cornered her as she was leaving church. Barbara gave Elise one of her no-nonsense looks. “I know you and Seth have had a falling out—”

“I don't want to talk about Seth.”

“I'm not going to ask you about Seth, but I want you to come over to Seth's this afternoon while I'm watching Olivia.
He's golfing with your dad and Lukas this afternoon, so he won't be there. You don't have to worry about any awkward meetings or conversations. You can help me bake chocolate chip cookies and some pies for the Labor Day picnic.”

“Why are you baking at his house? Why not watch Olivia at yours?”

“It's easier to transport some groceries and a few baking utensils than Olivia's toys.”

Sighing, Elise knew agreeing to go was easier than arguing with her mom. “Okay, I'll meet you there.”

The trouble with Seth was in the forefront of Elise's mind as she parked in front of his house. She hadn't been here since before the incident with Sophie. She didn't know how she'd handle being in his house, but she wanted to spend more time with Olivia. This was the perfect chance, since Seth wouldn't be present.

When Elise walked into the kitchen, her mom had already prepared Olivia a sandwich. The child was sitting in her little table while she ate. When she saw Elise, Olivia jumped up and grabbed Elise's hand and pulled her toward the table. “'Lise, eat here.”

“I'm not sure I'll fit at your table.”

“'Lise, sit with me, please?” Olivia continued to pull on Elise's hand.

Elise laughed as she looked at the tiny chair, then at her mom. “Do you think I can possibly fit my long legs under that table?”

Barbara chuckled. “I kind of doubt it. Your knees will be under your chin, but I'll sit there, too, if that helps.”

Barbara made sandwiches for herself and Elise, then joined Elise and Olivia. Despite the less-than-comfortable seating arrangement, Elise enjoyed every minute of her time with Olivia. Sadness surrounded her heart as she remembered all the times she'd shared with Seth and Olivia. She missed the
little girl, but she couldn't make a decision about Seth based on Olivia alone.

After lunch, Elise and Barbara made the cookies while Olivia played in her little kitchen. Pretending to bake cookies, Olivia kept showing them samples. Olivia's sweet presence made Elise ache for the way things used to be. She yearned to turn back the clock.

The hurt from Seth's decision not to tell her about Sophie from the beginning still lingered. His actions had diminished her trust in him. On the other hand, Elise couldn't forget his graduation gift. His thoughtfulness had softened her heart. She'd almost asked him to stay for the party, but she'd forced herself to keep her distance until she'd really worked through this whole thing.

While Elise's mind rolled the thoughts over and over, Barbara's cell phone rang. Elise continued to work while her mother took the call. After Barbara shut off her phone, her words tumbled over each other, and Elise couldn't understand what her mom was saying.

“Mom, please slow down and start over. What's the problem?”

“It's your grandfather. He's fallen, and your grandmother isn't strong enough to help him up.”

“I can go.”

Barbara shook her head. “They want me to come. Besides, I want to take this time to talk to them about moving to an assisted living place. I've been trying to talk them into it for months. I think this incident may convince them that it's time.” Barbara touched Elise's arm. “Please stay with Olivia.”

Elise hugged her mom. “Okay. Tell Grandpa and Grandma I'm praying for them.”

After Barbara hurried from the house, Olivia played quietly in the corner of the kitchen with her little table and chairs and toy kitchen set. The timer sounded and Elise took the
cookies from the oven. She put in a new batch, then started to peel and slice peaches for pie. Then she made the dough for piecrusts.

Thankfully, her mother hadn't pressed for answers about Elise's disagreement with Seth. But as she worked, Elise wondered if it might be good for her to have to answer some tough questions. Was she doing the same thing again that she'd done when she first came home—refusing to talk things out? This time even Juliane hadn't pressed her to talk about it.

While she rolled the pie dough, her mind wrapped around the fact that she would be here by herself to deal with Seth when he returned. How was she going to handle that? What would he say? Why did life have to be so full of uneasy decisions?

As Elise laid a crust in a pie plate and poured the peaches into it, her cell phone rang. She answered it. “Mom, is Grandpa okay?”

“Everything's fine, but I'm going to be here for a while. Are you good with watching Olivia until Seth comes home?”

“Yes. Thanks for calling. Talk to you later.” Elise wasn't ready to deal with Seth, but Olivia needed her. She'd been praying about this decision. Was her inevitable meeting with Seth today part of that answer?

Elise put her cell phone on the counter. After she put an other batch of cookies in the oven, she glanced over to the corner where Olivia was playing, but she wasn't there. Elise's heart jumped into her throat. Where had the little girl gone?

Elise ran to the living room. “Olivia, where are you? Olivia?”

No answer.

Elise raced through the house, calling Olivia's name. Still no answer. Had she gone out of the house and wandered away? Elise didn't want to think about the possibility. Frantic, she ran into the yard and called. There was no sign of the little
girl. Elise took a calming breath. Panic was going to get her nowhere.
Lord, please keep Olivia safe and help me find her.

With a sense of peace filling her heart, Elise returned to the kitchen and looked around. God would help her. She had to put herself in the mind of a little girl. Where would she go? Walking slowly through the house, Elise looked in every corner and closet and under every bed. Still no Olivia. Her heart pounding with fear, Elise stopped and covered her mouth with a hand in order to hold back a sob. She had to find Olivia.
Please, Lord.

When Elise glanced up, Seth was standing in the doorway. He stepped toward her, concern in his eyes. “What's wrong? What are you doing here?”

Her pulse pounding, she wasn't sure she could speak and not let go of that sob. How was she going to explain that she'd lost Olivia? Closing her eyes, she couldn't bear to look at him. “I'm watching Olivia because my grandfather fell and my mom went to help. And Olivia's missing. I…”

The sob escaped. Elise leaned against the wall and put her head in her hands.

“It's going to be all right, Elise. We'll find her.” Seth gathered Elise in his arms, and she didn't resist. “Where have you looked?”

“Everywhere.” Not feeling she deserved his reassurance, Elise took a shaky breath and stepped away. “All over the house, the closets, under beds, in the yard.”

“I might know where she is. Check that little door.” Seth pointed to the lower half of the built-in bookshelves separating the living room from the dining room.

Elise hurried across the room and opened the little door.

Olivia sat inside, grinning from ear to ear. “'Lise, found me. I hided.”

Relief washing over her in a tidal wave of emotion, Elise
grabbed Olivia and pulled her out of the cubicle. Holding her tight, Elise sank to the floor and sobbed, releasing all her pent-up fear.

Olivia patted Elise's arm. “Why 'Lise crying?”

Elise held Olivia at arms' length. “I thought you were lost. Why didn't you answer when I called?”

“Playing hide-'n-seek like Daddy.”

So that's how Seth knew where Olivia was hiding. “But you didn't tell me I was supposed to look for you. I didn't know you were playing a game.”

“I telled you.”

But I wasn't listening.
Her own thoughts convicted her. She'd been too busy cooking and thinking about Seth and hadn't paid enough attention to Olivia. While she'd been absorbed in her own thoughts, Olivia could have run out into the street and been hit by a car or walked away from the house and been snatched by some disturbed person. Elise took a deep breath as the horrible thoughts marched through her mind.

What must Seth be thinking? If something had happened to Olivia, how could she have faced him? How could she expect him to forgive her in those circumstances when she'd shown no forgiveness to him or Sophie?

Despite Sophie's mistake, she deserved to know her daughter. And Seth deserved the benefit of the doubt for making a mistake while dealing with a difficult and emotional decision. Elise knew she'd passed judgment while she was guilty of making mistakes in her own way.

“Daddy.” Olivia jumped out of Elise's embrace and ran to Seth.

“Olivia, you scared Elise when you didn't answer her.”

Gazing at Elise, Olivia scrunched up her little face. “I sorry, 'Lise.”

“I'm the one who's sorry. I should've listened better.” Elise's heart hammered as she scrambled to her feet. She wanted to
fly into Seth's arms and tell him she'd been wrong not to talk things out with him, but instead, she gripped the back of the nearby chair. That was the problem she'd had all along. She'd tried to hide from her problems rather than talking about them.

“Is your grandfather going to be all right?”

“Yes.” She had to make amends. As she stepped toward Seth, the smoke alarm in the kitchen began to blare. She turned toward the sound as a cloud of smoke and a burnt smell wafted into the living room. “Oh, no, I've burned the cookies.”