Wishing on Willows: A Novel (15 page)

“No, thanks. Just make sure Robin gets the message. I want to speak with her before the meeting. I really think she should listen to my offer before this gets out of hand.”

An appealing idea wiggled into her mind. Just because Robin was afraid to give love another shot didn’t mean Amanda needed to follow in her sister-in-law’s overly cautious footsteps. She ducked under the counter and resurfaced with a pen.

“Why don’t you tell her yourself?” She took Ian’s hand and jotted an address across his palm. She invited Kyle for Robin. She’d invite Ian for herself. “At our picnic tomorrow.”

He quirked his eyebrow at the address. “You really think she’d let me come?”

“Of course she won’t. But I will.”

“This might put you on Robin’s naughty list.”

Amanda dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “You two need to talk this out, right?” And she needed something to distract her from her empty inbox. Someone cute and flirtatious. “What better way to do it than over burgers and hot dogs?”

Besides, this wasn’t about Robin. This was about Amanda. It was about distracting herself from Jason and his stupid letter. It was about forgetting her dreams and her plans for the future. For whatever reason, they hadn’t been good enough—not for Jason. Not for God. Perhaps it was time to improvise.

The smell of charcoal and smoke and mowed grass scented the air—summer’s perfume. Short stalks of corn sprouted from the land surrounding the farmhouse, evidence of Evan’s hard work earlier in the month. Robin breathed the freshness deep into her lungs as Caleb raced toward Bethany and Evan beside the grill. Evan grabbed him by the waist and flipped him onto his shoulders to a round of Caleb’s red-faced giggles. “How’s my favorite little guy doing?”

“Good.”

“You want to help me park the tractor before the party starts?”

He squirmed on his perch, his eyes widening.

Evan caught hold of his writhing body and set him on the ground. He darted to Robin’s side and clamped on to her leg. Evan gave Robin a “what was that about” look, but all she could do was shrug. Caleb loved riding the tractor. It was one of his favorite things to do. She placed her hand on his hair and withdrew him from between her legs. “You don’t want to ride on the tractor with Uncle Evan?”

“I wanna stay with you.” Caleb mumbled the words to her thigh.

“Are you sure?”

He buried his face in her hip.

A string of worry tugged at her heart. Giving up his toy combine was one thing. Refusing to ride on a tractor with his uncle was something else altogether. She returned Evan and Bethany’s perplexed stare and caught sight of Dad and Donna holding hands in the background. The sight had the same discordant effect now as it had at the airport. No matter how
much Robin tried to prepare herself for the open signs of affection, each one pinched her with a twinge of longing.

The screen door squealed on its hinges and banged shut. A sandal-clad Amanda stepped out of the farmhouse and onto the grass, carrying a bag of chips and some condiments to the picnic tables. Ruth sat at one of them, holding Elyse on her knees. The little girl wore a pink bucket hat with a wide brim and sucked on a pacifier.

“My mom needs to support Ellie’s head better.” Bethany peered down the hill at them.

Evan wrapped his arm around her waist. “Relax, babe,” he said. “Your mom adores Elyse. You need to cut her some slack.”

Bethany melted into his side, as if his nearness unwound her. “I promise I’m trying.”

Evan kissed her temple. “I know.”

“Now can you please unhand me so I can very politely suggest to my mother that she put her hand behind our daughter’s head?”

Evan chuckled and let go so Bethany could hurry down the hill after Amanda. Robin’s heart stretched like pulled taffy. Not only did Bethany have a husband who could kiss her temple and rein in her neuroses, she had a mother too. Sure, the two of them had a strained relationship and years and years’ worth of issues to wade through, but they were working through it. Robin didn’t like feeling jealous of her best friend, but she would give anything for Caleb to know his grandmother.

“Mommy?” He tugged Robin’s sundress, a residue of fear lingering in his eyes. “Can I play with the doggies?”

“As long as you stay where you can see me.”

He shuffled toward one of Evan’s Border collies, his walk devoid of its usual skip. Robin left Evan to his grilling and made her way toward the picnic tables, where Dad, Donna, Ruth, Micah’s parents—Jim and Loraine—and an unidentified sixth person sat conversing. As soon as Robin recognized him, she stopped midstride. What in the world was Kyle doing at their picnic?

Amanda joined Robin where she’d stalled in the grass. “You’re looking mighty pretty today. I love your dress.”

“Why is Kyle here?”

A devilish grin slid across Amanda’s face. “I invited him.”

“Please tell me you aren’t trying to play Cupid.”

“You only went on one date. Would it kill you to try again?”

Robin pressed her fingertips against her hairline.

“What? Kyle’s nice. He’s good-looking. He’s single. You’re single. You both love the same ministry and he kept checking you out at the meet and greet.”

“That’s because I was handing out free lemon bars.”

“Trust me. He wants to ask you out again. He’s just too shy to do it on his own. I’m helping the poor guy along.”

“There’s one small problem, Amanda. I don’t want to be asked out.”

“Micah would want you to be happy.”

Amanda’s words chaffed. “How could you possibly know what Micah would or wouldn’t want?” Especially when Robin didn’t even know herself. She pressed a cool palm against her forehead. “And why does everybody assume I need to date to be happy? I’ve got Caleb and the café. That’s more than a lot of people can say.”

“The café can’t keep you warm at night.”

Robin held up her hand. Enough was enough. “I’m happy, Amanda, okay? I don’t want to be set up with anyone. Especially not the director of One Life.”

Something clattered against the picnic table. Robin covered her mouth, her ears flooding with heat. She hadn’t meant to speak those words so loudly. Bethany righted the fallen mustard bottle, scooped Elyse off Ruth’s lap, and joined Robin and Amanda several paces away from Kyle and the in-laws.

Robin grabbed Bethany’s wrist. “Do you think he heard me?” Perhaps the sound of Elyse’s pacifier sucking had drowned out her careless words.

“Well, I did. And last I checked, I don’t have exceptionally keen hearing.”

Robin groaned.

“I told her not to invite him,” Bethany said.

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. It’s a picnic. Not the end of the world.”

“You invited him,” Robin whispered. “He probably thinks you’re interested.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Brace yourself for more.” Bethany readjusted Elyse’s hat and examined a patch of skin on the little girl’s arm. “Kyle isn’t the only man she invited.”

Heat drained from Robin’s face. She’d been looking forward to this day all week, but how was she supposed to enjoy it with Amanda hurling men at her feet? “Please tell me you didn’t invite more than one potential suitor.”

“As fun as that would have been …”

“Amanda!”

“Robin—relax. This other guy’s not your type. He’s more—”

“What secrets are you three whispering over there?” Loraine called from the picnic table, hands tucked beneath her chin. Kyle twisted his upper half to follow Loraine’s entreaty and gave a tentative wave.

Robin smiled—the most friendly, unromantic smile she could muster. “Hi, Kyle.”

“It was nice of you to invite me to your picnic.”

“We’re glad you could make it.” Robin itched the back of her neck. “I’ll be right back. The pies are in my car.”

Kyle’s lanky frame scrambled from the picnic bench. “Do you need any help?”

She shook her head, but Amanda nudged her with her elbow. “How nice of you to offer. I’m sure Robin would love your help.”

Robin clenched her jaw. She would have words with Amanda later. Not-so-nice words. Until then, she was stuck. She waited for Kyle to join her, then led the way toward the gravel drive, blades of grass tickling her bare ankles.

“I’ve been meaning to thank you for hosting the meet and greet last weekend. It was a great way to get to know the people I’ll be serving at One Life. The whole thing felt very welcoming.”

“I’m glad. We all want you to feel at home. Like family.” She studied him from the corner of her eye as they walked toward the farmhouse. Kyle was a nice-looking man. Taller and lankier than Micah with a pointy Adam’s apple and flecks of gray peppering his hair. He was kind and considerate and a man of strong faith. Yet despite all the obvious assets, her heart did not stir—not on their date last Friday and not now. The observation had her teetering between disappointment and relief.

“I also wanted to thank you for your support. I can’t tell you how relieved I was when I heard you wouldn’t be selling to Ian McKay. It means the world to me, especially now.”

Robin scrunched her brow. “What do you mean ‘especially now’?”

“Well, now that Sybil’s agreed to sell.”

Robin stopped walking. “Sybil’s going to sell?”

“Her sale is contingent upon yours, which means you are the only one keeping us from losing our space.”

“When did this happen?”

“Yesterday afternoon. That contractor fella—Ian McKay—stopped by and spoke with Sybil, explaining his offer.” Kyle squinted against the sun, his expression filled with concern. “I take it you didn’t know?”

Robin shook her head, then forced herself to start walking again—one foot in the front of the other until they arrived at her car. Ian’s weeklong absence had lulled her into a false sense of security. She’d let down her guard, assumed the Lord had indeed delivered her. Maybe she’d been too hasty in her assumptions.

“It’s very comforting to know you’re willing to fight for the ministry.”

“Of course.” She tried to think of something reassuring to say, but her mind raced in a thousand different directions, spinning into a tornado of worry. Sybil and Cecile had agreed to sell. What did this mean?

“So …” Kyle stuffed his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. A breeze
rustled the hostas on the side of the house and lifted Robin’s hair around her shoulders. “I heard your son talking to Evan at the meet and greet. Something about dragons and hot lava. The kid’s got quite the imagination.”

Robin smiled, grateful for the distraction. “More like overactive.”

“He looks a lot like his uncle.”

“You should have seen his father.” She opened the passenger door of her car. “I have a picture in my purse.” She fished through her bag and pulled out her wallet, removed the picture of Micah she kept tucked inside—crinkled and worn from Caleb’s little fingers—and handed it to Kyle.

He took it gently, like he understood its value. “You weren’t kidding. He’s the spitting image of his dad.”

Ribbons of warmth spread through her body. She couldn’t imagine life without Caleb. His very existence had anchored her to the earth at a time when she’d wanted nothing more than to unstrap from gravity and float away. She might not have five children, like she once imagined, but she lavished all the love she’d have for those five on her one little boy.

She smiled and looked toward the elm tree, where Caleb had stood petting one of Evan’s Border collies. But he wasn’t there. She turned toward the mowed meadow, where Dad and Donna fussed over Elyse and Amanda chatted with Loraine and Jim. She cast a look across the horizon, head swiveling in search of her son.

Leaving the car door open, she hurried toward the picnic tables. This wasn’t the first time Caleb had run off at the farm. He did it once before. On his third birthday party last summer, he’d moseyed to the white fence to look at the new calves while the adults washed cake-smeared plates. That’s probably where he was now. Or maybe he followed Evan after all. Maybe he decided he wanted to ride on the tractor with his uncle. She lengthened her stride. That was it. Caleb went to the machine shed with Evan. Or was climbing on the fence behind the barn.

Kyle caught up with his long strides. “Everything okay?”

“I told Caleb to stay in sight. I think he’s down by the fence.” Robin stopped in front of the picnic tables. “Has anybody seen Caleb?”

The conversation died.

Bethany set her bottled water on the table. “Is he with Evan?”

“Dad, could you go check?” Robin didn’t wait for his answer. Instead, she half walked, half jogged to the barn, Kyle trotting beside her. She pushed through the barn doors and found nothing but straw and sticky heat.

“Caleb, are you in here?”

Nothing.

She tried to take a deep breath, but the air was too thick.

“I’m sure he’s with Evan,” Kyle said. “Or maybe he went into the house to use the rest room or get a drink.”

Yes. Of course. That had to be it. Caleb went inside to grab a juice box. She took off toward the house. Dad and Evan met her halfway. Robin didn’t break stride. “He wasn’t in the machine shed with you?”

“No, he never followed me.”

“I think he’s probably in the house,” she said.

“Right. Of course.”

Robin ignored the worry fraying Evan’s words. He had no reason to sound that way. They were all blowing this out of proportion. She worst of all. Caleb would be inside and Robin would have to sit him down and talk to him about following directions. She opened the screen door.

“Caleb!” She walked through the still kitchen.

“Caleb!” Evan and Dad called behind her.

Robin hurried into the living room and took the steps two at a time. Nothing but the hallway stared back at her—dark and empty. She called Caleb’s name, but she knew better. He would never hide up here alone. The upstairs frightened him. She rushed down the stairs. “Where are your dogs, Evan? Caleb has to be with them.”

“They followed me to the machine shed.”

Panic strangled her airway.

Oh, God …

“He was outside five minutes ago,” Kyle said. “He has to be around here somewhere.”

She flew out the front door and stood on the porch, peering down the drive that led to the road. The tire swing hung from its bough, still and untouched. She hopped past the stairs and cupped her hands to her mouth. “Caleb!” Hysteria swallowed his name.