Victoria looked at her, uncertain what the girl meant.
“Being around you is the only time I feel calmer. You’re like so chill, it helps me feel better. I feel safe with you. It’s not like that anywhere else.”
Surprise filtered through Victoria, and she glanced at Cillian.
A warm smile rested on his closed lips.
In a way, she shouldn’t be surprised. “That’s not me, Sydney. That’s Jesus. The Bible says those who belong to Christ carry His aroma.”
“Aroma?” Sydney’s eyebrows drew together.
“His scent. You’re sensing His peace and the safety He offers through me. I’m safe because He saved me from something even worse than an intruder. He saved me from eternal condemnation, the punishment I deserve for my sins.”
A knowing quirk of the mouth replaced Sydney’s confused expression. “Kathleen talks like that, too. But you and her haven’t done anything bad.”
“Of course we have. Every human being has sinned, many times over, and we all deserve death, suffering, and separation from God for those sins.”
A sound reached Victoria’s ears. Sirens?
“Sounds like the police are here.” Cillian turned away and marched up the hallway.
Too bad Victoria hadn’t looked at him while she was speaking to see his reaction. She’d shared the Gospel with him once when they’d been dating. But very poorly. She’d only been a Christian for one month when he’d first asked her out, which was her excuse for not realizing she shouldn’t have dated an unbeliever. Her mother, the one who had led Victoria to Christ, had been too ill at the time, or perhaps too eager to see her daughter happy, to warn Victoria.
“So can I stay with you longer?” Sydney seemed glad to ignore the message Victoria had tried to convey, as well.
Victoria held back a sigh. All in God’s timing. “Yes, you can stay.”
Sydney squealed and let go of Victoria’s hands to clap hers together. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“But I don’t think you should be alone.” And she needed more than company. She might need specialized help. Perhaps Victoria should ask Robert if he could meet with Sydney. Panic attacks indicated an extreme level of anxiety. Especially with a baby on the way and the need to minimize stress, Sydney could benefit from talking to a psychiatrist.
“Aren’t you going to be here?”
“I have a meeting I need to go to this afternoon.” Victoria checked her watch. The meeting with the attorney was in only one hour. She’d need to leave in thirty minutes to allow for traffic.
“Maybe Cillian can stay with me.” Sydney smiled, a joyful light in her eyes now. “Or Warren. Oh, but he’s working.”
Cillian would be a respectful and safe guardian for Sydney, but the pregnancy center guidelines would not approve of her leaving Sydney alone with any unrelated male, for the safety of both parties.
She needed an available female. Spring would be at classes today. But… “Treese.”
“Huh?”
“My sister, Patricia. I think she usually has Monday afternoons off. I’ll text her.”
Male voices entering the house by the back door paused the thought.
“After we speak with the police.”
Poor Max would have to wait a bit longer to get out of his crate. Though he wouldn’t want to until all visitors were gone, regardless.
As Victoria walked through the hallway and toward the voices, she sympathized with Max. If only she could hide in a safe room until it was all over, too. Lord willing, no one had called Detective McCully.
Although given the break-in and the menacing threat scrawled on her mirror, she apparently had far worse things to fear.
“Thank you for taking my case.” Victoria sat as straight and stiff as a pole in the leather chair next to Cillian’s in the attorney’s impressive corner office.
The middle-aged Craig Lymp relaxed behind his big desk in a chair sized for his large body. “Of course. I’d do anything for your father.” He smiled, but there was something slick about the expression.
