Andrea’s eyebrows rose. “I wish it was that easy to have you help me.”
“Mr. O’Dowd is different.”
“Yes, he is.”
Her softly spoken words traveled straight to David’s heart. When he looked into her blue eyes, something inside of him clicked into place. Through all the obstacles that were bound to come their way, this was where he was meant to be.
He smiled at the boys. “On that positive note, how would you feel about calling me David? Mr. O’Dowd reminds me of my dad.”
Charlie shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’ve got a friend called David. He’s in my class at school.”
Andy looked at his mom. “Is that okay?”
“It’s fine with me.”
“Okay. I’ll call you David, too.” Andy picked up the charade cards. “Can we play a different game after you’ve done the dishes?”
David pulled himself out of the sofa. “That sounds good to me. How about you and your mom choose the next game while Charlie and I are in the kitchen?”
“Okay. We’ll find a good one.”
“I’ll load the dishwasher,” Charlie said as he hurried into the kitchen.
David smiled. With that much enthusiasm, they’d be back in the living room sooner than anyone thought.
And he couldn’t have been happier.
Andrea opened the hall closet where they kept their games. “What do you feel like playing?”
Andy stood beside her. “What about Connect 4 or Guess Who?”
“They’re good choices. Or we could play Clue?”
“What about Wordle?”
“Charlie found that a little difficult the last time we played it. What about Scrabble? It’s easier.”
“Okay.”
Andrea checked the shelves, but couldn’t find it. “Do you know where it’s gone?”
Andy kneeled on the floor. “I think it’s at the back of the closet.”
While he moved some boxes out of the way, Andrea stepped back and bumped into the hall table. As she grabbed the tall vase wobbling on its base, some letters fell sideways.
She picked up the mail and frowned. “Andy, how did these letters get here?” The only postal address she’d given people was for the general store. Mabel and Allan were happy to let her collect her mail from them.
“Mrs. Terry dropped them off while you were making dinner.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, she shuffled her way through the envelopes. Apart from bills, there didn’t seem to be anything else. She was about to leave them on the table when she double-checked the last one. Instead of a printed address, this one was handwritten.
She frowned at the small, precise letters. When she realized where she’d seen the same handwriting, her heart pounded. It couldn’t be from her ex-husband. He shouldn’t know where she was living. Her family hadn’t told him, and the few friends she did have were sworn to secrecy.
With shaking hands, she dropped the other letters onto the table and opened the envelope. Her eyes darted across the text, widening when she saw why Scotty had contacted her.
“Are you okay Mom?”
After taking a deep breath, she looked at Andy. “I’m fine. I just need to talk to David for a few minutes. I’ll send Charlie out here to help you find Scrabble. If it’s not in the closet, choose something else.”
