Chapter 3
Thirty minutes later, Amy pushed Kallie’s stroller into a cul-de-sac after passing quaint shops and homes with white picket fences.
Ben offered to drive them to his parents’ house, but the thought of riding in such close confines with him tied her stomach in knots. So, she’d insisted on getting Kallie’s stroller from the trunk of her car and walking. But the pain she’d seen in his eyes when he said his life would be different if someone had helped the ones he loved haunted her the whole way.
Two large homes stood on either side of the cul-de-sac with an empty lot between them. She checked the homes for the correct address. There, above the garage of the red-brick, rambler, hung the numbers she sought. She pushed the stroller up the driveway, taking in the wide covered porch with white pillars.
Ben hadn’t been kidding when he said his parents owned a big home. The house screamed wealth.
Amy sucked in a deep breath through a suddenly tight throat. She was out of her element in this neighborhood. The manicured lawns and colorful flower beds—complete with buzzing bees—were a far cry from the apartment building she’d lived in where she’d struggled to keep flowers alive in a pot on her tiny patio.
Amy lifted Kallie from the stroller and approached the front door. What would she say to Ben’s parents?“Hi, I’m homeless, and my life’s a wreck. I’m so tired, I might burst into tears if you don’t take me in?”
The door swung open before she could knock. There stood Ben’s aunt from the diner.
Taken aback, Amy froze. How had Charity gotten here and changed clothes so quickly?
The woman smiled. “Hello, you must be Amy. We’ve been expecting you.” She motioned Amy into the house.
Amy stumbled on the threshold, her confusion manifesting itself in her clumsiness. “Yes... I’m Amy,” she stammered. “I’m sorry... is this Mr. and Mrs. Young’s house?”
“It is. I’m Ben’s mother, Hope.”
Hope?She and Charity must be twins.
Before Amy could respond, Hope pulled her deeper into the house. She led her past the sitting room to an immaculate spacious family room decorated in shades of dusty rose and ivory. A fireplace filled one wall, and a large, flat screen TV occupied another.
A tall, distinguished gentleman entered the room through a side door at the same time they did. He offered his hand. “I’m Dr. Young. You may call me James.”
“Nice to meet you.” Amy shook his hand, then turned back to Ben’s mother.
“You looked so much like Charity; it threw me.”
Hope’s eyes widened. “You’ve met Charity?” At Amy’s nod, she said, “Yes, Charity and I are sisters—not identical, but we do look alike.”
“I take it you’ve been to the diner?” James asked.
“Yes, Ben took us there for breakfast.”
“He did?” they said in unison, exchanging surprised glances.
“Ben has been very kind.” The words were true, despite the unease she couldn’t shake concerning him.
Kallie babbled something unintelligible, drawing the couple’s attention.
Hope reached out and took Kallie’s hand. “She’s a cutie. Such beautiful, blue eyes and curly blond hair.” Her eyes misted, and she looked up at her husband.
James studied Kallie’s face. “What a beautiful little angel.” His eyes glistened.
“How old is she?” Hope asked.
“She’s sixteen months.” Again, Ben’s parents exchanged a surprised glance. “Her name is Kallie,” Amy said.
Hope gasped and turned away, but not before Amy saw the sheen of tears in her eyes.
“Would you excuse us for a moment?” James said in a husky voice. He ushered Hope into the room he had come out of moments before.
The door didn’t close tight behind them, and Hope’s muffled cry reached Amy.
