“What’s it like, being a Christian in Hollywood? It must be hard.”
“Sometimes. I’m careful about the parts I take, the people I hang with.” Her eyes fell to her salad. “If I’m honest, my faith life hasn’t been that great lately. I mean, I go to church and all, but... the depth of it has been lacking.”
He liked her honesty. “Why do you think that is?”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about that. I think things kind of got derailed when Wes broke up with me.”
“How so?”
She shrugged as she chewed a bite. “Maybe it was a trigger of sorts—the whole abandonment thing. Even though my dad left when I was young, it had a big impact on me.”
“Of course it did. What do you remember about him?”
Mia stared off through the trees, a wistful smile forming on her face. “I remember him pushing me on a swing set. I remember helping him in the kitchen—I think we were making pancakes. I have a fuzzy memory of being on his shoulders at a parade or something.” Her smile fell away. “Then one day my parents were arguing in their bedroom, and I didn’t want to hear them so I went out to the porch. It was raining. Dad came barreling out of the house with a suitcase, and he just... got in his car and left. Didn’t see me. I watched his car disappear down the road. I waited a long time for him to come back, but he never did. The smell of rain still reminds me of that day.”
His heart squeezed for her. “I’m so sorry. That’s a big loss in a little girl’s life.”
She was quiet for a minute, working on her salad. Then she said, “I hired a PI to find him when I was eighteen. I’ve always kind of longed for family. For real roots like other people had. Grandparents and history. My mom always kind of scoffed at that. But she had those things, and she chose to give them up. I think that’s why I went looking for my dad. That and answers. I wanted him to look me in the eyes and tell me why he left. Why he just abandoned me.”
His heart squeezed. “And did you find him?”
“Yes.” She took a sip of water. “He was living in Las Vegas at the time. I drove all the way to his house.”
Levi waited through the long pause, giving her time to tell a story that was obviously difficult.
“He lived in a regular middle-class neighborhood. Nothing special. There was a small SUV in the drive. I sat in front of his house for a long time trying to get up the nerve to go to the door. After a while a woman came out and then my father, followed by two little kids, a boy and a girl.” Her eyes teared up. “A little family. I felt... so replaced. The girl was about the age I was when he left. I wondered if he pushedheron the swing now, made pancakes with her and lifted her up onto his shoulders.”
Levi wanted to wrap her in a hug. “Oh, Mia.”
She pushed the salad bowl aside and met his gaze with a look so vulnerable his heart nearly cracked in two. “Sometimes I wonder if it was... you know. Me. If I was the reason he left.”
Levi reached out and thumbed away the tear that rolled down her cheek. “It wasn’t you. Kids often blame themselves, but it’s never their fault. You were only five, Mia. If you weren’t the center of his world, the fault lies with him.”
“I know you must be right. But sometimes the truth is hard to believe.”
Lord, heal her heart. “Well, now I know how I can pray for you.”
She cleared her throat and gave a nervous chuckle. “Well, that turned serious in a hurry, didn’t it?”
He squeezed her hand, amazed by her bravery.
“I’ve never told anyone all that before.”
“I’m honored then. Thank you.”
“Tell me something you haven’t told anyone.”
The first thing that came to Levi’s mind was the inn’s financial condition. The weight of it had been like cement blocks sitting on his shoulders. “I haven’t been forthcoming with my sisters about our financial situation.”
She tilted her head, her eyes searching his face.
“It’s not good. We’re in debt, and my credit cards are maxed out. Things are starting to turn around, but we have a long way to go to get ourselves out of the hole.”
“Oh, Levi. I’ve noticed you seem stressed out sometimes. Is that why you have so many headaches?”
“Probably.”
“Levi...” Mia’s eyes sharpened as she leaned forward. “Let me help you. I can give you whatever you—”
