10
Erin was thankful she hadn’t seen a lot of Logan since that night he’d stayed up with Parker. Having him nearby all the time made it difficult for her to think clearly. It made her want to spend even more time with him and even had her imagining a future together—even though Logan hadn’t given her any indication that he was going to stay in Frostford.
Sure, he’d helped her with some really difficult situations and told her that he loved her, but then he disappeared—again. Which was fine.
Completely fine, she told herself as she finished her makeup in the mirror. She hoped that if she said it enough times, she’d eventually believe it. At least she knew that goodbye was coming this time. She wouldn’t be caught off guard when Logan left for Florida.
For now, she needed to worry about what she was going to do. She’d already paid back the money fromthe wedding cake. Between that and the actual cost of supplies that she couldn’t get reimbursed for, she was much more behind on saving than she wanted to be.
Her only choice was to start looking for a more conventional job. She didn’t like the idea of spending so much time away from her children, who were still so young, but Erin didn’t feel like she had a choice. How else would she be able to pay her bills?
When she mentioned the idea to Aunt Betty, the older woman had insisted that she watch the kids for her and had suggested that this afternoon was the perfect time for Erin to go talk to different businesses. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, she’d put on a nice shirt and slacks, and had even done her hair. With any luck, she’d be able to find a place that was willing to hire her and work around her schedule so she could see Parker and Samantha as much as possible.
As late morning approached, Aunt Betty assured Erin that the kids would be fine and shooed her out. She was just opening her car door when a woman walking up the driveway waved her down. Erin stood beside the open door while the woman walked up to her. There was no way she was a day older than thirty, and she wore a pantsuit and a friendly smile.
The visitor stuck her hand out. “Hi, my name is Angela Reynolds. I’m assuming you must be Mrs. Bethany Lewis.”
Bethany Lewis . ..
It took Erin a moment to realize this woman was talking about Aunt Betty. She’d never heard someone refer to Aunt Betty as Bethany, and probably wouldn’t have even realized that was the older woman’s legal name if she didn’t see the mail that arrived at the house.
Erin’s brows lowered. “No. My name is Erin.”
Angela looked at the house numbers and then down at a folder in her hands. “Hmm. I thought this was Mrs. Lewis’s residence—at least for the time being.”
For the time being? What did that mean?
Slowly, everything clicked into place, and Erin’s heart plummeted. This woman was here to help get the house on the market. It was really happening. If Erin had any hope of buying the house she loved so dearly, she would need to leave now. She hoped and prayed that she would find a job that would work, and in enough time for it to matter.
“I hate to ask, but do you happen to know Mrs. Lewis?” Angela opened the folder and started flipping through its pages. “Maybe I typed one of the numbers incorrectly ... ”
“N-no,” she stuttered, feeling wildly blindsided. “You’re in the right spot. She’s inside.” Erin forced a friendly smile. This situation wasn’t Angela’s fault, and it wouldn’t do any good for her to be rude. “But just a heads up, everyone around her calls Mrs. Lewis Aunt Betty, and I’m sure she’ll insist that you do the same.”
Angela’s face relaxed. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” Erin pointed to her car. “I was just on my way out, so you’ll have to excuse me.”
Erin hurried into her car while Angela walked up the steps to the front door. She didn’t wait to see if the door opened, or what happened when Aunt Betty answered. Instead she pulled away and started driving downtown.
This was really happening. Aunt Betty was selling the house—just like she said she was. It wasn’t a secret. That was why Logan was here, wasn’t it? To fix it up, and then take Aunt Betty with him?
As much as Erin had been trying to resign herself to these truths, there was a part of her that hoped that things would be different. She thought she might actually be able to buy the house. She hoped that Logan would want to stay. All of those secret hopes were slipping through her fingers and there was nothing she could do. Even looking for a job right now felt fruitless. What was the point?
Erin pulled the car over and cried out to the Lord. She couldn’t understand why this was happening, but she knew that the Lord was good. He loved Erin, and she needed to trust him. It wouldn’t do her, or her children, any good if she got lost in her own self-pity. She needed to push through this, just like she did when Jake died.
He took care of her then, and she knew He would now too.
That was the truth she found comfort in as she went around talking to business owners that day.
Hours later, with sore feet and no leads, Erin decided it was finally time for her to go home. No, not home. Aunt Betty’s house. Erin needed to start looking at it differently.
She parked her station wagon in the driveway and dragged herself up the steps of the porch. She ran her hand over the wooden railing and looked over at the pink porch swing. Fond memories would always be in this place, and she would miss it. The countless days in her youth with Logan, and then watching her children fall in love with the place. Samantha learning to ride her bike. Water balloon fights.
No matter where she and her children ended up, nobody could take those memories away.
Erin opened the door and walked inside. She listened for Samantha and Parker, but the house was quiet, except for the sound of soft voices coming from the kitchen. Aunt Betty and Logan.
Erin felt guilty as she crept down the hall, hoping that they wouldn’t hear her even as she so desperately tried to hear what they were discussing.
