“Raven. Are you there? You’re not ignoring me, are you?”
Sheesh, Sonny. Don’t you have a life?
Beep.
“Raven, it’s Matt. Judging from the fact that you never returned my call or acknowledged my note, I guess you don’t want anything to do with me. But I have some news you are definitely going to want to hear. Call me.”
Raven stopped short. “Note?” She stared at the answering machine as though it held any answers for her. “What note are you talking about, Matt?”
The clock on her microwave flashed ten-thirty, by all rights too late for anyone with a shred of politeness to make a phone call. And she never would call his home phone that late because his mother or Jamie would most likely be in bed. But she wasn’t above taking a chance that he might be lying in bed watching late-night TV.
Without a second thought, she reached for the phone and dialed his cell.
He picked up on the first ring. “Raven?”
“Yes. I just got your message. What note?”
“What?”
“The note you left. I never got one. And I didn’t get any messages from you, either.”
“Seriously?”
“I promise. I never received either.”
“That explains why I didn’t hear from you while I was up at the lake with Jamie.”
“I’m glad you tried to contact me before you left. I thought…”
“That I kissed and ran away like Georgie Porgie?”
Raven’s heart lifted at the humor in his voice. “Something like that.”
“I already told you my position won’t change. I wrote a note telling you I was going out of town and inviting you to join us for a day at the lake.”
A rush of heat flooded through her. “I would have enjoyed that.”
“Me too.”
Silence reigned between them until Raven cleared her throat and got back to the matter at hand. “So, Matt. What news do you have for me?”
“Oh, I sent your piece about Anaya to a friend of mine in New York. He likes your presence and thinks Anaya’s story is worth pursuing nationally.”
Raven’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you serious? Matt! Network news?”
“Yep. He’s going to call your boss and get it all set up.”
“Do you realize Anaya will have a chance to grow up with her own family if this works?”
“Do you realize you didn’t mention what this could do for your career?”
“Think it’s character growth?”
Laughter rumbled from Matt’s chest. “Could be.”
Anaya’s sweet face crept to Raven’s mind. She grinned to herself. So, You took me up on my challenge, huh, God? I guess I should have made the deal that Anaya has to find her family before I go to church again.
But that wasn’t the deal. And there was only one thing she could do. “Matt. How would you like to pick me up for church on Sunday?”
The old stuffed cat winked at him from its perch on the sofa. By now Raven Mahoney should have figured out that someone had been in her apartment. She would know he’d taken the one thing she cherished the most.
A sense of satisfaction engulfed him that he’d pulled it off. So far, Matthew Strong hadn’t been so great at taking a hint. But the guy would have to know how serious he was this time.
Chapter Seventeen
After a night of barely sleeping, Raven stumbled into the station carrying an extra large double-chocolate mocha latte. Who needed sleep? She was riding on an adrenaline rush directly related to Matt’s news.
Frank Cruise met her at the door. “I thought I told you to take a few days off.” His poorly concealed smile belied the gruffness of his tone and Raven knew he’d received the phone call from Matthew’s contact in New York. He jerked his head toward his office. “Let’s talk.”
She practically floated behind him and slid into the chair across the cluttered desk from his. For the first five minutes, she waited impatiently while he told her what she already knew. The network liked her tape, loved the story, wanted to take it to a national level and see what might happen in Anaya’s case. “So? What’s the bottom line?”
“So the network wants to do the overdubs, but will use yours and Ken’s footage.”
Raven’s heart sank. If they weren’t going to use her face and voice, it meant no move to New York, no network job.
Funny how only yesterday she was on top of the world for landing the anchor spot. Mentally, she gave herself a sound smack. God had obviously been willing to go to some lengths to get her to go to church. She should have held out for a network job.
“I’m sorry you seem to be disappointed. But this is great for the station. They’re going to mention our call letters and station number. And that means potentially a lot more viewers.”
“Then I’m glad I haven’t signed that contract yet. Looks like this might have made me a little more valuable to the station than the deal you’ve offered.”
A V formed between his eyes. “Don’t get too cocky. Remember it’s your story they want. Not you.”
Stung by the comment, Raven nevertheless rose from the chair with dignity. “Yet,” she tossed over her shoulder, just before exiting the office.
Her intercom was buzzing by the time she got to her own office. “Yes?”
“You didn’t give me a chance to finish,” Frank’s voice huffed through the machine like Darth Vader with a whine.
“Sorry.” She lifted her heavy hair from her neck and piled it atop her head, holding it there. “Go ahead.”
“The network is sending a team tomorrow and would like you to meet them at the mission. They want to look around, interview your sister for themselves.”
“Keri’s never going to agree to that, she’s planning an Independence Day barbecue for all the homeless down there.” Grim satisfaction and just a little feeling of justice fought for attention. She shoved them back, but couldn’t resist a tiny grin.
Oblivious to her moment of victory, Frank pushed the issue with all the vigor of a man with something to lose. “That’s the point. She’s already turned them down. But I happened to mention your—uh—familial relationship with the people who run the mission and the network hoped you’d persuade them otherwise. Either way, they’re coming.”
“Frank!” Frustration nipped at the edges of Raven’s already sleep-deprived nerves. Her hair cascaded down her back as she dropped her hands and slapped the desk with her palms. “Keri isn’t going to want the media making a spectacle of this. She doesn’t do anything for attention.”
“Boy, she’s not a bit like you, then, is she? What, was she adopted?”
“No, she wasn’t as a matter of fact. I was!” Raven snapped, then gasped at her admission. “I—I’ll call her.”
“Hey, Raven, I didn’t mean to…”
Raven shut off the intercom. A fifteen-year-old secret, and the first person she shared it with was a middle-aged, balding weasel of a spineless news director.
Raven leaned forward across her desk and rested her forehead on her folded arms. This day was supposed to be charmed. She wasn’t supposed to feel depressed. The little office suddenly began to close in around her. Her breath came in short bursts. “I gotta get out of here.”
So she had no work to do today, according to Frank, other than convince Keri to put hundreds of homeless and hungry on display. Still, she had to admit the story might actually be a good thing. The attention it could bring not only Anaya but the mission itself could potentially bring in more donations. As always, her mind began to whirl with the new idea, and a rush of adrenaline shot through her veins, giving her a burst of energy.
She snatched up her keys. Keri wouldn’t be as likely to brush her off if she had to look her in the eye.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow.” Keri’s pleased greeting sent a rush of warmth through Raven. The sight of her sister’s face, flushed with pleasure, brought a smile to her lips and put her instantly at ease.
Keri waved her to the small break table in a corner of the massive kitchen. She grabbed the coffeepot and two mugs from the cabinet. Sitting across from Raven, she poured the steaming brew and set the pot on the table. “How’d you manage to get off work on a Friday?”
“Actually, the powers that be offered me Bruce’s job. I’m supposed to be considering the contract this weekend.” She shook two pink packets of artificial sweetener and dumped the contents into her cup. “They must be pretty sure I’m going to sign, though, because they plan for me to start Monday.”
Keri darted from her seat and caught Raven in a stranglehold. “Rave! How incredible. I’m so proud of you.” The old Keri hadn’t been so demonstrative. Justin’s love and becoming mother to his twin ten-year-old sons had definitely brought out a more open side of Keri. She slid back into her chair, her face beaming with pure joy. “You deserve it, you know?”
“I suppose.”
“What do you mean you suppose?”
“There are others who might think they deserve it more.”
“Well, they don’t.” Keri’s choppy words left no room for argument.
Keri’s expression grew serious and she followed the rim of her cup with her index finger. “Hey, Rave. I got a call this morning. Did you already know that?”
Raven’s gaze faltered beneath her sister’s. She nodded. “Frank asked me to come down and talk some sense into you.”
Keri’s freckles scrunched together as her red-headed Irish temper shot to the surface. “I should have known you wouldn’t come just to share your news with me. That would be too sentimental, wouldn’t it?” She snatched up her cup and dumped the coffee into the sink. “I have work to do before the lunch crowd shows up.”
Raven watched Keri’s jerky movements, half expecting her sister to continue to lash out verbally. But she remained silent. A scolding, Raven could have defended, but silent rebuke only raised her defenses without giving her any real ammo.
“Listen. Think whatever you want. The truth is, yes, Frank asked me to talk to you, but no, I didn’t have to come down here. I have a phone in my office, a phone in my house and a cell phone. We both have e-mail, and if all else fails there’s a pay phone in the station I could have used if I’d wanted to.”
“Don’t give me that,” Keri growled without even hesitating to take in Raven’s words. “You’ve said a hundred times that you need to really look someone in the eye to get your point across.”
Heat rushed to Raven’s cheeks. “All right. That’s true. And I did want to talk to you face-to-face. But not so that I could weasel you into agreeing to this.”
“Why does your career advancement always have to come first? Can’t you for once put people ahead of your own needs?” Keri leaned against the sink, facing Raven, her hands resting on the stainless steel behind her. “I suppose you’re eyeing a job with a national news station?”
“Okay, actually, the network is using my angle on the story and Ken’s footage, but that’s about it. They aren’t using me to do the report.” She stood, her knees trembling from the emotionally charged conversation. “Happy?”
“What do you mean, they’re using your story, but not you? That’s not fair.”
“They feel the story holds appeal, but they don’t want me. So you see, my motives are pure as the driven snow. And if you don’t let them do the story, then I guess my deal with God is off and I can sleep in Sunday morning.”
Keri gave her a wary frown. “What deal?”
“I asked for national coverage for Anaya’s story. With the promise that I’d go to church Sunday if He came through. But no story, no church.”
Laughter bubbled from Keri’s lips. “Are you trying to imply that if I don’t let you do the story I’m somehow thwarting God’s plan for Anaya?”
Raven shrugged. “I did my part. God did His. You’re the only hold-up on this one. Where is Anaya, anyway?”
“My office. We brought some stuff for her. The boys are babysitting.” She shifted from one foot to the other, her hand resting squarely on her hip. “How can I exploit these people?”
“Look at this less as exploitation and more as an opportunity for Anaya.” Raven strode across the floor, her tennis shoes squeaking on the shining tiles. “Think about what this could mean for the mission if people consider it a cause for donation. Remember what happened to Denni’s house after we aired that story on our small local cable channel? This is national, Kere-Bear. Think about how many homes will hear about the work you’re doing here.”
Indecision played across Keri’s face. “I’ll have to talk it over with Justin.”
“The news crew will be here tomorrow, so make it quick.”
“All right. I’ll talk to him right after lunch. On one condition…”
“What’s that?”
“Stay and help us serve lunch.”
Raven grinned. “You’re on.”
“I don’t see why I can’t go too, Dad.” Jamie perched on the edge of the sink and watched Matthew slather shaving cream on his face.
“Because it’s not the place for a kid, that’s why.”
During a two-hour conversation with Raven the night before, Matt had discovered several things: One, Raven had spent the day dishing up food for the needy; two, she’d failed to mention her promotion, an omission he’d decided to attribute to her new character growth translated into humility; and three, today, she would be on hand to dole out hot dogs and hamburgers to give people who never had the chance at homemade barbecue to experience a little taste of the good life. And four, Raven might be having more of a spiritual crisis than he’d originally believed. Most people had periods of time where they neglected Bible study or prayer for a little while. That would be enough to explain a spiritual cooling-off. But Raven seemed bitter. For instance, when he’d mentioned how God had obviously brought little Anaya to the mission, she’d glibly said, “Maybe, but you’d think God would have just kept her mom out of the path of a drive-by shooting in the first place.” Little things like that were beginning to make Matthew wonder if perhaps Raven was going through more than a cooling-off period. Sometimes she seemed downright cold.
Still, he wanted to be near her. And the opportunity to serve the poor had compelled him to hint shamelessly until she’d finally invited him to help. But that didn’t mean he was willing to risk Ray snatching Jamie.
“What do you mean it’s not a place for kids? Raven said her nephews help all the time.”
“That’s because their parents run the place.”
“Well, what about the poor kids?”
“You are not a poor kid. There’s no reason for you to be there.”
“Miss Cindy taught us about the Good Samaritan in Sunday school last week. She said it’s everyone’s place to look out for people who need our help.”
Matthew finished rinsing his razor and set it on the counter. He patted his face dry, conscious that he was stalling. How did he convince her to stop pestering him to go down to the mission, but still reiterate the fact that her Sunday-school teacher was absolutely right. It definitely seemed like an inconsistency on his part.
Raising a kid right wasn’t easy. But how could he put her in possible harm’s way? He knew Justin and Keri had been keeping an eye out for Ray since last Sunday, but so far, there had been no sign of him. Perhaps it had been a one-time thing.
“Please, Dad.” Jamie’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “I really want to help.”
“Why is this so important to you, honey?” He lifted her from the counter and carried her into the bedroom where he sat on a chair, cradling her close.
She shrugged. “I was thinking about the little girl whose mom died last week and how she might have to go to a foster home if they can’t find her family pretty soon.”
“What do you think you can do for Anaya, James?”
“It’s not that. I just thought…” She gathered a shaky breath and looked up at him with
soulful eyes. “What if you and Grams didn’t know about me when I was born? What if Aunt Casey didn’t have a place to live?”
Now he understood. There but for the grace of God, go I.
He brushed her cheek and fought back tears. How did an eight-year-old child even have the understanding to recognize such a truth? There could only be one explanation: God had revealed it to her.
“All right, sport. You win. But stay close to me. You hear?”
Her joyful response was muffled as she squirmed around to hug him close.
Matthew knew as soon as he saw the lines forming for the barbecue that he’d made the right decision to bring his daughter down here. Fear had gnawed at him from the time he’d consented, and he’d almost changed his mind. But something about her simple explanation made him feel as though perhaps God had a purpose for her coming, if for no other reason than just to see how blessed they were. Holding tightly to Jamie’s hand, he made his way through the private entrance in the back.
“Ease up on my hand, Dad. You’re about to squeeze it off.”
“Sorry.” He loosened his grip, but wasn’t quite ready to let go completely.
“Matthew, Jamie, you made it!” Raven greeted them when they entered the kitchen area where several volunteers labored over pots of baked beans, corn on the cob, and ovens of brownies and cookies.
His heart rejoiced at the sight of her. How could he have missed her so much in the span of just a few days? And how could she have gotten even more breathtakingly beautiful in the same amount of time?
A flush stole across Raven’s cheeks as he brushed a quick kiss across her lips.
“Oh, brother. Not in public, Dad.”
Raven smiled down at Jamie. “How’s soccer coming along, Jamie?”
“Undefeated.”
“Great. You getting any play time?”
Matthew’s lips twitched as Jamie bristled. The little girl shook loose from him and folded her arms across her chest. She lifted her chin and blew an enormous bubble with her gum, then sucked it in with a loud pop. “MVP for the last three games.”
Betrayal of Trust Page 14
