Gina had been able to get Hailee to talk a little more openly, and she was chatting about her job at a mercado Gina was familiar with. He tried to picture where the market was located.
It must be over in the international district, formerly known as the war-zone by a lot of locals. The area had undergone significant improvement in the last decade or so, but parts of it were still plenty rough.
Gina looked slightly ill at ease with the topic. He wondered what it was all about and made a mental note to ask her later.
“So, Hailee,” Gina redirected the conversation, “what else do you do aside from work and school? Any extracurricular activities?”
Now it was Hailee’s turn to fidget.
“I don’t really have time. It’s hard enough just to make good grades and work as many hours as I—” she cut herself off and blanched.
Curious. Jaydon wondered if she was working to support herself, knowing what he now did after last Monday. He couldn’t risk breaking her trust, but maybe he could help her to open up just enough so he’d know the best way to help.
“Is it just you and your mom?” he hedged, and then took a big bite of his sub like it was regular conversation, no big deal how she answered.
Her eyes met his, lined with apprehension, but thankfully she still answered. “Um, no. I have a little brother, too. He’s twelve.”
“That’s cool,” he nodded. “Are you guys close?”
“Yeah,” and then she actually smiled. He could see Hailee’s love for her little brother all over her face. “He’s a really cool kid. Super smart. I can’t even understand what he’s talking about half the time. He found my dad’s old laptop and took it all apart to figure out if he could fix it. He’s a whiz with computers and electronic stuff. We don’t have a lot of it lying around, but he strips and rebuilds whatever he can get his hands on.”
“Wow, maybe he can take a look at my laptop for me,” Gina said, smiling at Hailee with a sweetness that Jaydon found utterly disarming. Maybe that was her intention. Something about Gina told him she was just about as good at reading people and situations as he was.
The two ladies continued their discussion, Hailee seemingly having shelved her reserve with Gina as the two found common ground. Heads tilted toward one another, they spoke in hushed tones he couldn’t decipher. Both seemed to relax into the conversation, so he took advantage of the time to listen to Harrison talk about his plans for the future and his hopes for the baseball season.
Before long, most of the crowd started cleaning up. As people left, they stopped by to say goodbye with a nod, wave, or knuckle bump.
Gina met his gaze, a question in her eyes that he couldn’t quite discern. He hoped she was indicating her hesitation to leave. He certainly didn’t want to go their separate ways just yet.
Instead, she surprised him by rising to her feet and nodding at the teens still seated.
“I better get going, too. It was really great to meet you both. This lunch was totally unexpected and really fun.” She smiled and lit up the already bright room.
Jaydon stood as well and twisted to give Gina a friendly side hug. It was a little awkward at first, but he missed the contact immediately when they parted. He looked to the teens. “You guys heading out? Either of you need a ride?”
The pair shook their heads.
“Nah, man. I can take Hailee home. Thanks for the offer, though.” Harrison stuck out his hand and Jaydon shook it firmly. He had a lot of respect for the younger almost-man.
He turned to Gina. “Can I walk you to your car?” Please say yes, he willed her to reply.
Gina
“That would be nice.”
Wow. Either he took setting a good example for his youth to heart, or the guy was a genuine gentleman. When was the last time a guy offered to walk her anywhere?
And then he opened the door and held it for her to pass through.
Okay, then. Definitely a gentleman. His attractiveness went up several notches. Not that she was interested. But she still had to talk to him about Hailee.
“So,” she paused, looking away and searching for the right words. “Would you want to maybe go somewhere and talk for a little while?”
The look on his face was priceless. There was a twinge of surprise, cockiness, and a hint of concern. He wasn’t quite sure how to handle her, she decided. Her confidence boosted.
“Uh, yeah. I’d love that. It’s amazing outside. Want to go to a park or something?”
“Better—I have a season pass with a free guest to the botanic gardens.” Where in the world had that come from? Though, now that she considered it, it was a good idea. Jaydon appeared to come to the same conclusion.
“I like that plan. But, assuming we both live in this area, how about I drive? I’ll bring you back to your car after.”
Her first response was leery suspicion, but something about Jaydon made her feel safe. Though big, he was gentle. His kids all clearly trusted him. He was friends with Brynn and Josh.
And he was definitely a gentleman. His chivalry was downright enchanting. She’d better keep on her toes or she’d end up fawning all over him like a silly eye-lash batting bimbo.
“Sure, that sounds good.” Good thing she’d worn her favorite coral colored sneakers today. There was a lot to see at the botanic gardens, and all that walking would be murder in sandals.
Jaydon rounded to the passenger side of his oversized pickup and opened the door for her, extending a hand as she climbed up. She’d hate to have to get into this thing in a skirt. But, she acknowledged admiringly, it was a really cool truck. It had supple leather seats and the floor was fully lined with custom mats that he could spend a day in the mud and just hose out.
When he turned on the radio, a rock band blared through a high-end stereo system and she had to suppress a grin. There was no way this was a Christian band. Okay, so he might be a pastor’s kid, a pastor himself, and a total gentleman, but he wasn’t in a holy-holy bubble like she expected.
And wait. Was that a tattoo peeking out the bottom edge of his t-shirt sleeve? She tilted her head as he buckled his seatbelt, hoping for a better glimpse but she couldn’t quite tell. The man continued to surprise her.
He must have caught her examining it, because he looked down at his thigh-sized bicep and chuckled. With his left hand, he yanked up the right sleeve and exposed an incredibly life-like eagle poised to land in profile, with the words “Isaiah 40:31” tucked under the front wing like a banner. It was monochromatic, but highly detailed and beautiful.
“So which version of that verse did you base your tattoo on?”
He looked surprised at her question. “Version?”
“Yeah, I mean, the old King James and the ESV both say ‘those who wait on the Lord,’ but the NIV says ‘those who hope in the Lord,’ and the NLT says, ‘those who trust in the Lord,’. Either way, they will renew their strength and soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not grow faint, right?”
He nodded before meeting her eyes. And wow, his were some seriously amazing eyes.
“You look surprised. Do I not seem like someone who knows her Word?” Hopefully she’d injected enough dryness to her tone that he could tell she was messing with him.
He grinned. “It wasn’t that. It’s just, most people barely know the reference itself and here you are spouting the subtle nuances of different translations. I like it. And for the record, I like all of them for that verse. That’s probably my favorite thing about the Bible. You can pick it up—any translation—and flip to basically anywhere, and God will have something for you to get out of it. And you could flip to the same passage at different times in your life and find something completely new that applies to exactly where you’re at. God’s Word truly is living and active.”
“Totally. I feel the same way. It doesn’t matter how much I study it, it’s always new.”
They pulled in to the parking lot of the botanic gardens a moment later and af
ter circling the lot for a space large enough for his truck, they proceeded to the entrance. She showed her ID and membership card at the gate and they were waved through.
She breathed deeply the fragrant scent of new blooms and fresh plantings. The rest of April would soon come in like a lion, all wind and rain and sunshine in its fierce unpredictability. And through it all, the hardy blossoms would come forth and rise through the ground in a riot of color, reborn after a long, cold winter.
She and Jaydon made their way to the wide sidewalk path between the rose garden and the grassy area in front of the band shell. Families were wrapping up picnics and children ran wildly across the expanse, chasing each other with squeals of delight. The unseasonably warm spring weather on this late afternoon welcomed people from all walks of life into the lovely outdoor haven the gardens provided.
The pair remained silent as they walked for a moment, comfortable in simply absorbing their environment. Gina admired the daffodils still dancing in the breeze, and the newly unfurled tulips in bold pockets of color. The tall concrete raised planters that dotted the walkway were impeccably manicured and made her wish for a camera to capture the beauty of the new blooms.
But then she remembered why she’d asked Jaydon to walk with her. This was not a date.
They had been walking with less than a foot between them, drifting closer and then further apart, as if neither was quite sure how to navigate things. Arcs of attraction bounced between them, and she had to fight to stay focused. Not a date, Gina. Not. A. Date.
“So, uh, I have a question for you, and I don’t want to seem weird.” Okay, so that made it weird, but she didn’t know how else to broach the subject.
“Shoot.”
“How well do you know Hailee?”
She felt him tense up beside her.
“Not all that well, actually. She’s only come to our church a few times. Why?” His voice was strained, like he was holding back.
Could she trust him with the worrisome gut feelings she had about Hailee? The kids in his church certainly seemed to think he was trustworthy, and their parents must agree or they wouldn’t have kept him in charge, right? Church people tend to speak their minds about how things ought to be run in their fellowship, so they’d have put someone else there if he wasn’t worthy of the job.
“I get the feeling there’s something not right in her home life. I picked up on a few things when we were talking, and I know from experience that usually means she’s hiding how bad it is and trying to put forth an image of more stability than she actually feels.”
She hadn’t meant to be quite so blunt. But there it was. Jaydon’s face remained impassive.
“You don’t seem shocked.”
He shook his head and jammed his giant hands into the pockets of his jeans. Jaydon’s gaze drifted off into the distance, and they walked in silence a few more beats as they rounded the corner between the pair of two-story glass greenhouse buildings and continued deeper into the gardens.
“I’m not free to discuss anything personal or private about any of the kids in my group. I have to honor and respect their trust, and with some kids, it’s an even harder line to walk. More fragile. Can you understand that?”
“I can. In fact, I respect you tremendously for it. It’s just…I get the sense that she and her brother are in a situation they may need help with. That they need to be protected.”
He nodded, more to acknowledge her words than in agreement. Finally, he spoke.
“I’ve been feeling the same thing. I’ve wondered if hers might be a situation where the authorities need to be called. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t confirm or deny anything at all, especially since you and I are just getting to know each other. But for some reason, Gina,” at this, he stopped walking and led her gently by the arm to a bench under a still-dormant tree. “I feel like the Lord is prompting me to talk to you about it, and that we might both be able to help them. Together. Is that weird?”
“Surprisingly, no. I feel the same pull. That’s why I asked you to walk with me today.”
His brows pinched together, looking crushed before his mouth betrayed him with a massive grin. “Aw, man, and here I thought maybe you wanted to take me for a romantic stroll.”
She swatted his thick arm playfully and smiled with one side of her mouth lifted while shaking her head. Dramatically, she shook out her hand and winced. Those arms, though, really.
“Serves you right, hitting a poor guy like that.”
“Oh, please.” Her eyes rolled, but then concern overwhelmed her expression again and the silliness evaporated.
“In all seriousness, though…I—,” she hesitated with a heavy sigh. Did she dare explain her own history, at least enough so he understood why she was feeling so protective over a girl she just met today?
She grabbed his hand, pulling him to join her as she wandered through one of the nearly hidden walking paths she hadn’t taken in years. Rather than dropping her hand, he kept it. She didn’t think too hard about why, because she didn’t exactly feel like letting go, either. It felt completely natural to walk together like this. Like they were partners just talking about everyday things.
What was it about Jaydon that made her feel so naturally comfortable? Safe, even? Strangely, it gave her the support she needed to continue.
“My sister and I spent the majority of our childhood being raised by my grandparents. About the time I started middle school, they were killed by a drunk driver.” He didn’t say anything, but she felt him squeeze her hand supportively.
“We had to go live with our mother, who had been living a…sketchy life. I didn’t know much about her at first, because she really only came around between heartbreaks or when she’d get a sudden urge to see her children out of the blue. Neither of us knew our fathers.
“Anyway, from that point on, Tonya and I were exposed to a lot of really bad stuff. We’re talking finding our mom in bed with strange men or passed out on the sofa in a pool of her own vomit, if she came home at all for days at a time.
We more often than not had to fend for ourselves. Tonya was old enough to work, so she made sure we were fed and clothed. Abuelita taught us to cook when we were little, so I helped where I could, but we were basically on our own.”
“Child protective services never intervened?” Jaydon asked quizzically.
“No. We lived in a rough neighborhood, and we moved around a lot because mom would lose her job and get evicted. But since we looked okay and went to school clean and fed and dressed, no one really knew how bad it was. She was also really good at staying sober and faking things just long enough whenever people started sniffing around too close. And then….”
Her voice trailed off and the lump in her throat was difficult to swallow. The familiar pet elephant who frequently took up residence on her chest made an appearance. Why was she telling him all of this? Did it even matter? Hailee’s face burned in her mind, and the look behind her eyes was one Gina had seen in her own mirror for too long. She had to step in and help.
“When I was thirteen, I—shall we say, developed certain noticeable assets? One night, one of my mom’s loser boyfriends came to my room and started to—,” she paused to slowly breathe in and out until her throat comfortably reopened and the elephant went away. Her fingers fluttered to her throat of their own accord, still feeling the press of those fat, sweaty fingers. She didn’t dare open her eyes to look at Jaydon.
“Thank the Lord Tonya burst into the room before he went too far,” she swallowed against the cottonmouth, “but it definitely changed things for us. I started having anxiety attacks, especially at night. We clung to each other, never left the other alone in the apartment anymore if we could help it. I was terrified, all the time.
“I went to work with her when I could and did my homework in a booth at the restaurant Tonya was working. We worked even harder to put on a good front for the adults in our world so that they wouldn’t think to call the authorities. We’d heard stories of siblin
gs getting separated, and my attacks were so bad sometimes just imagining not having my sister with me that we both felt safer doing what we could on our own.”
Jaydon interrupted, “How old was Tonya?”
“Not quite eighteen.”
“And you didn’t think CPS would let her be your guardian?”
Gina shook her head. “We didn’t know anything, and we were too scared to ask around. I didn’t have a clue where to even look for the answers. It was easier just to keep pretending. Anyway, I get the sense that Hailee is in a similar boat. I’m trying not to project my own experiences on her, but I saw something in her eyes that triggered too many memories. And she slipped when she mentioned how many hours she’s working at the mercado. It’s probably so she can pay the bills and take care of her little brother. It’s what Tonya did for me.”
He turned to her then, and without a word simply wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened at his embrace, wanting the contact but not sure how to handle it. Slowly, though, she was able to relax. While her body was trying not to freak out, her heart was telling her that Jaydon was someone trustworthy. Someone good, a true man of God and not some agenda laden creep wearing his religion and church affiliation as a mask. As she breathed out her anxiety, she began to return the embrace.
They stood there for a quiet moment, just breathing. His scent was completely his own—masculine and woodsy with a hint of spice from whatever he used on his beard. The headiness of it made her feel like when she’d tried red wine once, its warmth spreading low in her belly. His breath curled over the top of her hair as he held her. She felt more at peace than she had in eons.
She absolutely would not cry. Would not cry. She’d done enough of that in the past, weeping for that terrified little girl.
Chapter 12
Jaydon
“Gina, you are not at all what I expected,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. No clue why he’d done that. It just felt right in the moment.
Whatever Comes Our Way (Everyday Love Book 2) Page 9
