“Sure.” Annie’s stiff stance relaxed and she didn’t argue the change in subject.
Ian relaxed, too, and pointed to the left of the administration building. “Good. We’ll start in this direction.”
“Okay.”
Annie’s one-word answers told Ian that she wasn’t feeling very comfortable with him even though she had appeared to relax. The whole scenario with Annie went beyond surreal. He was here with his ex-wife, and they weren’t saying a thing as they walked across the campus. What would his father say if he knew Annie was here?
When they reached the assisted-living facility, Ian introduced Annie to some of the residents who were enjoying a beautiful spring day on the front lawn. He stood back and listened while she chatted nonstop with Cora, one of the elderly ladies. Annie had been very close to her paternal grandparents. When they died suddenly within six months of each other during Annie’s junior year in high school, her life had shattered.
Ian had stepped in and offered her comfort, hoping to get close to the young woman he’d admired from afar for months in the church youth group. Little did he know their relationship would shatter his life, too. But he couldn’t blame her. He’d been a willing participant in the behavior that eventually nearly killed him and took Annie in a ruinous direction.
“Thanks for bringing this delightful young lady to see me.” Cora’s comment brought him back from the past.
Ian smiled at Annie, glad she could make a new start where people looked at her with fresh eyes. “You’re welcome, Cora, but now I have to take this delightful young lady away because I still have a lot of things to show her.”
Cora patted Annie’s arm. “Thank you so much, Annie, for stopping and making an old lady’s day.”
Annie’s smile matched the sun beaming overhead. “You made my day.”
He always loved her smile, but he turned away before he got too caught up in it. Loving anything about Annie Payton was a dangerous thing for him to do. “On to another part of the campus.”
“Okay.” Annie almost skipped as they made their way toward the children’s homes. “Thanks for giving me the time to talk with Cora. I’m going to visit her again.”
“She’ll be grateful. That’s the beauty of this place. We have folks from all walks of life and all ages who can give each other help in a variety of ways. It’s truly like a real village.”
“I can see that.” Annie looked up at him. “You like working here, don’t you?”
“I do. It has blessed my life more than I could ever have imagined.”
“What does your dad think about it?”
“His church supports it.”
“I didn’t ask about his church. I asked about him.”
Annie’s tendency not to hide what she was thinking had been evident from the minute they’d met again. She knew about the disagreements between father and son, and she wasn’t going to let Ian slip by with a half answer.
“He’s glad I’m doing productive work.”
“Somehow I sense a but in your statement.”
“Okay, you got me there.” Ian marveled that Annie could still read the nuances in his words. “Dad thinks I could’ve made better use of my law degree.”
“So he doesn’t like you working here?”
“I didn’t say that. He supports my work here, but sometimes he has trouble seeing the point of my helping people who frequently find themselves in trouble again.”
“People like me.”
Ian didn’t know how to respond. He wished he hadn’t answered her question, but Annie’s assessment was exactly right. Sometimes, people took more than one try to get it right. Annie fit that scenario. She seemed determined to stay clean this time. He hated to admit he was more like his dad on Annie’s account. She had to prove herself, because she’d fooled him before.
Annie jumped on his nonresponse. “Don’t know what to say?”
“Let’s not go down that road. We’ve had a nice time today. Don’t ruin it.”
Annie’s smile faded as she hurried ahead. Ian wasn’t going to try to soothe her feelings. Maybe this outing hadn’t been such a good idea. When they got back, Melody was sure to be there waiting for a report, and Ian would finally have to tell her about his past. He had to talk to Annie about it.
Annie finally slowed her pace, and Ian caught up to her. “Over your pout?”
“Yeah.” She looked up at him again. “I’m beginning to see why you shouldn’t be my attorney.”
Ian nodded. “I’m glad you’re finally seeing it my way. Why the change of heart?”
“There’s too much acrimony between us. Too many bad memories that won’t go away.”
What about the good ones? The thought slipped into Ian’s mind. He pushed it away. Annie had assessed the situation correctly. The bad memories far outweighed the good. The truth put a dagger in Ian’s heart. As sadness welled up inside of him, he sighed. “And I have to talk to Melody about it.”
“Should I be there, too?”
“I think it’s best if I do that alone.” Ian didn’t want Annie to hear some of the things he would say. She didn’t need to hear a lot of negative stuff about herself, but it would probably have to be said in the course of the conversation he would have with Melody.
“I suppose so.”
While they walked by a playground where a group of children played with abandon, Ian prayed this work wouldn’t be disrupted because of financial problems. Where would these people go? What was worse than having the ministry end? Having Annie see it fall apart just after she’d gotten here. If the facility went under, how would the loss affect her life? Would she stay strong or buckle at the first temptation to return to her former life?
Ian didn’t want to find out.
“Is this the area where you have the children’s homes?” Annie pointed toward the cluster of homes on two cul-de-sac streets.
“Yes, these used to be college faculty homes, and they converted nicely to twelve homes for children. Each one has six kids. The house parents are fabulous people.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Six kids is a lot to handle.” A cloud of sadness drifted over Annie’s face as she gazed up at him. “I couldn’t even deal with two. How will Spencer and Kara ever forgive me?”
Ian wished he knew. “I can’t answer that.”
“I know, but Kara was only three and Spencer two when they went into foster care, and I’ve only seen them a few times in the past year.” Tears welled in Annie’s eyes, but she blinked them back as she pressed her lips together.
“When you’re reunited with them, it won’t take long for them to bond with you again.” He hoped that would comfort her. She was trying not to cry, and the sight of her on the verge of tears pulled at his heartstrings. He didn’t want her plight to produce tender feelings in his thoughts. Such feelings might lead him to care too much. He’d gone down that road before. Never again. It was the road to heartache.
“I hope you’re right. Thanks for believing in me.”
Did he believe in her? Not completely, but she needed encouraging reinforcement in her life. Right about now he needed God to rescue him. Annie was getting to him. At that moment, he spied Melody’s car headed their way. God had perfect timing. “Looks like Melody’s back.”
Melody rolled down her window as she slowed her sedan. “Ian, we need to talk.”
“You get your lady settled?” Ian wondered what was on Melody’s mind.
“Yeah, hop in and I’ll give you the details.”
Ian glanced at Annie. “You want a ride back to your place?”
Annie shook her head. “I think I’ll stop by and see Cora again.”
“Are you sure?” Ian hoped Annie didn’t feel dismissed, but he had to talk with Melody alone.
“I’m sure. You and Melody hav
e stuff to talk about.” Annie lifted her eyebrows until they disappeared under her dark fringe of bangs.
“Okay. Talk to you later.” Ian got into the car and hoped Melody didn’t notice anything odd about Annie’s comment or her expression. He had to work up to the conversation he was going to have about his relationship with his ex-wife.
* * *
As Ian got into the car with Melody, jealousy crept through Annie’s mind again. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She turned away. Why was she feeling this way? She’d pushed Ian out of her life six years ago because they’d wanted different things. They still didn’t suit each other. Nothing had changed.
Even if she hadn’t gone down the path to her own destruction, they wouldn’t have been compatible. Too bad they hadn’t recognized that before they’d ventured into a marriage that had lasted barely over a year.
Her misguided thoughts about Ian were just another example of her bad judgment. She was a terrible judge of men, first Ian and then Jesse, the irresponsible man who had fathered her children. Kara and Spencer were the only two good things that man had ever produced. Ian was a much better person than Jesse, but still the wrong man for her. If she were smart, she would forget men altogether. She had to concentrate on getting her kids back even if dealing with Ian was part of that.
While dozens of thoughts tumbled through Annie’s head, she continued to wander down the pathway that took her back to the assisted-living facility. A short distance away, she spotted three white-haired ladies sitting in the shade of a big oak tree popping with the new leaves of spring. Cora was still there. Annie quickened her pace.
“Hi, Cora.” Annie waved.
Cora smiled, her wrinkled face beaming. “What a surprise. You’re back so soon.”
“Yeah. Ian had a meeting, so I decided to visit with y’all for a while.”
Cora pointed to an empty chair in their circle. “Come join us, and let me introduce you to Ruby and Liz.”
Annie sat on the nearby chair. “Nice to meet you ladies.”
“Did you have a lovely walk with Mr. Ian?”
Annie forced a smile rather than the frown that nearly puckered her eyebrows. Why did they have to ask about Ian? “He showed me most of the campus until Melody whisked him away.”
“I keep waiting for Ms. Melody and Mr. Ian to become an item, but there aren’t any sparks there. What do you think?” Cora peered at her friends.
Liz nodded. “I think you’re right. No sparks.”
“Yep. Not a one.” Ruby bobbed her head in unison with Liz.
Annie wasn’t sure whether to be happy that these ladies saw nothing happening between Ian and his coworker or jealous that the ladies wished something was happening. She shouldn’t be happy or jealous, but she couldn’t ignore the sparks that flitted through her mind when Ian was around. They were hard to ignore even if they were one-sided.
“Maybe that poor girl still needs time to get over the death of her fiancé.” Ruby’s statement brought Annie back to the ladies’ conversation.
“Such a tragedy.” Cora shook her head as she looked at Annie. “He was in Afghanistan delivering aid with a Christian group and was killed days before they were scheduled to come home.”
Annie didn’t know what to say. How did one respond to such a senseless death? Everything she thought of saying sounded inadequate, but she had to say something. “I can’t begin to imagine her sorrow.”
“None of us can, and I think that’s why she throws herself into her work here.” Cora rocked in her chair. “She’s trying to forget.”
Annie had a lot to forget about her past, but her own self-inflicted troubles faded in comparison. She would never look at Melody in the same way again. “That’s hard to do.”
“You’re so right.” Ruby reached over and patted Annie’s arm. “Tell us about yourself, dear.”
After these ladies had extoled Melody’s virtues, how could Annie talk about the bad stuff she had done? There was nothing virtuous about her life. “You don’t want to hear about me.”
“Sure we do. We want to pray for you. So we need to know what to pray about.” A knowing smile curved Cora’s thin lips, making every wrinkle in her kind face smile. “We know you came to The Village to get help. We’re all here for some kind of help, and we can help each other with prayer.”
Cora’s warm brown eyes beckoned Annie to make a prayer request. “I’m here because I’m trying to get my kids back. Please pray that the court will see that I’m clean and sober for good and deserve to have my children again.”
Liz clapped her hands. “Then that’s what we’ll be praying about—for your little ones’ return to you.”
“Thank you.” Annie blinked back tears, so thankful that Pastor John had sent her here.
All these people at The Village of Hope doing good for others made Annie want to be a better person. She could be a better person, but could she ever be good enough to make up for her past?
* * *
Melody pulled her car away from the curb. “How was your time with Annie?”
“Okay. She filled out your papers, and I put them through the mail slot.”
“I know. I read them, and that’s what I want to talk to you about.”
Ian narrowed his gaze and wondered where this was going. “What about them?”
“Don’t you see how she can help us?”
“Help us?”
“Did you read her information? Her job experience?”
Ian nodded. “I know her job experience.”
Melody cast him a sideways glance as she parked her car. “Then you should realize what a godsend she is.”
Ian shook his head and tried to wrap his mind around what Melody was saying. “How so?”
“She was a financial consultant.”
“I still don’t know what that has to do with us.”
“In order to satisfy the naysayers on the board, we need to put a new financial plan in place. We’re going to have to get this place in the black. What better person to help us than someone like Annie.”
Ian gritted his teeth in order not to say what he was thinking about his ex-wife. There was no way they could let her near the finances of this ministry. She couldn’t be trusted. The time had come to tell Melody everything about Annie and him. “We have to talk about this. Your office or mine?”
Melody opened her car door. “Yours is closer.”
As they walked to the administration building in silence, Ian tried to figure out how he would start the conversation. Why had he ever thought he’d never have to talk about his former life?
After Ian unlocked the door and let it swing open, he stood aside for Melody to enter. “Have a seat.”
Melody sat on one of two black leather guest chairs in front of Ian’s desk. “I’m glad you’re at least going to consider using Annie’s expertise.”
Ian sat on the other chair. “I haven’t changed my mind. I have reservations about having her involved with the money.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Melody had just handed him an opening. He should jump right in, but he took a few moments to pray. He couldn’t do this without God’s help.
“Why so hesitant?” Melody’s brow furrowed. “You know something about her that I don’t. Tell me what it is.”
“It’s not only about Annie. It’s about me, too.” Ian took a deep breath. “I’m not going to represent Annie in her efforts to get her kids back.”
“Why?”
“It’s not a good idea because we have a rather rancorous story. Annie and I were once married.”
Mouth dropping open, Melody leaned forward. After several seconds of silence, she eased back in her chair. “Wow! So this is what you wanted to talk about?”
Ian shrugged. “Not exactly, but it ha
s to be done.”
“How long were you married?”
“A little over a year, but our relationship goes back to high school.”
“You were high school sweethearts?”
“I guess you could say that.” Ian wondered how much he should reveal. He didn’t have to go into the details about how they’d experimented with sex and drugs at her house while her parents were away. “Anyway, I’m going to ask Scott Bartlett to represent her. It’ll work out better that way.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Melody sighed. “Annie never said a thing to me about your relationship. What does she think about your being here?”
Ian shook his head. “I don’t think it matters to her. She walked out on the marriage because she wanted the party life more than she wanted me.”
“Is that why you don’t trust her?”
Ian stared at Melody’s expectant expression. How much did he tell her? How much had Annie told her? “What do you know about Annie’s history?”
“I know she was in rehab for a year and that her kids are in foster care. She hasn’t said much more than that. Is there more I should know besides the fact that you were married to her?”
Releasing a harsh breath, Ian stared at his desk and prayed for wisdom before looking up at Melody again. “I’m going to tell you what turned my life around, but I’m going to let Annie tell you her own story. I think that’s the fair thing to do.”
“Did you and Annie talk about this?” Melody raised her eyebrows.
“We discussed the fact that I’ve never volunteered any information about my past. Adam knows, but he’s the only one.”
Melody leaned forward. “Ian, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”
Ian waved off her suggestion. “I appreciate that, but I think you might as well know my story. Otherwise, you’ll always be wondering.”
“You’re probably right.”
“As I mentioned, Annie and I started dating in high school. We went to college in Florida to get away from our parents. We studied hard during the week, but we partied harder on the weekends. A pattern we established in high school although to a lesser extent.”
Second Chance Reunion Page 3
