Family Wanted (Willow's Haven Book 1)

by Renee Andrews

  But the fifteen-minute drive to the square wasn’t long enough. In fact, the only thing she managed to do during its duration was continue to remember how it felt to be there, with Titus and Savannah, playing in the pool and laughing, seeing him look at her with such thankfulness for helping his little girl and then hearing Savannah say the sweetest words she’d ever heard.

  By the time they pulled into the parking spaces at the back of the Sweet Stop, Isabella had shed so many tears that her neck was damp. She dropped her visor and glanced at her reflection in the mirror to check the damage. As she feared, she was a mess. Her hair, naturally wavy, went a little on the troll doll side after a visit to the pool. Normally, she’d pull it into a ponytail, but she’d forgotten to bring a hairband. And she certainly hadn’t expected an invitation to go out for ice cream with Titus, Savannah and Abi.

  Makeup was nonexistent, as it always was after she went swimming, except for a blur of smudged mascara beneath each eye. And a hint of it on her cheeks from where it must have slid south at some point in her crying spell.

  Thankful that there hadn’t been two parking spaces side by side, she patted her cheeks and attempted to smooth her hair while Titus parked a short distance away. She was still trying to make herself look a little more presentable when he opened her door.

  “Hey, it’s easier to eat the ice cream if we go inside the shop,” he said, giving her a smile that warmed her heart.

  Then he apparently noticed her eyes, or her makeup, or maybe her hair, because his features warmed and he asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

  He crouched down beside her, and Isabella focused on regaining control, sniffing, taking a deep breath...and then remembering that the girls were with him. She peered around him. “Where are Savannah and Abi?”

  “Abi’s uncle John and aunt Dana were entering the Sweet Stop when we drove up, so the girls went on in with them,” he said.

  Grateful they hadn’t seen her upset, she reached for her purse and withdrew a tissue, then used the mirror to attempt a better job of cleaning away the smudges. “I’m better now,” she said, wadding up the tissue. “Sorry for the tears. Let’s go get that ice cream.”

  His arm propped on the edge of the car, and he was close enough that she could smell his woodsy cologne. Or maybe that was simply the way he smelled. Either way, she liked it, and she found herself inhaling deeply just to appreciate it, while she waited for him to ease back and let her get out of the car.

  But he didn’t budge and, instead, continued filling the space from the open door. “Isabella, I can tell you’re used to apologizing for things, even things you can’t control. You don’t need to feel badly for being upset. But I do want you to tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help.”

  She could tell he wasn’t moving until she answered, and again memories of the past ten years with Richard resurfaced. With her ex-husband, if she apologized, he’d merely accept the apology and they’d move along. He didn’t care what was wrong—he simply wanted her to dry it up and get over it. But Titus cared. She could hear it in his tone, sense it in the way he looked at her now. “It’s just that I’ve never had that happen before, and I guess it really hit me how wonderful it feels.”

  He eased back from the car a little and studied her. “You helped children who were afraid of the water in Atlanta, too. How was helping Savannah different?” But even as he asked her, she could tell that he suspected how very different it was. Everything about Savannah was different, because she reminded Isabella of herself and because she was the daughter Nan had never mentioned...and because she belonged to Titus.

  But none of those things were what Isabella referred to now. “That isn’t what I’m talking about.”

  “Then what is?” he asked.

  “I’ve never had a child...tell me that she loved me.”

  He hesitated, and she noticed his jaw flex before he spoke. She wondered if she’d told him too much. She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her, but he’d said he wanted to know why she was upset, and Isabella didn’t want to lie to Titus. Ever.

  Then she remembered the reason she had come to Claremont and that she had essentially lied, or at least withheld the truth, when she didn’t tell him about Nan.

  Isabella swallowed, thought about the misconception and decided she needed to tell him everything. Right here, right now. “Titus, I’m sorry...”

  “No,” he said. “I won’t let you apologize for earning a place in Savannah’s heart. I’ll admit that it surprised me when she told you that she loved you, but not in a bad way. Not at all. It means the world to me that she has found someone to trust again, someone to love. I know that she loves me, trusts me, but Nan leaving her really seemed to put a hold on her ability to have those types of emotions with anyone else. But ever since you came...” He took a deep breath, let it out. “Well, I want you to know that when Savannah says something, especially something like that, she means it. And I also want to thank you for giving her the confidence to love again.”

  Isabella couldn’t ruin this moment by telling him about Nan. He was as touched by Savannah’s words as she’d been, and that realization nearly pushed her tears free again.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” he said. “No more tears, or the girls will think I made you cry.” Then he stood and held out a hand. “Come on. You need ice cream. The Sweet Stop makes an amazing mint chocolate chip. What do you say?”

  Isabella put her hand in his and climbed out of the car. “That sounds perfect.”

  Chapter Seven

  I wanted to be a good wife.

  Titus barely tasted the ice cream, so consuming were his thoughts on everything that had happened this afternoon. He’d been taken aback with Savannah’s honest admission, even more with Isabella’s response to it and the fact that she’d never heard a child confess love. He wanted to talk to her more about her past and her reasons for coming to Claremont, but she was still recovering from the emotional pull of Savannah’s words. And right now wasn’t the time for a private conversation. Their table was full of happy ice cream eaters.

  John and Dana Cutter sat across from Titus and Isabella at a red round table while their one-year-old son, Jacob, sat in a high chair by Dana. Savannah and Abi had selected a colorful kid-sized table by the window.

  Titus watched as Savannah, wide-eyed and excited, told Abi again about how she went in the pool. Although Abi was three years older than his little girl, she hung on every word and told Savannah what a wonderful job she was doing, which caused Savannah’s smile to grow even bigger. They chatted nonstop while they worked on their ice-cream cones, and Titus marveled at the difference the past two weeks had made in Savannah.

  Isabella had unquestionably been the primary cause of Savannah’s new disposition, and he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.

  “I saw Savannah in the pool with you today,” Dana said to Isabella. “I have to admit that it gave me goose bumps to see her enjoying herself like that.” Then she paused and looked at Titus. “I don’t mean that she hasn’t been happy before, necessarily, it’s just that...” Her voice fell off, and she looked to her husband for help.

  “I think Titus knows what you meant,” John said.

  Titus nodded. “I do, and I feel the same way. She’s been through a tough few years. We both have, and the whole town knows it.” Savannah’s laugh trickled through the air when she accidentally got ice cream on her nose. Titus watched her wipe it away, pure joy seeping into his soul. “But she’s finding her way out of the sadness now.” He debated whether to give credit where credit was due, since he didn’t want to embarrass Isabella, but the truth was the truth, and he’d say it. “And a big part of that is because of Isabella.”

  She held up a palm. “Oh, I just tried to help.”

  “You’re amazing with her,” Dana said, giving Jacob a spoonful of chocolate ice cream
. “And Savvy told me how excited she is to have you working at Willow’s Haven. She said you’re a natural with children.”

  “I love being a part of Willow’s Haven, and I do love children.” Isabella watched Jacob clap his delight as Dana fed him yet another spoonful of the cold treat, and Titus didn’t miss the look of longing. He’d seen it in Nan’s eyes, before they had Savannah. The look of a woman who wanted a child of her own.

  Isabella had mentioned that she’d been married for ten years. Now Titus wondered why she and her husband didn’t have children. So many things about her had piqued his curiosity, and he wanted to spend more time with her to learn the answers to his questions.

  “Daddy?”

  Titus turned toward Savannah and saw that she and Abi had finished their cones and stood near the door leading to the square. “Yes?”

  “Abi said her uncle John and aunt Dana are taking her to the toy store now. Can I go, too?”

  “I’m not buying anything today,” Abi explained. “I’m just picking things out for my birthday.”

  “Her birthday is still a month away,” John said, grinning, “but our Abi is a planner.”

  Dana laughed. “And she knows her uncle John can’t say no to her.”

  “As if her aunt Dana can,” John countered.

  Dana laughed as she wiped excess ice cream off Jacob’s face and then eased him out of the high chair and into her lap. “Okay. Guilty as charged.”

  John and Dana had finished their cones, but Titus and Isabella had hardly started on theirs, since they’d spent that extra time in the parking lot before entering.

  Dana apparently noticed and said, “If it’s okay with y’all, Savannah can go with us to the toy store while you finish eating, and then we’ll bring her back here.”

  Titus had spied the traditional bags of day-old bread near the counter and had an idea to give him a little time to talk to Isabella. “That sounds great,” he said. “But why don’t y’all meet us by the fountain? We’ll go out there and feed the geese after we finish our ice cream.”

  Isabella looked surprised but didn’t say no to spending more time with him.

  “Okay,” John said. “So it looks like we’re heading to the Tiny Tots Treasure Box.”

  “My favorite place!” Abi darted ahead, with Savannah at her heels.

  “Thanks for letting her tag along,” Titus said to the pair.

  “We’re happy to have her.” Dana shifted Jacob from one hip to the other. “And so happy to see her smiling again.”

  “Me, too,” he admitted.

  After they’d taken the kids out of the shop, Isabella said, “You’re blessed to have such amazing friends here.”

  Although he was certain she hadn’t meant to, she’d given him another glimpse of what she’d missed in the past. Friendship. “That’s the beauty of small-town living. Everybody knows everyone.” He’d finished the top of his ice cream and took a bite from the cone. “Occasionally it isn’t such a great thing, but most of the time, you appreciate it.”

  She peered at him as she nibbled at her cone, waited a moment and then softly spoke what was on her mind. “I’m guessing it was hard after Nan left, with everyone knowing what had happened. Do you think it was worse because you live in a small town?”

  From some people, the question would’ve seemed nosy, but not from Isabella. He could tell by her tone and the undeniable concern on her face that she realized how hard it was living in a town that knew his wife had abandoned him and Savannah. “I think it was worse living in a place this size,” he said. “It’d have been different if it were only adults looking at us that way and saying things, but even the kids know what’s going on around town.”

  “The kids?”

  He remembered that Monday in May when he’d picked Savannah up from school to find her eyes red and watery. “On the day after Mother’s Day, some kids on the playground at school asked Savannah why she didn’t have a mommy.”

  “Oh, Titus, what did she say?”

  “She told me that she said that she did have a mommy but that she was just not here right now. Then she asked me why she wasn’t.” He looked out the window to view all of the people on the square, anything to keep from watching Isabella’s solemn expression while his emotions attempted to get the best of him. Finally, he glanced back at her and said, “I wanted to give her a decent answer, but I didn’t have anything to offer but the truth.” He shrugged. “I told her I didn’t know.”

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

  “It wouldn’t have been so difficult if Savannah hadn’t had to go through it, too. That was the tough part—going out, to town or to church or wherever, and seeing people look at her that way, as if they were so sorry for her. It tore my heart out.”

  “They didn’t realize how blessed she was,” Isabella said. Her cone had started to melt, and she took another small bite to stop its progress. “Savannah had you. So many children don’t have anyone, ever. But even when she lost her mom, she still had you there, loving her, caring for her...showing her that all people don’t leave.”

  “Thank you for saying that.” A few people over the past three years had made similar statements, but none of them could relate to Savannah the way Isabella could. She’d been abandoned. She knew what it felt like to have no one to love her, care for her, show her that all people don’t leave. Maybe that was the reason Titus’s chest clenched and he had the strongest urge to show Isabella that someone could be there for her, too.

  She stopped eating, grabbed a couple of napkins from the dispenser in the center of the table and wrapped the remainder of her cone inside. “I can’t eat another bite,” she said.

  Titus considered that the topic of conversation may have affected her appetite, so he decided to lighten the mood. He tossed the end of his cone in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “Me, either. Can’t eat another bite.”

  Thankfully, she laughed, which was exactly what he’d wanted. Then he noticed a small dot from a chocolate chip near the corner of her mouth and pointed to his own. “You have a little chocolate, right here.”

  “Oh.” She swiped the opposite side with a napkin.

  He leaned forward, touched his finger to the spot and tenderly wiped it away. “I got it.”

  She blinked, visibly swallowed, and the tight rein he’d put on his heart slipped a little. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” He looked up to see Jasmine Waddell, the blond college student who worked behind the counter, staring at them with her mouth open. Titus could almost hear the roots of the gossip vine taking hold and preparing to thrive. He cleared his throat. “I’ll go buy some of the bread bits so we can feed the geese.” Then he stood, grabbed one of the brown bags of bread from the huge basket by the counter and went to make his purchase from Jasmine.

  “That’s Isabella,” she said, ringing him up. “I met her at church Sunday. She’s from Atlanta and is working at the new place that Brodie and Savvy are building for orphan kids. Willow’s Haven.”

  Amazing, the short bio for Isabella that had already made its way around Claremont. Obviously the gossip vine was still alive and well, probably courtesy of RuthEllen Riley at the Cut and Curl and Jasmine, undoubtedly privy to every conversation that occurred at the Sweet Stop. “That’s right.” Titus handed her the cash for the bread.

  “So she’s helping Savannah learn to swim?” she asked, placing the bills in the cash register while authenticating Titus’s suspicion that she’d been eavesdropping.

  “She is.”

  “That’s awesome,” Jasmine continued, counting out the change while blissfully unaware of the disapproval in Titus’s tone. “She’s very pretty.”

  To argue would be useless, not to mention an outright lie. “Yes, she is,” he agreed.

  “You should date her.” This
was delivered almost as a command, and he turned to see if Isabella had heard the girl’s directive words.

  Jasmine started laughing, the type of giggle common with girls her age. It reminded Titus of the way Nan used to laugh when they’d first met, and it made him wonder what Isabella sounded like when she laughed that way.

  “Don’t worry. She walked over to the door,” Jasmine said. “She didn’t hear me.” Then she dropped his change in his open palm. “But you should. Date her, I mean.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, slipping the change in his pocket. He picked up the bag and moved toward the door, then opened it for Isabella. But Jasmine, apparently deciding since she was already offering sage advice she might as well keep it up, yelled, “And you should come back to church, too!”

  He winced then answered, “I’ll keep that in mind, as well.” Then he waited for Isabella to exit and left the ice cream shop...and the employee who was too young to realize she should keep some opinions to herself.

  They walked toward the three-tiered fountain in the middle of the square with Titus reflecting on Jasmine’s unfiltered guidance. Knowing Isabella had heard the last statement, he asked, “You think she’s right, don’t you?”

  She slowed, which caused Titus to look her way as she spoke. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but, yes, I do.”

  Grateful that she hadn’t chosen the girl’s statement as an opportunity to gently reprimand him, he confided, “Savannah actually asked me why we didn’t go to church this week. The truth is I don’t feel right going when I’m so angry.” He didn’t have to add that he was angry at God. He was certain she knew.

  She continued walking slowly and took a moment before she responded. Then she inhaled and said, “It may seem harder, but it’s actually much easier to deal with the pain and disappointment if you let Him help. But I can understand how it’d be tempting to get angry with Him after everything you’ve been through. You want to blame someone for what Nan did, walking out on y’all, and you want to blame someone for her death. And He seems like the best target. Since He is the place where the buck stops, so to speak.”