Her Unlikely Family

by Missy Tippens

“I don’t expect the Ritz.”

  “No?” She attempted a tired smile. “Go right at the end of my street. Once you hit the main road, take a left. The Comfy Inn’s on the right. I know the owner. She’s a fanatic about cleanliness.”

  Apparently, Josie was starting to know him as well as she knew Lisa. “Sounds perfect.” He put his hands in his pockets and inspected his shoes. “I’m sorry about tonight.”

  She shrugged. “No harm done to me. You ought to be apologizing to your niece.”

  “I’ll try. If she’ll even listen.”

  Josie gave a quiet laugh. “We’ll find out, won’t we?”

  “I also owe you a debt of gratitude. For taking care of Lisa. I’ve worried where she might be resid—” He glanced across the room where she had disappeared. “…Where she might be staying.”

  Josie smiled, and he sucked in a breath. This time her smile seemed genuine, not nervous or forced. And it really packed a punch.

  “You’re welcome, Mike. I view it as part of my calling.”

  “Your calling?”

  “From God. To care for people like Jesus did.”

  It was one thing to attend church regularly. Michael, himself, did that. But hearing God call you to take in runaways? “I see. Well, good night.”

  As he drove past the row of tiny wood and stone houses, he pondered his options. Not only did he have to fight a teen who hated him, but he also had to deal with a woman who, because of a calling from God, might try to come between him and that teenager.

  He wondered which one would prove the more worthy adversary.

  He suspected the pink-haired waitress.

  Chapter Three

  Josie crouched behind the counter restocking the to-go boxes and paper cups. The bell on the front door clanged as someone entered. It was almost time for Mike to arrive, and her pulse kicked up a notch.

  She hurriedly stacked the items and wadded up the plastic they came in. By the time she finished, a hint of Mike’s rich, enticing aftershave had wafted her way.

  It’s definitely him.

  Was she forever destined to be stooped behind the counter when he arrived? Her nose would know him better than her eyeballs would.

  She stood up, smoothed the wrinkles out of her uniform and found him in the same corner booth he’d sat in yesterday. She could have guessed he would be a creature of habit. “Mornin’, Mike. How’d you sleep?”

  When he looked up at her, she wanted to groan. The morning sunlight streamed in through the window she had cleaned earlier. It reflected off his shiny black hair. The blue of his eyes was so deep it appeared blue-violet. Thick, dark lashes made her want to shout that it wasn’t fair.

  The creature was even more spectacular in daylight.

  He scanned the grill area. “My niece better be here.”

  The suspicion in those intense eyes snapped her right back to reality. He might be beautiful, but he wasn’t someone she should be thinking about that way.

  “I asked you how you slept last night,” she said. “Shouldn’t you answer before you start barking orders?”

  One eyebrow lifted ever so slightly, and she thought for a second his mouth would follow suit. “I slept fairly well, thank you.”

  “So everything was up to snuff?”

  “The accommodations were fine. I appreciate the recommendation.”

  “Good. I’ll run and get Lisa from the back. She’s washing pots and pans.”

  “Bud hired her?”

  “Sort of. He pays her a little. But mostly, she’s here to help me. She gets a cut of the tips. And room and board.”

  “I’ll certainly reimburse you for any lodging and food.”

  Yet another reason to ignore his gorgeous eyes and yummy smell. Everything had a price for men like him. She waved off his offer and went to holler through the kitchen door for Lisa. Then she returned and slid into the booth across from him. Fiddling with her bracelets, she tried to look anywhere but at those amazing eyes.

  “You like jewelry, I see,” he said.

  “It’s one of my weaknesses. I don’t shop for clothes or shoes. But get me in a bead shop, and I go crazy.”

  “Do you mean you make the pieces yourself?”

  “Most of them. It’s relaxing.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who made her own jewelry.”

  At the tone of his voice, a burst of irritation flared through her chest and right out her mouth. “Well, I can’t quite afford to shop at Tiffany’s.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  Lisa plopped in the booth beside Josie and said, “I’m not gonna, like, jump when you say jump or anything. But I promised Josie I’d listen.”

  Wishing he could take back his careless comment about the jewelry, Michael refocused his attention on the problem at hand. “I want to apologize about last night, Lisa. I know it scared you.”

  “Forget it. It doesn’t matter.”

  “Well, I want you to know I’m sorry.”

  “I said forget it, okay?” Lisa practically shouted.

  Stunned by her vehemence, he gave Josie a look that asked, What now?

  “Okaaay…” Josie rubbed her hands together. “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s see if we can get you two to come to some kind of agreement about what Lisa is going to do. The rules are no shouting, or Bud’ll kick you out. No name-calling and bad-mouthing each other, or I’ll kick you out. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Michael said and waited for his niece to say the same.

  Instead, she crossed her arms protectively in front of herself, her chin almost touching her chest.

  “Lisa?” Josie said.

  “Mmm.”

  The sound could mean anything, but Michael assumed it was acquiescence.

  “Good,” Josie said. “Now, Michael, tell Lisa why you’re here.”

  “I think that’s fairly obvious. I came to find her.”

  Josie nodded toward his niece. “Tell Lisa, not me.”

  He sighed, but leaned his arms on the table and looked at the top of her green head. “Lisa, I was worried about you. I want you to agree to come home with me.”

  In one quick motion Lisa’s whole demeanor changed. She sat straight up, eyes on him. “Do you mean it, Uncle Michael? You really want me to come home with you?”

  The expectant look on her face nearly undid him. He would have to explain his plans carefully. “Home to Charleston. You need the supervision and care they give you at school. Come back, and I’ll talk to the headmistress about changing the expulsion to a suspension, about letting you make up your missed work. I’m sure she can…”

  As he watched, the life seemed to drain back out of Lisa. What do I do now? He looked to Josie, who rubbed her forehead as if he’d given her a headache. “Surely you both understand,” he said.

  “Understand, nothin’,” Lisa said. “Just go on back to the bank. I’m fine here.”

  “But you belong in Charleston with us. With your family,” he said.

  “Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ll get along without me.”

  “Mike, why don’t you tell Lisa why you want to send her back to boarding school,” Josie suggested.

  “Everyone needs a good education. You’re getting the best money can buy.”

  Josie winced. “Tell Lisa why you worry. Why you want her somewhere safe.”

  He watched as Lisa slunk a little lower in the booth. Another inch or two and she’d slither onto the floor.

  Somehow, the pitiful green hair and slight frame made her seem vulnerable. His heart lurched. No matter how you dressed her up—fingernail polish, hair color, body piercings—she still looked just like her mother.

  “I worry about boys taking advantage,” he blurted. “I worry about you being on your own at sixteen. It’s my responsibility to keep you safe.”

  “It sounds like Mike is scared you’ll have some of the same problems your mother had,” Josie said. She searched for confirmation.

  He nodded.

&
nbsp; “I don’t want to talk about my mother.”

  “Even though I wasn’t able to help her, maybe I can help you,” Mike said.

  “I’m not going to talk about her.”

  Silence.

  “Okay, Lisa,” Josie said. “Can you try to tell your uncle how you feel?”

  She shook her head no.

  “Come on, tell him some of the things you’ve told me.”

  “Won’t make a difference.”

  “I do care, Lisa,” Michael said.

  “Big whoop.”

  “I really do.”

  “Then prove it,” Lisa said.

  “Okay. How can I prove it to you?”

  “Take me home. Home. Not to that snob factory.”

  She stared directly at him. A spark of something—challenge?—lit her blue eyes, but then it was gone. Couldn’t she see that he wasn’t suitable? That he couldn’t possibly take care of a teenage girl?

  Lisa jumped up and stalked toward the kitchen. “Yeah, I see how much you care.”

  He tried to hustle out of the booth, but flinched in pain as his knees struck the underside of the too-small table. “Lisa, wait.”

  “Whatever,” she called back over her shoulder.

  Standing by the grill watching the scene, Bud frowned. Michael raced past him and stormed through the kitchen door with Josie close on his heels.

  “Stop right there, young lady,” he said.

  “Uh-huh. And what are you going to do if I don’t?”

  “I’ll, I’ll…”

  Josie approached and put an arm around Lisa’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s go try to talk some more.”

  Lisa shook off Josie’s arm. “I’m outta here.”

  As his niece rushed out the back door, Michael thought he saw tears on her cheeks. He looked at Josie, who stood there looking at him, shaking her head as if he’d blown everything.

  He threw his arms out. “What?”

  “Is this how it always goes with you two?”

  “I tried. I don’t seem to be good at relating to Lisa.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “You’ve got a lot to learn about this parenting business, Mike.”

  He glared at her. “And I suppose you think you’d be a great parent?”

  “Well, you have to admit I’m doing a little better with your niece.”

  “Only because you don’t have to be the bad guy. Try sending her back to school where she belongs and see how long you stay her hero.”

  “Where she belongs? Does she belong separated from everyone she loves?”

  He reeled from the unexpected barb. “Fine. Maybe I should simply wash my hands of this mess and get back to running my business.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. She could live with me for a while, and I can get her enrolled in the local high school.”

  The worst part was that Josie probably could get Lisa to go to school when he couldn’t even manage to have a normal conversation with her. Which infuriated him. “No Throckmorton’s going to mooch off a stranger. She’ll finish school where I put her.”

  Josie shook her head and looked away as if she couldn’t stand the sight of him. “I’ve gotta get back to my shift. I’ll find Lisa when I get off at two o’clock to make sure she’s okay.” Josie pushed back through the door to the diner.

  Michael walked in a circle, so furious at his ineptitude that he started to kick the refrigerator. But he stopped right before his foot connected with the stainless steel industrial-sized appliance. It would most likely win the match. And he wouldn’t feel any better anyway.

  Mortified at his outburst, he checked the back of his shirt to make sure it was still neatly tucked in.

  No, he wouldn’t feel any better. Not until he got out of this tourist trap town, with Lisa in tow, and back to the bank.

  When Josie left the diner after her shift, she shielded her eyes from the bright sun, then took a deep breath of fresh air. When she got to her car, she found Mike leaning against the driver’s side door.

  He held up one hand to stop her. “Before you chastise me, let me say I’m here to try to make amends for how poorly I handled this morning.”

  The anger she’d fed all afternoon vanished. He stood with ankles crossed, arms folded in front of himself—he in his designer-brand clothes against her clunker car. She grinned. “I can’t imagine a more mismatched pair than you and Betty.”

  “Betty?”

  “My car.”

  “So you’re one of those people.” He smiled.

  “You got it. Betty and I, we’re pretty attached to each other.”

  “Then maybe Betty would like to meet Jeffery sometime.”

  Her mouth fell open. “No way. Not you.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I repeatedly refused my parents’ offer of a driver. Finally told them I already had Jeffery. They never asked again.”

  Trying to picture him doing something so whimsical, she burst out laughing. Then again, for him, it had been practical. “Just when I think I have you all figured out…”

  He opened her door for her.

  She searched the street, but didn’t see his car. “Did you walk here?”

  “Yes. Thought I could use the time to think.”

  She squeezed past him and slipped into her split, vinyl car seat. “So why are you here?”

  “I thought I’d offer to help check on Lisa.”

  Josie considered his offer for a few seconds. “Can you manage not to upset her again?”

  One side of his mouth quirked up. “I doubt it.”

  That was for certain. They were like oil and water. “Oh, all right, get in.”

  As Michael climbed in, he thanked God that Josie was willing to help out with Lisa. He’d replayed the morning’s scene over and over in his mind since he’d left the diner.

  “You know where you went wrong this morning, Mike?”

  He watched her profile as she drove. “Are you a mind reader?”

  “No. Just assuming you’re here because you feel guilty.”

  “I never should have used the word home synonymously with school.”

  “Bingo.”

  “Contrary to what you might think, I do learn from my mistakes.”

  She sucked in her breath. “You? Mistakes?”

  With a smile, he faced the road again. “Never. Just lapses in judgment.”

  “I see. Well, I suggest you tread carefully from here on out. Remember, Lisa is an injured girl who craves a family who loves her and wants her.”

  Michael’s heart and stomach hurt simultaneously. How could I forget? “You know, taking care of a teenager is quite an undertaking even for family. Doing so just because you were a runaway yourself doesn’t make much sense.”

  “Oh, it’s more than that. I told you, it’s my calling. To help people like Jesus would.”

  “How did you discover your calling?”

  “After I settled here in Gatlinburg, I realized that I didn’t really have a purpose in my life. So I asked God to give me one.”

  “And he sent you Lisa?”

  “Yes. But he sent a few other girls first, through a ministry at my church.”

  “What happened with them?”

  She slowed to a stop behind a line of traffic. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  He wasn’t sure at all. “I should probably know your track record.”

  “Two have gone home, reunited with their families. One, Regina, is living on her own here in town and attending the community college. Another couldn’t get off drugs and ran off when I got tough with her.”

  “At least you tried.”

  She smiled at him. “Thank you for saying that. I still worry about her.”

  They pulled up to the craft school, and this time she let Michael go all the way up to the campus with her. They stepped out of the car and into what looked like an art gallery and found doors leading to, presumably, studios. Josie seemed to
know where she was going.

  “Have you been here before?” he asked.

  “Yes, I took a jewelry making class a couple of years ago.”

  “Impressive.”

  “Lower your brows a notch. You don’t have to look so surprised.”

  “I’m not at all surprised. Your passion for what interests you is to be admired.”

  Color flooded her cheeks, and he had a powerful urge to run his thumbs over their warmth.

  Instead, he clenched his hands. “Let’s find Lisa.”

  “I have a feeling she’s in there.” She pointed to a door marked Fibers, peeked in, then motioned him over.

  He looked over the top of Josie’s head, the wild bits of hair tickling his chin. She smelled like the diner, which made his empty stomach rumble. But her hair also held the faint aroma of peaches. Intriguing. He would have expected something sassy, something spicy.

  Lisa, deep in conversation with a guy working at a large loom, didn’t see them. Josie backed into Michael, pushing him out of the way, so she could quietly close the door.

  “Has she come to watch that artisan before?”

  “Yes, and anyone else who has a talent that interests her.”

  “You mean she’s truly interested in art?”

  Josie cocked her head to the side and gave him a smile just short of friendly. “Shouldn’t you know?”

  She was right. And he didn’t like it at all. It seemed that he, who was so proficient at work, was failing more and more on a personal level. Most recently at his engagement to Gloria. But with far more devastating consequences, he’d failed at protecting his sister.

  Now here he was, a dismal failure at guardianship. He didn’t even know what kinds of things Lisa liked—other than outrageous hair color.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s leave before she sees us.”

  As Josie and Mike sat in silence, stuck in traffic on the main drag, Josie prayed for Lisa and her uncle. It was as plain as an egg over-easy that Lisa craved his love and attention. But he was clueless. Clueless of her needs. Clueless about what to do to meet those needs.

  Lord Jesus, give me wisdom. Help me know what to do to help the two of them. It seems that somehow, I could teach them how to relate. How to— “That’s it!”

  “What?” Mike asked.