She would have to trust Zach would keep his word and be home in time for the party. If not, she would definitely give him a piece of her mind.
* * *
Zach took a seat in Hank’s office early the next morning, leaned back and crossed his ankles. Sophie’s stern words were still scratching against his mood like a bug bite. “Today is Katie’s birthday and I promised to be at her party.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. Mr. Habersham’s three stops aren’t that far apart so you won’t be gone long. Besides, this guy is a good customer and he’ll pay you a handsome bonus if he likes you.”
It was a good opportunity and he needed every penny until a real job came through. Hank was his only source of income for the time being. Zach did a quick calculation in his head. Even allowing for longer meetings than planned, he’d be back before supper and in plenty of time for the party. An uneasy tightness settled in his chest. Sophie had made a big point of him being at this party. No, of him keeping his promise. It had been a command, really. A threat. As if he would suffer extreme consequences for failing to show up.
Surely she understood he wouldn’t break a promise. Unless, of course, something more important turned up.
His conscience burned like a hot poker in his mind. That was the same rationalization he’d used when he’d told his brother he couldn’t fly them home from their trip because he had to go to Dallas to test-fly a new helicopter design. It hadn’t been a lie, but not exactly the truth either. It was something he’d wanted to do. An opportunity he hadn’t wanted to pass up. So, he’d broken his promise. And Dean and Maddie had died.
Sometimes being around Sophie left him edgy and confused and he didn’t like the feeling. She puzzled him and intrigued him at the same time. She also made him feel as if she could see right through him to who he was and found him lacking. No one had ever made him feel like that before. She always forced him to take a closer look at himself.
He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. “Do you know the birthdays of your nieces and nephews?”
Hank stared at him a long moment. “I have seven of them. No, not all of them. Why?”
Zach rubbed his forehead. “Today is Katie’s birthday.”
“Ah. And you didn’t remember. Well, it’s not too late to pick up a gift.”
“That’s not the problem. Sophie gave me a lecture on how important it is to keep promises to kids.”
Hank nodded in agreement. “It is. That’s why I’m very careful when I promise something to my boys.”
“Have you ever broken one?”
“A few times. It wasn’t pretty. I felt really bad and I had to deal with a disappointed son for a long while. Not to mention a wife who was ready to send me to the doghouse permanently.”
“But they got over it, right? I mean, it couldn’t be helped.”
“Yes, and you’re right. It couldn’t have been helped, but to a five-year-old that doesn’t mean anything. All they know is that their dad was supposed to be somewhere and he didn’t show up. After that, it’s hard to regain their trust.”
Broken promises. Zach was all too aware of the consequences. But he hadn’t equated that to making a promise to his niece. “I guess I have a lot to learn about being a parent.”
Hank chuckled softly. “You are taking a crash course, my friend. Don’t be so hard on yourself. But you might want to put the kids’ birthdays in your phone and make a reminder for yourself.”
“Yeah. Great idea. I’ll do that.” Gathering up his gear, Zach went out to the plane and started his preflight check. He had to backtrack a few times when his concern about the promise thing took over his thoughts.
Thankfully, his passenger arrived and he was able to shove his concern into a back corner of his mind, but not before making a promise to himself to be back home in plenty of time for Katie’s party tonight no matter what.
By four o’clock that afternoon, Zach’s promise to himself was starting to look like a no-go. His passenger had added two more stops to their flight plan. One in Little Rock and another in Mobile. Each stop so far had taken an hour or more longer than the man had estimated. Zach did a quick calculation. If they kept to a good schedule, he’d be home in the nick of time. If anything went wrong, he’d be in hot water.
Thankfully he’d picked up a gift along the way and had it wrapped so he was good on that front. He sent up a prayer for smooth sailing as his passenger came toward him over the tarmac. So far this stop had gone as planned. Only one more to go.
* * *
Mr. Habersham was an hour late returning to the FBO in Mobile and Zach was getting antsy. Bad weather threatened. If they could get in the air soon, he could fly around it but it would play havoc with his timetable.
He finished his preflight check and prepared to taxi. He couldn’t worry about broken promises now. He needed all his skill and concentration to get them home safely and pray his family would understand and that little Katie would forgive him.
And that Sophie wouldn’t throttle him.
* * *
Sophie checked the clock again, gritting her teeth. If she could get her hands on Zack right now, she would cheerfully wring his stubborn, clueless neck. It was well past supper time and there was no sign of him. He hadn’t even bothered to call. She’d managed to persuade Katie to eat, reminding her that Zach had promised to be there and that sometimes planes ran late. But that wasn’t going to satisfy her much longer. Even Linney was getting agitated.
She’d called Zach’s cell but it went to voice mail. She’d phoned Hank but he wasn’t aware of any problems. He promised to call if he heard anything. An hour later he’d called to explain about the additional stops the passenger had added and the bad weather.
Katie’s irritation level rose steadily with each passing minute. The children were getting anxious. What worried her was that they weren’t upset about the party, but that something might have happened to their uncle. She had to admit she was also becoming concerned. Zach may have a lot to learn about parenting, but she knew he wouldn’t deliberately miss the party without some reasonable explanation.
Her throat seized up. That left another frightening possibility. What if something had happened to him and he couldn’t call? Her concern spiked to alarm when Linney burst into the room sobbing.
“He’s dead. Uncle Zach is dead like Mommy and Daddy.”
Her heart chilled. Sophie picked her up and held her close. “Oh, no, Linney. I’m sure he’s fine. He’s just running late. Hank said the man he was flying around added a few more stops to the trip. That’s all.” She decided not to mention the weather. “It’ll be all right, sweetheart. He’ll be here soon and we’ll have Katie’s party just like we planned.”
Linney shook her head against Sophie’s neck. “No. He’s dead. Everyone said Mommy and Daddy were late, too. Only they weren’t. They never came home. They went to heaven instead. I don’t want Uncle Zach to go to heaven.”
Sophie didn’t know how to comfort the little girl. She clutched the child closer, making soothing sounds and praying for something reassuring to say.
Katie approached, her eyes wet with tears. “Uncle Zach isn’t coming home is he? His plane crashed. Like Mom and Dad’s car. That’s why he’s late, huh?”
“No. I’m sure that’s not it. He’s just late.”
“We know when grown-ups are lying.”
DJ leaned against the doorjamb. “They kept telling us our parents were coming home, but they never did.”
Sophie wanted desperately to give them words of hope, but she was beginning to feel the fear herself. Katie started to sob, and Sophie ushered them into the living room, gathering them on the sofa and trying to comfort them the best she knew how.
“Let’s say a prayer for his safe return and that he’ll be home soon.”
They prayed, but it did nothing to calm them, Linney had worked herself up into a cr
ying jag that shook her little body. “What will we do without Uncle Zach? Who will take care of us?”
“We’ll go to foster care, that’s what. They’ll send us to live with mean people.”
Sophie scowled. “DJ. Stop talking like that. You’re scaring your sisters. Nothing has happened to your uncle. Besides, you have me now. Everything is going to be all right.”
“You won’t go anywhere, will you? You’ll stay here forever?” Katie looked up at her with pleading eyes.
If only Sophie could make that promise. “Hush. Don’t worry. I’m here.” She stroked Katie’s hair, praying that she could always be a part of their lives.
The sound of the back door opening woke her. Linney was asleep with her head in Sophie’s lap. Katie was curled up beside her on the sofa. DJ was laid back in the recliner deep in sleep.
Zach stepped into the family room, sending a torrent of mixed emotions through her veins. Relief that he was home safe, and fury that he’d put them through this trauma without any thought of them.
She avoided looking at him, turning her attention to the girls and gently stirring them awake. “Uncle Zach is home safe and sound.”
Linney rubbed her eyes, took one look at her uncle and screeched. She flew off the sofa and charged toward him. “I thought you were dead.”
Zach was clearly shocked at her words as he picked her up and held her close. “I’m fine, Linney Bug. It’s okay.”
Katie woke next and ran to her uncle. “Don’t go to heaven, Uncle Zach, please don’t go there. Where were you? We thought you’d died. Why didn’t you call us?”
The little girl had voiced all of Sophie’s concerns, so she stood and watched as DJ rose from the recliner. “Not cool, Uncle Zach. Not cool.” He headed up the stairs.
Sophie faced the man, arms crossed over her chest. The girls were still crying, Zach’s reassurances having little effect. He looked lost and confused but she didn’t offer to help. Let the man figure out how to appease them.
Linney finally stopped crying and Katie eased her grip around his waist.
Sophie took the opportunity to steer them off to bed.
“What about my party?” Katie asked.
Sophie had long ago put the cake back in the refrigerator and cleared away the birthday paper plates. “We’ll celebrate tomorrow.”
Linney took Sophie’s hand but stopped and looked back at Zach. “Will you be here in the morning?”
“Yes, of course. I promise.”
Katie frowned. “You promised to be here for the party, too. But you weren’t.”
Sophie shot a glare in his direction, then guided the girls up to bed. It took her a while to get them settled down, and when she went back downstairs, Zach was nowhere to be found.
She finally tracked him to the front porch sitting in one of the rockers. She sat in the other one, struggling to find the words. She couldn’t decide whether to be gracious and hear his side of the story or launch into her tirade about breaking promises.
She chose to wait for him to initiate the conversation.
Chapter Seven
Zach tensed when Sophie came out onto the porch. She sat in the other rocker, stiff, disapproving, exuding anger. He tried his best to wait for her scolding, but she remained silent and unmoving. After a long silence, he began to squirm. He’d been in this position before as a kid waiting for his father to punish him for something he’d done. He might as well face the music because Sophie was obviously going to make him fess up, as his dad used to say.
He took a deep breath and prayed for courage. “I didn’t mean to break my promise. It couldn’t be helped.”
She didn’t answer right away but when she spoke her tone was icy cold. “Which is why you shouldn’t make promises unless you are certain you can keep them.”
He looked at her but she was staring straight ahead. “That’s an impossible request to make of anyone.”
“No, it’s not. It’s simple. Just don’t make promises. Or you could call and let others know you’re running late.”
“I can’t use a cell phone when I’m flying.”
“What about between flights?”
Zach exhaled a deep sigh. “It was a very hectic day. The passenger added two more cities to the itinerary. I’m lucky I even had time to get Katie a gift.”
“It would have been better if you’d been here.”
“I didn’t know they’d be so upset.”
She finally faced him. “You heard them, Zach. They thought you were dead. Linney was hysterical at one point. It was all I could do to calm her down. Katie cried and prayed over and over that you wouldn’t go to heaven.”
Bile rose in his throat and a knot formed inside his rib cage. “I never intended for this to happen. I had no idea they’d react that way.”
“You should have. They’ve lost their parents. Of course they’d think the worst when the only person left to them didn’t come home. They were reliving that day, Zach. Surely you can understand that.”
He did. And she was right. He should have foreseen this kind of reaction. Another mega failure as a parent. Would he ever get the hang of raising his family? “So how do I fix this?”
“You don’t fix this Zach. The damage has been done. You broke your promise. Now you have to work on rebuilding their trust.”
Zach looked at her. “What is it with you and promises? My parents made promises that sometimes they couldn’t keep. We were supposed to go on a beach trip one summer, but my dad lost a contracting job at the last minute and we couldn’t go. We were disappointed but it didn’t scar us for life.”
He met Sophie’s gaze; her eyes widened and she clasped her hands together. Even in the dim porch light he could see how pale she’d become. He sensed there was something deeper to her passion about promises. “Who broke a promise to you, Sophie, that you’re so fierce about keeping them?”
She turned away, her head bowed. He reached out to her, then thought better of the idea. It might be best to not force the issue.
“Everyone.”
She spoke the word so softly he wasn’t sure he’d heard it. His heart ached. What had happened to her? Slowly he extended his hand and lightly touched her forearm. She winced and pulled away.
“Who, Sophie?”
He watched her spine stiffen, her head lift, and she turned to face him, her lips in a hard line. “My sister promised we’d stay together no matter what, but she walked out in the middle of the night and disappeared. My father promised to take care of me, that I’d never be alone, but he dumped me at my aunt’s two weeks after my mother died. My fiancé promised to love me forever, until he found someone better.”
His heart sank. “Those are big promises to break.”
“You may not have scars from your broken promises but I do. They changed my life. If they hadn’t promised, then it wouldn’t have hurt so much. There are tragic consequences to breaking a promise.”
If she’d jammed a knife into his chest, it couldn’t have hurt more. His mouth filled with a metallic taste. He knew only too well the consequences of breaking a promise. He lived them every time he looked at the kids.
“I’ll talk to the kids tomorrow and assure them that it won’t happen again. But I won’t promise anything.” He hoped his light tone would ease her tension, but she kept her face averted. A light breeze stirred her hair and she brushed it aside. It struck him that as much as she resembled her sister physically, she was really a different person. “You’re nothing like your sister.”
Her soft inhale of breath told him he’d said the exact wrong thing.
“I’m very aware of that. Maddie was the pretty one, the smart one, the bubbly one, the one that drew everyone to her and made them feel special. I was the shy mouse hiding in the corner.”
“I just meant that—”
She held up her hand. “Y
ou just wish I’d be more like my sister. Well, I’m not her and I can’t ever be like her.”
She went inside, letting the door slam behind her.
Zach rested his head on the back of the rocker, gripping the wooded arms in his hands. He should have known better than to try to talk about this situation. He was lousy at talking. He always said the wrong thing. Talking only led to more trouble and more misunderstanding.
He had to make this right but he had no idea how to go about it. Life was so much simpler when he only had to worry about himself. He wasn’t cut out for being a dad, a parent, holding a family together. Lord, why have You put me here? I can’t take the place of their parents. Sophie made a better guardian than he could ever be. Maybe it would be best for everyone if she took over. But how would he survive without the kids? They were a part of him now. His family.
Zach slowly rose from the rocker and headed inside. There was nothing he could do tonight. He’d tackle everything tomorrow. There were several closet projects that would be finished and then he could turn things over to Sophie for the finishing touches.
* * *
Zach’s toast popped up just as Linney grabbed his leg and hugged it tight. He smiled and rested a hand on her head. “Good morning.”
She looked up at him with big blue eyes “I was afraid you wouldn’t be here.”
He winced. He’d hoped last night would be forgotten in the light of day but apparently not. “I’m here, Linney Bug, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good. I’m hungry.”
Zach fixed a bowl of cereal and set it in front of her, joining her at the table and taking a bite of his toast. He searched around for words to explain about last night. Sophie’s words still rang in his head. He’d grossly underestimated the effect being late would have on the kids.
“I’m sorry about Katie’s party last night. I was looking forward to it.”
“That’s okay. I was just scared. Mommy and Daddy didn’t come home, and I was afraid you wouldn’t either. DJ said we’d have to go live with mean people in frosty care.”
The Orphans' Blessing Page 9
