Finding Hope (Love's Compass Book 2) (16 page)

Tuck nodded in agreement. “We’ll get this figured out.”

Lance’s chest swelled with pride as he watched Lexi step up and put her family at ease in the middle of a crisis.

It was clear why she became a nurse. She’d always had a knack for taking care of other people. She was good at it, too.

Her eyes sought his and she gave him a determined smile. Yes, he was proud to know this beautiful woman who, along with Tuck, was leading her family into their home.

The smell of smoke burned his nostrils as he stepped into the living room. Together, they approached the kitchen and stopped at the door. It was almost unrecognizable. The fire had left behind gruesome black streaks on the walls and charred appliances. The floor was covered with layers of ash and water. Lance’s eyes went to the back door. It was open and the glass in the windows had been knocked out when the firefighters had battled the blaze.

In the midst of all that damage, one object seemed to draw everyone’s attention. The kitchen table.

Lance knew the story well. Grams’ late husband, Nicholas, had crafted the table with his own hands before Patty was born. Many people who knew the Chandler family admired the table and tried to convince Nicholas to make and sell tables like it. He’d always refused. He gave it to Grams one Christmas and it had been the centerpiece in the Chandler home ever since.

Now, the half of the table closest to the stove had black streaks that stretched like evil fingers infecting the beautiful wood. The fire had eaten away at one corner. The other half of the table had been spared from the flames, but it was covered with water and ash.

The moment she spotted the table, Lexi’s breath whooshed from her lungs. Her body tense, she put a hand against her chest, fingers splayed near her neck.

Grams was holding her locket. The brass heart hung from a matching chain. She pressed her lips to the three-dimensional compass on the surface.

Lexi could picture the photo of Gramps inside and knew that Grams was in shock. The table was her favorite possession — besides the locket — that he had given to her.

Lexi could only imagine the emotions that must be going through her right now. Someone walked up behind Lexi and placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced back to find Lance, his face a picture of sympathy. She turned back to the table, but allowed herself to take what strength she could from his touch and resisted the urge to lean into him.

The sorrow in the group dripped like the ashen water from the walls.

“Gideon!”

Serenity reached for her son who had broken away from the rest of them. He was too quick and dashed into the kitchen towards the table. He stooped to pick an object up off the floor.

Lexi watched with the others as he made his way to the fridge. He placed a magnet on the small portion of the fridge that was still smooth. It was a magnet they’d ordered online after the last family portrait. Somehow, despite what had occurred in the kitchen, it seemed to be untouched.

Gideon stood back and grinned, satisfaction on his face, as the images in the photo smiled back at him. The devastation around him didn’t matter as long as that picture was where it needed to be.

It was that moment when tears found their way to Lexi’s eyes. She sniffed at the same time that Serenity did.

“It’s stuff.” Grams drew herself up to her full height and tucked the locket inside her blouse. “The fridge. That stove. The walls. They’re only things. The table didn’t make this family. It’s the family that made this table special. And we’re all here. Together.”

Gideon rejoined them and Patty put her arms around him, kissing his head. “She’s right. We have so many things to be thankful for.”

Lexi blinked away the moisture and cleared her throat. “All right, everyone. I think that’s about all the sappiness I can take today. Let’s get what you all need for a few days and meet back down here.”

They did as she suggested and agreed to go to Tuck’s house to get everything figured out. They were about to leave when Grams carried a towel she’d retrieved from the bathroom into the kitchen. Lovingly, she wiped all the water and ash off the table, going over it again one more time to make sure it was clean and dry.

No one said anything as they watched her. When she folded the towel and left it hanging over a chair, Lexi and Serenity went forward to each give her a kiss on the cheek.

“We love you, Grams,” Lexi whispered near her ear.

Grams put an arm around each of them. “I love you girls, too.”

When they got to Tuck’s house, Laurie met them at the door, welcoming them all with hugs. “I have cookies, juice, cold water, and tea in the kitchen if anyone needs a snack.”

Lexi accepted the hug. “You’re Wonder Woman having all of this ready like that. Thank you.”

Gideon raced past them as Lance chased after him while growling like a bear. Squeals emanated from the kitchen. The women laughed.

As they polished off the cookies, the sounds of Lexi’s family laughing around her was like a salve on an open wound.

At the end of the evening, they decided that Patty and Grams would stay with Tuck and Laurie. They had more room and better beds for them to sleep on.

Serenity and Gideon would stay with Lexi. She had the couch Serenity could sleep on and they grabbed Gideon’s sleeping bag and pillow so he would be fine on the floor for a few nights.

Lexi yawned widely for the tenth time. She was past the point of being spent. Between only hours of broken sleep and then the drama of the fire, she was sure she could sleep for a day.

“You desperately need some rest.” Lance moved to stand next to her as though he were afraid she might collapse. “If you guys are ready, you should head back to your place.”

Lexi glanced at Serenity who nodded.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“Do you want me to drive you home?”

Serenity helped Gideon don his backpack. “I have room in my car for Lexi.”

Lexi offered Lance a tired smile. “You’ve gone above and beyond today. I’ll go back with Serenity.” She stepped closer to him and lowered her voice a little. “Thank you for everything. Your support meant a lot to all of us.”

He softly touched the back of his fingers to her cheek. “I’m glad I could be here for you.”

~

The kitchen at the Chandler house was a real mess. Lance had volunteered to go over with Tuck the next day to take inventory. They’d arranged for someone to get the water mess cleaned up. They also called in an expert to give them an idea of what it would cost to gut that part of the kitchen and rebuild it. It cost more, but they’d been fortunate to find a company that could get started that week.

Lance had told Grams he would move the table back to his workshop.

Now he stood examining it. The burned half of the table was even worse than he thought it would be. When he first saw it, he had hoped that he might be able to sand out some of the light charring and then stain or paint it. But the damage was much more severe. That half of the table would not be salvageable.

He knew that Grams would be brokenhearted, though how the older woman pulled herself together the day before would fill anyone with admiration.

He knew Lexi took after her Grams.

That brought a smile to his face.

He reached a hand out, touching the surface of the table. He could imagine Nicholas spending hours and hours working on it, the image of his wife’s happy face when she saw it keeping him going.

Had he imagined his children eating at the table as they grew up? What about his grandchildren?

Lance would find a way to take what was left of that table and turn it into something Grams could hold onto and continue to pass down through the generations.

There was a soft knock at the entrance to the shop. When he saw who it was, he forgot the pad of paper and pencil he’d been holding.

“Avalon! Are you okay?”

His sister, Avalon, stood there, guilt all over her face. She’d never been good at hiding her emotions, not even when they were kids. It made her even more emotional when everyone else could read her like a book.

“I’m fine, Lance. Can’t your sister come home for a visit?”

“Out of the blue after living in Arizona the last two years? Seems a little fishy.”

She shot him a glare so cold he could have sworn the temperature had decreased in the shop ten degrees.

He stood and went forward, engulfing her in a brotherly hug. “I’m kidding, Avalon. It’s good to see you. What brings you to good old Texas?”

Avalon gave him another firm stare but took a seat on the chair in the corner. “I’m thinking about moving back.”

His eyebrows rose. Avalon had left home as soon as she’d graduated from high school. She’d gone to college in Arizona, only to drop out her sophomore year, saying college wasn’t for her. She stayed in Arizona, working odd jobs that none of them could seem to keep up with. He wasn’t even sure what town she claimed to be home.

She’d needed her space and while it was hard on their parents, they respected her decisions, and she’d always seemed happy.

Something had to have changed for her to come home like this.

“What happened?”

Moisture gathered in his younger sister’s eyes and the part of him that always felt protective of his siblings came to the surface. He pulled a chair closer to her and sat down.

“What’s wrong, Avalon? Do I need to fly to Arizona and hunt someone down?”

That got a giggle. She swiped at her eyes and took a steadying breath. “I screwed up. Big time.”

He stayed silent, waiting for her to open up and tell him what was going on.

“I’m married, Lance. And last week, I said I needed space. That’s why I’m here. To think.”

That was the last thing he expected her to say. Well, outside of a declaration about overtaking a country. He knew his mouth was hanging open. “You’re WHAT?”

“His name is Duke. We got married in July.” She stopped.

“Was he abusive? Did he hit you? He sounds like a guy that would hit a woman.”

“No!” Avalon stood, too, and placed a hand on his chest. “He’s a gentleman. He’d never do something like that.”

“Then why on earth are you leaving him? It all seems way too rushed. Ending a marriage is as big of a decision as beginning one.”

“I’m not leaving him. I needed space to think, and he did, too.”

“If you’re married and having trouble, I don’t think going out of state is the way to handle things.” His voice relayed the shock he felt. The tension was palpable.

“Right. You’re a happily married man — of course you know what you’re talking about.” The words dripped sarcasm.

“Then why did you come to me? Why not go talk to Marian? Or Gwen? Or Mom?”

Avalon collapsed onto the chair again, covering her face with her hands as she moaned. “I don’t know. Because maybe their marriages are too happy.”

Lance covered his mouth with his hand, blowing air against it. He ran his hand across his goatee. He said a prayer for patience.

“Come here, Avalon.”

She stood, her eyes widening when he reached and drew her into a bear hug. “What’s that for?”

“Because I’m happy to see my little sister and I hate that I have no idea what’s going on in your life and I can’t make any judgments. I love you. I want you to be happy. And I want to help you.” Her arms tightened around him with a fierceness that worried him. What had happened to her in the last few months?

~

Lexi woke up bleary-eyed. Which was never a good sign. She entered the kitchen to find Serenity and Gideon helping themselves to breakfast.

“Are you okay?” Serenity was studying her older sister.

“I’m ready for a vacation.” She took a drink of orange juice.

“Have you considered working somewhere else?”

Lexi shook her head. “I love being a nurse. It’s what I’ve always wanted to be.”

“I’m not talking a change in profession. What about a change in employers? When we were at Gideon’s last appointment at the pediatrician’s office, the lady up front mentioned that they were trying to find another nurse to hire on there. I have no idea what kind of pay that is and how it might compare to the hospital. There have to be other nursing opportunities where you aren’t working twelve hour shifts back-to-back.”

There had been a time when Lexi would have balked at working anywhere but the hospital. But between being held at knifepoint back in February, her cancer, and now the fire, she couldn’t deny that having a normal 9 to 5 job sounded wonderful.

“Thanks, Serenity. I’ll think about it.”

She turned her attention to Gideon, who was munching on cereal. “How are you doing, big guy? Did you sleep well?”

He didn’t respond, but he picked an apple out of the bowl on the table and handed it to her.

“Thank you. You knew just what I needed for breakfast.” She pretended to gobble it all down in seconds. Gideon laughed at that and handed her another apple. She repeated the performance. After the third apple, she magically produced the first two again and juggled them. One by one, she placed them back in the bowl.

Serenity was smiling at them. “You are amazing with kids.”

Yes, she was. Ironic since she would never have one of her own. Thinking about it made her heart ache. She’d have to focus on the kids she helped. Try to let it go. Maybe she would get a dog or two and become the neighborhood dog lady.

Yeah, that made sense. Because a houseful of dogs was precisely what she needed when she worked twelve hours a day.

Lexi gave them both goodbye hugs and left.

Serenity’s suggestion kept popping up in her mind. It wasn’t a bad one.

Wondering what Lance would think of the idea, she almost dialed his number out of habit. She realized what she was doing and shoved her phone back into her pocket again with a groan.

Her day was a long one and all Lexi could do was think about her job situation and how Lance had been there for her – for her whole family – the day before. She knew she was dwelling. But she’d managed to avoid doing that for the most part since her diagnosis and figured she was due.

Two hours before she was off for the night, they had an emergency visit from a young woman who found a baby behind the dumpster near her house.

The baby boy was a newborn with over a foot of umbilical cord still attached, tied off with a shoestring. She’d found him wrapped in a bloody towel, alive but too weak to cry.

As Lexi and three others worked to stabilize him, she’d felt the anger build up inside her. How did people decide to take a new life and throw it away like garbage? Even if they couldn’t handle a baby, there were safe places they could have taken him. What about all the couples out there who can’t have children of their own and would give anything for that same baby.