heart melted. “Please don’t be sorry, sweetie. It’s not your fault. If Mom wants something, she knows to call my cell phone, but she forgets and—”
“She doesn’t forget.” Her head swung back and forth like a swinging door. “Mom does what she wants.”
He drew her into his arms and held her close without a word. A five-year-old had more wisdom than her parents at times. The situation broke his heart, and a stab of regret nailed him to the chair. Something had to be done, yet he felt helpless. How could he show Glenda that they needed better communication? Their arguments didn’t give Carly a sense of well-being. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I know you do.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I love you, too.” With her head on his shoulder, she sat without speaking while his mind twisted and turned with longing and a prayer that the Lord could find an answer that wouldn’t drag Carly into court as a witness in a case that pit one parent against the other. Glenda knew him too well. She’d love him to be out of the picture entirely. She seemed to do anything she could that might cause him to back away and give up, because she knew he didn’t want to put their dear daughter through the mess. He could never hurt Carly that way.
“Daddy?”
“What, angel?” Wisps of her soft burnished hair brushed his neck.
“I had fun today. I like Angie ’cause she let me pick out the flowers for her garden, and when we got back she asked if we could go to the park, and you said yes. I loved the slide.” She put her hand over her mouth and chuckled. “Angie tried to do it, too, but she was too big for that little slide.”
Though he chuckled with her, his chest constricted. “She is a nice lady.”
Her head tilted upward, her grin marred by a growing frown. “Daddy?”
“What, my girl?” He feared she would say what he suspected had been on her mind, but hoped he was wrong.
“Why can’t Mom be like Angie? Mom doesn’t show me how to do anything, and if she wants me to do something, she hollers at me ’cause she’s too busy to teach me.”
A vise bound his lungs. “Some people don’t have the same amount of patience as other people. I guess Angie has lots of it.”
“Lots and lots.” Carly’s head bounced like a yo-yo. “We’ll see her tomorrow, but can we visit her again other times? She’s fun.”
“I’m sure we can.” He ruffled her hair. “Now I think it’s time for one young lady that I love with all my heart to go to bed.”
Her frown vanished, replaced by a grin. “That’s me, isn’t it?”
“You know it is. You’re the only young lady I love with all my heart.”
“I love you with all of my heart and fingers and toes.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before hopping down. “Good night, Daddy.”
“Good night, sweetheart. I’ll be there in couple of minutes to tuck you in.”
She walked backward toward the doorway. “I know. You always do.” She giggled and spun around.
When she had vanished through the archway, Rick sat for a moment, catching his breath and willing his sadness to go into hiding. He hadn’t cried in years, but tonight, the desire was strong. Racked with frustration, he stared at his hands, hands that were tied by attorneys, courts and judges. But he’d win somehow. He just had to find the way.
* * *
Hot coffee sputtered from Angie’s mouth when the phone rang. She was careful with the first cup in the morning. It was always too hot, but the phone’s ring made her jump and slosh it. She swiped a paper napkin across her mouth and went in search of her cell phone. She grabbed it on the fourth ring. Her heart lurched when she saw Rick’s number in the window. “Hi. Is something wrong?”
“Not from this end, but I think I woke you, didn’t I?”
“No, I was in the kitchen with my first cup of coffee.” She glanced at the clock, surprised he’d called so early. “If nothing’s wrong, then what’s right?”
He chuckled. “We’re getting ready to leave for church in about fifteen minutes, and I realized I should have suggested this earlier. It hit me a few minutes ago. I wondered if you might like to go to church with us. Now, I know that you said—”
“Rick, that wouldn’t stop me from joining you, but I slept in today. I’m not dressed and haven’t had a bite to eat, so I’d better say no.” She sensed his disappointment. “But ask me again, okay?”
“Sure. I knew this was a long shot. Carly really enjoyed her time with you, and I wanted you to know.”
Her chest tightened as she pictured the child’s gleaming face as she’d helped select the garden flowers and enjoyed their outing at the park. “She’s delightful, Rick. I had fun, too. She brought back the girl in me. You saw me on the slide.”
“She does good things for both of us.” Though he’d given a faint chuckle, his voice faded at the end of his sentence.
She sensed something wasn’t quite right. “What’s up? I hear stress in your voice.”
“You have good ears.” He paused a moment. “I was checking to make sure Carly’s out of earshot. I had four, maybe five, calls from her mother last night. She left voice mails on my landline. It threw me. I was so frustrated I couldn’t sleep.”
He filled in the details, and her pulse skipped over the tension he’d dealt with not only last night but other times during his marriage. None of it was her business, and though she wanted to make things better for him, running down his former wife and Carly’s mother wouldn’t be kind or appropriate. “I’m so sorry, Rick. I know that you want the best for Carly, and I suppose her mother wants the same, but her way. Maybe someday you’ll get lucky...blessed to have a solution to undo the situation. Carly belongs with you.”
“I pray, Angie.”
She heard him breathe, but he didn’t speak. She waited, a helpless feeling growing in her chest.
“I’d better go. We need to leave for church. Thanks for listening. I’m sorry to dump all this on you. Maybe you made a mistake being a good friend to—”
“Hold on, Rick. Like the cliché says, what are friends for? You listened to me and volunteered to come to my aid with many things. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of a coworker, don’t you think?”
“But that’s different. I enjoy your company, so it’s not a hardship for me.”
It wasn’t a hardship for her, either. She’d never enjoyed a man’s company as much, not even Cal and his motorcycle pals. “Enjoying your company is mutual, especially since I adore your daughter.”
Silence.
Why had she been so direct? “Rick, I appreciate your kindness, too.”
“I know. You just touched me with your comment about Carly. It’s wonderful to hear someone say they adore her.”
“I’m
