hadn’t noticed what her mother had on. She turned and assessed Aimee’s new clothes suspiciously, casting another critical glance at her mother before she gave an impatient shrug and tossed her long blond hair defiantly. She left the house without a word and slammed the door behind her.
Aimee dropped into the lounge chair before the window in the family room and covered her face with her hands. She heard the chickadees and nuthatches at the feeder outside the window, but she didn’t look up. Watching the pretty little birds usually lifted her spirits, but not now when her mind reeled with confusion. Soon her confusion turned to anger—not only at Samantha but also at herself. For years she had catered to her daughter’s every whim, so what could she expect?
She clenched her jaw to stop the tears in her heart from reaching her eyes. She would address Samantha’s rebellion later, but she wouldn’t let this evening be ruined. She needed a night out. Later, when she heard Erica’s car horn, Aimee pasted a smile on her face and left the house.
“Well, don’t you look sharp!” Erica exclaimed when Aimee opened the car door and sat beside her. “That’s a beautiful suit.”
Aimee fastened her seat belt, and Erica pulled away from the sidewalk. “I haven’t bought any clothes for months, so I went shopping today,” Aimee said. “How do you like my hair?”
“Gorgeous! It takes years off of your age.” Erica eyed her sharply. “But your eyes are pink. Been crying?”
“You’re too observant,” Aimee answered with a sigh. “Samantha wasn’t happy when she heard where I was going.”
“So…” Erica persisted.
“So I’ve made up my mind to start cutting the apron strings, and I don’t mean to separate Samantha from me. She’s already done that,” Aimee said. “I’m beginning to cut myself loose from her.”
“It won’t be easy,” Erica said sympathetically. “But for your own good, as well as Samantha’s, it’s time. In only a few years, she’ll be off to college.”
“I hope so, but it’s hard. I feel like I haven’t been a good mom, or Samantha wouldn’t be so rebellious.”
“Oh, it isn’t you,” Erica assured her. “It’s part of growing up. Just keep praying for Samantha.”
“Yes, I intend to,” Aimee said, although her prayer life was something else she’d neglected in the past few years.
Twenty minutes later, Erica bypassed the brick church building facing Madison Street and drove to an adjacent one-story metal structure housing a fellowship hall and classrooms.
“Please don’t make a big deal out of my coming to this meeting,” Aimee said. “I may never visit again, so I don’t want to call a lot of attention to myself.”
Erica’s eyebrows arched provocatively.
“I’m serious,” Aimee said.
“I’ll be good,” Erica promised as she got out of the car and walked toward the building. “I’m so happy to see this change in you that I won’t do anything you don’t like.”
Following her, Aimee took a deep breath, suddenly nervous and wishing she had stayed home. As they walked down a short hallway, Aimee lagged behind Erica. Hearing the mingled voices of many people and occasional bursts of laughter, Aimee wondered what she was getting herself into.
“Ready?” Erica asked as they neared a doorway.
Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, Aimee nodded.
Chapter Two
Several times throughout the day Jacob Mallory thought of the secretary he’d met at the elementary school this morning. As he counseled clients at his counseling service, the memory of her sweet, lavender scent nearly distracted him more than once. Aimee Blake, he’d noticed on the nameplate that rested on her desk. Although he’d lived in the small town of Benton for most of his life, he had never met her, which made him wonder if Aimee was new to town.
He worked late and went directly from work to the singles meeting, and as he drove the ten blocks, he thought again of Aimee, the woman with the gleaming dark hair and dark-blue eyes. The long lashes that framed her eyes created a stunning effect offset by her creamy complexion. But he thought he also sensed raw hurt flickering in those blue eyes, and he wondered what had caused her pain.
When he saw Aimee walk into the room with Erica Snyder, Jacob took a deep breath of utter astonishment. Momentarily, he wondered if he was dreaming or wide awake. But when the aromatic scent of lavender wafted toward him, Jacob knew that the woman with Erica was the same one he’d met this morning—the one who had distracted him all day.
When she entered the room with Erica, Aimee saw that it wasn’t as daunting as she’d thought. It had fewer than thirty people, and several strips of fluorescent lights shed light on the area. At one end was a kitchen, separated from the main room by a serving window. A podium and an electric keyboard were located at the opposite end of the room.
Two men stood near the entryway. Something seemed familiar about the muscular shoulders of one of them, and when he turned, Aimee recognized the friendly man she’d met at school earlier in the day. He must have recognized her, too, because he stared at her with a look of surprise. By the time they reached him, an infectious smile that spread to his dark eyes had stretched across his face.
“Well, hello again,” he said.
Surprised at how pleased she was to see him, Aimee returned his smile. “I didn’t expect to see you again, either, at least not so soon.” She felt her face flushing. She hoped her remark didn’t sound as if she’d been thinking about him.
Aimee sensed Erica’s sharp glance. “Say, do you two know each other?”
“Not really,” Aimee said. “We met at school this morning, and we haven’t even been properly introduced.”
“I can take care of that,” Erica said. “Aimee Blake, this is Jacob Mallory.”
“It’s great to see you,” Jacob said, moving closer and extending his hand. “Thanks for being so kind to my friend Alex today. He’s a shy kid.”
She placed her hand in Jacob’s and welcomed the warm pressure of his hand grasping hers. This morning she had assumed he was Alex’s father, but apparently he wasn’t. Then why had he brought the little boy to school?
“I’ll introduce you to the others before the meeting starts,” Erica said, and Aimee and Jacob exchanged polite smiles as she followed Erica. Walking from one group to the other, Erica kept up a low commentary about the people in the room. Aimee was grateful for the information, hoping she would be able to associate names with faces. They finally sat in a row of chairs not far from the podium. Soon, Jacob stopped beside Aimee and Erica.
“Hi, is it okay if I sit with you?”
“Sure,” Erica said. “I have to help set up the stage for our musicians when they get here. You can visit with Aimee while I’m doing that.”
As Jacob took the chair to her right, Aimee sensed that Erica wasn’t too excited about his sitting with them. She slanted a curious glance
