hours talking about their questions concerning God. It wasn’t until after the girls were born, and Mrs. Thompson had introduced Joy to the members of her church, that Joy had embraced her faith. Had Chase become a believer, too?
He didn’t hesitate, but took Kinsley’s hand in one and Ryan’s hand in the other. He also bowed his head, but caught her watching him before he closed his eyes. His smile was soft and gentle, but it made her cheeks burn.
Closing her eyes tight, she prayed, “Lord, thank You for this meal, this family and all Your provisions. Amen.”
“And thank You for Chase,” Kodi added quickly. “And the tree fort he’s going to build us.”
“Amen,” everyone else echoed.
“Tree fort?” Kinsley’s eyes grew wide. “I come to your tree fort?”
“No, Kinney, you’re too little,” Kodi told her as he took a piece of bread from the basket passing by.
“I not too little!” She frowned indignantly, crossing her arms.
Chase smiled. “Would you like some salad, Miss Kinsley?”
Her frown deepened and she wrinkled her nose. “Carrots are yucky.”
“Then pick them out,” Joy told her daughter.
Kinsley started to pick out the carrot sticks on her plate. While Chase was helping Jordan, she quietly set the offensive vegetables on Chase’s plate.
“What’s this?” Chase asked when he finished with Jordan. He hadn’t placed anything on his plate yet, so the carrots were obviously not his.
Kinsley took a bite out of her garlic bread. “They’re yucky.”
“Then why would I want them?” he asked.
“Because you’re an adult,” Kodi supplied, as if the answer was obvious. “And adults eat their vegetables. Right, Mom?”
Joy nodded, hiding a smile. “Kids should eat their vegetables, too.”
A chorus of complaints filled the kitchen and then the conversation shifted in a dozen different directions. Since Chase was new to the kids, he was the center of their attention, and he answered all their questions patiently.
Joy watched him interact with the kids while a deep sadness overtook her. Why couldn’t things have been different? Why had he told her he loved her four years ago, when he didn’t plan to stick around and prove it to her? Were they just flowery words, used to get what he wanted?
It didn’t matter anymore. She had learned her lesson.
She’d never trust Chase Asher again.
“It’s getting late,” Mrs. Thompson said as she set her coffee cup in the sink. “Here I’ve been, talking your ear off, and you’re probably tired from all your traveling today.” She set her hand on Chase’s shoulder as she took his dirty plate. “You should head on down to the carriage house and get some sleep.”
The sooner he was out of the mansion, the better. Joy stood and took her plate to the sink. The kids were watching TV in the front parlor while Mrs. Thompson and Chase had visited. Over the past thirty minutes, she had discovered that Chase graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, the year after he left Timber Falls, had gone on to work with his father directly after college and was now living in Seattle. When Mrs. Thompson had asked if there was a special lady in his life, he had evaded the question and changed the subject.
Was there someone else in his life now? Did that someone know he was in Timber Falls with the mother of his children at this very moment?
Joy checked her thoughts and forced herself to stop thinking about Chase’s love life.
“Let me help clear the table,” Chase said.
“Nonsense.” Mrs. Thompson took a dirty glass out of his hand. “I’ll call the kids back in and they can help with the dishes. You should go with Joy and she’ll show you around the carriage house.”
The sun had already set, so the last streaks of daylight were splayed against the sky in pinks and purples. If she wanted to get him settled before it grew completely dark, they’d need to hurry. She’d prefer to send him there alone, but she still didn’t know how his conversation had gone with his father and she hadn’t wanted to ask in front of the children or Mrs. Thompson. If it hadn’t gone well, she’d find a way to tell them herself.
“I’ll grab the keys to the carriage house, if you want to drive your car down the hill,” she said to Chase.
He nodded and cleared another plate off the table, despite Mrs. Thompson’s protests. “Thank you for the delicious meal.”
The older lady’s cheeks glowed at the praise. “Anytime.”
While Chase went out to his car, Joy grabbed the keys from a drawer in the foyer.
Stepping outside, she inhaled the fresh scent of early summer. Ducks quacked in a nearby pond, birds chirped from the treetops and squirrels pranced around the lawn. Deep green foliage filled in the space between branches, offering lushness to the great outdoors.
She walked down the hill to the white carriage house at the bottom and waited for Chase to park his rented Jeep Wrangler. The canvas top was down and he looked every bit the carefree son of a millionaire.
What would he think of her silver minivan, with dried french fries and cheesy fish crackers littering the floor? They were definitely living in two different worlds.
He jumped out of the Jeep and took his suitcase from the back seat.
“It’s amazing how little this place has changed,” he said as he followed her up the steep set of stairs outside the carriage house. The apartment was on the upper level, while the original carriages were stored in the garage on the main level. When Uncle Morgan had lived here, they had installed a chair lift to take him up and down the stairs, though he didn’t leave the house often.
“Why change something that’s already perfect?” she asked.
“I couldn’t agree more.” His voice had dropped an octave and Joy forced herself not to assume a deeper meaning behind his words.
When she reached the top of the steps, she unlocked the door and pushed it open. The apartment was dark, but she knew her way around. She and the kids had visited Uncle Morgan often, and he was always ready to hear about their lives. The place wasn’t the same without him.
She flipped on the light switch as they stepped into the kitchen.
“Here are the keys.” Joy turned and found Chase right behind her—much too close. She took a step back and handed him the keys. Their fingertips brushed against each other and she pulled away quickly. She remembered his touch all too well. “You should have everything you need,” she went on. “We didn’t move anything out after Uncle Morgan died, so you’ll find all the necessities.”
