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She laughed and hung on tight, and that’s how it had been from the first time he held her. He’d recognized the precious gift from God right away, almost as if it was somehow meant to be…and he’d been cherishing that gift every day since.
CHAPTER TEN
The five-day countdown was on.
Josie posted lists on the restaurant wall to prepare everyone for their quiet opening, three days prior to the grand affair. The quiet opening would help catch glitches in the system, in food, in production, to ensure the true opening would go off without a snag.
Her kitchen staff was in place, wait staff was being trained and the take-out shack had been busy from the day it opened, which meant she’d been back to work full-time and organizing the game plan for the new restaurant part-time for two weeks.
It kept her busy, and being busy had kept her sane.
She thanked God for that every day, because when she was busy, she didn’t spend time thinking of the quickly moving calendar, racing toward a time when Jacob and Addie would move on to another place, another time.
Drew had given Jacob the all clear from a law enforcement perspective, but she hadn’t needed his official report to know what kind of person Jacob was. Seeing him with her daughter, with his parents, with coworkers—she not only witnessed the good, kind, faith-filled actions, she admired them and liked them. Too much, actually.
She steered clear of him deliberately, but when Addie was around, she couldn’t help staying nearby as their time together grew shorter. When she spotted Addie hunched on an outside bench that morning with red-rimmed eyes and damp cheeks, she couldn’t just walk by. “Hey. What’s up, Miss Weatherly?”
Addie said nothing as more silent tears rolled down her sweet, fair cheeks. Josie sank down onto the bench next to her as Jacob approached with a handful of tissues. “What’s going on?”
“The school is hosting a mother/daughter event this morning. It’s an annual tradition for the last week of classes and my mother was going to go with Addie, but she came down with that stomach bug during the night, so Mom isn’t in any shape to go anywhere. Addie’s really disappointed.”
“But you can go. Right? I know you’ve got a lot to oversee, but—”
“Daddy always comes to stuff, Josie. He likes coming.” Addie lifted watery eyes to Jacob and tried to smile. “But whenever there’s something for a mom, I never have one. And all the other kids do. I was just so excited that Memaw was coming because it would be almost like having a mom with me.” Twin tears slipped down her cheeks, onto her calico peasant shirt. “Because then I’d kind of be like the other kids.”
Oh, her heart.
How could she take this barrage on a vital organ? She stared into the most beautiful eyes she’d ever known, the sweetest face she’d ever seen, and couldn’t help herself. “May I come?”
Addie’s eyes went wide as she lifted her brows in surprise. “Would you do that?”
She shouldn’t. Every internal warning system a woman possessed was going off inside her, but when would she ever have such a chance again? Never. “It would be my pleasure. Just let me brief Terry on what’s going on today. He needs to fly solo as backup manager, and this would give him the perfect opportunity. And, of course, all of this depends on if it’s all right with your father…”
“It would be wonderful to have you there with us, Josie,” Jacob assured her.
“Us?”
Addie nodded as she hopped off the bench and clutched both of their hands. “Dad’s coming, too. He likes to be at things with me, but Josie, that would be so special. Thank you!” Then she let go of their hands and threw her arms around Josie in the biggest, sweetest hug Josie could imagine. “I’m so glad you’re coming!”
“Me, too.”
Nearly two weeks of avoiding him, and here she was, spending the morning with him and Addie. She gave Terry a quick rundown and then settled herself in Jacob’s front seat.
The cushy car wrapped itself around her. Leather seats felt cool despite the rising outdoor temps, and as he drove toward Addie’s school, his scent wandered her way. Woodsy, tangy and a hint of citrus, maybe? A marvelous scent that invited further inspection, a temptation she resisted.
