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Wilder got to his feet, then Hudson followed him to the door. Once he’d left, Hudson returned to the table, exhausted from everything that had transpired over the past few days. He had anticipated returning to Serenity and being able to spend time with Kayleigh, unwinding from the stress of the time in Baton Rouge.
It was why he’d made the decision to return Friday night instead of Saturday. Once he’d handed everything off to the legal team, he’d just wanted to get out of there and back to Serenity. So once the legal team arrived in the company jet, he’d met briefly with them, then he’d headed to the airport to leave Baton Rouge, never imaging what awaited him in Serenity.
He knew, though, that as stressful as this situation was for him, it was doubly so for Wilder and Kayleigh.
Getting up, Hudson went to make himself a cup of coffee. Once he was back at the table, he took a couple of sips, then picked up his phone to call Kayleigh.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Kayleigh went to her favorite chair and sat down with the cup of coffee she’d just made. After a couple of sips, she got up again and walked to the living room window that looked out onto the front street and the snowbanks that lined the sidewalk. A woman walked by with a dog on a leash, and a young boy skipped along beside her, bundled up against the cold, looking carefree and happy.
She watched them until they were out of sight as she continued to sip her coffee. The sun was slowly sinking, dragging its light from the sky. Usually, it was a time of day that she enjoyed, but right then, it held no appeal.
With a sigh, Kayleigh turned away from the view of the street and headed for the kitchen. She finished the last of her coffee, then set the mug in the sink. Gripping the edge of the counter, Kayleigh stared out the window that faced the backyard.
In summer, it was vibrant with shades of green, sporting leafy shade trees as well as towering evergreens. In winter, the bare shade trees and heaping piles of snow gave it a starker look.
She checked her phone, noting that it was only ten minutes since the last time she’d looked. Time was justdraggggging. Maybe she should have accepted her parents’ invitation to come to their place while they waited to hear from Wilder. But she hadn’t been sure that would be any calmer for her.
Over the course of the past few hours, she’d vacuumed every room in the house, dusted every surface, and cleaned the bathroom. It had been a monumental struggle to just sit quietly, do nothing, and wait…
Though she understood why she wasn’t included in the meetings, Kayleigh wished she could have been there for Wilder. Not knowing what was going on was killing her, and her tendency to worry had morphed into overdrive.
Be anxious for nothing…
But surely this situation warranted some worry… some anxiety…
Kayleigh figured that even someone not prone to anxiety would worry if they faced something like this.
She continued to pace around her home—her sanctuary—waiting for news. Praying that everything had gone well. As well as could be expected in the circumstances.
Ever since she’d known they’d be meeting with Wilder, she’d had a knot in her stomach. That knot had gotten tighter when she’d called her parents to tell them what was going on.
She’d been braced for them to be upset with her for not coming to them as soon as Stephanie had told her about the accusation. And it was good that she’d prepared herself because her momhadchallenged her about not giving Wilder a heads-up.
The conversation had left Kayleigh feeling like she hadn’t done enough to protect Wilder, even though she knew that letting the company deal with it was the best course of action. It was the best way to make sure that when Wilder’s name was cleared, no one could cast doubt on how everything had been handled.
Still, she hated the fact that she’d let her parents down with the decisions she’d made since hearing about the accusations.
The worst thing for her had always been disappointing the people she loved. And it was entirely possible that Wilder would also feel that she should have let him know what was going on.
Kayleigh’s stomach tightened as she considered that her whole family might be upset with her over how she’d handled the situation. She might not lean on them a lot, or even socialize with them frequently, but Kayleigh still loved them and would never want them to be angry with her.
The more time crawled by, the more Kayleigh’s anxiety grew. She replayed every conversation she’d had with Stephanie and Hudson, wondering if she should have said things differently.
Normally, she didn’t second guess decisions she’d made. But this was far from a normal situation. And the more anxious she got, the more she questioned everything she’d done, undermining her confidence.
She stood in the middle of her kitchen and pressed her fingertips to her eyes, trying to rein in her thoughts and emotions. This was a useless path for her mind to go down, but she felt helpless to stop herself.
After more pacing through the house, she went into her bedroom and grabbed the book she used to write out her verses and returned to the living room.
Kayleigh sat down in her chair, keeping her phone close so she wouldn’t miss Hudson’s call. Opening the notebook, she began to sketch out the first words that came to mind.
Be anxious for nothing.
And after she’d written that part, she flipped to a new page and sketched out another part of the verse.
Let your requests be made known to God.
