Gift from the Heart

“I don’t suppose that’s something one ever gets over. I know I’d be completely lost without my Ralph. He’s home today with a cold, and it just didn’t feel quite right sitting in church without him. But you have your faith to sustain you. That’s such a great blessing in times of trial.” She tucked her arm through Clare’s. “Now come along and let’s get some coffee and a doughnut. Adam’s forever after me to lose twenty pounds, but honestly, I don’t think one doughnut on Sunday is going to hurt, do you?”

The woman chatted amiably as they made their way to the church hall, where she took pains to introduce Clare to several members of the congregation. It became clear that Adele was quite prominent in the town, obviously active in both church and civic pursuits. When they finally found themselves alone for a moment, Clare glanced at her watch and set down her cup of tea.

“I think I’ve taken up far too much of your time,” she apologized.

“Not at all. I enjoy meeting new people. Will you be in town long?”

“At least for a few days.”

“Do you have any friends or family nearby?”

“No.”

“So what are your plans for Thanksgiving?”

Clare hadn’t really thought much about the holiday, even though it was only four days away. A.J. had just arrived in St. Louis, so she wasn’t in a position to leave the bookstore. And the last she’d heard, Morgan intended to work most of the holiday weekend. So Clare had planned to just grab a bite somewhere by herself. Which was a far cry from how she preferred to celebrate holidays, she thought wistfully. Special days should be festive occasions filled with fun and family. But both of those things were now absent from her life. Treating Thanksgiving like any other day seemed the best way to cope without falling apart.

“I really don’t have any plans,” she told the older woman.

“Then you must join us for dinner.”

Clare stared at her, surprised by the impromptu invitation. “But…I wouldn’t want to intrude on a family celebration.”

Adele waved her concern aside. “You won’t be. My husband and I don’t have children, or any close family. So we’ve always invited others to join us for Thanksgiving. The associate pastor and his wife will be there. And Adam and Nicole are coming, too. Adam’s only brother lives in Charlotte, and they go to his wife’s house for Thanksgiving. So Adam and Nicole will be on their own for the holiday. There will be a few others, as well. You’d be more than welcome.”

Clare considered the invitation. It was certainly preferable to eating at the Bluebird, charming as it was. Besides, the café might not even be open on that day. And it would give her a chance to press her case with Adam. But more than anything, she was touched by the older woman’s generosity in opening her home to a stranger on a holiday. Her invitation was truly Christian charity in action.

“Thank you,” Clare said with a smile. “I’d love to come. May I bring something?”

“Just yourself.” Adele opened her handbag and withdrew a small notepad and pen. “I’ll jot down my address and phone number. We usually begin to gather about four.”

Clare took the slip of paper a moment later and tucked it in her purse. “Thank you, Mrs. Malone.”

“Adele, my dear. We aren’t that formal in Hope Creek. And it’s my pleasure. No one should spend the holiday alone. Or lonely.”

As Clare said her goodbyes, she reflected on Adele’s parting words. The woman was right, of course. And she’d apparently taken care of the “alone” part for a number of Hope Creek residents. But the loneliness was harder to deal with. Because it went deeper. And wasn’t always as visible.

Adam and Nicole came to mind. They lived in the same house. They shared meals. They went to church together. So they weren’t alone. Yet Clare knew they were lonely. And sometimes that kind of loneliness was worse than being physically alone. There was something especially tragic about two people living in close proximity who were unable to connect.

Her work would be cut out for her with Nicole, Clare reflected. The young girl desperately needed guidance. But in her mind, there was a whole lot more to this nanny job than simply helping Nicole get her act together.

Bottom line, Adam and Nicole needed to establish a bond. And they needed an intermediary, a catalyst—maybe even a referee—to help them do that.

It would be a challenging role, Clare knew. But she wanted to play it. Because in the short time they’d spent together, she’d felt their pain. And she wanted to help them salvage their relationship before it was too late.

For Nicole’s sake, of course.

But also for Nicole’s father.

Chapter Three

“Thanks for coming by on such short notice.”

Clare nodded. She hadn’t expected to hear back from Adam so soon, but when she’d returned to the Evergreen after church and a quick breakfast she’d found a message waiting, asking her to stop by his house at four o’clock that afternoon. She’d called back, confirming the appointment.

“Would you mind if we talked in the kitchen?” Adam asked. “I had to make an emergency run to the grocery store and I just got back. I need to put a few things away.”

“Of course.”

Clare followed him down a hallway toward the back of the house. At least the sunny kitchen had a little more personality than the living room. It was painted a pale blue, and a border of trailing morning glory vines had been stenciled along the top of the walls. A weathered oak table and four chairs stood beside a bay window that afforded a lovely view of the pine woods on the hillside behind the house.

“Have a seat and I’ll be with you in just a minute,” Adam said.

She chose a chair that gave her a view of the restful scene out the window. But instead Clare turned her attention to Adam, watching as he rapidly took items out of the plastic grocery bags—eggs, canned soup, bread, lunch meat, crackers, milk, cereal, microwave dinners. She caught a glimpse of his nearly empty refrigerator when he opened the door to put the milk inside.

“Sorry about this,” he apologized. “I try not to shop on Sunday, but sometimes the week just gets away from me. Then it becomes an emergency. I thought I’d have everything put away before you got here, but it always takes me longer at the grocery store than I expect.”

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t have any plans today, anyway.”

He glanced at the counter. “I think that takes care of all the perishables. Can I offer you something to drink?”

When she declined, he filled a coffee cup and joined her at the table. “I know I said I’d call you tomorrow, but frankly, I didn’t see any reason to wait. Seth Mitchell has confirmed your story. You seem sincere. I trust Jo’s judgment, and I desperately need help with Nicole.” And you need Jo’s legacy. He didn’t voice that reason. But it had been a definite factor in his decision.

Coils of tension deep in the pit of Clare’s stomach began to unwind. “Then you’re willing to take me on as nanny?”

He took a sip of his coffee and looked at her steadily. “To be honest, I’m still not entirely comfortable with this. It doesn’t seem right for me to accept your services at no cost.”

“That was the stipulation in Aunt Jo’s will. So there’s no choice. And I’m fine with it.”

Adam put his mug on the table and wrapped his long, lean fingers around it. “I talked to Nicole about this. Well, I tried to, anyway,” he amended. “I didn’t get much more than a few grunts, but at least she didn’t throw a fit. So I took that as a good sign. I don’t think she’ll fight you the way she has every other sitter I hired. But I could be wrong. It could be miserable. For everyone. So what I’d like to propose is that we try this for a month. If everything works out, we can commit to the remaining five months. But this will give us both a chance to test the waters and back out if things don’t go well. How does that sound?”

Clare had no intention of backing out. She was determined to make this work. So she had no qualms agreeing to Adam’s terms. “It seems like a sensible plan.”

“Good. As for your duties, I’m open to suggestions since I’ve never had a nanny before. I thought you could just make sure Nicole gets ready for school on time so she doesn’t miss the bus, and be here when she gets home. During the school day your time would be your own. Nicole could also use some help with her schoolwork. Even though her standardized test scores are always high, her grades have been marginal at best since she came to live with me. With your teaching background, I’d appreciate any help you could provide. Most of your weekends should be free, other than Saturday mornings if I have patients in the hospital and need to do rounds. Ellen James, our housekeeper, comes on Thursdays. She has a key and doesn’t need any supervision. Mostly I just need you to keep an eye on Nicole. Does that sound reasonable?”

“Very. And I’ll be happy to do some tutoring.”

“That would be great. So when can you start?”

“As soon as I find a place to live and get settled in. I hope within a few days.”

Suddenly an idea began to take shape in Adam’s mind. Considering Clare’s current accommodations at the Evergreen Motel, her finances probably wouldn’t allow her to upgrade very much when it came to a more permanent place to live. And he had a small, furnished apartment above his garage. Maybe he couldn’t pay her, but there was nothing in Jo’s will that would prevent her from accepting housing.

“As a matter of fact, I may be able to help,” he said. “There’s a furnished apartment above my garage that I always planned to fix up and rent out, but I’ve never gotten around to it. You’re welcome to live there. It’s the least I can do, considering you’re providing your services free of charge.”

Clare looked at him in surprise. “Well, that would certainly be convenient.” And easy on her tight budget, she silently added.

“Would you like to take a look?”