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  “I started to keep some of the money he would leave me instead of using it for rent or food. I stashed some of it to use when he was gone for long stretches of time.

  “We lived in a rough neighborhood. It wasn’t the safe part of the city by any means. I walked to school and back and there was a gang of boys who enjoyed tormenting me. Let’s just say I learned how to fight and run fast and sometimes even that didn’t save me.”

  Kate stopped to gather herself. Memories of the fights and the attacks she’d endured began to come flooding back. They didn’t need to hear about the times when fighting hadn’t saved her.

  She could feel the beginnings of an anxiety attack. She started her breathing exercise. She hated how she felt. She hated the loss of control. She closed her eyes, shutting out Fiona and Peter and, most of all, Drew. She needed time to pull herself together.

  Peter reached across the table and gave her hand a hard squeeze. He then began to pray out loud. Kate’s eyes widened in shock, as did Fiona’s. Kate quickly closed her eyes once more and bowed her head catching Fiona doing the same out of the corner of her eye.

  She felt another hand grab hers and thought it was Fiona until she realized it was on her left side. Fiona was sitting on her right. She cracked an eye and Drew had reached out to take her free hand. He saw her looking and gave her a quick smile before closing his eyes.

  “Lord, thank you so much for answering my family’s prayers that we would one day find Kate. I can’t begin to thank you enough. I know we didn’t find her in our timing, but in yours. Your timing is perfect even if we can’t always understand it. Please be with Kate as she continues to heal from her past. Lord, help me to help her. Let me speak your words. You are the heavenly Physician and can heal all. And Lord, please help her forgive those who have wronged her. Help her to move towards you, Father, and to become obedient to your will. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

  He finished and raised his head, looking directly into Kate’s eyes. He began speaking directly to her, earnestly, with no smile now on his face, “I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am for all you went through. I know it probably seems like you were abandoned by everyone and hurt by those who were supposed to love you. I hope you will continue coming to church both on Sunday and whenever you need to during the week. I’ve been enjoying our window talks.”

  Kate nodded. She was enjoying her visits to the church as well and was glad Peter wanted them to continue. The calmness she experienced there was like nothing she’d ever felt before.

  “I’d like your permission to let my parents know I found you and to share some of your story with them. I think it will help them to know some of what happened to you after you left with your dad. Would that be okay?”

  Kate again nodded her head and went to reach for her water glass. She realized she was still holding Drew’s hand, however. It had felt good, normal even. She dropped it quickly and continued to reach for her glass.

  Taking a sip, she glanced at the man beside her. She was beginning to have feelings for him, but she hadn’t known him that long. How was that even possible? He had such a look of compassion on his face. It wasn’t pity. It was something else. Something she couldn’t name.

  She couldn’t think about Drew and what she was starting to feel for him. She had too many other emotions tumbling through her right now.

  She had learned years ago tears didn’t help anything. She made it a point to never cry, and especially not to cry in front of anyone. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had done so. “Yes, and I-I think I’d like to see them again. Do they ever come to visit?”

  “I can almost guarantee you they will be here quickly once they find out about you. I’m pretty sure they’ll be jumping on the first plane they can.”

  Kate tried hard never to think of ‘what if,’ but it was hard not to do so with Peter right in front of her talking about his family. That could have been her life. He could have been her brother, not just a one-time foster brother.

  Then she stopped herself. If she had stayed with the Grants, Drew would also be her brother. She looked at him where he was sitting quietly. Her stomach flipped slightly as she thought about what that would mean.

  “Kate, are you with us?” Fiona’s voice broke through.

  “Oh, sorry. What did you say?” Kate gave herself a mental shake and reminded herself it didn’t matter what might have been. It was the here and now that mattered.

  “I was asking when you might be coming to church this week. I’ll know soon when my parents are coming.” Peter’s wide grin was back in place once more.

  “I’ll plan to come over around lunchtime in a couple of days. Does that sound okay?”

  “Better than okay. I’m looking forward to our talks. We still have a few more windows to discuss,” he answered.

  Fiona laughed while Kate grinned at him. “I think I’d like to join you both if you don’t mind? The windows are beautiful, and I’d love to hear some stories,” Fiona said. While she was interested in the windows and the stories, she was actually more interested in learning about Peter. She hoped this didn’t mean she was going to hell. Having a crush on a preacher seemed, well, dangerous.

  “Fine with me if Kate’s okay sharing the time.”

  “Sure, Fee. I’d love that.”

  Peter bit into his lunch. He chewed with a thoughtful look on his face. After swallowing he said, “I think I’m still a little shocked, but I shouldn’t be. God is so good.”

  Kate wasn’t sure what he meant, but she agreed with the shock of the discovery. She was still reeling slightly from the knowledge that she had found her foster brother so far from Florida.

  “I’m so glad I found you,” Peter said to Kate.

  “Me too,” she said and found she meant it.

  Chapter 19

  Drew hadn’t stopped thinking about what Kate had shared with them all in the café just a few days ago. She had been a foster child of the Grants. She could have been his sister.

  Shaking his head, he continued jogging. It wasn’t like they were related by blood. They weren’t even related through adoption. He knew he was being ridiculous about the whole thing.

  He was eager to see his parents and ask them what they thought. He stopped on the sidewalk. He couldn’t ask his parents that! His mom had been not so subtly hinting it was past time for him to marry and give her some grandkids. If he were to ask them if it was okay to date Kate, she would go full mom-mode on him, and they’d be married in a month or less.

  He started jogging again. The thought of marrying Kate didn’t seem all that bad. Sure. She had some obvious baggage from her past, but so did he. After all, he had been in quite a few foster homes before the Grants and had his own share of neglect and abuse.

  Maybe, he thought, I should take her out on a proper date before I start planning how to break it to my parents we’re getting married. One step at a time there Drew, one step at a time.

  ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

  Fiona walked into the back room and stopped in her tracks. Kate was sitting at her desk doing nothing. This unlikely behavior had never happened before, which is why it unnerved Fiona.

  “You okay?” She crossed the room towards her friend.

  Shaking her head, Kate’s eyes slowly came back into focus. “Oh, sorry. I guess I was just thinking.”

  “About what?” Fiona settled into the chair in front of the desk. Kate had started talking more about her past over the last few days.

  As Fiona had guessed, Kate began, “I was thinking about my father. There was one time when he came home and stayed longer than a few days. I think he was home for a few months. I was trying to remember how old I was when it happened. I think I was about thirteen.

  “It was one of the few times he was home at Christmas. He usually left right around the start of December and I wouldn’t see him again until the New Year. It was always such a lonely time for me. It’s one reason I don’t care much for the holidays.”

&nbs
p; Fiona smiled sympathetically, “I never knew that. I’m so sorry, Kate.”

  Kate smiled back, “Once I was older, I started going to the local homeless shelter. I volunteered at the shelter quite a bit. It helped me see my situation in a better light. While I didn’t have a parent around, at least I had a safe place to sleep.”

  Fiona loved Kate’s generous spirit. She was always giving, but usually behind the scenes so that no one knew it was her. She never did it for recognition.

  “It could have been so much worse. There were kids at the shelter. Little kids. They would come in with such big solemn eyes. They rarely smiled. It was just so heartbreaking.”

  Fiona thought that Kate’s own life was just as heartbreaking but didn’t say anything. She couldn’t imagine how Kate had survived and turned out so, well, so normal.

  Kate continued, “You could see they were in survival mode. I would try to get them to play with me in the toy area, but they wouldn’t leave their mothers. They would just cling to them.”

  “I’m so sorry, but your life certainly wasn’t a bed of roses either.” Fiona couldn’t keep her thoughts to herself any longer. “It’s a true testament to your strength how you turned out. You know you’re pretty normal, all things considered.” She laughed at herself. “How did you manage to survive?”

  “My father always seemed to pay the rent on time or close to on time. I’ve never been sure how he managed that, but he did. If he’d won big, he might pay a month or two in advance. Our utilities were often part of the rent, so I was always warm and had the lights.

  “He would usually give me some cash when he came home so I could buy food. Once I was older and realized how long he could be gone, I tried to buy things that wouldn’t spoil. I ate lunch at school during the week, so I was always guaranteed one meal a day.”

  Her nightmares had started to ease slightly now that she had started to talk about what had happened to her. It seemed sharing her secrets were helping after all.

  She continued, “Thankfully the library was within walking distance. I would go there and check out books to read. I spent a lot of time reading. We didn’t have a television or the internet so there wasn’t much else to do during the daytime to keep busy. The streets weren’t safe for me to be on, especially at night, so I made sure to be home before dark with the doors locked tight.”

  “I can’t even imagine that type of life,” Fiona interjected. “My parents…”

  Kate interrupted, “Were nothing like mine.” She smiled at her friend. “And that’s okay. We can’t choose our parents.”

  Kate wrapped her arms around her middle. She knew she’d had a hard childhood, but she had come out the other side a successful businesswoman. She was proud of the person she was now.

  Fiona had been such a huge support over the last few weeks that Kate felt she deserved an explanation, a deeper explanation, of why Kate didn’t want her father around. She had worked hard to overcome the past. She wanted it all to stay where she had placed it. Firmly behind her.

  Taking a deep breath, she continued with her story, “There was the gang of boys I mentioned earlier. Those were perhaps the scariest moments of my life. I don’t know how I managed to get away, but I always did. Maybe Peter was right. Maybe God was watching out for me more than I realized. At the time, I was just scared I would end up with more than cuts and bruises.”

  As Fiona heard more of Kate’s story, her heart broke for what her friend had endured. Her father really had let her raise herself rather than staying with the Grant family. It was almost as if he was being spiteful about it. After having met Peter, it was no wonder Kate was upset about being taken from them.

  As if Kate could read her mind, she said, “I was thinking of going down to the church on our way to the beach to see if Peter was free. It’s a bit out of the way, but not much. I was hoping he would be able to tell us another window story.”

  “Absolutely! Just let me know when,” Fiona replied, fully smiling for the first time since she’d sat down. The thought of seeing Peter again may have been part of that.

  They began to discuss the store needs. To be ready for the summer, they needed to hire more staff, make more jewelry, and finish the contracts with the other artisans who sold goods in their store. They had only been talking for a few minutes when they heard raised voices from the front of the store.

  “Uh-oh,” Fiona said. “That sounds like Mrs. Johnson and she doesn’t sound happy.”

  Kate sighed. “Let’s go see what’s going on.” It sounded like Nancy wasn’t taking what Kate had told her to heart.

  Before either of them could stand, Nancy came bursting through the door into the back-office area. “That old biddy had better be gone when I get back from my break or else!” She fairly snarled at the two women as she kept moving to the door.

  Fiona and Kate exchanged surprised looks. Up to this point Nancy had always been a quiet and unassuming woman. While she was a bit rough around the edges and sometimes rude to the customers, she had never lost her temper like this. But then again, Mrs. Johnson could have that effect on just about anyone.

  Nancy continued past them, faster than her years would indicate. She slammed the door behind her before either of them could say a word.

  “What was that all about?” Fiona looked just as shocked as Kate at the sudden departure of their employee.

  “I have no idea, but I’d better get up front and check on Mrs. Johnson. She is not going to be pleased. We’ll have to take a rain check on the church visit until Nancy gets back.”

  Fiona nodded, “Do you want me to come with you? Or should I maybe go track down Nancy and get her side of the story?”

  “I’m good alone. Let Nancy cool off. Why don’t you start working on orders and I’ll go deal with Mrs. Johnson. We both shouldn’t have to suffer.”

  The moment Kate walked into the front of the store, Mrs. Johnson was ready to pounce. “I don’t know why you employ someone like that! I thought you had higher standards. I’m shocked at the way I was treated. Simply shocked. I expect you will finally fire that woman.”

  Kate sighed inwardly. Nancy had been doing better, but Mrs. Johnson knew how to press anyone’s buttons. Still, she had been shocked at the rage on Nancy’s face as she had stormed out. Kate would have to speak to her again about her behavior.

  While Mrs. Johnson didn’t purchase enough to make a difference in sales, she did like to gossip. Kate couldn’t have her saying anything that might impact her store’s success. Maybe Nancy wasn’t going to be a good fit after all.

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Johnson. Can you tell me what happened? I’m not sure what is going on with Nancy right now. I assure you, I will be speaking with her.”

  “Rude! She has no respect for her elders. You should fire her immediately!”

  “That will be my decision to make, Mrs. Johnson. Now, is there anything else you would like to tell me about what happened?”

  “That woman is a menace and should be dismissed directly. Since you do not care to take my advice, I will be leaving.” And with that, she turned on her heel and marched out of the store, nose held high.

  Chapter 20

  The sound of the bell had both Kate and Fiona looking up. They were sitting in the front working on jewelry while waiting to see when, or even if, Nancy might come back.

  “Do I still have a job?” While Nancy looked less like she wanted to kill someone, her voice was still full of anger.

  Quickly looking at Kate, Fiona said, “Why don’t I cover the front while you two go have a chat in the back?”

  This was one of the few times Kate almost wished she weren’t the owner. She didn’t enjoy dealing with employee issues. It’s why she sometimes remembered the days of running the store all by herself with joy. She was glad she’d grown enough to support a few employees, but there had been far less issues before.

  “I’m not going anywhere until I know if I have a job or not.” Nancy crossed her arms and firmly planted her f
eet as if she expected to have to fight.

  “Nancy, Mrs. Johnson said you did not respect her. I’d like to hear your side of the issue. I’d also rather have this conversation in the back away from any potential customers. Please, come with me.” Kate headed to the back fully expecting Nancy to follow her. While Nancy did, she was mumbling under her breath and still had the cross look on her face.

  “Do you want to tell me what happened?” Kate waited. She wondered if Nancy would take responsibility for anything or just pass the blame on to Mrs. Johnson.

  “She came in, like she always does, on her high horse trying to tell me what to do. It’s not even her store. She needs to learn to keep her mouth shut.” Nancy crossed her arms and glared at Kate.

  So, passing the blame it was, Kate thought. Okay then. “You can’t treat customers like that. You know this. We went over it on your very first day. We also just discussed this again not long ago after the issue with Mr. Edwards. Respect, Nancy. Remember?”

  “Ha! That old biddy will get my respect when she earns it and not before.”

  “Enough. You can’t treat customers that way. Ever. No matter what your thoughts are about their character. You will have to learn how to deal with Mrs. Johnson in a better manner. Otherwise you won’t last here long.” She hated to sound so harsh, but she wasn’t going to play games either.

  “Are you firing me?” Nancy sounded incredulous.

  “Not today unless you don’t feel you can change your behavior and attitude towards Mrs. Johnson. It’s up to you. What will it be?”

  Kate waited and watched while Nancy obviously struggled with the decision. Kate didn’t think it a difficult one to have to make, but Nancy seemed be having a problem with it.

  “Fine. I’ll let her have her way.” And with that, Nancy marched back out to the front. Kate could hear her announcing to Fiona she was staying, and she would cover the store.

  Fee came through the back door with one eyebrow raised. “Well, that was interesting. I see she’s staying.”