SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14
Madeline stood frozen, looking shaken and confused. “What can I do?”
Jaime put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Madeline, go upstairs, grab enough clothes and toiletries for a few days, and then we’ll get you to safety.”
“Doesn’t Tiffany need to stay in her safe place?”
“We’ll tell her it’s a vacation of sorts.”
“But where can we go? I’m not taking my child to a shelter. And all of our things are here.” Madeline glanced around.
“I know the perfect place. Pack a bag for yourself and another for Tiffany. Make sure you include any stuffed animals or books that are special to her. Anything that will comfort her.” She stepped toward the front door.
“Where are you going?” Madeline asked.
“To make a call. We can leave as soon as you’re ready.”
Tiffany appeared at the top of the stairs, her nose crinkled and shoulders hunched. “Mommy?”
“We’re going on a little trip, baby. Let’s get your bag packed so we can leave with Mr. Chandler and Aslan.”
As Madeline headed up the stairs, Chandler followed Jaime out the door. “What’s your plan?”
Jaime pulled out her phone. “I’m calling my mother.”
She sank onto the front step, ignoring the cold that had worked its way through her jeans and vest, and tapped her mother’s number. The call went to voice mail, so she sent a text. You home and up for company? I need a favor.
Then she tapped her phone against her chin and tried to think of anyone else who might be willing to take the small family in for a few days. Emilie and Hayden didn’t have extra space, and Caroline was staying with her. Maybe Savannah? She sent a text to her with a quick update.
We need to talk. Developments with Tiffany. She needs a place to stay.
While she waited for a reply, she couldn’t help wondering how her mom would react. Would she take this opportunity as a chance at redemption?
Her phone rang. Mom.
“Jaime, is everything all right?”
Ouch. Was she such a distant daughter that her mother assumed any call contained bad news? “Are you home?”
“Yes.” The word was drawn out.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“So you said. You know I’ll do it if I can.” The desperate edge to her mother’s voice broke Jaime. She wanted to end the distance between them but wasn’t sure how.
“I have a single mom and her daughter who need a place to stay for a few days.” She gave her mother the quick summary.
“This little girl is you? And I get a chance to do things right this time?” The quiet words knifed through Jaime.
“Yes.” Her whisper matched her mother’s. “I know it’s a lot to ask. Tiffany was already in pain, and now this. They can’t stay in their home, not when her abuser came back and attacked Madeline. Tiffany didn’t witness it, but she may be fully aware of what happened. If she is, then staying here could add to her trauma.”
“We can help her?”
“Maybe her mother too. Madeline is a single mom and so overwhelmed. Hearing your story might help her hold on, and she needs her own place to heal.”
“But I failed.”
“And that can warn her, while all the things you did right can help her.”
There was silence until her mother sighed. “I failed you completely, Jaime. I will be sorry until my last breath.”
“Then help make things right for Tiffany. We can make a difference for her, take the lessons we learned the hard way and shield her from the same mistakes.” She heard the door opening behind her and stood to walk away. “The woman needs our help, Mom. She simply doesn’t have the coping skills.”
“Bring them here. They can have your old room, and we’ll play it by ear. They can stay through the end of the month at least.” Mom paused. “How long until you arrive?”
“Thirty minutes if traffic cooperates.”
“Enough time to put fresh sheets on the bed and clean the bathroom. Do they have a car, or will they need help getting around?”
“Madeline has a car.”
“Good. See you in thirty minutes.”
Jaime turned back to the house and saw Madeline waiting on the top stair, arms crossed over her stomach.
“Do you have a place?”
“Yes. You can stay with my parents.” And Jaime prayed that her mom could do for them everything she hadn’t known to do for Jaime.
Chandler followed the GPS to her parents’ home, while Madeline followed with Tiffany and Aslan. They drove in silence, and Jaime felt the urge to pray that somehow this moment, this bringing of Tiffany to her mother, would begin the healing for everyone. But she didn’t know what to do with that urge. Chandler and Caroline must be rubbing off on her . . .
She wanted the hope she saw in Caroline. The peace Emilie held. The determination of Hayden and the protectiveness of Chandler. Her friends all seemed to know who they were in a way she didn’t. And she knew their acceptance came from a source she’d ignored for good reason.
How was she supposed to match her reality to the God they talked about?
She glanced in the side mirror to make sure Madeline was still there as Chandler executed a series of turns that took them from the main road and into the older neighborhood that sat on the line between town and suburb. In the northern Virginia area, it was easy to slip in and out of those, but her parents had found a pocket that created the perfect oasis. The fact they found it before housing prices skyrocketed only made it sweeter. The full basement had been a haven for Jaime when she needed a place to land during summers in college. That same space might cocoon Tiffany and Madeline now.
Chandler pulled his truck to the curb in front of the Cape Cod–style home. “I’ll get Aslan and take him for a walk somewhere as a reward for his patience. We’ll be back in an hour or so to pick you up.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?”
“Yeah. We don’t need to add to the chaos.”
Jaime bit her lower lip. He was right. Best to get Tiffany settled and comfortable. That was her job. Besides, her parents’ dog would be a Scooby snack for Aslan. “All right.”
“Call me the moment you need me. We won’t be far.”
Jaime nodded, determined not to let him see that she wanted him to stay, to be her rock while she was Tiffany’s.
The bright teal front door opened before Jaime could even unbuckle her seat belt. Please don’t let her overwhelm Tiffany. The young girl needed a safe place, not a woman who was so intent on righting the wrongs of the past that she went overboard.
Madeline seemed frozen in her seat. At some point the woman would crash from the sustained pressure. Jaime hoped her mother could provide a safe place to weep.
Jaime walked back to Madeline’s car and leaned down to the window.
“I don’t think I could find my way back here without GPS, but that’s good. Means Corey”—she mouthed the name—“can’t find us either. Is there a neighborhood park?”
“I think so. I’m sure Mom will show you around. Although you’ll need to stay cautious until we know where he is.”
Her mother had stepped onto the front porch, a nervous smile on her face. She brushed a highlighted strand of hair behind her ear and came down the sidewalk. “You must be Madeline.” Her smile wavered a moment at the corners before firming. “I’m so glad Jaime asked if you could stay. We have plenty of space.”
Madeline edged around her old sedan. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“Well, we’re glad to give you a place to regroup.” Mom turned toward the back seat where Tiffany lingered. “Is this your angel?”
Madeline gave Jaime a panicked look as Mom opened the door and cooed at the girl. Amazingly, Aslan let her mother slide Tiffany out.
Jaime shrugged and had to keep from laughing. This was why she had brought them here. Her mom would force them out of their shells and love them fiercely. It was something she did very well, and something Jaime was only now beginning to appreciate. For so long she’d allowed the past to control their future. No more. Today she changed that pattern.