21

 

By the time the sun began its ascent in brilliant strokes of color, Will felt as though he’d put in a full day’s work. Even though it was barely nine o’clock.

He’d sanded and primed the basement walls, and now paint and plumbing fixtures for the bathroom rode in the back of his truck. He scowled as he recalled how many times he’d checked behind him as he’d picked up his supplies.

Too bad that creep hadn’t shown his face. He would have jumped at the chance to teach him a lesson. He’d worked so hard to tame his temper, but now he wished he could release it. On Nick.

He squinted as he turned east onto his street. The rising sun hit his windshield, blinding him. His eyelids closed to slits, and his breath whooshed out as he drove into the dim light of the shop. He rubbed his eyes. Spots still danced every time he blinked. He grabbed the paint and plumbing supplies and headed to the house.

By noon, he’d painted the first coat and plumbed in the bathroom fixtures. Will wiped sweat from his brow as he climbed the stairs.

He hoped Nila liked that off-white color for the bathroom. He wondered if she’d be all right with helping him choose more paint. Maybe at a different store. He’d call her after lunch.

While his canned soup heated, Will opened the living room drapes. Sunlight created diamonds on the snow, nearly blinding him again. But extra flashes of light across the street caught his eye. He stepped closer to the window and peered at the scene.

What was on his mom’s driveway?

He heard the bubbling sound first and then smelled his lunch boiling over onto the stove. He ran to the kitchen, pulled the pot off the burner, and set it aside. He looked out the window again.

Something wasn’t right. He decided to check it out while the soup cooled.

Bundled into his heavy work boots, parka, and mitts, he crossed the street to the driveway he’d kept scrupulously clean. Unlike his own.

When he got to the curb, he stopped and stared. And groaned. Shards of glass littered the driveway, reflecting sunshine in dancing sparkles that mocked him.

For half a second he considered phoning the police, but he realized that would just convince them that someone was after Daniel. Will knew better.

Nick. It had to be him. Nila had said something after the store incident about an accident. Nick had threatened him. Not his mother or Daniel. So why?

Will groaned again. The stupid creep must have thought he still lived over here. No wonder he’d been snooping around this house. He wasn’t as smart as he thought.

He went back to his home and grabbed a broom, shovel, and dustpan. As he scraped and swept up Nick’s mischief, another thought hit.

What if Nick saw the bed and thought Will had made it for Nila? Did he dare trust the security system?

 

****

 

Nila hurried into the living room, “Lydia, where could I find the church newsletter from last month? Did you keep it?”

Lydia lowered her knitting needles. “I think so. Check the basket on the kitchen counter.”

Nila found the paper with the ad she’d remembered. Her heart beat faster. Why hadn’t she followed up on this before?

She made a phone call, and as she asked questions and jotted notes, her excitement grew.

She leaned against the doorway to the living room. “Dave, Lydia, could you come in here for a minute? I need to talk to you.”

Moments later, Nila studied the faces of her landlords as they sat at the table. She loved them so much, and she knew they loved her. Would they understand and support her move?

She took a deep breath. “I’ve made a decision. The time is right, and I’m ready to move to a place of my own.”

“But…” Lydia injected.

Nila held up one hand. “Wait. Please hear me out. You two have been wonderful. You’ve given me a home and made me feel like a real daughter. You’ll never know how much that means to me.”

The love shining from their faces nearly undid her composure. She inhaled a shaky breath and clasped her hands together in front of her.

Dave reached his large hand across the table and placed it on hers. “It has been our privilege, dear heart. You’ve been good for us.”

Lydia nodded.

Nila sat up straighter. “When you offered me a place to stay after I left Nick, you said it would be for as long as I needed. It’s been more than a year.”

Lydia opened her mouth, but Nila continued. “Your home has been a sanctuary for me, but it’s time I quit hiding. It’s time to make a home of my own. Without fear. You taught me to listen to God, and that’s what I’m doing. It took a while, but now I know I can trust Him.” Her voice wobbled, but she gulped and carried on. “I think I found the perfect place.”

“Where?” Dave leaned forward, the grooves framing his mouth accentuated.

“You know Carson and Kendra Elliot.”

They both nodded, smiles relaxing their faces.

“Of course,” Lydia said. “Dave married them four years ago. They live just a few blocks from here, don’t they?”

“Yes, and they have a basement suite for rent. Her name came to me while I was praying, and I remembered seeing their ad in the newsletter. So I phoned, and it’s still available.” She scooted forward on her chair, eagerness radiating from her. “It’s furnished, the rent is reasonable, and they said I could come see it today, if I want.”

Dave sighed. “And this is what you want?”

Tears pricked Nila’s eyes at the understanding in his. “Yes, I do. I can walk. It’s not far.”

Lydia’s smile looked wistful as she patted Nila’s hand. “Do you need to do this alone, or could we come with you?”

She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. “I would love it if you would.”

When they parked in front of the Elliot house, Nila felt a surge of anticipation. The raised bungalow with large basement windows beckoned her. She opened her door before Dave shut off the engine.

“It looks nice, doesn’t it?” Lydia said. “I like those big basement windows. That’s something we couldn’t do.”

They went to the back door where Kendra greeted them. “Hi, Pastor Dave and Lydia. Nila, I’m so glad you could come right away. We’ve had this advertised for a while, but no one seems to want to move this close to Christmas.”

She led the way down the stairs. “The outside door is shared, but each unit has its own metal door with deadbolts.”

She unlocked the bright blue door at the bottom of the stairs and stepped aside. “Come on in.”

Sunlight filled the open space, and Nila’s eyes widened as she gazed around. “It’s beautiful.”

Kendra followed them in. “The kitchen is small, and the appliances aren’t new, but it’s got all the necessities. We put in new windows when we redid the upstairs, and we upgraded the insulation.”

Nila ran her hand along the counter. The marbled, dark brown laminate wouldn’t have been her choice, but it looked almost new. White cupboards and walls brightened the space, as did two wide windows. The fridge and stove gleamed and looked to be in good shape.

“They both work well. We made sure of that.” Kendra answered her unasked question.

The rest of the open room held an older, flowered couch, stacked storage cubicles, and a small wooden table with four mismatched chairs. Nila sat on the couch and leaned back. She imagined relaxing here after work, maybe watching TV. She patted the cushion beside her.

“This is comfortable. I like it. A lot.”

Kendra opened a door. “This is the bedroom, and the bathroom is next to it. The mattress is new.”

Nila stood in the doorway. The bed was nothing more than a mattress and box spring on a frame, but the plush pillow-top mattress brought another smile. Pale blue walls, beige Berber carpet, and a deep, open closet completed the room. She felt herself drawn to the shallow but wide window. Sunshine peeked around the blinds, enticing her. She opened them and faced a snow bank and a fence.

“The view’s not the best,” Kendra said, “but in the summer I’ll have flowers there. And we meant to get closet doors installed. Maybe we could work out a deal on that, if you wanted to do the work.”

Nila nodded absently as she checked out the bathroom. Not fancy, but clean. She turned to Kendra, Dave, and Lydia. “I love it.”

Kendra’s face lit up. “Really? Oh, I’m glad. When you phoned, I told Carson this might be the answer to our prayers. When do you want to move in? We’re going to be away between Christmas and New Year’s, and we’d hoped to have someone in before then.” She pressed her hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you. But if you do take it before the end of the year, we wouldn’t charge rent until January.”

Nila looked to Dave and Lydia. “What do you think?”

Lydia slipped her arm around Nila’s waist. “I think it’s lovely. But the question is, what do you think?”

Dave patted her shoulder. “Should we round up a truck?”

Possibilities whirled in Nila’s mind. “Will has one. But I need more boxes.” She checked her watch. “And we’re babysitting at seven. I wonder…?”

She took a deep breath and grinned at Kendra. “I’ll take it. And if it’s OK, I’ll start moving in right away.”

Lydia’s smile wobbled. “You’re sure?”

Nila took a deep breath and leaned her head on Lydia’s shoulder. “If you’d asked me yesterday, I wouldn’t have dared. Now it’s time for me to step out in faith. I really believe this is a gift from God.” She stepped back and held her head high. “I know I’ll miss you, but I have to grab this chance to make my dreams come true.”

Dave seemed to have trouble swallowing. “We’ll miss you, too.” He cleared his throat. “We knew this time would come. Far be it from us to stand in the way of God’s hand.”

He gave Nila’s shoulder a squeeze and turned to Kendra. “Have you got the paperwork handy?”

When they returned home, the answering machine’s light blinked its alert. Lydia pressed the button. As soon as Nila heard the voice, anticipation drew her to the phone.

“This is Will phoning for Nila. I wondered if you’d like to help me buy paint. We’ll go to a different store if you’d like. Give me a call. Bye.”

Nila nibbled her lower lip as she punched in his number. What would he say when she told him she was moving? Would he understand?

His deep voice answered. “Hello.”

“Hi, Will, we got your message. I would like to help with the paint, but I need your help, too. I just rented a suite, and I was hoping you’d help me move.”

Silence.

“Will?”

“Are you sure about this, Nila?”

“Yes, I am. I really think this place is God’s gift to me.” She scrunched up her nose. “I don’t know how to explain it, especially on the phone. Can you come over? With some sturdy boxes? You saved some, didn’t you?” After a moment she hung up the phone and turned to Dave and Lydia. “Well, he said he would.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All of a sudden it feels like everything’s moving awfully fast. Am I doing the right thing?”

Lydia headed for the kitchen. “Let’s talk about it over a cup of coffee.”

A few minutes later they sat at the table, full mugs in hand. Lydia’s eyes closed as she sipped her favorite dark brew, praying.

Dave smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Nila took a sip and waited.

Dave spoke first, his voice a deep rumble. “Do you remember the first time we met?” He cleared his throat. “You were such a timid little thing, but you had a spark in your eyes. You told us you chose Jesus over Nick, and you weren’t sure what Nick would do about that. You needed a safe place to stay.”

Nila closed her eyes against the memories. “And you offered one. For as long as I needed it. You got me out of that house.” She opened her eyes and knew they brimmed with tears. “And into this home. You saved my life.”

Lydia’s eyes shone as she clasped Nila’s hand. “It’s been our privilege to have you here, dear.” She glanced at her husband. “We knew from the beginning you would move on when you felt strong enough. And I’m not really surprised. We’ve watched you grow in faith and strength over the last several months.”

Nila squeezed Lydia’s hand, unable to speak.

“We’ve been through this with all our own children,” Dave said. “But it doesn’t get any easier. You will always be part of our family. And I hope you’ll still spend Christmas with us.”

Lydia winked. “Unless you get a better offer, of course.”

Nila felt her face warm. “Thank you for being so understanding. I won’t leave until after Christmas, but I would like to get most of my stuff over there beforehand. So it will feel like it’s really mine.”

She blinked and wiped her eyes. “I’m excited about having my own place, but I’m going to miss you.”

“We’ll miss you, too,” Lydia said. “But we’re never more than a call away. For anything.”

Nila clasped her friend’s hands as tears ran down both their faces. She believed this was from Jesus. She knew He had worked it out, and this was His timing. So why did it hurt so much?