The two-story clapboard house occupied a sandy lot on Knight Street about a block away from the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. A swing set and rusty slide in the front yard gave it away as a school. A couple of girls were helping little ones climb up to the slide. The front door was open.
“You’re on,” LeJeune said.
“Be careful,” Jimmy said.
Georgia was quiet, trying to remember if Eden had any personal quirks or habits she hadn’t asked her about. The only thing she could remember was that the woman touched her hair a few times when she was nervous. But that could have been because she’d cut and dyed it when she left Nauvoo.
Georgia got out of the SUV and walked up to the swing set, trying to imitate Eden’s gait. It was a beautiful spring day, and she approached a young girl, probably fourteen, who was helping three children swing. Like Georgia, the girl wore a long skirt and a buttoned-down shirt. Georgia was reminded of the Orthodox Jewish women she’d met through Matt. They dressed similarly, although they also wore sheitels, or wigs, if they were married. This young woman didn’t.
Eden smiled at the girl, who smiled back cautiously, as if she knew she was supposed to know Georgia but couldn’t place her.
“Hi. I’m here to get my children. Teagan, Sariah, and Elijah. Are they inside?”
Recognition dawned, and the girl gasped. “Are you—are you their mother?”
“Yes. I’m Eden Christiansen,” Georgia said.
“You’re back!” The girl said.
Georgia didn’t want to get into it with her. She smiled pleasantly. “Are they inside?”
The girl nodded, and Georgia made her way into the house.
Eden had told her Teagan would probably be the most eager and easiest with whom to reunite, so she started looking for a slender, flaxen-haired boy of ten. She passed two rooms on the first floor across from each other. A group of children occupied each room. A portable blackboard on wheels stood in one room. The students probably shared it. A teacher who couldn’t have been older than fourteen was writing numbers on the board.
She stood at the door with the blackboard and looked over the children, but she was looking at the back of their heads. One boy seemed to have pale hair. She stayed quiet until the teacher turned around. She didn’t have any trouble recognizing Georgia as Eden.
“Sister Eden! You’re home!”
All the children whipped their heads around. One girl, with dark brown hair, opened her mouth and let it hang open.
“Sariah, it’s your mother!” the teacher exclaimed.
Sariah was the cautious, suspicious one, Eden had said. She would be furious that her mother had left them and might not show her any affection. At least, not at first.
“Sariah,” Georgia said. “I’m back.” She opened her arms to her.
The girl rose from her seat, but a frown was on her face. “What happened to your voice?”
Damn. The girl was sharp, Georgia thought.
“I’ve been—sick,” she said. “I’m okay now. But I’m still a little hoarse.” She widened her arms. Come, Sister Sadie, let’s go home.”
Georgia took a step into the room but didn’t want to crowd Sariah. She waited as Sariah gathered her things.
“Can I help you carry your books?”
“Ain’t got no books.”
Of course she didn’t. Georgia rebuked herself for the gaffe. She lowered her arms.
Sariah slowly walked toward Georgia and they walked out of the classroom. “You look different,” she said, her eyes narrowed.
Georgia forced herself to smile. “I told you. I was sick.”
“Did you have the Covid?” Sariah asked.
“Yes. But it’s gone now,” she lied. Better that than carrying books. “I did the quarantine. I lost some weight. Maybe that’s what you’re noticing.”
“Where did you stay?”
Georgia thought fast. “I went to Grandma and Grampa in Quincy.” She almost added, “And they send their love,” but thought better of it. Eden might not say it the same way.
Sariah stopped a few feet from Georgia. “How are we getting home?”
“A friend loaned me his car.” Georgia called to the teacher. “Thank you. She’ll be back tomorrow. As Sariah followed her out, Georgia said, “Hey, what about a hug?”
Sariah put her arms around Georgia’s hips, but it was a loose, slack hug. “You smell different.”
Georgia ignored that. “Where’s Teagan and Elijah? I looked for Elijah outside but didn’t see him.”
“Elijah’s not here. He’s sick. Ada thinks he’s got the Covid. She put him in a room by himself.”
A slew of emotions flowed through Georgia. She was crestfallen that she couldn’t deliver all three kids to Eden. She was disturbed that little Elijah was by himself. At the same time, she was relieved that Ada, Porter’s first wife, was caring for them in Eden’s absence.
“Does Ada bring you to school every day?”
“She does.”
“Well, that’s one job she won’t have to do anymore. I am so glad to see you, Sister Sadie. You can’t believe how much I missed you. It nearly drove me crazy.”
“Is that why you came back?”
Georgia nodded. “I had to see my babies. So where’s—”
She was cut off by a shriek from a young boy racing down the steps. “Mama! Mama!” He had flaxen hair and a huge grin on his face. “I knew you’d come back. I knew it!” He threw himself into Georgia’s arms and hugged her tight. “Papa said you were gone for good. But I kept praying and praying. And God answered my prayers!”
“Oh, Teagan. My sweet—angel!” Georgia hugged him tight, then knelt down to his eye level and pulled him to her. Despite her gaffe—she was about to call him “sweet boy,” he didn’t seem to doubt who she was and for that, she said a little prayer. Meanwhile, a group of children gathered on the steps, and an older girl teacher was trying to herd them back upstairs. The children who’d been in the room with the blackboard were watching from the door. So was their teacher.
“I’m so sorry for disturbing your routine,” Georgia said to the teachers. “I’ll just take them home now.”
The girl nodded and exchanged glances with the other teacher. Georgia knew they were about to spread the word all over Nauvoo.
Georgia hurried to the front door of the school, trying to push the children forward. “Oh, my babies, I’m so happy to see you. Let’s go.” She pointed to the gray SUV. “Some friends of mine are going to take us home.”
After Georgia got the children’s seat belts on, they took off, a small group of children from the school watching them go. Teagan kept asking Georgia questions, but Sariah was quiet, almost sullen.
LeJeune turned around. “Hello, kids. My name is Nick.” He motioned to Jimmy. “And this is Jimmy.”
“Who are you?” Sariah demanded.
“Friends of your mom.”
“Are you Christians?”
“I am,” LeJeune said. “Are you, Jimmy?”
“Yup. Same as you,” he replied.
“Okay,” LeJeune said. “Glad that’s settled.” He winked at Sariah. She recoiled, as if she didn’t understand what a wink was and scrunched a little closer to Georgia. Thank god, Georgia thought. She’s accepting me as Eden. LeJeune noticed it too.
“I guess no one’s ever winked at you before.”
Sariah’s eyes got big, but she didn’t say a word.
“This might be the first time Sariah’s acted shy around anyone,” Georgia said.
Sariah reached for Georgia’s hand. Georgia put her arm around the girl and hugged her. “A wink is a nice thing. It means someone likes you.”
Sariah didn’t say anything, but her body loosened.
Teagan, on the other hand, continued to bombard Georgia with questions. Where had she gone? Who with? Why? Did she really get Covid? LeJeune’s brows arched when he asked her that. She tried to answer them the way Eden might, but her focus wasn’t as sharp as it should have been. How were they going to explain the plane to them? Or the fact that she wasn’t going with them? She didn’t even know if LeJeune and Jimmy realized she wasn’t.
They were on the road to the airport when Sariah said, “Shouldn’t we be home by now?”
Sariah knew something was off. Georgia was about to open her mouth, but LeJeune answered the question. “Have you ever been on an airplane, Sariah?”
The girl shook her head.
“What about you, Teagan?”
“No sir.”
“Well then, this is your lucky day. Your mama has arranged for an airplane ride before she takes you home, and we’ll be getting on it soon.”
“An airplane? Why?” Sariah asked.
For eight years old, Sariah was too precocious, Georgia thought. “It’s a special treat,” she said. “Kind of a coming-home surprise. I think you’ll like it.” She hesitated. “But if you don’t want to do it, that’s okay.” She mentally crossed her fingers.
“You’re coming too, right, Mama?” Sariah said.
“Of course she is,” LeJeune said. “Look.” He pointed ahead.
They pulled into the Winchester airstrip and spotted the Cessna at the end of the runway. Meanwhile, Georgia was trying to get LeJeune’s attention so she could shake her head, but LeJeune wouldn’t meet her eyes. Georgia knew it was deliberate.
“Isn’t that a cool plane?” LeJeune asked.
Jimmy drove the SUV right up to the Cessna, and everyone climbed out of the car. Georgia took one child’s hand in each of hers and walked toward the plane. “Okay, angels. You get on, and I’ll be right there.”
“Does Papa know we’re going on a plane?” Sariah’s eyes narrowed.
“Of course he does,” Georgia lied. “Do you think I’d do anything without his permission?”
“Papa’s mad at you, you know. He said you weren’t coming back.”
“I know, sweetheart.” Crap. She shouldn’t have said “sweetheart,” but it just slipped out.
Teagan happily jogged up the steps. Sariah looked doubtful but did what she was told. Meanwhile Georgia confronted LeJeune. “I’m not going back to Chicago with them. That’s why I asked for the female agent.”
“You can’t let those kids fly for the first time without you. They’re too young. And the little girl isn’t sure of you. You need to go with them and keep this up for another hour.”
Georgia bit her lip and mulled it over. He was right.
“Look. I know you want in,” LeJeune said. So you go. I’ll get Eden to the airport to meet the plane. Then you turn around and fly back here. Call us ten minutes before you land. Whole thing won’t take more than an hour.”
“Promise?” She looked over at Jimmy, who stood apart from them with a scowl on his face. It was obvious he didn’t want her anywhere near Nauvoo.
LeJeune nodded. “You still have to get the third kid, right?” He winked.
“Thanks.” Relieved, she went to Jimmy. “I know you don’t want me to come back, but I have to. We only have two of the kids. I have to get the third one. He’s sick at home.”
He planted his hands on his hips. “You and I are going to have a talk when this is over.”