Valerie woke up on Monday morning before her alarm and the first thing she thought about was Hailey. The tuna on Saturday night had been a disaster, so Valerie had scrapped Sunday’s menu and they had ordered a pizza. Thankfully, she made her menu plan each Sunday afternoon, so she and Hailey had sat down at the dining-room table after church and put together a menu that they both liked. Then, they had gone shopping and there was food in the house that Hailey would eat.
They had spent most of Sunday evening organizing Hailey’s bedroom, which was the room right next to Valerie’s. It even had a connecting door since it was probably a nursery at one point. The beadboard on the walls was a creamy yellow and the trim around the tall windows and doors was white. A built-in closet spanned one side of the room and polished maple floors gleamed under the floral rug.
Now, as Valerie lay in bed, apprehension started to wind around her heart. A laid-back Sunday was one thing—returning to daily life with a child was going to be another. Especially when she had to explain who the child was to the school and community. What would they think of her when they learned she had given birth to a child at the age of eighteen? Would they judge her? Think less of her? Possibly ask her to resign?
That last thought wasn’t likely, but it still worried her.
Annabelle used to sleep with Valerie, but the last two nights, she’d slept with Hailey in her bedroom. Valerie didn’t mind. It seemed to ease Hailey’s anxiety about living in a new house. But she knew Annabelle would need to go outside and Hailey would need to wake up if they were going to get ready, eat breakfast and get to the school to open it up at six thirty for Wade.
Just thinking about him made her heart beat a little harder. He’d been so kind at church the day before, shielding her from his mom’s questions, offering to help as she navigated raising Hailey on her own. She’d been surprised to learn he was single—and then surprised again at how much it pleased her to know he wasn’t married. She hated that he thought Hailey was her sister—but that couldn’t be helped right now.
Valerie slowly opened the connecting door between her room and Hailey’s room.
The sun was not yet up, so the room was still dark. But Valerie didn’t need the light to know how the room was situated. It had been one of two guest bedrooms on the second floor, though she’d never had use of them. A full-size bed with a white comforter sat against the far wall and a white bureau stood opposite. Flowing white curtains at the windows allowed natural sunlight to pour in during the day and offered a bit of privacy at night.
Annabelle woke up and jumped off Hailey’s bed, her collar jingling and her claws tapping on the floor as she ran to Valerie.
“Annabelle?” Hailey asked in a sleepy voice.
“It’s just me,” Valerie said. “I’m taking Annabelle out to go potty.”
“Do I have to get up?”
“In a little bit. I’ll come back when it’s time.”
“Okay,” Hailey mumbled as she burrowed deeper under her thick comforter.
Valerie slipped on her shoes and pulled a coat over her shoulders. Then she opened the front door and brought Annabelle out to go potty.
It was cold, but it hadn’t snowed yet. Thanksgiving was less than two weeks away. Valerie had usually spent it with friends, or alone. A slow smile tilted her lips when she realized that she’d finally have someone to share the holiday with—her daughter. They could make a menu and go shopping and then prepare the meal together. Valerie’s mind began to fill with all sorts of plans.
After Annabelle went potty, Valerie brought her back into the house and fed her, then turned on the coffee pot before heading back upstairs.
“Time to get up,” Valerie said as she went to Hailey’s bed.
Hailey groaned. “I hate school.”
“Hate is a strong word.”
“Are you really the principal?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Another groan.
“If you don’t get into trouble,” Valerie said with a smile, “then you have nothing to worry about.” She touched Hailey’s shoulder gently. “Come on. It’s time to get up and get ready.”
Hailey finally pushed back the covers and got up.
Valerie flipped on the lamp next to her bed—and was surprised to find Hailey’s clothes from the day before on the floor.
“You have a laundry hamper,” Valerie said as she picked up the clothes and put them into the wicker basket near the door.
Hailey glanced over her shoulder but didn’t respond. Instead, she started to look through her clothes in the closest. The closet had a built-in dresser, so she rummaged through that, too. The clothes were soon messed up, some of them falling onto the floor near Hailey’s feet, though she made no move to pick them up.
“You need to be more careful,” Valerie said, moving to stand beside her to fix the clothes. “You need to keep your clothes neatly folded.”
Hailey looked up at her and frowned. “Why?”
“I like when things are organized,” Valerie said, feeling like she needed to explain herself. “There are less chances for the clothes to get wrinkled and it’s easier to see what your options are when they are folded neatly.”
“I like when things are messy.”
“No, you don’t.”
Hailey nodded. “I do. Ask Mom. She complained about it all the time.”
At the mention of Valerie’s mother, she tensed. They hadn’t spoken since her mom had dropped Hailey off on Saturday—and Valerie wasn’t sure if her mom would even call. Had she just abandoned them? Valerie was an adult and could deal with the ramifications—but could Hailey?
“Come on,” Valerie said. “Get changed, brush your teeth, and comb your hair. I’ll get dressed and then make a quick breakfast. We can’t be late.”
Thirty minutes later, Valerie was sipping her coffee and toasting a bagel for Hailey. It was just after six and she had called for Hailey twice already. Valerie went to the bottom of the steps a third time. “We need to leave. Hurry!”
“Coming,” Hailey said.
When Hailey finally joined her in the kitchen a few minutes later, Annabelle was by her feet. Hailey’s hair was still uncombed, and her shirt was wrinkly.
She looked like she’d gone back to bed.
“Were you sleeping?” Valerie asked.
Hailey climbed onto the counter stool and shrugged sheepishly. “I accidentally fell back to sleep.”
“You can’t fall back to sleep after I wake you up. You need to follow my directions to the letter. Do you understand?”
Frowning, Hailey shook her head. “What does to the letter mean?”
“It means, you need to do as I say, when I say it and how I say it. I run a very tight schedule, and we can’t be late. A lot of people depend on me.”
“Mom let me sleep until right before we left the house for school,” she said. “She didn’t make me do the letter thing.”
“Well, Mom was irresponsible.” Valerie’s words slipped out before she could stop them. She recalled her mother’s lackadaisical attitude when Valerie was a kid. They were late to everything—and she hated it. It was embarrassing to run into the classroom after the final bell when everyone else was in their seats. Or show up to the school field trip, only to see the bus pulling out of the parking lot without her. Her teachers were always scolding her—but it was rarely her fault. She refused to let Hailey experience the same humiliation.
“I want to go home,” Hailey said, lowering her head to her arms, which were resting on the counter. Her shoulders began to shake as she cried.
Remorse filled Valerie as she set her coffee cup down and walked to Hailey’s side. “I’m sorry, Hailey.” She sighed. “Mom and I are two very different people. It’ll take some time for you and me to get used to each other. But I have to be punctual and enforce the rules—it’s how I do my job well.”
The clock said six fifteen. Since Valerie only lived five blocks from the school, it wouldn’t take her long to get there, but Hailey hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.
“Come on,” she said, not wanting to rush Hailey, but needing her to eat something. “I made you a bagel.”
“I don’t like bagels,” she said as she wiped her cheeks.
“You told me yesterday you liked them when we bought them.” Valerie tried not to feel impatient. “What would you like for breakfast?”
“Pancakes.”
“I don’t have time to make you pancakes this morning. I’ll have to make them another day. We have the cereal you picked out yesterday.”
Hailey lifted a shoulder.
Valerie didn’t have time to debate with her, or lecture her about wasting food, either. She went to the pantry and pulled out the cereal Hailey had chosen at the store. Her kitchen was neat and orderly, like the rest of her life—at least, like it used to be. She pulled out a bowl and dumped in some cereal, then added milk. She put it in front of Hailey with a spoon and said, “We need to be in the car in ten minutes. You should hurry.”
Hailey took a few small bites of her cereal as Valerie grabbed their coats and bags. Thankfully, Hailey had a backpack among her suitcases, so Valerie didn’t need to buy her a new one. Inside were all the school supplies she’d need. Her mother might not be punctual, but at least she’d been organized when she packed Hailey’s things.
Valerie slipped on her wool coat and put Annabelle in her crate. Then she went back to the kitchen and discovered that Hailey had barely touched her cereal.
“You’re going to be hungry until lunch,” Valerie warned. “But we don’t have any more time.” She handed Hailey her coat, hating that she wouldn’t have time to clean up the cereal bowl until after school. “Grab an apple or a banana, and let’s go.”
Hailey took her time putting on her coat—and Valerie realized her hair was still uncombed. She couldn’t have her daughter show up to her first day of school without her hair combed.
“Just a second,” Valerie said as she ran out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and into the bathroom to grab a comb. Her heart was pounding as she ran back downstairs and into the kitchen. “Comb it as we drive.”
She ushered Hailey out, realizing she had not finished her coffee, but couldn’t do anything about it. They were late.
The air was cold as they ran from the house to the garage. She had to prod Hailey along, since the girl didn’t seem too concerned about being late.
“Come on,” Valerie said, her frustration mounting. “We need to hurry.”
Valerie hated feeling stressed and unraveled. She also hated losing her cool around children. As an adult, she was an example. But Hailey was testing her patience.
A few minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot and found Wade Griffin’s truck already there. She was late—again.
“I don’t want Issy to know you’re my mom,” Hailey said as Valerie turned off the car.
“She’s going to find out, Hailey.” Valerie pivoted in her seat to look at her daughter.
“Why?”
“Because I have to tell my staff the truth—and this kind of thing doesn’t stay quiet for long.”
Tears rimmed Hailey’s eyelids. “I don’t want anyone to know.”
Pain sliced through Valerie. Was Hailey embarrassed by her? Was that why she didn’t want people to know? “Why?”
“Because you’re not my mom. I have a mom.”
Valerie tried not to take it personally, but it was impossible. “I am your biological mother—”
“You’re not my mom.”
“Hailey—”
“Please don’t tell anyone.”
Valerie stared at Hailey, knowing that Wade was waiting for her to open the school. How was she going to navigate this tricky situation? Hailey had been dealing with so much trauma, would it be helpful to keep everything a secret a little longer? Give her time to figure things out? As the principal, she was the only person who needed to know the truth. The rest of the staff could be told that Hailey was her sister. It didn’t really matter, as long as they knew she was Hailey’s legal guardian. She didn’t want to keep the truth from everyone—but in Hailey’s eyes, Valerie wasn’t her mom.
“I’ll try to keep it quiet,” Valerie said.
Hailey nodded as she wiped her tears for the second time that morning.
“But we can’t keep it a secret forever.”
Hailey caught sight of Issy, who had gotten out of her dad’s truck. Hailey opened the door and left Valerie’s car without another word.
Wade was leaning against his truck, waiting for Valerie.
She felt awful that she was late again—and that she had agreed to keep Hailey’s parentage a secret.
“Sorry,” Valerie said as she got out of her car, feeling rattled and unsettled again. “I promise I’m not usually late.”
He grinned and she couldn’t help but return his smile. He had been a bright spot over the past weekend—the only one she’d had.
“No need to apologize,” he said. “It’ll take some time for you two to figure things out.”
“Thank you for understanding.” She pulled her keys from her shoulder bag. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”
She’d never noticed how blue his eyes were or how his mouth tilted at a charming angle when he smiled. He wore a beard, trimmed close, and his brown hair was a little longer, curling at the ends. He was a head taller than her and he was muscular and fit, probably from all his construction work.
There was a lot she hadn’t noticed about Wade Griffin—but she had given up on a happily-ever-after when Soren had abandoned her in high school. She wasn’t about to put herself in a position to be wounded again. It was easier to keep men at arm’s length and not let them get close enough to hurt or use her.
No matter how cute or understanding Wade Griffin might be, it was best if she kept him at a distance, too.
For some reason, Wade couldn’t get Valerie Wilmington out of his head all that morning. He should have been focused on the construction project, but his thoughts returned to her every chance they could get. She’d been just as flustered this morning as she had been Saturday and he kind of liked it. There was something attractive about being real and vulnerable, especially from a woman who seemed to pride herself on always having her life together.
She was also really pretty, which didn’t hurt.
“How’s it going in here?” A feminine voice broke into his thoughts. The voice of the woman he’d been thinking about—again.
He turned from where he was tearing out the wet Sheetrock and smiled at Valerie.
She was wearing a long black skirt and a simple white blouse today. Her hair was up in a twist at the back, and she had on a pair of glasses, though she didn’t wear them all the time.
Wade’s crew was hard at work tearing out the rest of the Sheetrock and the ruined cabinets.
“It’s going well.” He put the ruined Sheetrock into a bin to be hauled away and approached her.
“The lunch bell is going to ring soon,” she said. “I wanted to let you and your crew know that you’re welcome to have lunch on us today.”
“Thank you.” Wade glanced at his men, who were nodding their appreciation.
“You can head into the cafeteria at 12:05,” she said, glancing at the watch on her wrist.
“12:05?” He smiled. “Exactly?”
“The school day is run on a tight schedule,” she said, not realizing he was teasing her. “The kids go in at twenty-minute intervals, starting at eleven twenty. All the grades should be through by twelve and your men can go behind them.”
“We won’t be late,” he teased her again, wondering if she’d respond.
She did—smiling at him. “Unlike some people?”
“I won’t name any names.”
“Good. I have a reputation to uphold.”
They were still smiling at each other. Then she quickly looked away, inspecting the room. “You’ve made great progress here. Any idea how long this will take?”
He was happy she was changing the subject. He was tempted to keep teasing her, to see if he could get her to show her dimples or laugh again. He still remembered the charming sound and how it had made him feel.
But it was best if he didn’t think about her laugh or her dimples—or her in general. It was better to think about the construction project.
“I’m hoping that we can finish the demolition work today and start hanging new drywall tomorrow. It’ll take a couple of days to get the mudding and taping done and then another day to spray the walls. Then we’ll paint them. Early next week, we’ll lay the carpet and install the new cabinets.”
“Does that mean the kids will be back in here after Thanksgiving break?”
“Yes—I feel confident we can get them in here by then.”
“Thank you.” She sighed. “That’s such a relief. I’d love if it could be before Thanksgiving, but I’ll take what I can get.”
A man entered the room and Wade’s shoulders tightened. It was his father.
“Hey, Dad,” Wade said, wondering what his father had come to critique this time.
Wade had gone to college to learn music composition. He had dreamed of being a singer–songwriter. But life had taken a different course. When he and Amber found out Isabel was on the way during their senior year of college, they had gotten married and then he had needed a real job. But there was little available to a man with a degree in music composition, so he’d taken a job at a home-improvement store, finishing his degree and working on his music on the weekends. Then, Brayden had come along—and a year later, Amber had left.
The Twin Cities had been hectic and expensive, so when his dad had offered him a job with the family construction business back in his hometown, he’d had little choice. It was the last thing he wanted to do—but he’d settled into life in Timber Falls faster than expected.
Sometimes, at night, he still pulled his guitar out—but he was usually too tired to be creative. And the grief that had come with the loss of his dreams had weighed heavier on him than he sometimes realized.
“This is Miss Wilmington,” Wade said to his father.
“I know,” his dad said as he smiled at Valerie. “We met at church.”
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Griffin,” Valerie said.
“You can call me Fred,” his dad responded. “And we’re happy you called on Griffin Construction for this project.” His dad was a good salesperson. He was charming when he wanted to be—harsh when he liked to be. Usually toward Wade who didn’t seem to live up to his expectations.
“Of course,” Valerie said. “We like to utilize the businesses of our school families whenever we can.”
“Well, we appreciate it.” His dad looked around the room, and his smile fell into a frown. “I thought the crew would be further along by now. What’s the holdup, Wade?”
Embarrassment warmed Wade’s neck. “I think we’re making great progress.”
His dad shook his head, offering Valerie a long-suffering look. “It’s a good thing I showed up when I did. I’ll get these guys whipped into shape, yet.”
Valerie smiled politely, but the air had grown tense and awkward.
“Come on,” his dad said to Wade. “Stop flirting with this pretty lady and get some work done. I’m not paying you to stand around all day and work on your love life.”
“Dad.” Wade gave his dad a look.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Valerie said, her cheeks turning pink.
Wade didn’t even know what to say as she walked out of the classroom.
“Come on,” Wade said to his dad. “That wasn’t necessary. You embarrassed her.”
“It looks like I embarrassed you, too,” he said, though he wasn’t smiling. “Which means I hit close to home. You were flirting with her.”
“She’s Issy and Brayden’s principal. I was being nice.”
“Sure,” his dad said, though he didn’t sound convinced. “We can’t afford to stay on this project for long. There’s no time for being nice to anyone.”
Wade had learned a long time ago that it didn’t pay to argue with his dad.
He would apologize to Valerie later—but for now, he needed to get the job done.
Though the sooner he got it done, the sooner he wouldn’t have an excuse to see her.
And that thought made him more disappointed than it should.