LITMIR.BIZ

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in his jiggling knee. He forced his foot to the floor, confused why he felt so edgy with Bill. He’d thought about talking with someone, and Bill had a good head on his shoulders. “The meeting was fine, and after it, one of the women bumped into me as we were leaving. I’d noticed her earlier. She had a nice smile, and…I don’t know…something about her caught my attention.”

      Bill’s frown vanished, and a half grin took its place.

      “Nothing like that.” He waved his hand, but he felt like a fraud. It had become something significant. Lexie and her son had begun popping into his thoughts numerous times a day, especially since he’d run into her again. “She had a flat when we went outside. I helped her. We talked, and—”

      Bill snickered. “Love at first sight.”

      “No. It’s…I don’t know.” Now Ethan questioned why he’d even brought the whole thing up. How could Bill understand his emotional struggle?

      Bill leaned his shoulders over the chair back, his brow drawn. “So lay it on me. What happened? What’s the problem?”

      “The child has leukemia. Cancer.”

      Bill blinked. “Ahh.” He rocked back in the chair and shook his head. “That kind of cancer is different, Ethan. The outcome can be more hopeful. You know that.”

      “I know that in my head.”

      Bill braced the heels of his hands against the chair back. “So what are you asking me?”

      He blew out a stream of air. “I don’t know for sure.” He tried to untangle his thoughts. “I walked away that day.” He allowed his eyes to connect with Bill’s. “The day we met. I helped her change the tire and then left, but here’s the thing. I ran into her again.”

      “At the next meeting?”

      “No. At a pharmacy. It struck me that…I don’t know. She’d been on my mind, and I’d wished that I hadn’t reacted as I did. It seemed our meeting again was providence.”

      “You mean God planned it?”

      “That sounds odd, but I felt it was meant to be. She talks about her son with such love, and I don’t have kids. I asked to meet the boy. He doesn’t have a dad, and I—”

      “And you’d like to be his dad.”

      Ethan’s pulse skipped. “Don’t be ridiculous. The boy needs a man’s attention. Like a big brother.”

      A faint grin etched Bill’s mouth. “You have no interest in the mother, but you want to be the kid’s big brother?” Bill’s eyebrows arched to his hairline, and he snickered.

      The comment smacked Ethan. “Okay. Whatever. I’d like to be a masculine influence for the boy. Fill that hole.” Lexie’s image flashed through his mind. “Not to say the boy’s mother isn’t doing a good job. She is.”

      Bill shifted and wrapped his fingers around the chair back. “Why not meet the boy? Do it if his mother approves.”

      “But is it right? Am I stepping over the boundary of Dreams Come True? No one said we should get friendly. We’re here to plan events and trips for these kids, not to be friends.”

      “I don’t know of any rule that says you can’t be a friend.” He leaned closer. “Or are you worried about some other problem?”

      Ethan had to admit that was a concern. He’d been drawn to Lexie from the moment he looked at her. “That, too, I suppose.”

      “The mother?”

      “No one’s fascinated me the way she did.” He shook his head. “And without saying a word to me. She was in the room with ten other women that first day.” He flexed his palm upward. “And don’t ask me if it’s her good looks. Yes, she’s very attractive, but it was something else. Maybe the purposeful set of her jaw, the affirming glimmer in her eyes. Whatever it was, it drew me like a magnet.”

      “And she just happened to bump into you.”

      “It was an accident. When she turned around, I—” Ethan gave him a shamefaced grin. “I had walked her way, hoping we might talk.”

      A thoughtful expression lit Bill’s face before turning to a frown. “Did she flirt with you? Or encourage you to get involved with her?”

      “No. She’s not like that. She’s careful. Strong-willed yet gentle. Lexie’s focused on her son.” Their conversations filtered through his mind. “She’s different. Not the flirty type.” He lowered his head. “Unless I’m stupid.”

      “That’s a possibility.” Bill chuckled.

      He ignored Bill. “Lexie hasn’t agreed to let me meet Cooper yet. She wanted to ask him first. Does that sound like a woman who’s running after me?”

      “No. She sounds like a caring mother.” Bill straightened in the chair, his teasing expression gone. “Listen, you have to go with your heart. When Marian and I met, something happened. It’s a feeling I can’t explain, but it sort of felt right.” He looked past him a moment as if thinking. “Like maybe God had meant it to be.” He chuckled. “So maybe your ‘providence’ feeling was the Lord prodding you forward.”

      The Lord. The pit of his stomach tightened. “I’m not sure Lexie’s a Christian so I doubt if the Lord had anything to do with it.”

      “God works wonders, pal. Don’t doubt His ways.”

      “Doubt? No, I wasn’t—” Had he doubted? “I was just—” But Bill was right. Had he been led to Lexie as a faith influence and nothing more? A hollow feeling drove through his chest and parked. The unsettling emotion forced Ethan’s gaze upward. “You’re right. The Lord guides us for His purpose, and maybe that’s it.” He rose and slid the chair beneath the table. “Thanks.”

      “Listen, Ethan. I wasn’t trying to be a downer for you.” He stood and moved the chair aside. “I’m no counselor. I’m not even good at making my own decisions. Marian’s more decisive than I am.”

      Ethan rested his hand on Bill’s arm. “What you said gave me something to think about. I need to use common sense as well as what my heart is prodding me to do.”

      Bill slapped his back. “You’re a good man. You’ll do the right thing.”

      He questioned Bill’s confidence in him. Sometimes doing the right thing became caught up in dreams, not in reality. “I hope so.”

      Chapter Three

      Ethan stepped from his SUV and eyed the house in front of him, a terra-cotta-colored brick bungalow, typical of many of the homes he’d passed in Clawson, but this one had a generous porch across the front, adding to its charm. Large tapered columns with timber detailing supported the porch roof, and above rose one gable with a double window. A large maple tree stood in the center of the small yard, its leaves giving a hint that spring had arrived.

      His talk with Bill had resolved some of his issues, and he wanted to put it in God’s hands. When more than a week passed without a word from Lexie, he chalked it up to the Lord wanting him to back off or maybe telling him he’d been too forward. The woman had a sick child and didn’t have time for a stranger. But he’d been wrong. Her phone call had surprised him, and her message even more. Cooper was anxious to meet him.

      He leaned back into the car and pulled out the paper bag with the local bookstore logo. The boy loved books, and Ethan wanted to give him a small gift when they met. A book seemed perfect. He shut the door, hit the remote’s lock button and headed up the concrete walk. When he stepped onto the porch, he noticed a vaulted ceiling over the door. Being a contractor, he couldn’t help but appreciate the quality of the building.

      When he reached for the bell, the door opened, revealing Lexie standing inside the entry. Her pleasant expression didn’t hide a hint of uneasiness.

      She

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