LITMIR.BIZ

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want to baby-sit on a weekend. He couldn’t believe she had stayed tonight with a husband waiting for her at home. At least her marriage explained her decreased anger and bitterness since the last time they’d seen each other.

      “Sarah didn’t tell you?”

      Confused, Justin wrinkled his brow. “Tell me what? That she had married? No, but I know she was engaged—”

      “Was is the operative word there, buddy. You’d better sit down.”

      Justin stood, instead. “Look, Bill, obviously you know something I don’t. Why don’t you try telling me.”

      “I don’t know all the particulars. Just that she’s no longer engaged.”

      “Is that all?”

      “No. As a matter of fact, it’s not. She no longer works for her fiancé’s family, either, as of a very short time ago. Nor does she live in her old apartment.”

      Justin sighed impatiently. “I know the latter—that’s why I called you. Do you know where she lives?”

      “Yes.”

      Restlessly, Justin ran a hand through his hair. Why was Bill acting as if Sarah’s address and phone number were a national secret? Okay, so Bill felt sorry for Sarah. She had broken off with her fiancé and quit her job. Justin was sorry for her, too, but that might just work out to his best. Maybe he could hire Sarah for a week or two until she found a better job…unless she already had one. But first he had to locate her. This was all too much to take in at once. Just what did he really know about Sarah? Very little, he suddenly realized.

      “So where is she?” he demanded, quickly reaching the end of his rope.

      There was a hesitation, then a sigh. “Look, Justin, maybe since she didn’t tell you—”

      “Where, Bill?” he demanded.

      “Okay, okay! But if she’s mad at me—”

      “Bill!”

      “She’s living at a homeless shelter downtown near Second Street.”

      Justin’s legs collapsed underneath him and he sank to the bed, stunned. “Homeless shelter?” he whispered, unable to believe what he was hearing.

      “Yeah. Evidently, when she lost her job, she didn’t have enough money to pay her rent. She had to move out but had nowhere to go and wouldn’t let me help since I’m so newly married. She refuses to collect unemployment—”

      “She was fired!” Justin shouted.

      “As I said,” Bill continued without answering Justin’s question, “she comes in twice a week, looking for a job. The law office, it seems, was overstaffed and had to get rid of a secretary.”

      “What’s the shelter’s name and number?”

      “Why?”

      “Because I’m going to call and leave a message for Sarah to expect me.”

      “Sorry, bud, the shelter closes its doors at eight. Which also means no phone calls, either.”

      “What do you mean, it closes its doors at eight?”

      “Just what I said. Haven’t you ever been around shelters? In the morning the people are fed, then put out for the day. At the end of the day the shelters reopen and the occupants are allowed back in for supper. At eight this particular one closes its doors and no one else is allowed in. The place is usually full by six or so anyway.”

      A sick feeling curled in Justin’s stomach. “What about Sarah?”

      “What about her?”

      “What if she’s late getting back? Would they let her in? I mean, if she had a good explanation?”

      “Sarah’s staying at a very good shelter, Justin. Try not to worry. She’s been there a couple of weeks now. They’ve treated her well. They won’t turn her out.”

      Cold fear filled Justin’s heart. “You’re not answering my question. If Sarah was late, would they let her in?”

      “Sarah knows the rules. She wouldn’t have been late.”

      Justin had his answer. “Thanks, Bill.”

      “You okay?”

      How could Justin answer that truthfully? “Yeah,” he lied.

      Sarah, his sister-in-law, who had been here only thirty minutes ago, was living in a shelter. His sister-in-law, for pity sakes! Why hadn’t she come to him?

      In a flash of insight he realized she had. Today. And he’d snipped at her from the time he’d opened the door, never giving her a chance to state her true purpose in coming.

      Anger replaced the guilt. Oh, he’d asked, but she’d refused to tell Justin what was going on. It’d always been that way. Amy had been heartsick when Sarah had closed herself off from her only sister because Amy had married him. Of course Sarah had had a good reason for not speaking to him.

      His anger deflated. They were both at fault. But why hadn’t she opened up to him tonight and told him she was penniless and living in a shelter?

      Because she didn’t trust him. And he didn’t trust her. And she knew that.

      Yet despite that, Justin admitted to his feelings of earlier today. True, he’d felt shock and anger when he’d seen her, then experienced a need to prove that he held nothing against her. But worst of all was the spark of interest he’d felt for her that had slowly made itself known as he’d noticed the sway of her hair, the tilt of her chin, the flash of her eyes…Self-loathing ate at him. This was Amy’s sister, not a woman who should interest him. Especially since he still didn’t completely trust her. But all that didn’t matter now. The only thing that mattered was that Sarah was living in a shelter.

      His sister-in-law.

      Mickie’s aunt.

      There was no way he was going to let her stay there.

      “So—” Bill broke the silence “—are you ready to talk?”

      Justin sighed. Bill was his friend. He trusted Bill more than anyone else. Maybe he needed to confide in a friend. “I guess at the time of Amy’s death Sarah was a convenient person to blame. I was despondent, and according to Sarah, I unintentionally neglected Mickie because of my grief. Maybe Sarah had been acting in Mickie’s best interest by taking me to court…or at least she thought she was. I can tell you it certainly woke me up to what was going on around me and that I had a daughter who needed me.”

      He wondered if Sarah had sensed that things weren’t as good between Amy and him as they’d appeared. Had Amy told Sarah she wanted a divorce?

      The night of Amy’s death, she had admitted that her parents had encouraged the match, saying it was a way of showing the peace between their two families. Had Sarah known or suspected that? He’d been devastated when his wife had run from the house to go see the sister she hadn’t talked to in months, because she was tired of trying to “work things out” as he’d insisted they do.

      “Amy was angry that every time Sarah and I were near each other we fought. I knew this and tried to curb my tongue, but something got my dander up each time the woman came by. Sarah obviously felt the same way. Amy was caught in the middle and maybe that was why Sarah had fought back the way she did. She had been trying to protect Amy. I just don’t know.”

      Justin ran a weary hand over his face. “She went too far when she tried to take Mickie.”

      Yes, it had jerked him out of his grief, but the strength he’d found was fueled by anger and hatred, not by God. Things had been disastrous at the trial, breaking the familial bonds between them forever. Or so he’d thought until today, when he’d found out that Sarah was living in a shelter and had tried in her own way to “bury the hatchet.”

      “You

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