Her Second-Chance Family

Audrey and the boy went back to the front of the house and returned with a black barrel suspended on a metal rack.

Sawyer looked at Willow, who softly supplied, “Composter.”

“Of course it is,” he whispered back. He knew he was grinning like a schoolkid who just got picked first for the team.

Audrey set the black barrel down in front of him. “You asked about composters last week, so I didn’t think you’d be offended. It’s got a handle and you just give it a turn now and then, add some water, and soon you’ll have compost for all your planting beds. I thought you could put it next to your garbage bin.”

Before he knew it, she set it up and, with the kids’ help, gave him a rundown on how to use it.

He listened and nodded, and couldn’t help but think, What a weird woman. Odd. It wasn’t her composting and environmental principles—hippie chick stuff, as Willow would say. No, he could understand and admire that kind of passion.

It was the rest. He wasn’t sure he knew what to make of a woman who took in foster kids, volunteered for what seemed to be very time-consuming projects and believed in second chances.

Or third chances.

She seemed willing to give of herself with that project at work, but also with the kids she took in and now with him. A virtual stranger.

He wondered when the last time was that he gave something of himself with no expectation of getting something in return.

When Audrey wound down, he was surprised to hear himself asking, “What are you doing for the Fourth?”

Audrey, who always seemed like a whirlwind of movement, stopped a moment. Completely stopped. “The Fourth of July?”

Emphasizing each word, he slowly repeated. “The. Fourth. Of. July. Independence Day. Do you have plans?”

She shook her head. “Not plans per se. I don’t work, so I’ll be spending the day with the kids.”

“I thought I could pay you back for your kindness and the composter by having a picnic here. For you and the kids,” he added.

She was going to say no. He could see it in her expression. She got as far as the word “I...”

He cut her off. “If you say no, I’ll probably just spend the day in my office working.” This was an out-and-out lie. He’d planned to go visit his friend Martin Pennington and his wife, Jan. When Millie left, they’d taken him under their wings. He didn’t find it a comfortable place to be because he hated feeling like an obligation.

“Let me pay back your kindness,” he said. “The kids can go swimming and we’ll picnic.”

Audrey was silent. He thought she was going to politely refuse, but finally she nodded and said, “Only if you let me bring something.”

“Done.”

The kids were helping Willow take her tools to the front.

He hated that she was leaving. Under other circumstances, he might ask her out for lunch, or drinks. Eventually, if that went well, dinner and a movie, or a show. He’d take it slow and play it cool.

With Audrey, cool didn’t seem to apply. Not at all.

She turned to follow after the kids, but he said, “Listen, I went down to Miller Brothers and ordered a lawn mower. It will be here next week, so you won’t have to haul yours back and forth anymore.”

Audrey stopped, turned around and looked at him. For a moment, Sawyer felt like an open book. As if she could see everything about him. Then she smiled, obviously happy with whatever she’d seen. “You are a very nice man, Sawyer Williams.”

“It’s nothing to do with nice. It just seemed silly to make you haul your lawn mower over here every week.”

“I maintain that you are nice, but I’ll let you keep your illusion that you’re not. And thank you.” She turned and headed toward the front of the house.

He followed her. The kids were busy loading stuff in the car.

“And thank you again for giving Willow a chance.”

Sawyer looked at Audrey. “May I ask why you took in a kid who’s only a dozen years younger than you and has a record?”

She turned to him and her brown eyes met his. He noticed there were gold flecks in them. “Because no one else would.”

He waited to see if she was going to add anything else, but it became apparent she wasn’t. “There’s more to it than that. You’re young. Why saddle yourself with three kids?” Throwaways, Willow had said.

“Because when I was young, I was just like them. Moved from family to family, from home to home, but none of the places I lived was my home—my family. I had two friends back then. They cared. And that made all the difference. I never got a home, but I’ve given those three kids one. It’s not traditional family, and you’re right, I’m young. But no kid in the foster system is looking for a perfect family...they just want someone to belong to. Someplace to call home. I try to do that for these three.”

“But how did you get started?” he asked.

“That is a long story.”

He was about to say he could manage long when she added, “Too long for today.” She looked away from him, her attention back on the kids.

“Come on, Aud,” Clinton called.

It took Sawyer a second to realize the boy had called her Aud, not Odd. He might not know Audrey very well yet, but he knew she was odd—in a very good way. Not many people her age took on the responsibility of three kids, one of whom had a checkered past.

“What time would you like us to come over on Saturday?” Audrey asked as she started toward the car.

“How about noon?”

“That sounds great.”

“Have the kids bring their suits,” he reminded her.

Audrey nodded. “See you then.” With that, she got in the car with the kids and backed out of his driveway. With other women, even his ex, Millie, he’d had playing it cool down to a science. He did enough, but not too much. He called, but not too often. Now as he stood staring down the road long after she’d disappeared, he realized he was anxious to see Audrey.

Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.

* * *

“SO, WHAT DO you think?” Audrey asked Willow as she drove toward home. Bea and Clinton were in the back playing some game on the iPad.

She was really directing the question to herself. What did she think about Sawyer Williams?

“About what?” Willow asked.

“About Sawyer.” He was a handsome man, but that didn’t count much in Audrey’s book. Sure, she noticed, but more than that she’d noticed he was kind. He’d gone out and bought a lawn mower so they wouldn’t have to haul hers back and forth.

And he’d given Willow a chance. A lot of men wouldn’t have. That was kind.

She didn’t say any of that. Instead, she said, “I’ve noticed he’s been around on the afternoons you mow.”

Willow snorted. “Yeah, I think that’s a case of self-preservation. He’s probably afraid I’m going to break in again.”

“If that was true, I don’t think he’d come down and help you clean up.”

Audrey was watching the road, but she caught Willow’s shrug.

“He seems okay for an old guy,” she admitted grudgingly. “And he’s been pretty decent to me, despite the fact I broke into his house.”

“Not just you. You and someone else.”

Willow hadn’t ever admitted anyone was with her. But her caseworker said that Sawyer had heard voices. Plural.

Willow didn’t respond. Not that Audrey expected her to. She kept hoping Willow would confide in her, but she reminded herself that she couldn’t push. “Sawyer’s invited us to his place for a picnic on the Fourth.”

“I was thinking about going down to the bay to watch fireworks with some friends.” Willow’s tone said more than her words. She didn’t want to spend the day at Sawyer’s. Or maybe she didn’t want to spend the day with Audrey and the kids.

Or maybe she was a sixteen-year-old who simply wanted to spend time with friends.

As much as Audrey worried about Willow’s friends, wondering if they were the kids Willow was protecting, she knew she had to trust her.

Her job as guardian was to give Willow rules and guidelines, and then trust that she would act wisely. Well, as wisely as any sixteen-year-old ever acted. “I think we can manage both. I was planning on all of us driving down to the bayfront for the fireworks. We’re going over to Sawyer’s place around noon, so there will be plenty of time after.”

She could almost feel the air shift around Willow’s shrug. “Guess you’ve made up your mind.”

“You can meet up with your friends when we get downtown,” Audrey offered.

For a moment she thought Willow was going to argue, but instead the girl simply said, “Okay.”

“Who’re you meeting?” she asked as nonchalantly as she could manage.

“Just some friends.”

Audrey fought back her frustration. Patience, she reminded herself. Time and patience.

“So we gotta go back there on Saturday?” Clinton asked from the backseat.

“For a picnic. Sawyer said bring your swimsuits.”

Bea started shrieking. Audrey glanced back and saw Clinton smile indulgently at Bea. And though Willow didn’t say anything, there was a hint of a smile on her face.

Audrey had to admit she felt excited about the prospect of seeing Sawyer on Saturday. She tried to tell herself it was merely because the kids would have fun swimming, but she suspected she was lying to herself.

* * *

MAGGIE MAY WAS at Audrey’s front door promptly at seven-thirty the next morning. She had on the tie-dyed oven mitts Clinton and Bea had bought her last Christmas. Those mitts gripped a cake tin of cinnamon rolls, Maggie May’s specialty.

“What’s the occasion?” Audrey asked as she let her in.

“I woke up at five and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I decided to put my time to good use.” She walked into the kitchen as she had so many times over the years. “They talk about all kinds of age-related issues, but they don’t warn you about the sleep problems. I’m up before the crack of dawn each day, but if I sit for more than a minute during the day, I nod off. Getting old ain’t for the faint of heart,” she said with a chuckle as she pulled a trivet from the drawer and set the pan on it.

She turned and looked at Audrey. “Have a roll before you go, and take one to your boss, too. That man looks as if a stiff breeze could blow him away.”

Neither Mr. Lebowitz nor Maggie May had any family to mention so they both spent holidays with Audrey and the kids.

There was a look in Maggie’s eyes that had Audrey wondering all over again... Mr. Lebowitz and Maggie?

She had to admit there was some merit in the idea. She wondered when she could get them together again without seeming obvious.

She laughed. She’d never managed to make a relationship work for herself, so why on earth did she imagine she could help other people hook up?

“Mr. Lebowitz will be thrilled. No one makes a better cinnamon roll than you do,” she said.

Maggie puffed up a bit. “Well, that’s sweet of you to say. Now where are the kids?”

“Still in bed.”

Maggie May shook her head. “That kind of sleep is wasted on the young. They don’t appreciate it. To be honest, a lot of things are wasted on the young. You all are always in such a hurry to make your mark and get to this or that. Sometimes you need to slow down and smell...”

Audrey interrupted. “The cinnamon rolls.”

Maggie chuckled and got out one of Audrey’s storage containers, popped a couple rolls in it and said, “Now see to it your boss eats one of these.”

“I will,” Audrey promised.

“Have a good day,” Maggie said. “I think the kids and I are going to go spend the day at the pool.”

Audrey bought a membership to a local pool every summer. Bea especially loved the water. She was going to have a blast on Saturday.

“Have a good day, Audrey,” Maggie said.

“You, too.”

“Oh, I will. I’ve got a new JoAnn Ross book. I plan to curl up under an umbrella and have at it.”

Maggie was a bookworm. “Tell the kids I’ll call at lunch.”

“I will. But we’ll be fine. Shoo.”

It was a ten-minute drive from her home in Wesleyville to work in downtown Erie.

Abe Lebowitz had opened his firm in a historic brick storefront on West Fifth Street. Audrey loved that from the office she could walk down to the dock or to Erie’s Perry Square, a two-block downtown park.

Today, as she went inside, she took a moment to study the photos in the public reception room, pictures of homes Mr. Lebowitz had helped design or remodel. Someday Audrey hoped to have such a body of work behind her. Though she’d taken on a few projects that she ran point on and Mr. Lebotwitz simply supervised, the Greenhouse was the first project that she truly felt was her baby. It would be the first picture on her wall.

When she’d graduated, she’d considered applying for a job at a bigger firm in a bigger city. But she knew it would take years before she’d have a chance to really get some hands-on work. And truly, the city of Erie was as close to a home as she could come.

As an intern for Mr. Lebowitz’s one-man business, she’d had a chance to take more active roles in design and meeting with clients. That’s what convinced her that going to work for him was the right move. And she’d made a good choice. She was basically his girl Friday. She did a little bit of everything and felt she had more practical experience than a lot of architects her age.

She glanced at the clock on her phone.

Half an hour before clients—the Castellinis—came in.

She had to get her day started.

As if on cue, Mr. Lebowitz called out, “Audrey, is that you?”

“No, Mr. Lebowitz. It’s someone else entirely.”

“Cheeky girl,” he called, laughter tingeing his voice. “Come in here if you have a moment.”

She left the reception room, headed past her office door and Mr. Lebowitz’s public office to the back room she called his “cave.” He was in a white button-down shirt that was open at the collar and had its sleeves rolled up. He smiled as she walked in.

Audrey set the cinnamon bun in front of him and his smile broadened. “Maggie was baking this morning.”

“She made this from scratch?” he asked, picking up the roll almost with reverence.

“She did,” Audrey informed him. “She said to be sure you ate it because you’re too thin.”

“Other than seeing clearly,” he said, patting his slightly paunchy stomach, “is there anything that woman can’t do?”

“Nothing I know of,” Audrey assured him.

He took a bite and groaned. “Wow.”

“You called me back because you wanted something?” she prompted.

Mr. Lebowitz was lost in a cinnamon brain fog. Audrey watched as he tried to clear his head enough to remember why he’d summoned her.

“Oh, yes.” He dug through a precarious-looking pile of papers and pulled out a neon orange Post-it. Audrey did the ordering for the firm, and chose the brightest sticker notes she could find so they would stand out amid the clutter.

“Marcia James, the mayor’s assistant, and Ms. Wilkins, the educational enrichment coordinator for the school district, set up a tentative meeting for Friday. Marcia asked that you confirm.”

She took the Post-it. “Sure. I can make that work.”

“Great. Now, go get ready for the Castellinis. I’m going to sit back and savor my cinnamon roll. And when you have a minute, could you give me Maggie’s phone number so I can thank her properly?”

Audrey tried to keep the speculation out of her voice as she said, “She’s at my house with the kids today, so you can reach her there.”

“Great. I will.”

And because the matchmaking bug had hit, she added, “You know, you should probably think of a way to reciprocate. Maybe ask her out to dinner some night?”

She left before he could respond.

What was with her? She had romance on her mind, and that wasn’t like her at all. Between the kids, work and now the Greenhouse, her life was full. She didn’t have time to date, which was good because her last attempt had been a disaster.

She’d been held up at a meeting that ran late, and got home just in time for Maggie May to apologize profusely and say she had some stomach bug and couldn’t babysit. It was too late when... What was the guy’s name? Paul. That was it.

He was a nice zoologist. It was too late to call and cancel. She opened the front door just as Bea told her she was feeling sick. He stepped inside and... Bea barfed on his shoes.

She would have thought a guy who dealt with zoo animals on a daily basis could handle a little vomit.

He couldn’t.

That had been right before Willow came to stay with them.

Audrey still got asked out on occasion, but she’d said no the past few months. She was trying to build a connection with Willow and didn’t want to divide her attention.

So why, all of a sudden, was she trying to fix up Mr. Lebowitz and Maggie May?

And why, when she thought about them dating, did she think about dating, as well?

And the biggest question of all... Why was it Sawyer Williams she imagined sitting across a restaurant table from her?

Clutching her orange Post-it note, she hurried into her office.

She had a lot of work to do. Notes to pull together for her clients Marcia and Ms. Wilkins. The Castellini meeting.

She was not going to think about fixing up Mr. Lebowitz and Maggie May.

And more than that, she was not going to think about dating anyone herself.

Especially not Sawyer Williams.

CHAPTER FIVE

AUDREY’S FIRST THOUGHT on Saturday was, Today we go to Sawyer’s.

She felt...excited. She tamped down the feeling and reminded herself that this wasn’t a date. Sawyer was a nice man who, despite himself, was taking an interest in Willow.

That was a good thing.

She knew from personal experience that having people care about you made a difference in how you saw yourself. She got out of bed and meandered downstairs.

Weekdays were frenetic, which was why she savored moving at a snail’s pace on the weekends.

She smelled coffee before she got all the way down the stairs. Willow had beat her to the kitchen.

Most nights Willow went up to her room around nine. But she rarely came downstairs early. She definitely had that teenage ability to sleep late down to a science.

“I started your coffee,” she said. “I was just going to come wake you up. You said we could go to the DMV when I was ready. Well, I’m ready.”

This was the first time Audrey had seen Willow so excited. She hadn’t wanted to offer to let Willow learn to drive. She knew that any number of things could happen. For years she’d avoided learning to drive herself.

But it was her job to prepare Willow for adulthood. And if Audrey taught her, she could make sure Willow drove as safely and responsibly as possible.

Still, things could happen. Things you couldn’t control.

She pushed the thought away and concentrated on her smiling charge.

“Willow, I know you’re excited, but it’s a holiday. The DMV is closed.”

“Oh. I checked that it had Saturday hours, but I forgot it was a holiday.”

Her disappointment was palpable.

“Tell you what, I’ll try to get out of work early on Monday and take you up before you go to Sawyer’s.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’ll text Mr. Lebowitz today, but I’m sure he won’t mind.” He genuinely liked her kids and allowed her to juggle her schedule to make things work for them. She always made up the time later.

“You don’t have to go to any trouble for me,” Willow said.

“I know I don’t have to,” Audrey assured her. “But I want to. You’re worth a bit of trouble now and again.”

Willow looked as if she wanted to say something, but she sat mutely.

Audrey didn’t push. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took the stool next to Willow’s. “You are worth it, you know.”

“Worth what?” Willow scoffed, but Audrey knew the question was genuine. “Me juggling my schedule. You’re worth that and a lot more. I can’t say I will always be able to accommodate you, but I can say that if it’s important to you, it’s important to me and I’ll try.” She took a sip of coffee. “Do you need me to quiz you for the test?”

“No. I’ve got it.” With this, at least, Willow sounded confident.

“What’s the name of the rule that you use to maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you?”

Willow rolled her eyes. “The four-second rule.”

“You’ve read the book.” Audrey had never seen Willow pick up so much as a textbook and yet she had good grades.

Willow seemed to be thinking hard for a minute. Finally, she made her decision. “Hang on. I’ve got something to show you.”

Audrey sat drinking her coffee as Willow disappeared up the stairs. Moments later, she returned and set an e-reader on the counter. “I don’t normally read in public,” she said, as if this was a huge deal. “I got used to hiding out when I read.”

Audrey couldn’t imagine why Willow would feel that was necessary. “Why hide?”

“People stole my books at one house,” she said simply.

It was as if a lightbulb clicked on. Audrey remembered what it was like to know that privacy wasn’t an option.

Willow continued. “And I tried going to the library, but a lot of the places I’ve stayed weren’t close to a branch. And I couldn’t count on rides to return the books I borrowed, so I saved my money for a year and bought this. And I worked for the money,” she said hastily, as if she didn’t want Audrey to think she made stealing a habit.

“I was staying with a family and they paid all the kids allowances. We had a chore list, so I did the other kids’ chores for a stake in their allowance. It still took me a long time to save.”

Audrey cocked her head, silently asking for permission to pick it up. Willow nodded. The small device weighed less than Audrey imagined. “I’ve never had an e-reader.”

“They’re amazing. You can borrow ebooks from the library. It’s not quite the same as a real book, but...” She shrugged.

Audrey picked up the reader. “Why hide it from us?”

“Because people take your stuff at most places. I just sort of expect it. But it didn’t happen here. For the first month I put tape on my door, just so I’d know when you all broke in,” Willow admitted. “But the only time you ever came in here was to take clothes or change the sheets. And when Bea snoops, but she doesn’t usually take anything.”

“I would never invade your privacy.” Audrey hesitated. “Well, under normal circumstances, I would never invade your privacy. If I thought you were doing something dangerous, I might.”

Willow nodded. “I know that now.”

Audrey set the e-reader back on the counter. “What do you like to read?”

“Everything. Anything. The library has limited supplies of ebooks, but a lot of the public domain classics are available for free online.”

“Can I see your list?”

Willow nodded.

Audrey turned on the machine and homed in on the bookshelf page. “Wow.”

From Pride and Prejudice to Tarzan to Sherlock Holmes, page after page of classics.

“I watch for older books that are free,” Willow said, “and I borrow newer releases from the library.”

Audrey handed the reader back to her. “I hope you feel comfortable reading in front of us this summer. That’s why I never saw you with the permit booklet?”

Willow nodded. “I knew that no one would steal that, but I just read it instead of my books at night.”

That explained how Willow could go up to bed at nine and still manage to sleep away her weekends. It also explained why sometimes Audrey saw the light on in the girl’s room when she went to bed.

She realized that even though she sometimes doubted it, she was making inroads with Willow. The girl trusted her, at least a little.

“Thank you for sharing with me,” Audrey told her.

Willow nodded. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I still think you all are nuts, but this has been the best placement I’ve ever had. When I realized that you guys weren’t going to rip off my stuff, I felt...relieved. You don’t know what it’s like having only a few things that matter to you and having to guard them all the time.”