“You were young, Colin.”
“Age is no excuse for cowardice. You went through so much. I wish I’d befriended instead of bullied you.”
She shrugged, tempted to fake a blow-off. But Colin’s confession wouldn’t let her. “The stigma surrounding my family was hard. It made us who we are today, though. For all of us to have risen—even financially—above abuse, poverty, and losing our parents to their bad choices is a miracle.”
“Rough road to success, though. I’m glad your siblings are all okay.”
“God-loving grandparents taking us in made the difference. Plus, teachers like Del, Sunday school and church youth workers, and coaches who invested time in us.”
“I always wanted siblings. One of these days, I’m gonna have a huge family.”
She genuinely hoped that dream came through for him. Yet in that cushion of well-wishing plunged a pinprick of doubt. Colin hadn’t been in town long. Would he revert to old patterns when he reconnected with old friends?
Construction zone looming, he decelerated and settled into silence.
God may have sabotaged her kitchen to set her on a non-negotiable path to forgiving Colin, but that didn’t mean she should trust the man.
She looked up to realize that, as he’d shared earlier, they’d passed her old street. She’d memorized his profile by now but suddenly saw him anew. “You did that on purpose.”
He bit his lip. “What?”
“Distracted me.”
His grin escaped. “Maybe.”
After a tiny mile of enjoyment seeing him squirm, she whispered, “Thank you.”
His gentle nod and tender smile touched her heart despite her not wanting them to.
Once at the hospital, he offered to wait in the visitors’ lounge. His contrite countenance made her regret overreacting to his innocent correction of her minor wardrobe malfunction in the truck. Yet it had also seemed a gesture of affection. Meadow didn’t want to under-or overreact, but his past mistakes still screamed louder in her mind than his present acts of kindness.
Her conscience won this round.
“Colin, come visit Del. She’d be glad to see you. I doubt she’s had many visitors. She’s too stubborn to let people know she’s in the hospital ‘incarcerated by tyrants bearing sharp objects,’ as she put it. She won’t want us to ask how she’s doing, either. If she’s in pain or drowsy from meds, she’ll probably just hide it.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like Miss D.” He pressed the elevator button. “If you’re sure seeing me won’t upset her.”
“No, but seeing the two of us together and not one broken bone between us may send her into seizures.”
He chuckled again, and the sound should not have been as pleasing to her as it proved.
“Or it may make her believe in miracles.” Colin pocketed his hands.
“She already does.” That Del had lived through the last decade was a miracle. Meadow didn’t want to reveal Del’s history of domestic abuse yet wanted to prepare Colin for her appearance.
Before reaching Del’s room, Meadow halted him. “Hey, listen. She has facial scars she’s self-conscious about.”
“I won’t mention it,” he said with understanding. “Del’s story is hers to tell.”
And Meadow’s to keep.
They’d become catering partners after forming a friendship at church. Del’s ex had pressured her to quit teaching, and Meadow provided shelter after Del’s escape. Then, Del insisted, Meadow had boosted her confidence by giving her a second career in catering. Only fifty, Del could recertify as a teacher, but she’d assured Meadow that creative catering was where she wanted to be.
Meadow may’ve been instrumental in Del thriving after divorcing her ex, but Del was instrumental in steering Meadow to hire troubled teens to assist with catering. She grinned, missing Del’s daily on-the-job antics.
At Del’s room now, Meadow knocked on the partially open door. “I’m here with a special visitor. You up for company?”
At Del’s permission, they entered. Meadow knew Del trusted her discretion in whom to bring.
Del smacked hands to her cheeks. “My word! I think they shoved hallucinogens in my IV. I’m having a terrible time believing my eyes here, kids. The two of you didn’t exactly get along in high school. You back in town for good, Colin? Furthermore, how’d you manage to sweet-talk this former rival into becoming friends?”
Meadow wanted to correct Del’s notion that she and Colin were friends, even though she couldn’t deny he seemed befriend-able now. Still, she’d be stupid to trust so soon.
He hadn’t been as caustic as his friends and girlfriend in school, but he’d tormented her plenty. The lake exploit had been hurtful, but the birthday party prank had—pun intended—taken the cake. That incident had mortared the final brick in Meadow’s wall. Remembering it made her blood pressure seem to rise.
So did the feeling that her self-fashioned fortress suddenly felt more like a prison.