“No, sorry. I wanted to see what you found out about Davenport.”
“Right, sorry I didn’t get back to you right away. He was pretty easy to track down. He’s in Columbus, Ohio right now.”
“Columbus? You’re sure it’s him.”
“Definitely. He looks the same as his Indiana license except more mature.”
“Have you found anything else out?”
“He’s married with three kids.”
Ouch.
Guy sat back in his chair. He didn’t know Chloe well enough to know if this would make her happy or upset. “Do you have contact information for him?”
“Yes, you ready to jot it down?”
He pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and slanted the paper. “Ready.”
Guy wrote down the address and phone numbers as Dan rattled them off. He placed his pen back in his pocket. “Thanks, D, I owe you one.”
“No problem, man. You take care of those girls.”
“Will do.”
He stared down at the notepad. This was information that needed to be passed on in person. He hoped Michelle was ready to help Chloe through this. Chloe was going to need it.
“IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE complications and are comfortable going forward, sign right here.”
Michelle stared at the liability form. Now that Guy was MIA she had no choice but to look out for herself. She couldn’t have this baby. But could she go through this?
Her eyes smarted with tears. Her mother was no longer here to guide her. She was alone. All alone. Michelle took a deep breath and signed her name.
“Thank you. I’ll take you to the next room and give you a clean gown. The procedure takes a few minutes and then we’ll let you rest before you get dressed. Do you have any questions?”
The nurse stared at her, her eyes vacant from the routine of it all. She probably sat here day in and day out, hour after hour, minute by minute, saying the same rehearsed speech to all the women getting abortions.
The thought did not comfort Michelle at all. But what choice did she have? “No, I don’t have any questions.”
“Then right this way.”
Michelle blinked, pulling herself back to the present. The coffee maker in her office slowly dripped. Last night’s dreams still haunted her. It was the reason she had to use an extra dose of cover up when she put her makeup on this morning.
The dream had been similar to all the ones she had back when she was eighteen. Only now, instead of imagining what the child would have looked like, the child held the face of one of Guy’s twins. Since she had babysat them, the dream had occurred nightly. Every night it altered between Rebekah and Rachel’s face staring back at her.
She gulped the hot liquid, needing to erase the images from her mind. Her eyes watered as the tip of her tongue burned then went numb. Silence broke at the sound of a quiet cough. She froze and slowly turned around. Guy stood in the breakroom of her office, a pensive look on his face.
“I called out but you didn’t answer.”
He looks like his girls. They had the same look on their face whenever they concentrated. “Sorry about that.” She walked forward and held up her cup. “Want some coffee?”
Guy shook his head and held up a slip of paper. “No, just came by to give you some information.”
She set her mug down and took the offered paper. Her eyes skimmed the sheet, noting the information for John Davenport. She looked up sharply. “You found him?”
“A friend of mine did. I figured you’d want this information pretty quick.”
She looked down at it again. The man was one state away. How was she going to tell Chloe?
“Are you going to contact him?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. She had no idea what to do.
“Well you know Chloe. How do you think she’ll take the information?”
Michelle grabbed her cup and headed to her office. She motioned for him to follow. “Honestly, this whole thing has surprised me. I would have never figured she wanted to know her father. She always seemed so confidant with life.”
Guy sat down, his uniform shirt tightening across his chest.
Why couldn’t he have gotten fat?
“Then just give her the facts. She started this and probably knows how far to take it. Just be there if she breaks.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
He stood and slipped his hands into his pocket. “Thanks again for watching the girls Saturday.”
“I had a great time.”
“They did too. They wanted to see you Sunday, but I told them you needed to rest.”
What was she supposed to say to that?
Guy took a step back, his brow furrowing. “Would you like to join us one day at the park?”
Her mouth parted. Guy wanted her to hang out with him and his kids? “I...”
He waved a hand, effectively shutting her mouth. “Forget I asked. I’m sure you have better things to do. I’ll catch you later.” He was out of her office before her mind could catch up.
What just happened?
Chapter Thirteen
Michelle looked around LeeAnn’s Bakery. The lunch crowd wasn’t as heavy as she expected it to be. Granted, most of the folks of Freedom Lake drove to Kodiak City to work; however, it still seemed emptier than usual. Whatever was keeping the crowd to a minimum, she was thankful. Telling Chloe about John Davenport wouldn’t be easy, but hopefully a yummy lunch at LeeAnn’s would help smooth the path.
She hoped.
Lord, please give me the words. I don’t know how to break this to Chloe. If You’re truly a God that works things for good, please let this be one of them.
Her fist clinched as she thought of the potential storm this could create. Chloe was so mild mannered, but the tears she had shed when asking Michelle for help wouldn’t escape her memory. It showed how deeply Chloe felt about the whole ordeal. Michelle desperately wanted to help her friend...needed to help her.
When Chloe walked through the bakery doors, Michelle’s fingernails picked up a nervous rhythm, tapping
