day.”
“You could say that.”
“I say we play hooky and just go home. Skip the rest of the day.”
They couldn’t do it, and neither of them would anyway. “I should go change.”
“I’ll be outside in the waiting room.” He had already pulled out his phone and was checking messages.
She wanted to tell him that she wished her mom was here to share in the excitement and to help when the baby came. She watched him walk down the hall, head down and his fingers busily tapping on the phone keypad. She had a rush of loneliness and couldn’t quite understand why. Elijah was the perfect husband and she knew he would be an excellent father.
Somehow though, she felt on her own. She straightened her shoulders and tried to shake the uneasy feeling off as she went to change.
It was anxiety. Nothing more… Right?
Chapter 11
The business of life continued on. The baby grew and so did her belly. Every day Charity swore weight added while she slept. She marveled how her stomach didn’t just drop down to her knees. It stayed perfectly in front of her like she was carrying a basketball under her shirt.
Margaret had extended her vacation from four weeks to seven. She wanted to stay longer but had a number of commitments in New Zealand she couldn’t skip.
She and Charity were having tea in Elijah’s office the day before she had to fly home. “I wish I could stay longer.” She sighed. “However, I do have appointments and it’s already been nearly two months. Rapt Bach can’t be left empty forever.”
Charity took a sip of her tea. It had already been a long morning and she had about fifteen minutes before she had to be back in surgery. “Have you thought about selling?” She and Elijah had talked about it briefly a few times but hadn’t brought up the conversation with his mom.
“It’s Elijah’s now. And yours.” Margaret smiled. “And soon to be my little grand-daughters. It’s a mansion of a house. But do you know what? It’s never been about the size or the value of the property. Elijah does well, he doesn’t need the money from it, nor do I. His father designed and built that home. It was his dream and I’d hate to sell it to just anyone. It was our home.”
“I think my dad feels kind of like that also. I never understood why he didn’t move.” She settled back in her chair, feeling older and wise as the baby moved about in her belly. “In all honesty, I never asked him. He’s not the most approachable guy.”
“He isn’t?” Margaret stared at her with surprise. “He does tend to say what he thinks, but I can respect that. I’m not all butterflies and kittens.”
Charity resisted the urge to laugh. Her mother-in-law definitely wasn’t soft. That’s probably why her father and Margaret got along. Charity was realizing that the older she got, the less she cared what others thought. It made life a little easier. Not that she understood easy. “My mom was soft and cuddly. She was very gentle, but one of the smartest women I have ever known. She knew how to be with my dad without fighting. I don’t. We can’t manage most conversations without arguing or getting frustrated. It’s getting better.” But it’s still there .
“Have you talked to him about it?”
Charity checked her watch. She had about ten minutes before she had to head back to work. Maybe now wasn’t such a great time to have this conversation. It was like trying to squeeze a main course in when you only had time for a quick snack.
However, she had grown to really like Margaret, and respected her opinion. The past few weeks had been fun. Charity couldn’t lie, she was happy Margaret had stayed at her father’s. There was awkward tension between Elijah and Margaret, the same way she had it with her dad. Similar, but different.
She wanted to hear what Margaret thought of her relationship with her father. Did her dad talk about her? Or did he grumble and complain?
“It’s not my place to parent.” Margaret
“You could say that.”
“I say we play hooky and just go home. Skip the rest of the day.”
They couldn’t do it, and neither of them would anyway. “I should go change.”
“I’ll be outside in the waiting room.” He had already pulled out his phone and was checking messages.
She wanted to tell him that she wished her mom was here to share in the excitement and to help when the baby came. She watched him walk down the hall, head down and his fingers busily tapping on the phone keypad. She had a rush of loneliness and couldn’t quite understand why. Elijah was the perfect husband and she knew he would be an excellent father.
Somehow though, she felt on her own. She straightened her shoulders and tried to shake the uneasy feeling off as she went to change.
It was anxiety. Nothing more… Right?
Chapter 11
The business of life continued on. The baby grew and so did her belly. Every day Charity swore weight added while she slept. She marveled how her stomach didn’t just drop down to her knees. It stayed perfectly in front of her like she was carrying a basketball under her shirt.
Margaret had extended her vacation from four weeks to seven. She wanted to stay longer but had a number of commitments in New Zealand she couldn’t skip.
She and Charity were having tea in Elijah’s office the day before she had to fly home. “I wish I could stay longer.” She sighed. “However, I do have appointments and it’s already been nearly two months. Rapt Bach can’t be left empty forever.”
Charity took a sip of her tea. It had already been a long morning and she had about fifteen minutes before she had to be back in surgery. “Have you thought about selling?” She and Elijah had talked about it briefly a few times but hadn’t brought up the conversation with his mom.
“It’s Elijah’s now. And yours.” Margaret smiled. “And soon to be my little grand-daughters. It’s a mansion of a house. But do you know what? It’s never been about the size or the value of the property. Elijah does well, he doesn’t need the money from it, nor do I. His father designed and built that home. It was his dream and I’d hate to sell it to just anyone. It was our home.”
“I think my dad feels kind of like that also. I never understood why he didn’t move.” She settled back in her chair, feeling older and wise as the baby moved about in her belly. “In all honesty, I never asked him. He’s not the most approachable guy.”
“He isn’t?” Margaret stared at her with surprise. “He does tend to say what he thinks, but I can respect that. I’m not all butterflies and kittens.”
Charity resisted the urge to laugh. Her mother-in-law definitely wasn’t soft. That’s probably why her father and Margaret got along. Charity was realizing that the older she got, the less she cared what others thought. It made life a little easier. Not that she understood easy. “My mom was soft and cuddly. She was very gentle, but one of the smartest women I have ever known. She knew how to be with my dad without fighting. I don’t. We can’t manage most conversations without arguing or getting frustrated. It’s getting better.” But it’s still there .
“Have you talked to him about it?”
Charity checked her watch. She had about ten minutes before she had to head back to work. Maybe now wasn’t such a great time to have this conversation. It was like trying to squeeze a main course in when you only had time for a quick snack.
However, she had grown to really like Margaret, and respected her opinion. The past few weeks had been fun. Charity couldn’t lie, she was happy Margaret had stayed at her father’s. There was awkward tension between Elijah and Margaret, the same way she had it with her dad. Similar, but different.
She wanted to hear what Margaret thought of her relationship with her father. Did her dad talk about her? Or did he grumble and complain?
“It’s not my place to parent.” Margaret
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