Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Aweek had passed since that horrible moment on Magnolia Street, a week with no prospects at all.
Delaney crossed the town’s main thoroughfare and entered the park in the center of downtown Driftwood, phone pressed close to her ear, trying to hear the woman from the agency over the traffic.
“…to say there’s nothing right now.”
Delaney’s hopes blew away on the breeze. “I’m flexible.” She hated how desperate she sounded. “Anything part-time or weekends, or even—?”
“Sorry.” The woman’s voice carried a note of genuine sympathy that somehow made it worse. “There aren’t many in these parts who can afford a nanny, and most folks hire people they know.”
Wasn’t that how Delaney had gotten her jobs back in Shadow Cove?
Her first employers had been friends of her parents.
After that, her reputation had grown naturally.
She’d never wanted for clients in a town where the Wright name was well-known and well-respected, a town where she’d proved herself capable over and over.
Nobody in this little hamlet in Virginia knew her or her family. To them, she was a stranger, an outsider. A Yankee, to boot. She tried to ignore the suspicious looks she got from shoppers and clerks at the local grocery store every time she opened her mouth.
“We just don’t have any other placements available at the moment,” the woman said. “I wish we did.”
Delaney moved aimlessly, deeper into the park. She’d walked a few blocks into town that morning to search for a job, but she hadn’t seen a single help-wanted sign. The call from the agency had given her a surge of hope.
Now, she felt more dejected than ever.
“How long before something might open up?”
“Could be a week, could be a month. You know how these things go.”
She didn’t, not really. She’d always had a waiting list of potential clients.
Maybe it was time to give up and go home. Or worse, cash Dad’s check.
“You’d probably best find something else for the time being, except… It’s a small community, Ms. Wright, and times have been lean.”
Translation: Move along, Yankee. You’re not welcome here.
“Thank you for calling.” Delaney ended the call and stumbled toward the closest bench, where she sat and stared at nothing. Lord, what do I do now?
A chilly wind rustled leaves, casting dappled shadows across the grassy park.
She’d fallen in love with Driftwood when she’d first come here.
The park sat in the center of town, surrounded by shops on three sides.
The fourth was lined with trees and bushes.
This park reminded her of the town common back in Shadow Cove.
This morning, the oaks and pines seemed to be looking down on the outsider who didn’t belong.
She was out of money. A church was funding her stay at the shelter, but she couldn’t rely on them indefinitely. The most pathetic part? She didn’t even have enough cash to fill her car with gas.
She’d come to Driftwood seeking a fresh start. It felt ironic, and slightly cruel, that when she was finally ready to give up her dream, she couldn’t even afford to leave.
Looking up past the canopy that shaded the park, she gazed into the bright blue sky.
“Lord, what are You doing? What am I doing here?” She’d been so certain when she’d arrived in town after wandering down the East Coast for months on end, burning through her savings.
This place felt like the Virginia version of Shadow Cove, the closest thing she’d found to home since she’d left Maine in July.
But she didn’t belong here, and apparently, she never would.
“I want to go home. Please?”
The Lord didn’t give her the go-ahead to give up her quest for independent living. He’d led her on this crazy adventure, but had she missed a turn along the way? Done something to disobey Him? Because this couldn’t be what He had in mind.
Not that going home felt like the right answer, either. She hadn’t gone back because she wanted to prove she could be independent like her confident and accomplished sisters. She wasn’t like them, though. She wasn’t smart or well-read or talented.
All she’d proved so far was that, away from Shadow Cove and her family’s good name, she couldn’t even land a job.
She slipped her phone into her purse, gaze drifting to a nearby playground, where children’s laughter carried on the sea-scented breeze. She watched mothers push their toddlers on swings. A father knelt at the bottom of a slide, catching a little boy as he squealed with delight.
Sitting here was only making her wish for things she might never find. She stood, brushing off her slacks, and turned toward the street. She needed a job. She’d just have to go into every shop and restaurant in town until she had one.
Movement at the edge of the playground caught her attention. A little girl with blond curls had wandered past the safety of the mulched bark of the play area to the hedge that stood between the park and the road. The child looked to be about three years old—far too young to be exploring alone.
Delaney glanced around, expecting to see a parent hurrying after her, but no one seemed to notice. The little girl continued along the hedge line, getting closer to the park’s exit and the busy street.
Delaney’s pulse quickened. She left the paved path and jogged across the grass, her flats sliding on leaves damp from an overnight rain.
“Hey there, sweetie.” She kept her voice gentle as she approached, not wanting to startle her. “Are you looking for something?”
The little girl turned, revealing the brightest blue eyes Delaney had ever seen. She stuck a thumb in her mouth and pointed with her other hand toward the street, where an orange tabby disappeared behind a parked car.
“What a cute kitty cat. Is it yours?”
The child shook her head.
Delaney knelt to her eye level. “I think we should get you back to the playground where it’s safe. Are you here with your mommy?”
When the child didn’t respond, Delaney stood, took her hand, and tugged her toward the park.
The girl didn’t budge.
The back of Delaney’s neck prickled, and she suddenly had the strongest sense that she was being watched.
She turned, and sure enough, a few yards away, a figure stepped behind a tree.
Like someone was trying to avoid being caught.
She hadn’t seen a face, just a shoulder an instant before it disappeared.
She didn’t even know if it’d been a man or a woman.
Whoever it was, he or she didn’t emerge on the other side of the tree.
Was someone watching this child?
Delaney’s heart pounded, fear coiling in her stomach, but she pasted on a smile. “What’s your name?”
The girl stared at her for a long time, as if assessing her trustworthiness. Finally, she spoke around her thumb. “Charlotte.”
“That’s a pretty name. I’m Delaney.”
“Hi.”
“You want a piggyback ride?”
She grinned, showing her baby teeth.
Delaney took that as a yes. She turned and crouched down enough that Charlotte could climb on.
Once she was on and steady, Delaney stood and walk-bounced toward the playground, eliciting giggles all the way.
When they arrived at the kids’ area, she looked around, again searching for someone who might’ve lost a child.
Nobody seemed alarmed.
She lowered herself, letting the child slide from her back to the ground. “Who are you here with?”
Charlotte shrugged, then lifted her arms in the universal sign for pick me up.
Delaney did and propped Charlotte on her hip. “Your mommy? Your daddy?”
No response.
“Your grandparents?”
The question only seemed to confuse her, as if she’d never heard of such a thing.
“A nanny?”
That brought a shrug, and the girl’s eyes scanned the people sitting on benches along the edges of the play area. They landed on an older woman who was absorbed in her phone, thumbs flying across the screen. The woman looked to be in her sixties with graying hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Delaney pointed. “Is that her?”
Charlotte nodded.
It worried her that the child wasn’t more vocal, but at the moment, she was mostly concerned about the woman who hadn’t looked up from her phone, hadn’t noticed that the girl she was supposed to protect had wandered dangerously close to traffic.
And had caught the eye of a stranger.
What kind of caregiver was so distracted that a preschooler could disappear without her knowledge?
Delaney marched toward the woman, Charlotte still balanced on her hip. The closer they got, the tighter the little girl held on. And the angrier Delaney became.
The woman glanced up as they approached, her eyes widening slightly. She shoved her phone into her purse and stood quickly.
“Charlotte! There you are, sweetie.” Her voice carried the artificial brightness of someone who’d been caught.
“I found her on the opposite side of the park,” Delaney said. “She was almost to the road.”
“Well.” The woman tsked, shaking her head. “I was just wondering where you’d gone off to.” The lie rolled off her tongue naturally. “You were supposed to stay where I could see you. It was very naughty to wander off like that.”
“Don’t blame her for your negligence.” Delaney kept her voice low, not wanting to frighten Charlotte or attract attention. “Her safety is your responsibility.”
The woman’s face flushed bright red. She squared her shoulders. “How I care for my charge is none of your business.”
“The well-being of a child is everyone’s business.
” Delaney usually avoided confrontation like a toddler avoided nap time, but some things were more important than her feelings.
“She was following a cat toward traffic while you were on your phone. She could’ve been hit by a car.
” The thought of the person who’d been watching Charlotte filled her stomach with acid.
“She could’ve been snatched by a stranger while you checked your Instagram feed. ”
“How dare you? Give her to me.” The woman held out her arms. “Time to go, sweetheart.”