Driftwood Bay (Hope Harbor #5) - Irene Hannon Page 0,24

in his stomach tightened. “I told you I would. And I always do what I say, don’t I?”

“Y-yes—but Nana said she’d take care of me too . . . and then she went a-away.” She clutched his hand again, her grip surprisingly strong, desperation radiating from her quivering frame. “I don’t want to stay here. I want to stay at your house. Please.”

The door clicked behind him, signaling the director’s return.

How to respond?

Hard as he tried to think of a reassuring reply, nothing came to mind.

The truth was, he had to work—and there were no preschools in Hope Harbor . . . or anywhere near the urgent care center . . . that would allow him to run over between patients and on his lunch hour until Molly was satisfied he was close at hand and could be there in minutes if she needed him.

“I’ll tell you what. Let me talk to Ms. Wilson, and we’ll work this out on the ride home.” He shifted toward the woman, and she handed him the picture books. He led Molly to a chair where she could see them but not hear their conversation. “I’ll be right over there.” He indicated the chairs. “In a few minutes we’ll go home and have lunch. Okay?”

She sniffled, gauged the distance between herself and the chairs, and nodded.

He followed the director over and took a seat facing Molly, while the woman claimed one angled toward him.

“Again, I apologize for interrupting your day. We tried everything in our repertoire to console Molly, but nothing worked. Rather than further traumatize her, I made the call to have you come and pick her up.”

“No apology necessary. But I don’t understand what happened. Molly was in preschool in San Francisco for three months prior to our move here, and while I saw a touch of separation anxiety at the beginning, it was nothing like this.”

Truth be told, it had been far easier than he’d expected. From the day he’d brought her back to the West Coast with him after his mother’s funeral, she’d been docile and quiet and self-contained.

Maybe too much so, in hindsight.

She’d always done everything he’d told her to, but none of his attempts to win her trust and affection had produced results. No matter what he tried, he hadn’t been able to bridge the distance between them.

Even getting a dog hadn’t been the instant magic elixir he’d hoped it would be—though that, at least, was beginning to show results.

“Children can be very upset by disruptions in their world—and the more disruptions there are, the bigger the impact. It becomes harder and harder for them to adjust. Many children become clingy when their world is shaken. Have you noticed that sort of behavior recently?”

“No. Just the opposite.”

The woman’s brow knitted. “You mentioned Molly was in preschool for three months in San Francisco. Where was she before that?”

“With my mother, in a small town in Missouri. Mom died four months ago, and I brought her to live with me.”

“I saw on the application that you’re her uncle. May I ask about her parents?”

“Her mother was never in the picture after she was born.” There was more to that story, but why share the details? “My brother had full custody. He tried raising Molly alone for the first two years, but he was in the military, and once he was deployed, he and Mom agreed it would be better for her if she stayed in Missouri.” Logan swallowed. “He was killed in the Middle East a year ago.”

The woman’s features softened. “I’m so sorry for your losses.”

“Thank you. I promised him I’d take Molly if anything ever happened to him and Mom couldn’t be her guardian—but to be honest, I never thought I’d have to make good on that pledge.”

“Had you and Molly spent much time together before she came to live with you?”

“No.”

The woman glanced at his niece, who was watching them, finger stuck in her mouth. “After hearing your story, I can see why she’s having some trouble. People she loved are disappearing from her life, she’s been uprooted twice in less than six months, and she’s living with a relative she barely knows. That would be stressful for anyone, let alone a five-year-old.”

Yeah, it would.

But how was he supposed to fix this problem? He’d already changed his whole life to try and give her a more stable existence. Taken a new job with more reasonable hours, bought a house in a small town more conducive to raising