A Family of Their Own - By Gail Gaymer Martin Page 0,17
needed support. Lord, please, give us an answer. If it’s not our door, open another one. Help us to show compassion.
Ross stood outside Ethan’s office door, grasping for courage to open it and talk. He liked Kelsey more than he wanted to admit, but his brain told him he was heading for trouble. But how could he explain it to Ethan and make sense? Ethan’s situation was different. Lexie’s boy had been fighting leukemia. Ethan supported her and Cooper without shortchanging his own child, since he had none. No conflict of interest there.
Ethan’s telephone receiver clicked as he hung up, and Ross stepped forward. Ethan’s back was to the door, but when he heard Ross’s steps, he swiveled around. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Fine.” Not fine, but no one expected a truthful answer. “Am I interrupting?”
He brushed his hand in the air. “No. I have to make changes to some plans. The family can’t afford everything they want.” He shrugged. “We’ll do it in stages, I guess.”
Ross understood that problem. “Do you mind if I sit?”
Ethan’s eyebrows raised. “Not at all.” He tilted back in his chair. “Something wrong?”
Ross flicked his head, looking for words.
“Job or personal life?”
“Personal?”
The word caused Ethan to lean forward, placing his folded hands on his desk. “I hope you and Kelsey haven’t—”
“Nothing quite like that. We get along great.” He pressed his dry lips together. “It’s…”
“Have you seen her?”
“Yes.” The memory sank to the pit of his stomach.
“I mean on a date?”
“Sort of. We went out for Peyton’s birthday. Lucy and Kelsey. Dinner and we went to the Cranbrook Institute of Science. They have all kinds of hands-on things for kids, plus a laser show.”
Ethan studied his face. “It didn’t go well? I mean with the girls?”
“Not as well as I’d hoped. Peyton wasn’t receptive. Things were tense.” Things were horrible.
“Peyton’s relationships have been limited, Ross. You can’t expect wonders. At least not that fast.”
“I know. I hoped. But I’m thinking and…” Ethan’s serious expression motivated him to spit out his concern. “I really like Kelsey. A lot. But my life belongs to Peyton, and I—”
“Ethan, your life doesn’t belong to Peyton. It’s yours. You give her your full attention because you love her. But you’re good at multitasking. You have to be as a contractor. Find ways to split your time, and you’ll be better for it.”
“Better for it? What do you mean?”
“It’s like anything in life. If you keep your eyes aimed at one thing, you miss other important things. When you let your time and interest take in more, you’re a more complete person. You can’t cut off the joy of life and dwell on Peyton’s illness. You’ll be a sad, depressed person and that’s not good for you or her.”
The words cut him. “Is that what I am? Sad and depressed?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m talking feelings.” He rose from the chair and rounded his desk. “We don’t talk about feelings much, but they drive us. Emotions cause us to react in certain ways and believe certain things. When they’re one-sided, we’re not getting the full picture. I lived my wife’s death over and over, and never opened myself to anything beyond that until Lexie came into my life.”
“That’s why I came to you, I suppose.”
Ethan leaned against his desk, resting a hand on the top. “Do you like Kelsey enough to work at it? You can learn how to share time, and maybe Lucy and Peyton could become friends. They both—”
“That’s the problem. Peyton won’t let it happen.”
“Ahh.” Ethan slipped onto the desktop and leaned forward. “So that’s it.” A frown settled on his face. “And they’ve only been together once, right?”
He nodded.
Ethan flung his hands upward. “You’ve said Peyton struggles with friendships at school. She hasn’t clicked with the kids. You know how people are. She’s not trusting yet. Give her time. Plan another event.”
“I’m not sure Lucy will want to spend time with her again.”
“Don’t look for problems. Lucy’s a great kid. She and Cooper are friends, and they go at each other when it comes to games. Lucy’s determined to win, but they’re still buddies. It may take a while for the girls to bond. Lucy and Cooper have been friends since Lexie met Kelsey. That was some time ago.”
Ross tried to digest what Ethan was saying. He made some good points. “I need to think of something that’s nonthreatening or competitive.”
“How about going to a movie and afterward stopping for ice cream? They’ll be together