Read Online A Rescued Heart (Rescued Heart Romance) by Natalie Replogle - Free Book Online
Authors: Natalie Replogle
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when you got there?”
“No, and the doors were locked and I couldn’t get inside.” She took her arm and wiped the snot from her nose.
“Well, maybe she’s home now. Let’s go in and call her. I’m sure she’s worried about you.” Ava took the child’s hand and led her into the office. Everyone had gone home. The empty office gave them privacy. Ava sat at the secretary’s desk, found the phone number, and dialed. Her blood bubbled in her veins with each ring.
Tessa’s mother Kim answered just as the answering machine went off. She sounded drowsy and confused. Ava explained the situation as nice as she could. She didn’t want to place blame until she had all the facts. Kim sounded sorry about what had happened and asked that Ava send Tessa home. Ava hung up and knew she would do more than just send her home. She would deliver Tessa herself. Small group just got crossed off her list for tonight.
Ava reached down and stroked the girl’s hair. “Tessa, your mom is home.” She bent down, putting them at eye level. “You know what? It’s such a nice day outside. Would it be okay if I walked with you?”
Tessa’s face lit up and she jumped off the chair. “Really? Then I could show you my favorite flower that I found.”
“Ooh, I love flowers.”
Ava kept the conversation light while they walked. The distance from her house and the school wasn’t a long distance, but for a kindergartener it must feel like a minimarathon. Especially when having to walk the round trip twice in one day. The walk was dotted with good landmarks to discuss. A park sat half the distance to her house that the city had fixed up early last summer. It had a large playground designed for elementary ages with a separate section for toddlers, plus sandboxes, picnic tables, basketball courts and a pavilion.
They talked about the trees, the birds, and a caterpillar they found inching its way across the sidewalk. They stopped and admired the purple tulip that had earlier caught Tessa’s attention. Ava loved how something so simple could please a child.
In a classroom setting, Tessa had a quiet temperament, but in this one on one situation with Ava, she blossomed. Ava purposely made their pace slow in hopes that Tessa would reveal something that would explain what was going on at home. It was crunch time to get some information out of her. She shifted the conversation.
“Tessa, do you like being at your house?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you and your mommy spend a lot of time together?” Guilt festered about questioning an innocent child, but she needed to get down to the bottom of why her mom had been dropping the ball lately. She held no peace regarding Tessa’s home life. Determination kept her on course to get some answers.
“We used to play a lot, but her boyfriend, Ray, lives with us now so she spends a lot of time with him.”
Ava didn’t know much about Tessa’s life, only that her dad had left without a word a few years back and never returned, leaving Kim, a young mom, to raise her alone. It was a sad situation, but up to this point, no reason existed to make her believe there were problems at home. Tessa hadn’t mentioned her mom’s boyfriend before, and that new admission caught Ava by surprise.
“Do you like him?”
“Yeah, he’s nice to me, but he makes my mommy cry a lot.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
“My mommy painted my room with pretty butterflies on the walls so when he is upset I can go to my room. She says it’s my special place.”
Ava’s stomach twisted. She hoped the situation wasn’t what she thought it was. They reached Tessa’s house, frustrated that their time together had run out. She knocked on the door and scoped out the run-down neighborhood. Tessa’s house was missing a few shutters and the siding looked worn. The families who lived on the street had low incomes, but did the best they could with what they had.
Ava grew nervous as she knocked again. She and Kim were not close by
“No, and the doors were locked and I couldn’t get inside.” She took her arm and wiped the snot from her nose.
“Well, maybe she’s home now. Let’s go in and call her. I’m sure she’s worried about you.” Ava took the child’s hand and led her into the office. Everyone had gone home. The empty office gave them privacy. Ava sat at the secretary’s desk, found the phone number, and dialed. Her blood bubbled in her veins with each ring.
Tessa’s mother Kim answered just as the answering machine went off. She sounded drowsy and confused. Ava explained the situation as nice as she could. She didn’t want to place blame until she had all the facts. Kim sounded sorry about what had happened and asked that Ava send Tessa home. Ava hung up and knew she would do more than just send her home. She would deliver Tessa herself. Small group just got crossed off her list for tonight.
Ava reached down and stroked the girl’s hair. “Tessa, your mom is home.” She bent down, putting them at eye level. “You know what? It’s such a nice day outside. Would it be okay if I walked with you?”
Tessa’s face lit up and she jumped off the chair. “Really? Then I could show you my favorite flower that I found.”
“Ooh, I love flowers.”
Ava kept the conversation light while they walked. The distance from her house and the school wasn’t a long distance, but for a kindergartener it must feel like a minimarathon. Especially when having to walk the round trip twice in one day. The walk was dotted with good landmarks to discuss. A park sat half the distance to her house that the city had fixed up early last summer. It had a large playground designed for elementary ages with a separate section for toddlers, plus sandboxes, picnic tables, basketball courts and a pavilion.
They talked about the trees, the birds, and a caterpillar they found inching its way across the sidewalk. They stopped and admired the purple tulip that had earlier caught Tessa’s attention. Ava loved how something so simple could please a child.
In a classroom setting, Tessa had a quiet temperament, but in this one on one situation with Ava, she blossomed. Ava purposely made their pace slow in hopes that Tessa would reveal something that would explain what was going on at home. It was crunch time to get some information out of her. She shifted the conversation.
“Tessa, do you like being at your house?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you and your mommy spend a lot of time together?” Guilt festered about questioning an innocent child, but she needed to get down to the bottom of why her mom had been dropping the ball lately. She held no peace regarding Tessa’s home life. Determination kept her on course to get some answers.
“We used to play a lot, but her boyfriend, Ray, lives with us now so she spends a lot of time with him.”
Ava didn’t know much about Tessa’s life, only that her dad had left without a word a few years back and never returned, leaving Kim, a young mom, to raise her alone. It was a sad situation, but up to this point, no reason existed to make her believe there were problems at home. Tessa hadn’t mentioned her mom’s boyfriend before, and that new admission caught Ava by surprise.
“Do you like him?”
“Yeah, he’s nice to me, but he makes my mommy cry a lot.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
“My mommy painted my room with pretty butterflies on the walls so when he is upset I can go to my room. She says it’s my special place.”
Ava’s stomach twisted. She hoped the situation wasn’t what she thought it was. They reached Tessa’s house, frustrated that their time together had run out. She knocked on the door and scoped out the run-down neighborhood. Tessa’s house was missing a few shutters and the siding looked worn. The families who lived on the street had low incomes, but did the best they could with what they had.
Ava grew nervous as she knocked again. She and Kim were not close by
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