some pitiful excuse about needing to talk with his agent.
Rachel wasn’t sure who was more disappointed—her, Mickie or…Fred. The animal had taken a shine to Derekand now sat staring at the door long after the man had walked through it.
“I wish Mr. Rossi could have stayed.” Mickie crooked her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand.
“Me, too.” Rachel forced an upbeat tone. “But you and I’ll have fun, just the two of us.”
Mickie kicked at table leg. “I guess.”
Rachel thought for a minute. “How about I see if Addie and Lexi can come over and help us decorate these cookies?”
Mickie’s eyes lit up. She straightened in her seat. “That would be fantabulous. I need to talk to Addie anyway.”
Rachel had pulled out her cell phone, but now paused before flipping open the cover. What could Mickie possibly need to speak with Addie about? “Is it anything I could answer? Or help with?”
“It’s nothing important.” Mickie avoided Rachel’s eyes. “Addie knows I don’t have many toys and she loaned me her Barbie and Ken. Last night I had them go on a date. I need to ask her what comes next.”
Rachel’s heart went out to the young girl. With her parents dying so young and her aunt and uncle being less-than-stellar role models, Mickie probably didn’t have a clue how men and women should interact. “Do you want them to fall in love?”
“Of course.” Mickie sounded shocked she’d even asked.
“I’d say another date comes next,” Rachel said. “If Barbie and Ken are going to fall in love and—”
“Get married,” Mickie said, completing the sentence.
“Right.” Rachel hid a smile. Who knew the little girl was such a romantic? “Well, then, the two need to spend time together.”
“That’s what Addie said.”
“Addie is correct.”
Mickie chewed on her lower lip. “Do they have to go on a date?”
Rachel thought back to her own dating years. “When Tom and I were getting to know each other, some of my fondest memories are when we simply hung out and talked.”
“Then you fell in love and got married, right?”
“We did,” Rachel said. “But some couples discover after spending a lot of time together that they don’t work, that they’re not really meant for each other.”
“They are meant for each other. And they have to fall in love,” Mickie said with a vehemence that took Rachel by surprise. “Ken thinks Barbie is pretty and she thinks he’s handsome. I don’t see why they wouldn’t get together, do you?”
Rachel opened her mouth to tell Mickie that it takes a lot more than physical attraction to make a relationship work, but reconsidered at the last minute. These were dolls they were talking about, not real people.
With that thought firmly planted in her head, Rachel smiled and leaned forward. She gently pushed a strand of hair back from Mickie’s face with her fingertips. “With you doing the matchmaking, I firmly believe your two are destined to walk down the aisle.”
A look of pure joy filled the young girl’s eyes. BeforeRachel knew what was happening, Mickie jumped out of her seat and flung her arms around Rachel’s neck. “I think so, too.”
Rachel wrapped her arms around the child and returned the hug, unexpected tears stinging her eyes.
When she’d agreed to care for Mickie, she thought she’d be able to bring the little girl into her life for thirty days and then let her go. But now, that seemed an impossible task. Knowing and loving this child as she did, Rachel couldn’t imagine letting Mickie walk out of her life…ever.
Mickie sat in the hard wooden pew and watched the families slowly file into the church. Hope rose in her chest. Very soon she’d have a mommy and a daddy, too. That was, if God didn’t strike her dead first.
She hated having all this time to think. Hated having all this time to worry about God being angry with her. They’d arrived early and Rachel had told her to take this time to talk
Rachel wasn’t sure who was more disappointed—her, Mickie or…Fred. The animal had taken a shine to Derekand now sat staring at the door long after the man had walked through it.
“I wish Mr. Rossi could have stayed.” Mickie crooked her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand.
“Me, too.” Rachel forced an upbeat tone. “But you and I’ll have fun, just the two of us.”
Mickie kicked at table leg. “I guess.”
Rachel thought for a minute. “How about I see if Addie and Lexi can come over and help us decorate these cookies?”
Mickie’s eyes lit up. She straightened in her seat. “That would be fantabulous. I need to talk to Addie anyway.”
Rachel had pulled out her cell phone, but now paused before flipping open the cover. What could Mickie possibly need to speak with Addie about? “Is it anything I could answer? Or help with?”
“It’s nothing important.” Mickie avoided Rachel’s eyes. “Addie knows I don’t have many toys and she loaned me her Barbie and Ken. Last night I had them go on a date. I need to ask her what comes next.”
Rachel’s heart went out to the young girl. With her parents dying so young and her aunt and uncle being less-than-stellar role models, Mickie probably didn’t have a clue how men and women should interact. “Do you want them to fall in love?”
“Of course.” Mickie sounded shocked she’d even asked.
“I’d say another date comes next,” Rachel said. “If Barbie and Ken are going to fall in love and—”
“Get married,” Mickie said, completing the sentence.
“Right.” Rachel hid a smile. Who knew the little girl was such a romantic? “Well, then, the two need to spend time together.”
“That’s what Addie said.”
“Addie is correct.”
Mickie chewed on her lower lip. “Do they have to go on a date?”
Rachel thought back to her own dating years. “When Tom and I were getting to know each other, some of my fondest memories are when we simply hung out and talked.”
“Then you fell in love and got married, right?”
“We did,” Rachel said. “But some couples discover after spending a lot of time together that they don’t work, that they’re not really meant for each other.”
“They are meant for each other. And they have to fall in love,” Mickie said with a vehemence that took Rachel by surprise. “Ken thinks Barbie is pretty and she thinks he’s handsome. I don’t see why they wouldn’t get together, do you?”
Rachel opened her mouth to tell Mickie that it takes a lot more than physical attraction to make a relationship work, but reconsidered at the last minute. These were dolls they were talking about, not real people.
With that thought firmly planted in her head, Rachel smiled and leaned forward. She gently pushed a strand of hair back from Mickie’s face with her fingertips. “With you doing the matchmaking, I firmly believe your two are destined to walk down the aisle.”
A look of pure joy filled the young girl’s eyes. BeforeRachel knew what was happening, Mickie jumped out of her seat and flung her arms around Rachel’s neck. “I think so, too.”
Rachel wrapped her arms around the child and returned the hug, unexpected tears stinging her eyes.
When she’d agreed to care for Mickie, she thought she’d be able to bring the little girl into her life for thirty days and then let her go. But now, that seemed an impossible task. Knowing and loving this child as she did, Rachel couldn’t imagine letting Mickie walk out of her life…ever.
Mickie sat in the hard wooden pew and watched the families slowly file into the church. Hope rose in her chest. Very soon she’d have a mommy and a daddy, too. That was, if God didn’t strike her dead first.
She hated having all this time to think. Hated having all this time to worry about God being angry with her. They’d arrived early and Rachel had told her to take this time to talk
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