Chapter 2

Sandy Ryan finished tucking in the sheets on the twin-sized bed and straightened up, leaning backward to stretch her back. She gazed around the room in satisfaction.

"Looks great," she murmured.

The guest bedroom of her and Daniel's house wasn't very big, but Sandy took pride in making every room in their house tidy and welcoming. And today the guest bedroom was the most important room in the house. She wanted to make sure that the teenager who was coming to live with them had a space where he felt comfortable.

"A room is a castle to a teenager," she said to herself as she walked briskly across the room to pick up a blue quilt, where it was lying folded on top of the desk. It had been made by her Aunt Loretta, and it smelled of lavender and sage. Sandy took an eager whiff of it, and then tucked it onto the bed, moving in precise, quick motions. "A fortress. Somewhere where they feel like they have the space to breathe."

Sandy stepped back from the quilt. It looks nice, she thought. I hope Tommy won't think it's too old-fashioned.

She turned to gaze around the room, mentally going through her checklist. She always tried to do everything she could for the kids who came to stay with her and Daniel. She couldn't put out toys for a teenager, but she'd put the old TV in the room, along with a stack of teenager-friendly DVDs. She'd borrowed some young adult books from the library—a fantasy book, an action book, and a historical fiction book. She didn't know what kind of books Tommy liked to read. She didn't know if he liked to read at all.

There were plenty of hangers in the closet, and an extra blanket and pillow on the top shelf. Sandy didn't think a teenage boy would want scented candles, but she had an air freshener plugged into the wall which smelled incredible.

Sandy felt a rush of sadness. When she was keeping busy, she could ignore the familiar ache in her heart, but now that she'd slowed down, she could feel it again. She had always wanted a child. When she and Daniel got married, they were young. She'd thought that they would have a kid in a few years, but as time wore on, her dream started to look more and more impossible. They'd fostered a lot of kids over the years, which had helped fill that void, but sometimes Sandy thought that having to let those kids go over and over again almost made the pain worse.

She inhaled, looking around the room again and remembering all of the young guests who had stayed in it. She thought about asking Daniel if maybe they could consider adoption again like they had once—but he would probably say what he said before, that being foster parents allowed them to have a positive influence on many kids' lives, and that was so valuable.

"He's right," she murmured, smiling a little. She was proud of her husband. He had a good heart. She was glad that they were able to do what they'd done for so many kids. But that didn't take away the ache in her heart. She wanted a child of her own.

"Just focus on Tommy," she told herself, walking over to the tissue box resting on the desk and absentmindedly straightening it so it was parallel to the edge of the desk. She arranged the pencil holder, filled with brightly colored pencils and pens, as if it was a bouquet of flowers. "You know that he's had a difficult time of it. How are you going to make him feel comfortable? And welcome?"

At that moment, a knock sounded on the front door, which was located just outside the guest bedroom.

"Come in!" Sandy called, tossing her long blond braid over her shoulder.

"Hi!" called the voice of a woman, and into the house stepped Caitlin Lewis, Alissa's sister. Following just behind her was a little girl with curly brown hair and sparkling eyes. Sandy beamed at Pearl, Caitlin's six-year-old daughter. "I hope we're not intruding," Caitlin said. She was holding a paper bag tightly in one hand as if it was heavy.

Pearl let out a squeal of excitement when she saw the bed. "It looks so comfy!" she exclaimed and ran across the room to jump onto the blue quilt and fluffy pillows.

"Pearl!" Caitlin said, aghast, but Sandy laughed and shook her head.

"It's perfectly all right! Actually, I'm glad to know this room looks as cozy as I'd hoped. I've worked hard to make it look inviting."

"It does," Caitlin assured her warmly, reaching her hand out and gently tugging Pearl off the bed. "It looks charming."

"Thanks." Sandy grinned at Caitlin. She liked Blueberry Bay's newest resident. Caitlin had a can-do attitude that went well with her elegant makeup and spotless high heels.

"I've brought you a casserole," Caitlin continued, lifting up the paper bag.

"Thank you!" A casserole sounded wonderful.

"I knew you would be busy getting ready for your next foster child. How is all of that going?"

"Really well." Sandy leaned against the desk and smiled at Caitlin. She thought she could smell the casserole a little. Something savory, maybe with a little spice. She couldn't wait to eat it—although it would have to wait until Monday when Tommy arrived. She knew Caitlin was an incredible cook; she wanted to share the food with Tommy, who would probably really appreciate it.

"What's the name of the foster child?" Caitlin asked.

"Tommy Neilson," Sandy told her. "He's a teenager."

"A teenager!" Caitlin placed her hand on her heart. "That sounds daunting. Are you nervous?"

"Not really." Sandy smiled. "I can't wait for him to get here. I just want to make sure he's well taken care of. I want him to feel like this is his home." She felt a wave of sadness as she said it.

They walked to the kitchen together, and Sandy gave Pearl some paper and a box of crayons. Pearl began to draw happily at the kitchen table, and Caitlin lifted the casserole from the bag.

"It looks incredible," Sandy said, eyeing the chicken and the noodles, all covered in a cheesy sauce and sprinkled with peas and pieces of red onion. "We'll save it for Monday, when Tommy arrives. Thank you so much, Caitlin. This is very sweet of you."

Sandy placed the casserole in the refrigerator, and then turned to join Caitlin in watching Pearl. The little girl's head was tilting back and forth a little as she drew, almost as if she was dancing.

"You're so lucky to have a daughter," Sandy said, feeling the words just rush out of her. "I wish Daniel and I could have had children of our own." She felt a lump rise up in her throat.

Caitlin lifted a hand and placed it consolingly on Sandy's shoulder.

"You would make a wonderful mom, Sandy," Caitlin said softly. "I'm so sorry." There was a moment of silence, and then Caitlin said, "But at least you're doing what you're doing. These foster children you're helping are so lucky. You're blessing a lot of lives."

Sandy smiled, blinking back a rush of tears. "Thank you, Caitlin. I really appreciate that."

"Of course."

For a moment, the two women shared a smile and a moment of connection.

"I'll get out of your hair," Caitlin said. "I know you're still getting ready. Come on, Pearl! It's time to go!"

"Aw!" Pearl looked up, halfway through a drawing of a castle. Or at least, Sandy guessed it was a castle. It was green. "Can I take this home with me?"

"Of course," Sandy assured her.

Thanking Caitlin again, Sandy let her guests out at the front door. She watched them walk away holding hands and felt the ache well up in her chest again.

She kept herself busy for the rest of the afternoon until Daniel got home from the store.

"Hello, sweetheart!" he called in the doorway.

Sandy hurried to greet him. She loved his big booming voice and his strong arms. He could still make her feel like every day was an adventure when they were together.

"Oh, that was a good hug," she told him, leaning back out of their embrace and smiling up into his eyes. "How's our store?"

"Same as ever." Daniel smiled at his wife. "How are things here? What do you still need help with?"

"I think we're all ready," she told him. They started to walk into the kitchen together, holding hands. She knew he would want a cup of decaf coffee after work, and she had one ready for him. "And Caitlin Lewis brought by a casserole, so we have an extra meal."

"That's great," Daniel said, and then smiled as his wife handed him the cup of coffee. "Did you check the medicine cabinet? We have all the basic medicines in there, right?"

"We do," Sandy assured him. "We're a little low on Benadryl, but unless Tommy shows up with a cold, we should be all good." They took a moment to make eye contact and smile at each other. Both of them always got a little jittery just before a new kid arrived. There was so much to plan for. So many unknowns. Every child was different and had different needs—most of which were the kind you couldn't really prepare for.

"How are you feeling about it?" Daniel asked Sandy, wrapping an arm around her.

"A little nervous," she confessed.

"I am too." His beard scratched her cheek as he leaned his head down on top of hers. "But it will be great. Ultimately all we really need to give him is food, shelter, and love, and we've got plenty of all that."