He took her hand and squeezed it gently. When he glanced toward her, the pain was gone from his eyes, and he smiled, but not as brightly as usual.

“Of course you have the right to ask. You’ve answered the questions I’ve asked about your family.” Still he hesitated, and finally said in a husky voice. “I assume I have a father somewhere, although I’ve never known him. He abandoned my mother when I was less than a year old. They married when they were students at the University of Pennsylvania, and I was born a year later. He hung around for a few months, but apparently he wasn’t ready for family responsibilities. He left one day and, as far as I know, she never heard from him again.”

“I’m so sorry,” Aimee said.

Now that he’d started talking, it seemed easier for Jacob, but still his voice was distant as he continued. “Mother never got over his rejection. She died when I was six years old from a severe case of pneumonia and flu, but she’d been dying inside since he left her. She didn’t handle rejection very well, and I guess I don’t either,” he ended, almost in a whisper. Then he added, “Gran had most of the care of me while my mother lived, and she gave me all of the love I needed. I had a happy childhood, but I suppose all guys miss their dad.”

Up until now, Jacob had appeared to be without any problems. Maybe this was the reason he had chosen to become a counselor? He wanted to deal with his own hang-ups as well as the problems of his clients.

“So by not trying to get well,” Aimee asked quietly, “do you feel as if your mother rejected you, too?”

A look of surprise swept over Jacob’s face, and he replied thoughtfully, “Maybe so, although I hadn’t really thought of it before.” He laughed, and the tense moment seemed to have passed. “Aimee, you should have been the counselor.”

“I doubt that I would have succeeded in that profession,” Aimee replied with a chuckle. “It’s difficult enough to deal with one adolescent daughter.”

When they stopped in front of her house, Aimee put her hand on Jacob’s arm. “Again, I’m sorry for prying, but as for your life with your grandmother, she did a great job in raising you, as far as I can tell. I don’t believe you missed much.”

“Thanks. I’m trying to be a credit to her. After all Gran has done for me, I don’t want to let her down.”

“Samantha isn’t home yet,” Aimee said, “so we’re here in plenty of time. Thanks for asking me to the meeting.”

He got out of the car and opened the door for her. As they walked toward the house, he asked, “Is it too soon to know if you’re willing to be a Siblings volunteer?”

“Yes,” Aimee said. “I’ll have to think about it and see how I can fit it into my schedule. Maybe there’s work I can do at home until school is out. I could probably help more during the summer break. But I’ll find time to help with Fun in the Sun. I miss not doing things like that with Samantha.”

She took the house key from her purse, opened the door and invited, “Would you like to come in and meet Samantha when she gets here?”

He shook his head. “I’d like to, but I have some computer work to complete tonight. Is it okay for me to call you?”

“Yes, of course.”

Jacob’s gaze traveled over her face and searched her eyes, suddenly causing a stirring of her heart she hadn’t experienced for a long time. He bent toward her until she felt his warm breath on her face, and her pulse tingled at the thought that he was going to kiss her. Suddenly, he shook his head and stepped back.

“Good night, Aimee. I’ll be in touch in a few days and we can make plans for Fun in the Sun.”

Slightly disappointed, Aimee went inside and watched from the dark hallway as Jacob drove away. What had happened to her common sense since she’d met Jacob Mallory? She wasn’t sure it was a good idea to start a relationship now, when Samantha was already testing the waters as an adolescent. It would probably be better to wait a few years, until Samantha was safely off to college. But Aimee wondered, if she waited, would she be losing her only chance of finding a new life—and a new love?

Jacob had attempted to hide his distress so that Aimee wouldn’t feel bad about saying the wrong thing to him, but as soon as he drove away from her house, reaction set in. A few blocks from her house, he pulled over to the curb, stopped the vehicle and slouched over the steering wheel.

His resentment of his absent father was one of the hardest situations he faced in living a Christian life. And when this resentment surfaced, he didn’t even feel as if he was a good counselor. How could he counsel clients who had a grudge toward family members when he knew he hadn’t forgiven his father for abandoning him? He’d prayed often for the grace to forgive his father, so why couldn’t he put it behind him?