Leaving Eva (The Eva Series Book 1) by Jennifer Sivec Page A

Thomas went to work as usual, but Rose busied herself straightening and cleaning and straightening again. She had the entire house clean from top to bottom, and then she went over it again. She had waited for this day for as long as she could remember and now that it was here, she was fearful. What if she doesn’t love me? What if she doesn’t want me?
    When the kind social worker with the stutter came over to drop her off, the house was spotless, and Rose was a nervous wreck. The Social Worker walked into the house, her hand holding a small child who looked up at Rose with scared eyes.
    “Do you want me to stay home tomorrow?” Thomas asked her.
    Rose was surprised that he offered. Her stomach was already doing flip-flops, but she knew that having him there would make it worse. “No, thank you,” she said giving him a small smile. “It’s better if you just go to work. I’ll be fine on my own.”
    She offered the social worker and the girl some cookies and tea. The social worker declined. She said that she needed to leave but that she would check back with them in a few days to make sure that they were acclimating well. Rose smiled at her and thanked her for bringing her daughter home. When the door closed, Rose turned around and looked at the girl.
    “Hi,” she said quietly as though she were talking to a scared kitten.
    The girl didn’t talk. She just looked at her, suspiciously.
    “I’m your new Mommy now. I’m Rose.” Rose said squatting down and getting to eye level with her. She kept a distance between them. The girl stood on the other side of the couch eyeing her with big brown eyes, but not moving. Rose didn’t move either, suddenly wishing she had thought to leave the TV on. The plain little house, too quiet, Rose thought she could hear her heart beating through her chest. Even though this was what she always wanted, she didn’t feel prepared.
    She stared at the girl for a while, smiling until her face felt frozen and her cheeks hurt.
    “I’m your new Mommy. I’m Rose.” Rose repeated. The girl looked at her.
    “Mommy, I want MY Mommy,” the girl said, turning her head and looking around.
    “I’m your Mommy now,” Rose said.
    “No, you’re not Mommy. I want MY Mommy!” The girl said anxiously.
    “I’m Mommy.”
    “No, No, No, No!” the girl was getting agitated. The social worker warned her about this, but Rose ignored her advice. She shouldn’t have mentioned ‘Mommy.’
    “I’m Rose,” she said, hoping the girl would forget ‘Mommy.’
    “Rose,” the girl said more calmly, accepting it. “Rose.”
    “Would you like a cookie?” Rose held out a brown and white cookie to the girl. The girl took a small step forward with her tiny feet, and then hastily retreated.
    “I won’t hurt you, sweetheart,” Rose said gently.
    “Cookie.” The girl said, in a small quiet voice, taking another step forward. She eyed Rose suspiciously and hesitated. Then she took another step, her eyes never leaving Rose’s eyes.
    It took a half an hour for her to accept the cookie. She was clearly afraid, and Rose knew that she was going to have to take it slow. Thomas called from the plant, and said that they needed him to work a double shift, and Rose was relieved. She didn’t know how the girl was going to respond to Thomas. She wanted her daughter to be more comfortable before she introduced them. She continued to keep her distance, hiding under tables and behind the couch. Rose decided to ignore her, and go about her day, hoping she would eventually come out.
    Rose started cooking dinner. She was making a roast, and after a while, the house started to smell of meat and vegetables. Rose made meatloaf and roast, and that was all she knew how to cook well. Everything else turned out bland or overcooked. She planned roast for tonight because it was a special night.
    The house smelled good, warm, and comfortable.
    After a couple of hours, Rose saw the girl come out from under the coffee table