The Calling by Deborah A Hodge Page B

would love you too.”
    “I know you love Cate, and Cate loves you, and Cate loves Daddy as a friend. She also loves Mr. Matthew, so Daddy cannot ask her to be your new mother.” With the last words he looked directly at Cate.
    Cate wasn’t sure what she saw in his eyes, and decided to add some words of her own.
    “And, your daddy loves Miss Kim.” As she said those words, David’s expression changed, and he looked away. Cate wasn’t sure what she had seen in his expression.
    “Do you, Daddy? Do you love Miss Kim?”
    Without raising his head, David answered. “I don’t know, Lady Bug, maybe so.” David excused himself and left the table, walking to the living room and then through the side door.
    “Where’s Daddy going?”
    “I don’t know,” Cate patted Sarah’s shoulder.
    Cate wondered what to do and what to say when David returned. His words didn’t confuse her, but his actions had. He had purposefully not looked at her when he spoke about Matthew and her, or about Kim.
    Sarah was confused by her daddy leaving and continued to question Cate about where he was. Cate suggested that he had forgotten some business that he needed to take care of and would return soon. An hour later, Sarah fell asleep, as Cate sang softly while rocking her. Cate rose from the rocking chair and carried Sarah to her bed.
    Cate waited for David. She found herself praying that God would give her wisdom in what to say when he returned. She had no idea as to why he had reacted as he had and she had no idea what to say. She tried hard to give her feelings for David to the Lord and submitted herself repeatedly to His will in the matter. Regardless, she knew she still loved David in a way that she would never love another man. She wondered if it was fair to continue her relationship with Matthew. She knew that his feelings for her were sincere, deep, and real. Matthew's loving her like that was an honor. She also knew that she had sincere and real feelings for him, but they were nothing like the love she had for David.
    “Oh, Lord, why don’t you take my feelings for David away? That would make my life so much simpler,” she prayed fervently. “Trust Me,” were the Lord’s words, she heard deep in her heart. She turned in her Bible to Psalm 37:7 and read, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.” Those words had become words that sustained her when things were difficult and perplexing-an often occurrence in her life. She devoured those words and the truth they contained; they were food for a hungry, hurting, fearful soul, and a satisfying ointment for this moment. Words of gratitude welled up deep within her, “Thank you, Lord.”
    The opening of the side door as David entered interrupted her thanksgiving. He noticed the Bible in her hands.
    “Where’s Sarah?”
    “She’s down for her nap.”
    “Good, I’d like to talk to you without her hearing.” He shifted on his feet, “I’m sorry she put you on the spot this morning.”
    “She’s five years old. Five year olds do that.”
    “I know, but it was embarrassing nonetheless.”
    “I wasn’t embarrassed,” Cate admitted, “but I noticed you were, or at least uncomfortable.”
    “Yes, I guess, I was. Sarah’s been asking a lot of questions about Kim and me, and I gathered from what she asked this morning that she had been talking to you about the same thing.”
    “Yes, she has,” Cate said. “She asked me if Kim was going to be her new mother. I told her that was up to you.”
    “She asked you to be her mother, didn’t she?” David’s tone and expression made Cate uneasy.
    “She did, and I’m sorry about the spot that puts you in.”
    “She asked me that before. I explained to her about your relationship with Matthew and my relationship with Kim.”
    “I tried to also,” Cate said.
    “What did you tell her?” David seemed very interested to hear her answer.
    “I told her that you were seeing Miss Kim and I was seeing Mr. Matthew and that you