Until You Loved Me (Silver Springs #3)(30)
It took two weeks to arrange the travel, partly because she had an ultrasound appointment she didn’t want to miss—one at which she was supposed to learn the sex of her child. She was having a boy, which she’d already guessed. She’d been so sure, almost from the beginning, that she’d begun choosing the furniture and the exact shade of blue she wanted to paint her nursery. Confirmation of that somehow made it even more important he know his father, that he have his father as a role model, so she worked up the nerve, put in for the vacation days and, on February 10, flew to Los Angeles, where she rented a car and drove an hour and a half northwest to Silver Springs. She was so nervous that she couldn’t focus on her surroundings. LA just looked like urban sprawl. As she got outside Ventura, however, she started noticing the bucolic countryside—something she hadn’t previously associated with California. And she found Silver Springs quite appealing, with the rolling hills and mountains that seemed to hold the town in a cradle, the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and the many mom-and-pop businesses in town. There wasn’t a single chain store she could see, except for a couple of gas stations. She thought that was nice.
Although she stopped to rent a room at a place called The Mission Inn so she could freshen up after the five-hour flight and subsequent drive, she didn’t hang out there for long. She’d gained three hours crossing the country and entering a new time zone, but she planned to hit New Horizons when she’d be most likely to find someone who could help her, and she assumed that would be before school ended. She didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. She was set on delivering her message as soon as possible—getting it over with so she could sleep that night. Because of the way she’d been obsessing about telling her parents, how she’d juggle a child with her career and now, what to do about Hudson, she’d been losing weight in spite of the pregnancy, which didn’t make her obstetrician happy.
Once she left the motel, she followed her GPS to the address listed on the New Horizons website. She found the school without any problem, but she was so agitated when she rolled under the wrought iron arch, reached the administration building and parked in guest parking that she stayed in the car for several minutes. She had no idea what she might encounter—how she’d be treated here, whether she’d see Hudson himself.
How many other women had made this trek? she wondered. Maybe the staff wouldn’t think it was any big deal. She imagined them chuckling among themselves after she left. “There goes another one.” But she chastised herself for judging Hudson according to a stereotype. The women he’d been with, even the number of illegitimate children he might’ve fathered—that was none of her business. She was the one who’d pulled him into the cab that fateful night in September; she could hardly accuse him of being a womanizer. And now that a pregnancy had resulted from their encounter, she needed to do the right thing, had to give Hudson the chance to know his child and be involved in that child’s life. He should have the opportunity to choose.
After taking a deep breath, she climbed out. It’ll be over with soon. Squaring her shoulders, she clung tightly to her purse as she strode to the stairs. Intent on watching her feet so she wouldn’t trip in the gravel with her high-heeled boots, she nearly bumped into a tall, thickly built man with black hair and blue eyes approaching the same building.
“Sorry,” she murmured as he caught her by the elbow to steady her.
“No problem,” he said and held the door before following her inside.
She approached the reception desk only to glance around uncertainly when she didn’t see anyone sitting behind it.
The man who’d walked in with her had moved toward a nearby office but, realizing there was no one to greet her, paused. “I guess Betty isn’t back from her dentist appointment yet. I’m Elijah Turner. Maybe I can help. Are you here to apply for the music teacher position? Because I’m fairly certain those interviews are scheduled for tomorrow.”
Elijah was coadministrator of the school and one of Aiyana’s adopted sons. She’d read his bio on the website. “No, uh, no. I’m not here to interview. I was hoping to talk to Aiyana.”
“My mother was in earlier. Let me check,” he said and crossed over to the corner office.
Ellie curled her fingernails into her palms, but she didn’t have to wait long. A moment later, he poked his head out and beckoned her toward him. “Come on back.”
Here goes... Standing, Ellie picked some lint from her sweater to give herself an extra moment to overcome her nerves. Fortunately, she didn’t think Elijah or anyone else could tell she was pregnant, not in what she was wearing today. She hadn’t bought any maternity clothes, hadn’t needed them yet. She was wearing her best-fitting jeans, unbuttoned at the top to accommodate her thickening waist, covered by a long black sweater. She’d chosen this outfit because it went so well with her new boots, but at the last minute, she worried that she might be dressed too casually. She felt she was already at a disadvantage; she didn’t want Hudson, if she saw him, to wonder if he’d been blind to hit her up at the club in the first place.
As soon as Elijah showed her into the office, an attractive, petite woman looked up and smiled. Ellie guessed Aiyana was part Native American, what with her creamy, café au lait skin, the thick black braid down her back and the abundance of turquoise jewelry on her arms, fingers and neck. “Hello. I’m Aiyana Turner.” Offering her hand, she came around a large desk. “What can I do for you?”