From Here to Hidden

CHAPTER SEVEN | BETH

She knew that she should turn her head. For heaven's sake, he wasn't a piece of meat for her to ogle and stare at. Plus, she never felt like it was appropriate to check out men—regardless of who they were—with her daughter around. Even though she was 13 and completely wrapped up in her own world right now, she wasn't stupid. She had actually encouraged her mom several times to start dating. She didn't know if it was because she was longing for a father figure in her life or if she just wanted to see her mom happy. Beth had always assured her that she was her main focus; not a man, not a boyfriend, or even a job. Her.

Plus, Beth had watched one too many true crime documentaries in her life. The idea of bringing some stranger into their lives and letting him around her daughter wasn't happening. She watched The First 48; she saw what kind of sickos there were in the world and she wasn't willing to risk that. Not for herself; not even for handsome preachers who she was certain had no ill intentions whatsoever.

Nonetheless, as Jason Anderson pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it into the truck, Beth was especially glad that she had been wearing sunglasses so that Chris couldn't see her eyes at the sight. Her mouth dropped open just slightly and she knew she gasped slightly as the air left her body. She refused to let her mind wander the way that she knew it would. She grew up reading romance novels and sneaking peeks at her grandmother's Harlequin novels. She was pretty sure that there was some kind of special place in hell for women who undressed preachers in their minds. She forced herself to put the car in drive as Chris kicked her feet up on the dashboard and turned the radio on.

"Excuse me, miss?" she said, turning her head sideways to glance at her daughter. "Feet on the dash? Seriously?"

Chris straightened up in the seat, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, mom."

"It's okay. I'll forgive you this time," she winked at her daughter before continuing. "So? What did you think? How was school? I want to hear all about it!"

Chris spent the 15-minute car ride excitedly talking about her classes. As far as Beth could tell, Chris was happy. She liked her teachers; the classes were small and she'd made a couple of friends so far. A few of the girls had welcomed her right into their group; they thought it was 'super awesome' that she was from out of town. It made Beth happy to hear that she was adjusting so well, so quickly. She had been really worried about how she would adapt. Kids—girls especially—were mean. They weren't always inclusive. Despite how badly Beth hated stereotypes, private school kids were often cliquish and not willing to welcome anyone else into their tribe. The fact that she was welcomed and offered a seat at the table did wonders for Beth's anxiety over whether she had made the right decision.

After stopping to grab a pizza for dinner, Beth and Chris finally made it home. When they had started talking about the idea of moving and Beth was doing her many rounds of virtual interviews, she had started looking for a place that would be a "forever" type home for her and her daughter. She knew she didn't want to be right in town. She hated the busyness of the nonstop traffic—even if it wasn't a huge city. She definitely didn't want an apartment.

She didn't like the idea of neighbors that lived right on top of her and all around her, so that had dwindled her housing options tremendously. Finally, after three or four weeks of constant house hunting (online, of course) she found an up and coming neighborhood that promised "spacious yards, beautiful landscapes, and modern floor plans." She clicked a link, filled out an inquiry, and was emailed back less than an hour later.

Magnolia Trace was the perfect spot for them. They'd been able to choose the floor plan and design they liked for the house, finish customizing the interior colors and preferences, and even got to select the fencing that went around their yard. Together they had chosen a Modern Little Ranch House house. It was three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and had a beautiful front porch with a swing. Her parent's beach house had a porch swing and she loved to sit out at night with a glass of wine and listen to the waves crash while she swayed. There was no better way to just unwind. When she had the chance to add a swing to this house, she didn't even hesitate.