Free In His Eyes by Gail Gaymer Martin Page A

Phyllis’s house, she could get some e-mail correspondence answered and do some figures on a couple of projects that were due when she got back.
    An easier feeling spread over Ellene. She rose and headed for the shower. Warm water washed away her anxiety, and she felt more determined to stayaway from Connor. In the process, she’d be certain not to upset Caitlin when she left.
    After dressing, Ellene headed into the kitchen and faltered in the doorway. Caitlin sat at the table, eating a piece of toast. “I came over to play,” she said.
    “I can’t play today, Caitlin. I have work to do.”
    The child’s lip stuck out for a moment, and then drew back in. “I’ll watch you.”
    Ellene closed her eyes a moment to calm her thoughts. “Won’t your daddy miss you?”
    She shook her head. “Aunt Phyllis is babysitting me while daddy runs some errands.”
    Ellene glanced toward Connor’s aunt.
    She turned from the stove. “He went to the hardware for batteries and candles. The electrical lines are icing over, and that can mean we may have some downed lines.”
    Dandy. Now she’d be stranded with Connor in candlelight. Heavenly Father, what is happening here? “I hope it doesn’t come to that,” she said, trying to sound casual for Aunt Phyllis’s sake.
    “We’ll survive.”
    You may, but will I? “Speaking of errands,” Ellene said, “if the ferry doesn’t open soon, I’ll need to find a store to buy some clothes.”
    “There’s a couple nice shops in town,” Phyllis said. “Stores open about ten, I think.”
    “Have you heard anything new about the ferry?”
    “Still closed. I called this morning.”
    Ellene kept her mouth shut. She strode to the coffeemaker and grabbed a cup from the hook, then poured. The acrid scent told her the coffee had been made awhile ago, but she added milk and took a sip. Strong, but tolerable.
    “Would you like some eggs?” Phyllis asked.
    “No thanks. I’m not really hungry.”
    Caitlin continued to watch her with wide eyes, apparently hoping she’d give in and entertain her.
    “Where are the paper and crayons I bought you?”
    “Over there.” She gave a little toss of her head.
    Ellene noticed the items on a chair seat where Caitlin’s coat hung on the back. “How about drawing a picture and coloring it while I do some work?”
    Caitlin thought about the suggestion, then slid off the chair and brought back the pad of paper and crayons, settling as near as possible to Ellene.
    While Caitlin concentrated on the drawing, Ellene opened the laptop and found an outlet to plug it into. She opened her software program and clicked a correspondence folder, then opened the first file and scanned the contents.
    Ellene heard the scrape of a chair leg and glanced up. Aunt Phyllis sat adjacent to her, sipping a coffee and eyeing her as if she had something to say.
    Ellene smiled and went back to her work, hoping to discourage conversation. Pepper dodged in and out of her legs, which was distracting enough.
    “This is you,” Caitlin said, turning the letter-size notepad toward her so she could see the picture. The child had drawn a stick figure with squiggles of dark curls and big fuzzy slippers.
    “Very nice. Thank you,” Ellene said, turning back to the computer.
    “You can keep it.”
    “Great. I’ll get it when I’m finished.”
    “Speaking of finished,” Phyllis said, “what happened between you and Connor to break off your engagement?”
    The question smacked Ellene between the eyes. She sat dumbfounded, trying to decide how to answer the question or how to avoid answering with Caitlin present.
    “Things happen,” she said after a grand pause.
    “What things? You two seemed like peas in a pod.”
    “Maybe that was the problem. We were too close.”
    Phyllis’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t be too close. The Bible says, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.’ One flesh is pretty