Nobody’s Child (New Life Tabernacle Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

waking moment of the past week thinking about it, she’d decided to abandon her plans for payback. There just wasn’t anything about Robin that lined up with what she’d been told. If that were the case, maybe Makayla was wrong. Not only about her mother leaving her, but about her wanting to leave her. And if her mother had cared about her at one time, maybe she could again. The only way to know was to tell Robin who she was.
    It seemed like the right decision the night before.
    But now? In the light of day?
    Since she’d gotten up that morning, she’d imagined at least a dozen different ways it could go wrong.
    She imagined Robin’s bright eyes turning angry and her radiant smile becoming a hard line. She wondered if she’d yell at her or suddenly become distant and quiet. Just the thought of the warmth she’d felt the previous Sunday being replaced by cold indifference made Makayla’s mouth go dry.
    She stopped walking and stood completely still, forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths, but moments later, she was pacing again. Just when she was sure she'd wear a groove in the lobby floor, Robin’s silver Jaguar passed the doors and pulled alongside the curb.
    For a split second, Makayla considered giving into the overpowering urge she felt to hide.
    She wasn't prepared for this.
    And it wasn't just because she still didn’t know how to tell Robin who she was. What really kept her from walking through the lobby doors, what terrified her more than having to reveal the truth, was the one thing completely out of her control: Robin's reaction.
    Makayla could choose the best words, pick the perfect moment, find the ideal place, but what difference would any of it make if Robin didn't want to know the truth?
    For the past nineteen years, her mother knew exactly where she was and never sent one letter or made one phone call.
    After talking to Mr. Sanford and listening to Robin's acceptance speech, Makayla tried to convince herself there was an explanation.
    She told herself that if Robin was really the kindhearted person everyone believed her to be, maybe the reason she never came back was because she was too overcome by guilt and shame. Makayla could understand that. She’d done things she was too ashamed to even think about, much less, talk about. That she’d done those things out of necessity didn't make it any easier, either.
    She wanted to believe that guilt and shame were the answer to the mystery of why she’d been abandoned. She needed to believe they were. But as she stared out at the waiting car, Makayla couldn’t shake the fear that it was something much simpler.
    Robin just hadn't wanted her.
    Makayla took a deep breath and put her hand on the door handle to open it. Ready or not, she was about to find out.

    " G ood morning !" Robin sang out the words, a stack of compact discs in hand. She glanced over at Makayla as she settled in her seat and stuffed her messenger bag between her legs and the car door.
    “Aren’t you looking pretty today!”
    Makayla felt like her mouth was glued shut. Her stomach was rolling and she was barely able to mumble a decipherable phrase back. She tried to say “Good morning” in response and failed. Her “Thank you” didn’t quite make it out either.
    Just do it. Just do it. Do it now.
    “We’ll get moving in just a minute…” Robin flipped through the discs she held. “Finding the proper music in preparation for Sunday morning service is essential.” She grinned and gave Makayla a wink. She turned her attention back to the discs, but continued talking.
    “What’s with that face? Are you judging me?” Robin laughed. “I know, I know. Hardly anyone keeps these things anymore. Everything is digital now. What can I say? I love having the lyrics and reading the liner notes…”
    Makayla couldn’t even focus on what Robin was saying. She tightened her hands into fists in an effort to stop the trembling. But there was nothing she could do about the rapid