“Some were a little more crooked than others, but… pretty much.”
“That is so cool,” she said admiringly. “I have a good memory too, but maybe not that good.”
“You don’t remember my favorite drink?” he asked, wrapping his hand around his soda bottle to hide the label.
“No, I’m sorry, I don’t. But you didn’t ream the waiter out, either, so that wasn’t particularly memorable,” she replied, and he laughed. “I do remember you complained about having to wear a lavender tie. But you smiled when you did, and said it in a joking way.”
“Yeah, that… what was your sister doing, anyway? Trying to sap all the masculinity out of the groomsmen?”
“Trying to keep her sister happy, is more like it,” Amber smiled. “You were nice, too. I remember that. You didn’t treat me like I was a bratty little kid and not worth talking to, like the rest of wedding party did.”
“It was a lot more fun listening to you talk, than talking,” he smiled. “I’m pretty sure that’s mostly what I did. I also watched you defy the law of gravity to snatch that bouquet out of the air.”
Amber laughed at that.
“Well… would you rather I let that awful Bethany, catch it?” she asked, and he groaned a little.
“No. Thank you for sparing me.”
“If that awful Bruce caught the garter, I would’ve let her have it,” Amber declared. “But you were nice to me. So I was willing to sacrifice my dignity, and incidentally lengthen the slit in my skirt, in the process. And horrify my parents. That, too.”
Erik laughed, and so did she.
“Now you’re exaggerating, but did you know Bruce and Bethany ended up together?”
“Are you serious?” she asked in surprise.
“I have no idea if they still are, but yes, they did.”
Caleb hollered from the middle row, and Amber turned and handed him a few more Cheerios. He smiled, and got several in his mouth. Several others ended up in his car seat, and on the floor.
Amber rummaged through the diaper bag at her feet, and located a sippy cup. She held it out to him, and he took it.
“Have you had any more texts from your brother?” she asked.
“No. Have you heard from your sister?”
“No… What do you think’s happening up there?” she wondered. She sounded worried.
“Last I checked, it was still snowing. But I doubt that’s what you’re asking,” Erik replied.
“How perceptive you are. What do you think’s happening up there?”
“I know for sure they’re in one of the cabins. They have food, water, and a back-up generator. So… they have what they need to survive.”
“I wish she’d text me,” Amber fretted, looking at her phone. “But she doesn’t have her charger. She might not be able to.”
“Rob might. He probably does. I’ll text him later, and ask how they’re doing. Alright?”
“Alright,” she sighed. “But if he’s being mean, it’s not like he’ll tell you.”
“In his text, he said she’s safe with him,” Erik reminded her.
She was safe now, anyway. He felt sick remembering how unsafe she was on the way to the cabin. But she was safe now, and Rob was seeking God. It was a breakthrough of epic proportion, although not one he was at liberty to share with Amber.
“Safe can mean a lot of different things to a lot of people,” Amber said gloomily.
“So… pray about it,” Erik suggested. “I’ll be quiet while you do.”
Amber glanced at him and laughed a little.
“Are you serious?”
“Completely,” he replied. He heard a thud from the backseat, and glanced in the rearview mirror. Caleb’s cheek rested against the headrest of his seat, and his eyes were closed. He clutched his new car in one hand, but the other was empty. His sippy cup was probably on the floor. “Caleb is asleep. Pretend I’m not here, and do it.”
“Start with what I’m thankful for, right?” she asked.
“Exactly.”
“Alright, okay. Don’t look at me,” she ordered, ducking her head as she covered her face with her hands.
“I’ll keep my attention and my eyes focused on getting us safely there,” he smiled.
The road began to climb, and the vegetation to change. The mesquite and creosote bushes met, and then were gradually replaced, by scrub oak. Pine trees began to appear, growing taller as they continued higher into the mountains. Erik adjusted the heater to compensate as the outdoor temperature grew colder. Patches of snow appeared in the shade of the trees, and at the sides of the road. It grew deeper and more solid the further they climbed.
As snowflakes began to fall, they reached a town. Smoke rose from the chimneys of the cabins that dotted the mountain on each side of the road. Signs pointed the way to several lodges, a skating rink, and informed any interested parties that the ski slope was a mere five miles away.
Erik followed the familiar drive to his grandparents’ retirement home. Not that they were living in an actual retirement home. They were retired, and living in their own home.
Amber looked up as Erik pulled into the curved driveway, and parked in front of the house.
“What an adorable place! It belongs on a Christmas card,” she exclaimed. The rustic, lodge-style home was tucked against the side of the mountain. The pine trees that surrounded it were lightly dusted with snow, and the ground was covered in a blanket of white. A Christmas wreath graced the front door.
“Gramma probably doesn’t have the Christmas tree decorated yet… but she likes to start early,” Erik replied, as Amber gathered Caleb’s bag. He reached in the back and collected the fallen sippy cup for her.
“I love it,” Amber enthused. She glanced toward the barn to the side of the house. “Do your grandparents have horses?”
“No, that’s Grampa’s shop.”
“What does he do there?”
“He does wood turnings. He makes furniture too, sometimes. He keeps busy. You get the bag, I’ll get Caleb.”
With that, he got out and opened the middle-row door. Amber grabbed the blanket that lay beside Caleb, and quickly followed. Erik unfastened him like a pro, and carefully lifted the sleeping toddler and held him against his shoulder. Amber covered Caleb with the blanket, and they walked together up the steps to the house.
The door opened wide, before they reached it. On the other side, stood Erik’s grandmother and grandfather. He smiled, and his grandmother clasped her hands together and held them to her lips, as tears filled her eyes at the sight of her great-grandson.
“It hasn’t been that long since I visited, has it?” Erik asked, lest Amber wonder at his grandmother’s rather emotional reaction.
“You couldn’t be here enough to wear out your welcome, even if you lived here,” his grandmother retorted, hugging him and Caleb both.
“How are you, son?” his grandfather smiled. “And this must be Amber.”
“Hi,” she smiled back.
“It’s nice to see you again, dear,” his grandmother smiled, brushing away tears. “My, haven’t you grown up since the wedding!”
“Started a family and everything,” his grandfather said, the gleam in his blue eyes matching Erik’s.
“This is Caleb,” Erik said, as his grandparents ushered them inside.
“Oh, my,” his grandmother said, fresh tears filling her eyes. She held out her arms. “May I?”
“Yeah, sure,” Amber said. Old people always liked babies. And… this baby was their great-grandson. Not that they would ever know it. She felt kind of bad about that, but… at least they got to see him. It was probably better than nothing.
Erik successfully transferred Caleb to his grandmother’s arms. It was all she could do not to burst into tears, as she looked into her great-grandson’s sleeping face.
“He’s beautiful. He looks just like you did at this age, Erik.”
“It’s uncanny,” his grandfather said, raising an eyebrow at him.
Erik smiled.
“I know, isn’t it? He might as well be mine, as much as he looks like me. He needs a dad. I’m thinking of adopting him. Honorarily.”
“Oh, why Erik, that’s a wonderful idea!” his grandmother said brightly. She wasn’t sure if he was serious or not, but if he was, she was all for it. She had no idea how he’d manage it once the baby’s mother returned, but… if that was what Erik wanted to do, he’d find a way.
“That’s a fine idea, son,” his grandfather approved.
“Yeah, sort of paying it forward, I guess,” Erik said. His grandfather patted his shoulder, and smiled back at him.
“Come on in, and have a seat. Your grandma has lunch just about ready.”
“Can I help?” Amber asked.
“Of course you can,” his grandmother smiled. “The kitchen’s right over here.”
She led the way, Caleb still in her arms. Erik’s grandfather motioned for him to follow, and they retreated to the office. His grandfather shut the door behind them, and they each had a seat.
“Tell me what you know,” his grandfather said.
“Yesterday afternoon, we sent everyone home because of the snow. After our guys left, a dark SUV passed by. It must have been parked at the end of the road. It shouldn’t have been there at all, but it was, and long enough that there were no tracks in the snow going in. On the way down the mountain, Mr. Henry called. He received a garbled message warning him that Rob and I were badly behind on the project and unable to get in the materials we needed to finish. I assured him that wasn’t true, and faxed over the inspections that have been done to back up my words. If we didn’t have all of the contacts you made over the years, we would’ve been behind, though. There’ve been more glitches and odd occurrences than usual. A lot more. Just yesterday, the granite counters we ordered and pre-paid for, were picked up by someone else. Other times, we’ve been told that orders we placed were cancelled over the phone. I called Rob and told him what Mr. Henry said, and about the dark SUV. He was still at the model homes, draining the pipes to one of the houses. He then discovered the heat was turned off on all homes but one, and the water turned on. The interior garage door was propped open in the model at the end of the street. The gas was on, and the water heater’s pilot was lit. Inside, the gas stove was on, but unlit. Rob shut off the gas, aired out the house, and drained the pipes in all the models. He locked the gas and water valves, then he and Samantha hiked down to one of the cabins during a lull in the storm. It, at least, is untampered with. We don’t know about the others, or about the lodge.”
“Someone’s serious about sabotaging your project,” Erik’s grandfather said, his forehead furrowing. “How far along are you in getting it done?”
“Very close. The lodge is finished. The cabins are finished. The models are all but finished. Two are awaiting granite counters. They’re all waiting on the backup generators to be delivered. If not for the storm, we would finish up by the end of next week. Now, I don’t know. I’ve arranged for the entire site to be monitored by twenty-four-hour security as soon as weather allows.”
“You’re doing the lodge, the cabins, and the models. Is there anything you and Rob aren’t responsible for?”
“The paved roads leading from the cabins, to the lodge and ski area. The lodge’s parking lots, and the ski lifts,” Erik replied.
“And how about those? Have they experienced any unusual delays?” his grandfather wondered.
“I don’t know about the lift. But the roads and lot are behind. I intend to look into why that is.”
“If either of them are experiencing some of the same problems you and Rob have run into… if it’s some radical environmentalist dead-set against development, then they’re a little late in the game,” his grandfather pointed out.
“Exactly. The lodge and cabins are finished, furnished, stocked, and ready to go. Opening is scheduled for December first, not that it’ll happen without paved roads and a parking lot. The models were scheduled to open for viewing that same weekend. I suppose it’s possible someone might be determined to keep the subdivision from going in.”
“This person may have thought he did you more harm than he actually did, by canceling and picking up orders you placed,” his grandfather mused.
“You’re right,” Erik agreed. “If they suddenly realized they had no actual effect, that could explain why they turned to destroying what we’ve built. An environmentalist wouldn’t want to risk burning down the mountain, though.”
“It wouldn’t do the environment much good, having a house set fire and explode,” his grandfather agreed. “I’ll give you a couple of names you might want to put on your suspect list, but put them at the bottom. I think you’re right about that.”
“So what does that leave us with?” Erik considered. “The project is all but complete. I suppose someone could think they’d have a shot at coming in and redoing what we’ve done, if it was destroyed… but it’s more likely they want to discredit Rob and I, so that Mr. Henry doesn’t hire us to build the subdivision.”
“He has other projects in the offing too, I would imagine,” his grandfather pointed out.
“He does. He’s discussed some of those with us.”
“And if Mr. Henry is impressed with the timely manner in which you complete this project, and the quality of your work, who’s he likely to award those projects to?”
“Davison Construction,” Erik agreed. “I think Mr. Henry will be willing to provide a list of the other contractors who bid on the Pine Mountain project.”
“The next highest bidder isn’t necessarily the culprit,” his grandfather cautioned.
“I agree, Grampa. I don’t think it’ll be that easy, either. It’ll give us a place to start, though. If we rule out enough suspects… all we’ll have left is the one responsible.”
“Then let’s get to work and make us a list,” his grandfather said, and Erik reached for the legal pad on the desk, and a pen. “Have you heard from your brother?”
“He called as soon as I got off the phone with you this morning.”
“How are he and Samantha?” his grandfather asked. Erik paused for several seconds as he thought that over.
“There are so many ways to answer that question. As a married couple, not great. Rob has made a lot of bad choices, and Samantha may not be willing to give him another chance. He’s trying, though. He’s seeking God. I reminded him there was a Bible in the nightstand, and gave him a list of verses to read.”
“Did you tell him to read the book of John?”
“Yes, I did. For the first time, he’s repentant. He knows he’s at fault. He’s been running from guilt for years, and blaming everyone else, in an attempt to draw attention away from his own wrongdoing. He’s not doing that anymore.”
“Well, we’ll be praying for him then, that he keeps moving forward instead of falling back again.”
“Samantha doesn’t want to hear he’s sorry. I can’t say I blame her, even though I feel bad for him. He sounds completely broken.”
“Good,” his grandfather said with satisfaction. “He needs to be. We all do, at some point, and realize we’re helpless to save ourselves.”
“He’s there,” Erik said with certainty.
“I’ll let your grandmother know, and we’ll be praying for him. And for Samantha, too. If he’s sincere and ready to be a new man, well then… we’ll be praying she sees that, and that she’s willing to give him another chance.”
“And… that if she isn’t, it won’t send Rob into a downward spiral,” Erik added.
“That too, son. We’ll be praying for that, too. The devil won’t give him up without a fight.”
“Then let’s give him one,” Erik said firmly.
“I’m with you, son,” his grandfather said. They bowed their heads, and prayed.
Chapter 7
SAMANTHA woke to the howl of the wind, the crackling of the fire, and the scent of burning juniper.
The pillow behind h
er back was warm, easing her aching muscles. For the first time since the night before, she felt thawed almost all the way through. She felt relaxed, drowsy, and apparently hungry. Her stomach growled in response to the savory aroma of stew that wafted her way.
She tilted her head a little so she could see the other end of the main room.
Rob stood in front of the stove, steam rising from the pan he slowly stirred. He had no idea she was awake, or that she was cautiously watching him. His expression was relaxed, as he carefully tested the stew. He stirred it some more, then adjusted the heat.
The hardness she’d grown accustomed to, was gone. Instead, there was compassion in his eyes, and apology. He was being solicitous, and caring. Even when she told him to leave her alone, he did. That was a first.
Alarm bells rang, warning her to proceed with caution. Her sense of worth and well-being were once tied up in this man, and if not for the support of her parents, an experienced counselor, and learning she had a life other than her own to worry about… she felt sick remembering her mental state when she left their apartment for the last time.
He seemed like a changed man. But she’d been here before. The moment she let her guard down, the kindness would vanish. She swallowed hard as memories besieged her, and tears filled her eyes.
She took several deep breaths. As she prayed, she was strengthened as much by her love for Jesus, as she was by His love for her. Memories of the past hurt, but they couldn’t destroy. When Rob did another about-face… she’d be lying to herself if she thought it wouldn’t hurt. It would. But it could no longer destroy.
Rob ladled stew into a bowl, then gathered it and a spoon. He glanced at Samantha, and saw her watching him.
“You’re awake,” he smiled, as he carried it to her. “How do you feel?”
“Tired,” she replied.
She made no move to sit up, and she did look tired. She looked ready to close her eyes and sleep some more. Rob stuck the spoon in the bowl and set both on the coffee table, then used one hand to raise her head and shoulders, and the other to rearrange the pillows so they were behind her back.
“You’ve got to eat,” he informed her. He lay a throw pillow on her lap, and steadied the bowl on top. Without a tray, it was the best he could do. Her stomach growled, and he handed her the spoon. “You used to like this… but if you want something else, I’ll get it for you.”
Disengaged (Terms of Engagement Book 3) Page 11