Summer Serenade

by Belle Calhoune

  It was one of her favorite things to do. She’d done it a lot in Central Park in New York City. The folks here in Sugar Hollow were equally interesting, but different in many ways. Here in Sugar Hollow there wasn’t a hustle and bustle. The pace was slower. The residents tended to linger over their lunches and walk around the park with a deep appreciation of their surroundings. Elle was finding peace in it. As she bit into her apple, Elle noticed a teenager sitting on the grass about twenty feet away from her. The girl was sitting cross-legged and sobbing so hard her shoulders heaved with the effort.

  On impulse, Elle grabbed the remains of her lunch and stuffed it back into her brown bag. Bag in hand, she headed over toward the young woman. She stood right in front of her then bent over at the waist to address her.

  “What’s wrong? Is there something I can do?” she asked the girl.

  The teenager looked up at her with tears streaming down her face. “No! There’s nothing that can be done. My life stinks. Everything’s ruined.” The girl bowed her head down and continued sobbing.

  “Hey. Everything can’t be all that bad,” Elle said, trying to sound encouraging.

  The girl looked up. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. Her black eye makeup was smudged by her tears. The pink streak in her blonde hair made her look like a rebel. Elle imagined that’s what she intended.

  “Everyone hates me at summer school. They’re spreading lies about me on the Internet. And I feel like I can’t ever go back. I’m a round peg in a square peg world. I don’t fit in.”

  Elle sat down beside her on the grass. “Aah, that explains the tears. Rumors are terrible things,” she said in a soothing tone.

  The girl looked at her and nodded. “Yes, they sure are.”

  “Do you have a best friend you could talk to about all this?” Elle asked. “Someone who’ll understand and give you a shoulder to cry on?”

  “Not anymore!” she said, brushing away her tears. “She’s part of the rumor brigade.”

  Ouch! “I’m sorry about that. Having a best friend is important. By the way, I’m Elle.”

  “Hannah,” she muttered, bowing her head.

  “What about Main Street church? When I was your age they had a youth group. It really helped me along the way. Pastor Richey used to lead it.”

  “Ha! I don’t need a pastor telling me what to do. Or how to feel!” Hannah said in a raised voice.

  “Well, from what I remember, the teens led the group. It was a no-adult zone which made it easy for us to share our troubles with one another and pray.”

  Hannah frowned. “Really? No adults?”

  Elle nodded. She cast a quick glance at her watch. “I’m sorry. I have to get back to work.” She pointed toward the diner. “I waitress at the diner. Would you like to come over and have a lemonade or a milkshake on me?”

  Hannah grinned. “Really? That’s so nice of you.”

  Elle got to her feet and pulled Hannah up to a standing position. “If I were you, I’d go for the cherry chocolate milkshake. It’s pretty amazing.”

  They walked side by side across the street and entered the diner just as Jonas was walking toward the front counter. He took one look at them and stopped short, his features creased with worry.

  “Hannah! What are you doing here?” he asked, his face suddenly appearing like a thundercloud. “Why aren’t you in school?”

  Elle looked back and forth between Hannah and Jonas. “Do you two know each other?” she asked.

  “You could say so,” Hannah answered. “Jonas is my big brother.”

  ***

  Jonas almost laughed at the stunned expression on Elle’s face. Sadly, his sister’s antics weren’t a laughing matter. She was supposed to be attending summer school due to her failing grades in two classes. Even though Hannah was as smart as a whip, she continued to flounder in school. Jonas’s parents were sick with disappointment and worry over their youngest child. At sixteen, Hannah was ten years younger than he was. She’d been the late in life child of his parents, Louella and Dean. He sometimes got the impression his folks didn’t quite know what to make of this child who was so different from the rest of their brood.

  Hannah looked at him with wide eyes. Her lips began to tremble.

  “Did you not understand the question?” he asked through clenched teeth. “What are you doing here?”

  “Elle invited me in for a drink,” Hannah said in a feeble voice, darting a sorrowful look at Elle.

  “Well, I’m sure Elle didn’t know the whole story, especially the part where you’re my sister,” he said. “Or where you’re obligated to complete these classes or risk having to repeat your junior year. That’s not a joke. It’s fairly serious and it could affect your future.”

  Hannah stuck her lip out. “If you’re going to rag on me, I’m leaving.”

  Jonas let out a snort. “To head back to school? Maybe that’s a good idea.”

  Hannah let out a groan. She threw her hands in the air. “I can’t wait to be eighteen so I can leave this town and all the people in it.” She turned on her heel and stormed out of the diner, letting the door bang shut behind her.

  “Hannah!” Jonas yelled after her. Customers turned their heads in his direction. Their expressions were startled. For a moment he considered following after her. Elle reached out and grasped him by the arm.

  “Take a deep breath, Jonas,” Elle urged. “Just let her go.”

  He turned toward the customers. “Sorry about the commotion. Keep enjoying your meals, please.”

  “Maybe you should go to the lounge to simmer down,” Elle suggested.

  Jonas let out a deep breath as he faced her. “Leave it to my sister to make a scene and bail.”

  “You were riding her pretty hard,” Elle said. Her lips were pinched together and he could tell she was holding herself back from saying more.

  He held up his hand. “I don’t mean to be rude, but you’ve known my sister for all of one lunch break. You really don’t know what’s going on.”

  “I know she’s struggling with social issues. I can see she’s hurting.”

  Hurting. Suddenly, it felt as if his heart was being squeezed inside his chest. It killed him to know his sister was so wounded.

  “She’s in pain?” he asked. Why didn’t he know any of this? How could he have been so blind?

  “It’s hard to feel like you don’t fit in,” Elle said. “She’s in the middle of some serious teenage angst.”

  “How would you know anything about it?” Jonas asked. “You were at the center of everything back in high school. I’m guessing you never had a single bad moment, did you?”

  “That’s not true,” she said with a shake of her head. “That might be someone else’s story but it’s not mine.”

  “So what is true, Elle? Who are you, deep down behind that mask of perfection?”

  She let out a brittle laugh. “Perfection? Are you kidding me? My life has basically crashed and burned. I have no money, no place of my own, no career and very little hope for my life to turn around. I’m starting over in every possible way.”

  Jonas couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded. “So you’re saying I have it wrong about you?”

  “Yes, Jonas. You’re way off base. The truth is, you can have an idea of someone and in your mind believe your version is accurate, but in reality it’s just perception.”

  Jonas quirked his mouth. “Are you telling me you weren’t one of the popular girls with the perfect hair and the trendiest clothes and a hundred different guys who wanted to date you?”

  “Some of that is true. But the biggest truth is that I never felt right in my skin. I used to get such anxiety attacks every morning before school. Was I pretty enough? Or thin enough? Or just enough? Why wasn’t I smart? The only time I ever felt right in my skin was when I was dancing. Ballet saved me in every way imaginable. And then God found me. Or I found God. I always get confused about which way it went.”

  “Wow,” Jonas said, his voice fi
lled with awe. “I thought you were golden all through school. I guess I had it all wrong.”

  She twisted her mouth. “Don’t worry. I’ve gotten used to it. People make up all kind of narratives based on what a person looks like or who they hang out with. They think you’re this one person they’ve dreamed up in their mind. It’s really unfair. And most of the time just plain wrong.”

  Jonas nodded. “You’re right. It is very unfair. And what’s worse, I know better than to judge. I’m sorry, Elle.” He knew her family had endured a tragic loss. That in itself had marred her life. How could he have been so thoughtless?

  “You’re forgiven,” she said in a light voice. “I won’t hold it against you. You’ve been so kind to me by giving me a job. That holds a lot of weight with me.”

  “I’ve been judged myself a time or two,” Jonas admitted. “It makes you feel really low. I should have known better than to do it to you.”

  “You? Really?” she asked, sounding surprised by his admission.

  “Yeah. Back in high school a lot of folks thought I was strange because I was always working on computers and software programs. I used to wear this black T shirt all the time, so I was labeled as an oddball.” He let out a flat laugh. “Imagine. All because of the color of my shirt. Being that age is hard because there’s so much judgment. Meanwhile everyone is just trying to discover themselves, to find out who they are in the scheme of things.”

  “You’re right about that,” Elle said with a sigh. “To be honest, some of us are still trying to figure out who we are. And on that note, I better get back to work.”

  Jonas watched Elle as she headed back on the floor. This whole time he’d misjudged her, thinking she was this entitled woman who’d had the world handed to her on a silver platter. She really was a good person, one who’d been through a terrible ordeal over the past year. And prior to that, she’d lost her brother in a tragic accident. She was living proof that life was all about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and plunging right back in. Perhaps Elle would be the perfect person to talk to Hannah and show her that life sometimes threw you curve balls.

  God, please watch out for Hannah. She needs Your love. She needs to know she can turn to You when everything in her life feels like it’s falling apart. She needs to understand that the things she’s going through now won’t last forever. Life is a long journey and she’s only just begun.

  Chapter Four

  Summer nights in Sugar Hollow were magical, Elle thought. There were so many wondrous things all around her. God had surely left his fingerprints all around this town. The scent of honeysuckle drifted on the breeze. Lightning bugs flitted and flashed as they flew past her. She looked up at the sliver of moon sitting in an onyx sky. A sky full of stars was twinkling and winking at her. The air she breathed into her lungs was clean and fresh. How had she forgotten all of these things? Or the way it felt to be enjoying a hot summer night in her hometown.

  It was Trina’s birthday party celebration. In the past few weeks, she and Trina had bonded. Elle had discovered that Trina’s attitude was a wall she’d constructed around her. Once Elle earned Trina’s trust, she had seen a warmer side to her spirited co-worker.

  Jonas had closed the diner early so they could all attend her party at Lake Regis. Elle had taken a dip in the lake a few days ago and reacquainted herself with the cool waters. It had felt refreshing and relaxing.

  Already this evening, Elle had come face-to-face with a few high school acquaintances. Although it was still tough to answer questions about her ballet career, it was getting easier bit by bit. She didn’t feel like such a failure anymore.

  “This is quite the birthday party, isn’t it?” Jonas walked up beside her, holding two red cups in his hands. “Lemonade?” he asked, handing her one of the cups.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Trina really knows how to celebrate in style.”

  Jonas chuckled. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the band setting up. I didn’t realize I was paying her so much.”

  Elle laughed. “I think they’re friends of hers. It was their birthday gift to Trina.”

  “They sound good,” Jonas said, tapping his foot to the lively beat.

  “Mmm hmm,” Elle said, swaying to the music.

  “Care to dance?” Jonas asked, placing his cup down on a plastic table. He held out his hand to her. Elle smiled. There was something so genuine and gentlemanly about his gesture. How could she do anything but say yes?

  “I’d love to dance,” Elle said, putting her cup down and reaching for Jonas’s hand. He led her to the dance area, where a half dozen couples were dancing. Jonas held her in his arms and led her around to the lively, upbeat tempo of the band. Elle was impressed with Jonas. So many men were intimidated by the fact that she was a professional dancer. As a result, they were reluctant to dance with her.

  Clearly, Jonas was different.

  As the music slowed, Jonas pulled her against him so that her head was resting by his shoulder. She pressed her eyes closed and leaned into him. Elle felt so safe in Jonas’s arms. She felt as if they were floating on air. They stayed like this for a few songs. When the music paused, they pulled apart, looking into each other’s eyes.

  Without saying a word, they walked back to where they’d left their drinks.

  “What a perfect night,” Elle said, gazing around with awe at the lake setting. It was so serene and beautiful.

  “Did you used to come out here in high school?” Jonas asked. “This is where I learned to swim as a kid.”

  “I used to come out here with my family. We would have such a blast swimming and then grilling afterwards. Since there were four of us kids we used to play chicken in the water. Jimmy always wanted to win,” she said with a chuckle.

  “This town really grieved when he died, Elle. I always wanted to tell you how sad I was about the car accident. He was always so kind and good-hearted.”

  The mention of her brother’s name caused a prickling sensation in her chest. Grief never disappeared. It was a constant in her life.

  “He was,” Elle said with a nod. “In some ways I think Jimmy is the reason I wanted to leave Sugar Hollow so badly. Nothing was ever the same after he died. My parents were so sad, but as a family we didn’t talk about our huge loss. We just stuffed it down and left it to fester. Jimmy was so wonderful. His laughter filled up our house almost to overflowing.”

  Jonas squeezed her hand. “Grief is a long journey, Elle. Maybe now that you’re back home your family can work on healing.”

  Elle blinked away tears. “You’re right, Jonas. For the past seven years I’ve been so focused on living out my dreams. Now I can focus on other things.”

  “So did all of your dreams come true?” Jonas asked. He was looking at her with such intensity, as if he was truly invested in the answer to his question.

  Elle didn’t share her hopes and dreams with just anybody. Day by day, hour by hour, Jonas was becoming a huge part of her life. She cared about him. And she wanted him to see who she was as a person. Inside and out. Her true self.

  “The big dream was to be one of the principal dancers. I made my way up to the corps de ballet. It was a proud moment.” She let out a sigh. “Things ended prematurely before I could reach my big goal. But I’m proud of what I achieved. For so long I’ve been focused on what I lost, but I really stretched myself to become a member of the corps de ballet.”

  “Sounds like you worked hard to get there,” Jonas said.

  “I did.” Elle nodded. “It’s a very big deal. Not many ballerinas make the cut. It’s years of sacrifice and dedication to the craft.”

  “It sounds like you lost a lot. I’m sorry.” Jonas reached out and patted her lightly on her shoulder. “You’ve been through a lot of loss, Elle.”

  A huge lump had formed in her throat. “I did lose a lot. My entire life in New York City went up in a puff of smoke. Losing a dream is hard. Losing Jimmy was agonizing. It gives me some perspective to remember that a lo
ss of a person is much worse than losing my ballet career. They don’t even compare, although giving up ballet has been incredibly painful.”

  “What got you through the loss of your career? If you don’t mind my asking.”

  “Of course I don’t mind.” She let out a brittle sounding laugh. “I’m not sure I’ve made it through yet. But I definitely leaned on the Lord. It wasn’t pretty at times. I cursed and whined and yelled and cried. I’ve only ever been special in one way. Ballet. Why had He taken that away from me? I couldn’t figure out why He hadn’t healed me. Why had He allowed me to be broken?”

  “Deep questions,” Jonas said. “Did you get answers?”

  “For some questions, yes I did. Or at least peace. But for others, I’m still waiting and wondering. I’m praying and trying to center myself. For a long time now I’ve been like a tornado. But now I’m just trying to be still.”

  “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him,” Jonas said, reciting the Bible Verse from Psalm 37.

  “One of my favorites,” Elle said. “It’s been running through my mind for the past few months. It resonates with me.”

  “For the record, Elle, you’re special in a hundred different ways. I don’t mean to trivialize what happened to you because it sounds earth shattering. But I wonder if God isn’t trying to show you that you’re not just one thing. You’re way more than being a ballerina. Not that ballerinas aren’t awesome,” he said with a fierce nod. “But honestly, you were awesome back when you were five-years-old.”

  She let out a groan. “I think that might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  He took her face between his hands. “Elle, I want to kiss you.”

  “Then you should just do it,” Elle said in a light voice. “You actually could have simply surprised me with it. Ladies love being surprised.”

  He eyed her warily. “It may not be professional considering you work for me.”

  “I say we take our chances,” Elle responded, leaning up and placing a kiss on his lips. Jonas hesitated for a second then kissed her back with equal fervor. Jonas’s lips tasted sweet like sugar. Her nostrils inhaled his woodsy scent. Elle raised her arms up and placed them around Jonas’s neck. Even though she knew people might be able to see them kissing, Elle didn’t care. Jonas was the sort of man she would proudly claim. As the kiss ended, Elle let out a sigh. It had been a long time since she’d shared such a tender, romantic kiss with anyone.