Share with Me
Seaside Chapel Book 1
Jan Thompson
Georgia Press
Contents
Book Series & Collections
Book Release News
Seaside Chapel: Series Description
Share with Me: Book Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Farewell from Ivan and Brinley
Thank You for Reading!
A Preview of STEP WITH ME
STEP WITH ME: Chapter 1
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Share with Me(Seaside Chapel Book 1)
Copyright © 2015 Jan Edttii Lim Thompson
Jan’s Mailing List: JanThompson.com/newsletter
Jan’s Books: JanThompson.com/books
Jan’s Website: JanThompson.com
Published by Georgia Press LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Copyediting: Pauline Nolet
Proofreading: Heather Day Gilbert (WoodHaven Press) and Lenda Selph
eBook Cover Design: Georgia Press LLC
Paperback Cover Design: Georgia Press and Deranged Doctor Design
This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, things, and ideas are all products of the author’s active imagination.
Scripture quotations are from the public domain King James Version of the Holy Bible. Wherever applicable, extracts from the Authorized Version of the Bible (The King James Bible), the rights in which are vested in the British Crown, are reproduced by permission of the Crown’s Patentee, Cambridge University Press.
The Southern Soul Barbecue and Barbara Jean’s restaurants are mentioned with permissions from their respective proprietors.
First Paperback Edition: January 2017
Paperback ISBN 978-1-944188-21-4
First eBook Edition: June 2015
ISBN: 978-1-944188-06-1
Book Series & Collections
Savannah Sweethearts
JanThompson.com/savannah
Vacation Sweethearts
JanThompson.com/vacation
Seaside Chapel
JanThompson.com/seaside
Seaside Cottages
JanThompson.com/cottages
Coming Soon!
Protector Sweethearts
JanThompson.com/protector
Coming Soon!
International Thrillers with Romance
JanThompson.com/thrillers
Coming Soon!
* * *
Book List: JanThompson.com/books
Book News: JanThompson.com/newsletter
Book Release News
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Seaside Chapel: Series Description
Inspirational Christian Romance Novels
From USA Today Bestselling Author Jan Thompson come these Seaside Chapel novels, blending flavors of inspirational women’s fiction with contemporary Christian romance to celebrate the grace of God and hope in Jesus Christ.
Visit Jan’s favorite beach town of St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, where our friends live and attend Seaside Chapel, a little church by the sea known for its beach weddings and fair shares of love and life.
As these Christian men go through the Seaside Chapel Men’s Bible Study to grow in their knowledge and understanding of God, they are tested in their spiritual maturity, their relationships with others, and their love lives. Share their heartaches and healing, and cheer them on as they celebrate faith, family, friends, and yes, happily-ever-afters.
The Seaside Chapel novels are all about life by the Atlantic Ocean, which in essence, is not much different from life in landlocked cities. Inherently, the human nature is such that we have in our hearts a need for the Lord, for His salvation, sustenance, and sanctification.
While each complete Seaside Chapel novel can stand alone, the books are best read in the following order to avoid any spoilers:
SEASIDE CHAPEL
Book 1: Share with Me
Book 2: Step with Me
Book 3: Sing with Me
Seaside Chapel:
JanThompson.com/seaside
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Following the Seaside Chapel collection is a series of sweet and wholesome, clean and Christian Seaside Cottages novels about the lives of secondary characters mentioned in various Seaside Chapel novels. Find out what Tobias, Willow, Matt, Avery, Benecio, and others are up to as they spend their days on St. Simon’s Island on the Atlantic Coast of Georgia.
Seaside Cottages:
JanThompson.com/cottages
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To receive book news for the Seaside Chapel and Seaside Cottages series, sign up to be on Jan’s mailing list: JanThompson.com/newsletter
Share with Me: Book Description
Seaside Chapel Book 1
He is a poor small-town musician on track toward a successful career as a concert violinist. She is a twenty-something billionaire heiress who shows up and derails his entire life. Or does he derail hers?
* * *
The Muse…
Brinley Brooks is on St. Simon’s Island to spend time with her family and to settle into a new single life, not to get into another dead-end relationship. But when Ivan plays that se
cond movement out of one of Bach’s orchestral suites on his violin, it is as though her heart is finding a second movement in her love life. Or is she just lonely? Or is this love for real this time around?
The Musician…
Six years ago, Ivan McMillan was a budding crossover violinist, but that career was cut short when Grandpa Otto died and he came home to St. Simon’s Island to take care of Grandma Yun and her broken hip. Now he has found a new road back to the orchestral stage. The last thing he needs is a detour he cannot afford. But Brinley. Ah, Brinley. So pleasing to look at… So pleasant to be with…
The Minuet…
When one of his worst nightmares comes to pass, Ivan feels obligated to show Brinley what it means to be a Christian living through adversity. But trusting God is the last thing on his mind as the crisis affects his career, his life, and worse, his relationship with Brinley. He can’t let her see him afflicted like this. Nope. He sure can’t. What is a man to do?
* * *
Share with Me is book 1 in Jan Thompson’s Seaside Chapel series blending inspirational women's fiction with contemporary Christian romance to celebrate the grace of God and hope in Jesus Christ.
To receive book news for the Seaside Chapel series, sign up for Jan’s mailing list: JanThompson.com/newsletter
* * *
Seaside Chapel:
JanThompson.com/seaside
To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to save me from my sins and rose again from the grave to give me eternal life in heaven.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
―I JOHN 4:10
Chapter One
“Brin! There you are. I thought you weren’t going to make it to my birthday party.”
Brinley Brooks watched her sister strut toward her in a shimmering purple-and-black Valentino topped off with a choker of diamonds around her neck. Zoe looked rested and perky and full of life.
As for Brinley—
Never mind.
She shut the French door to the loggia behind her, closing out the sounds of the Atlantic Ocean that she had enjoyed in the few minutes it’d taken her to walk from their parents’ seaside cottage to this guesthouse. She had arrived on Sea Island no more than half an hour before, jumped into her evening gown, and headed here.
Alone.
The ballroom that had turned into a dining room tonight was loud and permeated with laughter that Brinley was too jet-lagged to share. In the backdrop was what sounded like the last measures of Felix Mendelssohn’s orchestral Octet. Live orchestral suites were some of her favorite music.
Brinley stepped toward her sister and hugged her tightly.
“I can’t believe you made it.” Zoe sniffed. “Dad said you had unfinished business in Zurich.”
“All done.” Brinley had pulled an all-nighter, but the merger was complete, and Brooks Investments, Inc., had added another subsidiary in Ireland. Zoe didn’t need to know the details. She also didn’t need to know that it was the last business deal Brinley would do for Dad’s company.
And the last time she’d live in Zurich.
Too close to the mess, the hurt, the pain. Well, the pain was easing off; it had been three months and a few days since her break-up with her ex-fiancé.
“It’s good to be home,” Brinley declared.
“I’m happy for you. You’ve always been a homebody. In fact, I was surprised when you agreed to head up sales for Dad in Zurich.”
It wasn’t for Dad.
Brinley drew in a deep breath. “It was only for a year.”
“It feels like forever not having you around.” Zoe lifted her skirt to expose a pair of glittery five-inch Jimmy Choo platform sandals. She shook a foot so the diamonds on the straps could sparkle under the chandeliers twenty feet above them. “Thank you for my birthday gift, Brin.”
To Brinley, it looked like the same pair Zoe had bought last year. And the year before. Only this time it was in another shade of purple.
“Love it, Zoe,” she said, anyway. It made her sister happy.
“I do have great taste, don’t I?” Zoe pirouetted around Brinley. “And you? What’s this?”
Brinley felt self-conscious as Zoe tugged at her midnight blue silk patchwork gown. She hoped none of its many seams ripped.
“Azaria? Marc Jacobs? Dolce? Vera Wang?”
“Peterson.”
“Peter who?” Zoe tsk-tsked the same way Mom did when she didn’t approve. Zoe had taken after Mom in every way from her lithe beauty to her ability to spend out of a bottomless purse. Must be nice to live rent-free in their parents’ guesthouse and eat out of the Brooks family kitchen without touching a dime of her trust fund.
“He’s a new designer out of London.” Brinley knew she didn’t have to explain.
“Never heard of him.”
“I told him I’d wear it. It’s quite comfortable.”
“Quite? Quite doesn’t cut it. He’s still a nameless nobody.” Zoe smiled as if with pity. “It’s so you, Brin. Always saving homeless cats.”
Brinley bristled. “He’s up-and-coming. He just needs a chance.”
“Sure. But I still like my Valentino over a no-namer.” Zoe swished her evening gown.
That was when Brinley saw that her slim sister was filling out. Is that a tummy or…?
“Come. I want you to meet Quincy.” Zoe locked arms with Brinley, ushering her along through the tables swarming with servers in white gloves.
“Quincy? What happened to Oleg?”
“Oleg? I’ve been going out with Quincy since October. Didn’t I tell you?”
“I don’t remember.”
“I’m sure I did.” Zoe laughed. “You know what they say. Stress can make you forgetful. You work too hard, Brin.”
“Work is good for you.”
“I’m working too. Practicing for SISO takes a lot of time.”
“I’m sure.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, Brin?”
“Take it literally.”
“Oh? I thought you might have some hidden meaning.”
“I meant what I said. I agreed with you that SISO takes a lot of time. Petrocelli emails me every now and then. A lot goes on.”
“Conductor Petrocelli? Why does he communicate with you?”
Brinley shrugged. “Something to do with Grandpa.”
“Ah. Did Petrocelli ask you to help underwrite SISO? You know funding is down across the board? They had to let a few percussionists go.”
Brinley wasn’t sure how much to say. Grandpa Brooks and his friends had started the Sea Islands Symphony Orchestra some twenty years before, but he’d died halfway through that period. Mom and Dad had continued to underwrite the small regional orchestra only to give Zoe something to do as she figured out the rest of her life. There must be more to it than sitting pretty at fashion shows in Paris and Milan. SISO would put her years of contrabass clarinet lessons to good use.
“I’m taking a break, though,” Zoe said. “Can’t be in Paris and in SISO at the same time.”
“Well, you paid for them to be here tonight. That’s helping them tremendously.” Brinley glanced in the direction of the live orchestra on a platform beyond the sea of round tables as the Presto movement began.
“Quincy’s brother is the concertmaster.” Zoe pointed with her purple fingernails.
“Ivan McMillan?”
“You know him?”
“We’ve met.”
“Really?” Zoe’s eyebrows rose.
“Can’t remember when we first met, though. I’ve met everybody in SISO at one point or another.” Brinley followed her sister as they zigzagged around full tables.
“Ivan is how Quincy and I became an item.” Zoe tipped her head back. “Where’s Phinn this Christmas?”
“Probably in Courchevel, but do I care?” Every few months her ex-fiancé had thrown bashes on the French Alps. While they had been together,
he had insisted that Brinley accompany him to party with people she didn’t know, didn’t care for, and hoped never to see again. All to show off the pink diamond ring he’d bought for her at Sotheby’s.
It seemed silly that it had taken Brinley more than a year to see through it all. She and Phinn had such contrasting tastes and opinions that she wondered how they’d lasted two years.
“I know he’s your ex, but you guys have broken up so many times it’s hard to tell if it’s on or off. Tell me he won’t be back.”
“I’m not letting him back, Zoe.” There was no way Brinley could have gone on with Phinn. They had parted ways numerous times in their rocky relationship, each time reconciling after he’d crawled back with an offering she couldn’t refuse. Things like he’d stop his hard partying after they married, they didn’t have to live in Zurich if she didn’t want to, or they could move to Sea Island to raise their future kids.
Each time she had bought the sales pitch, there remained a warning light as bright as the one that said Exit in his Boeing Business Jet. She knew that Phinneas Farragut IV had not been groomed for a laid-back lifestyle.
“You sure, Brin?”
“Oh yes. It’s unsustainable.”
“Unsustainable? Listen to you, Brin. Love is not a business transaction.” Zoe tsk-tsked again. “Someday you’ll meet the love of your life, and you’ll know what I mean. Maybe you’ll have something special like Quincy and I do.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps I’m meant to be single the rest of my life.”
“I’m sure you’re independent enough for that. But I know you, dear Brin. You’re meant to love and be loved. Wait and see.”
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