She grinned. She let herself settle down and sink into the comfort of his hands in hers, the knowledge that he was standing here in her kitchen. That he had come after her. That he needed her. She looked into his eyes and saw there what she needed to see.
“You’re welcome here, Hank.”
He leaned closer and his lips brushed against hers, his strong hands moving to her back, pulling her in against his chest. She closed her eyes and soaked in the sensation of his lips on hers, the rush of her heartbeat, her senses filling up with everything Hank. She loved the solid feel of him in her arms, the taste of him on her lips, the security she felt in her heart when she was with him. She remembered this feeling from long ago, but this time it was different. It was experienced and mature. She wasn’t a young college student losing her heart to the good-looking football player destined for med school. Back then, she’d felt so lucky he’d chosen her because he had his pick of so many beautiful girls and instead of them, he’d chosen her. Who was she to say no? Her future was secure and he was such a good catch.
Or so she thought then. Her feelings for Hank were so different, not based on his credentials or his potential for a strong match. She liked him because of the person he was today. Who cared what the future held? They were only guaranteed today. And he was a strong man with a good heart who made her feel loved.
She pulled back so she could look in his eyes. “I’ve struggled since I left Pawleys Island, with several things. But at the heart of it was this situation between us. I had no business setting up that surprise visit …”
“It’s okay, darlin’. You were right, I was just too stubborn to see it at the time. You setting that up was exactly what I needed to jolt me out of my status quo. To get me starting to think about making a change, a positive change. It took me a little while of thought and prayer before God revealed it to me. But you were right.”
She stared into his eyes, wanting to believe him. Maybe the disturbing distance she’d felt from God since she left Pawleys was more her own doing, and not His. Suddenly, she knew what she needed to do.
“Will you pray with me, Hank? I need to know if it’s God’s will for you and Jeremy to reunite, or was that my own will?”
His forehead creased as he looked at her. “Well, of course it’s God’s will. God always wants us to forgive and love each other.”
She stammered and shook her head. How could she possibly explain to him the crisis of faith she’d been struggling with since her return? God’s idea, God’s timing, God’s direction. That’s what she strived to follow, not her own.
Still standing with him, hands clasped, she closed her eyes and bowed her head. “God, I open my heart to you and ask you to put a blessing on our intentions. We want Hank and Jeremy to forgive each other, to love each other, to open their hearts to each other. We want to follow Your will, and not plow ahead on our own without You. Please guide us and keep us on the right track.”
There, that should do it. And that’s what had been missing last time. Life was too short to beat herself up, and she doubted that’s what God wanted for her anyway. She loved being with Hank, and she knew God now had a hand in this roadtrip ahead of them. She would go and enjoy the moment. And worry about her own problems later.
“Yes, I’ll go with you,” she said with a smile.
In response, Hank lowered his lips to hers, enveloping them with warmth, caring and passion. It was a delicious, heart-racing kiss. He gripped her upper arms and squeezed them and when her knees were starting to go weak, he pulled away, leaving her breathless.
But reality intruded. The smell of burning food on the stove turned her toward it. “Oh!” She grabbed a spatula and scraped at the mixture. “I think I can salvage it.”
As she worked, he smiled. “I wouldn’t care if you couldn’t. That kiss was worth a burnt breakfast, and much more.”
She turned to him and beamed her appreciation at him.
In the end, it wasn’t too bad. They ate the well-done omelets with toast and coffee. Afterward, Leslie washed dishes and Hank dried. She ran upstairs and packed a few days’ clothing. By 9:30, they headed to the car.
“So, you sold your house. What’s next?”
She shook her head. “I have no idea. I have a block against looking for someplace new. I can’t explain it. I know I should be looking and narrowing my choices. But I can’t motivate myself to do it. Tim thinks I’m in denial.”
“Have you prayed about it?”
“Sort of, I guess.”
He shrugged. “Do it again. He’ll lead you.”
That comment stuck with her for the first hour of the trip.
They spent the next eleven hours driving, stopping occasionally for gas, food, drink or bio breaks. They talked easily, their previous argument forgotten. They chatted about Marianne and Seaside Inn. He told stories about Stella that made her laugh. He talked about his work, having finished the Hinthorns’ home and moved on to the next set of old vacation homes down near the Old Gray Barn.
She told him about the bid from the buyers, her thoughts that Tim had rushed into accepting, and how Jasmine’s internship was progressing. And how desperately she missed the beach. She loved the beach and felt most herself there.
Late that night, they pulled into Columbia, SC. Darkness covered the small city, but just off the interstate they pulled into a hotel. Hank grabbed their suitcases from the backseat and they walked into the lobby. He stepped up to the desk, asked for two hotel rooms and pulled out a credit card. She started to object.
He put a hand on hers on the counter. “No, let me.”
She studied his face a moment and saw he had already planned this — the separate rooms, the fact that he’d pay the bill. It was important to him things go according to plan. She nodded and stepped back.
The rooms happened to be adjoining. They went to the second floor and found them. Hank walked comfortably into hers, tossed her bag beside the bed and gave the room a quick once-over. He strode into the bathroom, pulled the shower curtain back, looked in. Back in the main room, he glanced into the closet. Over to the window, he pulled the drape back and looked outside. His actions warmed her heart.
“Looks like everything’s in order.” He was back at her side and she couldn’t help her happy smile at him being there, right where he should be.
“Thanks.”
He shook off her thanks like it was unnecessary but she appreciated his actions. She had no one else to watch out for her and help her stay safe. Sure, she’d made it this far on her roadtrip independently. After 20 years of being part of a couple, she was adjusting to being solo.
But it never hurt to need someone. Isn’t that what the song was about? People who need people are the luckiest people in the world?
He lingered now. “So how about we meet about 8:30 to go down to the breakfast buffet? Then we’ll head over. Visiting hours start at 9.”
She nodded, her heart feeling full and happy. He reached for both her hands again, squeezed them and pulled her in to him. His kiss was gentle and soft, but it still made her heart increase its rate.
“Good night.”
Lying in bed, she said a fervent silent prayer, thanking God for helping her find her way back to Him. She asked God to guide her, to lead her, to allow her to release her heart to follow Him. Hank could be a second chance at love and she wanted to include God in their fledgling romance.
The next morning they ate their breakfast, then headed to the car. The prison was a short drive away and Hank knew where it was. His talking decreased during the drive and came to a halt when they pulled into the parking lot. He stopped in a spot close to the building and turned the engine off, then sank back in his seat, his chin resting on his chest.
Leslie turned to him. The tension in the car was palpable. “It’s going to be okay,” she started.
“Will you pray with me?” he asked, looking into her eyes.
“Of course.”
They joined hands and Hank spoke qu
ietly. “Lord, this is it. This is a big day and I want Your help in getting through it. I thank You for sending Leslie into my life to, among other things, make me see that not talking to my boy for this long, despite what he did in the past, is wrong. I need to forgive him, but I’ll need Your help with that one. Thank You for putting Leslie at my side today.”
He stopped and sighed. She waited. He didn’t continue speaking, but didn’t end the prayer. She eventually spoke, “Lord, put a spirit of acceptance and love in both Hank’s heart, and Jeremy’s. Watch over us today during this visit.”
Hank squeezed her hand and after a moment, he murmured, “Amen.” He looked at her, his eyes moist. “Thank you. You don’t know how much …”
She patted his hand. “Don’t mention it.”
He managed a smile and they got out of the car. They walked to the nondescript building, a gray cement block construction surrounded by a chain link fence. They followed the signs to the visitors’ section. Inside, they stood in a short line in a colorless room with dull linoleum and painted cement block walls. Leslie had never been inside a prison before, but this was exactly what she would’ve pictured in her mind — hopeless, lifeless rooms that were part of the punishment for the people who lived there. If this was what the visitors’ section looked like, she could only imagine what the prisoners’ quarters were like.
Leslie stood with Hank, but when they got up to the window, she let him do all the speaking.
“Names?”
“Hank Harrison and Leslie Malone.”
“Have you been here before?”
“No.” His answer was quick, accompanied by a slight reddening of his face Leslie was sure she was the only one to notice.
“Fill these out.” The man in uniform behind the window handed out some forms and two pens. Hank started to take them when the man said, “Prisoner you’re here to see?”
“Jeremy Harrison.”
The man tapped on the keyboard of his computer. “Okay. Bring these back up when you’re done filling them out, along with a source of ID.”
They sat in metal folding chairs, again, no source of comfort or luxury. Leslie could almost convince herself she was filling out a form like at the doctor’s office, but they weren’t asking about her medical history. They were asking about her history of trouble with the law: arrests, misdemeanors, felonies. Fortunately, she had none and breezed through the paperwork. Hank did too, then they walked back up to the window and handed the forms through, along with their drivers’ licenses.
The officer took them, studied them a moment, tapped into the computer again, then handed them back. “Everything’s in order. We’ll call you when the prisoner’s brought forward.”
Hank nodded. Leslie returned to her chair but Hank stood near the door. A small window allowed a view into the visitors’ room and he stared through it. Leslie knew the minute he saw Jeremy. A tensing in Hank’s back and neck, and a widening of his eyes told the tale. Unsure of her place here, she stayed in her chair.
Soon, the officer called their names and the lock on the door into the visitors’ room automatically released. Hank was there to grip and pull it open. Leslie got up and followed him into another listless room, same colorless tile and walls, this one filled with tables and chairs. The bland room reminded her of a high school cafeteria, but the purposes of those two rooms were completely different.
Leslie hung back. What was her role? Moral support for Hank, sure, but she didn’t know Jeremy, and after so long without a visit from his father, she was sure the presence of a strange woman with his dad would be awkward at the least.
Hank came face to face with his son in the same room after a decade of no communication. His chest heaved as his breathing came heavily. Jeremy stood at one of the tables, positioned as if ready to sit. He studied his father and watched him take a step away from the door, keeping a conservative distance between the two of them. His face was void of expression. Two men standing a distance apart, weighing each other before committing to words.
Jeremy broke the silence first. “Dad. Good to see you.”
That was enough for Hank. He covered the distance between them in a few long steps and pulled his son into a rough embrace. Arms wrapped around torsos, sobs catching in throats, the two men held onto each other. Quiet words were exchanged, pats on backs. A decade worth of bitter silence evaporated in a few moments of forgiveness. Leslie found herself repeating silently, “Thank you. Thank you, God.”
“Let me see you,” Hank murmured and pulled back from his son. Placing his hands on the younger man’s cheeks, he took him in, his eyes darting from eyes to hair, to haggard cheeks to frame. Ten years of prison life had passed, leaving its toll on Jeremy’s appearance. Ten years that Hank had not taken part in.
“You’ve lost weight,” he observed.
Jeremy laughed. “You try eating this food three squares a day.”
They chuckled together and Hank pulled him in for another, quicker hug before releasing him and gesturing to the table. The two sat. Leslie lingered by the door, not wanting to interrupt this miraculous reunion she was observing.
The silence broken, now both of them had words to say. They started, stopped at the interruption, looked at each other and laughed. Hank said, “You go first.”
Jeremy nodded. He wore a uniform of sorts, a prisoners’ uniform of blue dungarees and denim shirt, tucked in, hair cut as short as a military buzz cut. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
Hank gave his head a firm shake. “No. We’re not starting out like that.”
“I have to. It’s the start of everything. I screwed up, I know that, and I’ve never had the chance to apologize.”
Hank huffed out a lungful of breath. “I have apologies, too.”
Jeremy scoffed. “No. You have nothing to be sorry for. I messed up. Listen.” He tapped his dad’s hand until he knew he had Hank’s attention. “You were the best father I could ask for. You gave me everything, loved me, trusted me. You set me up in business. But I screwed it up. I lied to you, betrayed you, and ultimately, ruined your life. And Mom’s.”
Hank pulled his hands back, leaned far back in his chair. A swipe across his eyes, and Leslie knew he was struggling to fight tears. “I can’t handle this today. Let’s not do this, okay? Can it be enough that I’m here?”
Jeremy studied him a moment, then shook his head. “Okay. Let me say this: I’m sorry. I really am. I’m getting out soon and I’m going to spend my life, Dad, making it up to you. I’m not sure how. But it means the world to me that you’re here.”
They spent the next ten minutes talking softly and Leslie gave them their privacy. She hung close to the door, looked through the small window, anything but stare at Hank and Jeremy and make them feel uncomfortable in their reunion. Then Hank said, “Leslie.”
He had turned in her direction and motioned her over. “I want you to meet Jeremy.”
Jeremy stood and held his hand out. “Nice to meet you.”
Hank got to his feet too and said, “Leslie is a big reason why I’m here. She convinced me, in her own gentle way, I was being an idiot not visiting all these years.”
“I never said that!”
He chuckled. “Not in so many words, but you got me thinking and I came up with that one myself.” He put an arm on her shoulder as they faced Jeremy across the table.
“Well, however you got him here, I am very grateful. And I hope we can spend some time together when I get sprung.”
“I’d like that,” she said, not having any idea how or when it would happen.
They sat and relaxed at the table. “So, when is that, Jeremy?” Hank asked.
“Should be around the first week of August.”
“That soon! That’s great. What are your plans?”
Jeremy sighed. “I’m not exactly sure, long term, but Marianne offered me a room at the inn for as long as I need it, and free meals in the dining room.”
Hank nodded his approval. “Can’t beat that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, something I’ve picked up during the empty hours. I made a few pieces, tables and dressers mostly, of my own design. They allowed me to sell them online. They keep enough of the funds to cover expenses but they let me put the rest in my account. So I’ll have a little money when I get out.”
“That’s real good, Jeremy. You were always a good worker.”
The visitors’ hour passed quickly and when it was time to leave, Jeremy pulled his dad into a farewell hug. Hank rubbed his son’s crew cut head playfully. “See you in a little while, son. You keep your nose clean, now.”
“Oh yeah, no problem there.” He turned to Leslie. “So nice to meet you. Thank you for coming.”
Leslie smiled. “My pleasure.” She hesitated, then reached for a hug, which Jeremy immediately gave her. He murmured for only her to hear, “And for bringing him here.”
They left first, before Hank had to watch his son being taken back to his cell by the prison guard. Back in the car, Hank turned to her and released a deep breath.
“That went well,” she said.
He nodded. “It’s a start, long overdue.” He turned the key and the engine revved. “Now a decision for you. Where to?”
She stared.
“Pittsburgh or Pawleys? Your choice.”
She chose Pawleys. Funny how Pawleys and the Seaside Inn was feeling more home to her these days than “home.”
A few hours’ drive deposited them in the sandy parking lot of the Inn. When they reached the great room, Marianne looked up from her place at the reception desk. And shrieked.
“Oh my gosh! Leslie! Dad! You’re here! What’s going on?” She trotted around the desk and hugged them both at the same time. Leslie couldn’t help chuckling at the animated greeting.
“You didn’t tell her?” she asked Hank while still in her grasp.
Pawleys Island Paradise boxset, Books 1 - 3 Page 17