Pawleys Island Paradise boxset, Books 1 - 3

by Laurie Larsen

  She shook her head, laughed, and kept walking. It had started out about the money, but it was about so much more than that now. The dinner theater was life-changing for her, as well as everyone who’d worked on it, both on and behind the stage. Leave it to Tom to only look at the monetary gains of the evening.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Mid-week, Marianne received a text message from Jeremy: “If you have a sec, stop by the store.”

  Marianne grinned. Of course she had a “sec” for her big brother. She left immediately and got in the car. When she arrived at the store she was happy to see Jeremy working with a customer, pointing out various wooden pieces. He lifted his head when she walked in, smiled and held up a finger to her. She made herself busy walking around, examining all the beautiful pieces he’d built.

  About twenty minutes later, he wrapped up the sale, said good-bye to his customers and walked over to her. “Sorry about that. When I sent you the text, I had no idea you’d come right over.”

  She gave him a mischievous glare. “So, how many free dinner theater tickets did that sale result in? Or was that promotion only for your Grand Opening?”

  He opened his mouth, closed it, and ducked his head. “Oh.”

  She punched him on the arm. “What were you thinking?

  “Marianne, I’ve always told you that somehow, someday, I would repay you for all the generosity you’ve shown me over the past nine months. The free room, the free meals, the advertising ideas, the storage space. Emma and I decided this might be a nice idea. So, we offered tickets to your show to our most generous customers. Seemed like a win/win.”

  Marianne giggled, her happiness and appreciation bubbling out of her. “The first three shows were absolutely awesome. Great performances, full houses. I couldn’t be more pleased.”

  He nodded. “So I’ve heard.”

  She looked at him. “From who?”

  “Well, for one, I’ve gotten phone calls and emails from at least a half dozen customers who received free tickets. They enjoyed it so much, they’re all going back. And giving gifts of tickets to their friends and relatives.”

  “Wow.”

  “And for another, have you read the newspapers? The reviews are out the roof.”

  “Thanks to your fiancé. Her idea to offer a press preview night was genius.”

  He nodded, his grin remaining.

  “You know, this show has some staying power. But even if it ended after next weekend, it will have been worth it.”

  “Dream big, sis. I can see this becoming a regular part of your Inn. I could see Seaside Inn becoming known for not only its great beach, quaint rooms and awesome food, but the best dinner theater productions in the region.”

  She stepped into his arms for a warm hug. She was glad she came over, her heart was so full of love and happiness.

  “So,” Jeremy said, “in addition to congratulating you on your success, I had another reason to invite you over.” He looked around and found a nearby bar stool, and offered her a seat, sitting himself.

  “Yes?”

  He gripped his hands together, then rubbed them on his thighs. “You know how I gave Emma a ring?”

  A grin burst out on her face. “Yes, a beautiful ruby.”

  “Well, I thought it was just an indication that I loved her. I thought I’d take my time to build my business, to save some money, and someday, I’d propose to her.”

  “I hear a but coming on.”

  He nodded. “But … someday is now.”

  Marianne gasped.

  “Emma saw no reason to wait. She convinced me that we love each other, and waiting a few years wouldn’t accomplish anything. She loves the ring, and considers it her engagement ring. She doesn’t want a second one with a diamond in it. So, once a couple is engaged, what comes next?”

  “They get married!”

  “Yes. So …”

  “You’re getting married?”

  “Yes. We are. Soon. We’re having a very short engagement. We want to be together, so we’re going to make it happen.”

  “Oh, Jeremy.” She jumped off her stool and nearly knocked him off his, plowing into him with a over-enthusiastic embrace. “I’m so happy for you. I really am.” She hopped back on her stool. “Tell me all the arrangements.”

  “Okay. A little non-traditional. We didn’t want to intrude on any dinner theater performances, so we’re doing it on a weeknight. Two Wednesday nights from now, in fact. We’ll have the ceremony at the church Emma and I have been attending together. We’ll have a reception, if you want to call it that, more like a small social gathering afterward at Dad and Leslie’s.”

  “How perfect! The Old Grey Barn has a proud history of hosting successful weddings.”

  He nodded. Just last fall, their dad surprised his bride Leslie with a wedding in their dream home on their move-in day. It was a magical day, and the start to a very happy marriage.

  “Emma’s made out a guest list. It’ll be small. Her friends from school, from work, our fellow church members. And my family members.”

  Of course, Emma had a lot of friends but few family members. And Jeremy had a lot of family members, but few friends. They were a perfect complement.

  “What will you wear?”

  “Despite the impromptu nature of the wedding, and the small size, Emma wants us to go traditional with the clothes. She’s picked out a white dress — not floor length, but still formal. And I’m renting a tux, at her request.”

  “Oh, you’ll look so handsome.”

  He shook his head.

  “Do you need a flower girl?”

  He went silent, staring at her for a moment. “Are you referring to Stella?”

  She scoffed. “Of course I’m referring to Stella.”

  He looked to the floor. “I’ve already had this discussion with Emma. She wanted to ask Stella as well. In fact, she already bought her a little dress that matches the bridesmaids’. But I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  Marianne frowned. She didn’t even have to ask why. Of course, Jeremy, being the honorable guy he was, didn’t want to go against Tom’s ultimatum. Regardless of how ridiculous it was.

  “It’s a special, once-in-a-lifetime occasion. One that Stella would be heartbroken to miss.”

  Jeremy shook his head. “I have to honor Tom’s wishes here, sis. What you do is up to you. But Tom doesn’t want Stella to be around me and Emma. So the last thing I want to do is to dishonor Tom by having her in our wedding.”

  “But Jeremy, Tom is wrong.”

  “You think he is. And I think he is. But in his mind, he’s doing the right thing. He’s doing it out of love and protection for Stella. So, I have to honor that.”

  Marianne’s heart deflated like a balloon losing air. She’d been so happy to hear the news, and now this. “Am I invited to your wedding?”

  “You’re both invited, you and Tom. But I’ll leave it up to you whether you come or not.”

  She laid a hand on his arm. “An army couldn’t keep me away.”

  * * *

  On Friday, Tom prepared for his parents’ arrival. He had called them after the debut weekend of the dinner theater, ecstatic over the successful production. They were so excited, they made plans to attend. They would arrive in the afternoon, attend the dinner show, spend the night and enjoy a little beach time the next day, then head home.

  Since he and Marianne hadn’t been communicating up to their normal standard, he sought her out as she bustled around the stage with her notebook, following notes she’d taken the previous weekend, direction on what to change about the sets. “Marianne? Could I take a few minutes of your time?”

  She nodded, held a finger up, and finished nudging a potted plant what looked like a half inch to the left of where it was before. She came to the foot of the stage where he stood on the floor. With the chilliness between them lately since Jeremy and Emma’s engagement and now pending wedding, he told himself to feel lucky that he’d gotten that.

>   “Sweetheart,” he started, “my parents are visiting. I told them how successful the production was, and they want to see it themselves. They’ll arrive in the next few hours, and leave tomorrow.”

  She took the news with what looked like a genuine smile. Of course, why wouldn’t it be genuine? Marianne had always loved his parents, and they adored her. It wasn’t them she was angry at — he alone deserved that honor.

  “Great! What room are you putting them in?”

  “Number 12.”

  “Good, I was hoping that one was vacant.” It was one of their larger rooms, with newer linens and bedspread. “Too bad they can’t stay longer.”

  “Yeah, Dad has … something.”

  Marianne chuckled and his heart overflowed unexpectedly with love for her. She was such a part of him. She’d been there for him for the most important events of his life — falling in love, committing himself to another, marriage, childbirth, starting a business. His family loved her almost as much as he did. He couldn’t even eke out an image of his life without her. Their feud had gone on way too long, and was throwing him off. But he couldn’t just give in because he knew she didn’t like his stance. Just like he knew she couldn’t give in to him for the same reason.

  “Figures. That man sure keeps busy, doesn’t he?”

  Tom smiled. “Stella will be so excited to perform for them tonight.”

  “She sure will. I assume you’ll take care of their check-in and I’ll see them eventually.” She waved a hand and returned to study the flaws in the set.

  When they arrived, there was the usual loud Mueller raised-voice greetings, hugs, back pats and smiles. His mother was the extrovert of the couple, and his dad the doting introvert. In his parents’ case, “opposites attract” was a way of life. His mother was a sweetheart, but you couldn’t get a word in edgewise around her. He helped them bring in their bags, and listened to Mom ooze compliments about the room, the view, the ocean and the Inn. They discussed The Music Man, what a great idea it was of Marianne’s to produce it, and they couldn’t wait to see it.

  Of course they discussed Stella and her scary episode, and their thankfulness that the counselor had given her a complete release from further sessions.

  An hour into the visit, Tom asked his dad if he could steal him away for some father/son time. His mother was thrilled at the request, and vowed to stay busy unpacking and resting. Tom led his dad downstairs, out the back porch and onto the sand.

  “Want to leave our shoes here and walk barefoot?” Tom asked.

  His dad was game. The first ten minutes, they walked in silence, which Tom knew was just fine with his dad. But the man was wise, and Tom really needed his counsel. So he chose his words carefully.

  “Dad, I don’t want to go into a lot of personal details, but I need your advice. Marital advice. Marianne and I have hit a bit of an icy patch, and it’s not getting any better. Darned if I’m not at a loss for what to do next.”

  His dad looked over at him as they walked. “I’m sorry to hear that, son.”

  “Do you and Mom ever fight?”

  The older man broke out with a laugh. “Of course. All married people fight with each other.”

  Tom glanced over at his dad. “Really? I don’t remember you guys fighting much at all.”

  “We made it a point not to fight in front of you kids. But sure, we had disagreements. We didn’t agree with each other on everything. We’re such completely different people, it was inevitable.”

  “Huh. I had no idea.”

  He and Marianne really hadn’t fought much, if at all, prior to Jeremy being released from prison. In fact, everything they’d ever disagreed about had centered around Jeremy. Knowing that his parents had disagreements regularly when he was a child was enlightening.

  “Did you guys fight about Rod?”

  “Oh yeah. He was disruptive to the whole family.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “But especially to us, his parents. We couldn’t help feeling that we’d failed him somehow. I mean, you raise three kids in the same house with the same parents. Same rules and expectations. It works for two, and completely fails for the third. Is that the parents’ fault?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I don’t know.”

  “You put up with a lot of pain that Rod caused. It affected the entire family. You were more than tolerant until finally, you put an end to it. You did the right thing.”

  “Parenting isn’t easy.”

  “But you set expectations for all of us. Rod didn’t live up to them, and as hard as you guys tried, he failed and kept failing. So you made a difficult decision. It took guts, but you cut him from the family. Granted, it was tough on him and all of us. But in the long run it was in the family’s best interest.” He looked over at his dad. “I have to say, I admire that decision.”

  Their walking pace was causing his dad’s breathing to become labored, so they slowed down.

  “Rod’s decisions in life were putting us all in danger,” his dad said.

  “Yep.”

  “So I did what I thought would keep the rest of you safe.”

  “Yep.”

  “But I couldn’t give up on him. He is my son, just like you are.”

  Tom frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Your mother prayed and prayed for Rod. She kept asking for a miracle. For God to touch his heart and change his ways. For healing in our relationship. Despite what the courts said, she wanted him to still be part of our family.”

  Tom was silent. He had no idea. Of course, he was the oldest so by the time his parents were living through this phase with Rod, Tom had moved out on his own. They trudged a dozen more footsteps through the sand before his father went on. “Family is family, even if you don’t agree with what they’re doing. You do what you can to support and convince, and then you just let the Lord have His way. His way is the perfect way, you know.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “Time passed and put all things in perspective. Rod’s a grown man now. Is he perfect? No. Is he living the life I’d have chosen for him? No. But in the scheme of things, I had to decide if I’d rather be right and justified and tough, or if I wanted to be his dad. I couldn’t do both. And after listening to your mother for years on end about forgiveness and the importance of family, it finally hit me. Family is more important.”

  “Let me get this straight. Are you saying, you and Rod are back in touch? You talk?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is news to me.”

  “Mom and I talked about it and we didn’t want to make you and Lori follow our lead. We figured, you’re both adults and can come to the decision that’s right for you. But we didn’t want to influence you.”

  “Do you regret the decision you made? To cut ties, legally?”

  “Sure I do. But I was all puffed up, thinking I was doing it for the right reasons. I was protecting my remaining children. One bad apple can spoil the whole batch. But as right as I was, as justified as I was — it’s not what God teaches us. And it caused a terrible rift with the one woman God wanted me to love the most.”

  Tom shook his head, trying to clear it. This was news. But he also felt its importance, as if God himself was using his dad’s visit to have this very conversation and get through to him. He’d been praying for guidance. What if this was the guidance he’d been asking for?

  His dad continued, “I relied on the Bible during this time of transformation with your brother. There’s a section in second Corinthians that I memorized: ‘If anyone has caused you grief, you ought to forgive and comfort him. I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.’ Yes, sir. Once I found that passage, I had my answer. It had been weighing heavy on my heart for years, and it was like God had directed it specifically at me.”

  Tom stopped walking, let his dad pass him a few steps, and faced the ocean. The relevance of this conversation was making his head spin. He’d respected his father his entire life. The way his fa
ther had handled Rod was family legend. Tom had always admired him for standing up and protecting his family, even though it was hard. Even though it was unpopular. It was tough but he made the right decision anyway.

  Did his dad’s approach for handling Rod influence the way Tom made up his mind to handle Jeremy? Absolutely, it did. Tom always knew that if he ever had to make a tough decision about the safety and well-being of his own family, he need only look to his own father for his role model. Just as Rod’s cronies had brought direct danger to Tom’s mother, someone in Jeremy’s circle had brought direct danger to Stella. Just as the brick through the window was the tip of the iceberg of the damage and disaster Rod was capable of showering onto the family, so it was with Jeremy. He’d been incarcerated for ten years. Who knew what further danger and bad influence lurked close by?

  Tom’s family history had shown him the right way to handle Jeremy. His respect for his father made him secure in his knowledge that he was handling it correctly. Like father, like son. Despite the intense resistance from Marianne. All this time, he was sure she would eventually see reason.

  Except … Tom’s father had changed his mind. He ultimately chose the more loving, forgiving approach endorsed by his mother. He forgave his errant son, invited him back into his life, his family.

  This changed everything.

  His father regretted his actions toward Rod. And if continued down the path he was going, Tom would undoubtedly regret his actions toward Jeremy. Especially if his stubborn determination to alienate his brother-in-law caused pain and anger in the one woman on this earth he loved more than life itself.

  If he had destroyed his marriage because of his inability to consider that Marianne’s way of handling it was the more Christian way — the more loving way, he’d never be able to forgive himself. Family is family, even if you don’t agree with what they’re doing.

  An overwhelming feeling of understanding encompassed him. He looked up to the sky and whispered, “Thank You.”

  * * *

  Tom found a few free moments between finishing his walk with his dad and getting Stella fed and dressed for tonight’s performance. He got in the car and drove slowly to Jeremy’s furniture store. The short drive over, he ran through his mind what he wanted to say. But when he arrived and parked the car and turned the engine off, he still had no idea.