Summer's Promise

by Irene Brand

  “Drink this coffee. It’ll perk you up.”

  She cuddled the coffee mug in both hands and sniffed the pungent aroma.

  “Thanks. If you’re hungry, there’s a package of rolls in the refrigerator. I ate cereal with the kids.”

  “I took the cafeteria breakfast. It’s not bad. Edna wants to meet with us this morning to organize our schedules and tell us what duties we have. Can you be ready in an hour?” he asked.

  Summer glanced down at her garments and colored slightly. She’d forgotten that she still had on her robe, no makeup, and she hadn’t combed her hair.

  “Sorry I’m not more presentable, but I didn’t get much sleep last night, and I overslept,” she said apologetically and explained to him about Timmy’s nightmare. “I’ll straighten the house, and then it won’t take long to shower and dress.”

  “If you want to take the bedrooms, I’ll clear away the breakfast things and wash the dishes.”

  “Deal!” she said with a laugh.

  She heard him whistling while she made the beds and put away the kids’ nightclothes.

  Summer thought of his comment the night before that they should get married. Was he serious about it? Would it be like this if they were married, sharing the responsibility of the house and taking care of the children?

  If they were married! Summer was straightening the sheets on her bed, and she stopped abruptly. She could hear running water in the sink and David rattling the dishes as he cleared the table. Her whole outlook on life and many of her attitudes had changed the past few weeks. How much did David have to do with the change in her?

  She’d never seriously contemplated marriage. Marriage meant losing your personal freedom by sharing it with another. She remembered the minister’s reference to this fact during Autumn’s wedding. He’d said, “You’re no longer one person, you’re now joined to each other,” and Autumn and Nathan had lit a unity candle indicating that they’d become one. As she fluffed the pillows and arranged the comforter, Summer acknowledged that marriage also meant an intimate relationship. Her mind shied away from that possibility, but she did look at David in a different light when they walked along the path to the school compound.

  Their footsteps crackled on the frosty grass, and their breath was visible. The sun’s rays filtered slowly into the mountain valley and the air was still cold. Summer zipped her jacket.

  “Are winters cold here? Do they have much snow?”

  “I imagine so, but Edna will be able to answer your questions. We’re to meet her in The Crossroads’ office.”

  The administration building housed not only the offices, but the classrooms and cafeteria, and they heard the hum of student voices as they entered the building. Edna met them at the front door.

  “You can see the schoolrooms when classes aren’t in session, but the teachers’ lounge and the administrative offices are down this way.”

  She pointed out a small room with several easy chairs and a long table with straight chairs around it. One wall was lined with bookshelves. An ancient copier and one computer station was located near the door. “The teachers come here for their preparation time,” Edna explained.

  Next were two connecting offices, and Edna led the way into the largest room. “Bert used this office, and Spring did the secretarial work in the other room, but you can divide duties to suit yourselves.”

  She motioned David to the chair behind the desk, and as he sat there, he was overwhelmed with the loss of his brother. Perhaps Edna and Summer sensed his emotion for they sat opposite him and didn’t speak. David stared at the stacks of unopened mail on the desk. A flash of loneliness overcame him and he closed his eyes. He felt so inadequate sitting in his brother’s chair.

  “Will you explain what we’re expected to do?” Summer asked, giving David time to compose himself.

  “It’s a big job. You’ll be responsible for handling the funds that come to the school and allocating them to cover the needs. There’s never enough money. Fund-raising is also a part of the job. That’s what Bert and Spring were doing when the accident happened. It’s necessary for you to occasionally visit the churches that donate to the work and tell them what’s going on.”

  “I’m not at ease speaking publicly, but David could do that, I’m sure.”

  “With your experience in business administration, Summer, perhaps you can take over the finances,” David suggested in a strained voice.

  “I’m sure I can.”

  “You must plan the curriculum with the teaching staff,” Edna explained.

  “And that’s where I’ll be lost,” Summer said.

  David shrugged his shoulders. “Same with me. I know nothing about the current educational system.”

  “You can rely on the teachers for advice until you learn. Of course, as supervisor of both schools, I’m available for consultation at any time. I’d suggest that each of you visit the classes on a regular basis for a few weeks. You’ll learn more about the curriculum that way than my telling you.”

  The rest of the morning, David and Summer sifted through the accumulation of mail and started organizing the two offices to suit their own temperaments. When Summer looked over the financial records, she decided that Bert was a better missionary than he was an accountant, and she knew she’d have to start a whole new system. The ancient computer in the office was of little use, and while she’d intended to keep her personal computer in the house for the children, it could be put to better use in the office.

  They ate lunch with the staff and students, and before they went back to the office, David said, “Let’s walk down to the lake. I’m not used to being cooped up inside, and I could use some fresh air.”

  They sat on a bench overlooking the lake, silently watching a flock of ducks searching for food. The mountains were more colorful than they’d been during their first visit, for frost was steadily marching the colored leaves down the slopes. The air was fresh and invigorating. A jet stream slashed across the blue of the sky and a faint sound of the plane reached them, but otherwise, there was no sound except that of nature.

  “This is a peaceful place,” Summer said. “I’m beginning to have a slight inkling of why my sister wanted to live here. In New York, my windows were always closed to keep out the sound of traffic, but here I like to hear the blending of insects’ songs.”

  David nodded his agreement, but his face was solemn. Obviously, the scenery wasn’t on his mind.

  “It’s been a sad morning for me to be handling my brother’s possessions, knowing I’ll never see him again. There’s a plaque on Bert’s desk that quotes the words of Solomon. ‘Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.’ These mountains haven’t changed much since the Creation, and they’ll still look the same thousands of years from now. When I considered how short life is, I asked myself why I hesitated about giving up a lucrative job to carry on the work our loved ones started.”

  “And I’ve been thinking about how nearly this work stopped because there was no money to carry on. If money hadn’t been an issue, I’m sure the mission board could have found an administrator.”

  “The finances are bad, huh?”

  “The school exists from month to month.”

  “At first, we’ll have to go slowly. I couldn’t sleep last night, either—fretting because I’d let myself wander so far from my Lord until I can’t depend on Him for daily guidance. But I believe, if it’s God’s will, we’ll succeed at The Crossroads. Bert and Spring started the work, but it’s up to us to carry it on, until someone else takes the torch from us.”

  “So, just like Bert and Spring, we’re stepping out on faith.”

  David rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I remember from my Bible-reading days that in the New Testament, Paul the apostle said, ‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.’ That may be the case here at The Crossroads.”

 
“You mean that Spring and Bert were the ones to plant the seed by establishing the school, you and I are to water it by placing the school on a secure foundation, but that God actually provides the growth?”

  “That’s the way I’ve figured it out.”

  “That’s a big responsibility, but it does give some meaning to why we’re here.”

  David shook his head and blinked his eyes as if to rid himself of such serious thoughts.

  “Now why should I be so gloomy, when I’m sitting here in this beautiful glade beside a pretty lady!” He put his arm around Summer’s shoulders and a grin spread over his features. “You are pretty, Summer. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

  Summer flushed slightly. “Not that I ever remember. Don’t forget, I lived with a real beauty in the family. It’s hard to measure up to Autumn.”

  His fingers tightened on the soft flesh of her shoulder. “You underestimate yourself. I’d trade Autumn for you any day.”

  “I’m sure her husband would be pleased to know that.”

  “I’m serious. I like your short, straight hair, that’s golden-bronze rather than auburn.” His hand tenderly smoothed her hair as he spoke. “You’re petite, you have dainty features, and skin the shade of a pale-pink rose.”

  Her skin wasn’t pink now, for Summer felt a rush of blood to her face. “Oh, stop it, David! You’re embarrassing me.”

  He laughed lowly, a provocative sound that sent her pulses racing. He turned her face to his and brushed her lips with his as he said softly, “This assignment at The Crossroads may not be so bad, after all. I’m having thoughts now that I’ve never had before. I like you, Summer, I like you a lot.”

  His lips gently covered her mouth, and for a few moments she surrendered to the floating sensation of being held close in David’s arms. Then she pushed him away.

  “David, you must stop kissing me! We have to remember why we’re here—to operate a school for thirty teenagers and take care of two orphaned children. Any personal involvement between us will hamper what we came here to do. Promise you won’t kiss me again.”

  “I won’t make such a promise. I didn’t intend to kiss you today, but I just get carried away when I realize how fascinating you are. Who’s to know when it might happen again?”

  With a slight grimace, she said, “Then I’ll stop being fascinating.” She stood up. “We should go back to work. I need to figure out how to operate a school on half the money Daddy spends to take care of his horses.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “I’ll try to suppress my impulses.”

  Chapter Ten

  Summer went back to the office and spent a couple of hours formulating a schedule for paying bills and making reports to the mission board. If they didn’t run into any emergencies, they could keep to the budget. Her life had surely taken a different turn in the past few weeks! There was a vast difference between handling the finances of a prestigious New York bank and trying to balance books in a North Carolina mission school!

  David had spent the afternoon in the adjoining room sorting through the mail that had accumulated since Bert had left the office. When Summer entered, he was tinkering with an electric typewriter, trying to get it to work.

  “David, would you like to come to the cabin every evening and have dinner with the children and me? Otherwise, you’ll have very little time with them.”

  His eyebrows arched provocatively. “You’re not expecting a repeat of last night’s actions, are you?”

  “I didn’t mean that at all.” She turned abruptly toward her office. “Forget I mentioned it.”

  David was out of the chair with one swift movement and caught her arm. “Hey! I was joking. I’d love to come. I thought of suggesting it, but hated to invite myself.”

  Still annoyed at him, she said tersely, “You have as much right to that cabin as I do. I was just suggesting a way for you to have some time with the kids. Do what you want to.”

  “I’ll be there. The kids need all the security we can give them. And please learn not to take offense when I joke with you. You need to loosen up a little, laugh and enjoy yourself.”

  “So I’ve been told before.” She picked up her jacket and walked out of the office.

  He watched her departure, irritated at himself. Why couldn’t he watch his tongue?

  Summer was annoyed with herself as she walked to the cabin. Why had she been so short-tempered with David? She wasn’t that way with anyone else, but she was frightened because she was getting so fond of David. She still wanted to go back to New York and her career in a year’s time, and she had to concentrate on that. An interest in David would interfere with that decision.

  When the kids came home an hour later, David was with them, and Summer wondered if he’d arranged that deliberately to avoid being alone with her and her temper. Timmy ran into the house, dropped his book bag on the floor and turned on the television. Nicole threw her jacket on the sofa and sat beside her brother on the floor. Summer assumed this was their normal procedure as soon as they got home from school, but her orderly instincts rebelled. She didn’t say anything, but she picked up the jacket and book bag and took them to the children’s bedroom. David was setting the table when she returned, and she didn’t appreciate his amused expression when he looked at her.

  “What’s for supper?” he asked.

  “Broccoli and cheese casserole,” she answered shortly.

  “Yuk!” Timmy said, his mind diverted momentarily from the television.

  Summer paused in her task of preparing a salad. “I take it you don’t agree with my choice,” she said.

  “They feed us broccoli and cheese two or three days a week at school. Mommy never fixed it at home,” Nicole said.

  “Summer’s casserole will taste better than what you get at school.” David came to her defense. “What do you usually eat for supper?”

  “Pizza, spaghetti, french fries and stuff like that,” Timmy said.

  “Now, Timmy, you know Mommy made us eat a lot of vegetables and fruit,” Nicole corrected him.

  “I saw a frozen pizza in the freezer. How about having that?” David asked Summer, and grinned when he added, “I don’t like broccoli, either.”

  Without answering, she took the pizza from the freezer and prepared it for the oven. “I hope none of you object to green salad.”

  “As long as you don’t put any onions in mine,” Nicole said.

  “At home, we didn’t question Mother’s decisions and ate what was put on the table,” Summer commented quietly.

  “Parents are more lenient with their kids now,” David said.

  When they were seated at the table, Nicole said the blessing, and Summer insisted that each child try a portion of the casserole. She plopped a spoonful on David’s plate, too. “It won’t hurt you to eat broccoli.”

  He obediently ate the food, and Nicole and Timmy followed his example. Summer was sure his presence in the cabin would help a lot with discipline. And remembering her pleasure in David’s occasional caresses, she wondered if she’d wanted him around for more than one reason.

  They were still at the table when a knock sounded at the door and a half-dozen Crossroads residents tramped in. “We came to watch television when Mr. and Mrs. Brown lived here,” Skipper Johnson said. “Is that okay with you?”

  “Sure, come in,” David said. “You’ll have to compromise with the kids on the channel you watch.”

  “No problem,” Anita Bailey said. “Only one channel comes in up here. We watch the game shows for an hour. Mr. Brown thought they were educational for us.”

  Summer watched helplessly as the teens settled on the couch and on the kitchen chairs. The already small quarters seemed to shrink even more. She turned her back and gripped the edge of the sink.

  David noticed her dismay, and he said quietly, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have given the okay without consulting you.”

  “It’s all right. But the house was already crowded with the four of us,
and now I learn there’ll be several more every night.” She lifted her hand to her mouth and chewed on a long, pink fingernail. “I never understood what claustrophobia was until this moment.”

  He started clearing dishes off the table. “Go to your bedroom or out for a walk. I’ll be here.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t spend a year walking away from my problems. I’ll have to learn to live with them.”

  During the rest of the week, Summer and her new family settled into a manageable routine starting with breakfast as soon as the children got up. They left for school between eight and half past eight, after which she straightened the house, showered and dressed for the day. She was in the office by nine o’clock, where David had already been working for an hour.

  On the second morning, Nicole and Timmy lingered at the breakfast table, and Summer finally prompted, “Don’t you think you should be going to school?”

  “Not until after morning devotions,” Nicole said. “Mommy read to us from the Bible and the devotional book before we left the table. We forgot yesterday.”

  Summer looked around wildly. If she was poorly equipped to provide food for these kids, how much less suitable was she to take over their spiritual training. God, what am I going to do? More and more she was turning to God in her extremity. Who else could help her?

  “I haven’t seen a devotional book,” she said, masking her uneasiness.

  “Mommy kept it in that basket on top of the ’frigerator,” Timmy said.

  Summer rose like a robot and reached for the basket which held a Bible and a small booklet, titled Devotions for the Growing Family. She saw at a glance that there was a page for each day of the year, and a bookmark was placed on the day that Bert and Spring had left their home. She hurriedly turned to the devotional for the present date.

  The suggested Bible reading for the day was Luke 2:40, which presented another quandary. She was ashamed to ask Nicole to find the place for her, although she figured the child knew more about the Bible than she did. She noted the tabs on the pages, and scanning them quickly, she saw the one that marked Luke. Feeling as if her temperature had reached the boiling point, she flipped the pages to the second chapter. She read the designated verse.