The Art of Rivers

by Janet W. Ferguson

  THE SLOW TUNE SIGNALED an end to the band’s last set, and Rivers drew closer to Cooper. The silent auction had been finalized, items and contributions collected. Caterers cleared away the food. The night would end soon, and immense questions still muddled her thinking. Could she give up her life in Memphis and start over here? With Cooper? What would that look like?

  One thing she knew—she didn’t want to say goodbye yet. She gave him a flirty smile. “Why are you still so far away?”

  His dark eyes unsure, he lifted his arms to encircle her waist, and she rested her hands on his shoulders. The position felt so right, somehow. Though God knew she’d loved Jordan, she loved Cooper too.

  “I feel selfish, keeping you standing on the dance floor.” She studied his face for any sign of fatigue. “You just got out of the hospital.”

  “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” He smiled, and his lips captured her attention. She couldn’t wait for the event to end so she could taste them again.

  His gaze fell to her shoulder. “Are you sure you weren’t hurt?”

  How she hated that scar. “Apparently I’m titanium or something. Only the people around me get badly injured.”

  “That’s not your fault. We live in a broken world.” He lifted his fingers to touch the indentation the bullet had left, the pressure soft against the sensitive skin. “I know I’ll never be the man Jordan was, but I do love you, Rivers. You have my heart, and I’d give my life to shield you from more pain. I don’t know what that means for us. I’m willing—”

  “I could move to St. Simons.” The words popped out before she’d thought them through.

  Cooper met her gaze. “What? I was going to say I could move to Memphis, if you wanted.”

  She’d blurted out her offer before she could overthink the decision, never thinking he might make an offer of his own. “You’d do that?”

  “Yes.” Eyes shining, his words came out husky. “You’d come here? For me?”

  Nodding, she lifted her hands to cup his face. “So now we have a couple of options.”

  “I don’t deserve you.” His eyes closed, his dark lashes wet.

  Her heart squeezed for his obvious lingering shame. “Don’t you dare say that ever again.” Forget what the few remaining stragglers at the gala thought.

  Gently, she claimed his lips, sliding her fingers through his hair. She should stop, but he was kissing her back now. His hands gripped her waist and drew her closer, and she melted into his embrace.

  “I told you,” a woman’s voice came from nearby. “It is Rivers and him. Jay.”

  Oh, no. She knew that voice. Opening her eyes, Rivers pulled away.

  Five feet from her looking angry, haggard, and appalled—horrified, even—stood Brooklyn, Pearl, and Jordan’s father.

  Their fierce gazes landed squarely on Rivers, and Brooklyn stepped closer. “How could you do this to us?”

  Chapter 41

  THE JOY COOPER HAD felt evaporated. Seeing his mother’s face for the first time since the accident gouged a giant hole in his heart. The shock and disappointment, aimed at him again, sank his insides with dread. Through sober eyes, he could see that his mother and her twin sister had both been aged by grief.

  He should have known this was coming. This was reality. He should have put on the brakes with Rivers when she first arrived.

  But like always, he was a source of contention for everyone he cared about.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m also not sorry.” Rivers took a cautious step closer to Brooklyn.

  What was she saying? Cooper studied Rivers, then glanced at his aunt.

  Aunt Brooklyn’s brows knit at the strange statement.

  “Cooper has been sober for five years. He’s a changed man.” Rivers glanced at him, her gaze warm and brave. “And I didn’t come here expecting to find him, much less fall in love with him.”

  Brooklyn’s jaw dropped, as did Mom’s and Uncle Alex’s.

  Rivers was defending him? Levees crumbling, the warm currents of his emotions spilled to flow where they would. He’d never loved anyone more.

  Sheriff Barnes walked over and stood behind the family, scrutinizing the interchange. The lawman’s heightened radar for conflict surely detected the tension.

  “I will always love Jordan.” Rivers voice held strong though tears coated her eyes. “He can’t be replaced in my heart. But I found love again in a good man who, with God’s help, has fought terrible battles with addiction and came out on the other side. Alone here, Cooper discovered a new purpose. He shares the good news that people can break their chains and recover. He counsels the downcast and offers hope.”

  Aunt Brooklyn held up a hand for Rivers to stop. “Jay killed my daughter. He gave her alcohol and took her out in a boat. I can’t—”

  “Ma’am, I hate to interrupt.” Sheriff Barnes stepped between Rivers and Aunt Brooklyn focusing on the older woman. “I gave a report to your husband and your mother five years ago that exonerated Cooper. The evidence proved that your daughter had received the alcohol from another minor in town, not from Cooper.”

  Silence descended on the room before Mom’s head spun toward her sister. “What? Brooklyn, is this true?”

  Brooklyn’s mouth opened and closed, gaping and grasping to make sense of what Sherriff Barnes had said. “I... I didn’t know.” She turned her gaze toward her husband. “Did you tell me? I don’t remember.”

  Uncle Alex shook his head, his eyes beseeching. “I didn’t want to upset you more. You were incoherent with grief over losing Savannah.”

  Cooper’s father stepped closer, his face contorted. His knuckles whitened as his fists balled. “You mean I’ve lost five years with my son I’ll never get back? Everything could have been different with a few spoken words.”

  “No.” Cooper’s adrenalin soared. “I never should’ve taken the boat out that day. I didn’t give Savannah alcohol, but I had been using. I deserved to be blamed. Please, don’t fight.” The last thing he wanted was to further break up his family.

  Rivers held her palms upward, and her gaze bounced among them all. “I’ve worked through a lot of emotions here in St. Simons. We all make mistakes. Some sins are much more obvious, while others are the hidden bitterness leaching through our hearts and words and actions. There’s a cleansing freedom in forgiving. Not that it doesn’t take time and work and even a restart when we relapse into that bitterness.”

  Mom inched closer, her eyes watery. “Jay... I mean Cooper. I’m sorry.” She gave him a sad smile. “I forgot you prefer Cooper.”

  Could she really open her heart to him again? “Call me whatever you want. I love hearing your voice again.”

  She tentatively stepped forward and embraced him.

  Cooper tried unsuccessfully to cover a wince.

  “Sorry.” She let go and cupped his cheeks. “Your father said you’d been hurt. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” Joy flowed over him, like a cool spring in the desert. He’d thought this day would never come. “The hug was well worth a little pain. A true miracle.”

  “I’ve been so stubborn.” His mother shook her head. “So wrong.”

  “No. Don’t do that to yourself. When y’all left me here after the accident, I hit my rock bottom. With nothing left, I reached up to God. If you’d stayed, that might not have happened.” Cooper smiled through tears. “In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him.”

  THE REUNION HAD BEEN touching, but Rivers couldn’t ignore the fatigue showing by the droop of Cooper’s eyelids. “Why don’t y’all take Cooper back to the hotel, and I’ll come by when I finish here.”

  “Good plan.” Mr. Knight retrieved his keys from his pocket.

  The loving expressions on Cooper’s and his parents’ faces lifted the sails of her heart. There would be more rocky emotions to tread with Brooklyn, but the fact that Cooper had his parents in his corner gave her courage.

  Once those three left, Rivers and Jordan’s par
ents faced each other like stone statues. What could she say to make things better? To make them understand?

  The room had emptied of guests, and only a few residents were still cleaning up, but Sheriff Barnes still stood between them, fidgeting and scratching his arms as if he had fleas. Not the normal stance for this tough lawman. “I hate to be the bearer of more bad news at a moment like this. I wanted to wait until tomorrow and not spoil the event tonight.”

  What now? A torrent of anxiety poured over Rivers and drew perspiration to her upper lip. Thank goodness, Cooper was gone. What new bomb would drop on this poor family?

  “Get it over with, Sheriff.” Jordan’s father’s face seemed to have aged in the few minutes he’d been here.

  “It’s your stepbrother. Shane Turner.” The sheriff’s brows crunched together in the center of his forehead. “He was arrested today for drug trafficking and conspiracy.” He shot a glance to Rivers. “We retrieved security footage at the marina and around the gallery and Re-Claimed. He was with Angelo and gave him the bag of heroin. After finding that evidence, I checked out your storage unit with my K-9. We figured that was where he was keeping drugs and other stolen items. Maybe even art intended for the gallery, he sold for himself instead.”

  “Shane was a drug dealer?” Mr. Barlow’s eyes widened.

  Taking in a deep breath and letting it out with a sigh, Sheriff Barnes nodded. “There’s more. Your stepbrother was in deep with the wrong people. Owed money. We’re participating in a joint investigation with the Memphis police to find out whether he was involved in the murder of your son and the attempted murder of Rivers. Also, there’s evidence he might have been behind his boat explosion.”

  The words slammed into Rivers, but her mind had trouble absorbing their meaning. “But why?” Nothing made sense. Why would he want them dead?

  “He had a buyer for the properties that would mean he’d get two hefty commissions, maybe a kickback to help him pay off debts. We’re still trying to put all the pieces together.”

  “I’ll kill him.” Mr. Barlow’s complexion distorted to a dark shade of purple.

  “Sir, we’ll get justice—”

  “Justice? I want my son back.” His chest heaved in a sob, and he covered his eyes with his hand.

  “I’m sorry, sir. I understand.” The sheriff nodded and took a step back.

  Brooklyn wrapped her husband in her arms. “Let’s go, darling. Let’s get you home.”

  Shell-shocked, Rivers watched the Barlows leave. No words came to console. No bright Scriptural wisdom popped into her mind. If this was true, they’d been wronged. She’d been wronged. Jordan killed. Cooper had almost been killed by one man’s greed and stupidity. And a family member. There would be more publicity. A trial.

  “You’ll get through this.” Gabby’s voice wrapped around Rivers, followed by her strong arms with a hug. “You’ve got Cooper, your parents, me and Kev. God. We’ll work it out. Together.”

  “I’m going to need you to make good on that commitment.” Rivers embraced her sweet friend and held her tight to keep from sinking. “Because did I tell you I might be moving here for good?”

  Gabby’s head whipped back, eyes popping wide. “Get out! Are you serious?”

  “Cooper and I are going to give our relationship a fighting chance.”

  “Oh, sister, I’m going to wage war for y’all in the heavenly realms with prayer.”

  Rivers managed a smile. “That’s exactly what we’ll need.”

  Chapter 42

  SIX MONTHS LATER

  “Isn’t this early for you on a Saturday morning?” Cooper followed Rivers down the boardwalk toward the beach. The sun had barely risen, and the sky still held a slew of pinks and yellows. He should enjoy the sight. Instead, his stomach balled in a knot. He and Rivers had been working together at the gallery and Re-Claimed for six months. To him, their relationship had been going well. Too well. Something was bound to go wrong.

  She’d been acting weird when she’d asked him two days ago to put this sunrise walk on his calendar. “What’s up?”

  Lips pressed tight, Rivers shrugged. “Just a walk and a talk.”

  The knot squeezed tighter. A talk usually meant goodbye, didn’t it? He studied her perfectly combed blond hair. It had grown longer these past months. Now golden strands lay against a silky aqua shirt that brought out the color of her eyes. He’d never seen her wear that blouse in the six months she’d been working with him in St. Simons. And he definitely noticed what she wore. He noticed everything about this beautiful woman.

  She’d probably realized dating him was a big mistake and had her car packed, ready to head back to Memphis.

  She continued down the beach to a quilt that had been laid on the sand, a long wicker basket holding it in place. “This is a good spot. Come stand here with me.”

  “Isn’t that someone’s stuff? Maybe we should go down the shore a bit.”

  “Nope.” Digging in her heels, she turned to face him and held out her hands. “Step closer and look at me.”

  Cooper steeled himself as he neared and took her hands. What was this adorable but directionally impaired woman up to?

  “I know we’ve only been in a relationship for six months. There was that other month, too, when we were riding the seesaw about each other after you first found me on a sandbar out there.”

  Yep. She was about to cut him loose. “You don’t have to explain. I—”

  She touched her finger to his lips. “Just wait. And maybe take one step to the left and maybe angle your body a half inch?”

  “Okaaay.” This was getting bizarre, but he shuffled over, which placed the sun shining in both their faces.

  “Life has black moments, those dark, heartbreaking days we wish we could blot out and forget. But life is also full of sunny yellows and green days, blue skies and pink flower days, we wish we could hold onto forever.”

  He gave a slow nod, more confused than ever.

  “To be honest, I’ve been hoping and praying for a shiny, gold and diamond kind of day lately.”

  Here it comes. She’d hoped for something more.

  A hesitant smile lifted her lips, and she kneeled down on one knee. She plucked something from her pocket but closed it in her fist. “You see, I’m not sure you believe how much I love you. Because I love you big—in a gold-and-diamond kind of way. I’d like to share the dark sorrows and the bright joys with you. I’d like to create the art of life with you. And I didn’t think you’d get around to asking any time soon, so I borrowed this from your mom.”

  Opening her hand to reveal his mother’s engagement ring, Rivers lifted her brows and gave him a shy look. “If you’d like to marry me, you could take this and slip it on my finger until we pick out our own bands.” She tilted her head. “If you’d rather not marry me, you could take the ring back to your mother, as that would be kind of awkward for me.”

  Could this be happening? Her hopeful expression left Cooper’s heart in a puddle, and he hit his knees, holding her hands in his. Maybe he was hallucinating due to brain damage or something. “You seriously want to marry me?”

  “Serious as a heart at—”

  “Don’t jinx us.”

  “God’s in control.” Her gaze locked on him. “We aren’t jinxed, and you haven’t answered. Or asked. Whichever.”

  Heart surging into overdrive, he held the ring near the end of her slender finger and took a shaky breath. “I’d be honored if you would marry me, Rivers.”

  “I can’t wait to marry you.” Her eyes shone as he slipped the ring over her knuckle. Then she took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.

  When she released him, he caught his breath and gave her a mischievous smile. “Let’s catch a flight to Vegas, if you can’t wait.”

  A flirty giggle floated from her lips. “I would, but your mother made me promise we’d give her at least a month to plan a small wedding.” Rivers kissed him again, this time on the cheek. “Now turn your head
toward that dune with the sea oats and smile before Gabby and Davis spontaneously combust. She insisted I let her take pictures because people do these sort of things now and post them for all to see.”

  He chuckled. “I’d like to avoid any more explosions.” He pivoted to spot his friends crouched behind the dune disguised under straw hats and sunglasses and armed with a camera. Cooper laughed, heart brimming with joy. “Definitely a shiny gold-and-diamond kind of day. Best day ever.”

  “So far.” Rivers caught his chin and delivered another round of sweet kisses.

  “So far.” He breathed a sigh. “Thank you, God.”

  EXACTLY A MONTH LATER, Rivers raised a glass of sparkling cider to toast with Cooper. “Just for today, I will love you with all I am.” She smiled, relishing her new husband, his smoldering dark eyes locked on her. “Tomorrow, I will wake up and start all over again, loving you with all that I am.”

  “Just for today, I will love you and fall to my knees to thank God for you. I will strive to do the same every day that I live on this earth.”

  Their glasses clinked, and they took sips of the bubbly cider while the photographer snapped several pictures. They set the crystal flutes on the table when another guest came to speak to Cooper. They’d eat and drink in their suite later, but there were a few hundred guests to greet in a short amount of time.

  “You look stunning, darling.” Pearl kissed Rivers on the cheek and then touched a strand of her hair. “I’m thrilled to have you as a daughter.”

  “I’m happy to be a part of the family. Your veil was perfect with Mama’s dress.”

  “I was happy you wore something of mine. Brooklyn loved the portrait of Jordan you sent her. She and Alex wanted to be here, but it’s still too emotional for them.”

  “I understand.” The grief would never fully go away over Jordan’s loss, or Savannah’s, but maybe someday she and Cooper could have a less strained relationship with his aunt and uncle.

  Rivers surveyed the crowded ballroom of the King and Prince. “How did you manage all this?”