Matt noticed Sidney quietly glance at Candace. Candace stared down at the pavement. He almost said something, but then the Christmas music turned on and Mayor Larson got up to speak. The lighting had begun. Everyone turned toward the Mayor and looked at the tree off in the distance.
The town’s folk sang a few Christmas carols, led by the choir director from the Methodist church. Matt raised his eyebrows and thought smugly—the Methodist choir director used to be his choir director. When she got married a while back, she jumped ship and became a Methodist. He missed her, and for the life of him he couldn’t find someone else willing to lead a choir, so for a few years now, they’d been choir-less.
The Mayor spoke about the importance of Christmas and being a town of people who welcome the tourists, who care for one another, and who keep the island feel they’ve all gotten used to and care so much about.
Then they counted down. The lights lit up. Glorious, white lights everywhere. The music blared, the people cheered.
Then one of the most unusual things happened, something that would never be forgotten by the island people ever. Danny Holberg, yes, the Danny Holberg that he’d just eaten Thanksgiving dinner with the day before, stood up on the podium and grabbed the microphone.
“What the heck?” Big Dan said.
Betty’s mouth opened.“What is my son doing up at the microphone?”
“I hope he’s not drunk,” Dan said.
“I am going to kill that kid,” Betty said.
Sidney looked at Candace.“Uh, oh,” she said.
Betty looked at Sidney.“What do you mean,‘Uh oh?’ What is going on?” she whispered.
Sidney shook her head.“Only one way to figure out. We better listen up.”
“Hello? Hello?” Danny said, tapping the microphone. It was still on. Everyone could hear him.
He shuffled a bit. And smiled at everyone staring at him. His face was red, and he twiddled with the microphone.“I know I’ve never gotten up on a microphone in the middle of the town before. My name is Danny Holberg. Most of you probably know me from pranks I did as a kid.” He glanced at Charlie, the hardware store owner.“Sorry about your tractor, Charlie. That was an accident.”
Charlie’s face lit up and he shook his fist at Danny.
“The thing is,” he went on to say,“I’m in love. Love does strange things to you. It really does. It makes you crazy.” He stared up into the sky.“It makes you look at the stars and contemplate your place in the universe and wonder if you’ve died and gone to heaven. Love makes you think you can do anything, be anyone, go anywhere. At least love is supposed to do all those things…unless you come from a town that tells you you’re not supposed to love someone because you’re too young, or because your parents don’t like her family, or because there’s issues that no one wants to deal with. Then love makes you wonder if you’ve died and gone to hell, if you should even get up in the morning.” He shrugged and swallowed. He gripped the microphone tighter.
“That’s how it’s been for me for a few months,” he said. His voice echoed out tight and filled with emotion.“You see, the girl I love disappeared and wouldn’t tell me where she went. But I found her and I’m not going to let anything keep us apart.”
Matt glanced around. Candace shook her head. Sidney looked at Betty, and back at Candace.“Oh dear,” Sidney said.
Danny Holberg continued.“The thing is though, I love this girl no matter what anyone thinks. No matter what her grandma thinks of my parents or what my parents think of her.” He looked out at the crowd and his eyes stopped on Candace.“I love you Candace Peterson. I have all my life. You can’t tell me who I get to love. It’s out of your hands. I choose you.”
Betty’s eyes got as big as cantaloupes.“How dare you!” she said to Candace.“All this time making it seem like there was nothing going on with Danny. He’s the father?” She pointed up at her son and back at Candace.“You tricked me.”
Candace shook her head, put her hands to her mouth. Her face stricken. Dan grabbed Betty by the shoulder.“Don’t do this here, Betty,” he said.
Candace’s face flushed red and she shook her head in silence. She could hardly lift it. Matt’s heart went out to her.
Danny kept going.“I’ll love you forever and I want to raise our child together.”
The crowd started making all kinds of whispered noises. Danny spoke again.“Yes. She’s pregnant. I love her. Why can’t you people just let us live in peace without all your gossip?”
At this point, Kell came out of nowhere, appearing on the stage.“Danny, you’ve made a wonderful point. Now, I think it’s time to get off the stage. You and Candace can talk about your love in private now, okay?”
“No, Dr. Kellen. I’ve got things to say.”
“Let’s go.” Kell guided the young man by the arm. Pastor Matt was so engrossed in watching Danny get pulled off the podium, when he turned back to Candace, she’d disappeared from the crowd.
Big Dan was pulling Betty, whoseface was pinched together so hard Pastor Matt wondered if she’d self-combust. Oh dear. This was all his fault. He should have done more to find out who the father was. He should have tried harder. Now look at the mess.
Kell got Danny down, bringing him to his dad and mom.“I’ll take him out for a cup of coffee. The kid needs to sober up,” Kell said.
Danny tried to pull away, but Kell gripped him harder.“Dr. Kellen. Let me go. I want tosee Candace.”
“No, Danny. You need to calm down.”
Danny reached back and tried to punch Kell in the face.“I told you to let me go!” Kell dodged it.
Betty wacked Danny with her purse.“You stupid boy! What are you doing, trying to hit Kell in the face? Did you get that girl pregnant?”
Danny’s eyes were glazed over.“Where is she? Where’d she go?”
Betty was still whacking him with her purse.“I’m going to kill you. You were supposed to keep your damn penis in your pants. That was the deal!”
“Mom! Quit it.” He batted his arms in the air.“It’s not like you and dad have anything to say about this. You didn’t exactly stay all celibate when Dad was going to school.”
Pastor Matt reached for Danny’s arm.“Everyone needs to calm down.”
Astrid Peterson walked over to Danny. Her face was set. Her shoes clicked against the pavement. Danny must have sensed her presence because he spoke to her.“I’m sorry Mrs. Peterson, I love your granddaughter. I want to love her the rest of my life.”
Astrid Peterson didn’t nod, or shake her head, or open her mouth. Instead, she lifted up her arm quickly and quietly, and leaned back with all her force up and slapped Danny hard in the face. He stepped backwards gripping his reddened cheek.
Betty screamed. Kell grabbed Astrid’s arms and pulled her back. She shook her fist.“I might seem like an old woman, but I won’t have my granddaughter made to look like the town’s fool, you stupid boy.”
Jeff jumped into the situation.“Everyone stay calm. I’m a high school principal. We see this kind of stuff all the time. What these kids need, is to be heard. They need to know they’re safe.”
Kell’s eyes focused on Jeff.“Get out of the way. No one asked you here. If anyone is going to do any hitting around here, it should be me hitting you.” He lifted his hand.“We like Sidney and we want her to stay right where she’s at. And no one likes how you treated her.”
Sidney jumped in between them.“Kell, this isn’t really the time to tell Jeff off. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“The heck he hasn’t! He’s the jerk who cheated on you, and then thinks he can show up one day, and beg for you to take him back.”
Jeff tried to push Sidney out of the way, he held up his fist at Kell. Sidney grabbed hold of his jacket and calmed him down.
Jeff took a few steps left, then right. He eyed Kell, tilted his head.“She was my wife for ten years. Just cause some hoity-toity doctor on this island is in love with her, doesn’t mean she should stay.”
&nb
sp; Sidney raised her hands into the air and yelled at the top of her lungs.“Enough is Enough! Stop this nonsense right now!”
She squeezed Jeff’s arm.“He’s not in love with me.”
“Don’t be a jerk,” she said to Kell.
Kell’s eyes grew big, he lifted his hands up in the air.“Oh, I’m a jerk? I’m not out on a date with someone just a few hours after kissing someone else. You’re the one doing that.”
Matt stopped dead. Silence permeated the air. Jeff turned to Sidney.“You kissed the doctor, today?”
Sidney hung her head and eyed Kell, ignoring Jeff.“Kell, you really are exasperating.” She looked at Jeff with grim expression.“Let’s go back to the inn. I think our grand exhibition is over.”
“Sure. Just go with him,” Kell said.
“Yes, he’s staying at the inn, remember?”
Jeff glared at Kell.“And we’re getting married. Anytime you want to race old man, let me know,” he said.“I could run miles around you.”
Sidney pulled Jeff along away from the group.“Don’t do this. It’s not going to solve anything.”
Jeff pushed his glasses up on his face.“It may not solve anything, but I’ll sure feel better.”
Sidney stood paralyzed watching the crowd disperse. She shook her head in disgust.
Kell grabbed Danny and marched off with him to the village pub.
~
Pastor Matt stood in shock at his son as he walked off. He couldn’t seem to focus right. The world seemed to be spinning in a strange direction. Kell and Sidney kissed? Sidney had agreed to go back to Jeff? Betty and Dan were back together? Danny was the father of Candace’s baby? When did all this happen? And now the whole town knew about it? He was appalled. Absolutely shocked. And all this happened at town Christmas tree lighting. Who were these people?
Sidney glanced over Betty.“I expect you to be at my house at 6:00 a.m. in the morning to make breakfast. And if you are mean to Candace, I’ll hit you over the head with a frying pan. Is that understood? I don’t care what you think about anything else that’s happened here tonight, you are not going to be mean to that girl.”
Betty nodded. To Matt’s surprise, Sidney also looked at Astrid Peterson and then at Dan and Betty.“You three will all come to my house tomorrow afternoon. Be there at 4:00 p.m. This has gone on long enough and it’s hurt the people you love the most. We’re going to work it out and help Danny and Candace figure out their lives together. There’s a baby coming into the world.”
She nodded to Pastor Matt.“You better come too. After all, you are the reverend.”
He rubbed his forehead.“I’ll be there.” The crowd dispersed. His quiet, uneventful town had proved to be otherwise.
Chapter Nineteen
Coming and Goings
Sidney Franklin drove back to the mansion with Jeff trying to spot Candace on the road. Her wrist hurt with shifting the gears,but she didn’t want to let Jeff drive. The tension in the car was so thick, she couldn’t decide whether to cry or punch a hole through the wall.
She was concerned for Candace, frustrated with Jeff, and scared what her guests were thinking about Danny’s and Kell’s display in town. Now, the whole town would know Kell had kissed her. So much for a quiet and peaceful life. Could it get any worse? She pondered it for a brief moment and came to the conclusion that it could get a lot worse. There was a hilarious side to all this too.
She pulled her Mini-Cooper into the driveway, slammed the door and ran inside, trying not to bang her wrist against the wall. She called out Candace’s name. Sidney ran upstairs to her room. She couldn’t yell too much, because she had guests to think about. She wasn’t sure if they were back or not. She knocked on the door.“Just go away, Sidney. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Candace let me in.”
“No. I want to be by myself. I’ll talk in the morning. Just give me some time to sit in my room and hide my shame and humiliation.”
“What do I do if Danny shows up?”
“Tell him to go to away.”
“Right.” Sidney paused.“Are you sure you don’t want to talk?”
“Just go away.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’m not coming to help with breakfast. Please don’t make me. I can’t face Betty Holberg right now.”
“I know. We’ll deal with it in the morning.”
Sidney walked down the back stairs into the kitchen. She didn’t want the guests to see her quite yet. Jeff put her arm on her shoulder.“Are you okay?”
Sidney turned to Jeff.“I need to be alone right now.”
“You can’t avoid this forever, Sidney. I need to know what you want to do. I’m inviting you back to Seattle. To start our life over again. The life you loved.”
She put her hand on head and brushed her hair out of the way.“I know, Jeff. I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning. I’ll tell you then. I promise.”
He reached over and put his hand on her face.“Please come, Sidney. Please give us another chance.” He reached over and gave her a kiss on the her cheek and walked off to his room.
~
The door opened a few minutes later. Her guests came in, chatting and talking all at once. She walked out of the kitchen, holding a glass of wine.“Did you enjoy the lighting?” she asked.
The grandmother spoke first.“Oh dear, it was the best Christmas lighting we’ve been to in years.”
The younger teenage girl, Chloe, spoke. She had light brown hair with a purple streak right down the middle of it. Her eyes were glassy and she looked like she was just coming out of the stars.“It was so romantic.”
Sidney’s eyes widened in shock. Dave spoke up.“We’d like you to put us down for next year, as well, Sidney. Best entertainment we’ve had all year. We better put our things away. We’re going to watch a movie tonight if that’s okay?”
Sidney nodded.“Of course. Please, make yourselves at home. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good luck with your romantic issues, Ms. Franklin,” the grandmother said.“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full on this island.”
Sidney smiled at her, trying hard not to blush three shades of red.“You have no idea.”
She went back to the kitchen and ate some leftovers from Thanksgiving.
~
Kell and Danny sat in the back of the Gypsy Cat Café. He told Danny to wait for him while he ordered.
The owner, Max, was the only one working during the Christmas tree lighting and people were beginning to appear.“Kell, what brings you in tonight? I’m hearing rumors of quite the Christmas tree lighting. Any truth in it?”
Kell rested his arm on the counter and nodded.“More than I’d like to admit. In fact, I’ve got the culprit in the back desperate for a cup of coffee. Do you have any ready?”
“I just brewed up a pot thinking that some of the town’s folk would be coming in wanting something warm.”
“I’ll take a cup of coffee for Danny and one for me too.” He wished he could order something stronger.
Max poured the cup of coffee and then filled Kell’s cup. Max leaned over the counter and to get a better look at Danny.“Don’t be too hard on the kid. We all remember what young love felt like, don’t we?”
Kell’s first thought went to Sidney. He wondered what it would have been like if he’d fallen in love with her fifteen years ago, before he felt like life had knocked it all out of him.“I feel like it was easier tolove back when we were younger.”
Max threw a white towel over his shoulders and poured another coffee for someone who had just walked in. He turned his head back to Kell.“I don’t think it was easier, we just had more confidence.”
“That must be it.”
Kell stepped back and went to the table where Danny sat. He passed him the cup of coffee. The packets of sugar and half and half were already there. Danny poured two packets of sugar in his coffee and started taking sips, then he put his head in his hands. Kell took a couple of
sips of his beer and waited while Danny sobered up for a moment. Danny spoke first.
“I can’t believe she wants to give the baby up for adoption.”
“Before we talk about the baby,let’s talk about you and Candace,” Kell said.“You told the entire town that you love her. Is that true?”
Danny slammed his hand on the table. The noise shot through the café.“I love her with every particle ofmy being.” He raised his arm in the air and then raked one of his hands through his unkempt hair. His eyes widened.“I’ve turned into a crazy romantic man I love her so much. I read poetry. I even started listening to country music. Yes, I’m sure I love her.”
Kell stared for a moment at Danny. He knew he needed to help him figure out the best way through his particular mess, but Danny’s willingness to make a complete fool of himself over Candace stunned him. How long had it been since Kell was willing to make a fool of himself for anyone? Although tonight, seemed to be the exception. He tried not to think about how he’d almost punched that Jeff guy. What had come over him?
He’d built walls so high around himself after Chelsea’s death, not even he knew how to get himself out. He’d prided himself on not getting hurt again. And the truth was, he was missing out on all the good things that love and relationships bring. Sidney’s face flashed before him again. Her smile, her hair, the tilt of her chin when she thought hard about something.
He knew Sidney might reject his offer of love, might not ever even consider it, but as he stared at Danny Holberg and studied his desperation, his youthful optimism in spite of everything falling apart around him—for Danny, Candace was worth the risk.
Kell’s feelings for Sidney Franklin were not going away. They’d probably annoy the heck out of each other and disagree more times than they agreed, but all that excited him, made him want to fight even harder for her. He wanted to build a life with Sidney. He did not want her to leave the island and marry Iron Man. He wanted her to be with him.
An Ordinary Love (A Christian Contemporary Romance) (Sidney's Sanctuary Book 1) Page 24