A Carol for Kent

by Hallee Bridgeman

  Saturday, May 19th

  CAROL stood at the end of her driveway and watched Lisa and Amy as they turned the corner. Lisa turned around and waved, then she and Amy took off at a run. Carol watched until she could no longer see them, then turned and started back up her driveway.

  Her hip felt better, no longer causing a limp, and most of the bruises on her face had faded, leaving only one at the hairline of her forehead where Jack’s head had smashed into hers. She’d taken the last week off work to heal, and felt rested, ready to get back to work and on with her life.

  Things had begun to settle down around the city. The press had quit hounding her, and she hardly knew what to do without her cell phone ringing nonstop. She’d spoken with Maurice almost daily, getting current about the things going on at her office.

  Mitch let her read the interview with Rhonda and the background report. She wondered, as she read all about what “Rob” had done over the years, how she could have missed working so closely with someone so malevolent.

  Now she let her eyes drift to the pickup truck parked in the driveway next door. She cut across the yard, then rang the doorbell. There was no answer. She thought he must have earphones on so that he wasn’t able to hear the doorbell.

  Then she heard it. The soft sounds of a violin drifted through the spring air, the notes telling a poignant, sad story. They came from the back yard, so she walked around the house, stopping at the corner with her hands in her pockets and watched him.

  He stood at the edge of his deck and played with his eyes closed. His fingers moved with absolute confidence over the strings of the instrument, bringing the song to life, making her heart ache, tightening her chest, and bringing tears to her eyes. The notes flowed around her, drawing her into the sorrow and grief, and she felt amazed that he could bring such emotion out of a simple song.

  She stood there quietly when the song ended and watched him take the violin from under his chin and stare at it. He put it back in its case, laid the bow next to it, and closed it. She watched him look at his hands, then jumped back a little when he grabbed a chair next to him and with a yell, heaved it off the porch, where it hit the ground and bounced several feet from the force of the impact.

  He whirled around and spotted her standing there and froze. They stared at each other for an eternity before he finally broke the spell.

  “What?” he asked, his voice harsh with anger.

  Confused, Carol closed the distance, stepping on the deck with him. She gestured at the chair. “What’s wrong?”

  His eyes were closed off from her, keeping her from being able to see what was going on in his mind. “I can’t talk about it with you,” he explained, sliding the glass door open and stepping inside.

  “Well, I’d appreciate it if you would try.”

  She watched the life come back to his eyes and could see the banked fury there while he advanced on her. “I put a woman into the hospital because I beat her so badly, Carol,” he snapped out. “I grabbed a handful of her hair and slammed her head onto a wooden floor hard enough to knock her out.”

  “So what?” she asked.

  He stopped moving toward her and kicked the back of the couch. “So what?” His voice sounded quiet, strained, and very deep. “I’m not even sorry, is what. If I had to be completely honest, I wanted to kill her just as dead as a dinosaur. If I had it to do over again, that’s exactly what I would have done!”

  He turned his back on her. His hands closed into fists. “When I think about what almost happened…” He suddenly remembered waking up the next morning and having that strange conversation with Nick Williams. Nick had told him that a feeling of remorse was inevitable. He had told him that what he would learn about himself would both surprise and sadden him. Had he meant remorse for hurting the woman? Or had he meant remorse for not killing her?

  When the realization hit Bobby, he felt himself instantly calm down. “I’m having a really hard time getting a grip on my feelings.”

  “Me, too,” she admitted. “I’m jumpy and afraid.” Her breath hitched.

  He slipped an arm around her and pulled her to him. “I don’t know what to do to let this go. I’m not the man I thought I was. I’m certainly not the man I want to be.”

  As she put her arms around his neck, she said, “I think we need to pray. Together. We need to pray for healing, but we also need to pray for Rhonda.”

  Pray for Rhonda? The woman he would rather had died by his hand? The woman who had killed so many innocent people? Bobby let Carol go and shook his head. “How can you even say that?”

  With a shrug, Carol replied, “Because Christ said to pray for our enemies. She’s broken. Her mind is broken. I don’t think she had any more control over what happened than we did.”

  He glared at her, his eyes narrowing. Was Rhonda’s mind broken or was it her soul? Either way, she hadn’t been fully in charge of her actions. “Good point,” he relented, slipping his hands into his pockets and taking a deep breath. “I really don’t know what it’s like not to have control over my own faculties.”

  Carol walked over to him and reached up, cupping his cheek with her hand. “We have to forgive and release ourselves from any anger or hatred of her. We can’t let what she did ruin our entire future.”

  She felt his smile a millisecond before she saw it. “I’m personally looking forward to our future,” he said with a grin.

  “So am I.” She stepped back and gestured toward the couch. “Pray with me?”

  CHAPTER 35

  Saturday, August 25

  Saturday, August 25

  CAROL shook so badly that Aria Williams took the mascara wand from her hand and applied it to her lashes for her. She giggled with delight the entire time. Carol stared straight ahead, unable to see the humor, longing for this entire ordeal to end. “Tell me again how many people are out there,” she whispered.

  “Shush,” Aria said, and tilted her face to the light. “It’s only eight hundred.”

  She started to panic again and whispered a quiet prayer. “Dear God, help me, please.”

  “That’s no big deal,” Melody Montgomery said. “I’ve performed in front of sixty thousand before.”

  “Harmony’s the one who has to sing in front of every Nashville star here. She’s the one who should be nervous,” Lori Bradford declared, putting a hand on the huge swell of her stomach.

  Harmony Harper said, “All I have to do is face them and sing. Singing is my one for sure God given talent. Carol, on the other hand, has to turn her back to every last one of them and marry Bobby Kent.”

  Melody chuckled. “I’m so glad I eloped.”

  “It’s times like this I remembered why I recommended Vegas,” Jen Thorne said, adjusting her prosthetic arm under the sleeve of her dress.

  “That’s enough, girls,” Carol’s mother, Emily, chided from the corner of the room where she stood fastening a black and white polka dotted bow to Lisa’s hair. “Carol, dear, this is a happy occasion, and long overdue I might add. You shouldn’t be so nervous.”

  Carol leaned forward and looked in the mirror. “All I wanted was to get married, mom. I would have been happy doing it in my nice little church in Richmond. Not in this towering monstrosity in the heart of Nashville, where anyone with a name on a record label is sitting out there waiting to get a look at me.”

  Harriet Kent softly said, “Bobby just wants to show you off, dear.” Carol looked over at Harriett who fastened a bow of the same design but opposite colors onto Amy’s head. “You’re beautiful. Let him enjoy it.”

  Lori said, “I say we hurry this thing up and get to the reception. I can’t wait to get a bite of that cake!”

  Carol’s wedding cake could have qualified as one of the wonders of the modern world. Celebrity chef, Marcus Williams – who happened to be Nick’s first cousin – had dodged a team of videographers for two weeks while constructing a monument to both music and law in icing and gum paste. The cake stood over 8 feet tall including the
blown sugar music notes.

  They heard a knock on the door a few seconds before Nick stuck his head through. “The photographer wants to come in here and take a few pictures. As soon as he’s done, we’re about ready for everyone to get in their places,” he said. He sought Aria out of the crowd of women and gave her a wink, then shut the door.

  Carol stood. The women oohed and ahhed over the dress she’d chosen. It was made from ivory satin with pearls sewn into an intricate design on the bodice. The sleeves came just off her shoulders and were long and tight, the skirt full, held out by the hoops she wore underneath it, with a long train that had pearls of the same design as the bodice sewn along it. She brushed at the skirt, knowing the pictures that would appear everywhere with her in it, and knew that even if she were dashing the hopes of millions of American women, as the gossip publications proclaimed, at least the dress helped her look good while doing it.

  The photographer came in and made clucking noises while he snapped pictures of Emily putting the veil on her daughter’s head, then of her wiping the tears from her eyes.

  When the time came, Carol left the room, holding onto Lisa’s hand, and found her father standing in the foyer of the church, nervously straightening his tie in the mirror there. She brushed his hands away and straightened it for him, then kissed his cheek, mindful of her lipstick. He wore a tuxedo like the other men in the groom’s party instead of his uniform. He had insisted that he no longer wanted to put the uniform on since he had retired. At Carol’s request, he wore tiny little ribbons on the lapel of his tuxedo in honor of the service he had rendered to his country. She thought he had never looked more heroic than in that moment.

  “You ready, daddy?” she asked.

  He squeezed her hand, then tucked it under his arm. “More than ready, love. You look so beautiful. You look like your mother on our wedding day.”

  Harmony elegantly glided down the side aisle to take her place at the front where she would sing. Melody walked down the center aisle first, beautiful in the russet colored dress, clutching a bouquet of lilies. Lori followed, then Jen, and finally Aria. Carol gave a small smile while she watched Lisa and Amy walk down the aisle hand-in-hand, then felt her stomach fall when she heard the music pause and the wedding march begin.

  So many guests crowded inside that the huge church overflowed and people stood in the back. She felt a skitter of panic as she commenced down the aisle and stared into the sea of faces, few of whom she knew, most of whom she recognized. Then she got close enough to see Bobby, and saw the love in his eyes. By the time she made it to him, and her father placed her hand in his, she felt calm.

  Harmony mesmerized the church with an original song she had written especially for this occasion. Carol barely heard the lyrics. She had lost herself in Bobby’s eyes.

  Her voice remained steady while she repeated her vows to him, and when his lips touched hers in a kiss that sealed the covenant, she knew the real meaning of true love.

  The number of fans waiting outside the church surprised and touched her. They waved and smiled as the couple ran to the limo and, as soon as the door shut, they were in each other’s arms. They had hardly seen each other in a month, and even with the lifetime ahead of them, they kissed until they made up for the lost time. The ride to Bobby’s manager’s house took about twenty minutes, and during the ride, they talked over each other, trying to catch up on lost time.

  As they pulled through the gates of the property, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her gently. “You are amazing,” he said, then he set her away from him as the car came to a stop.

  Carol stood in the corner of one of the rooms and watched hundreds of people milling about, enjoying delectable food among amazing and beautiful decorations. From another room came the sound of a fiddle, and one out of every three heads had a cowboy hat on it. She laughed at herself for the world that she’d gotten herself into. Then she watched as Melody approached and grabbed a canapé from a passing waiter and stood next to her.

  “You’re the talk of the town, Carol,” she said, nibbling on the spinach and pastry.

  “Much to my dismay,” she said.

  “Don’t worry. James was too, two years ago. It dies down.”

  Harmony Harper brushed her long blonde hair off her shoulders and slipped an arm around Melody’s waist, giving her a sideways hug. Smaller in stature even than Aria, the woman was so petite she looked like a little girl. “I remember when you married James. I always think of you two at Christmas.”

  Melody said, “You know what helps it die down is when some other big star gets married. Like you and Bobby. If nothing else, your wedding made James and my getting hitched yesterday’s news.”

  Turning to stare directly at Harmony, Melody continued, “If only I could think of a big ticket singer who’s still single. Who might be able to help with that? Harmony? Any ideas?”

  While Harmony laughed, Aria came over and hugged Carol gently, careful of the intricate dress. “That was a beautiful wedding, Carol. It makes me want to do it all over again,” she said.

  Nick had carefully remained just two feet away while she spoke, but chose that moment to slip up behind her and wrap his arms around her to rest his hand on her middle. “With me, I hope,” he said.

  “When are you due, Aria?” Melody asked, studying Aria’s perfectly flat stomach.

  Aria leaned her head against her husband’s chest. “Not until February.”

  Spotting James Montgomery strolling in her direction with one of his twin infants in each arm, Melody grinned and said, “Get ready, hon. It is going to change every part of your life.”

  James arrived with his precious cargo and a beautific look on his face. The babies in his arms had each started to root against his torso. “I hate to hand them over, but your son and daughter need their momma right now. I can’t help them.”

  Melody took them with a smile and couldn’t help but add, “Moooo!”

  The band picked that moment to strike up a slow love song, and suddenly Bobby appeared at Carol’s side, taking her hand in his, leading her to the dance floor.

  Bobby pulled Carol close until they barely moved and placed a kiss on her waiting lips. “To a lifetime,” he whispered in her ear.

  “To forever,” she whispered back.

  THE END

  TRANSLATION KEY

  French words/phrases

  au pair – Directly translated the phrase means “on even terms” but in common modern use refers to a domestic assistant from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family’s responsibility for childcare as well as some housework in return for the opportunity to learn the host family’s language and usually also receive a small monetary allowance or stipend.

  café au lait – Directly translated, this is the French term for “coffee with milk”. The meaning of the term differs between Europe and these United States of America; in both cases it means some kind of coffee with hot milk added, in contrast to white coffee (fr. café crème), which is coffee with room temperature milk or other whitener added.

  en route – while on the way, while traveling

  Jargon or other terms

  Came out with a bullet – A cliché insider term in the music industry that refers to song ratings. When a song debuts as a top 100 hit song it “comes out with a bullet.” Etymology is murky, but likely has to do with the fact that only top 100 Billboard Chart songs had a “bullet” next to the printed song title when such ratings were printed on paper.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  I’D LIKE ACKNOWLEDGE…

  … the Office of Virginia’s Commonwealth’s Attorney and, in particular, Elizabeth Hobbs, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Richmond, who does Carol Mabry’s very important job in real life. She patiently took time out of her incredibly busy day to show me aspects of her work and allowed me the opportunity to bombard her with dozens of questions.

  She was very graciou
s with her time and incredibly helpful, for which I am sincerely grateful and appreciative. I don’t want to come off as cliché, but I couldn’t have written this book without the information I gleaned from her.

  Thank you, Elizabeth!

  READER'S GUIDE: SUGGESTED MENU

  SUGGESTED luncheon menu to enjoy when hosting a group discussion surrounding A Carol for Kent, part 3 of the Song of Suspense series.

  Those who follow my Hallee the Homemaker™ website know that one thing I am passionate about in life is selecting, cooking, and savoring good whole real food. A special luncheon just goes hand in hand with hospitality and ministry.

  If you’re planning a discussion group surrounding this book, I offer some humble suggestions to help your special luncheon talk come off as a success in this section.

  The Entree:

  Steak Kabobs

  One of Bobby Kent’s first purchases when he moves back to Richmond is his grill. Here is a wonderful steak kabob recipe to be cooked on a grill.

  1 pound beef boneless top sirloin steak

  1 medium bell pepper

  16 baby bella mushrooms

  16 grape tomatoes

  1 TBS chopped fresh or 1 tsp dried dill weed

  1 TBS lemon juice

  1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

  1TBS honey mustard

  1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

  8 metal skewers

  good sharp knife

  2 cutting boards (1 for meat, 1 for veggies)

  measuring cups/spoons

  small bowl

  whisk

  pastry brush

  Cut the beef into 24 each 1-inch cubes