Diamond Lake Series: Complete Series (Bks 1-7) Boxset

by T. K. Chapin

  I smiled. “Your soon-to-be wife told me I could find you out here. You getting taught how to play some football by this kid?”

  “Hey! I’m not a kid! I’m five and a half!”

  Charlie laughed and rubbed Lucas’s head.

  “He isn’t helping me. That’s for sure!” Joe chimed in.

  We all looked over at him as he smiled and put a hand on his waist.

  “You just love building so much that I figured I’d take a break from helping you.” Charlie bent down on his knees and said, “Luke’s going to play for the Seahawks someday.”

  Dylan and Charlotte pulled up along the road. As the kids got out, Luke bolted to go meet them in the driveway. Charlie smiled and then turned to me. “I wanted to ask you to make sure you get some good shots of Emma. I think you were talking to her last night at the rehearsal. Sweet older gal.”

  Nodding, I said, “We went to the same school, remember? I know who you’re talking about.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, that’s right. So just make sure you get shots of her, her and Jody and so on.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” As the last of my words rolled off my tongue, my brother, Connor, pulled into the driveway. I said park behind the truck across the street, I thought to myself. “That’s my brother. He’s helping shoot the wedding since my assistant bailed.”

  Charlie glanced over at the Mustang as it pulled right up. “Connor is helping? Awesome. I’m going to tell him to move his car though.”

  “I promise I did tell him to park on the street.”

  Charlie shooed a hand and shook his head at me. “It’s okay. No biggie.” Walking up the driveway, Charlie went up to the car. Connor rolled down his window and grinned. Removing his shades, my brother looked up at him.

  “Hey, Connor, long time no see, but could you park across the street behind the other cars just a house down?” He pointed toward the road. “Sorry.”

  “Oh, yeah. Katie told me something about that. It’s cool, I’ll move.” He put his shades back on and put his Mustang in reverse. Backing out a bit too quickly, my heart jumped as I saw him not pause and look for traffic before whipping the back end of the Mustang into the street. Thankfully, the kids weren’t still out there! I thought to myself.

  “That’s an awesome car!” Charlie said, walking back over to me as he glanced over toward it a couple of times.

  “Yeah. It’s nice.” Watching Connor through the trees, I saw him park. Praying, I asked God to help in the situation ahead of me. As long as we can get through the wedding and the reception, I might be okay by the end of the night. My eyes stayed glued on Connor as he got out of the car and started up the driveway. He was wearing a gray suit and was strutting as if he owned the world. Taking a deep breath, I surrendered my anxiety over to God.

  “Oh! Hey, Joe,” Connor said with a wave toward Joe as he was moving the ladder to another tree.

  Joe waved.

  Connor soon arrived to Charlie and me. Taking off the shades again, his eyes surveyed the inn before he shook Charlie’s hand. “This your place?”

  “Nope. It’s my grandma’s. Serenah is running it though.”

  “Oh. Who’s that?”

  Charlie raised a brow. “The bride . . .”

  “Right, right. Sorry. I was on a phone call negotiating a business deal. Sometimes it’s hard to keep everything straight up in this head of mine. Truly, I’m sorry.” Connor added, “Congratulations on the marriage. Big day for ya.”

  “Thanks, man. Business deal for what? If you don’t mind me asking?” Charlie was beginning to show interest in Connor’s business, and that had to be fixed quickly. Otherwise, my brother would change this day of holy matrimony into a convention for plastic kitchen wares.

  Worried he was going to start blabbering, I flew across the driveway and clutched my brother’s arm firmly. Jerking him toward the door into the inn, I said over my shoulder to Charlie, “We need to get set up for the wedding. Sorry! See you soon.”

  “What’d I do?” Connor asked as we went inside.

  Inside my room downstairs, I shut the door and locked it. Turning around as my face was flush with embarrassment, I glared at Connor. “You can’t make this whole wedding about you, Connor. I can’t have that happening. This is one of the biggest local client profiles I’ve shot, and—”

  He raised his hands. “I won’t mess it up. Promise.”

  Stepping toward him, I shoved his shoulder. “You’d better not.”

  Leaning over, he looked past me at the bed. He changed the subject. With a laugh, he asked, “I guess I’m handling the Nikon D610?”

  “It’s a great camera. I used that one for a long time.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Just a little cheaper than I usually like to deal with. Worried I’ll break the Canon? You know I can buy you a hundred of them without batting an eyelash.”

  “Get over yourself,” I retorted.

  Moseying across the room, he came over and picked up the Nikon. “This will be fine.”

  Putting my hand to my forehead, I let out a long sigh as I regretted everything.

  “What?” he asked, letting the camera and his arm relax to his side.

  “This was a mistake.” Walking over to the bed, I grabbed the camera case for the Nikon to start putting it away. “This is why I don’t see you very often. You’re arrogant and rude. I’m not going to have you work with me. You can just go.”

  He came over and pushed the flap shut on the camera bag. Looking into my eyes, he let go of his easygoing jerk expression and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sis. I’ll behave. Something is up with you though. I can sense it.” Backing up, he raised the camera in his hands and took a picture of my less than enthused frown. “So photogenic,” he said as he glanced at the LCD screen. Smiling as he looked at me, he shut the LCD screen off. “We’ll rock this wedding and I’ll be good. Promise.” His eyes fell to the open window that overlooked the lake. “Beautiful lake, beautiful people. I’m sure we’ll have fun. Just like Jaclynn’s sweet sixteen at Bear Lake.”

  Thinking about the event broke a smile across my face and relaxed my nerves. We had a blast shooting the birthday party. It was the one experience from my past that I can point to and say that it led to me finding a love for photography. Connor let me use his prestigious Canon at the time. The first time I took pictures in full-frame and with a high-quality camera—it was love at first shot.

  “That was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? Not like the Ekheart’s—”

  He raised a hand and furrowed his eyebrows. “Don’t even start, Katie. That Tim guy was a complete jerk. You know that he was out to get me from the get go. Regardless of how I feel . . . I understand what you mean.” He bowed with hands outstretched as he smiled at me. “Your wish is my command.”

  Chapter 7

  As the wedding commenced, Connor took pictures of the crowd and groomsmen as I worked on shots of Serenah as she made her way down the aisle to the gazebo. Knowing her father had passed years ago, I felt a bit uneasy as I watched her walk alone. My own relationship with my father was good, but thinking of her not having her father at all made me realize I didn’t see him or my mother as often as I should. I knew my thoughts rested on a false security that there was always going to be more time another day.

  Through the lens of my camera, I could see the sadness that hid itself behind her eyes. Though she had a smile, there was a small part of her that was not happy about not having her parents alive to attend. The only family she still had communication with was her cousin, Angela, in Tampa, but she didn’t even come.

  Lowering the camera, I surveyed the crowd for Connor. Catching a glimpse of him, I saw he was across the grass and beside the groomsmen. Down on a knee, he was snapping photos of the groom and his men. Peering over as Serenah made it to the steps of the gazebo, Connor stopped and went around the back end of the crowd. He passed by me with a flash of a grin. Heading up to the bridesmaids’ side, he started taking pictures
of the bridesmaids. Crouching, I went up the aisle for a few close-ups of Serenah and Charlie as they stood under the entryway of the gazebo. Their eyes were glued on one another and both beamed with nervous smiles. Snapping a few shots, I paused and slipped into a row near the front that had an empty seat available. Turning, I focused in on the ring bearer. Lucas held a small white pillow, and on top sat two rings. Zooming in, I captured his smile and the rings all in one shot. Perfect.

  Working the wide-angle crowd shots, Connor kept snapping pictures while I worked a few more close-ups. Connor and I worked fluidly without hiccups through the entirety of the ceremony.

  After the ceremony, the aisle and chairs were moved and tables brought out. Workers from the catering company moved like bees in a beehive. Moving about frantically, some would unfold the tables while others brought table cloths, candles and placeholder cards. During this time, I took photos of family and couples in front of the gazebo and then sent them over to Connor for shots in front of the shed. Each backdrop made for great photos, so the only difficult part was going to be on Serenah and Charlie in picking which to display.

  As photos wound down, the workers setting up for dinner were finished. The reception was underway, and people flocked to the tables to find their names on the placeholders.

  The sound of someone tapping a microphone carried over the crowd as dinner began to wind down. The sound came from atop the balcony, focusing everyone’s attention upward. Charlie waved as he came to the railing. “This thing on?”

  The crowd laughed.

  “Hey, everybody. I want to thank you for coming out to celebrate this very special day today with Serenah and me.” He turned, and Serenah came to join his side at the railing. Beaming with a smile, she snuggled into his arm as he wrapped it around her. “We love you all so much. I want to do a toast. I don’t want to toast my best man or even my wife. I want to toast God. For it’s God who brought Serenah and me together, and it’s He alone that will make this marriage work in the long run.” A stir within the depths of my soul rose as the man of God continued to address the crowd. Raising my camera, I snapped a picture. “Serenah and I don’t complete each other. And I know that sounds weird, but bear with me for a moment. You see, God completes us as individuals.” Charlie’s eyes turned to Serenah. “We merely complement each other. I love this woman with all my heart, and that will always be true.”

  Warmth fluttered across my heart as I snapped another picture. Grooms were never this eloquent in weddings I had shot in the past. Grabbing a tissue from my pocket that I usually have on hand for the crying bride, I dabbed my eyes. Charlie and Serenah shared a kiss, and I snapped another picture. Looking at the LCD screen, I smiled. Perfect start to marriage, just like what you wanted, I thought to myself, thinking of Serenah’s words the first day we met.

  Charlie got back on the microphone. “Thank you again for sharing this day with us. Once you finish eating, feel free to mingle in and around the house. We have a dance floor and music out front. God bless and enjoy the rest of the festivities.”

  Serenah leaned into the mic and said, “We love you all.”

  Music could be heard coming from the front yard, and many of the guests began to rise to their feet.

  An hour passed, and most of the people had already gravitated to the front and into the inn. Grabbing my laptop from my room, I hooked it up to a projector in the living room and let a slide show of a few of the day’s photos run on a loop as it projected against the wall.

  Going out front, I found Connor downing a glass of champagne near some of the tables that were brought out and set up in the driveway. “Whoa. That’s like your third glass in an hour.” I touched his arm to lower the glass from his lips.

  He shrugged a shoulder and grinned. “Work’s about over here. We did good, Sis. Time to celebrate!”

  “Hey,” a man said from behind me.

  Turning, I saw it was Kyle. “Oh, hi!” He walked toward me.

  “I never caught your name yesterday.”

  “Katie,” I replied with a grin.

  “Well, Katie, was the brownie good from the other night?” he asked.

  Laughing, I nodded. “Cream cheese frosting—how could it be bad?” I had seen him a few times during the wedding, but I hadn’t been able to stop and chat until now.

  “Want to go for a walk?” he asked, turning his body toward the inn. I glanced over at Connor, and he was already walking away. Catching a glimpse, I saw him slip another glass of champagne off a platter from a server that walked by and continue his way up to the dance floor. He’s going to regret that . . . I thought to myself. Turning back to Kyle, I nodded.

  “Sure. I could use a little walk.”

  Weaving through the crowd, we headed into the inn and out the back doors to the balcony. Down the stairs, we went into the grass. We both kicked our shoes off as we approached the sand and started walking up the shore toward the edge of the property. The quiet was a relief. The crowd could be heard faintly in the background.

  “That guy seemed to be taking an overabundance of pictures,” Kyle said.

  Nodding slowly as I peered down at the sand as the water rushed over, I grinned. “While he’s a good photographer, my brother does go a bit overkill when it comes to taking pictures. He says, ‘The only way to get the best shots is to take lots of pictures.’”

  “He seems like a good guy.” Reaching over, he unexpectedly grabbed my hand. It was awkward, so I pulled away and stopped my steps in the water. Bending down, I slid my fingertips along the surface as I peered out.

  “So beautiful out there.” Standing back up, I thought of the blonde he had brought with him. “So you and your date having fun?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. It was a roundabout way of creating that line he already tried to push by grabbing my hand.

  “Trinka? Yeah. She’s just an old friend though.” Stepping closer to me, he suddenly kissed me. As his lips came off mine, he broke into a smile that I returned even though it seemed a bit forward. Things were moving in a direction I did not see coming. “I really wanted to do that last night,” he muttered as he backed away from the kiss.

  Shaking my head, I said, “Oh, Kyle. I’m sorry if I led you on. I like the little I know about you, but that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t even know you.” His smile fell away and everything became increasingly awkward. Uncomfortable in the situation, I let out a nervous laugh. “Plus I’m still kinda working.”

  He shook his head and said, “I don’t know what it is with you, Katie. I . . . I just find you irresistible.” His lips found my neckline, sending the awkwardness to a fear. I pushed him back. “Stop. Please.”

  Suddenly, he whipped around and Joe punched him in the face, sending him crashing into the shallow water on the shore. Joe shook his hand. “Ouch,” he muttered as he turned and began to leave. I chased after him and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in the sand.

  “Thank you.”

  He stayed quiet but held a look of discontent in his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. His eyes went past me and to Kyle.

  “I don’t know, Katie.” He shrugged. Turning, he kept walking.

  Soon, he was in the grass and working his way back toward the inn. Kyle was back on his feet and shouted, “Hey, Carpenter.”

  Joe stopped and looked back at him, looking like he was ready to hit him again.

  “You’ll regret this.” With an air of arrogance, Kyle whipped his chin up and slid his wet hair back with a hand. Joe ignored him and his comment, continuing on his way to the inn.

  Chapter 8

  Back inside, Serenah approached me as I entered a doorway from the balcony. “Katie . . .” She said gently, not trying to draw attention to us. With a touch of her hand, she led me right back out onto the balcony.

  “What’s wrong?” My eyebrows shot up as I glanced past her. “Was it the slide show I tossed together?”

  She shook her head. “No, that was amazing. It’s Connor.”

&
nbsp; My insides twisted as fear clutched my throat and scenes flashed through my mind of the Ekheart event. Connor had drank too much and fell into a child-size swimming pool of vodka and Kool-Aid. He claimed he was pushed. It was one of the most mortifying experiences of my life. “What’d he do?”

  “Nothing. He’s just asleep downstairs. I think it’s best if you check in on him.” Serenah tilted her head. “What’s going on? Are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying.”

  Relief washed over me. Looking into the eyes of Serenah, I saw she really cared what was going on in my world. “Thanks for caring, but this is your wedding day, Serenah. Just try to enjoy it. I’m fine. Promise.”

  Charlie caught the corner of my eye. He looked to be searching for her. Pointing him out through the doorway, I said, “Your husband awaits.”

  After a quick hug, she hurried inside to him. I went down the second set of stairs outside that led to the lower balcony. Through the closed French doors on the lower balcony, I could see Connor fast asleep on the couch. My poor brother, I thought to myself. Going inside, I spotted a bottle of champagne under an arm. Connor had a drinking problem that developed in the attempts of curing his insomnia a few years back. Though the booze worked for a while, it eventually bled into the daylight hours and alcohol became a serious problem for him. We had a family history of alcoholism, but he ignored all the warnings our father and others had given him.

  Slipping the bottle from under his arm, I placed it on the coffee table and watched him for a moment to make sure he was breathing. Seeing his chest rise and fall, I felt a sense of relief come through me. He’s okay. Taking a seat on the carpet in front of the couch facing the fireplace, I leaned my back against the side of the couch and let my head fall onto the couch cushion. Closing my eyes, I prayed for my brother. It broke my heart to see the reality of what I already knew was true. After praying, I raised my head and a verse pressed against my mind in the moment, bringing me comfort.