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

by T. K. Chapin

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

  Isaiah 55:8

  The verse helped me remember that God knows more than we could ever fathom and He is the one who is ultimately in control. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Peering over, I saw Joe walking down the steps and into the living room.

  I forced a smile as our eyes connected.

  I sat up out of my slump and crossed my legs. He came and sat down next to me.

  Glancing over to him, I tipped my chin. “Hey.”

  “Is he going to be okay?” His eyes weighed heavy with worry as he glanced behind me at him on the couch.

  Nodding, I said, “Yeah. He’s just passed out. Drank a little too much.”

  “I see.” Joe brought his hands together in his lap and looked at me. “I want to apologize.”

  “No. I’m happy you showed up, Joe. I was scared.” I touched his shoulder as I continued. “You saved me from a bad situation turning worse.”

  Shaking his head, he said, “No. I mean I should have warned you about the guy. I know Kyle. His dad holds a lot of my construction company’s contracts. Anyway, it’s not important. He’s not good enough for you, Katie. I could have protected you by telling you about him at the barbecue last night when I saw you guys chatting.” His head lowered. “I just didn’t say anything when I should have.”

  “It’s okay. Nothing happened.” His eyes lifted and met mine. The moonlight coming in through the French doors behind the couch illuminated both our faces. Leaning in, he was about to kiss me. My heart raced as the anticipation of his lips against mine was about to kill me. Then I asked, “Who’s Melissa?”

  He sat back, surprised. “An ex-girlfriend. Why do you ask?”

  The moment of sweet closeness was replaced by defensiveness on his part. Like he was protecting a part of him he didn’t want to share. “Miley said she thought you two were still together. I was just curious.”

  He rubbed the stubble on his chin and nodded. “We broke up a couple of weeks back.” As the words came off his lips, I cringed a little inside. Just broke up? So he’s on the rebound. “That’s all done with though. It was more of a distraction than an actual relationship.”

  “Okay.” My mind was trying to weigh the new information against what I already knew, deciding whether a kiss was what I wanted now. A moment later, it wasn’t even an option.

  A flurry of footsteps crashed down the stairwell. It sent us jumping backward out of our close quarters, breaths heavy. Miley appeared but took a step back. “Oops. Didn’t mean to interrupt, but Charlie and Serenah are going to dance in a few minutes.”

  “Okay. On my way.” Joe and I looked at each other longingly, but I wasn’t sure what to think about the fact that he was fresh out of a relationship. We stood up as Connor awoke on the couch. Joe offered a hug, and I wrapped my arms around him willingly. The warmth of his body against mine grew my desire for him as the familiar yet new feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me.

  “I have an early work day in the morning, so I’m leaving. Could I get your number?” Joe asked as we broke our embrace.

  “Yeah.” Grabbing the pen I kept in my pants pocket, I pulled his hand over to me and wrote it down. As I finished the last digit, I looked up at his eyes. Don’t hurt me, I thought.

  “Great, I’ll call you,” he said, smiling as he glanced at his hand. Watching as Joe left, I thought about how close his lips were to mine. It terrified me that we were on the brink of getting back together, yet excited me at the same time. There was something still there between us after all this time, but was he just lonely on the rebound from his last girlfriend. Connor let out a heavy breath of air from his lips and rubbed the back of his neck, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  “What’s on your mind?” he asked, looking up from sitting slouched on the couch.

  Shrugging a shoulder, I said, “I don’t know.”

  He let out a sarcastic laugh. “It’s Joe. Right?”

  “Maybe.”

  Connor pointed toward the stairs and said, “Look at Charlie. He’s changed. Maybe Joe won’t hurt you again.”

  Shrugging, I said, “I don’t know, Connor. Anyway, we have to go take some more photos.”

  He laughed. “Remember, Sis. You have it easy. Meet a guy, fall in love, live happily ever after. Me . . . not so much. I fear I’ll never know if someone truly loves me because of all this stupid money.”

  I gave him a sympathetic look as I held out my hand to help him up and we headed toward the stairs with our cameras in hand. Glancing over at him, I laughed. “If it’s so easy, why haven’t I fallen in love in the last twelve years?”

  Connor grinned. “Maybe your heart already knew what it wanted twelve years ago.”

  “So cliché.” My eyes rolled at his words, but my heart beat a little harder in the moment he said it. Hearing the music from out front change to a slow song, we hurried our pace up the stairs.

  Chapter 9

  When the sun came up the next day, nobody in the inn rose with it. Wiped out from an evening of celebration, everyone was still fast asleep. Likened to a can of sardines, I had noticed as I made my way to bed last night that people were packed tightly into any place available to sleep. Beds, couches and even a few who found their sleeping quarters in the bottom of the in-room Jacuzzis. Serenah and Charlie had allowed everyone to stay the night that wished to do so.

  At about nine that morning, the smell of bacon and eggs permeated the entire inn. Blinking my eyes open to the smell of breakfast coming from upstairs, I leaned over the bed and looked at Connor on the floor.

  Smiling as I looked upon my brother’s face, I couldn’t help but see the memories of the sleepovers we would have as children with all our cousins at our house. He was still just my little brother. His biggest fear in life back then was if his finger would truly get stuck if he picked his nose too often. Now, he feared being alone and never truly loved. It broke my heart that he had to struggle with never knowing if someone really wanted to be with him or if it was just the money.

  Spotting his mouth gape open as he snored, I decided to have a little sibling fun that morning. Slipping out from the covers, I went into the bathroom and poured a glass of water as quietly as possible. Tip-toeing back into the room, I made my way over to my sleeping brother’s side. Tilting the cup above his lips, I let a dab of water drip. Coughing and jerking his body up in one motion, his eyes snapped open. I let out a laugh as I jumped out of the way of his swat toward my legs. Confusion wrought his face as he gained his composure.

  Laughing, I covered my mouth. “Your face was so priceless.”

  Glaring eyes met mine as he got up off the floor. “Not funny, Skate.” He hurried past me in a fit of anger and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He’ll get over it, I thought to myself. That was him, though. He always hated the pranks, but that’s what made them so much fun.

  Retrieving my laptop from the dresser, I took it out to the little table just outside my door to glance over the photos from the night’s events.

  After a wonderful breakfast made by Miley, the one who would be watching the inn the next couple of days, all the wedding guests ushered the newlyweds out the door and down the road. Charlie and Serenah were heading to Ocean Shores for a weekend getaway. Leaving their cellphones along with all responsibilities behind, they were two hearts irrevocably in love. They weren’t like the other newlyweds I was accustomed to seeing. Their devotion not only to each other, but to God made it abundantly clear they were going to be one of the couples that made it in the long run. Everyone filed back into the inn, but Connor came out with my luggage in hand.

  Weaving between the people, he made eye contact with me. “Hey, unlock your car,” he pushed out as he maneuvered up the driveway toward the road. He had told me over breakfast he was in a hurry to get back to Spokane due to an urgent work-related matter and the file he needed was on his compu
ter at home. He was just being nice by helping me with my own luggage. Reaching in my pocket, I pressed the button to unlock the car.

  “Thank you,” I said as Connor traversed down the driveway.

  “Anything for my Sis!” he replied, shooting one hand holding a suitcase in the air.

  Arriving home that evening, I transferred all the pictures from the memory cards to my workstation desktop computer. Starting the transfer, I left my office and went down the hallway and into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. I knew I’d be up for a while working through the night. Sorting the good photos from the bad took a while, but the real time sink was editing each photo to perfection. It was a monster of a task but I loved it. After finishing my portion of the work, I’d have Connor take a glance to make sure they looked okay before sending them off to the professional labs to be printed.

  Coming back to my room with a cup of coffee, I sat down at my desk. Starting with photos that Connor had taken, I noticed Kyle in the background of one of the photographs. He was sitting at one of the tables during the reception. Zooming in, I saw his hand atop his date’s hand on the table. He lied about Trinka being a friend? Dumb. Clicking through more photos, I noticed Kyle show up again and again. One photograph showed him kissing a girl, not even his date. Repulsed, I immediately deleted the photograph. Pausing a moment afterward, I shook my head as I realized Joe was right about Kyle, and he deserved much more than just the punch Joe gave him.

  I continued on working through photos without even knowing how much time had passed when a knock on my front door interrupted my concentration. Glancing down at the clock on the computer screen, I saw it was just past ten. Who could that be? I wondered as I got up and went down the hallway. Checking the peephole, I saw it was Joe and Wagner, the dog we had rescued. My heart jumped and I smiled. Peering over at the mirror that hung near the front door, I ran my fingers through my hair and tried my best to make it look cuter. Another knock.

  “Just a second.” I flashed my teeth in the mirror to make sure they were okay.

  I slowed my movements as I opened the door, trying not to show how excited I was to see him. “Hi, Joe.”

  “Hey. Sorry, I know it’s late, but I don’t know what to do with Wagner.” I backed up and let him in as he continued speaking. “Mr. Atkins called me and said Wags had to go. Gave me a chance to pick him up before he got a bullet in the head.”

  Covering my mouth as my eyebrows shot up, I shook my head. “What a cruel man.” Shutting the door, I followed Joe over to the couch in the living room and we both sat down. “Why would he kill him?”

  “Chickens. Wagner kept getting inside the chicken coop and chasing the chickens.” Joe lowered his head and looked at Wagner as he patted him. “He just likes to play.”

  “Well, I’m glad you got him.” Looking around the room, I said, “He can stay with me, but why wouldn’t you take him?”

  “My landlord won’t allow it.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, I’m sure he’ll love it here. Princess did when she was alive.” Standing up, I went into the kitchen and started opening cupboards. “I’m trying to find Princess’s old food and water dish.”

  Joe looked in from the living room over his shoulder. Catching his watchful eye as I stretched my body up to reach a dish, I blushed. He’s checking me out. He turned his eyes back to the dog when I caught him staring. “Any dog food?”

  “I’ll get him some tomorrow.”

  “I brought his leftover bag with me. It’s out in the truck. I’ll go grab it. By the way, you need a P.O. Box, Katie. I shouldn’t be able to find out where you live on your website. There are creeps out in this world. Protect yourself.”

  Embarrassed, I blushed with a curt nod. “I’ll get on that tomorrow. Why didn’t you call?”

  He laughed. “I didn’t want to give you the option of saying no. I wanted to see you.”

  My heart warmed. Running the faucet, I let the water side of the dish fill up.

  Joe got up and headed toward the door to go get the dog food as I set the dish down on the edge of the kitchen counter. My footsteps followed after Joe.

  He opened the door and paused in the doorway, turning to me. Our eyes locked, and this time I knew I wanted to collide with those lips. Waiting for it, wanting it, and even leaning in a little, I was ready to taste those lips.

  “I’ll be right back with that dog food.” He headed down the hallway, leaving me humiliated. My heart pounded as another blush warmed my cheeks. Is he really not interested now? Ugh. Watching him in his jeans and black leather jacket disappear into the elevator down the hallway, I became annoyed.

  Going back inside, I shut the door and headed back into the kitchen. Taking a glass from the cupboard, I quickly turned on the faucet and got a drink of water. Walking with my glass in hand, I headed back into the living room and looked at Wagner as he sat on the couch. He looked sad. Going over to him, I bent down on my knees, set my glass down on the coffee table, and patted his head. “I feel your pain, doggy.”

  A few minutes later, Joe came back, but he knocked again. Laughing, I said, “You don’t have to knock, Joe.” Getting up from the couch, I walked over and opened the door.

  It was Jax.

  “Hey, Jax. You never called the other night.”

  He nodded and looked down. Something was weighing on his conscience. “I know. I’m sorry I didn’t call back.” He looked past me and said, “Could I come in? I need to talk to you.”

  “Sure.” Opening the door all the way, I let him in, not letting the door shut since I knew Joe was close behind. “What’s going on?” I asked as my eyes followed him over to the couch. He sat down.

  Wringing his hands together as the weight he was carrying on his mind pinned him down, he shook his head and began crying. My eyes went wide with uncomfortable feelings in the situation.

  Joe appeared in the doorway and our eyes connected. A look of confusion crossed Joe’s face, and I shrugged over at him with wide eyes.

  A moment later, Jax looked up at me and then over at Joe. “Oh. I didn’t realize you had company.” Standing up, he adjusted his collar and wiped his eyes, going past me. Stopping, he turned and shook his head. “You know what? No. No more excuses. Katie, I love you. I fell for you the moment I set eyes on you in San Francisco at that photography convention. It’s the reason I do everything I do for you. And the other night, well, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t do it again. There. I said it. Doesn’t really look like it matters though.” He glanced over at Joe. “You never saw me as more than a friend you could call when in need.” Turning, he walked out the door, pushing past Joe with a shove in the shoulder as he stormed off.

  Joe walked in with wide eyes as he glanced over his shoulder toward the doorway. “Wow. Who was that?”

  My mouth gaped open as I shook my head. Letting a sarcastic laugh out, I said, “A fellow photographer.”

  “You two . . .”

  I shook my head as I went over and shut the door, locking it. “Not at all. Never thought of him that way, nor would I.”

  He smiled and held up the dog food. “Well, here’s the dog food. This should cover a couple of days until you can get to the store.”

  My heart was pounding, no longer because of wondering about Joe and my missed kiss, but the odd situation with Jax. “Thank you. Sorry about that weird thing with Jax.”

  Joe smiled. “I’m sure a pretty girl like you has it more often than not.”

  I laughed. “No. That was a first.”

  Joe pulled his phone from his pocket and then said, “I’d better get going. Early morning.”

  “Okay.” I felt disappointed but tried not to let it show. “Let me see your phone and I’ll plug in my number this time instead of writing it on your hand. I don’t know what we were thinking.”

  He handed me the phone. “Honestly, I wasn’t thinking of anything outside of kissing you.”

  Smiling at his comment, I continued to punch in my digits. As I looked up at him to ha
nd his phone back, he stepped in closer. Sliding a strand of hair behind my ear, he looked deeply into my eyes and said, “You have a beautiful soul, Katie.”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m serious. I saw the way you were with that camera at the wedding, capturing the moments that last a lifetime. You pay attention to the small details while everyone else is just passing through time.”

  The comment surpassed any of the compliments I was used to hearing. He made me feel understood.

  Leaning in, he kissed me. With his lips against mine, I felt the world disappear around us and the moment consumed me. Kissing him back, I let all my thoughts fade. He pulled back and smiled.

  “Have a good night, Katie.”

  “Good night.” As I leaned against the doorway of my condo and watched Joe walk down the hallway, a grin came over my face. Touching my lips with a fingertip, I thought about the kiss again. His lips were delicious, his gentleness perfection. Had he gone all this way to find out where I lived, drove out here after ten o’clock at night, and dropped the dog off, all for that one moment? Glancing over at Wagner, I smiled. I think so.

  Chapter 10

  After a late night of editing and distracting thoughts of Joe, I decided the next day to drive out to the Spokane Valley. I wanted to see my parents. Time with Connor made me homesick, and learning of Serenah’s father along with Miley losing her dad, it made me realize how limited time can be. The drive out to the Valley to see them wouldn’t have been long if I didn’t first have to stop by Connor’s house. I had to pick up the flash that went with the Nikon he had used at the wedding. It somehow had found its way into his luggage. When I arrived, he was sitting on the porch wringing his hands. His eyes were swollen and red. Crying wasn’t normal for Connor. Tossing my car into park in his driveway, I got out and rushed across the front yard over to him at the steps.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Raising his tear-filled eyes, his lips trembled. “Geoffrey died.” His hand came up and covered his mouth. He wailed, causing my heart to twist in pain at my brother’s loss and the agony he was experiencing. Geoffrey was Connor’s best friend and we had known him since we were kids. Sensations like that of a rope tightening around my chest caused my breathing to shallow.