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

by T. K. Chapin

  The line shifted a few paces.

  Attempting to focus on my breathing, I was minding my own business when a man in front of me turned around. He looked at me for a second and then shifted his gaze to somewhere behind me. Then he took the liberty of looking at me again. Our eyes met for a moment, but I shifted my eyes to a row of seats nearby.

  “You going to Detroit?” the man asked.

  Shaking my head, I looked at him. “No. Just passing through. I connect out.” Conversations, or more specifically, small talk, weren’t something I was interested in. Especially with men. They had a way of taking a simple conversation and thinking I was interested. Turning my head, I looked over at the row of seats again.

  I saw a child.

  Not over three or four years old, the little boy was smiling as he pushed a train back and forth on the floor and made train sounds as he went. Peering up at his mother and father, I flashed them a smile. My heart longed for a family ever since I was young enough to chase my siblings around the house. Ted and I were going to have kids at the five-year mark of our marriage.

  Arriving at the ticket booth, the lady took my five hundred and thirty-two-dollar piece of paper. She tore off a portion, handing only a remnant back to me.

  “Thank you.”

  As I walked down the narrow jetway toward the plane, I prayed for safe travels for not only myself, but everyone up in the air that day.

  Stepping over the small gap of space between the plane and the jetway, I noticed the runway not far below. I lifted my eyes, and they fell on two flight attendants and a pilot. They all welcomed me with smiles and handshakes that helped my anxiety a smidge. There was something about meeting the pilot that settled my nerves.

  After finding my seat, I peered out the window and stared at the other planes I could see off in the distance. Some were landing, and others were getting ready to take off. So many planes and so many people, all coming and going for the holidays.

  Eventually, the plane filled up and I thought myself lucky since the seat beside me was empty. Then, just as the door was being shut by one of the flight attendants, a blond guy in a gray suit grabbed the door from shutting.

  They let him on.

  Holding my breath, I watched nervously as he chatted the flight attendants up and apologized for his lateness. He came down the aisle and our eyes connected. He glanced up at the number and then his ticket.

  He sat down.

  Letting the air out of my lungs, my shoulders slumped and I turned my eyes back to the window.

  “Sorry to disappoint.”

  Turning my head, I nodded to acknowledge his comment but kept looking outside.

  “I like it when there’s an empty seat beside me. Makes me less nervous about flying.”

  Turning to him as the engines fired up, I felt like talking could distract me. “You don’t like flying?” I asked.

  Buckling his seat belt, he shook his head. “Hate it. I like to be on the ground. Even though planes are the safest way to travel, they freak me out.”

  “Me too,” I replied. Watching, I saw him retrieve a pair of ear buds from his backpack and plug them into his phone. “What are you listening to?”

  “It’s a pretty broad mix. I really like jazz.”

  Nodding, I said, “Jazz is nice. I like a little bit of everything, but I love the violin.”

  My eyes shifted back to the window as the plane began rolling. My heart raced as I prayed fervently for God to keep us all safe on the flight. Cast all your fears and anxieties on the Lord, Angie, I thought to myself.

  The plane jolted forward.

  Pushing my palm against the seat in front of me, I took notice of my breathing and started taking deep breaths. C’mon, Angie. We haven’t even taken off yet. Keep it together. Worst case scenario? You get to see Jesus today. That’s a pretty good worst case scenario. My breathing came back under my control as the flight attendants got into position to go over safety while flying.

  As the woman over the intercom system talked about the seat being a life preserver, the man beside me snickered.

  “What’s so funny?” I inquired.

  He leaned over and said, “How is that going to save us in any circumstance?”

  Laughing a little, I caught the attention of the flight attendant. She flashed a forced and plastic smile over at me for a second and then continued with the presentation.

  Successfully avoiding any additional small talk from the attractive gentleman sitting beside me on the plane, I made it to Detroit and connected to Seattle. I didn’t notice, but he had also been on the flight from Detroit to Seattle. After getting off the plane in Seattle, I found my way over to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a little coffee shop inside the airport, as I waited for the flight to Spokane.

  As I read an email from my landlord that came through on my phone during the last flight, I was interrupted.

  “You drink coffee too?” the man from the plane asked as he walked through the trellis and into the sitting area of the coffee shop.

  Peering up at him, I nodded and couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm he held for such a rudimentary fact.

  “Sure do,” I replied.

  Turning my eyes back to the phone to help communicate the fact that I didn’t want him to come over to the table, I glanced up a moment later to see where he was now. Watching, I saw him order a coffee, but when he handed his money over to the cashier, he glanced behind him for a moment. What is that about? He turned his body toward me, and I jerked my eyes back to my phone to hide my interest. Slowly, I looked again. Now he was waiting at the end of the counter for his coffee. As he waited, he tapped his fingers on the countertop and kept a smile on his face. The person standing in line behind him previously walked over to him and shook his hand with a smile on her face. Ahh, he’s one of those kind of guys.

  Boarding the plane an hour later, I laughed as I found us in the exact seats we were in during our flight from Tampa to Detroit.

  I smiled as I scooted past him, and he looked up at me. “I wasn’t late this time.”

  Getting comfortable in my seat, I set my purse down at my feet and caught his eyes still on me. In an attempt to shoo his interest away from me, I brought up what I had seen earlier. “Did you have a good coffee date with that gal?”

  He leaned in toward me. “What are you talking about?”

  “The girl you bought coffee for earlier.”

  “Ooooh. That.” He laughed and sat back in his seat. Glancing over at me, he leaned in. “I bought the whole line of people coffee. Not just that girl.”

  Taken aback, I shook my head. “Why would you do something like that?”

  “Um. It’s a nice thing to do? Plus, it’s the season for giving.” He pulled out a small candy cane from his front suit pocket and handed it to me. “I know it’s a little early, but Merry Christmas.”

  “Yes. Five weeks away, but how sweet.”

  He laughed. “Literally.”

  A few minutes later, he put in a pair of ear buds and leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes.

  Turning my head, I focused on the runway and prayed for another safe flight.

  Not a half hour later, the flight was interrupted by a rough patch of turbulence.

  The plane shook, and luggage tumbled from the overhead compartments and into the aisle.

  Clutching onto both armrests, I felt my insides rumble. The pilot came over the intercom. “We’re flying into some bad weather. Please make sure your seatbelt is on and you are securely in your seats.”

  Shaking of the plane worsened.

  Then the plane dropped.

  Screams erupted.

  Clutching the armrests tightly as my knuckles went white, I prayed. I felt my heart pound against my ribcage and my faith falter. Come on, get it under control. We’re almost done with the flight.

  When the oxygen masks suddenly fell from the ceiling, I lost it. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I reached up and attempted to untangle the m
ask from the knot of tubes.

  The knotted tubes weren’t coming undone.

  The man beside me reached up and untangled them. Reaching over, he placed it around my face and our eyes met. I saw the fear in his eyes that I felt in my heart as the lights flashed in the plane. As the plane turned to one side and screams from others grew louder, I just kept looking into his eyes. Suddenly, I felt a touch as one of the man’s hands found mine. We clutched our hands together and leaned into one another.

  He began praying. His voice rattled and was muffled by all that was going on around us, yet somehow, I could hear him. “Father, we come to you not knowing the outcome. Please help us in our time of need. Please, Lord, save us.” In the midst of the most fearful moment of my life, I found myself in prayer with a stranger.

  Our hands locked and we kept staring into each other’s eyes in what was probably one of the most intense moments of my life. Life and death danced in the moment. Anything could happen.

  Soon, the plane regained control and leveled out.

  It was over.

  As we released our hands from one another and breathed a sigh of relief, the pilot came over the intercom and apologized. The pilot’s voice sounded rattled over the circumstances we had endured. The screaming had stopped and a quiet weeping took its place in the plane.

  As the plane started its descent not long after to land in Spokane, the stranger reached below his feet and opened his backpack. Pulling out a small white cardboard box, he turned to me. My eyes traced the outline of the box as he handed it to me.

  Shaking my head, I looked at him. “What is this for?”

  Pushing a smile, he tilted his head. The way he looked into my eyes right in that moment struck a chord inside me. Like a strum of a violin, the sound of his voice echoed through my body and a warmth radiated from inside me. “A thank you. You let me hold your hands and pray with you. That meant the world to me and more than you’ll ever know.” His eyes fell to the box. “My business card is in there too. Call me sometime.”

  CHAPTER 2

  As I exited the Spokane International Airport’s revolving doors, I was greeted by a gust of chilly winter air and flakes of snow. Not having ever experienced snow in Florida, I was startled by the coldness the flakes brought as they bounced against my skin. Even with all the coldness of winter, I couldn’t help but still carry a sense of joy for making it to Spokane alive.

  With my purse atop my suitcase and the white cardboard box tucked away inside my luggage, I strolled down the sidewalk with my head bowed in pursuit of a cab. Soon, a cab pulled up beside me, splashing through some of the slush that had collected near the curb. The passenger side window rolled down and a man leaned over the console.

  “Hey, Miss. You need a ride?”

  Lifting my eyes as I shielded the winter elements with an arm, I nodded. “Desperately!”

  “Get in!”

  I went to the back door of the cab as another gust of wind swooped in and pushed part of my pea-coat up to one side, letting a sliver of cold wind shoot up into my shirt. I let out a shriek. Grabbing my suitcase and purse, I tossed them into the back and got into the cab, slamming the door shut. My teeth clattered as I rubbed my arms, trying to recapture the warmth I once knew.

  Laughing, the cab driver adjusted the rearview mirror and looked at me. “Where you from?”

  “Florida.”

  “Ah . . . Florida. Far colder here. Yes?”

  “It sure is.” Glancing out my window, I saw the man from the plane going into the parking garage. I felt a connection with him now, like I knew him or something. Part of me wished we would have talked more.

  “Where can I take you?” the cab driver asked, breaking into my thoughts.

  “Here,” I replied, handing him the address to the Inn at the Lake.

  “Beautiful lake,” the driver said, putting the car into drive. “You will have a good time there.”

  Peering out the window of the cab, I thought about the stranger, our prayer, and our brush with death. It was surreal to me now, almost like a dream or something. He was there with me and I was there with him. The moment would stay with me always.

  Arriving at the inn, I paid the cab driver and got out. Setting my purse atop my suitcase, I grabbed onto the handle and rolled it down the snow- and ice-covered driveway toward the inn’s front door. My mouth gaped open at the sight of the inn and the frozen lake that sat behind it. Serenah has been living here? I thought to myself as I could hear shards of ice break beneath my heels. Serenah had done well for herself living with her ex-husband, John, back in Albany, but it was always his house and his property and his money, according to him and the prenuptial agreement Serenah signed before the marriage.

  A Christmas wreath hung from a nail on the front door of the inn. When the door opened, the wreath shook, dropping a pile of snow into the entry, and there stood my cousin whom I hadn’t seen in years. She glowed with a radiance that I once knew for myself. She looked happy. Never did I see the same sort of joy radiate from her in the years she was with John. Gripping tighter to the handle, I scurried the rest of the span of driveway that separated us, continuing down the rock salted stairs to her. Letting go of my suitcase, I wrapped my arms around her and let the warmth of her hug sweep over me.

  The warmth of familiarity coursed through my body as we embraced. It had been five years since we last saw each other. Ted’s and my wedding, to be exact. Serenah and John had come down from Albany to visit, and John made a fool of himself before they left. He had drunk a few too many glasses of champagne and found himself in an odd predicament when he almost hit her right in front of Ted. My husband, the gentleman he was, caught his fist mid-air and stopped John mid-swing. They left that same night to a hotel until they flew out early the next day.

  As we released from our hug, Serenah smiled at me. Her eyes glossed over and she looked as if she was about to cry at any moment. “I’m so happy you made it.”

  “Me too! It feels great getting out of Tampa, even if it is cold and snowy.” That was the truth. Whether it was the near-death experience I just had on the plane or sheer relief from getting out of that same town I had been stuck in for years, I felt amazing.

  Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, she said, “Come inside and let me get you some coffee. Hey, did you try The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf place in Seattle?”

  Reaching behind me, I found the handle of my suitcase and yanked it up into the doorway. We went inside. “I did. They had this peppermint latte that was delicious.”

  Serenah’s face distorted as if she could taste the drink herself. “Really? That sounds kind of gross.”

  “If you like candy canes, it’s yummy.”

  As we got inside the foyer, Charlie walked in from the kitchen and slid his hand to the small of Serenah’s back. Reaching his other one out, he introduced himself. “I’m Charlie.”

  Smiling, I replied, “Nice to finally meet you, Charlie. I’m Angie. I would’ve recognized you anywhere, though, with all the photos Serenah posts online of you guys.”

  “Oh, you saw wedding ones we uploaded?” Serenah asked.

  I nodded in agreement. “They were all beautifully done.”

  Maneuvering around me and over to my suitcase, Charlie grabbed it. “Let me take this stuff to your room.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled and took the suitcase down a set of stairs off the foyer.

  Walking with Serenah, we came around the fireplace and into the living room. My eyes traced the lines of the corners up to the vaulted ceiling and over to the windows. Below the windows were French doors and a view of the lake. Frozen, but still marvelous, the lake captured my attention immediately. “It’s so gorgeous here, Serenah.”

  “I know.” We walked across the carpet that led over to the French doors. Peering through the panes of glass and out to the water, she continued, “I’ve been here for a while now and it never gets old. I love it.”

  A cough came from somewhere behind us. Turning around,
I saw the end of a blanket slip past a corner wall and into the kitchen. “Who’s that?” I asked with a lowered voice.

  Serenah came closer and lowered her voice to a whisper, matching mine. “That’s Emma, Charlie’s grandma. She lives with us now. She moved in about a month ago since she’s toward the end of her life.”

  Frowning, I said, “That must be hard.”

  “It really is.” Serenah let out a sigh as she appeared to be somewhere else in her mind for a moment. Tears began to well in her eyes. “I’ve grown to love her like Ne Ma.”

  “Wow,” I replied with a raised eyebrow. Ne Ma was our great-grandmother whom all of us cousins would stay with around holidays and during the summer. It was the best place in the world to a kid, not just because of the river running through the property that we always played in, but the warmth and love we shared for Ne Ma. She was a woman who would spend hours playing hide and seek in the woods with us and let us help can strawberry jam in her basement, and she would always keep us loaded up on the sugary sweets during our stay.

  “The doctors are saying maybe a couple more months.” Serenah looked over her shoulder. “She thinks a little longer, but we’ll see. Regardless, she’s here now.”

  Nodding, I said, “Ted’s mother just passed a few months back.”

  Serenah frowned at hearing the words. “So many people are dying lately. I’m sorry to hear that. How did you do at the funeral?”

  Shrugging a shoulder as I felt a knot of anxiety ball up in my chest, I kept my eyes on the lake.

  “You didn’t go.” Serenah stepped closer as my eyes watered. Placing an arm around me, she leaned her head against my shoulder. “It’s okay, Angie. Sometimes we can’t do things.”

  Though I wasn’t sure why, maybe because I felt comfortable with her, the flood gates of my tear ducts broke open and I cried into her shoulder. “It was his mom! I should have been there.”

  Serenah wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “This is why you should be here. We need this kind of thing. I know I do. Hey, why don’t we have some hot cocoa?”