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

by T. K. Chapin

  At the end of the day, we headed out to our cars. We were the only people left. Connor was back in his normal clothes, looking handsome as always. I found myself longing for a kiss. My lips almost ached for it by the time we made it out to the parking lot. Throughout the day, I found myself daydreaming of making out with him between customer arrivals. It wasn’t like there were any cameras on the lot. I envisioned him kissing me delicately, then it growing to a passion that consumed me.

  “I’m happy you came today.” My eyes traced his coat up to his face, meeting his eyes.

  He stepped closer and brushed a strand of hair out of my face, placing it behind my ear. Connor smiled and looked deeply into my eyes. “I thought about what you said last night as I went to sleep. I thought about you too. You were right. I need to make time for the important ones in my life. Plus, I love helping out for a good cause.”

  My heart raced as I could feel his warmth against my body. He was mere inches from me. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. It was disappointment in the form of a kiss, but in a weird way, I was happy.

  “Come with me to Charlotte’s.”

  “Right now?” he asked, taken aback.

  I shook my head. “No. Next week.”

  “I can do it if it’s after Tuesday. I’m going out of the country for work tomorrow for about a week, though I did enjoy a day off today.” He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips. Kissing the top of it, he smiled up at me. “It was perfect.”

  “I enjoyed it also. We’ll plan on that. I think it’s on Wednesday or Thursday, so that works. I’ll text you.”

  We hugged and said our goodbyes. He went over to his car and I got into mine. Watching him for a moment through the driver side window, I recalled my text I had sent the other day about just being friends, and I could almost kick myself as regret sank into my bones.

  CHAPTER 8

  Connor went out of the country for business, and I felt the days leading up to Charlotte’s drag like molasses. I did keep somewhat busy working at the tree lot and spending time with Serenah, but Connor was on my mind a lot. Serenah had stumbled upon more Christmas decorations that had been left behind by Jody and Wayne in the garage, so we spent a few days alone just putting all that up and tossing away the stuff that was too old to use. The result was a Christmas wonderland, including Frosty and Santa Claus inflatables hanging out in the front yard. And though I had done well with keeping myself distracted, I couldn’t help but wake up with a little extra energy to my step the morning Charlie, Serenah and I headed over to Charlotte’s house, knowing I’d get to see Connor.

  Arriving in the driveway of Charlotte’s house, I saw two girls playing in the snow around an igloo through the back passenger window. It didn’t look like much more than a mound of snow, but Charlie had told Serenah and me earlier in the morning about how they built it the same day they built the slide.

  Getting out of the car, Charlie headed over to Dylan’s house, which was next door. Serenah and I trekked through the snow over to the girls playing in the yard. Just as we came closer, the older girl went inside the igloo. Serenah called out to them as we came closer.

  “Did Dylan make that for you girls?”

  “Yep!” a little girl about the age of eight said with raised eyebrows that were tucked under a purple beanie cap. Getting down on all fours, she climbed into the igloo and then turned around inside, sticking her head out. “He said it’s my princess fort until he can build me a real castle.”

  We came over to the igloo. Serenah got down on all fours while I hung back. Where is he? I wondered as I surveyed the entrance of the driveway. My pulse was racing with anticipation of seeing him again.

  “Come check this out,” Serenah said, pulling my attention to her and the igloo.

  Getting on my knees, I looked inside the igloo. It was any kid’s dream inside. Snow bricks lined the base of the inside and went up to form a dome at the top. I could tell these kids were loved.

  The older girl, about ten, looked at us both as she stayed in the corner with her knees pulled up to her chest and furrowed eyebrows.

  “What’s wrong, Tristan?” Serenah asked.

  “Bailey won’t come play on the slide with me. She only wants to stay in the stupid snow house.” She let out a grunt at the end of her sentence, and I almost laughed.

  “Where’s Emily?” Serenah asked, turning her head out from the opening of the igloo.

  “Inside listening to music. As always,” Tristan replied. “Ever since she started talking to that boy, she never wants to hang out. Ever.”

  “Hmm . . .” Serenah tapped her chin. “How about we go get Emily and go on the slide? I bet she’ll come out if I ask.”

  Bailey, the younger one, scooted across the snow and up to Serenah, grabbing onto her arm. “I don’t like the slide,” she whined. Her eyes widened. “I go too fast. Way too fast.”

  “Don’t be a baby,” Tristan said. “It’s fun.”

  Pulling Bailey off her arm, Serenah backed out of the opening entirely and stood up. Hoisting Bailey up on her hip, she looked at Bailey and then at Tristan as she came out. “Let’s go get Emily and go slide.”

  “She won’t do it,” Tristan warned. “She’s a brat!”

  “Hey, now. Don’t call her that. Let’s go see if we can talk her into coming with us.”

  Walking across the yard, I kept glancing toward the driveway. Where’s Connor? continued to be my only thought as we traversed the yard over to the house. Going inside, we found Emily sitting on the couch with ear buds in, listening to music. At our approach, she pulled them out and smiled at Serenah. “Hey, Serenah.”

  “Come slide with your sisters,” Serenah insisted.

  “I don’t want to go out there.” Emily’s eyes traveled across the living room and toward the back door through the kitchen. “It’s too cold.” She put her ear buds back in and went back to her music until Charlotte came into the living room from the kitchen. Walking over to the couch, Charlotte tapped Emily’s shoulder. Emily promptly pulled the ear buds out.

  “Emily Mae, get outside and have some fun in the snow with your sisters. It won’t kill you.”

  “Fine, but I won’t enjoy it.” Getting up from the couch, she headed up the stairs but paused. Glancing back down at us all, she said, “I have to get dressed. It’ll be a bit.”

  “Okay,” Serenah said, and Emily darted up the rest of the stairs.

  “Sorry,” Charlotte offered.

  “It’s fine,” Serenah said. She came closer to her, and they hugged. Seeing the warmth of their relationship emanating from the expressions on their faces, I longed for such a girlfriend relationship. I had a friend like that at one point a few years back, before Ted passed—Sarah. After Ted was gone, though, her calls slowed and eventually stopped. My Christian counselor I saw for a bit after Ted’s passing insisted it wasn’t anything I did, but instead, it’s just what often happens when couples are friends with other couples and one spouse is removed.

  “You coming outside with us, Mommy?” Bailey asked as Serenah still had her on her hip.

  Shaking her head, she smiled. “Smell that dinner cooking? I have to tend to it. Connor still coming?”

  Serenah shrugged my direction as she looked over at me.

  “I think so.”

  Charlotte nodded. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

  Serenah shook her head. “Neither have I. Lots of Katie and Joe, but only a couple of times for him. I heard he’s been doing really good though.”

  “He seems like a nice guy,” I offered as we all went through the kitchen and toward the back door.

  “Don’t limit yourself now, Angie.” Charlotte touched my arm. “Did you get my message? I sent you my guy’s Facebook page link.”

  Serenah laughed. “My guy? What if Dylan heard you talking like that?”

  “Oh, shut it! He’s not my guy. I just forgot his name for a minute. Michael. His name is Michael.” Charlotte nodded confidently, though her f
ace was flushed in embarrassment.

  Letting out a short laugh, I nodded. “I haven’t gotten ahold of him, but I saw it.”

  “She went out with Connor and had a blast, then he surprised her and worked a day at the tree lot with her. Super cute,” Serenah said as she looked over at me with a raised brow and a grin. “She has the hots for him.”

  Slapping her shoulder, I shook my head as I blushed. “It’s not super serious.”

  “Uh-huh. All week, you kept telling me cute little things he did during your date and day working together. You seem pretty hung up on him.”

  Charlotte’s eyebrows went up. “Sounds pretty serious.”

  Shrugging a shoulder, I said, “I don’t think so. I haven’t heard much from him.”

  “Get ahold of Michael.” Charlotte nodded as she grabbed the handle of the back door and opened it for us.

  We all went outside while Charlotte stayed back to continue cooking. As we approached the slide that the guys had made along the side of the house, I noticed the serene quiet that was present.

  Surveying the slide, I was impressed by the extensiveness that the guys had gone through in building it. At least a half-acre in length, the slide was more like a course for the Olympic luge with all the slopes and turns it had. A mound of snow and ice with built-in stairs was the starting point of the slide. Bailey’s hesitation to go down it made a lot more sense seeing it in person. The course ran all the way down to near the shoreline of the lake. With raised eyebrows, I shook my head as I marveled. “Wow . . .”

  “You’re that surprised I showed up?” Connor said, coming up to my side.

  Startled, I turned to him. “Hey, stranger.”

  He smiled as our eyes connected. I was glad he finally showed.

  “Glad you could make it,” Serenah said, pulling his attention away from me.

  Connor rubbed his hands together to gain warmth and nodded down toward her. “Hello again, Serenah. It’s been a while.”

  Leaning into Connor’s ear, I said, “We’re going to have some chili in a bit if you want to stay.”

  “That sounds good.” Leaning in closer, he said, “Sorry about not being much for words the last week. With the time change and sketchy cell service—”

  “It’s okay.”

  Charlie and Dylan came trekking over in the snow as Tristan headed to the slide. Charlie spotted Connor and came right over to us. “Hey, man. Long time, no see. Missed you last month.”

  They exchanged a firm handshake. “Work’s been crazy with the holidays,” Connor said with a smile on his face.

  My contact started to bother me, so I excused myself and went inside. Charlotte directed me to the bathroom upstairs since the one downstairs was out of order due to a burst pipe that froze outside due to the ridiculously below average nights we had been having for several consecutive days.

  As I came out of the bathroom upstairs, I could hear a faint cry coming from the direction of a room. Emily? I wondered, walking over to the partially opened door. I almost left it alone, but something inside drew me to knock, so I did.

  Knock, knock.

  After a few light knocks, I pushed the door open a fraction and looked inside.

  She looked up from her phone and pulled out her ear buds and wiped her face of tears. “What do you want?” she said with a glare.

  “Just want to make sure you’re okay. Sorry. I shouldn’t—” With my hand on the doorknob, I starting closing it when she spoke.

  “Stupid boyfriend drama.” Looking, I saw her glaring out the window as another tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek.

  Pushing the door all the way open, I went inside. “What happened?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Emily’s eyes drifted over to me as I sat down on the bed. “Was high school hard for you? With guys?”

  I laughed. “Unbelievably hard.”

  She sat up more on the bed and leaned forward as she crossed her legs. “Really? You’re so pretty though.”

  Smiling, I said, “Sure. But I didn’t know that.” Looking her in the eyes, I said, “You’re beautiful, Emily. Don’t let any lame boy make you feel otherwise.”

  Her chin dipped as she played with the headphone cord. Peering up at me, she said, “I feel like I’m never going to graduate and I’m going to be single forever.”

  Turning more on the bed toward her, I brought a leg up and under me. “It’s going to get better. High school is nothing compared to the real world. Just focus on your grades and having fun with your friends, and don’t worry about boys. It’ll be over before you know it.”

  “I’ll try.”

  Standing up, I turned and looked at her. “You’ll be out of the house and doing your own thing soon enough. Don’t miss out on the things that really matter in the long run.” Not asking her to come outside like she told everybody she would, I left it at that and headed back downstairs.

  Back outside, I joined Connor’s side while all the adults chatted. Then, after about ten minutes, Emily came out.

  Bundled up with a scarf and snow gear, she smiled over at me as she made her way through the snow up to the slide. Connor spotted it. Leaning into my ear, he said, “I heard Dylan talking about how she wouldn’t come out earlier. What’d you do?”

  Smiling as I kept my eyes on Emily, I said, “I just talked to her.”

  Nodding slowly, he raised an eyebrow and relaxed into his stance.

  “You’re going to love it,” Dylan insisted as he headed toward the starting point right behind Emily. “Keep your hands inside and use your body to control the sled.”

  “Okay,” she replied, climbing to the top of the mound. Part fear and part annoyance could be seen in Emily’s eyes as she surveyed the course. Adjusting the sled, Dylan helped hold it steady as she sat down. He backed up and she scooted to the edge.

  Whoosh!

  Screaming and laughing as she flew down the slide, she took every corner beaming with a grin. At the bottom of the slide, she rolled off the sled after it came to a stop. Jumping up, she said, “That was awesome!” Smiling, she hurried through the snow to go again, but Tristan stopped her with a hand extended.

  “Let me try, let me try.”

  Glancing over at the other adults, I saw Charlie with his arm around Serenah. Looking to my other side, I saw Connor and our eyes connected. He put his arm around my shoulder, and I felt my heart flutter as I let myself come in closer to him. I could get used to this.

  After our meal that evening, I was feeling the need for a breath of fresh air. Going outside on her back porch, I gazed up at the stars. A few moments later, Connor joined me.

  “Thought you might like something that will warm you up,” he said, handing me a cup of coffee.

  “Thank you.” Taking the warm mug from him, I took a drink. “Yummy. Peppermint.”

  “I knew you liked it because of the airport in Seattle.” My heart fluttered at his words. Adjusting his footing, he said, “I’ve been thinking of you a lot the last week.”

  “Really? I’ve been thinking about you too.”

  Connor took a step toward me. I could feel his warmth against my body. Framing my face in his palms, he looked at me, looked at me like I was his, and then he kissed me. His warm lips gently pressed against mine, sending tidal waves of warmth through my body. He paused and pulled back.

  “Would you like to come with me to a company holiday dinner? It’s in a couple of days.” His cheeks were red from the cold, but his eyes were set on mine.

  “I’d love to, Connor.” Leaning back into him, I kissed him and smiled.

  He broke into a wide grin. “Thank you,” he said, and then we kissed again.

  CHAPTER 9

  Buying a dress for the dinner party might have been odd for just anyone who was going, but I was the date of the owner of the company—not just anyone. It made me feel special. This dress, in addition to smiling and being sociable, would be the ticket to making Connor glad to let my arm intertwine with his for th
e evening. I wanted to make him happy.

  It was late afternoon, and he’d be here any moment. Still tucked away in my bathroom, I curled the last few strands of hair. The curls of blonde, the right amount of makeup, and the absolutely stunning crimson red over-one-shoulder formal dress all came together in a perfect trifecta. Seeing myself looking back in the mirror, I smiled. I looked happy. I felt pretty. That looming darkness that had been present off and on for years wasn’t there this time.

  The doorbell rang, and my stomach flipped. That’s gotta be him, I thought to myself as I turned and heard shuffled footsteps over to the door. Leaving the bathroom, I grabbed my black purse from the bed and headed upstairs.

  I arrived in the living room, and Connor’s eyes fell onto me mid-conversation with Charlie and words stopped. His mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide. He was mesmerized. My heart fluttered deep inside me as I filled with streams of happiness throughout.

  He came over to me and bent a knee slightly as he dropped his head and kissed the top of my hand. “My lady, you look absolutely gorgeous this night.”

  I laughed and shooed him away. He looked quite handsome in his black suit and red tie that had Christmas trees on it. Serenah walked into the room from the dining area. She came right up beside Charlie. Something on her face seemed different. Not good, not bad, just different. Charlie put his arm around her back and they both smiled at us.

  “What’s going on?” My eyes trained on Serenah.

  She turned and looked up at Charlie beside her. “We’re having a baby!”

  Hurrying across the room as much as I could in a dress, I wrapped my arms tightly around Serenah and hugged her, congratulating her as I did so. Connor gave a congratulatory pat on Charlie’s shoulder and they started talking.

  Pulling Serenah to the side, I gently put my hand on her arm and asked in a whisper, “You okay?”

  Her eyes glistened as we both thought of Hope. “It makes me think of her.”