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

by T. K. Chapin

  I nodded. “Isaiah 57:1 says, ‘the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.’ Who knows what could have happened if you had Hope, Serenah. If John showed up and you had Hope . . . you just don’t know what could have happened. Your entire life could be different.” Giving her a hug, I said, “It’s going to be okay.”

  “I know.” A sniffle and a nod came from her as we broke our embrace. She dabbed her eyes with her palm to get the tears away. “Though I seem sad, I’m quite excited.” Connor and Charlie came over to us, and Charlie slipped his hand to Serenah’s lower back.

  “We were trying to wait until Christmas,” Charlie said, shaking his head as he smiled. “But we couldn’t. We were too excited to break the news.”

  “I’m so happy for you two.”

  Arriving at the Lincoln Center, Connor got out and opened my door for me. As I stepped out, he pulled me in close to him. Surprised, I smiled as our lips touched. Melting at the gentle touch of his lips against mine, I felt warmth radiating in my chest. Pulling back gently, he smiled at me.

  “I know I already said it, but you look absolutely gorgeous, Angela. I’m going to have my work cut out for me keeping the other guys away from you tonight.” Connor grinned as he stuck out his arm to me and I grabbed on.

  We walked across the street and up to the doors of the Lincoln Center. A doorman took our jackets, and we walked down the hallway to a big open room. The room had streams of white and red fabric that hung from one side of the tall ceiling to the other, and snowflakes dangled in the air above our heads like stars in the sky. There were a dozen and a half tables, a dance floor, and a DJ station.

  The only people there when we showed up were a few staffers who were catering the event. Nobody else had shown up as early as we did. Connor led me to a table and then headed over to a doorway that led into the kitchen. I waited.

  He came back out five minutes later with a chef and walked over to me. “Elnardo, this is Angie.”

  “Oh, yes. She is very pretty.” His voice had a thick accent, and he went for my hand, but Connor shooed him away.

  “Hey now, Elnardo.” Connor was light and playful, but there was a hint of seriousness in his tone toward the man.

  The Chef let out a hearty laugh and nodded to Connor. “I must get back in my kitchen to finish preparing. You pay me too much to not get back in there.” He looked at me. “It was nice to meet you, Angie.”

  Connor sat down in the chair near me and scooted it closer to me. He took one of my hands into his and rubbed the top of it. “Elnardo is an old friend of mine. He’s one of the best cooks in Spokane. Voted number twelve in the Northwest last year. He is a good man. You okay?”

  Smiling, I nodded. “I’m fine, Connor. He seems nice, and I love that accent.”

  He laughed. “The accent is a perk.”

  “I notice you call me Angela but introduce me as Angie to others. How come?”

  “I think Angela is a beautiful name for a beautiful woman, but I know you prefer Angie, so others can call you that. But to me, you’ll always be Angela.” The way he said Angela right in that moment caused a flutter in my chest to pulse through me.

  People showed up within the hour, and soon, the entire place was hopping with music, conversation and dancing. Connor didn’t have any champagne with his staff. I thought it was because of the whole nature of their relationship, but I found out that wasn’t the case when I offered him a drink from my glass. He pulled me aside, away from the crowd, and told me about his past experiences with insomnia and how bad the drinking had gotten.

  “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have if I had known.” My head hung.

  “No, don’t apologize.” He came in closer, lifting my chin with the side of his finger. Smiling at me, he shook his head. “You didn’t know. It’s all right.”

  “This champagne is kind of killing my head anyway. I haven’t had a glass of alcohol in like a year.” I set the glass down on the table in the hall, and he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I smiled, letting my head fall back onto his shoulder.

  “Kind of nice to get away from the crowd.” His voice was but a sweet whisper in my ear. He kissed my earlobe lightly, then just below my ear on my neck, sending shivers through me.

  “You sure seem to be liked by everyone who works for you.” He pulled my hair back and played with it a little. He let out a short laugh.

  “You know how that is . . . they get paid to like you.” Bringing all my hair over one shoulder, he lowered his lips to the back of my neck and kissed. I closed my eyes and let myself focus on that feeling—that feeling of being alive and overtaken with happiness, and that feeling of the rest of the world disappearing.

  “Angela . . .” His voice was soft, his tone smooth and sending me deeper into the warmth of his arms around me.

  “Yeah?” My head still rested on his shoulder, and I glanced up at him.

  Suddenly, a couple came barreling out from the banquet room. We separated immediately as we were jolted from our moment. The woman was in hysterics, mascara running, and her date tried to comfort her, but she pulled away and headed down the hallway toward the exit.

  “What’s going on, Jonathan?” Connor asked, prompting the man to come over to us.

  Jonathan shook his head. It was apparent he was trying to hold back tears as his eyes glistened with a glaze. “Marie’s brother was just shot. He’s a cop in Atlanta.”

  “No,” Connor said, glancing toward the exit. He stepped closer to Jonathan and touched his arm. “Is he alive?”

  “It’s not looking good. He’s in ICU.”

  Shaking his head, Connor looked back at me and raised a hand. “Come here. Let’s all pray.” I came up to him. Putting his arms around Jonathan and me, Connor led us in a prayer. “God, we come to You today, pleading for You to help Marie’s brother . . .”

  Jonathan added, “Frank.”

  Connor continued, “Please Lord, we lift Frank up into Your hands. Help him heal, help him live. Watch over his unit, and we pray that You just wrap your arms around this family at this time. Amen.”

  Lifting our heads, Connor and Jonathan were both in tears. My eyes were welling with tears. Connor turned to Jonathan and grabbed his shoulder in a comforting way. “Tell Marie I’ll have my assistant book the first flight out for you two. She’ll need your support.”

  “You don’t have—”

  Connor shook his head. “I won’t take no for an answer. If she refuses, tell her I’ll fire her if she doesn’t get on that plane and go. And also tell her not to worry about the time she misses at work.”

  Jonathan smiled and more tears came. He hugged Connor tightly and then hurried down the hallway to the exit. Connor came back over to me, our moment far beyond gone. I felt drained. He took my hand and kissed it. “That’s so sad . . .”

  I nodded, watching the exit door close. Turning my eyes to Connor, I saw how genuine of a person he was. He really cared. “I don’t understand how people can just take a life like that.”

  “What do you mean?” Connor asked.

  “To have so little care for human life. I don’t understand it.”

  He nodded. “It’s sad.”

  Putting my arms around his neck, I looked at Connor. “What were you going to ask me?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t remember.” Letting out a breath of air, his eyes glanced back toward the doorway of the banquet hall. “We should get back in there.”

  CHAPTER 10

  After the company party that night, I dreamed of Connor. The next night too. He was consuming my thoughts, and worry began to creep into me. He was becoming too important too quickly, and the reality was that I was going to go back to Florida after Christmas and we would be separated.

  Two days after the company Christmas party, while I was sitting on my bed in the early afternoon reading my Bible, I came across a passage of verses that had been highlighted by Ted. Streaks of yellow highlighted Ephesians 2:3-6.

  3 All of us also liv
ed among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

  The passage itself, as a whole, did not catch my attention right away, but that word I loathed, dead, triggered the realization that the anniversary of Ted’s death had come and gone without so much as a thought on my part. It was last Tuesday, I thought to myself as tears welled in my eyes. How could I forget? Guilt rattled my core as I rested my hands on my open Bible. Glancing down at the Scriptures, I read it over again. This time, a different part jumped out at me. Gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. The verse only worsened my sadness and made me feel like the most selfish widow on earth.

  Serenah came through the open door and saw me crying. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I missed it.”

  Confused, she came over to the bed and sat down. “Missed what?”

  “He died four years ago . . . last Tuesday.”

  Reaching over, Serenah grabbed my hand and caressed the top with her thumb. “It’s okay, Angie.”

  Pursed lips formed a thin line across my face as I shook my head. Tears continued to pour out of me as grief consumed my being. “It’s not okay, Serenah. I never forget the date. I was too busy enjoying my life and thinking about Connor. And I forgot all about Ted!”

  Standing up from the bed, she came closer and gave me a hug. It did little to comfort me. While I had been busy thinking and dreaming of Connor, and even kissing him, Ted’s passing wasn’t remembered. A pit began to form in my stomach.

  Throughout the entirety of the day, I wept every time I thought not only of Ted, but of Connor. My heart was weighing down with remorse and grief over forgetting the day that had lived for so long as a stinging reminder of the worst day of my life. I also couldn’t help having a feeling of guilt. I had enjoyed my time with Connor, and that truth made the circumstances all the worse. My heart had enjoyed another man’s company.

  After Charlie and Serenah retired to their private quarters for the evening, I stayed up a little longer in the living room. The shimmering tinsel on the tree reflected the Christmas lights Charlie had hung beautifully. The ornaments, which Serenah had strategically placed, brought the tree to life. Then there, on the side facing the windows, hung the ornament that Connor had given me. Earlier in the day, I went to grab it and throw it away, but Serenah stopped me. She insisted that it stay.

  Taking a drink of my cider, I found the bottom of the coffee mug, so I stood up and went into the kitchen to place it in the sink. As I crossed into the kitchen, I saw a picture of Charlie and Serenah on the fridge. They were smiling and happy. I thought of Ted. We were happy once, I thought to myself. Before he went off and died. Continuing over to the sink, I ran water in the cup, rinsing it out, and then I set it in the sink. Hearing a noise behind me, I turned.

  “Just getting a drink of water. Don’t mind me,” Emma said as she moved with grunts and apparent pain in every step across the kitchen floor. Stepping out of the way, I leaned against the counter. She ran the faucet and then opened the cupboard.

  “Emma?” I said gently as I recalled from previous conversations with Serenah that she had been married before.

  “Yes?”

  Seeing the clock focus in behind her head of gray hair, I saw it was after eleven. She’s probably too tired to chat, I thought. “Never mind. It’s too late.”

  Taking a drink of the water, she set the glass down on the counter beside the sink for later use. Raising her eyebrows, she looked steadily at me. “It’s never too late for a question. What’s on your mind?”

  “How old were you when your husband passed? What can you tell me about it that you learned? I’m struggling.” My eyes pleaded for her to open up and spill her heart to me. I needed relief of this knotting pain in my stomach and in my heart.

  A smile broke across her face as she looked up at the ceiling. “Don’t confuse my smiling for thinking I’m happy he’s dead. It’s the memories I love. Let’s see now. I was forty-two. Oh, dear. To be that young again.” She made eye contact with me and rested a hand on the island countertop as she shook her head at me. “Loss is never easy, my dear. It’s one of the few things I’ve come in contact with that truly changes a person for good.”

  “You never got over it?” I asked.

  Swaying her head back and forth slightly, she let go of the counter and raised her eyebrows. “Not fully, but I hate to even say that.” She came up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not about moving on. It’s about learning to continue living when you don’t want to anymore. It’s also learning to love life even though that person isn’t here. You have to give yourself permission to do that. The hardest part of losing a spouse for me was allowing myself to get to a place where I could be happy again, a place where I didn’t feel guilty about being happy. Then, over time, and everyone is different, when you think of your love, you’re happy you have the memory instead of sad they’re not here anymore. It’s the process of letting go but not forgetting.”

  Her words dripped with honey and filled me with joy. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “I don’t know why I’m crying, but you just seem to get it!” I wiped my tears from my face and sniffed.

  Letting her hand return to her side, she sighed and her shoulders slumped. Shaking her head, she looked down for a moment and then directly at me. “It’s a sad thing to understand, but yes, I do understand. You have to let your heart beat again, Angie. You have to let yourself find happiness and joy.”

  Nodding, I said, “I’ve done okay for a while. Then recently, I forgot the anniversary of his death.”

  Emma tapped her chin and had the most serious look on her face. “I wonder what he would think about that.”

  “What?” I asked, shaking my head in confusion.

  She smiled. “He’s not going to care you forgot, Angie. He’s dancing with Jesus.” Framing my cheek in her aged hand, she looked me in the eyes. “You can be happy. If you need the permission, this is me granting it to you.” Releasing my face, she turned and saw the time. “I’d better get back to bed.”

  “Thank you, Emma.”

  She coughed and nodded as she took her leave from the kitchen. As she left, I repeated all she had said, and one part, specifically, strummed a deep part of my soul. Let my heart beat again. It was getting late, so I headed downstairs to my room and got ready for bed. As I got under the covers, I received a message from Peter asking to hang out. Not tonight, hot youth pastor guy. I’m too tired. Ignoring it, I rolled over and went to bed.

  CHAPTER 11

  Connor hadn’t texted or communicated with me since our evening together at his company Christmas party four days ago, and I was okay with that. I didn’t text him either. I realized how much I had already fallen for him by the dreams and constant thinking of him, and I was happy to have some distance.

  Bone-chilling gusts were swooping through the tree lot that morning, and even though I had packed on an extra sweatshirt under my coat, the protection did little for my face. Each gust nipped at my face and kept my cheeks permanently rose colored as I worked through the morning helping customers haul trees out to their cars. My little helper, Micah, wasn’t there that morning either. He was at school. In between customers, all I could think about was when Connor helped me that one day, the ridiculous outfit of Don’s he wore and the way he showed up out of nowhere. Part of me hoped he’d just show up again, even though I was trying to give myself and my thoughts space from that. As the eleven o’clock hour rolled around, I had just finished loading a tree atop a van full of children who wouldn’t stop running around the lot as Mommy and Daddy couldn’t decide which tree to get. Taking the five-dollar tip they had given me over to the cash register, I dropped it in the cup when a man approached through the entranc
e.

  “What’s a cute gal like you doing working in a place like this?” the guy asked.

  “If you’re attempting to hit on me, you’re doing a horrible job.” Turning around, I left and went to find another customer. He followed behind me down one of the rows of trees.

  “C’mon. It was a compliment,” he said. “I need a tree.”

  Stopping, I turned around and glared at him. “I’m covered in sap, smell like a pine tree, and have been out in the freezing cold for hours now. I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood to get hit on by some creep.” Seeing his wedding ring on, I shook my head. “Gross. A married man at that!”

  Don came up beside me and lifted his chin to the man. “Best get out of here.”

  “I need a tree.”

  “What you need is a good butt kicking. Now get.” Don took a step toward the man, and before he could take another, the guy backed away and left. Turning, he said, “Why don’t you take a break and go get yourself a cup of coffee? Maybe it’ll warm up your attitude too.”

  “But that—” Don’s look alone cut through me. I knew I had been walking around annoyed that morning, so I flushed with embarrassment and nodded. Tears welled in my eyes, and I headed for the exit. Crossing the parking lot, I pulled out my phone and called Connor. I wanted to talk to him.

  It went straight to voice mail.

  “Ugh!” I shouted as I hung up. You’re obsessed with Connor, just admit it. The thought freaked me out, but I knew it was true. One night when I was going to sleep, I thought about him until one o’clock in the morning. I even went upstairs just to look at the ornament on the tree.

  If I didn’t want to be fixated on Connor and wanted to be able to leave this place with my heart still intact, I needed a distraction, maybe a date with someone else. Convincing myself, I brought up the message from Peter and replied back to him.

  Me: Sure. I’m free tonight.