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

by T. K. Chapin

  He turned and went back to the corn. Glancing past him, I saw the checkout lane. I stopped and turned to him. With my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears, I grabbed onto his arm. He turned to me. I took a deep breath and began. “What if I told you that I can’t stop thinking about you? Every time I look at my phone, I secretly wish you would have texted or called? And it’s not because I’m lonely and it’s not because I feel sorry for you, but it’s because I see so much goodness in everything you are.” Stepping closer, I tilted my head and peered into his eyes. “This started out as just friends, but it became so much more. Tell me this became so much more for you too.”

  My heart began pounding. I could feel the beat of it in the base of my throat. Though he wasn’t speaking a word, he spoke volumes.

  He shook his head. “I . . .” He hesitated.

  “Yes?”

  A moment more passed, and the weird situation turned awkward. I hurried past him and out of the aisle to check out. As I stood in line, my eyes watered, draining all hope from my heart. It took everything inside me not to collapse right there in the store in a puddle of my own tears.

  As I walked out of the grocery store, a gust of snow blew off a snow bank and into my face. The specs of frozen water felt like razor blades as they bounced off my face in the wind. Squinting as I kept my eyes on Serenah’s car, I made my way through the frozen tundra of the parking lot.

  Climbing inside, I shut the door.

  Quiet surrounded me.

  With only the muffled sounds of the whooshing wind and snow outside, I let myself collide into my sadness. Sobbing, I smacked the steering wheel and cried out to God. “What do You want me to do, God? Tell me! Show me! Please!”

  Tears ran down my cheeks as my sorrow only deepened into the depths of my soul. My voice quieted as I let out another plea to God. “Help me understand. Let me lean on You for understanding . . .”

  That evening, Connor never showed up for dinner. After everyone left for the evening and I took a hot shower, I decided to stay in my bathrobe and steal the plate of snowball cookies off the counter that Serenah had made earlier that day. The plan was sweets and binge-watching classic romantic comedies on Netflix until I fell asleep. It sounded like the perfect way to top off a day that was dreadful.

  As I finished my fifth snowball cookie and my second movie, a knock came on my room’s door. Glancing over, I saw Serenah peek her head in. “Can I come in?”

  I nodded and swiped a few of the crumbs off my chest as I sat up in the bed.

  She came in and quietly shut the door behind her. As she came over to the bed, her eyes found the plate of cookies sitting on the bed. “Wondered where they went.”

  “I wasn’t going to eat them all.” Grabbing the plate, I handed it to her. She shook her head and set it back down on the bed. Grabbing one, she proceeded to kick her shoes off and climb into bed next to me, letting out a big breath of air. We sat with our backs up against the headboard, and she glanced over.

  “Connor?” she asked.

  Nodding slowly, I kept my eyes on the TV to help keep the welling tears at bay. “I blew it with him, Serenah.”

  She shook her head. “Blew it? You were really that into him? Where would you even see it going? You live in Tampa. He lives here.”

  “I know . . .” Reaching over, I grabbed another cookie. “I just haven’t felt the way I do about Connor with anyone else since . . . well, a long time.” Thinking about his interaction with the little boy at the tree lighting ceremony and our time together on our outings we had together, I smiled. “When I’m with him, I’m happy. He brings color to the world, and he cares about people and he . . . he’s imperfectly perfect for me.”

  “You told him how you feel?” Serenah asked, taking another cookie from the plate.

  “Yep,” I replied curtly. Swinging my fist lightly through the air, I said, “Didn’t matter. He just stood there, so I just left.”

  Serenah rubbed my shoulder as the tears fell down my cheeks. My heart felt knotted a hundred times over as her hand touched my shoulder. “Angie, if he doesn’t want to make it work or try it out, you’ve gotta move on. You can’t make people be with you.” She laughed. “Right?”

  “True,” I replied. Turning to her with red eyes, I shook my head. “It’s just hard.”

  Serenah’s eyes watered, and she leaned over to hug me. “I know. You’ll be okay. You’ll get through this.”

  She was right. In a couple of days, I’d be returning to my life in Tampa. I had received emails from the landlord throughout my trip detailing what was going on back at home. Even though the apartment building had been demolished due to the structural issues after the fire, the landlord relocated all of the residents to a neighboring building. They even found a few of my personal items and got them all into boxes. Going through the remains should keep my mind off things for a while.

  “I know I’ll be okay.” Wiping my eyes, I nodded and forced a smile. Glancing at the cookies, I took another. We both laughed.

  CHAPTER 14

  Somewhere between the snowball cookies, tears and laughter with Serenah last night, I found hope—hope for better days and hope for new beginnings when I returned home to Tampa. It was Christmas morning, and the fact that I wasn’t a child with a pile of Christmas gifts under the tree kept me in bed a little bit longer. I prayed, I wept, and I watched the snow fall outside my window.

  When I finally rolled out from underneath the covers, it was just shy of ten o’clock. Running my fingers through my hair, I shook the mess enough to make it at least lie down. Opening the door of my room, I found one of the cute stockings Serenah and I had made hanging on the doorknob. Smiling, I loosened it and glanced inside—lip gloss, an assortment of candy, and a Barbie. I laughed. A Barbie? Glancing toward the stairs that led upstairs, I shook my head as I narrowed my gaze.

  Picking up the tempo of my steps, I headed upstairs and into the living room. Charlie, Serenah and Emma were all up and drinking coffee around the crackling fire in the fireplace. They all looked up at me as I pulled out the Barbie.

  “Really?” I asked.

  Serenah elbowed Charlie and she laughed as she folded over. “That was all Charlie’s idea.”

  “Speaking of,” Charlie said, glancing toward the kitchen, “Your Ken doll called. I let it go to message. You can listen to it on the machine in the kitchen.”

  I thought, Connor? But why the house phone? Heading into the kitchen, I neglected coffee and went straight to the answering machine. Serenah came in as the machine read the date and time. Glancing over at her, I saw she wanted to say something. “What?”

  “It’s not Connor.” Coming up beside me, she rubbed my back as my shoulders slumped over and confusion whirled about in my mind.

  The machine started the message. “Hey, it’s me, Peter. You never gave me your number, so I just called the inn . . .” He was already becoming more annoying than Hank Chessler, the kid in the eighth grade who followed me around at lunch and every recess proposing to me for a week straight. I continued listening to the message. “I’m being given an award tonight, and I’d love for you to be there. I know it’s strange to have something like this be on Christmas, but I didn’t organize it. I figure this can be your Christmas gift from me. You could hear about the work I have been doing, and it could give us a second chance to get to know each other.”

  Delete.

  Shaking my head as I scoffed, I crossed my arms as I heard Charlie go out the front door. “How could he be so selfish and do that? Does he really only think about himself?”

  Serenah caressed my arm and frowned, shaking her head. “Let me get you a cup of coffee.” She went over to the cupboard, and my eyes followed her movements as she grabbed a mug and came back across the kitchen to the coffee pot.

  Taking the cup after she poured it, I took a sip as I heard the door again. Charlie walked into the kitchen and looked at Serenah and then over to me. “Where’s Connor?”

  “
What?” I replied, setting my cup down. “He wasn’t here.”

  “Yeah, he was. I let him inside, and he went through the—”

  Barefoot and in pajamas, I darted through the foyer and out the front door. I saw him with a gift in hand, and he was going back out to his car. “Connor!” I called out as I hurried through the icy cold slush. He stopped as I caught up to him. “What are you doing? You didn’t even say ‘hi’ when you came inside.”

  Shaking his head as tears streamed down his cheeks, he said, “I heard you perfectly clear in there, Angie.”

  “Heard what?” My hands spread out as I did not understand what he was talking about.

  “I went out of my way to tell you something private, something intimate, and it was very difficult to—” He shook his head. “I thought you understood, but you don’t. You just think I’m selfish, that I only think about myself just like I thought you would.” Tossing the neatly wrapped box toward me, he sarcastically retorted, “Here, I got you something. You’re right, I shouldn’t have.” Getting inside his car, he slammed the door shut and put the car in reverse. As he pulled out and left, Serenah arrived in a pair of boots and with a confused look on her face.

  Then it clicked. Connor had walked in when we were talking about the self-centered Peter.

  “What happened?” she asked, glancing past me.

  “He heard me talking about Peter being selfish and thought I meant—”

  Serenah covered her mouth. “No . . . did you explain?”

  I shook my head. “He didn’t even give me a chance. It makes sense though . . . he was pretty nervous about telling me about it.” I looked down at the box in my hands when I saw Serenah notice it. She started saying words, but I quieted them out of my mind. I felt like I had been caught up in some kind of stupid soap opera episode I couldn’t get out of. Why did Connor have to walk in at that exact moment when I was rehashing how much I didn’t like Peter? Maybe I needed to stop trying to make something work with this guy. Reminding myself of my early departure tomorrow morning helped cultivate the fact that it needed to be over. We were just two people who liked each other for a moment in time and it just didn’t work out. Life would go on even if we didn’t end up together.

  Snapping out of my thoughts, I remembered the gift I had in my hand and opened it to find a heart-shaped pendant necklace. A bit cliché, I thought at first, until I flipped it over and saw coordinates. What is this? Pulling out my phone as Serenah made her way up to me in the snow, I typed in the coordinates.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Tears welled in my eyes as I looked up at her. “He had the coordinates of where we prayed on the plane inscribed on the back.”

  “How would he know that?”

  “I don’t know.” My eyes turned to the driveway as a sense of longing came over me. Why does he have to be such a difficult man? I wondered.

  “Well, that’s pretty sweet.”

  Pursing my lips to form a thin line, I shook my head. “He acted like a child. He didn’t even let me try to explain. I’m not going to chase after him, Serenah. I’m going home tomorrow.” Gift and wrapping in hand, I trekked back through the snow toward the inn.

  “But Angie . . .” Serenah said as she followed behind me.

  Stopping inside the doorway, I turned around as Serenah shut the door. “I don’t have time for this kind of thing.” Looking over at the fireplace that sat between the foyer and the living room, I shook my head. “I’m an adult woman, and I have a life and business in Tampa.” Turning back inside, I headed downstairs to pack my bags.

  My cab was set to arrive early the next morning before the sun even came up, so I woke up a bit earlier to get a cup of coffee and a jumpstart on the day. I packed the ornament, but I kept the necklace and wore it. Though I had decided to press on with my life, I wouldn’t forget Connor. He was the man who made me realize I could have feelings for someone after Ted. As I stood in the kitchen drinking my cup of coffee that morning, I had an unexpected visitor come waltzing in—Emma.

  Smiling, I said, “You just love waking up at night, don’t you?”

  “It’s morning now,” Emma replied with a grin. “I overheard what happened out front. You didn’t talk to Connor anymore yesterday?”

  Shaking my head after my sip of coffee, I set the mug down on the counter. “He didn’t call, and I’m not going after him. It’s stupid. The guy is a little on the immature side.”

  Emma began laughing so hard she had to wipe her eyes.

  Taken aback, I tilted my head. “What’s so funny?”

  Emma rested a hand on the counter and shook her head as she wiped a stray tear from the laughter. “What man do you know who isn’t immature to some degree?”

  I thought of Ted for a moment, and Emma shook her head as if she could read my thoughts.

  “Don’t try to say Ted. Yes, you love him and the memory of him, but don’t put him on some kind of pedestal. Men are little boys trapped in a man’s body sometimes, Angie. That’s just the way they are. We women aren’t perfect either. Don’t get me wrong.”

  Hearing the cab arrive outside and honk, I turned toward the doorway that led into the foyer from the kitchen. “That is true, but I’m leaving. I have to get back to my life in Tampa.” Leaning over, I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and wheeled it over to her. Wrapping my arms around Emma, I said, “Thank you for the talks and everything. It’s been nice getting to know you.”

  Smiling as we released, she nodded. “I’ll be sure to say ‘hi’ to Ted for you.”

  Morbid, but true. I grabbed back onto the handle of the suitcase and looked at her. I laughed. “Thank you.”

  Walking out of the kitchen, I went into the foyer and opened the front door. Through the twilight of the early morning, I could see the headlights of the cab in the driveway. Wheeling my suitcase out, I got in and left.

  CHAPTER 15

  “Zone one is now ready to board,” a young woman’s voice echoed through the terminal. Picking up my purse, I saw the corner of my screen light up. Reaching in, I looked to see who was calling. It was Serenah. What is she calling me for? And at six in the morning? A twist of worry began to spread outward from the center of my chest.

  Walking away from the airport gate, I called her back.

  “Serenah?” I said before giving her a chance to speak.

  Cries poured from the other end of the phone, causing me to blanch. Worry soon overtook my entire body, and I darted for the row of seats nearby. “Emma . . .”

  Weeping followed the next few minutes.

  “I’m leaving the airport now. I’ll be there shortly,” I said, standing up from the seat and grabbing my suitcase.

  “Charlie’s a wreck. So am I. You don’t have to do that, Angie.”

  My heart broke for Serenah and for Charlie. Swallowing the smooth pebble-sized knot that I felt form in my throat, I said, “I know I don’t have to. I want to. We talked about being there for each other, and I’m going to be there for you this time.”

  Serenah cried. “Okay.” Her gentle words dripped with a familiar pain. We said our goodbyes, and I caught the first taxi back to the Inn at the Lake.

  Somber faces filled the inn as friends and family funneled in and out the next couple of days. Never had I seen so many people pay respects for one woman, one person, one soul. Many of the people who came by were individuals that Charlie and Serenah had never met before that day, people whose lives had somehow been impacted by Emma.

  On the third day, Connor showed up.

  He was dressed in black slacks and jacket with a white shirt. His hair was neatly done and his face weighed with sorrow. My heart couldn’t help but beat a little harder with him in the room.

  After he spoke with Charlie and Serenah, he came over to me as I stood by the windows looking at the lake. His voice was gentle, his touch against my arm welcoming. “Hey . . .” His words rolled off his tongue like I had been the one to lose someone close. It was sweet. He was being sensit
ive. Though I was upset with him, I was glad he walked over to me.

  Turning to him, I raised my brows. “Hey.” I didn’t have much to say to him. He was not the reason I stayed. Yes, I thought about him after I came back to the inn, but it was an afterthought. It wasn’t the reason. Spending any more energy and words on him didn’t interest me right then. I didn’t want to give off the impression to anyone that my motives for staying back at the inn for a bit longer had anything to do with Connor.

  “Can we talk?” he asked.

  “This isn’t the time nor the place, Connor.” My tone was sharp and dismissive, but I kept the gentleness that showed respect to Serenah and Charlie in their home. My eyes found Charlie and Serenah talking with an older couple. Seeing Serenah’s smile on her face pained me. I knew she was faking it. When everybody was gone, then she’d get real.

  Real like she had been for the last few days.

  In the spots of time between visitors, Serenah was sneaking off to her private quarters. I followed once. Peeking around the corner of the hallway that led back there, I saw her. There, in front of her steps that led to the bedroom beyond the living room.

  On her knees.

  Praying.

  That woman was an inspiration to me with the grace, the poise and the absolute brilliance in the way she kept connected with God. She contributed all of it to Emma’s teaching. Connor adjusted his footing, disrupting my thoughts.

  “If you get a moment in the next day or two, give me a call. I’m flying out to New Zealand in two days and would like to talk to you.”

  Serenah’s eyes connected with mine. I saw them glistening, and she needed her cousin, her friend, to help.

  “Okay,” I replied to Connor and headed across the floor of the living room.

  Tending to Serenah and the guests, I began talking to them about my brief conversation with Emma the morning that she had passed. Serenah took the out and retreated. I knew some looked down on her for doing it. I didn’t. Jesus retreated all the time from the crowds. It’s God first, not others.