“We’ve received threatening notes at our church saying someone will kill us all if any of us professes our religion, or if anyone’s seen with a Bible or Christian symbol. For the sake of everyone, this hate mail says, no one should refer to the faith.” Freddie’s eyes grew misty.
“Which church?”
“First Methodist.”
“There is a group of Christians getting together. We’re working on a plan to protect ourselves from these criminals, terrorists, or whoever they are, and keep our beliefs alive. If you’d like to come to a meeting, there’s one Saturday, October twelfth, at the clubhouse at Dunes by the Sea. Arrive around three o’clock. We want it to look like a football party. Needless to say, we’re keeping our gatherings and the group underground.”
Freddie’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll be there.”
Could a handful of Christians overcome the hatred and evil acts of a well-organized, efficient team of professional terrorists?
CHAPTER SEVEN
The sun seeped through Spanish moss and leaves of the oak tree in front of the window onto Ann’s mom’s handwritten recipe lying on the white kitchen counter. Ann glanced at it and added three-fourths of a cup of ketchup to one pound of ground bison.
One tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder to taste - about one teaspoon
Dried basil - one-half to one teaspoon
Her mother’s special mix of bison burgers was one of Dad’s favorite meals. But knowing him, he’d probably complain that Ann hadn’t prepared fish. If she had, he’d say he wished she’d fixed bison. She mixed the ingredients with her hands while her mind bounced back and forth between how difficult Dad could be and how she hadn’t wanted to expose James to her dysfunctional family.
Thinking of James soothed her nerves and gave her the courage to see her father with his new girlfriend, even though she hadn’t realized it would. Sometimes divine intervention took charge of her life. She plopped the last patty onto a platter and stuck it in the refrigerator. The doorbell rang. Dad and his guest. Her left eye twitched as she wrung out the dishrag. She twisted it into a small wad. Finally, she rinsed her hands and dried them. Then she trod to the door.
She answered and anxiety rolled off her like rain. James was here, and suddenly nothing else mattered.
He handed her a covered dish. “Pasta salad.”
“Perfect. Thank you.” She took it and James followed her to the kitchen.
“Can I help?” he asked as the doorbell rang again.
Ann froze. She wished she could crawl in the closet and hide. Would her father be rude or angry at something or someone and run James out of her life forever?
James peered at her with puzzled eyes. “Did you want me to answer the door?”
“No, no.” The words came out of Ann’s mouth by rote. James followed as she trudged to the entrance. How much dysfunction would James notice? She swung the door open.
Dad stood there grinning with a woman in her sixties with a nice figure and salt and pepper-colored hair.
“Why hello, Ann. This is Eunice.” His voice had a smug ring to it.
He was the only person who knew she was going to The Wharf the night someone chased her. How could she get through this evening knowing he stalked her to…to do what? Maim her? Kill her? He was her father. How could that be? She extended her hand to Eunice. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Eunice shook it.
“Please...come in and make yourselves at home. This is James Crawford, a friend of mine.”
James exchanged handshakes with both of them.
Ann’s hand trembled as she waved toward the living room. “Let’s go in here and have a seat.”
Eunice and Dimm sat on the rose and blue sofa and James dropped into the matching easy chair. Ann pulled up her seat from the glass dining table and joined them, her nerves standing on end.
Eunice popped a cracker with cheese in her mouth. “Hmmm. Ummm.” She swallowed. “Good.”
“Thank you.”
Dimm and James reached for the hors d’oeuvres.
Ann stood. “You all must be hungry. It’s nearly seven o’clock. I’ll cook the bison burgers, and we can eat.”
Her father sat straight up. “Oh, that’s great. I haven’t had those since...” his voice trailed off.
“I thought you might like them.” She’d been wrong about him complaining. Knowing he was pleased, she took lighter steps to the kitchen and browned the outside of the burgers on top of the stove. Slipping them into the microwave to finish cooking them, she recalled her mother saying this was the way to make them juicy. Why did Mom have to die? Tears built inside Ann, but she pushed them away, strolled into the living room, and invited everyone to come to the table.
“The daisies are so pretty.” Eunice touched her yellow placemat. “They look lovely with these.”
“Thank you. James, would you say a blessing?” Dad wouldn’t say one unless something about him had changed, and she was too nervous to say one.
“Sure.” James blessed the food.
Ann picked up the pasta salad and passed it to Eunice. “Help yourselves.”
In moments it seemed her guests munched their burgers and salad with contented looks on their faces. Dad laid his palm down on the table. That same hand had hit Ann, Beau, and Mom so many times. Ann tried not to look at it.
“I’m rarely graced with calls from Ann. It’s usually when she wants something.”
Eunice turned toward him and narrowed her eyes. “Can’t you just enjoy these delicious burgers?”
“Hmmmp?”
“Dad, I used to phone every week and ask you to Sunday dinner. You never wanted to come.”
James’s eyes snapped wide.
This was the conversation Ann hadn’t wanted him to hear.
“Right. If you’re too good to run the fish market, then I’m too good to eat at your condo.”
Everyone stared at Dimm as if to say, “You’re eating in it now.” Hoping to stop the hostility, Ann said, “Thank you so much for the ticket.”
She shivered. Mentioning Freddie’s gift triggered more thoughts of the night Ann picked it up and Dad chased her in the parking lot. She had to stop thinking about the incident. This night was difficult enough already.
“Yeah. I would’ve met you there, but I was out on Joan’s Call.”
Apparently, he was a liar too. He had been making tracks behind her.
“Is that your boat, sir?” James sipped his tea.
“Yes.”
James set down his glass. “What a pretty name. Does it have a story?”
A sad, faraway look filled Dimm’s blue eyes. “You know, Joan was my wife.” He nodded at Ann. “Ann and Beau’s mom.” His voice quivered. “I’d always dreamed of having my own boat. When we married, she wanted me to be happy, so we worked hard to buy it.” He sat up in his seat, and his tone grew steady. “Joan worked in a department store. She loved pretty clothes. We saved all the money she made, plus nearly all I made as a fisherman and bought my first craft. That ship and every one I’ve owned since has been named Joan’s Call.”
Ann never had heard so much emotion in her father’s speech. Had he and Mom started out a happy couple? What had gone wrong? No one spoke as though stunned by a soft side of Dimm. Finally, Ann said, “My mother was a wonderful person.”
Dimm wiped the corner of his eye with his knuckle. “Yes, she was.”
Deep furrows formed on Eunice’s brow as she finished chewing a bite of her burger. “Your dad told me you manage Beach Lady. I guess it’s busy at the store.”
Was Mom’s love of pretty clothes the reason Ann wanted to succeed at Beach Lady so much? She’d hang on to any part of Mom she could. The faith Ann’s mother had passed to her had gotten her through the hard times of life. That’s why she had to do her part to keep Christianity alive, not only for herself, but for others. Ann swallowed a bite of salad. “Yes, we’re swamped right now. I enjoy the work, though.”
�
�Too bad you couldn’t enjoy the fish market.” Dimm’s angry voice boomed across the table.
Ann blinked back tears.
Eunice glared at Dimm. “Well, you don’t want to manage it. Why should she?”
Eunice sounded like someone Ann could warm up to.
Dad jerked his head back. “What I do or don’t do is none of your business.”
James’s eyes bulged.
If he only knew, but how could she tell him her father wanted to harm her? Her stomach tied in a million knots.
Eunice snorted. “No, of course not, but...” She pursed her thin lips. “What’s that verse in the Bible about removing the log from your eye before complaining about a speck in someone else’s?”
“Matthew seven, verse three, ‘Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?’” Dimm slammed down his fork and shoved back his chair.
Eunice’s mouth gaped. Apparently, she was as shocked as Ann.
Ann’s father knew the words from the Bible by heart? Why had he treated Mom, her, and Beau so badly? Why was he being rude to Eunice?
Dimm wiped his mouth and stood. “We’ve bothered Ann long enough. Let’s go.”
He could’ve stuck Ann with a fishing hook and not upset her any more. “We haven’t had dessert. Would you like brownies and coffee?”
“I would.” Eunice stuck to her chair like she was tied to it.
Dimm plunked back down, and Ann hurried to the kitchen for the drinks and treats. She reached for the first plate, but two arms slipped around her waist. She turned, and James brushed back a tendril of hair from her face, ran his finger down her cheek then pulled her close, his lips finding hers. She threw her arms around James’s neck. Peace like she’d never known ran through every fiber of her being as she kissed him back. He released her, picked up a couple of plates, and returned to the dining table.
What Dad said or did made no difference all of a sudden. She put the brownies and coffee on a tray and carried them to her guests.
Eunice grinned a toothy smile. Had she been able to see into the kitchen from where she sat? That didn’t matter to Ann either.
Dimm picked up his brownie and ate it, saying nothing as though he realized he’d pushed everyone, including Eunice, to the point of not caring what he said. He sipped his coffee then stood again and tugged on his waistband. “Thank you. The burgers were delicious and the brownies too.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed them.” Ann directed her gaze at Eunice, and a warm twinge pricked her heart. At first she’d resented Eunice for trying to take Mom’s place, but that wasn’t what she was doing. The fact that Eunice didn’t mind standing up to her father made Eunice special. It would be nice to have someone in the family take Ann’s side every once in a while. “Would you like some to-go dessert?”
Eunice hopped up and wrapped Ann in a loose embrace. Then Dimm did too, and Ann nearly fell over from shock. Hypocrite stalker.
Eunice touched Ann’s shoulder. “It was enough that you had us over. You and James enjoy the rest of the brownies.”
She wouldn’t mind knowing Eunice better. Dad peered at her with pleading eyes. Maybe she could do it if James came too. “Well, you’ll have to visit again.” Had she gotten caught in the depths of Dad’s unspoken request because he was her father and she was a dutiful daughter? Did some part of her still seek his approval? Whatever it was, the moment of desire to please either of them vanished. She wanted to take back her words and wash her mouth out with dish detergent for opening it. She’d invited another painful encounter into her heart.
Eunice’s lips broke into a huge smile. “I’ll bring something.”
James patted Eunice on the back. “Good deal.”
James and Ann ambled to the door with Dimm and Eunice and waved goodbye. Ann shut it and leaned against it. She hoped they wouldn’t expect an invitation anytime soon.
“I’ll help with the dishes.” James led her back to the kitchen and started scraping the plates while she put them in the dishwasher. “When you said your dad was difficult, were you referring to his rather blunt way of speaking?”
James has no idea. “That and other things.”
“Oh, well if I had to guess, I’d say he’s been deeply hurt and disappointed by someone. But as a fisherman, he probably has to be macho. It takes a man’s man to go out on those boats.”
Ann shivered. “He’s more than macho. He’s abusive.” She let out a tiny gasp. She’d said the first thing that popped in her head.
“Yeah, I figured.”
Ann gasped. What perception.
“But he’s getting older, mellowing out, and definitely misses your mom.”
Ann held a cup in midair on its way to the dishwasher. “I got that.”
“I believe he cares for you and would like to see you occasionally. It would be good for you as well as him if you could forgive him. You don’t need to agree with anything he did, just free yourself and him by letting go.”
Ann put in the last cup and turned on the dishwasher, the sound of swooshing water wafting from it in seconds. “Let’s sit in the living room.” She trekked to the sofa with James following, and they sank onto it.
“Exactly what do you mean? What do you think I should do? I have no intentions of putting myself in harm’s way.”
James pulled Ann next to him. “He’s that dangerous?”
“I think so.”
“Has he harmed you physically?”
Ann lowered her head. The words stuck in her throat. Would James think she deserved it if she told him? She had to trust somebody. “Yes.”
James cocked an eyebrow. “Are you afraid of him now?”
Ann shivered. The child inside her would always be frightened by him. As an adult, she hadn’t been until she realized he was the one stalking her.
“Do you think it would help you to forgive him?”
“Yes, I think I have. I don’t wish him any harm.”
“That’s good. Maybe pray for him and hope he has a good life.” James gestured. “These are things that would help you as well as him. It’s hard to explain, but once people rid themselves of this type burden, they find emotional, and often, spiritual peace and freedom. It’s almost as though they’ve been physically shackled and gotten shed of it. At least that’s what I learned in a seminar our church held for volunteers scheduled to work with battered children.”
Ann swallowed a soft gasp. “Did you do that?”
“Briefly, then I moved the real estate office here.”
“I see. I do want that for him. He is my father. He provided for me and took care of my needs as a child, except for the love part. He said he loved me, but he never acted like it.”
James opened his mouth, but Ann kept talking. “Now...now...I wasn’t going to tell you or anyone, but he’s the one who attacked me.”
James slapped his hand over his mouth. “What?”
Ann explained that her dad was the only person who knew she’d gone to The Wharf to get the football ticket.
James gently put his hands on her cheeks. “Surely a father wouldn’t stalk his own child like a common criminal. There must be some mistake. Of course, one can’t tell a lot about a person meeting them only once, but I’m a good judge of people. I sensed that he wants love but doesn’t know how to give and receive it.”
Did love live somewhere deep inside her father? Was he so angry he couldn’t find it? “You think Dad has changed at this late time in his life?”
“With God, all things are possible.”
James was right about that. “If he didn’t attack me, and it wasn’t Freddie, who was it this time?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ann reached in the bottom of her closet for the flip-flops that matched her navy Bermuda shorts. The metal shoe rack Dad had brought to her from one of his excursions to look for new fishing waters seemed to jump out at her. He must’ve thought about her in a caring way. Why else would he have bought an
ything for her? Looking at it confused her. Did he love her? How could he and be so mean?
She stepped softly to the wicker chair in her bedroom and slipped on her shoes. To forgive Dad meant she could stop carrying around yesterday’s burdens. With James in her life, the bad memories were coming undone and slipping away like knots loosened on a rope. Clearly, Dimm had a problem and had taken out his frustrations on her or possibly even blamed her. She might never know which. She could never condone the horrible way in which he hurt others, including her, with his harsh words and angry beatings. But now she could think of him as unfortunate and forgive him for being less than she thought he should.
Could finding peace within keep her from turning into a nervous wreck the next time Dad visited her house? Maybe, but even if it didn’t, his cruel demeanor and actions no longer held her prisoner. The kind of love she’d always needed wasn’t what he offered. She no longer searched for it in him. She believed with all her heart she’d found love that fostered kindness in James. The doorbell interrupted her thoughts. She bounded downstairs and opened the door.
“Ready to go, gorgeous?”
Warmth surged through Ann. How handsome James looked in his light blue oxford cloth shirt. “Yes. I can’t wait to see the turtles hatch.”
James guided her to his sedan, and she sniffed a fresh scent with a hint of pine. She hooked arms with him. “Do I detect Woodsy Mountain Breeze?”
He smiled as he helped her into the passenger side of his vehicle. He slipped into the driver’s seat and headed toward Highway 98. “Yes, how do you know it?”
“My brother, Beau, wears it sometimes.” She nearly choked on her words. As much as she hated to admit it, Beau had to have been the one who attacked her if it hadn’t been Dad. Now that James knew the dark side of her family after meeting Dimm, she might as well tell him more. “Apparently, he’s the person who hit me and has been stalking me.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He broke into my condo and vandalized it twice last year.”
James’s eyes widened. “Why?”
Ann couldn’t keep her bottom lip from quivering. “He said he was angry.” Beau always had said he loved her, just like Dad. How could either of them hurt her if that was true? She swallowed her sorrow. “I’d gotten a university degree and Beau hadn’t. Mom wanted both of us to go to college, but she died before Beau enrolled.” Pain pricked Ann’s skin like pins, but she needed to explain to James, to rid herself of the burden sucking the life out of her like a leech. “Unknown to me, when Mom died, Dad got ahold of the money Mom had saved for Beau to go to school. Dad insisted Beau work at the fish market. As far as I knew, Beau wanted to learn the business. I figured Dad paid him a nice wage and he’d inherit the store someday. Only after the cops arrested Beau for breaking and entering my condo did I find out he was miserable.”
Breaking Barriers (Love Is Book 8) Page 6