Country Crooner (Christian Romance)

by Rebecca Lynn Clayson

  As she thought of the conversation that she'd had with Kurt, her stomach started to turn and she felt the anger swell up inside her again. She didn't want to dwell on the negative feelings, so instead she pushed those thoughts away and turned her focus back to the pastor who was talking about the love of Christ.

  After the sermon was over, Chelsea stuck around and talked with Cynthia Tippets, who had been a dear friend of her mother's. They reminisced for a few moments; sharing fond memories of her mother and father. It was nice to have a familiar friend to remember the good things about her parents.

  Chelsea's intention was to ignore Kurt completely, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but notice him out of the corner of her eye. She noticed his strong muscular shoulders, the way his hair was styled perfectly, and how he seemed so comfortable and confident as he talked to the people around him.

  As Chelsea was wrapping up a conversation with one of her dad's old fishing buddies, she felt a strong, gentle hand touch her shoulder. She turned, expecting to see another neighbor to talk to, but instead found herself face to face looking into Kurt's baby blue eyes. She had never looked at him so closely before, and noticed that he was clean-shaven and she could smell the slight scent of cologne. The touch of his hand made her heart jump a little bit and there was no denying that she could feel a physical attraction to this man. But she quickly pushed those feelings aside, as she reminded herself about the way that he had treated her... and her stomach started to churn in anger again.

  "I owe you an apology," he said. "My anger got the best of me when I was at your house, and I'd like to make it up to you. I’d also like to try and have a civil conversation about the radio station. Can I take you to lunch?"

  Chelsea was surprised at the unexpected apology and grateful that he was being kind. She wondered what had caused the sudden change of heart.

  "No problem, it's been a hard week for all of us, hasn't it?” Chelsea looked at him for a few moments while she pondered his lunch invitation. Her wounds were still fresh from their last conversation, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to spend any more time with Kurt. Making up her mind she said, “Yes, lunch sounds great, I was just getting ready to leave."

  "Let's go to the café down the street, I need to take my mom home first, but I'll meet you there in 20 minutes."

  "Sounds good, I’ll see you in awhile."

  The church had emptied out by this point, and Chelsea watched Kurt and his mother walk away. She knew that she had some time before she needed to meet him at the cafe, but she didn't have enough time to go home first. She decided to go for a walk in the woods out behind the church.

  As a teenager, she had gone to those woods often when she needed some time to herself. It had always been a good place to hide away from the world so that she could pray to God and look for insight into her life, and that was exactly what she needed right now.

  Chelsea was grateful that she had chosen to wear a pair of flat sandals because she was able to easily navigate down the dirt and gravel pathway. She walked down the familiar trail, and found another path that she remembered led to the river below.

  She carefully stepped her way down to the bank of the river, and found a big rock to sit on. As she took a quiet moment to think about everything that had happened the past week, strong feelings of emotion washed over her and she began to cry. She normally wasn't an emotional girl, but the stress of the week had caught up to her and she found herself crying almost daily.

  She knew that the emotions needed to come out at some point, so she didn't try to hold back the tears. No one was around to see them, and she didn't care if her mascara was smudged before she went to lunch. She didn't have anyone to impress, so there was no reason to worry about imperfect makeup.

  "Dear God, why does it have to be so hard?" she asked aloud in a verbal prayer. "I miss my father terribly, and I need to know the best way to take care of his business."

  She had an inkling of a thought that maybe she should stay in the small town and run the radio station on her own. But the idea seemed impossible... she didn't go to business school and work on building up her career in online marketing only to move back to her home town and run an unprofitable gospel radio station. She couldn't see any future in that life.

  It was nice to be back in nature, and it helped her to feel closer to God. She always felt more connected to God when she was out in the wild, and she didn't get the opportunity very often in California. It felt refreshing to be outside, and it rejuvenated her soul. She continued to pray, pouring her heart out to God about the concerns that she had and the decisions she was trying to make.

  After she finished praying, she sat quietly for a few minutes looking for an answer. Nothing came to her.

  There was only silence.

  She could hear the rustling of the leaves, the soft bubbling of the water as it moved over the rocks, and birds chirping in the tree tops. The sounds were calming, but she was looking for an answer from God. She needed to know what to do.

  Why wasn't God listening to her, especially when she needed him so much right now?

  She looked at her watch and discovered the she needed to meet Kurt in five minutes, so she got up and quickly walked back up the path to head to the café.

  When she arrived at the café, she looked inside and found that he had already sat down at a table and was waiting for her. He had a glass of water in one hand, and a menu in the other.

  As she approached the table, he stood to greet her. "Thanks for meeting me; I just want to apologize again for my behavior. I was out of line. I hope you'll forgive me." He seemed genuine in his apology, although Chelsea was still hesitant... wondering what his agenda was.

  "It's all right; I tried not to take it too personally. This whole week has just been a blur for me, trying to keep up with the funeral and taking care of all of my father's arrangements." She seated herself at the table and took a small drink from the other water glass placed there.

  "I can't imagine what you're going through," he responded, also resuming his seat. "I haven't lost a parent before, but I'm sure it would be a very difficult thing. Trying to deal with the death of a close family member is hard enough without having to worry about the business decisions."

  "Yes, I miss him terribly, he was a good man. And I'm at a complete loss to know what I should be doing about his radio station. I know that so many people in this community have enjoyed the messages that he shared, but I just don't see a way to keep it going."

  "I'm sorry for your loss." Kurt reached over and gently placed his hand on hers on top of the table, he looked up into her eyes. "I want you to know that your father was a good man, and that he meant a lot to me. After I moved away to pursue my music career, I lived a rough life and forgot about God.”

  The waitress came over and Kurt removed his hand from Chelsea’s and turned his attention back to the menu. After they had both given the waitress their orders, he watched her for a few seconds before continuing.

  “Everything eventually came crashing down on me, and I moved back home with my parents to get my feet under me again. That was when I started to get to know your father, and became involved with the youth in the area. With Jerry’s help, I remembered the priorities in life, and gained greater faith in God. Without your father's good influence in my life, I don't know where I would be right now."

  Chelsea was grateful to hear about Kurt's experience with her father, and though she had felt much frustration towards this man, she noticed that she had enjoyed his brief touch on her hand. Plus, it was tough to ignore the softness of his lips and his dashing smile.

  "This week, I’ve heard so many stories like yours; I didn't realize that my father had such an impact on the community. I'm glad to hear that he left a good legacy."

  "Yes, Jerry was a wonderful man. I can only hope to be like him someday, he was a great example to me. You were lucky to have him as your father."

  The waitress returned with their food. Kurt gave tha
nks to God for their meal and they both were silent as they started eating. It was a comfortable silence, with both of them lost in their own thoughts about the radio station.

  After several minutes, Kurt put his utensils down and looked at her across the table. "I’m willing to do anything that I can to help keep the radio station going, but I know that you need to be on board to make it happen. I wish that I had money to fund it, but I don't have much to my name right now."

  Chelsea could see the sincerity in his eyes, and could see a genuine personality under his rough, outer shell. "You and me both. I was hoping that my father’s life insurance policy might be enough to keep the radio station going for at least a little while longer, but all of that money will be needed to pay off his debts. Plus, the money won't come fast enough. The bank is going to start auctioning things off next week and the foreclosure will be complete by the end of the month."

  Kurt slowly shook his head at this news, and they sat in silence again as they ate the food. "Wow, it's that serious? Surely there's a way to come up with the money... maybe we could do a fundraiser or something?"

  Chelsea shook her head to stop him from going further." I don't have the time or energy to even think about something like that right now. I'm supposed to be back at work tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. I'm catching an early morning flight so that I can make it to the office in time."

  Kurt looked somewhat defeated but offered a small smile as he stated, "Well, think about it. If there's anything that I can do, please let me know. I’ll help out in any way that I can. Know that my intentions are in the right place, and I'm just trying to help the children who have benefited from the radio station-- as well as the community. My bullheaded approach at your father's house earlier this week happened because I care about those kids so much that I can't imagine how this will impact them. I'm desperate to find a way to help them, and I know that I can't do it on my own; especially since you’re the one making the decisions for the radio station."

  "I'll think about it, but in the meantime I need to get back to work and take care of things at the office. I'll be back here in a few weeks and maybe we can look at options at that point. But for now, I'm not feeling very optimistic about keeping the radio station open. In fact, I've already arranged for broadcasting to stop on Tuesday, since the bank will start auctioning the equipment off on Wednesday."

  The twinkle in Kurt's eye went away and his face looked discouraged. "If we're going to save the station, it needs to happen this week. We can't let broadcasting stop. Is there anyway you can delay your return home? I'm sure your work will understand because your father just died."

  "I've already lost so much; I can't risk losing my career as well.” Chelsea said shaking her head. “I’ve worked hard over the past few years to get where I am, and it's a cutthroat industry. I need to get back to the office tomorrow to show my boss that I value my job, or else I might be risking my entire career with the company."

  Kurt looked dejected, but tried to make sure that he didn't let his anger or disappointment get the best of him. "Well, if you change your mind, let me know. You know where to find me. I live in the red brick house at the end of Elm Avenue, and here's my cell phone number." Kurt picked up a napkin, and pulled a pen out of his pocket to write down his phone number.

  "I’ll keep you updated, but don't plan on anything happening.” Having finished her lunch, Chelsea took a few bills from her wallet and laid them on the table. Gathering her purse she stood up and offered her hand, “I need to go. I haven't finished packing, and I have a lot to do before my early flight in the morning."

  Kurt stood as well and shaking her hand said, "Thanks for meeting me, I appreciate it. I’ll see you later. Remember, my offer to help still stands. You know where to find me if you change your mind."

  *****

  Later that evening, Chelsea was packing her suitcase and cleaning out the fridge so that nothing would spoil while she was gone. As she was working, conflicting feelings continued to surface and she didn't know what to do about the radio station. She had a pit in her stomach that wouldn't go away, and it seemed to get worse the closer she was to flying home.

  If she went back to California and the radio station went off air, it was extremely unlikely that the show would resume. Time was a critical factor in this situation because of the impending foreclosure as well as the radio listeners who would be lost if the station stopped broadcasting. She knew that people would get tired of listening to re-run shows after a few weeks, and new content needed to be added in order to hold people's attention.

  Was there a way that she could manage it from California? It was highly doubtful, especially since she was going to be so behind after missing a week of work.

  Maybe she should stay one or two more days to explore other options? Her boss might be understanding about a day or two delay, especially if she logged in and worked virtually for a few hours. But she couldn't push it much longer than an extra day or two without causing problems in the office.

  It's not worth it, she thought to herself. There's no way that staying an extra day could be enough time to solve all the problems. Plus she didn't see that there were any other options to consider. The logical thing to do was to shut down the station and head straight back to California. Emotionally, she was having a hard time because she wondered if there was a possibility of keeping things going and continuing her father's legacy.

  If she walked away from it and headed to California without looking back, would the question of "What If?" always nag her?

  Would shutting down the radio station be a decision that she would regret many years down the road?

  She stopped packing for a minute and got down on her knees, praying to God and asking for a sign. Something... anything to help her know what to do. She had prayed earlier that day in the woods, but hadn't really received a strong answer like she was looking for, so she was a little doubtful about receiving an answer now. She knew that there was power in prayer and that it was an important thing to do, and she figured it wouldn't hurt to pray some more.

  Chelsea's prayer was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone ringing, and she ran down the stairs to grab her phone off the end table where it had been sitting. The caller ID showed that her best friend, Katie, was calling.

  Katie and Chelsea had met seven years ago in new-hire orientation at work. Both of them were new graduates, and excited to be working for a tech company. They knew that there would be many opportunities available with the company.

  Because both girls started working on the same day, initially there was a little bit of competition between them. There was one spot for upcoming promotion at the end of the year, and they were both gunning for the position.

  Ultimately, another position opened up and they were promoted around the same time. After about six months of working together, one day they decided to go to lunch together, and completely hit it off-- realizing that they had a lot in common outside of work. They loved to shop, were strong in their Christian beliefs, enjoyed weekends at the beach, and looked forward to laid-back evenings with Chinese take-out, yoga pants, and chick flicks.

  Their new job titles required that they work together quite a bit, which was perfect because they found that they made a pretty good team when they were working together. They quickly became close friends, and kept in touch even after Katie moved to Portland a year ago for a new job opportunity. It was common for them to talk on the phone at least two or three times a week.

  "Katie! How are you? It's been a crazy week for me, sorry we haven't talked much, I haven't had time to update you about the funeral."

  "Don't worry; I know you have a lot going on right now. Is there anything I can help with?"

  "No, there's not much that anyone can do. The funeral turned out all right. I'll send you some pictures and details when everything calms down again. Thanks for offering your help though. I really appreciate it. Truthfully, just hearing a friendly voice helps me immensely, because I've
been so overwhelmed with everything that’s been happening."

  "You're a strong woman, and I know that you’ll make it through these trials. Hang in there, my friend!"

  Chelsea sighed, and was grateful to have such a good friend. "Thanks for your support, you’re the best."

  "You are welcome, that's what best friends are for!" Katie cleared her throat and continued, "I actually have a specific reason for calling. A few moments ago, I had a strong feeling that I should call and share scripture with you. I don't know exactly why, but it was something that I felt that I needed to do.

  "I read a particular scripture this morning, and it's been on my mind all day. I had the nagging feeling that I needed to share it with you -"

  Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, ”With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

  Chelsea listened in stunned silence. She had just asked God for a sign and here it was.

  "Thanks so much for following through on your inspiration - that was exactly what I needed to hear at this moment! I have a flight booked to head back to California tomorrow morning, but I'm wondering if I need to stay here in Idaho a little longer. I'm having a hard time getting things wrapped up with my dad's radio station. It's kind of a mess here right now."

  "What's going on with the radio station? Why is it such a mess?"

  "Financially, it's struggling. Big time! It looks like broadcasting is going to stop this week. Advertisers have been pulling out, and there's not enough cash flow to pay for the building. Plus, my dad's not here to manage it any longer. I was going to just shut everything down and walk away without a backward glance, but this week I’ve seen how much of an impact it has had on the people of the community. Everyone is mourning the loss of my father, and they are also mourning the fact that they will no longer have this radio station to listen to. Since they've already lost my father, I’m having a hard time taking their beloved radio station away too."