Although nearly every table was taken, the hostess found an empty booth near the kitchen, and they enjoyed a casual meal as Phil and Joan talked about the flight and how distressed Thumper had been to be left behind. “Poor fellow,” Phil said. “The neighbors are great, but he seems to have a harder and harder time without us as he gets older.”
Sheila nodded. She could see the fatigue in her father’s eyes, and she worried that he hadn’t gained any weight. “How are you feeling these days, Dad?”
“A little tuckered out. Not to worry, honey.”
Joan’s eyes told a different story, warning her not to take the conversation any further.
As Sheila drove them back to her house, both of her parents nodded off, sleeping for most of the trip.
“Did you two get your rooms picked up?” Michelle asked her kids while she pulled out the ingredients to make a salad. “Your grandmother and great grandparents should be here any minute,” she reminded them.
“Come on, Caleb,” Madison said, pushing away from their game of Battleship.
“Can’t we finish?” he whined.
“Later,” Michelle said. “Now scoot upstairs and get those rooms in order.”
Caleb sighed loudly and pushed his chair back a little too forcefully, rocking the table and nearly toppling their game pieces.
“What’s going on in here?” Steve asked, entering the room just in time to see their son’s actions.
“Mom told us to go clean our rooms,” Madison explained, “but Caleb’s being a baby.”
Steve put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “Do what your mother told you, sport.” He guided the boy toward the stairs.
“Thanks, honey,” Michelle said, giving Steve a warm smile.
“You bet. Anything I need to do for the dinner?” he asked.
“You can fire up the barbecue.”
“Okay, I’m on it,” he replied. “What time will your mom and grandparents be here?”
“They said around six.” She glanced at the clock. 5:30. Better get the table set and make the salad.
“Are we having your famous potato salad?” Steve asked.
“Yes, we are. And this time Madison helped me make it.”
“Great. She’s becoming quite the cook these days. Just like her mother,” he added, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a kiss. “Maybe I should have Caleb help me with the chicken.”
She laughed. “Next time. I’m sure he’ll be tethered to that bedroom until everyone gets here.”
“Probably right.” He grabbed a lighter from the junk drawer and headed out to the backyard.
As Michelle got to work on the salad, the phone rang. Expecting it to be her mother telling her they were on the way, she answered, “Hi Mom!”
After a pause, she heard a familiar voice on the other end. “It’s Amber.”
“Amber,” Michelle turned and leaned against the counter. “How are you doing?”
“Okay, I guess.” The line was silent for a moment and then she continued, “It’s harder than I thought—without Chad, I mean.”
Michelle felt her heart squeeze tight. “I’ll bet.” She grasped for words to show her understanding. “You two really loved each other.”
“Yeah, we did.”
Silence.
“So how’s Caleb?” Amber asked, her voice picking up some.
“He’s fine. He’s upstairs right now picking up his room.”
“Do you think I could talk to him?” she asked.
Michelle took a deep breath. What should I do here? She shot up a quick prayer, and believed that God was nudging her to say yes. “Okay. Sure. Hold on a minute, and I’ll get him.”
Walking to the bottom of the steps, she called, “Caleb! Phone call for you!”
A moment later, he appeared from his bedroom, an airplane in his hand. He made engine noises as he “flew” the plane down the stairs toward her.
“Have you been cleaning up there or playing?” Michelle asked.
He smiled at her with a telling grin. “Who’s on the phone?”
“Amber.”
“Amber?? Really?” he raced down the stairs and grabbed the receiver from the phone in the family room. “Hello?”
Michelle watched as he held the receiver tightly to his ear, the airplane cast aside on the sofa.
Caleb nodded in response to something that was said. “Me, too,” he replied. “Okay, I guess.” Pause. “I know.” His expression looked eager. “Yeah. You should come out here again. I’m sure it would be fine.”
Michelle cleared her throat to get his attention, and he looked her way. She shook her head.
“Hold on, Amber,” Caleb said into the phone. He placed the receiver against his chest. “What, Mom?”
“Honey, we need to talk to Daddy before we invite Amber to come back out this soon. Just tell her what you’ve been doing lately and ask her how she is, okay? But don’t make any plans.”
His face dropped. “Okay,” he said dejectedly. Putting the phone to his ear again, he said, “You can’t come over until we talk to my dad.”
Michelle winced. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he looked up. Without seeming angry, she tried to give him her most serious warning face.
“I’d better go,” he said, handing the phone back to Michelle. He picked up his airplane and trudged back up the stairs.
Turning her attention back to Amber, Michelle said, “He really misses you. We’ll have to plan a time when you can come back out. Maybe later in a few months.”
“Yeah,” Amber replied. “Okay. Well, I won’t keep you guys. I just wanted to hear his voice.” She hesitated and then asked, “It’s alright for me to call sometimes, right?”
“Let me talk to Steve about it.”
Silence.
“Your letters really mean a lot to Caleb,” she added.
“Okay, good. I love his, too,” Amber replied.
Just then the doorbell rang. “Amber, I’ve got to go now. My mom and grandparents are here for a barbecue.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later, then.” She sounded so lost and alone, and Michelle wished she had some timely word of encouragement to give her.
“Can I call you tomorrow?” she asked. Maybe that will give me some time to collect my thoughts.
“Sure. Yeah, that would be great.” Amber’s voiced brightened. “I’ll be home all morning, then I have to be at work by twelve.”
“Okay. I’ll call you in the morning,” she promised.
A knock on the door hastened their goodbyes, and Michelle hurried over to greet her mother and grandparents. “Sorry about that,” she said as she welcomed them into her home and embraced her loved ones. “I was stuck on the phone with Amber.”
“Amber?” her mother asked.
“How’s that poor girl doing?” Grandma Joan wanted to know.
Her grandfather also seemed eager to hear more about Amber. “I’ve been meaning to write a letter to that young lady,” he said. “God’s put some things on my heart to share with her.”
“I know she’d love to hear from you, Grandpa. You really helped her while she was here. It’s still pretty rough for her. Losing Chad and all,” Michelle replied.
“I’ll try to work on that while I’m here and get it in the mail,” he said.
Michelle nodded, and then asked, “How was your flight?” She couldn’t help noticing he looked rather drawn and tired in spite of his warm smile.
“Uneventful,” he replied. “So where’s that lawyer of yours?” he asked with a wink.
“Steve’s out working the barbecue. I’m sure he’d love your company.”
“Go,” Grandma said.
He nodded. “I’ll go keep an eye on him.”
The three ladies retreated to the kitchen, where Michelle poured them some iced tea and then busied herself getting the salad ready.
“Where are the children?” Sheila asked, as she helped her chop some vegetables.
“Upstairs. Th
ey’re supposed to be cleaning their rooms.”
“Supposed to be?” Joan asked.
“Well, you know how that goes. Caleb’s probably playing with his superheroes, and Madison—my guess is she’s busy working on her friendship bracelets,” Michelle explained.
“Mind if I go up there and say hi?” her grandmother asked.
“Not at all. In fact, you can also tell them to wash up and come down for dinner.”
Joan smiled and nodded. “I’ll go round them up.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, Michelle turned to Sheila. “Mom, do you think Grandpa’s okay? He really looks tired.”
Her mother’s serious expression matched Michelle’s unshakable feelings of concern. “I know what you mean. I’ve been worried about him. We haven’t really had a chance to talk yet. They both dozed on the way home from the airport and then spent the rest of the afternoon checking out my new place and getting settled into the guest room before we came over here.”
“Let me know what Grandma says when you talk to her.”
“I will, honey. Don’t worry. Your grandfather’s a hardy fellow. Hopefully it’s just his age creeping up on him.”
Michelle knew her mother was trying to reassure her, but the expression on her mother’s face said much more than her words. Dear Lord, don’t let anything happen to Grandpa. We all need him so very much.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
After Michelle’s mother had taken Grandpa Phil and Grandma Joan back to her place, and the kids were tucked into bed, Michelle joined Steve on the couch, propping her feet up next to his on the coffee table.
“Great job tonight, honey,” Steve said as he draped his arm over her shoulders.
“Thanks, but you did half the work,” she replied, leaning her head against his arm. “What did you think of Grandpa?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean how he looked.”
Steve squeezed her shoulder. “He’s looking a little tired, but that’s probably to be expected at his age.”
“Hmmm,” she murmured. “I just get this feeling something’s not right. That there’s more to this visit than seeing Mom’s place.”
“Have you asked your mother what she thinks?”
“Yes, but we didn’t really get a chance to talk about him. She seemed to think it was just age, too.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes, then Michelle spoke again. “I forgot to tell you that Amber called today.”
“She did?” His voice tensed. “What did she say?”
“She sounded pretty lonely. She just wanted to talk to Caleb.”
He pulled back and looked at her. “What did you say?”
“What could I say? I let them talk for a couple of minutes.” She could see his jaw clenching. “I felt sorry for her, honey. It’s tough trying to rebuild her life without Chad.”
Although she could still see the concern on his face, he nodded. “What did they talk about?”
“I only heard Caleb’s side of the conversation. Seemed like it was pretty basic at first. Then they talked about her coming out again. I gave Caleb a warning look, and he cut off the conversation at that point.”
“I’ll talk to him about it,” Steve said. “It’s fine for them to write to each other, but I don’t want to encourage the phone thing. And we’re definitely not going to establish ongoing visits.”
Michelle nodded. She knew where he was coming from, and his desire to protect the family. But she couldn’t help feeling a little sad for Amber. “I told her I’d call her back tomorrow morning. But I forgot tomorrow’s Sunday. She’s working all afternoon and into the evening, and we’ll be at church in the morning.”
“Just call her another time. She’ll understand.” He took her hand and added, “You can’t rescue everyone, honey.”
She smiled. “I’ll text her and tell her we can talk later in the week. It’ll probably be pretty busy around here with Grandma and Grandpa in town.”
“Yep. And they need to be your priority now. Amber will find her way.”
I hope he’s right, she thought. “Guess I’ll go finish up in the kitchen.” She stood but Steve’s grasp on her hand didn’t loosen.
“Let’s go to bed. The kitchen will be there in the morning. I promise I’ll help before church.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” she replied with a weary smile. But bed sounded inviting, so she let him lead her up the stairs.
Sheila could hear her parents talking in the other room, as she quickly got ready for church the next morning. Her hands shook nervously as she applied her mascara. This is ridiculous! Why am I so nervous? The thought of her mother and father meeting Rick had her stomach doing somersaults. I feel like a teenager needing my parents’ approval. She shook her head as if to shake off the notion.
Other than her husband, she’d really never had a serious relationship with a man. John Ackerman swept her off her feet at a young, impressionable age, and she’d spent most of her life as his wife. Dating meant pioneering an uncharted land of opportunities for both blessings and disappointment. Somehow getting her parents’ nod of approval seemed to be the thumbs up she needed to pursue this new relationship.
Better go fix breakfast, she thought. She found her parents sipping coffee in the kitchen. Her father looked up and smiled, but his eyes held a sorrow she rarely saw. “Good morning,” she said in her cheeriest voice. “Everything okay in here?”
Joan stood and busied herself at the sink. “We were just discussing breakfast,” she said, with her back turned to Sheila.
“I’ve got cereal and English muffins, if you’d like that. Or I can whip up some eggs,” Sheila offered.
“English muffin sounds good to me,” Phil said, and Joan agreed.
Soon breakfast was behind them and they were on their way to church, Sheila praying silently for their meeting with Rick.
As they entered the sanctuary, Sheila spotted Rick standing near the front talking to Ben.
“There’s that young pastor of yours,” Phil said, tipping his head toward them.
“Yeah, and that’s Rick standing beside him,” she replied.
“So this is your new beau?” Joan asked, eyeing him from across the room.
“He’s not my beau, Mom. We’re just starting our friendship.”
“Well, let’s go meet the fellow,” Phil suggested.
As they approached, Rick looked up and gave Sheila a warm smile. He turned to Ben and excused himself, turning to greet all of them.
“Rick, I’d like you to meet my parents, Phil and Joan Walker. Mom, Dad, this is Rick Chambers.”
“It’s so very nice to meet you,” Rick said, extending his hand to her mother first and then her father. “Sheila tells me you used to be a pastor.”
“Yes. Well, actually I still am. To a handful of people at an Alzheimer’s home.”
They chatted for a few minutes, and then the worship team began to play. After they’d been seated with Rick on one side of Sheila and her parents on the other, Michelle and Steve slipped in and sat beside Phil. Sheila leaned forward and waved, happy to see her daughter and son-in-law join them.
As Ben began to teach, Sheila struggled to focus on the message. Usually she was immediately drawn into his teaching, but the smell of Rick’s aftershave and the feel of his arm slightly touching hers were an ongoing distraction. She glanced over to see him riveted to the message, breaking his focus momentarily to give her a smile, which only caused her heart to race a little more than it had been.
Pay attention, she chided herself, pulling out a pen and beginning to make notes in the journal that she’d brought along for just such a purpose. She knew her father would likely bring up some points of the sermon over their lunch with Rick, and she didn’t want to sound clueless.
After what seemed like hours, Ben wrapped up his message with a prayer, and the worship team returned to the front to lead them in one final song. As they stood together praising God, Rick reached over
and took her hand. She held on throughout the song, but quickly pulled her hand away afterward, hoping her parents had not noticed.
She invited Michelle and Steve to join the four of them for lunch, but Steve had some work to do, and Michelle wanted to take the kids down to the beach. Rick offered to drive to the restaurant, suggesting they pick up her car afterward.
Soon the four of them were seated at a table at the Cliffhanger, overlooking the ocean. Sheila noticed her mother carefully eyeing Rick throughout the meal, listening intently to his input about the sermon they’d just heard as well as his answers to questions about his position at the university. She seemed guardedly encouraged by Rick’s new faith, and Sheila caught her watching her father’s expressions as well.
This should make for some interesting discussion tonight.
When the meal was over, Rick quickly reached for the bill, insisting on treating everyone. Sheila smiled. She could see that her mother was impressed by the gesture, and her father graciously thanked him as well. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know you a little,” Phil said. “I hope we’ll get a chance to spend more time together this week while we’re in town,” he added.
“I’d like that,” Rick responded. He returned them to Sheila’s car in the church parking lot, shook hands with her parents and gave her a hug, whispering in her ear, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She gave him a smile and nodded. Catching a glimpse of her father wincing and rubbing his back, she waved goodbye to Rick and turned her attention to getting her parents home where they could stretch out and rest.
“Your friend seems like a nice man,” Joan said, as they headed for home.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Sheila could see her mother’s guarded expression.
“I’d say God is working on him,” Phil commented. “It’s encouraging to me when I see someone beginning to discover truth for the first time. Especially someone like your professor friend. Just goes to show no one’s beyond God’s reach.” Her father paused, and then added, “But don’t give your heart away too quickly, sweetheart. Rick’s got a ways to go before you’ll know if he’s serious about making a change.”
Around the Bend (Sandy Cove Series Book 4) Page 19