Seascapes Page 15

  “Oh…. how lovely,” Jill said as she held the box in her hand to look closer. “You have a wonderful skill at turning what many people overlook into something beautiful.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. Sea glass is coveted by many the world over. Lots of other people do just what I do. It’s nothing special.”

  Ken broke into the conversation at this point, “But it is, Kate. It really is. Not everyone can do this. Not everyone does what you do. You have a unique ability which God gave you, a special talent. You are using your abilities and talents not only to run a successful business, but you are helping others by selling their creations as well as your own. It is a true gift from God.”

  Kate blushed slightly. She had never looked at anything she did as a gift. It didn’t feel like a gift. It was just what she did. There was truly nothing special about it. Was there?

  Kate was beginning to become uncomfortable with all the praise. She wasn’t used to it. She knew others liked what she offered. Some came back year after year to buy new pieces from her.

  She wandered over to where Fee was working at making more jewelry leaving Jill and Ken behind to exclaim over her artistry. Just as she reached Fee, she heard a noise. It sounded like someone had come through the back door. It couldn’t be Nancy. It was too early for her shift.

  Fiona raised one eyebrow, “Maybe it’s Drew. Go check.”

  Kate headed towards the storeroom. They really needed to start locking the back door. Before she could get there, however, the door that separated the spaces opened and Kate’s father appeared.

  She stalked towards him and quietly, but in a vicious tone of voice, whispered, “What are you doing here? Didn’t I make myself clear earlier? I don’t want to see you ever again. Now leave!”

  “Kate, I just want to talk. I’m not leaving until you hear me out. I’m doing this twelve-step program and I need your forgiveness. I need to make this right between us. I’m clean now. I haven’t gambled in over a year.” The words rushed out before Kate could interrupt him again.

  “I don’t care! Why should I care?” Kate could hear her voice begin to rise and worked to quiet it. She didn’t want the Grants to notice what was going on. It was too much to have to continue dealing with her loser of a father.

  “Kate, honey, honest. I’ve changed. As God is my witness, I promise. I’m a different man.”

  “I told you not to call me honey and I don’t believe you! You’ve said that very thing more times than I can count. Every time you would come home, I would worry if you’d had a winning streak or not. Do you know that sometimes I went days without any food because you were too busy off drinking and gambling any money you had? You didn’t think about me then. Why should I care that you want to be part of my life now?” Kate said all this in a whispered shout, trying desperately to keep her voice down, but having more trouble doing so the longer her father stayed.

  “Kate, is everything okay?” Ken had noticed the conversation from across the room.

  “Yes,” Kate bit out between her teeth. “This man was just leaving.” She whirled around and started towards the front of the store. She hoped that would be enough to get her father to take the hint and leave. She knew she couldn’t walk out like she wanted to, not with the Grants there thinking everything was fine.

  “Kate, I’m not leaving. I’m your father. Talk to me,” he called after her.

  She stopped, her face growing white. She didn’t even turn to look. She could tell by how quiet everything had become that everyone had heard him. There was no more hiding the fact he was here or who he was. What was she supposed to do now?

  Kate heard footsteps moving across the store. She hoped it was her father heading to the door. She closed her eyes and waited to hear the door open and shut.

  Instead she heard a man’s voice saying, “Hello, I’m Ken Grant. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Kate couldn’t believe this. Ken was introducing himself to her father. What next?

  “This is my wife, Jill. We’ve never met, but we were foster parents to your daughter when she was younger. We just came into town to visit our sons who live here and found Kate after not knowing where she was all these years. Isn’t God amazing?”

  Kate watched horrified as Ken walked closer to her father. What would her father do in the face of meeting the Grants? Would he put on his fake charm or would he turn mean? Kate wasn’t sure. She might have once been able to predict his behavior, but if he had truly changed, she didn’t know what he would do.

  “Weren’t you the ones who wanted to adopt my daughter?”

  “Yes, we did. We love your daughter very much. We would have very much loved having her as our adopted daughter. Instead she was able to be reunited with you. God works His blessings in mysterious ways!” Ken answered with a joyous laugh and reached out to shake the other man’s hand.

  Kate watched in amazement as her father reached out a tentative hand to shake Ken’s. Was her father telling the truth? Had he changed?

  “I guess I owe all of you some thanks and an apology, too. I never should have taken my daughter away. She would have been better off staying with you. I see that now. I see a lot of things differently now. It’s why I came back to see Kate.”

  Kate’s mouth dropped open. She watched in disbelief as her father turned once more to her.

  “I was telling the truth, Kate. I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for all the ways I neglected you and didn’t protect you when you were growing up. I didn’t know how to cope with what your mother did to Lori. It tore me up that I had no idea what she was doing to you two girls.”

  Kate couldn’t believe this was the same father she had known. She watched as her father swallowed hard, pulling himself together so he could continue.

  “I felt so responsible for little Lori’s death. I wanted to make it right by trying to raise you, but I couldn’t cope with the guilt and shame of the past. I started drinking again and even gambling to try to cover up the pain. But along the way, I hurt you so badly. I know I don’t deserve the right to ask, but will you forgive me?”

  All eyes in the store turned to where Kate was standing in shock. Her father apologized. It even sounded sincere. Was this what it meant to follow Jesus? This felt like a miracle. Could she trust her father again?

  Jill stepped up beside her and put an arm around her waist. “Would you like me to pray with you first?”

  Kate looked at her. Pray. Yes, pray. That’s what she needed. Her mind was whirling, and she couldn’t seem to settle or even pull herself together enough to say anything. She nodded shortly.

  Jill bowed her head and began. She felt Ken and Fiona closing ranks around her, close enough so they could each place a hand on her shoulders. She felt another hand reach out and tentatively place fingertips on her forearm. Kate cracked open her eyelids and saw her father standing in front of her, touching her, with his head bowed and eyes closed. She quickly closed her eyes and listened to Jill.

  “Dearest Lord, we come to you today to ask for help for our dear, Kate. We know things have been hard for her, especially lately. Her life has not been easy. We ask today for you to redeem her life. Turn the bad that has happened into good as you have promised to do. Give her the strength and the courage to forgive her father. Give us the words to help lead her on that path. Lord, please give her the strength now to overcome all she has gone through. In your name we pray. Amen.”

  They all lifted their heads. Kate’s father quickly backed up a step as he dropped his hand away. He looked at Kate, searching her face for any hope that she might forgive him.

  Kate breathed deeply. She had thought another panic attack would have hit by now. Instead, she felt peaceful. She felt a love for her father she had never felt before either.

  Opening her mouth, she said, “I forgive you.” Then felt calmness sweep over her as smiles spread across all the faces in the room.

  Chapter 33

  Drew whistled as he walked to the church. T
oday was going to be a good day, he thought to himself. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. Okay, now he was just getting corny. He chuckled as he continued, heading to meet his parents and Peter at the church.

  He had thought his prayers would help ease the thoughts of Kate, that he wouldn’t be dwelling on her so much. Instead, the opposite was true. He was thinking about her more than ever.

  He stopped whistling and began praying quietly out loud. “Okay, God. We’ve been having conversation after conversation. So, what’s going on? I like her a lot. Like, a lot. You know this. We’ve talked about it.”

  Thoughts of her eyes and hair and… He broke off the train of thought and kept walking and talking. “What gives? Lord, if you want me to move past this relationship, then you’ve got to help me out here and get her out of my head. If you want more to happen, then you need to let me know. And soon. I’m not sure I can continue this way, God.”

  As he approached the church, he glanced off to the side where there was a small park. He and Peter had worked to clean out all the debris under the large pine tree growing there.

  They had raked all the old needles and pinecones and put in a crushed shell walking path along with a few benches. They had even created a few small flower beds for some color. No one had really been using it though.

  There was someone sitting on one of the benches today. As he got closer, he realized it was Kate. He stopped and whispered under his breath, “Is this my sign, Lord?”

  He changed course and walked towards where Kate was sitting. She hadn’t spotted him yet. Her head was bent as she sat and read a book. She was biting her bottom lip, which he found utterly adorable.

  He stepped onto the path and the noise of his feet crunching the shells brought her head up to see him approaching. A smile crossed her lips but faded quickly.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey, yourself,” she replied and waited.

  He couldn’t seem to do anything but stand and look at her, drinking in the sight of her. He had missed their walks on the beach and their coffee dates.

  “Did you need something?” She closed the book and laid it beside her on the bench. “I think your parents and Peter are inside if you’re looking for them.”

  Drew glanced down at the cover of the book and felt his stomach flip. It was a Bible. Could God really be answering his prayers? It might not mean anything, but it did mean she was searching. Maybe.

  “What are you reading?” He picked the Bible up, holding it in his hands as he sat beside her.

  “Your mom gave that to me a few days ago. She said it was mine when I lived with them.”

  He rubbed a hand over the cover. It looked similar to the one he had. “Do you mind?” He held it up, asking for permission to open it.

  “Go ahead,” she nodded.

  Sure enough, there was a similar inscription inside the front cover as there was in his own. “To Katie, may these words never return void. Read them and allow them to seep into your spirit and lead you every day of your life. Love Mama and Papa.”

  “So, are they?” He looked at Kate as he waited impatiently for her answer.

  “Are they what? What are you talking about?”

  “Are the words leading you?”

  “Yes, yes they are. Finally.”

  A grin spread across Drew’s face. “How about a walk on the beach?”

  Kate looked at Drew. He had ignored her for days but now he wanted to start taking walks with her again. She wasn’t sure she wanted to play this type of game. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to get to know him better. Did she?

  She decided to be direct for a change, “Why have you been ignoring me?”

  Drew was slightly startled at the question, but she deserved to know why. He hadn’t kept his interest in her a secret.

  “How much have you read so far?” He asked as he handed the Bible back to her.

  “Some. I’ve finished the book of John. What does that have to do with it?

  “So, you haven’t read anything that Paul has written? Nothing in first or second Corinthians or Ephesians or anything there?”

  “No, should I?”

  “No. Well, yes, eventually. But you don’t have to read it all in one sitting,” he answered with a grin. “I only ask because it may help to make sense of why I pulled back.”

  Drew had never been this forward with a woman in his life. He felt continued nudging from the Holy Spirit, so he dove in.

  “I like you, Kate. A lot. I want to get to know you better, but I’m not the type of guy who dates to date. I’m looking for a commitment. A forever commitment.”

  Kate felt a blush begin to build. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked him in the first place. Was he going to tell her she wasn’t good enough for him? That they couldn’t date because he was a Grant? She wasn’t sure and she didn’t have a lot of experience. She’d never had a long-term boyfriend and had only gone out for a few casual dates over the years. Dating had never been a high priority for her.

  “You need to know that Paul talks about our situation in second Corinthians. He talks about how a believer shouldn’t be bound or committed to an unbeliever. Kate,” he reached out and held her hand in his, “I pulled back because I was starting to fall really hard for you. And until I knew for sure you were a believer, I had to wait. God was calling me to wait and to pray. And that is what I did.”

  Kate looked at their entwined fingers. It felt nice. She felt a wave of warmth flood her at their grip. She looked up into his eyes.

  “How about that walk then?” Kate asked as she rose and tugged on their clasped hands.

  Drew’s familiar grin was back. He winked and said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter 34

  Kate was trying to stay focused on Jill and Ken. They had joined her this afternoon on the beach to look for sea glass. She knew it was just their way of spending time with her, but she was okay with that. Fiona had practically shoved her out of the door before lunch to go with them when they arrived.

  They were walking along Kate’s favorite stretch of beach with their heads down, looking for a sparkle of sea glass. There were multiple tide pools and sometimes Kate would come here just to look through them. Finding sea glass was just a bonus.

  Today she was having even more fun since both Grants were having a great time on the search and discovery. They were almost like little kids discovering new things.

  Jill was the next to shout. “Ohhhh…look at this! It’s a sea star! Is it okay to pick it up do you think?”

  Kate laughed, she had been doing a lot more of that lately as well, “It’s fine, but just don’t keep it out of the water long. I’m surprised you know the correct name for them.”

  Jill reached down and gently lifted it out of the water. “I love learning about God’s creation. It’s so fascinating! For instance, did you know that if one of these creatures loses an arm, they can regrow a new one?”

  “I did.” Kate continued scanning the ground nearby looking for good pieces of glass.

  “Did you also know that if part of their central body, this part right in the middle, were to be detached from the regular body, just part of it, it could regrow a completely new sea star? Isn’t that amazing?” Jill was so delighted in each of the creatures she had been finding and had been spouting facts like this to Kate the entire time. Kate was having fun though. This was one of the most enjoyable days she’d had in quite some time.

  The now frequent walks on the beach with Drew were becoming a favorite part of each day. He had started bumping into her again on purpose to invite her for walks.

  “Check out this one,” Ken held out his palm with a large, frosted white piece of glass sitting in the middle of it.

  “How beautiful!” Jill had taken the piece from Ken’s hand and was admiring it while holding it up to the light.

  “I can show you how to make it into a necklace later if you’d like,” Kate offered. She was enjoying getting to know Ken and Jill be
tter over the last few days.

  “I’d love that! What was it that drew you to sea glass?” Jill pocketed the piece of glass and started walking slowly again beside Kate, searching for more.

  “It was actually my biological mother.” Kate was finding it easier and easier to discuss her past. She finally felt like she was healing.

  She went on to share the story of the heart shaped necklace with Jill and Ken. She even mentioned how it had turned up at her store. “My father must have left it when he came into town. He was the only person who could have had it,” Kate finished.

  “I would love to see it,” Jill said. “I’ve never seen red sea glass before.”

  “I’m not sure I still have it. I told Fee to throw it away. I didn’t want to see it again. We can head there now and see if she listened to me or not.”

  Kate realized the red sea glass necklace no longer had a hold on her. She was wanted and loved. Her past didn’t have to continue to dictate her worth.

  Kate caught Jill and Ken exchanging a look she couldn’t interpret. Did they know something about the necklace and sea glass collection showing up? She shook her head slightly. That was ridiculous. How could they?

  Fiona greeted them as they arrived back at the store. “So, find anything good on the beach today?” she asked.

  “Ken found this great piece of white glass. Kate offered to show me how to make it into a necklace,” Jill grinned.

  Fiona glanced at Kate and saw the slow smile filling her face. She realized Kate had never truly seemed happy in all the time they had known each other. Content perhaps, but not happy, not like this. Now Kate seemed to almost be glowing with joy. She smiled more readily and seemed to enjoy spending time with people.

  Of course, Fiona had also seen the way she looked at Drew. More importantly, she saw the way he looked at her. There were sparks flying there and she couldn’t be happier for her friend.