Seascapes Page 6

  As Kate entered the room, she looked up to see Nancy coming in through the back door. She was surprised to see her here this early. Normally she worked the afternoon shift which allowed Kate and Fiona to beachcomb for glass.

  “You’re here early, Nancy. Anything I can help you with?” Kate hoped her voice didn’t betray her. She had no desire to explain to Nancy what was going on.

  “No, I just thought I’d swing by on my way to the café to see if you wanted anything.” Nancy tucked her keys into the pocket of her neon pink velour tracksuit. She always wore such odd clothing. It was one of the things Kate had spoken to her about on the first day, the need to dress more professionally when in the store.

  “Oh, well thank you. I don’t need anything though. Fee’s out front if you want to check with her.”

  It seemed early for Nancy to be out. She had clearly stated she didn’t like mornings when she was hired which is one reason she worked the afternoon shifts. Perhaps she was trying to make up for yesterday.

  “Oh, no, I’ll just be heading out now.” Nancy did an abrupt about face and hurried back out the door.

  Kate shook her head. This new employee of hers was strange to say the least. She still wasn’t sure she had made the right decision when she hired her. I guess time will tell, she thought to herself.

  Chapter 12

  Drew couldn’t get Kate out of his head. He had been thinking about her almost nonstop since their encounter at her store yesterday. He still couldn’t figure out how had he never met her before. And why had he asked her to go for a walk with him? He was never that forward with a woman. Ever.

  He continued toward the café. He hated cooking for himself and tried to avoid it at all costs. All the restaurants in town knew him by name. He was a frequent customer. He showed up at the Three Cat Café so often they knew his favorites by heart. They even made them special for him on occasion. There were definite perks to living in a small town.

  He had always loved the vacations the Grants had taken here when he was growing up. Haven was a small beach town, but it grew to the size of a small metropolis in the summertime. While he enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the summer tourist season, he enjoyed the quiet winters more. There was something about winter at the ocean that spoke to his very soul.

  A storm-tossed winter sea reflected what he felt whenever he thought about his parents. Not the Grants. They were a great family and he was beyond blessed to be a part of it. It was the times when he let himself think about what life would have been like if his parents had never gone out that night. What would his life have looked like now?

  Drew had grown up in a small family in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Everyone had known his name. He couldn’t go out to play without someone keeping an eye on him to make sure he was safe and behaving himself. That little town had been even smaller than Haven.

  Then the accident happened. He had been home with a teenage babysitter the night the police had shown up. He hadn’t really understood what they had told him, but then the social worker had packed an overnight bag and taken him with her. He had fought so hard it had taken two officers to wrestle him into the seatbelt.

  He had cried and screamed and fought until he had exhausted himself. He had woken the next morning in a strange house, with strange people, still trying to figure out how his parents could be gone forever. They had kissed him goodbye and said they’d be back before he knew it. Now they were gone forever.

  That strange home had been the first in a long string of placements. He had been determined to make all his foster families so miserable with him they would have no choice but to let him go home. It had taken a long time for him to realize there was no home to go back to.

  Drew shook his head. He didn’t allow these thoughts to take hold very often. He had learned it did nothing but sink him into a deep depression. Instead he started to focus on what he had received as a result of the hand life had dealt him. He wasn’t an only child anymore. He was part of a large and growing family.

  Ken and Jill were amazing parents and grandparents. Now that they were older and the last of the kids were launched, they traveled around to visit each of their children and their families.

  Drew thought it would be nice to introduce them to Kate. Wait. He stopped walking. What was he thinking? Why would he introduce them to Kate? That was nuts. They weren’t even dating. And he knew if he introduced a woman to his parents, they had better be serious.

  Smiling to himself, he let his thoughts drift towards being able to let his parents meet Kate. Maybe he needed to go back and try out that invitation again except this time he would add coffee at the Three Cat.

  Whistling, he did an abrupt turn and headed towards Seascapes. No time like the present.

  ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

  Kate sat at her desk and stared blankly down at the pile of paperwork sitting in front of her. She couldn’t seem to figure out what to work on first. Her mind was racing. The past continued to keep pushing its way in. She knew it was because of the sea glass.

  She was trying hard not to remember her life after her father had taken her back from her foster family. All those lonely days and nights had been hard to bear after being part of such a large family. One weekend, when she had been around twelve years old, came to mind. She had been living with her father for almost two years by then.

  Her father had been gone for a few weeks this time. He hadn’t left enough money or food in the house. Weekends were long lonely days. Kate always tried to stash a bit of her free lunch from school in her bag, so she would have at least something to eat during the weekend. She had managed to smuggle a few rolls and half of a sandwich. It wasn’t a lot, but it kept her stomach from constantly growling.

  She was always careful not to get caught taking food. She knew if anyone found out her father was gone, they might take her away. While she didn’t really want to stay with her father, she knew she might not be so lucky the next time she was placed in foster care. She could handle the neglect. She had no other choice.

  She knew how lucky she had been being placed with her foster family when she had been in the system before. Their house was in high demand. They were a family who willingly opened their heart and home to any child in need. They actually loved kids and it showed in how they treated them. They weren’t in it for the money like some.

  On this night, her father had come stumbling home around midnight, making enough noise to wake the neighbors. Kate had quickly jumped out of bed and rolled beneath it. It wasn’t until she heard him yelling back at the neighbors that she realized it was her father and not someone breaking in. They hadn’t lived in the best neighborhood.

  He had been drunk again. She never knew what made him return every so often. It certainly wasn’t out of concern for her. She had no idea where he stayed when he wasn’t at the apartment. He never felt the need to tell her.

  She heard him staggering down the hall, bumping along the walls. It had been years since any photos had hung there since he constantly knocked them off, shattering the glass. Kate had begun to tire of having to sweep it up before she stepped on it in her bare feet.

  There wasn’t much around the apartment to even suggest a father and daughter lived there. It was stark, although very clean. Kate spent a lot of time cleaning simply to keep herself busy. There wasn’t much to do in the apartment at night by herself or on the lengthy weekends.

  She had curled back into bed and eventually had gone back to sleep. She knew tomorrow her father would sleep off his hangover. She hoped he had been successful in his gambling ventures and had brought home money. If he had, he would pay the bills, including the late rent, and she wouldn’t have to worry about being kicked out. She didn’t know what she would do if that ever happened. He certainly wasn’t going to take her with him when he went, wherever that was.

  The next morning her father finally rolled out of bed just before noon. He came shambling down the hall towards the kitchen. Kate was on her knees with her
head inside the oven scrubbing the already gleaming surface. It wasn’t like she used it often enough to get it dirty.

  “Make me something to eat. I have a headache, so be quiet about it,” he had growled at her.

  “There’s no food.” Kate had quickly backed out of the oven and risen.

  “What do you mean no food? Why not?”

  “You didn’t leave any money.” Kate had answered in a soft voice without looking him in the eye. She always tried hard not to make him angry. When he was angry, he was more likely to storm out and not come back. While he hadn’t hit her in a while, that was always a possibility as well. She really needed him to pay the bills and give her money to buy food.

  “Good for nothing, kid!” he’d snarled, as if it were Kate’s fault there was no food in the house. Her stomach had tightened as she held herself ready to run to her room to hide.

  Instead of coming towards her, he’d stamped back down the hall to his bedroom. Returning to the kitchen, he’d thrust a hundred-dollar bill into her hands. “Here. Go to the store and get me something to eat. I’m starving!”

  Kate doubted very much he knew what it meant to be hungry, but she had taken the money and thrown on her coat. She’d buy enough food to last her a few weeks, hopefully, especially if her father didn’t stay long.

  He hadn’t stayed long. He had been gone the next morning, but he must have won big since he’d left enough money to cover the rent, utilities, and buy more food.

  It was at this point when Kate had started taking some of the money and putting it aside for when she could leave for good. It was the start of her escape fund as she had called it. It was the only thing that had kept her going on the harder days, dreaming about being gone and never having to rely on her father, or anyone, again.

  Kate had worked hard to get to where she was now. There were many times along the way when she didn’t think she could keep up the pace, but she would remember how it had been living with her father and she felt a renewed sense of purpose. Her dream had been to own her own business one day and be completely independent.

  Now, here she was. She was twenty-five instead of twelve. She was running her business and doing quite well. She certainly wasn’t going to let her past get in the way of her dream. She wasn’t going to allow her father to derail her. Not now. Not after all the hard work she had put in to get to this point. If it even was her father leaving the packages. But who else could it be?

  Kate decided she needed a change of scenery. She headed to the front room. “Fee, I’m going to go for a walk to clear my head. I won’t be long. Are you okay for a bit?”

  Fiona walked over and hugged her. She pulled back but kept a hand on each arm and said, “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve got it covered. I’m going to work on making some more jewelry. Take your time.”

  Chapter 13

  Kate headed out the door and began what was quickly becoming her daily pilgrimage to the stone church. The quiet there seemed to calm her. She didn’t want to admit it, but she also looked forward to talking with the pastor who always seemed to know just what to say each time she arrived.

  The man didn’t fit with her idea of a religious leader. She thought he was far younger than most in that position would be. Well, at least based on what she vaguely remembered from when she was a child.

  The minister at her foster family’s church had been old. He had seemed ancient to Kate, although in hindsight he probably hadn’t been. He had also seemed like such a giant with a loud and booming voice. She supposed anyone would seem so to a young child.

  This man, however, wasn't much older than Kate. For someone so young, he certainly knew a lot about the Bible. He made it come alive to her when he shared the stories from the windows.

  What about Drew? Who was he? He kept showing up at the church, too. Did he work there? Maybe he was another pastor, but she quickly dismissed that idea. There was nothing about him that screamed minister. In fact, if anything, he gave off more of a surfer vibe.

  She dismissed thoughts of him quickly. She had no time for a man in her life. She refused to even consider it. Men were all alike. They just took and took and hurt people on the way to getting whatever it was they wanted. She was content being by herself. It was the safest.

  Growing up in the south had not been as idyllic as one might think. At least it certainly hadn’t been for her. She had always been fascinated by colder climates and had found herself relocating to the shores of Maine. That seemed like it would be far enough away from her past for a fresh start.

  As she continued towards the church, she thought vaguely how Fiona would probably find the pastor good-looking. Kate wondered if he was even allowed to date. Weren’t some ministers forbidden to?

  Fee was incorrigible at times when it came to men. She was always pointing out different guys to Kate and constantly urging her to go on dates. Fee assured her she knew what made each one perfect. But Kate had no desire to find a man. None at all.

  She just felt comforted when she came to the church. The pastor made it easy to listen and not feel judged. She knew how unusual this was for her. She didn’t trust easily.

  She had very few friends in her life, on purpose. In fact, if she had been given the choice, which she hadn’t been, she would have rebuffed Fee’s friendship. Fiona, however, hadn’t allowed that. She had barged into Kate’s life and, truth be told, Kate was happy about it. It was nice to have a friend, finally.

  She had been turning the stories the man had told her so far over and over in her mind. She had vague recollections of many of the tales from when she had attended church with her foster family. In fact, while he was telling her about the house builders, a song had come to mind. She remembered singing it during Vacation Bible School each year.

  As she walked, she began humming the tune, and for the first time in days, she found herself smiling. She had many good memories of those times. Without even thinking, she quietly began to sing the words as she continued, “The wise man built his house upon a rock, the wise man built his house upon a rock, the wise man built his house upon a rock, and the rain came tumbling down.”

  Her smile grew as she even remembered some of the hand motions to the song. Her favorite was when the foolish man’s house went “Splat!” Then all the kids had clapped their hands together hard.

  She stopped singing as she entered the church, but the smile lingered. She continued to think about what the song meant. How had he explained it? It didn’t really have to do with building a house. It was how you built your life. God and his Word, the Bible, was the solid foundation and would help you stand firm while the sand or a weak foundation would cause you to fall.

  She thought she understood it, but what was she supposed to do with it? Build a house? Not build sandcastles? She just wasn’t sure. Maybe he would be here again today, and she could ask.

  Kate headed once more for the left side of the church. There was another window there she had yet explore. She arrived at the window and read the plaque, “Ask, Seek, Knock.”

  She wondered what that could mean. She stood and gazed up at the window. It depicted a man in a white robe and sandals standing with only his back showing. His hand was raised to knock on a door that was partially open. Behind the door was brilliant, shining light and what looked like angels’ wings.

  “Hello again.” Peter stepped out from the door and walked towards her.

  Kate had been hoping she would see him. She turned with a slight smile on her face. It was a bit uncanny how he always knew when she arrived. She wondered if the door had some type of alarm on it that alerted him.

  “I was hoping you would come back. I have been enjoying our little chats. It seems we are meant to discuss each of our beautiful windows. Do you know what this one means?”

  “Not really. I was just trying to figure what on earth it meant.”

  “It actually has nothing to do with the earth,” Peter laughed. He had been enjoying these talks about the windows with someone who
seemed eager to learn. It was a refreshing change from the “Mrs. Johnsons” in his life. “This window has everything to do with heaven.”

  Kate thought about that statement. Heaven huh? What did a door have to do with heaven? She was even more confused now.

  Peter could see the puzzlement on her face. He continued, “You see, all of us have the chance to answer the knock at the door. Jesus wants to come live in our hearts. He is standing outside knocking on the door just waiting for us to invite him in.”

  Finally, thought Kate, here is where he’ll start to preach. Even though as a child she had been so sure she could trust Jesus and everyone else who had promised to keep her safe, it had all been a lie.

  She had stopped believing in God, Jesus, and anything that reminded her of her time with her foster family. It was better not to dwell on it. It hadn’t lasted. It had been obvious from almost the moment she had left that no one was going to take care of her but herself. Still, something inside had her wanting to hear what else this man might say.

  “Jesus is always there, just waiting. If anyone asks him to come in, he does. Simple isn’t it? He’s always there, waiting and willing, but he must be asked. He doesn’t just barge in and take over without an invitation. In fact, he doesn’t barge in at all. He waits patiently for a request to become part of your life. On the other hand, he doesn’t just come in and do nothing either. Once invited in, he will make his presence known. He will be a part of your life. It’s not a decision to be taken lightly.”

  Kate sat listening, processing what Peter had just told her. She had once asked Jesus to do just what the man was explaining. But he hadn’t kept up his end of the bargain. She had asked and she thought that meant he would always protect her. Why hadn’t he done that? It just didn’t make sense.