Finding Home (24 page)

“So Genevieve and Lillian and I are going apartment hunting tomorrow.” Barbara picked up the story. “I’m going to try it out for a few months, and if I like it, I’ll sell my house here and move north.”

“You’ll love it,” Genevieve assured her. She peered over Cindy’s shoulder toward the main room. “I think we’ve overstayed our welcome.”

Cindy surveyed the display area. The catering company staff had swooped in the instant the last guest departed, and the servers were stripping and dismantling the cocktail tables and portable serving counters with practiced efficiency.

The three older women hugged Cindy, and Scott took up the rear as they started toward the exit. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Wait for me?”

“No problem. I can’t leave until they’re done.” She gestured to the catering employees.

Truth be told, she wanted a few minutes alone with him. Things had been so hectic from the moment she’d arrived that she’d hardly had a chance to do more than say hello to him. Even when he’d called earlier to wish her luck, she’d been running out the door to drop Jarrod off at Janice’s for the evening and they’d exchanged only a few words.

Five minutes later, as the catering crew was packing up the last of the equipment and stowing it in their van, Scott reappeared.

Cindy watched him as he crossed the room toward her, giving thanks as always for his steady, loving presence in her life. In the past four months, he’d quietly become an integral part of her world—and of Jarrod’s. And although she’d entered into this romance with caution, her fears had disappeared. For she had come to believe this was a man she could trust with her life—and her heart.

He stopped in front of her, and his slow, appreciative perusal set her pulses fluttering. “If I haven’t already told you, that dress is a knockout.”

Smoothing one hand down the fitted black silk skirt that ended at her knees and featured a flirty slit on the side, she touched the pearls at her neck with the other. Despite the dent it had put in her budget, she was glad she’d splurged on the sophisticated dress after she’d spotted it in a boutique window on her drive to work one day a few weeks ago.

If this kept up, however, she was going to become an impulse shopper after all.

“Thank you. You look very nice, too.”

He ran a finger under the collar of his starched pleated shirt and gave her a rueful glance. “I appreciate the compliment, but to be honest, I can’t wait to get rid of this bow tie. Not to mention the cummerbund. Whoever invented formal clothes was more interested in style than comfort.”

“Tell me about it.” She lifted one foot and wiggled the skinny high heel on her slingbacks. “Try standing on these for three hours.”

“I see your point. But I have to admit I like them.” He backed off for a better view of her legs, then gave a soft whistle.

Her cheeks warmed, and she started to turn away. “I need to flip off the lights and lock up.”

“Wait.” He caught her hand. “Let’s take one more look at the centerpiece of your display. It was so crowded in that area, I didn’t get a chance to linger over it. And I have some news to share with you, too.”

Some subtle nuance in his inflection put her on alert, and she followed in silence as he led her to the glass case containing Emma’s wedding dress and Elijah’s jacket and cap.

He stopped in front of the display and faced her. “I got a note from Devon today.”

That could be good or bad.

“Is she okay?” Last she’d heard, Devon was working full-time as a temp at a theatrical licensing agency in New York while she “explored her options,” as she’d put it. But Cindy knew Scott—and Gram—worried about her every day.

“Yes. She’s fine. Great, in fact. She just took a job as manager of a children’s theater program with a regional theater company in St. Louis. She’ll be teaching kids and directing youth productions, plus acting in some of the main stage productions.”

Relief coursed through her, and she squeezed his hand. “That’s wonderful! It sounds like a perfect solution. Is she happy about it?”

“I think so. I know it was hard for her to give up her dream of seeing her name in lights on Broadway, but she seems to have made peace with it.” He fished in the pocket of his jacket, pulled out a letter and handed it to her. “I got this today.”

Cindy released his hand, opened the single sheet of paper and found a check inside. She read the note, which recounted what Scott had already told her...except for the last paragraph.

“I know you’ve been carrying the burden of Gram’s expenses for almost a year, and I’d like to make up for some of that—not to mention my mooching. Please use this to replenish the emergency fund I helped deplete...or for anything Gram needs. There will be more coming down the road. And thanks for all your patience and support. Plus the courage to tell me what I didn’t want to hear—that it was time to grow up. I know that was as hard for you to say as it was for me to hear. I love you, bro. And in case I haven’t told you lately, I feel lucky to have you in my life.”

A soft smile tugged at Cindy’s lips as she refolded the check into the letter and handed them back. “I agree with that last line.”

He returned her smile and tucked the letter into his pocket. “That’s encouraging to hear.”

With a sigh, she gave the exhibit hall one more scan. “I can’t believe the big event is over. At least the display will be up for a few months. Give me a minute to turn off the...”

Once again, he grabbed her hand as she began to walk away.

Looking over her shoulder, she arched an eyebrow in query.

“Actually, I think the real big event is about to begin.”

At the sudden huskiness in his tone, her heart stumbled.

He tugged her closer to the glass display case and gestured to the antique wedding gown that had survived for more than one hundred years. “There’s something missing from that display, you know.”

At his unexpected comment, she frowned and inspected the gown and the grainy, enlarged wedding photo behind it. Emma had worn a wreath of flowers in her hair and carried a bouquet, so of course those were missing. But she’d even found the bride’s wedding shoes buried in the depths of the trunk, and they, too, had been restored for the display.

“Okay, I give up. What’s missing?”

In silence, Scott reached into his pocket, pulled out his hand and unfolded his fingers to display a Victorian-era engagement ring in pristine condition.

Cindy stared at the round, flat-mounted diamond swimming amid a sea of six violet-blue sapphires that had been cut to form a pointed oval around it. Those stones, in turn, were surrounded by an intricate, filigreed platinum frame featuring additional smaller diamonds. The frame was joined on each side to a gold band to complete the circle.

It was the most stunning and unusual ring she’d ever seen.

And she knew immediately who’d once worn it. She’d noticed it in a few of the photos from Emma’s scrapbook.

She looked up at him. “Emma’s engagement ring. Where did you get it?”

“Gram inherited it, along with the trunks, but Dad’s aunt sent it under separate cover because of its value. Gram’s had it in her safe deposit box all these years. She’d totally forgotten about it until you started on this exhibit. She gave it to me a few weeks ago, and I had it cleaned and polished.” He paused. Took a deep breath. “Now I’d like to give it to you.”

It was a statement, not a question, and he didn’t seem to expect her to respond.

Good thing.

She doubted her voice would cooperate.

Without breaking eye contact, he twined his fingers with hers and stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. “I know you want to move slowly. I understand and respect that. You haven’t been a widow long, and the last thing you and Jarrod need in your life is more upheaval. I’d planned to take it slow, too, after all the mistakes I made in my last relationship. But I knew from the beginning you were different. And over the past few months, as you’ve graced my life in more ways than I could have dreamed, I’ve fallen in love with you.”

His voice hoarsened, and one side of his mouth quirked up. “Sorry. I’ve never proposed before. And in case you have any doubt, that’s what I’m doing. I understand if you need more time, but I want you to know I can’t imagine my life without you. I want to be like Elijah, confident even when we’re apart that you’re waiting for me with a light on in your heart, if not in your window. I’m not perfect, as Gram or Devon will be the first to tell you, but I do take my commitments seriously, and I’ll work hard to be the best husband and father possible. For always. So if and when you’re ready to say yes, I’ll be waiting.”

As he finished, Cindy felt the pressure of tears behind her eyes and in her throat. “I can’t begin to imagine what I’ve done to deserve the gift of your love.” The words came out in a whisper.

The green of his irises deepened to jade, and he lifted his free hand to stroke her cheek. “I’m the lucky one if you love me back.”

Once upon a time, Cindy had thought it would take a long time for her to be sure about her feelings for this man.

She’d been wrong.

In the five months she’d known Scott, his kindness and caring and compassion had chased away all her doubts. With his quiet strength, deep faith, absolute integrity and steadfast devotion to those he loved, he’d won her heart. Forever.

She lifted her left hand, touched the ring, then extended the fourth finger. “I’m ready now. And the answer is yes.”

Joy filled his eyes—yet he hesitated. “Are you certain? I don’t want to rush you.”

“I couldn’t be any more certain. I love you, too, Scott. So does Jarrod.”

In the quiet of the museum—beneath the smiling photograph of Elijah and his bride, surrounded by the mementos of their century-old romance—he cradled her hand in his and slipped the ring over her finger. “How does it fit?”

“Almost as if it was made for me.”

“Good. Because it’s yours now.”

Once more, Cindy looked at the antique wedding gown and the photo of the newlyweds. “I wonder how they’d feel about me wearing this?”

“Gram told me there was a note with it, in Emma’s hand. She saved it for you, but she passed on the last line so I could share it when I gave you the ring. It said, ‘May some future bride who wears this ring find as much joy and contentment in her marriage as I have known in mine.’ So she always intended for it to be passed on. Now—” Scott took her other hand
“—given the setting, I think we should seal this engagement in a very traditional, old-fashioned way, don’t you?”

Smiling, she stepped into his arms. Where she belonged—for always. “No question about it.”

She tipped her head back to welcome his kiss, and at the tenderness and love in his eyes the rest of the world melted away.

But as he leaned down to claim her lips, she did catch one quick glimpse over his shoulder of that happy couple from long ago.

And as they smiled back at her from the antique wedding portrait, she had a feeling they would approve.

* * * * *

If you enjoyed Irene’s book, be sure to check out the other books this month from Love Inspired!

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to Starfish Bay, a charming spot on the Northern California coast that exists only in my imagination—and the pages of my books.

One of the joys of being a writer is creating interesting places and people. Sometimes the place comes first; sometimes the people. With this series, I focused first on place. I wanted a spot that would capture the imagination of readers as much as the setting of my previous series, Lighthouse Lane, did. I’ve received so many letters from readers who were charmed by that tiny byway on Nantucket Island. I hope all of you who were captivated by Lighthouse Lane—along with many new readers—will fall in love with Starfish Bay, too!

Please watch for the final book in my Starfish Bay series coming next year. In the meantime, I invite you to check my website at
www.irenehannon.com
for more information about my other books.

Irene Hannon

Questions for Discussion

1. Based purely on the first scene between Cindy and Jarrod, what is your impression of her as a mother? Support your opinion with examples from that scene.
   

2. By the end of the first chapter, what is your impression of Scott? Did it change over the course of this chapter?
   

3. Gram says that Scott has an overdeveloped guilt complex. Do you agree? Is guilt a bad thing—or a good thing? Why or why not?
   

4. Cindy is struggling to juggle the demands of parenting with a full-time job. Do you think she handles this well? What are some of the challenges single parents face?
   

5. Cindy and Scott get off to a rough start. Why were they able to overcome that and move on? What qualities are helpful in making any relationship smoother?
   

6. What did you think of Devon? Did your opinion of her change at the end of the book? Why? Have you ever known anyone who refused to take responsibility for his or her life? What is the best way to deal with a person like that? Did Scott do the right thing when he refused to continue sending her money?
   

7. What role did faith play in the lives of the main characters in this book? How did it affect their outlook and their choices?
   

8. Like Scott, Cindy deals with guilt in this book—in her case, for falling in love again so soon after her husband’s death. Do you think this guilt was warranted? Why or why not?
   

9. At the beginning of the book, Gram has given up on life. What happened through the course of the story to lift her spirits? Is there an older person in your life whose spirits need lifting? How might you help raise them?
   

10. Scott had some fences to rebuild with Jarrod after their antagonistic beginning. What are some of the things he did to win the boy’s trust and repair their relationship?
    

11. Describe the qualities in Cindy and Scott that made them fall in love with each other. Use examples from the book to illustrate how they demonstrated these qualities.
    

12. Near the end of the book, Jarrod tells Cindy that it’s scary to like somebody too much because it’s hard if they go away. But he says it would be worse if you’d never known them at all. Do you agree? What Bible verses might comfort someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one?
    

13. What is the one thing you will most remember about this book? Why?