North Dakota Weddings (39 page)

“The faraway look in your eyes had something to do with it. Is it with that Carey guy?”

“Yes.” Muriel squealed. “He finally asked me out. Sort of. I’ve got to get ready. When do you need me to drop you off?”

“Will six thirty mess with your plans?”

“Not at all. I’m meeting him at eight for coffee, so it’s not like a full-blown date or anything.” Muriel finished stuffing her face. “Can I just add that you could use a date, too?”

Amber strolled to the small living area and plopped on the davenport. “No, you cannot add that part. What is the definition of a date anyway?” Another crunch on the carrot, and Amber’s appetite was completely gone. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to eat ice cream.

“It’s when an insanely cute guy asks you to meet him, or he picks you up, either way.”

“In that case, I have a date, of sorts.”

Muriel gasped. “Don’t tell me, is it with Dr. Selman?”

“Nope.”

“Ah.” Muriel let her shoulders droop. “I’m sorry.”

Unwilling to share more details with Muriel, Amber busied herself getting ready for her “date,” and as nervous as she was, it might as well have been with an insanely cute guy—or at least one who was interested in her romantically, rather than her brother.

As promised, Muriel dropped Amber off downtown. She strolled down the sidewalk, heading to the ice cream parlor. She planned to hang back, standing in the shadows of a storefront, hoping to spot her brother first. Seeing him now with all the baggage she carried would be a shock to her system.

Palms sweating and heart racing, she wanted to pound her head against the storefront. Then…she saw him.

Michael…God, please, help me
.

She watched him enter the small ice cream shop and, through the glass windows, saw him go directly to the counter and order. Apparently, he wasn’t willing to wait for her to arrive before getting his ice cream.

A quick glance at her watch and she knew she should walk across the street to meet him. But she was frozen. What did you say to a person whom you loved but believed had let you and your family down? Whom you blamed for the death of your mother and sister?

Amber was on the verge of shoving away from the wall and forcing herself to face her nemesis because the truth was…she loved him very much. She knew that now, watching him. She’d always loved him. Somehow, God would help her forgive him. But, to her surprise, Michael exited the ice cream parlor.

No…

Where was he going? Carrying two ice cream cones, he walked across the pedestrian crossing at the intersection, directly toward her. As he drew near, his eyes grew bright, and his mouth widened into a huge grin.

“Amber,” he said, his voice older than she remembered. He handed her an ice cream cone. “If I remember correctly, you like vanilla with caramel sprinkles.”

Windshield wipers swept the torrent from the windshield, while Brandon gripped the steering wheel and focused on the road. Figured. A day like this couldn’t be complete without a hammering rain. It went right along with his mood.

Great for the digs, though, because it could uncover more fossils. However, too much and they’d have to cancel the tours altogether, which didn’t bode well for his confidence level going into this dinner meeting.

Fund-raising was the one thing Brandon didn’t enjoy about his job. Large institutions had an entire staff to secure funds. But in smaller museums, many jobs fell to a few people. If only he could hire a fund-raising coordinator, freeing him to do—he laughed—everything else.

He’d hoped that by this phase in his life, he could have been more successful, directing a bigger institution. Be more like his father. But like anything in life, there were pros and cons. The advantage he had now was that he could be involved in the many aspects he loved.

He drove into the parking lot and shut off the engine. Twenty minutes early, he watched patrons rush to and from the restaurant, brandishing umbrellas, paper, or plastic for cover. Some simply waited under the protective covering of the entryway until the burst subsided.

Exhaling slowly, he contemplated what would happen over the course of the next hour or two. The price had been paid for his previous mistakes, so he believed. However, the aftermath was real enough. He’d spent two years without employment until the Harrington Natural and Cultural Museum opportunity came his way.

Most donors were only interested in his management and initiatives for the Harrington Museum. But when making a large contribution, some patrons dug deep. Leaving out the personal aspects of the situation with the woman who had sued, he would explain everything that happened. Hashing through that she’d fallen and been injured due to—as she claimed—the museum’s neglect, again, wouldn’t be pleasant. And considering everything that had happened at Harrington of late, his confidence was beginning to erode.

Jim had called to say he would be returning early. Brandon spent the better part of today catching up on paperwork and knew they weren’t anywhere near finished with cataloging the artifacts. He wished he could have been more help to Amber, and hated every minute of being away from her.

Brandon still wasn’t sure what to do with the information Amber had shared about her brother, but one thing was certain—she was skittish. He was concerned for her. She’d never actually said what crime had landed her brother in prison.

Blowing out a breath, he looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes before he was due in the restaurant.

Brandon pressed his head against the headrest and agonized over what he wanted—no, needed—to do. Because of his affection for Amber, what he was about to do riddled him with guilt. He hated to pry.

Opening his smartphone, he Googled Michael McKinsey. Pages of links stared back at him. Brandon’s throat grew thick.

B
ecause a cloudburst had opened from the heavens, they were forced under the awning of the Christian bookstore.

“Oh Michael…” Taking the cone from him, a laugh-cry escaped through her aching throat. She hugged her brother, long and hard. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Once she released him, she looked into his eyes—a dark brown, just like Dad’s.

His smile exuded warmth even as he studied her. “I’m not sure about that.” He gestured toward the bench and she followed, sitting next to him.

“You’re my brother. So of course I’ve missed you.” Now that she was here with him, a wound inside her she hadn’t even known about lay gaping wide open. “Although, I know it doesn’t seem like it.”

“Considering how hard you tried to avoid me.” Though the words themselves accused her, his voice remained peaceful.

“I’m so—”

“I don’t blame you. Not really,” he said.

“I can’t begin to imagine what you’ve been through.”

“Only what I’ve deserved.”

Licking her ice cream, she watched the sidewalk begin to fill with people again, as the rain subsided.
But what about me?
Or their mother and sister? Did they deserve to suffer for his actions? If it were possible, she thought she heard a ripping sound inside her heart. She’d missed her brother terribly, true—she knew that now. But Mom and Emily…she missed them, too. Life was so unfair.

“We can’t go back to the way things were,” Amber said.

It was good, sitting here with him, though she wasn’t sure why he’d sought her out. Closure perhaps?

“No, we can’t. I’m not asking you to.”

“Then why did you want to see me?” She wished she hadn’t asked the question. But it had nagged her since his first attempt at contact.

Michael’s ice cream had melted much of the way down his cone. He’d clearly lost interest in it and tossed it into the garbage can near the bench. “Can’t a brother see his sister?” He stared at his empty hands. “Don’t answer that.”

“I can’t help but notice there’s something different about you. What happened in prison?”

Michael stared at his hands again, then looked at something in the distance, a smile playing on his lips and a light in his eyes. “I found Christ.”

Amber gasped then squeezed him. “I’m happy for you.” He’d resolved his issues with the Lord. Now Amber would have to resolve hers.

“I became involved in the prison ministry there.”

She’d heard people sometimes made up those stories to position themselves back into someone’s life. “I can see in your eyes that it’s real.”

“And I can see in yours what I’d feared.” Michael took her hand. “You blame me for the accident. I’ve always known. Everything changed because of my choices.”

Tears hung in her lashes. “I can’t deny it.”

“I see in your eyes what I saw in the mirror every single day since making my mistake, since Mom and Emily died. I know what that can do to you. Unforgiveness can keep you from God.”

Now, Amber was the one to stare at her hands, the tears slipping hotly down her cheeks.

“Amber, please forgive me.”

“Oh Michael.”

He hugged her tightly as she released the anguish she’d held on to for so long. She wished their reunion could have taken place in a more private setting than in front of a Christian bookstore. “Of course I forgive you. I have to. I…want to.”
Lord, please help it be so
.

When her tears were spent, they strolled the sidewalks of downtown, peering into the shops. Few remained open in the evening. Amber detected a lift to her step, as though a weight had been removed.

“You know, I want to make sure that you’re not blaming God.”

She swallowed. “What makes you say that?”

He jammed his hands into his pocket. “I blamed Him when Dad died. I think that’s why I ran so far from Him, that I made those terrible choices. I ended up having to find Him again…in prison, no less.”

Despite his heavy words, she attempted to inject humor into hers. “Don’t worry, brother, I’m not going to commit a crime or go to prison.”

His left brow arched. “No, you’re not. But we all drift away from God in our own way.”

He didn’t press her further, and they walked to a coffee kiosk where they ordered something to drink.

“What do you plan to do now that you’re out? I mean, where will you go?” The words created an awkward moment. How did someone convicted of a crime find a job?

“A good question.” Again, he jammed a hand into his pocket. “I don’t suppose there are any openings at that museum where you intern.” A nervous chuckled escaped him.

Comfortable on the sofa, Amber had almost fallen asleep when she heard the door open.

Muriel tossed her bag on the couch, a bleak expression on her face. “Want a smoothie?”

“I’m good, thanks.” From where she sat, Amber watched Muriel pull out the blender. “So, how was your date?”

“Please, don’t ask.”

“I already did. Come on, you know you want to talk about it.” Amber tugged herself from where she sat and slogged into the kitchen. Muriel dumped ice cream and chocolate syrup into the milk already in the blender. “I thought you were making a smoothie.”

“Shake, whatever.”

“Well, in that case, I could use a chocolate shake, too.”

“Deal, if you set me up with someone cute. Don’t you know anyone?”

Michael immediately came to mind. But no, how could she set anyone up with him? She put her face on the counter. What a mess. “I’m afraid I don’t.”

“What about your Dr. Selman?”

Taken aback, it was a moment before Amber could respond. Jealousy stirred at Muriel’s suggestion. She lifted her face to look at Muriel. “I thought you said he likes
me
. And if he’s
my
Dr. Selman as you put it, why would you even ask?”

“Well, you don’t seem interested.”

Amber scratched her head, feeling like her life had spiraled out of control. The truth was, even with Michael’s return in to her life, she could hardly stop thinking about Dr. Selman. She must be crazy.

Or…in love
.

“Look, I was only teasing to see if you’d admit you have a thing for him.”

“A thing for him”?
Oh, Amber had a thing for him all right. In fact, her eyes were beginning to open. She had more than just a
thing
for him. But she wasn’t ready to go into that with Muriel.

“I do know someone. I met him at Bible study.” Oops. That might not sit too well with Muriel.