nothing to do with this baby. But now…” Her hand moved over her stomach. “I’ve felt him or her kick. I’ve seen the ultrasounds. I’ve heard the heartbeat. This child is part of me, Reverend. How can I give away part of myself?”
“I know it’s a very, very difficult decision, Kelsey. One best made after much prayer. But whatever you decide, you’ve already done the noble thing by carrying the child to term. That’s more than most people would expect.”
Her jaw stiffened in resolution. “There was never a question in my mind about that.”
“I admire the strength of your convictions. And you’ll continue to be in my prayers as you wrestle with your decision.” He leaned over and patted her hand. “Now I’ll continue my constitutional, as my grandfather called it. A walk is good for body and soul, and a stroll through Douglas is always pleasant when business brings me here.”
“I agree. Walking has become the centerpiece of my exercise program.” Even after the baby was born, it would remain so. Kelsey had no further interest in jogging.
“Good, good.” He slid out of the swing, but remained beside it, hands clasped behind him. “By the way, I spoke with Captain Turner this morning. He said you had a productive meeting yesterday. Two meetings, in fact.”
Kelsey settled back in the swing. Now they were getting to the real reason for his noontime constitutional.
“Yes. He came by the shop. And then I ran into him on the beach near my cottage. Did he tell you we’re neighbors?”
“He did. What a remarkable coincidence. But not a favorable one for you, he seems to think. I got the feeling he’s concerned that his presence has been disruptive for you.”
“It has been unsettling. As far back as I can remember, I’ve felt safe in Gram’s cottage and on her beach. Pier Cove always seemed untouched by the world. Now, with a lone male so close by…” She let her voice trail off.
“Given your recent experience, I can understand how that would make you uneasy. But the captain strikes me as a man of honor and integrity. Someone to be trusted, not feared.”
“I’m sure he is. Still, his presence…changes things.”
“Some changes are good, as you’ve discovered in the past few months. Perhaps the captain’s presence will be one of them.” The minister leaned over and patted her hand again. “Give it a little time, my dear. As we’ve often discussed, God works in mysterious ways. And good can come of bad.” With a wave of farewell, he headed back toward Center Street.
Kelsey watched him stride away. It was true that good had come of bad, though she would never have believed that on the cold December night in St. Louis when her life had changed forever. And in light of that, maybe Reverend Howard was right about Captain Turner, too. Maybe her new neighbor would turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
And that was an outcome definitely worthy of prayer.
Stomach growling, Luke slid a bowl of chili from Crane’s Pie Pantry into the microwave and reached for one of the restaurant’s famous cider doughnuts to stave off his hunger until his entree was ready. He should have stopped for lunch today, but after his trip to visit Carlos’s still-fresh grave at Fort Custer National Cemetery, his appetite had vanished.
Now it was back with a vengeance.
As he devoured the doughnut, his cell phone began to vibrate. At the familiar number on the digital display, he smiled and put the phone to his ear. “Hi, Mom.”
“Oh, Luke, it’s so good to hear your voice!”
Since his return from overseas, they’d talked almost every day, and she always greeted him with the same comment.
“You’re going to get tired of hearing it once I move back to Atlanta and start mooching meals off of you.”
“Never! I can’t wait to make your favorite dinner the first night you’re home.”
His smile broadened. He could recite the menu by heart: Caesar salad, pork tenderloin, au gratin
“I know it’s a very, very difficult decision, Kelsey. One best made after much prayer. But whatever you decide, you’ve already done the noble thing by carrying the child to term. That’s more than most people would expect.”
Her jaw stiffened in resolution. “There was never a question in my mind about that.”
“I admire the strength of your convictions. And you’ll continue to be in my prayers as you wrestle with your decision.” He leaned over and patted her hand. “Now I’ll continue my constitutional, as my grandfather called it. A walk is good for body and soul, and a stroll through Douglas is always pleasant when business brings me here.”
“I agree. Walking has become the centerpiece of my exercise program.” Even after the baby was born, it would remain so. Kelsey had no further interest in jogging.
“Good, good.” He slid out of the swing, but remained beside it, hands clasped behind him. “By the way, I spoke with Captain Turner this morning. He said you had a productive meeting yesterday. Two meetings, in fact.”
Kelsey settled back in the swing. Now they were getting to the real reason for his noontime constitutional.
“Yes. He came by the shop. And then I ran into him on the beach near my cottage. Did he tell you we’re neighbors?”
“He did. What a remarkable coincidence. But not a favorable one for you, he seems to think. I got the feeling he’s concerned that his presence has been disruptive for you.”
“It has been unsettling. As far back as I can remember, I’ve felt safe in Gram’s cottage and on her beach. Pier Cove always seemed untouched by the world. Now, with a lone male so close by…” She let her voice trail off.
“Given your recent experience, I can understand how that would make you uneasy. But the captain strikes me as a man of honor and integrity. Someone to be trusted, not feared.”
“I’m sure he is. Still, his presence…changes things.”
“Some changes are good, as you’ve discovered in the past few months. Perhaps the captain’s presence will be one of them.” The minister leaned over and patted her hand again. “Give it a little time, my dear. As we’ve often discussed, God works in mysterious ways. And good can come of bad.” With a wave of farewell, he headed back toward Center Street.
Kelsey watched him stride away. It was true that good had come of bad, though she would never have believed that on the cold December night in St. Louis when her life had changed forever. And in light of that, maybe Reverend Howard was right about Captain Turner, too. Maybe her new neighbor would turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
And that was an outcome definitely worthy of prayer.
Stomach growling, Luke slid a bowl of chili from Crane’s Pie Pantry into the microwave and reached for one of the restaurant’s famous cider doughnuts to stave off his hunger until his entree was ready. He should have stopped for lunch today, but after his trip to visit Carlos’s still-fresh grave at Fort Custer National Cemetery, his appetite had vanished.
Now it was back with a vengeance.
As he devoured the doughnut, his cell phone began to vibrate. At the familiar number on the digital display, he smiled and put the phone to his ear. “Hi, Mom.”
“Oh, Luke, it’s so good to hear your voice!”
Since his return from overseas, they’d talked almost every day, and she always greeted him with the same comment.
“You’re going to get tired of hearing it once I move back to Atlanta and start mooching meals off of you.”
“Never! I can’t wait to make your favorite dinner the first night you’re home.”
His smile broadened. He could recite the menu by heart: Caesar salad, pork tenderloin, au gratin
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