by T. I. Lowe
Kicking her flip-flops off on the back deck, Opal made her way into the kitchen and rummaged around her spice cabinet for the little bottle of mustard seeds. It only took a handful of minutes to glue one of the tiny seeds inside the shell and tuck it into a mailing envelope. She added a small square of paper after scribbling a summary of the Bible verse from Matthew 17:20 and a line of encouragement—Faith as tiny as a mustard seed can move a mountain. I have faith that you are moving mountains as we speak.
She gathered her tote and the small package and headed out to the post office like she had every Monday for the past month and a half.
The gray-headed woman in her official blue uniform straightened her glasses and narrowed her eyes at Opal with disdain. “You again.”
“Don’t give me that tone, Ethel.” Opal placed the package on the scale. “You’d be bored out of your little ole mind if I didn’t come in here once a week to wake you up.”
Most locals waited until they had to make a trip inland to visit the other nearby post office just to avoid Ethel Matthews, but not Opal. No, she’d taken on the hateful old lady just for the challenge of it.
Ethel cleared her throat and punched the few keys on her computer to process the small package. She yanked the labels out as quickly as the machine spit them out and slapped them on the front of the padded envelope. “Two seventy-five.”
“Why, Ethel, what if I needed stamps or packing tape?” Opal offered a wide-eyed innocent face, sending the old lady’s scowl to wrinkle her wrinkles even deeper.
“Well, do ya?”
Opal leaned onto the counter. “Do I what?”
“Need stamps or tape or a straitjacket?” Ethel asked through her gritted dentures.
Opal waved her off. “Oh no, ma’am. Just the package today, but thanks kindly for asking.”
Ethel had been rooted at that front desk in the Sunset Cove post office for entirely way too long in Opal’s opinion, as well as that of most of Sunset Cove’s residents. Even though she could have retired over a decade ago, the crabby woman seemed to be staying out of spite.
She shifted on her stool and harrumphed when Opal pulled out a jar of coins and began counting the pennies first. “You’ve mailed that boy a love letter every week for six weeks now and ain’t one time has he sent one in return. That should tell you something.”
Opal let out a played-up sigh and moved the pile of pennies back to the rest of the coins. “You made me lose my count, Ethel.” She put a lot of stress on the old lady’s name. “Besides, how do you know he’s not replied?”
“I sort the mail, you nitwit.”
“Aww, Ethel, you do care about me enough to riffle through my mail and keep an eye out for love notes.” Opal batted her eyelashes and began counting again, but this time out loud. When she’d counted out two dollars and seventy-five cents’ worth of coins, she pushed the pile over to Ethel.
The seething woman glanced around, finally producing a small, discarded box. She shoveled all the change into it and tossed it underneath the counter. From the sounds of it, she lost a few wayward coins to the floor.
“Won’t you get in trouble for that? Shouldn’t you count it to make sure I didn’t short you and then place it properly in your till?”
Ethel’s right eye twitched, but she said not a word as she handed Opal her receipt, apparently wanting their visit to be complete. Smiling, Opal placed the receipt in her tote and retrieved the small pastry bag she always brought to give Ethel. Inside was one plain glazed donut and one chocolate glazed from Sunset Sweets—the old lady’s favorite. Ethel took the bag with a wink, her way of saying thank you without having to use her rusty voice. Opal winked back and left Ethel with her treat.
Mondays had always been her favorite workday, devoted to projects with no interruptions. It had recently become a haven of solitude to let her carefree persona slip away and give the turmoil of missing Lincoln its freedom. That was mostly bouts of talking to herself, blaring country music, and a good ole cry session.
Opal unlocked the back door of Bless This Mess and let herself in. The hinges creaked out a reminder that it was time to oil them again, but she ignored it. She left her smile by the door and allowed her shoulders to droop while flipping the light on. Her gaze lifted to scan the room but froze on a new piece of furniture placed underneath the painting Josie had given her. Glancing around and finding nothing else amiss, Opal set her tote on the worktable and slowly walked over to check it out.
“Wow,” she whispered, taking in the mosaic panels on the front of the long wooden box that sat on top of a brushed-nickel stand. Two artistic rectangles were fashioned from broken seashells. The tans and creams of the fragmented shells stood out from the soft-green paint with a limewash finish. She ran her hand over the top and came to a halt on the brushed-nickel plate affixed in the middle. The engraving sent a shiver down her spine. Wishing for More Wishes.
Biting her trembling bottom lip, Opal unclasped the lid and lifted it to find one single shell inside. Her heart squeezed at finding the sand dollar surrounded by the small pieces of paper that held her words of encouragement. She looked up and watched in astonishment as Lincoln walked in from the showroom. Her body swayed from the impact of seeing him. Even though he was using his cane, it was quite noticeable how much smoother his gait was than the last time she’d seen him.
“What do you think?” Lincoln asked, his gravelly voice taking up the entire space between them.
She couldn’t look away from him to where he was pointing at the long box. “It’s the most beautiful treasure chest I’ve ever seen. I love the color.”
Lincoln held her gaze and moved closer until she felt the heat from his presence. His hair was pulled back, giving her a clear view of the bronze-red coloring his high cheekbones. “The green reminded me of your eyes.”
Opal blinked, sending a trail of tears down her face. “And the shells?” She coasted her fingertips along the mosaics on the front.
He tilted his head and waited until she met his eyes. “Every wish you’ve given me.”
She sniffed and released a small laugh. “Not all of them. I just mailed one off today.”
Lincoln gathered her in his arms. “We’ll get it when we go visit my parents this weekend. I can’t wait for you to meet my dad.”
Opal buried her face in his shirt, breathing him in and thanking God he’d finally come back to her. “Oh, I’ve already met him.” Even though a bevy of emotions had her insides vibrating, she found the tease to her voice that had been hidden away since he left. “Quite a character, that man.”
Lincoln leaned away slightly and arched a thick eyebrow. “When exactly did you meet my father?”
Opal arched an eyebrow right back at him. “You didn’t seriously think I’d let you have surgery without me being there, did you?”
“Humph. I thought I smelled honey when I woke up, but I assumed it was just wishful thinking.” Lincoln squeezed her playfully. “You little sneak.”
“August was there too, but I ended up staying until they got the blood clot cleared up.”
“You were at the hospital the entire time?” His dark eyes softened.
“Mostly, but I stayed at your parents’ house some. In your room actually.” The heat rose along her neck and then on to her cheeks.
A rumble moved up his chest. “Is it wrong that I really like the idea of you in my room?”
Opal giggled before growing serious. “I wish I could have stayed the entire six weeks, though. I’ve really missed you.”
Lincoln sighed and touched his forehead to Opal’s. “I’m sorry it took me so long, but I hope you understand there was a lot that needed to be fixed with my family and my leg.”
“Of course I understand, Linc. It was me who pretty much pushed you into going. You needed that healing. And now I hope you’re back to stay.”
“I’m here to stay.” Lincoln’s hands tightened around her as he nuzzled the side of her neck and placed several kisses there. “You
know what I thought the first time I had my arms around you?”
“That you’d just as soon choke me?” Opal offered up the joke, but Lincoln didn’t laugh.
“I thought how remarkable it was that you were so much smaller than me, but you were a perfect fit in my arms.” He placed his lips near her ear and whispered, “I didn’t want to ever let go.”
“And I didn’t want you to,” Opal confessed as a shiver skated along her neck.
Lincoln straightened and placed a finger under Opal’s chin, guiding her to look up at him. “I still don’t want to let go, if you’ll have me.”
“I’ve never let go, Linc. Been right here holding on to all the wishes I’ve made for us.”
“What do you say we fill this treasure chest with more wishes?” He tipped his head toward it.
She glanced around the room before meeting his eyes. “There’s actually one wish I’ve regretted holding on to. It was something I wanted to share with you, but then you left . . .”
“What is it? We’ll make it happen,” Lincoln declared with much conviction.
Opal shook her head. “My wish was to share with you that I love you, Lincoln Cole. I regret not telling you that sooner. Truthfully, I’ve loved you since that day you told me I couldn’t cook.”
Lincoln’s face lit with a grin, his brown eyes sparkling. “I think that was when I figured out I loved you, too. I mean, I love food but was willing to put up with you not knowing how to properly cook. Surely that’s true love, babe.” He winked.
Opal popped him in the shoulder, making him roar with laughter.
They certainly didn’t fit into the normal couple mold—Opal always thought normal was overrated, anyway—but there was no doubting what the unique couple shared was true love at its finest.
EPILOGUE
The restoration business had taught Lincoln more lessons than he could ever have imagined. An important one was that nothing was too far gone to be restored, even though its new purpose might be different from its original one. It wasn’t that long ago that he had viewed his life as too far gone to ever be restored. When his career as a soldier ended, so did his purpose. But God sure showed him, with the help of one lively sprite of a woman. Since coming to terms with his personal renovation, Lincoln finally had the courage to make plans for his new life. He had such a bounty of plans that most days it took him a while to get it all prioritized.
At the moment he was mentally sorting and figuring out how to get everything done. It was a busy time but a blessed time too. Smiling to himself, one important plan floated through Lincoln’s thoughts as he drove the van down the beachfront road.
“Hey? Did you hear me?” Opal’s tiny fingers wove through his hair, attracting Lincoln’s attention.
He released the steering wheel and captured her hand before she withdrew it and brought her palm to his lips. “You forgive me if I didn’t?” Lincoln asked against her warm skin.
“Well, when you go all sweet like this, I really don’t have a choice in the matter.” She giggled while taking her hand back when her phone chimed an incoming text. “I asked if you minded stopping by Driftwood Diner.”
Lincoln checked his watch. The morning was already zooming by with delivering furniture, and the agenda for the day was brimming with more tasks needing to be met. “I have to work on some changes for the camp bunkhouses. Can we just grab something to go?” Even though the camp bunkhouses were top priority for Bless This Mess Renovations as well as the upcoming renovation of Doc Nelson’s office, his mind kept wandering back to another plan he was burning to set into motion.
“Sure . . .” Opal fired off a text and Lincoln took a peek as he came to a stop at the red light. Good luck. You’ve got this. Don’t let her run away!
“Who are you meddling with now?” Lincoln moved his focus back to the road as the light changed.
“Huh?” Opal mumbled while putting her phone away.
Lincoln pulled into the diner’s parking lot and put the van in park before turning to eye the little meddling pixie. Even though they were inside the van, her red and gold hair shimmered like the sun. Those big green eyes shimmered too, but with pure mischief. “Don’t play that innocent act with me. What are you up to?”
“I’m going to grab us teas and shrimp burgers real fast. We ate breakfast so early, I’m already hungry for lunch.” She puckered her heart-shaped lips and leaned toward him as her hand reached to open the door.
He almost leaned away and demanded she come clean with whatever she was scheming, but there was no resisting Opal Gilbert and her magic, so he accepted her kiss as the distraction she clearly intended it to be.
“Hurry up with whatever meddling you have to do.”
Opal giggled. “Yes, sir, sweet thang.”
He cranked his window down and watched his world skip into the diner just as a familiar figure was stepping out. Lincoln chuckled, knowing now exactly what meddling mission Opal was on. She gave the guy a hug and a quick chat, and then August Bradford lifted his eyes and connected with Lincoln. He jogged down the steps and was beside the van in a flash.
Lincoln reached out the window and gave August a manly slap on the shoulder. “No piercings and no blue hair . . . What am I going to harass you about?” Lincoln shouldn’t have been so amazed by the changes in his friend, since he’d done his fair share of changing as well.
August ran a hand through his black hair. “I’m sure you’ll find something to razz me about soon enough. And you saw me after your surgery like this.”
“Yeah, but I thought I was still under the influence of anesthesia and was hallucinating.” For as long as he’d known August, the artist had always favored color on his hair and his canvases, but never in his wardrobe. Yet here he stood with natural-color hair, wearing a bright-yellow T-shirt and blue board shorts. Lincoln blinked a few times and shook his head. “Did you send Josie running?”
August tipped his head back and released a bark of laughter. “No, but I could tell she was thinking about it.”
“Well, good luck with that.” Lincoln smirked, knowing August had one heck of a challenge ahead of him with that tall blonde.
“I’m going to do my best.” August lifted the plastic bag in his hand. “I better get this food to my brothers. I’ll catch ya later.”
“All right, man.” Lincoln shook his friend’s hand and waited until August walked away to pull his phone out and send Opal a text. Get out of Jo’s business and come on.
Opal sent a selfie of her sticking her tongue out as a reply but she came skipping out moments later.
Once they made it to Bless This Mess, Lincoln scarfed down his lunch while working on a set of plans. A few hours disappeared in what felt like a blink.
He dropped his mechanical pencil and rubbed his eyes.
“Have you about got it worked out?” Opal danced into the workroom and came to a halt beside his chair, taking every ounce of attention he had.
Lincoln tilted his head and puckered his lips until she got the hint and settled hers against his. Sweet and warm and so inviting. Definitely a perk of working alongside the love of his life. Opal started to move away, but he pulled her onto his lap and directed her attention to the blueprints. “I went over to the office earlier and the good news is that this isn’t a load-bearing wall, so we can get the crew to take it down.” He pointed to the wall that divided the lobby and the reception area where a lot of wasted space had sat untouched for decades.
Opal settled in his lap and began working her fingers through the ends of his hair as she studied the plans. “It’s hard to believe Doc Nelson is retiring. The man is such a permanent fixture in the community. He was everyone’s pediatrician. Even Momma’s.”
“So you’ve said a million times already.” Lincoln poked her in the side.
She jerked out the way, but he didn’t let her get far. “Don’t make fun. It’s truly an end to an era. I just hope the new doctor can live up to this town’s expectations.”
�
�It’ll be fine.”
Opal tapped the blueprints. “I’m not so sure. I can’t get over that Dr. Sawyer hasn’t even set a foot in this town yet and is making all these changes.”
“With the Internet, you don’t have to be in person nowadays. You know as well as I do it was time for an update. The place looks right out of a seventies sitcom with the burnt-orange Formica counters and dark wood paneling.” Lincoln wrinkled his nose.
Opal scoffed. “Nah-ah. It has a retro vibe.”
Lincoln shook his head. “Now you’re reaching. In three short months, we’re going to start the process of progressing it several decades and on into the new millennium.”
“Oh, I have good news, too.”
“What’s that?” Lincoln placed his pen down and tightened his hold around Opal.
“Daddy has agreed to back Seashore Wishes Foundation. He’s even talked several other senators into coming on board.”
“That is great news. Thanks, babe, for helping me with that.” Lincoln pressed his lips to her soft cheek.
“We’re a team, aren’t we?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled warmly.
“I need to go lock the front up. I’ll be right back.” Opal gave him a quick kiss and hurried out toward the showroom.
Lincoln decided to roll up the plans and call it done for the day as well. He was about to finish a personal plan he’d been working on when Opal darted back in with the clock box from her office. “What are you doing with that?”
“Sit back down for a moment and I’ll tell ya.”
Lincoln glanced at the treasure box in the corner of the room. “What if I have stuff I need to take care of?”
“It’ll keep. This will only take a minute as long as you’re in an agreeable mood.”
For the most part he was, so Lincoln sat back down and felt even more agreeable when Opal settled herself on his lap. He loved nothing better than having her near.
