Boardwalk Brides

by Janice Thompson

  But right now he had other things to pray about.

  He watched as the bridesmaids made their way up the makeshift aisle in their blue dresses with groomsmen at their side.

  Brooke came first on her husband’s arm. Darren had to laugh every time he remembered their announcement about the baby. Jason was about to become a father, whether he’d planned for it or not. And he’d be a great one.

  Next came Taffie on Ryan’s arm. They had a lot to celebrate these days, now that little Maddy was in the picture. And they beamed with joy on this special day.

  Tangie entered last on Jimmy’s arm. He could hardly believe the transformation. She looked. . .normal. No piercings. No red-orange hair. No tattoos. At least not any visible ones. And Jimmy grinned like a Cheshire cat.

  Finally the long-awaited moment came. As Candy, on her father’s arm, stepped out from behind the makeshift wall at the rear of the aisle, Darren gasped. Her white dress was perfect. She looked like something out of a magazine.

  Oh, Candy, just wait. I’m going to fly you to places you’ve never seen before. Like Italy, for instance. Tomorrow.

  Another glance her way and his hands started trembling. She took steps in his direction, a confident smile on her face. As she drew near, he was better able to see the details of her dress. With the brilliant blue sky in the background, her billowing white gown looked as pretty as a cloud. . .a cotton candy cloud.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Candy watched as her sisters walked out onto the runway ahead of her. Off in the distance, she saw the Cessna 208, Darren’s new charter plane. Once the ceremony ended, the two of them would climb aboard and fly off into the sunset. Just like a scene from a movie, only with a real, God-created backdrop. No more flight of fancy. No more pretending. This was the real deal.

  She glanced up at the sky. It was a brilliant blue with white cumulus clouds hanging like fluffs of cotton candy. “Just for me, Lord. Thanks for the reminder.”

  The sound of the bridal march brought her attention back to the wedding.

  “You ready, Cotton Candy?” Her pop gazed down at her with tenderness in his eyes.

  “Yep. Let’s get this plane off the ground.”

  The next twenty minutes passed like a whirlwind. She vaguely remembered Pastor Richardson’s introduction. Heard the beautiful song that her sisters sang. Saw the tears in Darren’s eyes as they took their vows. Felt the presence of the Lord as they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Heard the cheers from the crowd as the pastor introduced them as man and wife.

  What stood out the most, however, was the feeling of pure joy that wrapped her like a blanket throughout the ceremony. . .a God-breathed joy. And by the time the pictures were taken and the guests convened in the hangar for the reception, she truly felt as if she were walking on a cloud. The whole thing had been simply breathtaking. Fast, but breathtaking.

  As things began to slow down, she finally managed to get a good look at the hangar, completely overwhelmed at the transformation. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, but the wedding coordinator was right. . .the tent they’d erected inside the large space did the trick. It gave the room a cozy, elegant feel. Ribbons of blue satin hung in strips above the room, giving a sky-like effect. And the decorations! How fun to see Darren’s model planes in use once again.

  It’s perfect! I couldn’t have dreamed up anything better.

  While she and Darren shared their first dance, she finally had a few minutes to whisper words of love into his ear. He responded with misty eyes and a promise to love her, whatever circumstance life brought their way. With God at the helm, they certainly had the promise of wonderful, adventurous days ahead.

  After a great meal, the time came to cut the cake. Ice cream cake, of course. Candy had her mother to thank for that. And the wedding taffy! The guests ate it up and asked for more. Looked like the Carinis had outdone themselves this time around. Nothing new there.

  When the reception ended, the moment arrived. The one she’d been longing for and dreading all at the same time. Instead of driving off in a car, she and Darren had— naturally—opted to fly off in his new 208. It wasn’t the fear of flying that made her breath catch in her throat. No, it was something else entirely.

  Candy and Darren changed into their going-away clothes, said their good-byes, then headed hand in hand to the plane.

  He looked up at the plane, a look of pure contentment on his face. “I can’t believe she’s ours.”

  “The first in our brood.” Candy gave him a wink.

  They climbed aboard the plane, and Darren turned to her, a look of surprise on his face when he noticed Jimmy in the pilot’s seat.

  “Wait.” Darren turned to Candy, confused. “I definitely don’t think we need three pilots here. What’s going on?”

  Her hands shook with excitement as she explained. “Well, um, there’s something I need to tell you. Sort of a wedding surprise.”

  “O–okay.” He looked at her, clearly confused.

  She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke. “I think it’s time I made the jump.”

  “We just did.” The confusion on his face remained for a moment, then morphed into understanding. “Oh, do you mean. . .are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  She nodded, though she could feel the color draining from her face as Jimmy handed them their chutes. Her knees started knocking and her hands shaking. “But we’d better do this now, or I’m going to change my mind.”

  “Oh no you’re not!” He helped her into her chute, then prepared his own, offering up a celebratory prayer all the while.

  With Jimmy at the helm, the small plane made its ascent into the beautiful blue skies. Cotton candy clouds beckoned, and at just the right moment, with friends and family looking on, Candy and Darren made their first leap together. . .into the vast unknown.

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you for reading Cotton Candy Clouds. I hope you enjoyed Candy and Darren’s story. Now enjoy Sweet Harmony, sister Tangie’s story.

  Sweet Harmony

  By

  Janice Thompson

  Sweet Harmony

  Copyright © 2015 by Janice Thompson. All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the permission of the author.

  All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, new International Version ©, NIV©, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

  All of the characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Epilogue

  ONE

  “Life is better in Harmony. If you don’t believe me, come on up here and see for yourself.”

  Tangie laughed as she heard her grandmother’s cheerful words. Leaning back against the pillows, she shifted the cell phone to her other ear and tried to imagine what her life would be like if she actually lived in her grandparents’ tiny hometown of H
armony, New Jersey. “Thanks, Gran-Gran, but I’m no small-town girl,” she said, finally. “I’ve spent the last four years in New York, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” Her grandmother’s girlish laugh rippled across the telephone line. “I’ve told every person I know that my granddaughter is a Broadway star. . .that she knows all of the big names in the Big Apple.”

  Tangie groaned. “I might know a few people, but I’m no star, trust me.” In fact, these days she couldn’t even seem to find a long-term acting gig, no matter how far off-Broadway she auditioned. So, on Christmas Eve she’d packed her bags and headed home to Atlantic City. Tangie had spent much of the drive praying, asking God what she should do. His silence had been deafening.

  Now Christmas had passed and a new year approached. Still, Tangie felt no desire to return to the Big Apple. Safely tucked into the same bed she’d slept in every night as a little girl, she just wanted to stay put. Possibly forever. And maybe that was for the best. She’d felt for some time that things were winding down, career-wise. Besides, she’d seen more than enough drama over the past four years. . .and not just on the stage. So what if her days on the stage were behind her? Maybe—in spite of her best efforts—she wasn’t destined to perform on Broadway.

  “I’m telling you, Harmony is the perfect place for you.” Gran-Gran’s words interrupted her thoughts. “You need a break from big city life. It’s peaceful here, and the scenery is breathtaking, especially during the holidays. It’ll do you good. And it’ll do my heart good to have you. I’m sure Gramps would agree.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to win me over on the beauty of upstate New Jersey,” Tangie assured her. She’d visited her mom’s parents enough to know that Harmony was one of the prettiest places on planet Earth, especially in the wintertime when the snows left everything a shimmering white. Pausing a moment, she thought about her options. “Might sound silly, but my first reaction is to just stay put.”

  “In Atlantic City?” her grandmother asked, the surprise in her voice evident. “Would you work at the candy shop? I thought you’d given up on that idea years ago when you headed to New York.”

  “Yeah.” Tangie sighed as she shifted her position in the bed to get more comfortable. “But Mom and Dad are about to head out in their RV again, so Taffie’s bound to need my help, especially with the new baby.”

  Tangie couldn’t help but smile as she reflected on her older sister’s mothering skills. Baby Callie had lovely brown tufts of hair and kissable apple dumpling cheeks. And her big brown eyes melted Tangie’s heart every time.

  Yes, it might be nice to stay home for a change. Settle in. Hang out at the candy shop with people who loved her. People who would offer encouragement and help her forget about the thousand ways she’d failed over the past few years, not just professionally, but personally, as well. All of the parts she’d auditioned for but hadn’t received. All of the plays she’d been in that had closed unexpectedly. All of the would-be relationships that had ended badly.

  Tangie sighed.

  “Let me tell you the real reason for my call.” The determination in her grandmother’s voice grew by the minute. “No point in beating around the bush. Our church is looking for a drama director for the kids’ ministry. I suggested you and the pastor jumped on the idea.”

  “W–what?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with your hearing, honey. Harmony might be small, but the church certainly isn’t. It’s grown by leaps and bounds since you were here last, and the children’s ministry is splitting at the seams. Our music pastor has been trying to involve the kids in his productions, but he doesn’t know the first thing about putting on a show. Not the acting part, anyway. We need a real drama director. Someone skilled at her craft. . .who knows what she’s doing.”

  “Why hire one?” Tangie asked. “Why not just find someone inside the church with those talents and abilities?”

  “No one has your qualifications,” Gran-Gran stated. “You know everything about set design, staging, costumes, and acting. You’re a wealth of knowledge. And you’ve worked on Broadway, for heaven’s sake. Gregg doesn’t mind admitting he knows very little about putting on shows. He attempted one with the kids last week. A Christmas production. But it was, well—”

  “Wait. Who’s Gregg?” Tangie interrupted.

  “Gregg. Our music pastor. The one I was just talking about. You remember him, right?”

  “Hmm.” Tangie paused to think about it. “Yeah, I think I remember him. Sort of a geeky looking guy? Short hair. Looks like his mother dressed him?”

  Gran-Gran clucked her tongue. “Tangie, shame on you. He’s a wonderful, godly man. Very well groomed. And tidy.”

  Tangie looked at the mess in her bedroom and chuckled. “Sounds like my dream guy.”

  “Well, don’t laugh. There are reams of young women trying to catch his eye. Good thing they don’t all see things the way you do. Besides, half the women in our Prime Timers class are praying for a wife for Gregg, so it’s just a matter of time before God parts the Red Sea and brings the perfect woman his way.”

  “Mm-hmm. But let’s go back to talking about that show he put on. What happened?”

  “It was terrible.” Gran-Gran sighed. “And I don’t just mean terrible. It was awful. Embarrassing, actually. The kids didn’t memorize any of their lines, and their costumes—if you could call them that—looked more like bathrobes. And don’t even get me started on the set. He built it out of cardboard boxes he found behind our local hardware store. You could still see the Home Depot logo through the paint.”

  “Ugh. Give me a break.” Sounded pretty amateurish. Then again, she’d been in some productions over the years that weren’t exactly stellar. . .in any sense of the word, so who was she to pass judgment?

  “The music part was great,” Gran-Gran said. “That’s Gregg’s real gift. He knows music. But the acting part was painful to watch. If my best friend’s grandkids hadn’t been in it, Gramps and I probably would’ve left during the intermission.”

  “I’ve seen a few shows like that,” Tangie said. She chuckled, and then added, “I’ve been in a few shows like that.”

  Her grandmother laughed. “Honey, with you everything’s a show. And that’s exactly why I think you’d be perfect for this. Ever since you graduated from acting school last spring, you’ve been trying to find out where you belong. Right?”

  “Right.” Tangie sighed.

  “And didn’t you tell me you worked with a children’s group at the theater school?”

  “Yes. I directed a couple of shows with them. They were great.” In fact, if she admitted the truth to herself, working with the kids had been one of the few things she’d really felt good about.

  “Think of all the fun you’ll have working with the children at church, then,” Gran-Gran said. “You’ll be able to share both your love of acting and the love of the Lord.”

  “True. I was really limited at the school.” The idea of working in a Christian environment sounded good. Really good, in fact.

  “They need someone with your experience and your zeal. I’ve never known anyone with as much God-given talent and ability, and so creative, too. Gregg is pretty much ‘in the box.’ And you, well. . .” Her grandmother’s voice trailed off.

  “Say no more.” Tangie laughed. She’d busted out of the box years ago when she dyed her spiky hair bright orange and got that first tattoo. Glancing down at her Tweety Bird pajamas and fuzzy slippers, she had to wonder what the fine folks of Harmony, New Jersey, would think of such an “out of the box” kind of girl.

  Only one way to know for sure. Maybe it would be best to start the new year in a new place, after all.

  Tangie drew in a deep breath, then spurted her impromptu answer. “Gran-Gran, tell them I accept. Look for me tomorrow afternoon. Tangie Carini is coming to Harmony!”

  ***

  Gregg Burke left the staff meeting at Harmony Community Church, his thoughts tumbling around in his head. He cli
mbed into his car and pointed it toward home—the tiny wood-framed house on the outskirts of town. With the flip of a switch, the CD player kicked on. Gregg continued to press the forward button until he located the perfect song—a worship tune he’d grown to love.

  Ah. Perfect.

  He leaned back against the seat and shifted his SUV into drive. As he pulled out onto the winding country road, Gregg reflected on the meeting he’d just attended. The church was growing like wildfire; that was a fact. And while he understood the need to keep up with the times, he didn’t want to jump onboard every trend that came along. He’d seen other churches pull out the stops to become hip and trendy, and some of them had lost their original passion for the Word and for prayer. No way would he go along with that.

  On the other hand, some folks had accused him of being set in his ways. Unwilling to bend. What was it the pastor had just said at the meeting? “Gregg, you’re the oldest twenty-six-year-old I’ve ever known.” Dave’s words had pricked Gregg’s heart. He didn’t want others to see him as stiff or unbending.

  Lord, am I? I don’t want to get in the way of whatever You want to do, but I think we need to be careful here. I know we need to do everything we can to reach out to people. I’m all about that. I just pray we move carefully. Thoughtfully.

  As Gregg maneuvered a sharp turn, a bank of snow on the side of the road caught his eye. Late December was always such a beautiful time of year in Harmony, but this year he looked forward to the change of seasons more than ever. The countless piles of snow would melt away into oblivion. Gregg could hardly wait for the warmth of spring. Gramps—his adopted grandfather—had already informed him there were at least ten or twenty trout in the lake with his name on them. He could hardly wait to reel them in.