Bev’s voice was quiet and gentle. “You did the best you could with your marriage, Les. It wasn’t salvageable.”
Although she had rummaged through the same line of thought hundreds of times in the last year, now was not the time to re-rummage. “It’s a big, big change and I don’t want to do anything I’ll regret later.”
“So, your options are come back to Pittsburgh, find someplace to live, and go back to your old job, or move to South Carolina …”
“Right on the beach …”
“Yes, take the new job, and get to know this new guy better, see if it’s something more permanent.”
Bev had a way of getting right to the heart of the matter. “I guess so.”
Bev sighed. “I know which one I’d take. Door number two!”
“Really?” Leslie’s heart soared. Even her boss thought she should do it. “I want to make sure it’s God’s will for me.” Then, she asked tentatively, “Do you believe in God, by the way?”
Bev laughed. “I sure do. Have you prayed about this decision?”
“Endlessly. In fact, both Jaz and Hank think God’s answer is clear. Why am I so wishy washy?”
“Because change is hard. And you’ve had more than your share of it lately. But it sounds like you’ve got a good thing going on down there. And if you’ve prayed about it, then I think … as crazy as it is for me to say this, since I’m negatively impacted … I think you’ve got your answer, Leslie.”
Tears popped into her eyes. People were so good to her. She looked skyward. His message was clear to her now. “I can’t thank you enough.”
When she ended the call, she took a moment to control her emotions and thank her God for doing exactly what she asked Him — making it clear to her what His will was. And being patient with her while she came to accept it. She was staying.
One last call. She selected Tim’s number from her contact list. He answered on the third ring. “Hello Tim, it’s Leslie.”
“Hi.”
“I have big news. Well, for me, at least. This shouldn’t impact you much.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not coming back to Pittsburgh.”
“Ever?”
“I mean, I’m not going to live there. I’m staying in Pawleys Island.”
She listened to him trying to form words, to catch up. “Where?”
She realized she’d never told him where she’d been all summer. “Pawleys Island, South Carolina. It’s where I’ve been all summer. I’ve decided I’m staying here.”
“Leslie, that’s crazy. Think about it. Your whole life is in Pittsburgh. Your job, your friends, your family. Why on earth would you leave all that behind?”
“Tim, my whole life was in Pittsburgh. My family, you, Jasmine, our home. None of that is there for me anymore.”
He sighed in exasperation. “Jasmine will need a place to stay when she comes home from college.”
“Yes, and she can stay with me here, or you there.”
“You want to make her travel to different cities to see us both?”
She shook her head. “You were the one that separated us, not me, Tim.”
There was a pause on the line as he considered that. “What about your job? You’ve been there a long time. You’re going to abandon your students and what about Bev?”
“Bev has a long list of applicants she can choose from to replace me. And she wished me well in my new life.”
“Leslie, I advise you against this. You’re not thinking straight. The child support and alimony I’m paying you will not last. You’re going to need to find a job to provide income.”
“I have a job.”
At that announcement, she succeeded in striking him speechless. “Where?”
“Here, at the beach. I have skills, Tim, and experience. I got a new teaching job pretty easily. They said I was a top candidate. Jasmine is happy for me. And I’ve made new friends. I can always visit my old ones in Pittsburgh whenever I want. Or better yet, they can visit me here. It’s a wonderful place to vacation.”
Silence on the line made her wonder what he was thinking. “So…”
“So,” she replied.
“I guess you’re moving on.”
“I had to, Tim. You pretty much forced me into that, didn’t you?”
They discussed the house closing. No, she wouldn’t be coming back for it, he will need to take care of it. Yes, she’d come back one more time to pack up her clothes and decide what to keep and what to donate. Of course, he didn’t know it, but her car was still sitting there in the garage. She held firm with her decision that he’d be in charge of disbursing the furniture.
She was done with all of it.
Her new life stretched gloriously in front of her like the endless waves of the ocean surf.
Chapter Thirteen
The third week of August, following the quick trip to Pittsburgh that she’d promised Tim to finalize house business and retrieve her car, Leslie finally experienced the familiar sense of excitement over the pending school year. That little nip of “oh! It’s coming!” all good teachers feel, if only for a moment or two. Now that her school year plans were set in stone, she was ready to prepare for her new class.
She drove to the school, a short distance from the Inn. She pulled a bag of supplies out of the back seat and carried them into the school. A secretary worked at a desk inside the office door, so she stepped in and introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you. Want to see which room is yours?”
“Sure, thanks.”
The woman led her down a long hallway of doors to the very end. “They’re in order. Kindergarten and first are closest to the office, older grades are further away. Sixth is the oldest we have at this school. I’m Pam, by the way.”
“Leslie Malone. So glad to be here.”
“We’re glad to have you. It’s unusual for us to have openings. Mrs. Robinson was glad to have experienced teachers to choose from.”
Leslie nodded, but it wasn’t until later when she’d been working in the classroom for a half hour or so, the comment came back to her. It was unusual for them, such a small school, to have teacher openings, several the same year. She smiled. God had a hand in that. She imagined Him up there, working desperately to answer her prayer, making every piece fall into place so she wouldn’t miss it. He must really want her here.
And she was happy to obey.
Three hours later, the room had a respectable start to welcome her sixth graders. The walls were covered with interesting posters and thought-starters. The desks were arranged in clusters of four, conducive for group projects, and their nametags were laminated and taped to the backs of their assigned seats. She’d arranged the classroom into several breakout areas, so the students could leave their desks and take advantage of independent learning projects in other parts of the room. She gathered up an armful of additional laminates to cut out, along with her empty lesson plan book.
The late day sun was making its trek west when she got in her SUV. She headed to Hank’s house to share what she’d accomplished in her classroom and see if she could convince him to celebrate with her, dinner outside the Inn, her treat for a change. She pulled up outside his house and knocked on the screen door before letting herself in. Jeremy stood in the living room, a ball cap on his head, the visor backwards, wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a dirty tank shirt dripping in sweat. A leather belt, slung low on his hips, served as a home for a number of tools, and he wore a pair of worn work boots.
He looked up, surprised at her arrival. “Oh hi, Leslie.”
“Hey there. You look like you’re working hard.”
Jeremy nodded. The living room was a mess of productivity and Jeremy was surrounded by evidence of home improvement projects. Furniture was shoved into the far corner the living room shared with the eating area, to allow room for what looked like two projects going on simultaneously. Four sawhorses were set up, a closet door resting on each pair. The pungent smell of wo
od stain permeated the tiny house. Resting against the front wall were two brand new vinyl replacement windows. At closer look, Leslie saw the two window frames in the living room were empty, the original contents had been removed.
“So, doors and windows, huh?”
“Yep. I bought two new doors to replace some nasty old ones, the coat closet and the powder room. I stained them, and I’m letting them dry some while I replace the two front windows. See here?” He stepped over a wrinkled tarp covering the floor and hoisted up one of the window units. “Whole set. The frame, the pane, the screen, all together. Just have to install it and nail it in, reinforce with glue. Only trick is making sure you double and triple checked the measurements.” He smiled and his whole face lit up with the happiness of a kid on Christmas morning.
She nodded, not knowing a thing about window or door installation, but feeling warmth in her heart that he was using his talents and being productive. “Can I get you a glass of water or soda while you work?”
“That’d be great. Thank you.”
She made her way carefully to the kitchen, poured a large glass of water with ice, grabbed a can of Pepsi from the fridge, and carried them both back. “There you go. I figured you could gulp the water first, then use the ice for the Pepsi.”
“That’s kind of you.” He did exactly that with the water, drained it, and popped open the Pepsi can. “I’m sorry I can’t really offer you anywhere to sit.”
She looked around. There was literally nowhere to sit. “No, that’s okay. Is your dad around?”
“Not yet, but he should be home in the next twenty or so. Want to stick around?”
“As long as I don’t bother you.”
“Not at all. I welcome the company.”
Jeremy worked on the windows, and it amazed Leslie how quickly and easily he popped in the replacement window, following it up with nails and caulk. He expertly drew a line with the gun, swift and straight. When he was done, no cleanup was necessary. As he worked, Leslie told him about her afternoon in the classroom.
“Sounds like your class will have the luckiest kids in that whole school. I used to love having teachers like you. Even as a kid, I could tell which teachers were there because they loved kids, and which ones just wanted the end of the day to come.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. It seems to me a teacher who loves teaching would get a lot of satisfaction, every darn day.”
She chuckled. She had to agree.
“So, you’re doing work here for your dad?”
“Yep. Oh, I’m also putting out job applications, believe me. I really need to secure a paying job. Dad’s got a big heart, letting me work on projects to get my skills back. It’s been ages since I’ve done some of this stuff, but of course, I can’t live off charity from my family forever.”
The windows done, he moved to the doors. He tested the stain with his fingertips, rubbing them together to judge the wetness. Satisfied with one side, he picked the big door up in the air and flipped it over, resting it on the sawhorses so he could test the other side.
“I think this baby’s dry. At least dry enough to put back in place.” He made fast work of retrieving the hinges, screws and doorknobs. Leslie watched him secure the door on the coat closet, helping him by holding the door in place while he tightened the screws, then she followed him to the powder room while they repeated the task there.
Their chitchat continued while Jeremy cleaned up his work area, folding up the tarp covering the wood floor, moving the sawhorses back into the garage, mopping up the floor and moving the furniture back in place. His muscles strained with the fast effort and his skin glistened under a sheen of perspiration. Before long, the entire house was put back together, not even a trace of its former mess. Leslie sank into the brown leather couch and admired the new windows and door.
“Thanks for keeping me company. I better get going.”
Leslie sat forward. “Don’t you want to wait till your dad gets home?”
“Uh, no. That’s all right. I’ve got something to do tonight and I think I’ll want to shower up before I get started.” He shook his arms out and Leslie laughed.
Her words popped out before she thought of how they might make him feel. “Got a date tonight?”
He smiled, but it was a sad one, and he didn’t answer right away, as if he were actually considering how different his life would be if he were rushing home to take a shower after a long day of hard, honest work and freshen himself up for a lady he was fond of. “No, not a date. Not by a long shot.”
“I’m sorry, Jeremy.”
He squeezed her arm. “Don’t be. Listen, if you leave before my dad gets home, could you lock up?”
“Sure. I plan to stay and see if he’d be interested in going out to dinner.”
Jeremy paused and studied her face, his smile this time close-mouthed but sincere. “He’s one lucky guy.” He made for the door.
Leslie stood. “Jeremy, you don’t have a vehicle out there.”
He shook his head.
“How are you getting back to the inn?”
He shrugged. “I’ll walk. It’s not that far.”
She grabbed her purse. “Don’t be silly. I’ll drive you.”
“No, that’s all right.”
“It’ll take me ten minutes to drive you over there and get back.”
He waved his hand, palm facing her. “No, no. You sit down and relax. Believe me, I’ve been walking the streets of this island my whole life. It’s relaxing to me. Bye now.”
Ten minutes later, Hank’s truck pulled into his driveway. Leslie still sat quietly in the living room, pondering the fast departure, almost like he knew exactly when to exit to avoid running into his father. When Hank entered through the open door, his expression turned from confusion to joy. “Hey, beautiful. What a nice surprise.”
She rose as he approached and wrapped her in his arms. She inhaled and reveled in the sensation of being enveloped in him, his scent, his strength and his love. “I came by to tell you about my day of setting up my classroom.”
“Ah, gotten started, have you? When’s school start again?” He scratched the back of his ear and squinted at the ceiling.
“Two Wednesdays from now, starting with a half day.”
“Wow, that’s soon. You ready?”
“I will be.” She squeezed him and stepped back. “I got to talk to Jeremy while he was here working.”
He shook his head, then looked around with a suspicious glare. He pointed at the closet door. “This is new.”
“And a matching one in the bathroom.”
He left the room and returned moments later, looking angry.
“What’s this about?” Leslie asked, confused.
“I don’t want him spending what money he has on improvements for my house.” He walked into the kitchen and she followed him. He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a Pepsi. “His guilt is eating him up. It’s not healthy.”
“So, you’re not assigning him this work?”
“No! He sneaks in like a Secret Santa, does jobs for me and sneaks out before I can say a word.”
“And you’re not paying for anything?”
“Nope. Although most of the jobs have been low cost.” He pointed to the miniscule amount of wall not covered with cabinet or tile. “New paint.” He pulled her into the great room and pointed to the walls, which, now that she was looking, Leslie could see were freshly painted. “Every inch of wall space in this entire house has fresh paint.” He gave his head a brisk shake. “That, I don’t mind. Buying a couple cans of paint is no big expense.” He led her out the front door and turned, pointing at the house. “He’s done the entire exterior, scraped, repainted.”
Leslie ran a few fingers over the gray exterior and saw, indeed, it wasn’t flaky like it had been. The paintjob made it look much more maintained and cared for.
Hank pointed at the wooden porch attached to the front of the house. “He’s completely repaire
d and stained the lattice work on the porch, given it some reinforcements to the boards. Porch is much safer and more attractive now. Those kinds of jobs, I don’t mind. Minimal cost, just elbow grease and labor. But lately he’s been buying expensive pieces. Like those doors.”
They headed back inside. Leslie said hesitantly, “Then, continue the treasure hunt, because he replaced something else besides doors that probably cost him.”
Hank squinted at her, then swung around in a semi-circle. “Holy mackerel! Windows?”
Leslie laughed and took a closer look around her. “You know, he’s made quite a difference in here. This place is looking great. You haven’t had time to do it. He’s enjoying the work and getting good experience till he can get a job of his own. What’s the harm in letting him?”
Hank shrugged. “I don’t want him to feel guilted into it.”
She laid a hand on his arm and said softly, “Maybe you need to give him this. Maybe he needs to pay you back some. Make him feel better.”
He studied her for a minute, then nodded.
“How do you suppose he gets the money to buy some of these more expensive supplies?” Leslie asked.
“He told me he started building furniture in prison. They let him sell a few pieces and keep the money. I assume it’s either out of his savings, or who knows, maybe he’s made more.”
“He’s very hard working.”
“Always was. That wasn’t his problem.”
She said no more.
“But I know he’s having trouble finding work. There’s one question on the application that, when answered honestly, stops them all in their tracks.”
She rubbed his arm. He was aching for his boy, but there was nothing he could do about it. “I’ve come to take you out to dinner.” Changing the subject seemed to be a good thing. “To celebrate the start of my class preparation.”
He smiled and kissed her. “You’re sweet. Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be out here, showered, shaved and fresh clothes.”
Leslie chuckled and waved him off, amazed at how simple a man’s preparations were. She had a seat and turned on his television for amusement until, as he promised, fifteen minutes later he emerged, hair damp, skin smelling of soap, dressed in a fresh pair of shorts and a button down cotton shirt. A smile jumped to her lips and he returned it. A few minutes later, they were in his truck.
Pawleys Island Paradise boxset, Books 1 - 3 Page 20
