by Delia Latham
Summer froze as God’s still, small Voice whispered her own words back into her heart. She wilted onto the sand, shame washing over her in waves as strong and forceful as those that pushed and pulled with the roll of the ocean a few yards away. “Oh, God! I’m so sorry!” Remorse ate at her soul like a cancer. “How could I fail to see Deah’s need for you? Why have I never told her about You? Even after Brady’s message and after my words to the teens at Chrysalis, I still haven’t learned.”
Give her a mirror.
Summer went still. A mirror? Deah would never stop laughing.
Tell her I love her, and that she’s the apple of My eye. Tell your cousin what you told the young people at the shelter.
“I—God, I—” Summer groaned, knowing she wouldn’t change God’s mind. “Yes, Lord. I’ll give Deah a mirror.”
I love you, Daughter. You are My favorite.
Summer huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes like a teen with a bad attitude. Sometimes God’s sense of humor left her royally flummoxed. She sat at the foot of the rock formation for a long time. When she finally stood, she strolled to the edge of the ocean and watched the waves dancing with the sand.
She didn’t hear Logan’s approach, but when he showed up, she wasn’t surprised. God always sent what she needed most, in the moment she most needed it.
Logan must have somehow known she’d been through a battle. Without a word, he stepped behind her, wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “I’m here.”
“I’m glad.” She closed her eyes, absorbing the strength that seemed to flow from his body into hers. At last, she stood up straight and turned to face him, her laptop still clutched against her chest. She’d had no place to put it down after leaving her little beach office. “Thank you.”
He hiked an eyebrow. “You’re welcome. What did I do?”
“You’re just…you. I’m not sure what I did to deserve you, but I’m blessed to have you in my life.”
He chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Ditto, my Summer dream.”
Summer slipped her hand through his arm and they wandered back to the lodge.
“Has Freckle come back?” Logan glanced around the side yard.
“No. It feels odd. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my little friend. He just suddenly wasn’t here anymore.”
“You miss him.” He wasn’t asking a question.
“I do. You know, for the first time in my life, I felt the responsibility of having another living creature completely dependent on me. I was terrified at first, but I loved him, and taking care of him was such a joy. I’m glad God gave me that opportunity. I don’t think it’s one most people ever get to experience.”
“You’re right about that.”
Summer lifted one shoulder. “I hope I get at least a glimpse of him before I have to go back to Three Rivers.” She sighed and then seemed to shrug off the momentary melancholy. “Would you like to come up? I made iced tea.”
“Sounds great.”
Logan parked himself on a barstool at the kitchen counter while Summer scooped ice into a couple of tall glasses and poured tea. She was handing Logan his glass when Deah sauntered in from her bedroom.
“Hi, you two.” She covered her mouth and yawned. “I can’t seem to wake up.”
Summer fought the urge to be snippy about her cousin having slept until almost noon. God wanted her to show Deah His love. She managed a smile she hoped was welcoming instead. “Maybe a glass of tea would help. Would you like one?”
Deah’s eyes widened. “Um…sure, yeah. Thank you.” She took the stool next to Logan. “Have you seen Miss Angie? Luke seemed to think I’d stayed with her longer than was really necessary, so I know she’s all right on her own…but I can’t stop worrying. What if she falls again?”
Logan chuckled. “Believe me, Miss Angie is one of the most capable women I’ve ever met. She’ll be fine.”
“I guess.” Deah sipped at her tea and nibbled one of the cookies Summer set in front of them. “She’s really something, isn’t she?”
“That she is.”
Summer leaned against the opposite side of the counter, watching the play of expressions across her cousin’s face—which still sported a minimum of makeup. Deah’s bright red lipstick hadn’t made an appearance since she’d taken on the role of Miss Angie’s volunteer caregiver.
“You were wonderful with her, Deah.” Voicing the compliment took a great deal of effort on Summer’s part, but she was trying to look at her spoiled relative in a different light—God’s light. In spite of the unlovely personality the girl generally portrayed, she was a child of God, and He wanted Deah to feel that kinship. Summer might be able to help her cousin find her spiritual path, but not if she couldn’t show her simple kindness and courtesy. A chilling thought occurred to her, and she shivered. What if Deah’s salvation hung on Summer’s ability to show her the love of God in daily life?
“Uh…thank you.” Deah seemed confused. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard so many scriptures quoted by memory in my life. Miss Angie has one for every topic of conversation.”
Summer and Logan both laughed.
“You’re right about that,” Summer agreed. “She’s a walking Bible.”
“What are you guys up to today?” Deah twirled a strand of auburn hair around one finger.
“Nothing much. I’ve been out on the beach all morning. Logan found me there.”
“Well, I actually came to ask a favor.” Logan drained his glass and set it on the counter. He grinned, showcasing the deep dimples that bracketed his lips.
Summer smiled. She couldn’t help it. Those heart-stopping dimples, combined with the mischief in Logan’s eyes, made him look like a little boy with something naughty up his sleeve.
“Oh? Do tell.”
“I intend to. I was thinking that I really don’t want to dine alone tonight, and that I might find some company here at the lodge. I’m hoping both of you ladies will join me—and Miss Angie, as well, if I can talk her into it.”
“Seriously?” Deah shot him a disbelieving, high-browed look. “You want me to come with you guys?”
“We’d be honored. Wouldn’t we, Summer?”
Summer nearly choked on her tea, but she recovered in a hurry. “Of course. You’ll come, won’t you, Deah?”
“Well…if you’re really sure...”
“Then it’s settled.” Logan stood. “Summer, will you help me talk Miss Angie into coming along?”
“Sure, but hold on a sec.”
She dashed into her bedroom and found the prayer journal she’d picked up for her hostess. The soft, cushioned cover was a screened print of a beautiful angel against a vivid blue sky. Long, white hair seemed to be caught in a breeze that blew in soft waves around the creature’s face. Eyes the same azure blue as Miss Angie’s held a light that made them seem uncannily real. After spotting the journal in a gift shop in East Village, Summer had fixated on the cover, little shivers running up and down her spine in rapid succession. Her mind screamed, “Miss Angie!” Completely silly, of course, but she couldn’t shake the comparison.
She’d walked around the shop for half an hour, picking up and laying down the journal at least a dozen times. A little irritated at her hesitation, she finally decided Miss Angie had to have the little book.
Now, she retrieved it from her dresser and stood staring at it yet again, caught up in the similarities between the artist’s angel and the lodge hostess. With a shake of her head, she carried it back into the living room. “I’m ready.”
“What’s that?”
Summer squelched the immediate and unworthy annoyance Deah’s inquiry elicited. What on earth was wrong with her? The question wasn’t out of place in any way. She was starting to wonder if their relationship difficulties weren’t some of her own doing. “It’s a prayer journal. I bought it for Miss Angie.”
“May I see?” Deah’s eyes shone. Where their hostess was concerne
d, she was like a child with a bad case of hero worship.
“Of course.” Summer handed her the book.
Deah’s eyes widened. “It’s Miss Angie!”
Summer smiled. “Deah, it’s an angel.”
“It’s Miss Angie! Logan, look.” She shoved the journal toward him.
He glanced at the cover, looked away…and his gaze snapped back to focus on the cover again. “Wow! If I didn’t know better, I’d have to agree. But this is just some artist’s idea of what an angel looks like, Deah. It isn’t Miss Angie.”
Summer rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe we’re even discussing this. Give me that and let’s go.”
Logan handed her the journal. “It’s nice, Summer. Miss Angie will love it.”
“I hope so. Deah, do you want to come along?”
“No, I’ll shower and then I think I’ll take a walk on the beach. What time are we leaving for dinner?”
A walk on the beach? To Summer’s knowledge, Deah had never once in her life walked on the beach without a crowd of friends in tow—mostly infatuated young men. Trying to picture her cousin on a lone, leisurely walk along the shore proved beyond Summer’s imaginative abilities.
“I’ll pick you ladies up at seven o’clock.”
“Sounds good.” Deah disappeared into the bathroom.
Logan opened the door and gestured Summer through it with a grand flourish. “After you, m’lady.”
She stood as tall as she could, stuck her nose in the air, and pranced past him, trying her best to look like a princess. If he insisted on treating her like royalty, she should learn to behave in kind. But keeping the grin off her face wasn’t easy, and she couldn’t recall a single member of any royal family she’d ever seen—in pictures, on television or in any book—wearing anything other than a dignified, sober expression or a polite smile.
Logan tucked her hand through the crook of his elbow when they reached the bottom of the stairs, and Summer giggled.
“What? Something’s funny?”
She hugged his arm. “I was just thinking that you make me feel like royalty, but I don’t know how to behave royally.”
He laughed. “Well, I’m rather glad you don’t. I suppose some people might like that kind of existence, but…I don’t know. It seems to make a person stiff and cold and unapproachable. Probably with good reason, people taking pictures of them all the time, no privacy, always on display.” He stopped, and lowered his head to speak against her ear. “You’re none of those things. You, my sweet Summer dream, are bright and warm and funny and…so beautiful.”
He paused with his lips against her hair while Summer fought to draw a breath. When Logan spoke again, his voice had roughened into a husky growl. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
“Um…thank you.” A whisper was all the volume she could manage. “You’re beautiful too.”
Logan chuckled. He moved back, spun her around and pulled her close. Then he tilted her chin up and hiked one thick eyebrow. “Beautiful? Me?”
“Yes.” Warmth rose upward from her neck into her face, but she ignored it. She refused to break their locked gazes but inserted a teasing note into her voice. “You’re far more handsome than should even be legal, I’ll give you that.” Then she fell serious again because she meant what she was about to say. “But that’s not what I meant. You’re a beautiful person, Logan Bullard, from the inside out. I—I really love that about you.”
Logan narrowed his eyes, and they changed from the familiar gray-green to something several shades deeper. He took her face between his hands and stared into her eyes as if he sought to find her very soul within their depths. He traced the outline of her lips with his finger in a reverent caress, and then he kissed her. Just a light brush of firm, warm lips against hers...once, and then again, soft and fleeting, like the gentle touch of a butterfly’s wing.
“Mmmm. You taste…good.” Logan breathed the words against her lips, and a tingle of something electric and delicious spun its way through Summer’s entire being. He tucked her arm through his, and they continued on their way without another word.
But by the time they reached Miss Angie’s door, her lips had curved themselves into a smile she could not contain. This—having this man at her side, spending long days in his company, whether at work or at play—was the perfect life. Around Logan, she felt like royalty, even without the crown, the castle, and the constant public scrutiny.
Besides, the man could turn a simple kiss into the sweetest love story ever told.
Life couldn’t get much better than this.
****
Logan had made reservations at one of the few upper-scale restaurants in Cambria. Maddy’s wasn’t a large venue, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in atmosphere and quality of dining.
He held open the door for his three guests, smiling at the picture they made.
Miss Angie wore a sheath-like garment whose color might have been borrowed from her striking blue eyes. Her white hair, twisted into an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck, shone like a halo. Her only adornment was a wing-shaped crystal pendant on a silver chain that hung almost to her waist. It was enough.
Logan found the woman far more beautiful than any number of shiny baubles with which she might have adorned herself.
Had Miss Angie arranged Deah’s hair, as well? The girl’s mahogany locks were pulled back in a French twist, with a few loose tendrils framing her face and grazing her neck. Tanned skin glowed golden around her white outfit. She walked beside Miss Angie, who held on to Deah’s arm with one hand and a pretty, marble-crowned cane with the other.
Logan couldn’t resist a smile. Deah’s adoration of the lodge hostess was a good thing, in his opinion. The girl could learn a lot from the older woman, without ever realizing she was being taught.
And then there was Summer.
She entered the restaurant behind the other two women, and Logan offered his arm as she came through the door. His Summer dream. She glowed. She shone. She radiated goodness and joy and…love? Oh, please, let it not be his own hopeful imagination that saw love in her eyes.
Summer wore purple. The royal color. And it suited her. Not quite as tanned as Deah, her skin bore only the softest of sun-kissed color. Her hair, unlike the other two women’s, swung around her shoulders and down her back in a straight, smooth fall of silver-gold light. Over the purple gown, her hazel eyes had taken on a blue-green cast. Teal.
Summer’s beauty was beyond what he would expect. Logan believed in only one true God, but if he’d been the least bit inclined to believe otherwise, then tonight he would have thought Summer a goddess.
“What are you thinking, Logan Bullard?” She smiled, revealing straight white teeth. A tiny overlap in the front two kept them from being technically perfect. But even that miniscule flaw became perfection when Summer smiled. Everyone needed a bit of an overlap.
Logan grinned. “I was thinking you make every other woman look drab. You’re…amazing, Summer. Stunning. Absolutely beautiful.”
Her cheeks pinked just enough to make the teal in her eyes more vibrant.
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Bullard,” she murmured.
“That’s OK. I’ll say it again anyway. You’re gorgeous, honey. Beyond gorgeous.”
“Well, thank you. And, by the way, you look quite smashing yourself.”
He laughed and led her toward their table, where Miss Angie and Deah were already being seated. “Smashing? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone actually use that word in this context, other than in the movies…or perhaps a novel.”
“Well, that’s what you get for hanging out with a writer.” She pursed her full lips in an attempt to look prim that only succeeded in making his heart beat faster.
“Well, I could stand a bit of a vocabulary boost. If that’s what’s required to date Shelby Callan, I’ll take on the whole dictionary.”
Summer’s soft laughter sent a warm wash of emotion clear to his soul. “She
lby probably wouldn’t ask that of you, but if you’d like, I’ll have a talk with her.”
“You do that,” he whispered.
Then they were at the table. Logan seated Summer, and some unworthy part of him wished he’d brought only her to Maddy’s, so they could continue their conversation in the same vein. But there would be other opportunities to be alone with Summer. For now, he had three guests, and he would show them all the same courtesy and attention, as befitted the gentleman his mother raised him to be.
“Thank you for inviting me along, Logan.” Deah sounded almost shy, and Summer’s gaze flicked her way in blatant surprise. “I think I needed a quiet night out.”
“You’re welcome.” Logan grinned. “I must say, I’m enjoying being the man at the table with the three most beautiful women in the room.”
They all laughed, and Miss Angie waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Ladies, watch your steps. ‘A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.’ That’s Proverbs 29:5—and yes, it’s from the King James version of the Good Book, because…well, just because that’s the one I like.” She smiled, every inch the gracious lady.
“Ah…but Miss Angie, you ladies are indeed beautiful, which means I speak truth, not flattery. ‘And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” He grinned. “That’s John 8:32. So don’t worry about that net. I speak freedom for your feet.”
“Well, I see I’m not the only one in this group who knows my Bible.” Miss Angie’s smile lit up the room. “I love to see young people familiar with the Word.”
“The Word?” A little furrow appeared on Deah’s smooth brow.
Logan’s gaze swung to Summer. Hadn’t she told him Deah’s family attended church? The girl seemed totally ignorant of anything to do with God.
Summer lifted one shoulder, clearly confused.
“The Bible, Deah dear. It is the divine Word of God.”
“Oh, I see.” Deah shook her head. “I’ve attended church with my parents many times, but I don’t think I ever heard the Bible referred to as the Word of God. Just ‘the Holy Bible.’” She sighed. “But to be honest, I usually zone out during those services. They’re so dull and boring. I can barely stay awake during most of them.”
