Heart's Design: A Contemporary Christian Romance

by JoAnn Durgin

“Ah, he gave you the gift of his love even then. Wanting you to know the Savior he serves was perhaps his greatest gift to you. If you both look to the Lord, whatever issues you need to resolve between the two of you will work themselves out, dear. God’s love never fails. Everything in His time and His place. Remember that.”

  “I will.” Caroline took the woman’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, Marla. I needed to hear that reminder this afternoon.” The wind caressed her cheeks and she smiled.

  “God is a sovereign God, and He knows your mind and the condition of your heart.” With that, Marla surprised Caroline by leaning close and kissing her cheek. Sweetly. Softly. “I’ll pray for you and this young man, Caroline. Create your own legacy for your family. Know that God is with you.”

  Caroline assisted Marla to her feet and she gave her a small wave. As she watched the woman make her way down the street, she touched her cheek, warm to the touch. Comforting.

  As she closed the door of her home a few minutes later, Caroline was still smiling. And then she stopped. “How did Marla know my name?”

  ~~♥~~

  Caroline jumped at the opportunity to have dinner with Liesel and Beverly at the inn the following week. She’d missed her friend, but she’d been busy designing the pink amethyst necklace and Liesel’s days and nights were mixed up like a typical new mother. They’d talked on the phone a few times and Caroline had filled Liesel in on the latest developments.

  Beverly greeted her with a bright smile as Caroline walked into the kitchen. “Caroline, how nice to see you again!” After taking Caroline’s salad from her and setting it on the table, Liesel’s mother gathered her in a bear hug. “Little did I know you’d be living here two years later.”

  “Yes, you did, Mom, and you know it.” Liesel crossed the kitchen to wrap Caroline in a warm hug of her own. How she loved these two women whose love filled some gaping holes in her heart. How had she ever survived without them?

  “I have no idea what you mean.” Giving Caroline a wink, Beverly laughed. “I knew there was something special about you, and one of my favorite things is seeing how the Lord works. Now, just look at you! Best friends and sisters in the Lord with Liesel.”

  “Amen.” Liesel removed the plastic wrap covering Caroline’s Caesar salad and set it on the table. “I think we have everything now. Sit down, Caroline, and I’ll get your lemonade.”

  Caroline eyed the quiche and fruit on her plate. She’d eaten in the kitchen on many weekday nights and sometimes walked down to join them for breakfast. She enjoyed chatting with some of the guests and wanted to be available to help Liesel if called upon. “Where’s Paul tonight?”

  “At a Town Council meeting. He sends his love. Bella’s still napping but I need to get her up soon to feed her.” Liesel gave her a sweet smile. “I might ask you to hold her while I run and put some laundry in the dryer.”

  “I thought that’s why you had me here to help,” Beverly protested.

  “No, your job is to play the doting grandma.” Liesel patted Beverly’s shoulder. “You do that very well. Mom, I’ll ask you to say grace. You might want to include Seth in your prayer. He’s currently acting like an idiot.” Handing Caroline’s lemonade to her, she dropped down on the bench beside her mother.

  Beverly frowned. “That’s a bit harsh now, isn’t it? We should give Seth the benefit of the doubt.”

  “I know, Mom, and you know I love him like a brother, but you haven’t heard the latest.”

  They held hands and Beverly prayed for their meal. At the end of her prayer, she added, “And Father, whatever Seth has done or not done, be with him in a special way tonight. Give him your peace and comfort. Help him to feel your presence in his life. In the name of your Son we ask these things. Amen.”

  “Thank you.” The quick rise of warmth stung Caroline’s cheeks, betraying her whenever Seth’s name was mentioned. She was a failure at staying mad at the man. She remained quiet while Liesel filled Beverly in on the events that had transpired in what she called the “Old Speck Disaster.”

  “Okay, first things first.” Liesel chewed a bite of the lobster quiche and downed it with a drink of her water. “Caroline Prescott, do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth—”

  Smiling, she raised her right hand. “And nothing but the truth, so help me God.”

  “I want you to admit that you are in love with Seth.” Liesel stared her down.

  Caroline sputtered and almost choked on a piece of cantaloupe. “Excuse me?”

  “Fine.” Caroline quickly shoved a honeydew melon ball into her mouth. Make the girl wait for her answer. Served her right for catching her unaware.

  “Liesel would make a good attorney, don’t you think?” Shaking her head, Beverly ate another piece of her quiche. “This is absolutely delicious, honey.”

  “Of course it is,” Liesel said. “It’s your recipe. I’m waiting.” Liesel ate her salad, avoiding Caroline’s glare. When she began to drum her fingers on the tabletop and hum under her breath, both Caroline and Beverly reached out a hand to stop her. Beverly won out and closed her hand over Liesel’s.

  “I’ll admit that my naïve hopes for something to happen with Seth haven’t panned out. That’s all I’m saying.” Why is it that she’d had no trouble admitting her feelings for Seth to Marla, but she couldn’t come right out and admit it to Liesel, her best friend? That made no sense. Then again, maybe it’s because Liesel already knew the answer.

  Liesel laughed. “What a punster you are. How appropriate since panning for jewels is a popular tourist draw around here.”

  “Caroline, I believe I owe you an apology.” Beverly wiped her mouth with her napkin and lowered her gaze.

  Caroline paused with her fork above her plate. Why on earth would this kindly woman feel the need to apologize?

  “I knew Seth had issues with a lawyer in Boston because of his dad’s trial, but he’d never told me the man’s name until the day of Liesel and Paul’s wedding. Then, when you and I talked here in the kitchen that same morning—and you gave me the name of your father’s law firm—I knew.”

  Caroline leaned closer. Liesel leaned closer. “Knew what exactly?” Caroline said.

  “Without a doubt, the good Lord’s had His hand in this whole situation. He brought you here to Evergreen. He brought Seth here at the same time. Both for your own reasons but also so that He could accomplish His will in your lives. Right after you and your friends left town on that Sunday morning, I assumed Seth had figured out the connection. Then when I told Seth I was proud of him, and then when he asked me your last name, he dropped a mug on my hardwood floor and looked like a truck was about to run him down.”

  “You don’t need to apologize for that,” Caroline said, and she meant her words. Beverly was so caring and well-intentioned that she could never fault her. “You spoke the truth and Seth needed to hear it. Then there’s the whole thing about the letter.”

  “Letter? What letter?” Beverly took another bite of her quiche.

  After she filled her in, Caroline added, “I know in my heart that Mother took it for whatever reason. How else would she have known Seth’s name? I’m wondering if she put two and two together about Seth’s dad, the trial, the whole thing.”

  “You think she’d do that?” Liesel asked. “Actually take the letter, I mean? Sorry to say but that’s stealing.”

  “I think she’s capable of it.” Caroline shrugged. “Seth didn’t tell me what was in the letter, but after the Old Speck Disaster, I have a pretty good idea. At this point, it’s probably best that I don’t know.” She finished her salad and put down her fork. “I want to help Seth, but other than pray, I don’t know how. We’ve both changed since we first met. I suppose we were naïve dreamers to think something could ever happen with us. Now, reality’s set in and he’s with Jenica.”

  “Seth cared enough to steer you in the direction of the Savior,” Beverly said, her voice soft. “He didn’t know your background or know your f
ather was Duncan Prescott. His faith is strong, but his anger at your dad is his own personal cross to bear. The Lord knows we all have them. But Seth cared about your soul, honey. Remember that. Maybe now it’s your turn to help him find his way. I think perhaps you’re the best person to help that young man heal.”

  “Why? I mean, how?” Caroline shook her head, confused. “I pretty much told him to have a nice life and slammed the door for anything happening between us in the future.”

  “I’ll take a stab at answering the why part of your question,” Liesel said. “Because you love your father, and you also love Seth, even if you won’t admit it.”

  “I…” Caroline faltered.

  “You do love him or this wouldn’t affect you so much,” Liesel insisted, taking another bite of her fruit. “And I’m not just talking as a friend. The sparks between you two were flying around our wedding reception so fast that I alerted Fire Chief O’Malley to have the extinguisher handy.”

  Caroline looked into the eyes of first Liesel and then Beverly. “How can I help him heal?”

  Beverly smiled. “Just love him, honey. And keep praying for him. If we allow hate to consume us, it can devour us from the inside out. Hate is a strong emotion, but love is that much more powerful. Jesus is the giver of love, the healer of relationships, and the Great Redeemer. The One who shows us how to forgive. We’ll pray Seth will open his heart and listen to what the Lord’s telling him in terms of forgiving your father.”

  “Even after all these years?” In her world, at least as she’d known it before, grudges were held long and rarely forgotten much less forgiven.

  Liesel kissed her mother’s cheek. “Let me try to put it in layman’s terms for you. What my sweet mother is saying is that we need to pray the Lord will knock some sense into that man because right now he’s got rocks for brains.”

  Beverly shook her head. “You’re putting words in my mouth again, daughter. For now, Caroline, love Seth as a friend. God knows all about your feelings. And He knows Seth’s heart better than anyone. Leave it in His more than capable hands to work it out in His own way, in His own perfect time.”

  ~~♥~~

  That Same Night—Oxford Hills, Maine

  Seth stood outside Jenica’s parents’ house. This is the part he hated about dating. Breaking up with someone was difficult no matter the circumstances. Staying in a relationship with Jenica when he was in love with Caroline wasn’t being fair to any of them. At first, he’d thought he was falling in love, but he was already there. He knew the beautiful blonde jewelry designer couldn’t be happy with him. He wasn’t happy with himself. But he’d prayed about it and he was making strides in the right direction. Whether or not anything developed with Caroline—and he hoped she might see fit to allow him back into her life—he needed to do this. Just as he’d told Caroline the truth, now he had to be honest with Jenica. Time to take the first step toward Caroline and hopefully winning her heart.

  The door opened and Jenica gave him her best smile although it looked somewhat shaky. “I’m glad you called. Come on in.” After closing the door behind him, she waved her hand toward the sofa. “Have a seat. Are you hungry? Mom made a good stew and dumplings tonight. Good to help ward off the night chill.”

  “No, thanks. I’m not hungry. Come sit beside me, Jen. We need to talk.”

  Her blue eyes grew rounder. “Okay. Should I be scared?”

  Lord, be with me.

  “You don’t need to be scared, but I think you and I both know our relationship isn’t…moving forward.”

  Jenica twisted her hands in her lap. “You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” No tears, no anger, just a sad acceptance. “I was afraid this was coming. This has something to do with Caroline, doesn’t it?”

  Stunned, Seth couldn’t answer right away. Had he been that obvious? “Why do you ask?”

  She blew out a breath. “I’ve heard the talk, you know. How you couldn’t stop watching her at the wedding reception. Sat with her in the swing at Landon’s that night over two years ago. You don’t know how many times I’ve kicked myself for not being at that wedding—”

  “I hope you’ll believe me when I tell you that I didn’t expect to feel anything for Caroline. Both then and now.”

  “So you do care for her?”

  Seth met her gaze. She deserved straightforward honesty. “I do. But, up until this point, nothing’s happened between us that shouldn’t have.” For whatever reason, it was important to him that Jenica hear the truth directly from him.

  Jenica rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. “Are you kidding me?” Rising to her feet, she paced in front of him. “I’m sure you’re thinking that because you haven’t kissed her, then”—she curled two fingers on each hand to represent quotation marks—“nothing’s happened. But you’re wrong. Something has happened between the two of you or you wouldn’t be here now breaking it off between us. You haven’t been the same since you came back from California and discovered that Caroline lived here in Evergreen. I suppose I was naïve to believe we could just resume our relationship.”

  “No, you weren’t wrong to think that way.” Dating Jenica before he left Maine, keeping in touch while he was in California, and then moving back—through it all, he’d never dated anyone else. But it wasn’t so much wanting to be exclusive with Jenica as it was…safe. Comfortable. Easy. That way, he could say he was in a relationship, go about his work, and he’d been content with his life. Until now when Caroline Prescott walked back into this life.

  Jenica stopped pacing and stared at him, suspicion glimmering in her blue eyes. “Did Caroline move to Maine in order to be closer to you?”

  “No, of course not.” Besides the fact that Caroline told him so, he understood the lure of the mountains and the small town charm of Evergreen. “She wanted to design jewelry and, after visiting Evergreen, she knew she could do that as well here as anywhere else in the country.” Caroline also needed to break free from her family’s hold. As a man, he’d be flattered to think Caroline had moved to Maine hoping to start a relationship with him.

  And there it was. If Jenica had moved to California, he would have felt trapped. But now that Caroline was here, he didn’t feel trapped. Not at all. He welcomed getting to know her, developing a relationship with her. If he hadn’t ruined his chances by his hardheadedness and inability to forgive her father.

  “Then it seems you have a love of minerals and gems in common,” Jenica said, interrupting his thoughts, getting him refocused on their conversation and back on track. “I’ve always liked them, too, you know.” That statement sounded pouty.

  Yes, he knew. Jenica had hinted about her fondness for diamonds especially in the last couple of months, but in his eyes, they’d been nowhere near that point in their relationship. Maybe the fact he’d resisted the idea with everything in him should have tipped him off that it was time to end the relationship.

  “What is it that Caroline Prescott has that I don’t have? Tell me, Seth. I’d really like to know.”

  He hated that question. Above all, he wanted to be sensitive to Jenica. Her feelings had been fragile as of late and she’d often sought reassurance of his affection for her. Asked leading questions, hinted for a kiss, reached for his hand or run her finger up his arm in a playful manner. How could he answer her question without making her feel somehow inadequate or that she paled in comparison to Caroline?

  Jenica stopped pacing and sat down beside him again, waiting for his response.

  “I want you to find the love you deserve,” he whispered, “but I’m not that man.”

  She nodded but didn’t look at him. “You’ve always been respectful and considerate of my feelings. Thank you for that.”

  “You’ve been a big part of my life in the last few years, and I don’t want to lose you as a friend. I’ve prayed for you, and I’ll continue to pray for you. Always.”

  “I think I knew that day in the Antique Barn,” she said, her voice quiet. “Wh
en Caroline was talking about taking care of my treasure. At first, I thought she was talking about the Hummel, but I finally figured it out. She was talking about you, wasn’t she?”

  Wow. How clueless was he? He’d wondered if that’s what Caroline meant but he couldn’t be sure. Jenica was right, and she’d been able to see Caroline’s underlying message much clearer than he had.

  “From what little I know, Caroline seems like a nice person,” Jenica continued before he could respond. “I hope you’ll be very happy with her.” Jenica drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You deserve the best.”

  What gracious words. She was making this much easier than he deserved. While she wasn’t the right woman for him, she had a lot of great qualities to offer the right man. “You’re incredibly special, Jen. Thank you for being you.”

  Taking her hand in his, Seth smiled when she leaned her head on his shoulder.

  Chapter 23

  ~~♥~~

  The next week passed just as quickly. Another week without hearing from Seth. Had he dismissed her from his life? Caroline couldn’t accept that idea as any kind of truth. Liesel told her that her mother had called Seth and they’d had a good chat. How she would have liked to have been privy to that conversation. No matter how many broad hints she’d dropped—and she’d been extremely patient without demanding answers—Liesel had been annoyingly tight-lipped.

  She’d known Seth and Beverly were close, and Liesel did fill in some blanks for her in terms of Seth’s mother’s advanced dementia and his father’s basic retreat from life since the Boston trial. So, as it turns out, that information was what she’d needed. The light of understanding began to stir in Caroline’s heart.

  She’d gone over and over Seth’s words in her mind since he’d told her about her dad prosecuting his dad’s criminal trial. Putting herself in the place of a teenage boy who’d been bullied and his dad branded a murderer even though nothing could be further from the truth. How would she have felt given the same circumstances? Instead of being the privileged daughter of the attorney who drove home to Beacon Hill in his luxury car every night, how would she feel if she were the teenage son of the man sitting in a Boston jail and accused of killing a man?