Jess scanned the preliminary ad campaign. It seemed flat, unengaging. Jess tapped the desk with her pen. “What’s missing?”
“Me.” Trevor stood in the doorway, beaming.
“Not!” Jess shook off her startled expression. “What are you doing here? What’s going on, Trevor? When we broke up, I didn’t hear from you. It’s been well over a year now. What gives? When we were dating, I couldn’t get you to come up for a visit, and here you are twice in a matter of a week or two.”
“Now, Jess, hang on. Before I returned to the city, I thought I’d take one more stab at getting back together with you.”
“Why? Nothing’s changed.”
“I’ve changed.”
“Really. Would you be willing to live in Squabbin Bay?”
Trevor took a tentative step toward her desk. Jess stood up and held out her hands. “You stay right there, Trev.”
“What’s going on, Jess? You never were afraid of me before. I’ve got a job.”
“Where? Doing what?”
“I’m a traveling salesman. Would you like to buy some knives?”
“No. Trev, I’m glad you’ve got a job. I’m glad it’s working for you. My not living in the city was not the only thing wrong with our relationship. And you not wanting to get a job was another, but not the only reason, although that was major.”
Trevor stepped back toward the door. “I think I’ve heard this conversation before. On that note, I’ll take my leave. Tell me this, Jess. Are you happy?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I’m glad. Don’t hate me too much, Jess. We had some good times.”
Jess’s spine relaxed. “Yeah, we did. Good luck with your job, Trev.”
“Thanks. Hey, here’s my business card if you ever decide you might like to buy some of these knives. They’re pretty pricey. But they’re excellent quality, with a lifetime guarantee.” Trevor pulled a card out of his pocket.
Jess walked over and took it. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
Trevor turned the knob and opened the door. Looking back at her, he asked, “So are you dating the bodyguard?”
“Huh?”
“The guy that wanted to knock me into next week the last time I was here.”
“Krispin? No.”
“Ah, just curious. I’m sorry I blew it before, Jess. I hope you find the right person someday.”
I do, too. “Same for you, Trev.”
Trevor nodded his head and left. She had loved him once. He had seemed like the perfect Christian gentleman to blend with her. But she’d changed during college, too. It took graduating, having trouble getting the right job out of school, and then getting the dream job to show her the emptiness of that life she was headed for. It took coming home and getting grounded once again to show her who she really was in Christ. In the end she wouldn’t have been happy married to Trevor. They looked at life and family in very different ways.
She thought about Krispin and what he had shared the other night about his life, his career, the emptiness of it all. Dear Lord, thanks for saving me from that life. I could have gotten caught up in work and left You behind. Father, help me keep You central, even with the demands of the co-op pressing in on me.
❧
Krispin scanned the shop. It had grown in use. Greg and his son Bryan were hard at work on their canoe. Wayne Kearns was spending a huge part of the day working on numerous projects since Dena had gone on a photo shoot for a few days. And Krispin had his kayak starting to take shape in his corner of the room. Krispin had also given Greg and Wayne their own keys to the shop.
But Krispin wanted to go home and work on the newest recipe he’d decided to make from watching television. Cooking, for some odd reason, was really appealing to him, more than he’d ever thought possible. “Wayne, I’m going to put some shrimp and steak on the grill tonight. Would you like to join me?”
“I’d love to, but I’m having dinner with my folks before they return to Florida.”
“How much longer will they be here?” Greg asked.
“Labor Day weekend. After that, they’ll fly back to Florida. It’s been a good visit.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Krispin knew the basic story from Jess. Greg had filled him in on some of the details regarding the townsfolk dropping as many charges as they could if Wayne’s father got help for his gambling problem. It seemed odd, at first, to hear how the town would pull together behind an individual who had hurt so many. But what surprised him the most was that Wayne had sold his house and paid off all his father’s debts, including what had been stolen from the lobstermen in terms of lost revenue. He was broke when he married Dena. Dena, who drove a Mercedes. Krispin wondered if he’d ever have the kind of love and forgiveness that Wayne and his family had demonstrated toward his father. It was so different from the world he’d been living in for the past ten years.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Wayne asked.
“Sorry, just thinking about my past, how I approached life.”
“A lot to think about?”
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ll ever be as forgiving as you.”
Wayne let out a nervous chuckle. “Let’s hope you never have to.”
Krispin paused. Didn’t the Bible talk about God’s grace being sufficient for whatever trials we encounter? Where will I go and what am I going to do with myself after my six months are up? “Wayne, my lease is up in November. Would you be interested in taking it over?”
Wayne rubbed the back of his neck with a handkerchief. “Let me think on that. A shop to work on some cabinets would be nice. We don’t really have the room at the house. What’s the rent?”
They discussed the lease arrangements Krispin had made with the owner, then went back to work. Greg and Bryan left first. Krispin put away his tools and cleaned up the shop, except around where Wayne was still working. “I’ll lock up,” Wayne offered.
“Thanks.” Krispin left. The cool, crisp air of early fall invigorated him. A thought to invite Jess for dinner breezed through his mind. He sat down in his car and tapped the steering wheel, debating whether or not he should invite Jess to dinner tonight. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he placed a call on his cell and turned the key.
“Jess, it’s Krispin.”
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Dinner, my place, steak and shrimp on the grill. What do you say?” He glanced in the rearview mirror before putting the car in reverse.
“I’d love to, but I can’t. Sorry.”
They said their good-byes, and he dialed Randi and Jordan’s only to find that they were busy, too. He passed a roadside stand and grabbed a couple of ears of corn. He’d throw the second steak in the freezer and eat the shrimp instead.
His phone rang as he drove up the scalloped-shell driveway. “Hello.”
“Krispin, it’s me, Jess. There’s a problem with my home computer. I have dinner plans with Dad and my grandparents tonight. Can you come by and fix it while I’m out?”
“Sure, what’s it doing?”
“It won’t turn on.”
Fear sliced through his backbone. Someone had tried to retrieve the Trojan horse program he had found on her computer. “All right. Where will you leave a key?”
“I’ll drop it off on my way out to my parents’ house.”
“Okay, see you in a few.”
“Great, thanks.”
He clicked his phone shut and debated whether or not he should have told Jess that someone probably tried to break into the computer. Not wanting to worry her, he decided to keep that to himself until he knew for sure.
Krispin grabbed the corn and headed to the kitchen. Should I warn her, Lord? What if the intruder is in the house? Is she in danger?
He dialed Jess’s house. It rang…no answer. He paced back and forth in his kitchen. It rang a second time…still no answer. “Pick up, Jess.” Third ring, again no answer. “Come on, Jess.” Fourth ring. He hung up and called the sheriff.
“S
heriff McKean, it’s Krispin Black. I’m concerned about Jessica Kearns. I just called her house and there was no answer.”
“Now, son, just because she’s not—”
“Sorry, she just called me, said her computer wouldn’t start up. I put a safety in the computer program I installed that has the computer look like it won’t turn on if an unauthorized person tried to access her computer.” He didn’t have time to explain everything. “Look, what if whoever broke into the computer is in the house? Couldn’t she be in—”
“I’m on my way. You sit tight.”
Krispin hung up the phone. Unable from the time he was thirteen to just sit tight when his elders told him to, Krispin got into his car and drove over to Jess’s. As he turned into her drive, he saw the sheriff’s car parked beside hers. The sheriff stood outside the back door, talking with Jess. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, and she was dressed in a terry robe she held tightly across her chest. She glanced over at him and frowned.
Oh boy. He responded with a wave.
Jess turned back into the house. The sheriff approached him. “You don’t listen well, do you?”
“Sorry. Shower?”
“Ayup. Look, Krispin, I don’t mean to be telling you your business, but you should have told Jess what could have happened with her computer.”
“I didn’t want to alarm her.”
“Instead you alarmed me and had me come over and roust her out of a shower.”
“Right. I’m sorry.”
The sheriff tapped the upper part of the door. “She told me to tell you to wait and she’d hand you the keys.” He walked toward his car.
“Thanks, Sheriff.” Krispin’s mind swirled. How could he make things right with Jess? You could start by telling her you believe in Me.
His body went rigid. Had God just spoken to him?
He placed a call to Pastor Russell.
“Hello?” Marie, the pastor’s wife, answered.
“Hi, Marie, it’s Krispin Black. Is Pastor Russell free?”
“Sure, let me get him.”
Krispin tapped the steering wheel, waiting for the pastor. “Hi, Krispin. What can I do for you?”
“Pastor Russell, I’m wondering if you ever hear God’s voice.” How do I explain this? “It was like a voice in my head.”
“Yes, I’ve had that experience. The caution is to test what the voice says and make sure it’s not telling you something contrary to the Bible.”
From everything Krispin had read in the Bible so far, this wasn’t contrary. In fact, several places in it said to tell others that you believe in God. “Okay, thanks.”
“Is that it?”
Krispin chuckled. “Yeah. Pretty dumb question, huh?”“No, actually there are many who never ‘hear’ a distinct voice from God. Pray and seek the Lord, Krispin. You’re doing well.”
“Thanks.”
Jess opened the back door.
“I’ve got to go, Pastor. See you Sunday.”
“Bye.” Pastor Russell hung up.
Krispin started to shake. He wanted to tell Jess, but he’d also wanted her to see the changes in him and recognize what had taken place in his life for herself.
“Krispin, why didn’t you tell me about the program?”
“Sorry. I didn’t want to scare you.”
Jess leaned in toward him. “I’m not a child that needs to be protected.”
“I’m sorry, Jess. I didn’t mean to offend you. If you remember, I had to run off after I installed the security program. I simply forgot to mention it. I can fix it, but it does mean that someone probably came into your house.”
“I understand, and the sheriff checked the exterior before you arrived. Krispin, it isn’t your job to protect me.”
But I want to. “I know. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
She leaned back on her heels and handed him the keys. “I’ve got to go. I’m going to be late as it is. Call me if you find anything on the computer.”
“I will.”
Jess left his side and slipped behind the wheel of her car. The cold metal of the keys felt like the coldness around his heart. Jess didn’t love him, at least not like he loved her. He went inside, sat down at her computer, reset the security program, and left in a span of fifteen minutes.
Back at home, his appetite faded. He put a sandwich together and saved the steak and shrimp for another time. Tomorrow he’d have to tell Jess the full truth of why he had come back to Squabbin Bay and that he was now a Christian.
Twelve
The brisk early morning air lapped Jess’s cheeks as she walked to her car. The only noise was the swooshing of her foul-weather gear sounding like a huge, thick pair of rubber gloves walking down the street. They made their final squeak as she sat down behind the wheel of her car and drove to the harbor. Walking down the steep incline of the dock due to low tide, she held on to the rail. She glanced over to the spot where she had run over Krispin and his kayak.
She closed her eyes and paused for a moment, saying another prayer for him, then added, Lord, help me forgive myself for not seeing him that day. For the past two weeks, she’d been avoiding him.
The shadow of a man’s profile stood on the deck of her boat. The muscles on the back of her neck tightened. “Hello?”
“It’s me, Jess.”
“Krispin?” Jess relaxed.
“Yes. We need to talk.”
She came toward him. “What are you doing here?”
“You’ve been avoiding me. I decided to take matters into my own hands and came where I knew you would be.” He rubbed his arms.
“Are you cold?”
“A little. There’s a lot of moisture in the air.”
“How long have you been here?”
“An hour. I wasn’t sure when you would arrive, so I came early.” He took a step toward her. “Jess, I’m sorry about the computer program, calling the sheriff.”
Jess snickered. “Krispin, that’s not the problem.”
He paused for a moment. “May I go out with you this morning so we can talk?”
Did she want to be alone with him, really alone? “You can trust me, Jess.”
“All right. But you’ll need some foul-weather gear. It’s too cold without it. Let me get Dad’s from the shed.” She went over to the small shack standing on the end of the dock that abutted the granite cliff walls lining the harbor and reached for her dad’s yellow, foul-weather gear. Her gear was orange. She’d chosen the different color to stand out from others.
“Thanks.”
“Just slip them on over your clothing. I’m afraid Dad’s boots won’t fit you, though.”
“That’s all right. These will help.”
“You get dressed. I need to make the boat ready.” Returning to the shed, she grabbed the chum buckets and set them on the edge of the dock. She gathered some extra nets for the pots in case she found any that had been destroyed.
Krispin loaded the chum buckets on deck. “These stink.”
Jess laughed. “You haven’t smelled anything yet.” Grabbing a couple more chum bags, she headed back to the boat.
The engines came to life with a roar at the twist of a key. She set it in neutral and started to cast off.
“Can I help?”
“No, thanks. I have this down so I can pretty much do it in my sleep.”
“Ah.” Krispin turned and sat down on the bench on the port side of the boat.
Stepping back on board, Jess got behind the wheel and shifted the lever into reverse. Slowly the boat pulled away from the dock. She circled around in reverse, then pushed the throttle into forward and headed out of the harbor. The gentle ribbon of first light shone on the eastern horizon.
“Do you get up this early every morning?”
“Only on Tuesdays. The co-op needs a lot of my attention on Tuesdays.”
“How is the co-op doing? Any more attempts to access your computers?”
“No. And thank you for fixing them.”
“You’re welcome.” He stood on the deck and came up beside her. “Jess, I don’t know what I did, but I’m sorry.”
“Krispin.” She paused. It was time to confess. He needed to understand why she couldn’t see him anymore. “It’s not you, it’s me.”
“No, it’s me. I know how rude I was to you the day you saved my life.”
“It’s not that, Krispin.”
“No, I suppose it isn’t. Look, before you say anything, I need to tell you something. I’ve been fighting it for a long time, but if I don’t tell you soon, I’m going to explode. Well, I don’t think I’ll explode exactly.”
“You’re rambling.”
“Right, sorry. Okay, here’s the deal. I came back to Squabbin Bay to find God.”
“What?”
He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Your father challenged me the day I left. Life had gotten very boring and complicated. I wasn’t satisfied by what I’d earned, done, or even who I was anymore. I didn’t enjoy the competitiveness of my industry any longer, and I knew my company would suffer if I wasn’t driven the way I had been before. Anyway, all of that is to say that the accident and what your father said made me reevaluate my life—where I was headed and why I was here. I didn’t tell you because of what you said to me before.”
“What?”
“That you wouldn’t get involved with a man who didn’t believe like you did. I didn’t want you to think I became a Christian so I could date you.”
Jess started to giggle. “Does my father know?”
“Yeah, sorry. I asked him not to say anything. I wanted you to see a change in me, not have me tell you. But ever since that night when someone tried to access your computer, I’ve known I was supposed to tell you. In fact, I was going to tell you the next morning, but I couldn’t find you. Then it just got easier and easier to avoid you because you were avoiding me. But it really hasn’t been all that easy. I keep being encouraged by the Lord to tell you. I couldn’t resist any longer, and that’s why I staked out your boat.”
Jess clenched the steering wheel, aiming for the red light that marked the port side entrance to the harbor. “You’re truly saved?”
Suited For Love Page 10
