Jill stood and picked her way to the edge of the float, then jumped off. “I want to pray with you.” Jill grasped her hand. “Lord, I thank You for my friend and for caring so much for us. You understand our hurts and fears and that is so reassuring. Kayla needs Your guidance. She loves You, and she loves Derek. Please show her Your will and give her Your peace. Amen.”
Kayla swallowed the lump in her throat. She always got emotional when someone prayed for her. Her stomach was such a jumble of nerves that she almost felt ill. “Thanks. Are we almost done yet?”
“Help will be here any minute. How about you bring in the rest of the supplies, then call it a night?”
“Are you sure?” Kayla hated leaving her friend with all this work, even if she had help on the way.
“Positive. I’m all rested up from my vacation and you’ve been towing the load all by yourself. Take the rest of the night for yourself.” Jill looked intently at her. “Are you going to be okay?”
Kayla nodded. Honestly, she was more of a mess now than before. Going home and burying her head in her pillow was all she wanted to do. “I’ll bring everything in and then see you bright and early tomorrow. Charlie has the parade under control, right?”
“Yes. We only need to worry about our grand reopening.”
“Good.” At least that was all Jill needed to worry about. Kayla, on the other hand, had more worries than she could handle.
Fifteen minutes later Kayla jogged to her car and started it up. Chilled, she turned the heater to high and headed home. She passed several cars coming up the driveway as she was headed out, which made her feel better about leaving.
Her characteristics-of-a-good-man list kept running through her mind. She’d created it to keep from getting hurt, but it hadn’t helped. In fact, she’d trusted that thing with more faith than she’d given anyone or anything.
Where had God been in all of this? Why hadn’t He stopped her or told her she was treating that list like an idol? She shuddered. Maybe He had, and she hadn’t listened. The list had become her safety net, and the Lord had been squeezed out by her obsession. She’d placed her faith in the wrong source.
Tears clogged her throat as the full impact of her life choices hit her. Somewhere along the way she’d stopped depending on the Lord. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
She pulled into her driveway and parked. A dim light glowed behind the curtains. Her mom must be home. She composed herself before going inside. A fire burned in the fireplace and her mom sat on the couch. Her eyelids drooped, and a book lay across her stomach.
“Hey, Mom,” she said softly.
Mom’s eyelids fluttered open. “Hi, honey.” She yawned and stretched. “I’m beat. Think I’ll head to bed.”
“Sleep well.” Kayla grabbed a few cushions and plopped down in front of the crackling flames, staring into the fire. A sudden desire to burn the list hit her and she couldn’t shake the idea.
But the list was so much a part of her daily life it hung framed in her bedroom. No, hanging on to that list would be a mistake. She needed to let it go and put her trust completely in the Lord.
The fire crackled and snapped, drawing her attention. It had been ages since they’d built a fire. This couldn’t be a coincidence; clearly God had a plan and was in control, as Helen pointed out earlier. She stood and went directly to her bedroom. The framed list hung beside a full-length mirror. She reached up and removed it from the wall. Flipping the frame over, she pried the backing off, then pulled out the aged sheet of paper penned in her teen years.
It hit her then how ridiculous holding on to this was. She marched out to the fireplace, wadded the notebook paper into a ball and tossed it into the flames. Within seconds the fire consumed the paper and with it years of misplaced hope.
Her hope was in the Lord and she would trust Him with her future—a future she hoped included Derek, but if it didn’t, she’d trust the Lord regardless.
She sat there until the fire turned to coals, then went to bed. Tomorrow would be here all too soon.
* * *
Derek sat on a private jet gazing out the window. A glance at his watch made him cringe. His concert would start in an hour, and in all likelihood he wouldn’t be there. To make things worse, he had no way of contacting Kayla. He’d tried before takeoff, but her phone had gone straight to voice mail. He didn’t have the heart to tell her in a message what he had to say, so he’d hung up. Now that decision ate at him.
Would she ever be able to forgive him? He’d finally listened to all her messages and how her tone had changed over the course of the past week. By the last one, confusion and hurt filled her voice—he’d caused that and it turned his stomach.
At least his business in California was finished. Jerry had been arrested on multiple charges ranging from blackmail to human trafficking. He’d used his business as a celebrity manager as a front for his underworld dealings. He’d lost most of his clients and started to panic, afraid that if anyone else left, he wouldn’t be able to continue hiding his illegal activities behind the cloak of his legitimate business.
When Derek had found out earlier today what had been going on, he’d been shocked. He rarely saw his manager in person and over the past year he’d had less and less contact with Jerry, which explained why he hadn’t known, but still he felt as if he should have at least sensed that something was off with the man.
He shook his head. As frustrated as he’d been with the FBI, they had done a great job investigating and subsequently taking out a multistate human-trafficking ring in a coordinated effort earlier today. Jerry was in it up to his eyeballs, and he would spend a long time behind bars. Knowing that helped make up for everything, but he dreaded facing everyone in Oak Knoll. They would not be happy with him. He stared out the window and noted a familiar landmark. His pulse accelerated.
Chapter 19
Margie tapped her foot and waved her arms around. Kayla stood behind the counter at Flowers and More tuning out the woman’s rant. Derek was a no-show for the sold-out concert.
“Well?” Margie stood with hands on her hips and a frown on her face.
“Well, what?”
“I asked if you’d go onstage and explain to the crowd why DJ Parker is a no-show.”
“Me?” Kayla’s voice rose a notch. “The concert is your baby.”
“But the man is yours.” She glared.
“He’s not my man. I wish people would stop making assumptions.”
Margie harrumphed.
“Fine. I’ll do it.” Kayla’s heart pounded in her chest at the idea of an angry mob. People had bought tickets from as far away as Seattle. “I hope we don’t have a riot.”
“Just pour on that pageant charm and you’ll have them begging you to sing.” Margie waved. “I’m out of here.”
Kayla’s heart dropped. “Aren’t you going to come with me?”
“Not a chance! Good luck.” She fled the store, leaving Kayla to ponder her words.
What if she sang? She could sing their duet. Sure, it wouldn’t be the same, but she could carry a tune well. Maybe if someone sang, the crowd wouldn’t turn violent. Or maybe they’d throw food at her and chase her from the stage.
Either way, she’d said she’d deal with the announcement. Her palms sweated as she headed to the workroom. “Ah, Jill. I have to go.”
Jill looked up from an arrangement she was working on and stilled. “What’s wrong? You are white as a lily.”
“Derek isn’t here, and the concert is set to start in thirty minutes. I’ve been tasked with delivering the bad news to the crowd.”
“Oh no. You can’t go out there alone.”
“I have to. I told Margie I would. Besides, I thought I might be able to appease them with a few DJ Parker songs.”
“Sweetie, they are going to shred you. Those aren’t just locals out there waiting in the hot sun. Half of that crowd doesn’t know you or care who you are.”
“Then you better have nine-one-one on spe
ed dial, because I’m doing it.”
“Oh, boy. I’m coming, too.” Jill grabbed her keys.
“We need to hurry. I still have to go to Derek’s studio and get his equipment.”
“No, you don’t. Charlie took care of all of that. They needed to do a sound check this morning, so Charlie stood in for Derek.”
Kayla paused with her hand on the door. “For real? I had no idea. How’d he know to do that?”
“Beats me, but Charlie is a man of many talents. I have no idea why he’s working for us other than to be with me.” Jill shot her a cheeky grin.
“Okay, then, let’s go. We may as well walk, because we won’t be able to find close-up parking.”
Jill pulled the front door shut. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
Kayla looked down at the jeans and white sleeveless top she wore. “What’s wrong with it? I was supposed to sing a duet with Derek and planned to wear this.” She pulled Jill along beside her as they wove through clusters of people enjoying the festivities.
Jill panted. “Yeah, but that’s when you were only singing a duet. I think something flashier would be better.”
Kayla gave her friend an annoyed look. “You’re not helping my confidence at all.”
“Sorry.” Jill pressed her lips together.
They turned onto the block with the park, and Kayla gasped. “Oh my goodness. I’m in big trouble.” The hillside surrounding the stage was a sea of people both young and old. “I’ve never seen this many people in town before.” She was not equipped to deal with this. Her pace slowed. Lord, I can’t do this without You. Please help!
Jill patted her arm. “It’s going to be fine,” she said in a motherly tone.
“Easy for you to say,” she mumbled. “Come on. We need to work our way around to the back side of the stage.” Five minutes later they spotted Charlie and he waved them through security.
“Please tell me Derek is on his way? His note in the instructions he overnight-mailed to me said he thought he’d make it, but it would be close.” Charlie looked from Jill to Kayla.
“He did?” Kayla wrung her hands. “Pray.” She moved to stage left and stood in the wing while running through a few vocal exercises to warm her voice. She took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm her racing heart.
Voices chanted “DJ, DJ, DJ” over and over. She poked her head out just enough to see the crowd standing and clapping to the beat of their chant. Jill and Charlie moved up beside her.
Jill took her hand and squeezed. “We won’t leave you. We’ll be right here.”
“Thanks.” Kayla squared her shoulders as a sound technician slipped a microphone around her ear and adjusted the placement.
He covered the mouthpiece. “It’s hot.”
She nodded, then strutted onto the stage wearing her most confident smile. “Hey, everyone! How’s it going?”
The chanting stopped, and the crowd erupted in applause.
“It seems DJ Parker has been delayed, so I’m hoping you will allow me to step in.”
“We want DJ!” some woman shouted.
Kayla pushed down rising panic. Sweat trickled on her forehead. “Me, too, lady.”
The crowd laughed. Kayla moved to the keyboard and struck a chord. “DJ and I worked on this together. It sounds better with him, but I hope you’ll enjoy it. I know I do.” She played the delicate intro to the ballad. The crowd quieted and a hush hovered over the park. She started into his verse, then noted a commotion in the crowd. They hated her. She hit a wrong note, and her voice cracked.
Suddenly a rich baritone joined her. She whipped her head to the side. Derek strolled onto the stage wearing dark-wash jeans. His acoustic guitar hung from his shoulder. He stopped center stage, plugged his guitar into the amp, then adjusted the instrument and seamlessly joined her.
When the song ended, the audience erupted into applause. “Give it up for Oak Knoll’s very own Kayla Russell!” Derek strode to stand directly in front of her, then placed a hand over each of their mikes. “Thank you. I’m sorry you had to come out here alone.”
Kayla’s knees weakened, but her insides were bubbling with happiness. He’d come back! “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here.”
He winked. “Me, too. You mind accompanying on keyboard for the rest of the concert?”
“Happy to.”
He got close to her ear and spoke quietly. “Charlie has all the music lined up the way I’m performing. I wasn’t allowed to call, but it occurred to me last night no one ever said I couldn’t send something by snail mail.”
“You couldn’t call?”
“Long story, but right now we have a concert to do.” He removed his hand from their microphones. Strumming his guitar strings, he sat center stage on a stool and crooned out melody after melody. “This next song is one I wrote for a very special lady who once shared with me why she doesn’t like Valentine’s Day.”
Kayla blinked and searched through the music. There was nothing there. Wait, what had he just said?
Derek faced the side of the stage she was on and chuckled. “You won’t find any music for this song, Kayla. This one’s for you. ‘Valentine’s Day 3-6-5.’”
“Until I met you, I didn’t have a clue, No, I didn’t have a clue about love.
Be my valentine—three-six-five.
E-ver-y day of the year.
Be my valentine—three-six-five.
Celebrate all through the year.
My valentine, oh, my valentine
Three hundred sixty-five days of the year.”
* * *
Kayla’s gaze locked on Derek as the song flowed from his lips. Her stomach flip-flopped when he shot her a dashing smile as the song ended. She stood and clapped.
Whistles pierced the air as the audience leaped to their feet and applauded.
* * *
Derek waved and bowed. He spotted Kayla drifting to the side of the stage and ran to her. “Kayla?” Had he blown it with the song? Maybe it was too much. “Are you okay?”
She turned to him with shining eyes. “I’m perfect. I loved the song.”
They were out of view of the audience. He gently removed her microphone and then his own and passed them off to a sound guy. “I’m glad you liked it. I meant those words. I want every day for us to be like Valentine’s Day. I don’t want to express my love for you only one day a year.”
Her grin widened. “You love me?”
“Duh.” He playfully rolled his eyes and pulled her close. “Kayla Russell, all I’ve wanted since I left for LA was to see Jerry locked up and get home to you.”
“Home. I like the sound of that.”
“Me, too.” He lowered his head and claimed her lips.
A dreamy look lit her eyes when she opened them. “I love you, too.”
“I’m glad, but what about your list? Do I pass muster?” He raised a brow.
“I burned that silly thing. God showed me that I had placed my trust in the list rather than in Him.” A half smile touched her lips. “But for the record, you passed with straight A’s.”
He leaned forward until their foreheads met. “I didn’t realize it was a graded thing.”
She shrugged and pulled away slightly. “What happened to you? I’ve been trying to call all week. I all but gave up on you, until I got here and saw that you had everything under control. Charlie said you’d be here, or at least you were going to try, so I figured you had to have a plan.”
“I had a plan, all right, but it didn’t turn out at all like I expected. I thought I’d be an hour late, but the plane the FBI sent me home on was fast, and I mean fast. It helped that the plane could land at the airport in Salem. It was only a short drive from there.”
“Good. Because I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”
“They would have fallen in love with you just like me.” He claimed her soft lips and drew her close. This was exactly how he wanted to spend the rest of his life.
Epilogue
One year later
Kayla leaned back in the gondola and listened as her husband sang a song to her in Italian. Their gondola glided along the canal in Venice, Italy, where they were spending their two-week honeymoon.
She thought back over the past year and what a whirlwind it had been. First her mother’s elopement in Las Vegas, which had turned out to be an even bigger surprise than she’d expected because Jill and Charlie had decided to follow Kayla’s mom’s lead and elope as well in Las Vegas—one wedding right after the other.
Kayla fondly remembered her church wedding in their hometown seven months ago. Mom and Stan had come home. The biggest surprise guest, though, was Estelle Rogers, who told them she’d retired from showbiz and was opening a restaurant.
If anyone had told her a year ago that she’d be married to the man of her dreams and that she’d be riding in a gondola in Italy while he serenaded her, she’d have laughed. Now all she could muster was a sappy smile.
It was nice to have Derek all to herself after having been on his farewell tour with him for the past six months. He’d signed the record contract with the stipulation he’d have to do only one tour and then he was done with the business. Her man was officially retired, and he was looking forward to returning to his old position as the music pastor.
“What’s that grin for?” Derek tucked her close to his side.
“Just reminiscing. We’ve had a pretty amazing beginning to our life together.”
“That’s an understatement.” He tilted his head and whispered, “Did I tell you today how much I love you?”
“Only a half dozen times.” She caressed his face. “I love you, too.”
He claimed her lips, and she melted in his arms.
Love was good. Very good indeed.
* * * * *
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A Valentine for Kayla Page 15
