Step with Me: Love Amiss... A Christian Romance (Seaside Chapel Book 2)

by Jan Thompson

  Skye’s tired face was on FaceTime.

  Down the hallway, Matt, Ivan, Brinley, and a few others were waiting for him at another side door. They had all planned on going to lunch together after church. He waved to them, motioning them to go ahead without him.

  He’d join them soon enough. Or not. Right now, he had lost his appetite.

  “Her parents have no one else, Seb. No other relatives in town. Her mom’s going to need her to help with her dad. Long recovery ahead. And she only has six weeks before she goes back to UGA.”

  “I guess that makes sense. You look like the pits, Skye. How much sleep did you get?”

  “A bit here and there. I’ll sleep more later. I’m coming home this evening. I have to get back to work tomorrow. Em has your SUV, and I’m assuming you’re letting her keep it.”

  “Indefinitely.”

  “Good. Nice of you, Seb.”

  “I want to be more than nice. I want her, Skye. Oops. Did I say that aloud?”

  Silence.

  Sebastian tried to read Skye’s expression on his iPhone screen but he didn’t have to.

  “Seb. Brother—big brother. Lost-in-the-woods brother. I’m talking to you. Yes, you. Sebastian Trouble Langston.”

  Uh-oh.

  He knew what was coming every time his sister began her speech like that. Fortunately, he had earbuds on so no one could hear Skye. He started walking toward the exit leading to the parking lot.

  “If you want Em, you need to lose Talia. You will not give my friend partial love. It doesn’t work.”

  “I’ve lost Talia. Months ago when we broke up.”

  “Your emotions are still hanging on to memories of her.”

  Memories.

  “The way it seems to me, you haven’t completely let go of Talia. Until then, you won’t be able to love anyone freely.”

  “You don’t—”

  “Every time Talia calls you, you go running back to her. Until you no longer have any feelings for her, until you can tell her no, you’re not free to love.”

  “She hasn’t called me lately.”

  “Just you wait. It’s a cycle, and at some point, she’s going to get bored of Jared, and just you wait. She’s going to call you.”

  “I won’t answer.”

  “You say that, but I’ve seen you let her come back to you before, as if you’re a parking place.”

  “I don’t need to listen to this.”

  “So you made a mistake in high school. Forgive yourself and move on, especially if you have asked God to forgive you.”

  Sebastian knew hew sister was right.

  “I’m tired. I’m exhausted. I’m telling you that you can’t fool around with Em. She’s too precious for this. Your stupid scheme could ruin her for her future husband. Don’t you see?”

  “Ruin her? I don’t want to ruin her. I want to—”

  “I’m not done. Let her be with her family, okay. It’s just as well that she doesn’t return to St. Simon’s. You’re messing with her heart. Meanwhile, you need to settle your problems with Talia. Without Emmeline.”

  “Without Em? I can’t—”

  “Leave her alone, Seb. She’s already lost her brother. Now she might lose her father too. Leave her alone.”

  Her brother.

  Claude.

  Sebastian climbed into his car. “I get the message, little sister. I appreciate your concern and care.”

  “Good.” Skye looked relieved. “Will you pick me up at the airport? Eleven fifty or so?”

  “Sure. Anytime, Sis.”

  Skye looked away then back at her iPhone camera. “Gotta run. I’m in the cafeteria having lunch and I need to get back to Em. See what she needs.”

  “Tell her I’m praying for her and the entire Sunday School class is praying for her.”

  “I will.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  “Will do.” Skye was gone.

  Sebastian sat there staring at the steering wheel. He’d trade in his BMW i8 if it could help find Claude. That would make Emmeline happy. Perhaps ameliorate her family circumstances.

  There was nothing he could do about her dad. That was up to the doctors and therapists. Long recovery ahead, Skye had told him.

  But Claude…

  He could do something about Claude.

  Sebastian speed-dialed Helen Hu.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Wednesday’s forecast called for rain that didn’t come. Sebastian drove alone to the Fire Pit Service at Seaside Chapel, giving him time to think and pray in his rental car.

  Funny thing, he didn’t miss his BMW i8 at all. He wondered what had gone through his own mind when he had bought that fast car. He couldn’t think of any road on St. Simon’s Island where going from zero to sixty in seconds took him further than his compact two-door rental.

  All week long, Sebastian had eaten his meals alone, walked alone, slept alone, and woken up alone. If not for the Men’s Bible Study Group meetings, Sunday school classes, and church services, he’d be totally isolated from the world.

  There was no Talia.

  No Emmeline.

  No one.

  Talia had moved in with Jared as he had suspected, only they had both relocated to Savannah where Jared’s business was headquartered. Sebastian was sure Jared had been introducing Talia to his long family history dating to the early days of Georgia’s founding, though he doubted that Talia was interested in that sort of thing at all history of coastal Georgia at all.

  All Talia was interested in was herself.

  Why had Sebastian attracted to Talia, then, if there was nothing in the relationship for him?

  Sebastian parked his car as closely as possible to the Seaside Chapel pavilion. He decided against taking his umbrella with him even though the sky was cloudy, and it looked like rain would come.

  If the rain came, he’d run back to his vehicle and take off.

  If the rain came…

  He could still see Emmeline. Her flowery periwinkle dress all askew, her hair wet and stuck to her face, the cheap umbrella twisted up. Yet she had refused to get in his car.

  How could they have gotten into a fight the first day they had officially met?

  It had begun with a pretty face and a pretty walk. It had moved beyond that to something more heartfelt between him and Emmeline.

  She had fought it. Or, at least, she had tried to fight it—fight them.

  For good reasons.

  And it’s all my fault.

  Sebastian didn’t remember how he ended up sitting next to Ben Ketteridge on the pavilion, but there he was, a distance away from the Seaside Chapel back parking lot.

  It had been two weeks since Emmeline had moved home to Atlanta.

  Since then Sebastian had been incommunicado with her save for her curt and brief messages. He’d been the one to send more words per day than she had per week. He had been praying for her as she cared for her dad in recovery and her mother in distress.

  Since the day Emmeline had left St. Simon’s, Sebastian had stopped paying any attention to the Theater by the Sea or any happenings in the Sea Islands Symphony Orchestra. Every time he heard harp music, he thought of Emmeline.

  And only Emmeline.

  It might be why he couldn’t have her. If all he thought about were her, where was God in the picture?

  Don’t forget God.

  “You okay?” Ben Ketteridge asked, putting his waterproof Bible underneath his folding chair on the pine floor of the pavilion.

  Trust Ben to hone right into his problems.

  “Life is good,” Sebastian replied.

  “God is good,” Ben said. “Life on earth can be so-so.”

  “That’s what I meant. God is good.”

  “He’s always good. No matter what.”

  “Don’t forget God.” It came out of Sebastian’s mouth just like that.

  “Sounds like something Emmeline O’Hanlon would say.” Ben raised his eyebrows at him.

  Se
bastian averted that glint in Ben’s eyes. “Good reminder for believers, for sure.”

  “She’s gone gone?”

  “Looks like it.” Sebastian didn’t want to talk much in public about his personal angst. But the crowd was thin tonight. Only regulars were here.

  Perhaps the rest stayed home due to the potential rain. That was why they’d met at the pavilion instead of on the still-damp beach. And no fire pit tonight for the Fire Pit Service.

  “So why don’t you take a vacation and go see how she’s doing?” Ben asked.

  Why don’t I? “She’s moved on.”

  “You’ve only started going out with each other.”

  “A month ago next week.”

  “Been counting days, huh?” When Sebastian said nothing, Ben continued. “Look, I’m not one who can give you relationship advice. In fact, I’ll need some myself, but I can see you’re in the dumps. Not the silly Seb I know.”

  “Me? Silly?”

  Uh, what about that stupid charade he’d dragged Emmeline into?

  Okay. Busted.

  “All I know is when I was a chaplain, I had to deal with lots of Marines who didn’t talk about what bothered them. You need to get it out before it takes you out.”

  “Meaning I’ll implode or explode?” Sebastian chuckled.

  “Meaning you’d self-destruct. Need I spell it out?”

  “When do you stop teaching, Ben?”

  “It’s a gift, man. What’s your gift?”

  Sebastian had to think for a good minute. “Don’t know. Cooking?”

  “Cooking’s not a gift, Seb. But it might be a manifestation of a gift that God has given you.”

  “I want to cook for people. I haven’t done that in a while.”

  “Hmmm. Maybe your gift is helping others. But it’s been suppressed. Backtrack, Seb. Get back into the kitchen and go back to where you belong.”

  I belong with Em.

  What did I just say?

  “I’m stuck, Ben.” I’ve lost Talia and I can’t reach Em.

  Ben picked up his Bible. “Well, that’s what we’re going to talk about this evening. How to get out of stagnancy in your spiritual walk with the Lord.”

  “Pastor Gonzalez shared his sermon notes with you?” Sebastian knew that Ben was on the shortlist for assistant pastorship at Seaside Chapel but he hadn’t kept up with the goings on inside the church beyond what he had heard here and there. The Men’s Bible Study Group didn’t talk much about third party information like that. Church business remained inside the church.

  “Nope. Didn’t you get the memo this afternoon? Pastor Gonzalez’s flu had taken a downturn and he’s lost his voice. I’m teaching tonight.”

  Sebastian hadn’t checked his email all day. “That’s why most people didn’t show up. That’s really bad, Ben.”

  “Hey, the old silly Seb is back.” Ben pointed a finger at him as he walked away to get set up for the cordless microphone.

  It was then that Sebastian noticed Ben’s new right leg. Sebastian had been so full of his own misery the last two weeks that he hadn’t been paying attention to anyone else outside his little coconut shell. Did Ben have the new stars-and-stripes prosthetic on Friday at the Men’s Bible Study? Sebastian couldn’t remember.

  Now Ben’s patriotic leg reminded Sebastian that he had plans to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend with Emmeline, plans now dashed because she wasn’t here.

  He had it all scheduled on his calendar. A drive up to Savannah to watch the fireworks by the Savannah River. A stay—in separate rooms—at one of the historic inns. Dining with her in five-star restaurants.

  Holding her hand all the way there and back.

  Now she was five hours away taking care of her parents.

  What was that like?

  Sebastian and Skye had been orphaned early enough he didn’t quite have to go through taking care of elderly or sickly parents. Yet he imagined it was a full-time job. Possibly draining on the caregivers.

  He wondered if Emmeline had time to keep up with her harp. If she still played that Granados piece. If she remembered their moments when she did.

  Nah.

  “I was talking to a friend recently, and he told me he’s stuck,” Ben said after he prayed.

  Note to self: Be careful what I say to Ben. It will be used in a sermon. Sigh.

  Sebastian wondered what Ben was up to.

  “It’s one thing to be stuck in a rut. Maybe you have a business or family issue. You can almost always find a solution for those things, right? What if you’re stuck spiritually? As far as I know, spiritual stagnancy is harder to resolve.”

  Am I stuck spiritually?

  Sebastian stared straight ahead, trying not to make any eye contact with Ben, knowing that his Sunday School teacher and friend was probably looking his way.

  “You know what the first step is to fixing spiritual stagnancy?” Ben asked. “Sebastian has the answer.”

  Sebastian’s eyes flicked toward Ben’s. Ben nodded. Gestured for him to answer.

  “Uh… Don’t forget God?”

  “Absolutely, Seb. That’s the key. If you’re stagnant in your walk with the Lord, the first thing you’d want to do is go to God. Right away. Seek His face. His counsel. His solution.”

  Go to God. Right away.

  I failed, then.

  Sebastian recalled that night after dinner with Helen, that evening he had found Skye and Emmeline chatting in the kitchen as they cleared the dishes and put away the leftovers.

  After Skye had left them alone, Sebastian had felt the urge to kiss Emmeline, but she had refused him. Shortly after that she had said something profound to him.

  Go talk to God and then come back to talk to me.

  Has Sebastian forgotten God?

  It seemed he had.

  “Turn with me to Matthew 6:33.” Ben flipped the pages of his Bible with such efficiency that he was on the verse sooner than Sebastian could type the reference into his iPad Bible software.

  When everyone was ready to go, Ben asked someone to read it aloud.

  Skye did.

  Skye.

  Sebastian felt bad he didn’t even notice that his sister had arrived. He hadn’t said hello to her for days now.

  Skye read in her clear, crisp voice that cut through the wind and sounds of surf in the backdrop.

  The surf.

  Have I been so full of myself tonight I didn’t even hear the surf?

  The sounds of surf ebbing and flowing all around the group reminded Sebastian that God’s world and days continued, and that He, the Maker and Creator of it all, continued.

  Don’t forget God.

  “Beautiful, Skye.” Ben stepped forward. “Would you read that again for us?”

  “Sure thing.” Skye still had her finger on the verse. “‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’”

  That was all the sermon Sebastian needed to hear tonight. Thus far, he had placed himself—not Emmeline or Talia—above God.

  It was time to refocus his priorities.

  Henceforth, God came first.

  Help me follow through, God.

  In his heart, Sebastian prayed. If God wanted him to have Emmeline, then they’d see each other again in God’s time.

  If not, then someday God would bring to him the right girlfriend.

  If not, he’d learn to wait for God.

  Wow. Did I say all that? Sounded pretty good, but…

  Sebastian tapped on his iPad, and typed all that in because he knew he’d forget what he resolved. He knew himself, that when troubles came, he’d do that one thing Emmeline had warned him about. He’d forget God.

  “What now?” Ben continued. “What is your action plan to get out of that spiritual quicksand you’re in? You can’t save yourself. Call out to God and He will reach in and pull you out.”

  Spiritual quicksand? I’m in one now.

  It was all Sebastian thought abou
t the rest of the sermon. When Skye stood up to sing a few more hymns, Sebastian could see the spot where Emmeline would have been sitting down with her lap harp. Instead, Matt Garnett with his guitar had taken her place. He liked Matt and all, but he was no Emmeline.

  By the end of the third hymn, Sebastian knew what he had to do. It was as clear as Skye’s voice and as confident as the ocean’s dance. It was as calm as God’s Word and as certain as God’s will for his life.

  Time to get up.

  And cook something.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Calming Mom in the surgery aftermath had been more difficult than Emmeline had expected, possibly because it was the third bypass surgery that Dad had gone through in the last five years. Every time they had ended up in the hospital, Mom had been more distraught than before.

  In the few weeks since Emmeline had arrived at her parents’ home, she had taken care of everything for them, from paying the bills to watering their garden to feeding the cat to fielding phone calls from their friends and family.

  Every now and then she had thought of Sebastian and wondered how he was doing, but more important things had delayed her from emailing him. By the end of each day, Emmeline was exhausted and all she could do was crawl into bed to catch some sleep before the next day started all over again.

  One piece of good news was that her parents’ church had been bringing a steady stream of meals for them. No one needed to taste either Mom’s cooking or hers.

  What would Sebastian say if he found out she could barely scramble an egg?

  Sebastian?

  Does it matter what he thinks of me anymore?

  Still, Sebastian was on her mind. Was he closer to getting Talia back?

  Emmeline felt bad for leaving him high and dry with that news she had sent him by way of his sister Skye two weeks ago to tell him she wasn’t returning to St. Simon’s Island.

  Emmeline glanced at her watch. Five o’clock.

  Her parents weren’t home yet from Emory. Traffic must’ve been bad. Friends from church had played chauffeur this afternoon and taken her parents to see Dad’s cardiologist. When they had offered to take care of the doctor’s appointment, Emmeline had to say yes.

  Why not? It was a big to-do taking Dad to the doctor’s, even with the free lunch thrown in.