by Gayle Roper
The knot inside started to unravel.
“Think of it this way,” Mary P said. “God’s love expands to include all mankind in a general sense and His children in a specific sense. Does He ever say, ‘Oops, I’ve reached my quota of love today. You can’t become My child’? Of course not. And as His love expands to meet the demand, so does ours—if we let it.”
Over the intervening months I’d found that loving many was easier than I’d imagined. And my true love had found his way too.
It had been a matter of days after his attempt to read Chaz his Miranda rights that Greg approached Chief Gordon about coming back on the force. After several talks with him and the other officers on the small force as well as a thorough psychological evaluation, Greg was reinstated. He did not miss property management one bit.
“Uh-oh,” Mr. Perkins said. “Here he comes.”
There was no need to ask who he was. If Mr. Perkins’s tone of voice and Clooney’s sudden scowl didn’t give it away, Andi’s little purr of pleasure as she walked past on her way to serve a table breakfast would have.
Bill swaggered in, unaware that Greg and I had been convinced he was a murderer at one point. He put a ten and a five on the counter. “Three eggs over easy, bacon well done, and a double order of wheat toast with lots of butter. Keep the change.”
These days Bill was flush. He was working twenty-five hours a week at the GameStop in the mall on the mainland. He planned to go back to college in the fall, though I would believe it when I saw it. Bill was more a man of grand schemes than practical action.
“Oh, and a glass of OJ and a cup of coffee. I’ll be back there waiting for Andi.” He pointed to the back booth.
“And I’ll be here waiting for my ulcer to enlarge,” Clooney muttered. He pointed at me. “If nothing else, he’s going to make me as religious as you are. I’ve never prayed so hard about anything in my life.”
“Praying that he go away, no doubt,” Greg said. “Disappear into the ether.”
“If you’re so worried, you should come to church with Andi.” I grinned. “Bill came with her last Sunday.”
Clooney made a disgusted noise. “Church. Who’d have ever thought?”
Whether he meant Bill or himself, I wasn’t sure.
“Say, did you see that piece on Michael and Fred or whatever his name is?” Mr. Perkins asked. “It was on one of those TV news magazines last evening.”
I nodded. “We watched it. Duplicitous thieves.”
“Fred—”
“His real name is Harl Evans.” Andi blew at her bangs in frustration. “I’ve been trying to contact my sister now that he’s in jail to see what she’s going to do—I mean, The Pathway is no more and I’m not sure about her marriage—but she won’t respond.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I worry about her.”
Clooney slid an arm around her slim shoulders. “But you’ve got me, kiddo.”
“Thank God.” She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.
“The thing on TV said your father was going to jail.” Mr. Perkins was tactful as ever.
Andi made a face. “Can you believe it? My father!” She looked back toward Bill, who was studying the ceiling with amazing absorption as he waited for Andi and his food. “At least Bill doesn’t mind dating a con’s daughter.”
“Hey!” Clooney turned her to face him, a big hand on each shoulder. “Any guy in the world would be lucky to have you like him, and don’t you forget it. I don’t want you ever thinking you have to settle. Why, you’re a heroine, helping the police so much with your DVD and your testimony.”
“You were great, Andi,” Greg said. “I was proud of you.”
“We all were.” But I ached for her. I couldn’t imagine how alone she often felt. Even in my darkest days I always had Lindsay.
She flushed under the praise. “All I did was tell them that Fred Durning wasn’t Harl’s name and that the real Fred Durning is one of the men belonging to The Pathway.”
“They had a nifty little scam built around identity theft,” Greg confirmed. “Join The Pathway, turn over everything to Michael, including credit cards and social security numbers, and he uses all your personal information to buy property for himself under a bogus company developed for him by Jase who, it turns out, was a computer genius.”
“He’d probably still be happily scamming if it hadn’t been for Jennie,” Andi said. “With my father helping him.”
“So would they all.” Clooney held out his cup for a refill.
“Poor Jennie,” Andi said. “I still miss her.”
I gave Andi’s shoulders a quick squeeze, and she gave me a wan smile.
“In a weird way I feel sorry for the real Fred and the others,” I said. “They went to the compound with such high hopes.”
Mr. Perkins snorted.
“They did,” Andi said. “I know because of my family. For most of them their worst sin was being gullible. All they got for giving their trust was their name abused and their credit wrecked.”
“Why resort properties on the East Coast?” Lindsay leaned on the pass-through. “I never understood the reason for that.”
“No reason that we’ve been able to find out,” Greg said. “Maybe it’s just far from Arizona.”
“And Michael liked to fish.” Clooney reminded us.
“Greg’s and Bill’s orders are up, Andi, Carrie,” Ricky called. “It’s never as good as when I plate it.”
I put the sticky bun down in front of Greg and dug in from my side of the counter. I savored my first bite, all sweet and spicy. As I cut another piece, I grinned at my husband.
He took my right hand in his, absently running his thumb up and down the scar left from my surgery. “Want to go fishing after I’m off duty?”
“If you promise to clean my fish.”
“You know that’s against the rules.”
“I think we have to establish our own house rules, and I think they might be different from your parents’.”
He assumed an expression of mock distress. “I think I feel a discussion coming on.”
“Well, I could just throw back anything I catch whether it’s legal or not.”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“You’d better believe it, mister.”
“Look, everybody.” It was Mr. Perkins. “They’re smiling again.”
Greg swallowed his last bite and rose from his stool. He leaned over the counter and gave me a quick kiss. I watched him leave, wrapped in the rosy glow of love given and received.
As I collected our dirty dishes, my wristwatch clanked against the pink marble. I glanced at it and thought of the watch Clooney had given me the day I broke my wrist.
I smiled. Oh, yes. There was a time to every purpose under heaven.
Letter to Readers
The last year has seen me facing a new life, one that I didn’t seek but which the Lord has allowed. I have become a widow.
How I wish it hadn’t happened. If the Lord had asked me to write this part of my life, my scenario wouldn’t be the one I’m living. Chuck would still be alive, healthy, whole. He was a wonderful guy, and I miss him and his love every day. It’s very strange indeed that he’s gone and life goes on both for me and around me.
It’s interesting that the one line that irritates me most is the one people offer me as comfort. “Isn’t it wonderful that Chuck’s with the Lord!” they say.
Well, of course it is, especially when you think of the alternative. However my internal response is, No, it’s not! I want him here.
Grieving is so individual.
When my friend Janny’s mother died, her neighbor came over as soon as she heard and stayed, not wanting to leave Janny alone in her sorrow. When the neighbor’s mother died, she hadn’t wanted to be alone, and she transferred her feelings onto Janny. All Janny, an introvert, wanted was for her neighbor to go home and leave her alone to process her emotions.
Relationships are tricky enough when everything is fine. Just ask
Carrie and Greg. When loss is involved, they are trickier still. I’ve been fortunate enough to have family and friends gather around and encourage me. They let me talk and grieve in my way and on my schedule. What a gift!
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the many whose expertise and imagination made Shadows on the Sand so much stronger than I could have alone:
Lucinda Barnett, who gave me my villain’s name.
Katie Fleetwood, whose imagination gave me Carrie’s Café.
Mike, chef and owner of Country Gardens Restaurant, who gave me some of his valuable time and wisdom, and makes the best crab cakes going!
Fay, Jodie, Pat, Denise, and Deb—Country Gardens ladies who not only feed me frequently but talked to me for the book.
Julee Schwarzburg, editor extraordinaire, who makes me so much better than I am.
To my dinner group friends—Bebe, Lois, Vicki, Barbara, and Linda—who have helped make the past months bearable. You women are fantastic, and I’ll vacation with you all any day!
To my writers group—Georgia, Pat, Deb, and Nancy—thanks for being there for me!
And to my family—Chip and Audrey and their girls, Bri, Abbie, and Devan, and Jeff and Cindy and their two, Ashley and PJ—you’ve held me close and held me up. I love you.
Readers Guide
1. Carrie loves her café. Greg dislikes property management. What about your job? Why do you feel the way you do about it? Does God promise us jobs we love? Read Ecclesiastes 2:17; 9:10; and Colossians 3:23–24. What are your thoughts?
2. The watch Clooney gives Carrie is a symbol of what? Read Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4. Have you had experience with this principle?
3. What do you do when it doesn’t appear to be God’s timing for your heart’s desire? Read Psalms 27:14 and 37:4. What do you think of these seemingly opposite truths?
4. Carrie says that distance helps her forgive her mother. What do you think of this idea?
5. In chapter 32, Carrie talks about the essence of genuine faith. Do you agree with her assessment? Read Hebrews 11:1.
6. In chapter 34, Carrie and Greg talk about what often draws men and women to cults that are outside the norm of American life and certainly outside orthodox Christianity. What are the main elements Greg says attract many? What is often the downfall of a cult?
7. When Carrie’s mother arrives in Seaside, what is Carrie’s reaction? What do you think your reaction would be if you had a similar history? Why is Lindsay’s reaction so different?
8. Why are Carrie’s mother and stepfather a sign of hope? Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Ephesians 2:1–5.
9. Mary Prudence is Carrie’s “God-mother,” a gift from the Lord. Does a mentor have to be this obvious? Have there been people in your life who have been there at crucial moments with a word or a helping hand? Share your stories with others in the discussion group.
10. Greg concludes that he can never be all that Carrie needs any more than he was all that Ginny needed. Discuss this critical realization in light of romance novels.
OTHER NOVELS BY GAYLE ROPER
Fatal Deduction
Allah’s Fire with Chuck Holton
SEASIDE SEASONS SERIES
Spring Rain
Summer Shadows
Autumn Dreams
Winter Winds
