Never Say Never (9 page)

Chelle looked as if her mother had slapped her, then red suffused her cheeks. Anger glittered from her eyes as she turned to glare at Gareth. He knew, at that moment, the girl hated him.

Without blinking, she whirled back toward Charlotte. “Why can't I forget? You seem to have forgotten all about Daddy.”

Before Charlotte could answer that indictment, Chelle tore open the door and fled down the corridor.

Nine

Charlotte followed Chelle at a distance and made sure she returned safely to their cabin. Then, not yet ready for another confrontation, she walked past the cabin door and out on a silent, empty deck. She gazed at the vast expanse spreading from horizon to horizon. “God, what am I going to do? Have I made a complete mess with Chelle? How can I reach her? How can I heal the breach that widens between us?”

She waited for an answer, hoping to hear an audible voice. None came, but peace stole into her heart.
A soft answer turns away wrath.
The words she heard so clearly in her mind came from the Bible, didn't they? Maybe she had just thought of them herself.

Don't try to deal with the problem until you are at peace yourself.
Well, she sure wouldn't have come up with that. Had it been so long since she listened for God's voice that now she was having a hard time recognizing it?

“Lord, it'll be difficult not to continue what I started with her in Gareth's quarters. . . . I can't just let her get away with this, can I?”

Trust Me, Child. Give Me time to work on her heart. I'll let you know when to talk about it.

Charlotte knew that had to be the Lord. It went against everything within her. Maybe the Bible was right when it said that God's ways are higher than our ways and God's thoughts higher than our thoughts. She had to decide whether or not to trust Him in this. She knew she hadn't done such a good job on her own.

“Lord, it's not going to be easy, but I choose to do things your way.” Talking aloud to Him out here under the vast canopy of midnight blue heavens studded with twinkling stars made Him feel closer than He had in a very long time. A new beginning. That's what she needed. A new beginning with the Lord. . .and in other areas of her life.

This thing, whatever it was, with Gareth would have to be put aside for now, maybe forever. Although Charlotte enjoyed the growing friendship, her daughter needed her, and that was what was most important.

When she finally got to the cabin, the lights were still on, but Chelle slept huddled in a fetal position under her sheet. Sprawled across her bed with her makeup smeared, curls rioting around her face, and clutching one of the pillows as if it were a shield, she looked so young. . .and hurt. Tatters of the blue dress were scattered around the floor. For a moment Charlotte was sorry Chelle had wasted her gift certificate by tearing up the dress. Of course the garment wasn't appropriate for her, but Charlotte had been so glad for her daughter to win something special. Hopefully she had some of her prize money left.

After undressing, Charlotte turned out the lights, but she left the drapes open, even though they would soon enter the Mississippi River. She wanted to look at the stars and keep the feeling of closeness to the Lord. When she finally fell asleep, her mind turned to fitful dreams. She awoke in only a few hours when the early morning sunlight poured through the bare window. She closed the drapes so it wouldn't also awaken Chelle.

Charlotte had forgotten to pack the suitcases last night and leave the luggage outside the door as the instructions said to do, so she and Chelle would have to carry theirs off the ship. She took a quick shower then pulled the bags from the closet.

❧

Gareth spent most of the rest of the night praying for Charlotte and Chelle. He had no idea how their problems would be resolved, but he knew God did. By lifting them in prayer, he felt that he had a part in what God was going to do. Even when he went to the bridge before his ship entered the Mississippi, his prayers continued.

After they docked in New Orleans, his heart urged him to go see Charlotte and her daughter one more time before they left the ship, but he received a check in his spirit. Now wasn't the time. He would just have to trust God to take care of them. But he could go watch them disembark.

Before he stepped out onto the balcony, Doug hurried through the open door to the bridge. “The Hallorans didn't put their luggage outside their room. Do you think they forgot, or do they want to carry it themselves?”

Gareth thought for a moment. “I don't know.”

“Would you like me to tell their steward to offer to help them?”

A good idea.
“Do that.”

Doug gave him an exaggerated mock salute, a joke they often shared. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

Gareth chuckled as his friend walked down the hall whistling. What was that melody? A love song? Leave it to Doug to put his own spin on things.

When Gareth went out on the small balcony, crewmembers had just opened the hatch on the side of deck two. Gareth watched them as they scurried around completing each task assigned to them. They worked like a well-oiled machine. He had a good crew, well trained and loyal. He smiled at the brilliant blue sky with a few wispy clouds lazily drifting in a gentle breeze.

The cruise dock was a beehive of activity, and beyond that the city of New Orleans was just waking up. Since this area held most of the tourist attractions, activities flourished all night, so mornings were quiet.

When the first passengers disembarked, Gareth's attention turned toward the crowd pouring out of the ship's belly and crossing to the cruise building, where they would go through customs. With all the talking and laughter, they had obviously enjoyed the trip. That's what he wanted—for happy people to go home and tell their friends how much fun they had on the
Pearl of the Ocean.
Good PR. That's what Doug always said.

Finally, Charlotte and Chelle appeared on the gangplank. Although they each pulled a suitcase behind them, a room steward followed with two more. When they stepped onto the concrete dock, Charlotte turned to the man and tried to give him a tip. He smiled at her and refused. The travel agency she used had included a tip with the price of the cruise. Of course, it would have been appropriate if she gave him more, but the man must have understood that the captain wanted him to help the women. Gareth decided to give something extra to Doug for the steward.

Charlotte looked up just as she had before she boarded the ship. Her gaze connected with his and held for an indeterminate time. Her expression went from happiness to almost longing before she turned away and followed her daughter into the building. Gareth returned to the bridge. The connection between them was still there, but he knew Charlotte wouldn't pursue it. At least not right now. Maybe he shouldn't either. But, although his head made this rational decision, his heart couldn't agree.

❧

When Charlotte and Chelle deplaned at DFW Airport, their next-door neighbor waited by the luggage carousel. As usual, the baggage hadn't started coming from the airplane when Charlotte and Chelle got there. Charlotte went over and sat beside Linda in one of the chrome chairs with its leather sling back and seat. Chelle crossed her arms and walked restlessly around the room, milling through the crowd and glancing at every sign and poster, even stopping as if to read some of them. Evidently, she didn't want to be too close to her mother.

Linda turned to Charlotte. “So what gives? Didn't y'all have fun on the cruise?” Her worried expression followed Chelle's movements.

“Most of the time.” Charlotte knew her voice sounded weary. That's what she was—weary of all the hassles. She took a deep breath and smiled at her friend. “There was a lot to do on the ship.”

“The ship? What about the islands? Are they as beautiful as they look in the brochures?”

Charlotte felt thankful for the safe topic. “More beautiful than words can describe.”

Linda frowned at her as if trying to read her expression. “Something bad happened, didn't it?”

They had been friends so long they could read each other's moods. “A couple of upsets with Chelle. The one last night was the worst.”

“I'm sure you don't want to discuss things here.” Linda patted Charlotte's arm. “Maybe after y'all are unpacked and Chelle has gone off to see her friends, you can come over for coffee and we can talk about it.”

“If you'll make it a glass of iced tea instead, you're on.”

When they arrived at home, Chelle went to her room and shut the door a little too hard. Charlotte gazed toward the ceiling, wanting to see through it right to the throne of God.
Lord, how long do I have to wait?

Be patient. Good things always take time.

Charlotte wasn't surprised when Chelle soon came to the open doorway of her bedroom. “Mom, I need to go down to the store and check on my schedule. Mr. Stokes should have posted it today.”

After waiting a moment to see if the Lord would give her any other direction, Charlotte nodded. “Sure, honey, go ahead.”

A surprised expression flitted across Chelle's face. “I think I'll take the swimsuit back to Merry while I'm out, and if she wants to, we'll get lunch.”

“All right.” This patience thing wasn't easy. Charlotte wanted to forbid her to see Merry until this was settled, but she understood that wasn't what God would have her do. She would be reacting in anger.

A few minutes later, the phone rang. Charlotte glanced at caller ID. It was her neighbor, just as she figured. “Linda, I'll be right over.”

“Good. I have some peach iced tea, and I made cookies before I went to the airport to pick you up.”

“I'll come for the tea, but I'll pass on the cookies. You wouldn't believe the amount of food available on a cruise.”

Even though it was only April, the Texas sun beat down on Charlotte's head as she crossed the yard. Maybe she should have a couple of trees planted in the front. The back was shaded comfortably, but not out here.

Linda met her at the door with the tall frosty glass. Charlotte took a long swig before she followed her friend into the den. She sank into the welcoming comfort of the smooth leather sectional sofa. Both she and Linda slipped off their shoes and pulled their feet up beside them, leaning against the deeply cushioned arms of the couch. Charlotte set her glass on the coaster waiting on top of the end table.

“Okay, I want to hear all about the trip, starting with the first day.”

“Will Billy be home for lunch? It might take awhile.”

Linda laughed. “It's Saturday. He's out on the golf course with some of his buddies. I don't expect to see him until the sun goes down.”

Charlotte remembered the times Philip joined Billy on the golf course—not very often, but whenever he went, Philip always enjoyed it. In the past year, when she thought about something like this, it hurt so much she pushed the memory away. For some reason, today the thought didn't hurt as it used to.

“Have you ever been to New Orleans?”

“Never.”

“Well, they bury people aboveground there. In little vaults that almost look like tiny houses.” Even that thought didn't bring pain.

“What a gruesome thought.” Linda took a drink of her own glass of tea then set it back down. “So what about the ship?”

“It was beautiful. Very elegant with lots of brass, plush carpet, glass walls and doors, even a large theater with entertainment from Vegas. One of my favorite places was the library.”

“Wow. What else?”

Charlotte couldn't keep her mind off the tall, handsome captain. The expression in his blue eyes when he looked at her always warmed her heart. “The crew was topnotch, always trying to anticipate our every desire.”

Linda studied her a moment. “There's something else, isn't there? A minute ago, you had a dreamy expression in your eyes. What gives?”

“Can't I keep anything from you?” Charlotte pushed her hair behind her shoulders. She should have put it up so she would have been cooler. But maybe it wasn't just the hair that made her feel too hot in the air-conditioned house.

Linda laughed. “You know better than that. So come on, girlfriend, spit it out.”

What could Charlotte say about Gareth without her friend getting the wrong—or maybe the right—idea? “Well, the captain was single and very handsome.”

“And?”

“And we got acquainted.” There that should be enough without giving anything else away.

“Acquainted, huh? Just how acquainted did you get?” Linda's smile looked almost like a smirk, a knowing smirk.

“Okay.” Charlotte took a deep breath. “If I had been interested in anything like that, we might have had a light shipboard romance.”

Linda got that
I told you so
expression she often used. “That might have been good for you.”

Charlotte held up her hand to stop her friend. “No way. When Philip died, the romantic part of me died with him. I'll never—”

“Just stop right there.” Linda scooted closer to her, looking straight into her eyes. “You are a young, vibrant woman with a long life ahead of you. Never say never about anything. You don't know what'll happen, what God will bring into your life.”

Never say never, huh?
“It's only been a year since Philip died.”

“Are you going to wear emotional widow's weeds the rest of your life? Do you really think that's what God wants for you?”

Charlotte got up and paced across the room to stare at the pictures spread along the mantel. Did God bring Gareth into her life? But what about Chelle? She pivoted. “The thing last night with Chelle had to do with Gareth being in my life. . . sort of.”