Topaz Heat (Christian Romance) (The Jewel Series) (9 page)

He’d like to say that he immediately felt the call of Christ in his life. But, he didn’t. Instead, he asked Tony a dozen questions after the service, and then he read the books Tony gave him to read and asked a hundred more questions. As winter raged around them and Tony and Robin planned their spring wedding, Derrick got to know God. Early summer, when the happy newlyweds returned from their honeymoon, Derrick was officially baptized.

He looked at the baptismal behind the massive choir loft. He remembered rising out of the water and looking at the throngs of people who cheered and applauded the symbolic washing away of his old life and his rebirth into the family of Christ.

As he smiled and remembered, he felt someone take the seat next to him. He turned his head and saw seven-year-old Tony, Jr., legs swinging because he was still a little too short to touch the ground while in the stadium style seat. “Hey, bro,” Derrick said, holding his hand out, palm up.

TJ slapped the palm. “Hi Uncle D.”

“What’s happening?” He looked down into the dark brown eyes of his best friend’s son.

“Papa said to sit next to you and not get into anything. He had to go talk to Pastor Peter.”

“Ah.” Derrick looked up and saw Tony halfway down the aisle speaking to the head of youth ministries, Peter O’Farrell. He raised a hand in greeting, and Derrick smiled and returned the gesture. “Where’s your sister?”

“She went to Aunt Maxi’s house last night. They’ll be here next service.” The intelligent little eyes searched his face. “Papa says you’re here for good now.”

“I am. I’ve moved into your old apartment.”

“Can I come visit you there?”

“Absolutely. Say the word, and ask your mom, and I’ll even take you rock climbing this summer.”

TJ’s serious little face burst into a huge smile. “That would be so awesome. She’ll just have to say yes.”

“Say yes about what?” Tony sat in a seat in front of Derrick and turned his body toward them.

“Rock climbing with Uncle D.”

Tony leaned over and patted his son’s knee. “I’m sure she’ll say yes. You couldn’t be in safer hands.” He directed his attention to Derrick. “I was surprised to see you. I figured you’d still be in New York.”

“I came back on the ten o’clock flight Friday night.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Derrick shrugged, because he couldn’t explain it himself. “It worked out. Sarah’s car needed a new alternator, so at least I was around.”

Tony stared at him for several seconds before he slowly pursed his lips. “So, you were there in the apartment on Friday night with Sarah and fixed her car Saturday morning?”

Clearing his throat, Derrick nodded. “Yeah. I guess you and Robin didn’t communicate my return to her.”

“Robin didn’t know you were at the apartment when Sarah asked if she could stay there. When she told me about it, I had assumed you weren’t coming back from New York until today based on our last conversation.” Tony studied his face. “Is everything okay?”

Uncomfortable, Derrick shifted in his seat. “Sure. Same thing as always. I’m vermin. She hates me. You know the drill.”

Tony held a hand out. “
Amico
–”

“It’s fine.” Derrick surged to his feet. “I’m fine. Listen, I need to talk to Peter. Let me catch him before he gets too involved.” He turned to his nephew. “Dude, good to see you.” They slapped palms as Derrick stepped passed him.

Peter saw him coming and finished a conversation in time to smile a big Irish grin and hold out his arms. Derrick hugged the older man and slapped him hard on the back. “My brother,” Peter said. “I’m so happy to see you.”

Peter had fostered a young Tony, and took on a father-figure style role with Derrick as well. Despite Tony taking Derrick in off the streets, the two of them had more of a brotherly relationship.

The older man’s hair had grayed, turning the deep black into more salt than pepper. Laugh lines and wrinkles lined his eyes. But he looked fit, happy, an eternal smile on his face. “I’m happy to see you, too.”

“Tony says you’re home for good.”

“I am. I start work tomorrow morning.”

“Welcome home.” He patted his shoulder. “Interested in serving?”

As head of youth ministries, Peter’s job oversaw everything from infant rooms to high school classes. Derrick had always worked with high school boys, both here and in New York. He and Peter had grown very close during the years he mentored young men, and even recently, he would contact Peter when he needed guidance with a more challenging boy. “Absolutely.”

“Great. I have a new group of boys who need a mentor. I’ve still not got a grip on their stories. I was just telling Caroline last week that I wished you were here because you’d be perfect for them.” He smiled a huge smile. “They’ve been coming together for the last few youth activities.” Peter’s phone beeped and he unhooked it from his holster and read a message on it. “Next time I should see them is Wednesday night.”

Derrick could see Peter’s distracted look. “You go and do. I’ll be there Wednesday.”

“That is wonderful, my friend.” He held out his hand and they clasped hands then beat each other on the back again. “Good luck in your new job tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” After Peter walked away, Derrick looked at his watch. He didn’t really need to sit through another service. Deciding that he’d take the afternoon to just relax and mentally prep for the week, he turned and nearly barreled into Tony.

“Robin is expecting you for lunch.”

With a self mocking laugh, Derrick nodded. “Of course. I’ll be there. At the new place?”

“Do you know where it is?”

“Yeah. You showed me the site before you broke ground.”

“Okay. We’ll serve around one.”

That gave him about three hours to do other things. “Great. I’ll see you then.”

He started to walk by, but Tony put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry the reunion wasn’t what you’d hoped, but if God has a plan, then it will be.”

The thought comforted him. “Thanks, brother. I’ll see you in a few.”

“MOM
, I really don't understand. At least help me understand.” Sarah slumped into her father’s recliner and toyed with the swath of lace covering the arm. She had come to her mom’s house after church and had just tried to convince her to go visit her father with her.

Darlene Thomas fiddled with the locket that hung on her neck. She was nearing seventy, and her blonde hair had long since turned white. She was barely Sarah’s height with a petite frame that made her seem frailer than she actually was.

“He doesn’t know the difference.”

“He might.”

“Sarah, honey, I don’t even know if I can explain it. When I look at him, a man I’ve been married to for forty-eight years, and see him stare at me blankly or rage and demand to know who I am, it breaks my heart. I can’t handle it. I don’t want my memories of him to be … that. I want to remember the man I knew before he was sick.”

Sarah pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. “It’s so unfair.”

“I know, honey, no one knows it better than I do.”

“I wish you had kept him home. I could have taken a leave of absence from the hospital. I could have …”

“You could have, Sarah, but I couldn’t.”

Sarah surged to her feet and paced. “You didn’t even discuss it with me!”

“Really, it wasn’t your decision.”

Sarah gasped and whirled around. “How could you say that?”

The telephone at Darlene’s elbow interrupted her attempted reply. She looked imploringly at her daughter as she picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

Sarah threw herself back into the chair and watched her mother’s face. She felt her stomach knot when her mom’s lips tightened and the blood drained from her face.

“I see,” she said, “thank you.” As she hung up the phone, her lower lip trembled.

“No,” Sarah rasped out.

“I’m sorry, honey.” Darlene put a shaking hand to her lips and took a deep breath. She opened the drawer on the telephone table and pulled out a small book. “I need to call the pastor.”

AS
 the cloud covering the sun shifted, Derrick pulled sunglasses out of his pocket and slipped them over his eyes.

“I love this house,” he said, taking a sip of his iced tea while he looked beyond the deck to the beach and water.

“Tony had it built when I was pregnant with Madeline,” Robin said as the maid set a tray of sandwiches on the table. “I was perfectly happy with the apartment, but he insisted. I still get lost inside.”

Derrick cut his eyes to the massive stone and glass structure behind him. Dozens of windows spread throughout the three stories winked back at him, reflecting the sun. “Well, the plus side is that you have room for a couple hundred more kids.”

She laughed. “At least.” She handed him a plate and gestured at the beach below. “Look at him,” she said as Tony lifted Madeline into a rowboat and knelt next to it, gesturing with his hands. On the sand next to them, TJ rolled on the ground with a black puppy. “He’s such a good dad.”

“He’s teaching her to row?”

“Yes.”

He paused lifting a sandwich to his lips. “I can’t believe she’s five.” He gestured. “She’s a little too small for the oars, isn’t she?”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s down there on the beach with daddy. If he never takes her to the river, it won’t matter to her.”

Derrick watched the two as Tony put his hands over his daughter’s and showed her how to control the large oars with her little arms. He lidded his eyes and saw a father with graying hair and a daughter with jet black hair and saw the love shimmering around the pair. Derrick felt a tug of longing.

He looked back at Robin and found her studying him. “Do you think you’ll ever marry?”

“Absolutely.” Pulling his eyes away from the perfect scene, he grinned and saluted her with his glass. “I just have to convince her.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Convince her to marry you?”

“No. Convince her she doesn’t really want my liver on a plate.”

Robin threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, how fun. Don’t worry. Tony convinced me, and you have all his charm, if not more.”

He smiled. “I can’t believe you ever hated him.”

“Oh, I did. Purely and absolutely.”

“So, what changed your mind?”

“He loved me. He loved me enough to introduce me to God.” She propped her chin in her hands. “So who is this mysterious she? Someone in New York?”

“Long story. I’d love to tell you someday.”

Robin grinned, “I’ll find out, you know.”

Derrick nodded. “Robin, I promise you’ll be the first to know.”

“Okay, I’ll leave it then … for now.”

He heard a sound behind them and turned his head to see the maid step onto the deck. “Excuse me, Mrs. Viscolli, but there is a telephone call for you.”

“Thank you, Maria.” She gracefully rose to her feet. “I’ll be right back.”

Derrick raised his sandwich to his lips again. “No hurry.” He watched Tony kiss the top of Madeline’s head before he lifted her out of the boat. The little girl wasted no time jumping into the wrestling match between her brother and the puppy. Tony stood next to them with his hands on his hips, smiling.

Robin came back outside with Maria, who immediately started down the stairs toward the beach. Robin walked to the edge of the deck without even looking at Derrick. She gripped the railing with her hand while the wind blew her hair around her head and stared down at Tony. Derrick stood, sensing something was terribly wrong, about the same time Tony paused and looked up. The smile faded from his lips. He said something to the children and ran toward the house. Halfway, he met Maria, pausing long enough to hear her say something before he kept coming.

In two strides, Derrick stood beside Robin. He could see her knuckles turning white from the force of gripping the railing. The wind was drying the tears on her face as they fell, and she kept her eyes fixated on her husband.

“Robin, what’s wrong?”

“Poor Sarah,” she whispered.

“What?” Panicked, Derrick grabbed her arm and whirled her around. “What happened? What’s wrong with Sarah?”

“Her dad died this morning.” She covered her mouth with her hands. “Poor Sarah.”