Although Susan rushed from the beach house moments after Drake’s exit, his long strides carried him far ahead of her down the empty boardwalk. He moved quickly through the dark between spots of light cast by the lampposts.
Two houses past Julian’s she slowed. The ocean whooshed loudly at her right. Her voice would never carry far enough.
Why was she chasing after him anyway? Obviously he didn’t care to talk to her.
But he had come! And of course there was that houseful of people. Not exactly ideal for a private conversation.
And he had sung! She could not remember the last time he sang a solo or a duet with her. Now and then his voice carried over that of the congregation’s because he was near a microphone, but it never lifted so sweetly as tonight, not since the old days.
The old days…That was why she chased after him.
She broke into a jog, but soon slackened her pace again, defeated at the growing space between them, at her shortness of breath.
Gone again…just like Kenzie.
Then he stopped and sat on the seawall, his back to her.
And she ran.
“Drake! Drake!”
At last he turned and, seeing her, stood, his hand aloft in greeting.
She hurried to him, her heart pounding. Joy and fear somersaulted, playing havoc with her emotions.
“Susan!” He caught her in his arms.
Her face against his shirt, arms around his waist, she gasped for breath. She became aware of his chest rising and falling, but not in a measured way. It heaved as if he…cried.
After a time, when they both had calmed, she looked up at him and smiled. “Hi.”
“Hi.” His voice was scarcely above a whisper.
“Are you the man who just sang a duet with me?”
The lamplight shone his lips curve upward. “I love you.”
“I love you. Where are you going?”
“Home. I didn’t want this…” He tilted his head in the direction of the beach house. “I didn’t want it to be about me. After I heard your voice, I couldn’t help but sing. It just bubbled out. But tonight is all about the cross. If people started talking to me…” He left the sentence dangle.
“Can we talk?”
He exhaled a deep sigh. “I’d like nothing more.”
Rubbing goose bumps on her arms, she glanced at the concrete seawall and the dark ocean. With a warm houseful of people, she had not dressed for a nighttime stroll. “Are you parked close?”
“Not far.” He shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders. “Shall we sit in the car? Or go somewhere?”
“I’d rather stay put. Let’s sit in the car.”
“All right.”
They walked another couple blocks in silence, side by side, but not touching. After their initial embrace, Susan felt overcome with shyness. Drake seemed almost a stranger. She had seen him cry now and then in earlier years, but he had never clung to her as he had done just now. The kind gesture of him giving her his coat spoke volumes. Likewise his asking what she preferred to do and agreeing without an offer of his own opinion.
He was paying attention to her.
It felt odd. It felt as though she were nineteen again.
If he resembled Drake at all, it was Drake at twenty-four. Five years older than her, he first noticed her in the campus cafeteria where she worked. What charmed her most from the moment he introduced himself was how he paid attention to every detail concerning her. How his manner told her she was real and worthy of attention.
They climbed into the car. Parked at the end of a street, it faced the ocean. A nearby pole lamp dispelled some of the interior shadows. Drake’s face was not in total darkness.
Turning on the engine he pointed at the windshield. “Heat and a view.”
“What else do we need?”
“Probably quite a few things.” He shifted in his seat to face her. “Susan, I don’t know where to begin.”
Hesitant and vulnerable? Nope. This was not a twenty-four-year-old Drake. This was a Drake she’d never met.
She said, “We could start with why you’re here. My goodness, what’s going on at church?”
“Vince took over. He jumped at the chance to preach. That is, after he picked himself up off the floor at my offer.” A smile flickered. “Eventually he got around to asking what was wrong. I told him I’m tired. That the boycott was an acceptable form of loving protest. It wouldn’t hurt the body of Holy Cross, but it did communicate to me that something is off kilter. I also told him I needed to be with you.”
“Oh, my. You said all that to Vince?”
“Yes. He asked me what to tell the congregation tonight. And I said…” Drake’s voice grew thick and he paused. “I said ‘Tell them what I just told you.’”
Susan reached over and he grasped her hand.
Blinking back her own tears, she said, “The boycott brought you here?”
He didn’t answer for a moment. “Indirectly. I told you it got my attention. All negative. Rex’s rendition of it and his rebuke to get real only angered me more. Some deacons patted me on the back. ‘Hang in there. You’re in the right. Susan is the epitome of submissive. This is a minor lapse in her judgment. She just needs a little time. She’ll come round.’”
She shuddered at the description.
“I know.” He squeezed her hand. “I am sorry for surrounding myself with cheerleaders. Not that I’ve allowed a deacon to disagree with me for some time and maintain his position on the board. They were only protecting themselves from receiving my indignant wrath. So, armed with all that affirmation, I came down here Wednesday to fix things between us. I knew…I’m sorry.” He bit his lip.
“Knew what?”
“I knew I could make you change your mind.”
She nodded. “I was a cheerleader too.”
“Yes.”
She gazed through the windshield. Wasn’t she supposed to be his cheerleader, to always root for him? Wasn’t that the positive spin on submission? To stand by her man no matter what?
“Susan, your unconditional support meant the world to me—until I got too big for my britches. You could have told me and still remained the epitome of submissive. But I wouldn’t allow that. I never gave you permission to criticize or even disagree.”
“It was a two-way street. I shouldn’t have been in a position where you could allow me to or not.”
“No, this is my fault. I am sorry for ever intentionally or unintentionally treating you with resentment because of why we married. I hope you can forgive me. In time.”
She turned to him. “I forgive you, Drake. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Cheerleaders sweep hurts under the carpet. They don’t even notice them until some time later when they trip over a lumpy rug.”
“Yes, but I’ve been shaking that rug good and hard now for a few weeks.”
He stared at her.
With a wave of her arms she snapped an imaginary rug. “You were not going to change my mind this time.”
“Deep down I think that’s what I feared. And then when I saw you—”
“On Wednesday? You said you came Wednesday. I spotted you! From a distance, walking away.”
“Yes, I—” His voice broke again. “Oh, Susan. I stood on the boardwalk watching you and Kenzie build a sand castle. You were laughing and hugging and jabbering away. I kept trying to climb over the seawall, to come down and reason with both of you that I knew best and if you’d just listen…But I knew you would not. You no longer could. And I knew—Oh, dear Lord. I knew I had lost my wife and my daughter. That I had driven them away. I had nowhere to go with the guilt and the sheer agony.”
Susan wiped her face with the lapels of his coat still around her.
“I’m not sure how I made it through the night and the next day. I figured the trick was to keep putting one foot in front of the next. And then Aidan came to the office late Thursday afternoon. He asked for my blessing for him and Kenzie to marry. I gave it, by the way.”
“Aidan came! He asked for your blessing! You gave it! Oh, my!”
Drake sniffled a few times, regaining his composure. “Audacious young thing, isn’t he?”
Laughing, she leaned over and pulled his face toward hers until their foreheads touched. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. Wait until you meet his little brother.”
“There are two of them?”
“Six, counting the four girls.”
He groaned in an exaggerated way. “Six?”
“But Pepper Carlucci—”
“Pepper?”
“The mom. Now she wins first prize for audacious. Hands down, she even outdoes Natalie. I haven’t met Mr. Carlucci yet. He might very well take the grand prize.”
He chuckled, but then straightened to look somberly into her eyes. Tear tracks glistened on his cheeks. “Susan, do you think I can meet them?”
“Well, generally speaking, the grandparents of a baby usually meet each other sooner or later.”
“Grandparents! I’m going to be a grandpa, aren’t I?” His voice faded into an odd hiccup, the place where tears and laughter met.
Susan wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight.
The buzzing of Drake’s cell phone disrupted their long silent embrace.
“I thought I turned that thing off.”
Susan patted the pockets of his coat. “My thigh is vibrating. Which pocket—”
“We don’t have to answer.”
“Of course we do. Twenty-four, seven. Three hundred sixty-five. All that. Not to mention tonight Vince—Here it is.” She pulled out the phone and peered at the display screen.
“I’m off duty.”
“It’s Natalie.” She glanced at him. “Do you mind? I haven’t heard a word from her…” Before he replied she pushed the “send” button.
Drake murmured, “Did we just exchange bodies? We’re speaking each other’s lines.”
She smiled at him, the phone to her ear. “Hi, Natalie. It’s me.”
“On Drake’s phone.” Natalie’s voice carried a distinct smile. “You’re together.”
“You sound pleased as punch and not too surprised.”
“I had hints. I’ll explain later. So what do you want me to do with Pugsy?”
“Where are you?”
“At the beach house, silly. Rex and I slipped in the back door in time for the beautiful songs. We all agree, you and Drake blessed the socks right off us.”
She laughed.
“We’re on our way out the door. Everybody’s headed to the hospital. Emmylou and Robbie are probably there by now. Her water broke. The rug’s a little damp in front of that bookcase by the side window. No problem. I didn’t want to leave Pugsy here if you’re not coming back.”
“No, I’ll come to the house.” She looked at Drake. “We’ll come soon. You can leave the front door unlocked. We’re just down the boardwalk.”
“Okay. Well, the Good Friday service has turned into a party, and it’s moving to the maternity ward. All the Marthas and at least half the folks who were here. Feel free to join us!”
“I think we’ll skip that.” She noticed Drake’s forehead furrows smooth out. “We’re off duty. No pastor visits tonight.”
Natalie laughed. “Good for you.”
“Give my love to Emmylou and Robbie. My prayers are with them.”
“Will do. Bye.”
“Bye.” Susan pressed the off button.
Drake said, “Emmylou’s having the baby?”
“Yes. She didn’t want to on a Good Friday.”
“Hmm. It’s a perfect time, really. The day we remember all is forgiven. We have a fresh start. We’re clean.”
Susan nodded. “Let’s tell her that. Next week. Right now the coast is clear at the house. Want to keep me and Pugs company tonight?”
He exhaled loudly, a sound of relief. “I would like nothing better.”