Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
The curtains closed on the beachside stage, and the familiar sinking feeling hit Ariel as it always did at a concert’s end, born of the pouring out of her heart, her personality, her giftings.
And, as she realized now, her calling. Because the worship, both on the stage and in front of it, had come from hearts that sought the Lord. And the Lord had shown up.
She set her guitar on its stand and started backstage with Caleb when she heard a familiar voice shouting her name.
“Aunt Ariel!” She turned toward the sound.
Sam?
She scanned the crowd that remained, looking for one slender redheaded nephew who could melt hearts with a glance. At least, he used to, before his recent change.
Then she saw him, calling her name as he came her way with his slow, slightly awkward gait, Mama following close.
“Caleb, it’s my nephew. Come and meet him.” Ariel hurried down the stage stairs with Caleb, their security guards moving in close. Sam held out his arms. “Only one hug, ’cause I’m mad.”
She wrapped him in a hug, whether he wanted it or not. “What are you mad at, buddy?”
“Dad made me leave my friends at school.” He sat on the ground in front of her.
“Yes, I heard. The farm is here, and that’s your dad’s job.” Ariel glanced at Caleb, then crouched down to Sam’s level. “Sam, stand up and meet Caleb. We’re going to get married, and you can be in the wedding.”
“I wanna go back.”
Mama walked up then and gave her a “let it go” look. “We convinced him to come at the last minute. We wanted to see you more—lots more. But we’ll try to come to Nashville soon.”
From the looks of sullen Sam, that wouldn’t happen. Ethan couldn’t handle him alone on the farm.
Then she spotted her brother and father in the distance, pushing toward her against the tide of the exiting crowd. Farther beyond them, she thought she saw Dani’s parents.
That couldn’t be. “Mama, look over there, behind Dad and Ethan. It looks like Uncle Daniel and Aunt Becky.”
Mama turned in the direction Ariel indicated. “That’s them.”
“I thought their marriage was over.”
“Believe it or not, they’re speaking again. Your cousins decided to play matchmaker.”
“They should have enlisted Caleb’s matchmaker aunt.”
Just then, her father and Ethan caught up to them. For once, Dad’s eyes didn’t hold their usual expression after her concerts—a mixture of guilt and wistfulness and nostalgia. “That was your best concert ever.”
Of course Daddy thought she sounded better without Aunt Dahlia. Since their talk at the spring, she understood her father’s resentment. Now she breathed a prayer that he could give it up.
“I’m happy, Daddy. Even though I don’t live on island anymore.”
And never would—at least, not permanently. As much as she loved her family and her Jonathon Island heritage, her world had changed. Now she had a chance at true love and a new direction in music. Or to leave music behind, if she chose.
She’d pray for her father to understand.
Just then, the production manager called Caleb’s and Ariel’s names. “Rolling Stone is here and wants pictures.”
“Gotta go, Mama. Come to Nashville.” She hugged her parents and Ethan and bent down to Sam, who swatted her away.
“Sorry. Sam’s having a difficult time,” Daddy said as she waved then strode toward the photographer.
Later, she walked back to the Grand with Caleb. As they sat in a secluded spot on the hotel’s long porch facing the lake, Caleb took her hand. “I meant what I said tonight. I want to fly to the mainland and look at rings. If you didn’t feel pressured into saying yes.”
Wasn’t that just like Caleb? “I meant it. I want to get married as soon as we can.”
She remembered she’d silenced her phone before the concert, and she checked to see if Aunt Dahlia called. It rang immediately.
“It’s Paxton. Why would he call at midnight?” She answered and turned on the speaker so Caleb could hear.
“Big news. Ned Overton just called me.”
“Our record producer,” she whispered to Caleb. “Paxton, Caleb Kennedy is on the call with me.”
“Yeah, congrats. Caleb, that was the best marriage proposal I’ve ever heard.”
He leaned forward in his white rocker, closer to the phone. “What are you talking about?”
“The way you proposed on the live feed during the concert. Fantastic idea! Fans are loving it. Was it real or a gimmick?”
Something about this didn’t sound right. “Caleb, what’s he talking about?”
“I would never propose as a gimmick.” He held his hand to his forehead and let out a groan. “So thousands of people heard—”
“Dude, it’s way, way more than that. The video had half a million views already. Ned wants a copy of that recording now. Says it’s better than anything Miss Dahlia and Ariel have ever done. He wants to sign the two of you tomorrow.”
“I’ll tell you what, Paxton,” she said. “I’ll call Ned in the next day or two, and I’ll let you know what he says. Bye, now.”
She hung up and turned her phone over.
Caleb stared at her for a moment, then a slow smile broke out on his face. “You’re not the same woman I met a month ago.”
No, she was not.
“Let’s see how tonight affected the bad posts.” He tapped his phone, kept his eye on the screen. Scrolled for a while, then laid down the phone again. “I’ve dug pretty deep and can’t find any of the old videos.”
Ariel did the same. “The new ones have buried them. Thank the Lord.”
A comfortable silence fell as they took in the sight of Lake Huron stretched out before them.
“Tonight was a huge success. The music was better than ever. I think you got your answer about your career, because tonight you were a success—without your aunt.”
Yes, she did. But somehow she’d forgotten why her success had weighed so heavily on her. “Caleb, I could give it up tonight and never go back. It doesn’t matter anymore, because knowing I can is enough. Love and a life with you are all I want.”
He took her hand. “Yes, but we still need to talk about our future. What do we want our lives to look like?”
Caleb simply looked at her for some time, his expression showing—what? Peace, maybe. Longing for something real and meaningful.
Or maybe simple contentment.
“Tonight you were set free of the need to prove yourself as a musician. I was set free from life as an innkeeper. From the unnecessary responsibility of maintaining the building I thought was a family legacy. But it’s not.”
Neither was an audience or a stack of platinum records or another CMA or Dove award. “Love and faith and hospitality—those legacies last.”
Funny how everything could change in a month.
One day he was minding his own business, struggling to save a dying hotel. The next day, a beautiful woman walked in and not only resuscitated it, but she also brought a breath of joy into his worn-out heart.
Then with her sweet, smart, sassy, talented, kinda offbeat great-aunt added to the mix…
When Caleb and Ariel pulled up to the island’s airport in Harry’s carriage Sunday morning after church, Caleb realized that marrying into Ariel’s family would bring constant adventure.
There stood Miss Dahlia in front of the terminal, wearing a hot-pink “Does This Ring Make Me Look Engaged?” shirt and waving her left hand at them. Uncle Augo stood next to her, wearing a “Two Less Fish in the Sea” baseball cap.
Since Caleb, and everybody else on this island, had seen this coming for a while, the hat surprised him more than the engagement. He climbed out of the carriage and went around to help Ariel, but she’d already jumped down.
“My uncle must have it bad,” he whispered as they started across the grass. “The only hats I’ve seen him wear were his flat cap or fedora.”
“Aunt Dahlia has that effect on people. Better learn to stand up to her.”
As if anyone ever had.
Ariel ran to her aunt and reached for her hand. Her eyes widened at the sight. “Aunt Dahlia! This thing is so huge, it can’t be a diamond. It’s a perfectly clear, beautiful, diamond-shaped brick.”
“I wanted something gaudy, flashy, and tacky.”
Caleb stared at the biggest diamond he’d ever seen. He didn’t know gems, but this rock was enormous. More important, it meant they’d all soon be family. “I’d say you achieved your objective, Miss Dahlia.”
“I’m marrying your uncle, so please call me Aunt Dahlia.” She squeezed Uncle Augo’s hand. “Since the ring I wanted was so expensive, I decided to buy it myself. I figured that’s okay, because I did the proposing.”
“Sounds fair to me.” Caleb reached over and gave his uncle a slap on the back—the closest thing to a hug that Kennedy men gave each other. “Congratulations on catching the big fish, Uncle Augo. The big, little fish.”
“You caught a big, little fish too. We livestreamed the concert that night and heard you say so.” Uncle Augo slapped Caleb’s back too.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t supposed to come out that way.
The sound man apparently didn’t get a message I left him, so he thought I wanted him to record and live stream the whole concert from the boom mic.
So the concert, the new song, and my proposal are out there for everyone to hear.
” He looked around for luggage but saw none.
“Are we taking anything to the hotel? Other than a cart to carry that enormous diamond?”
Miss Dahlia—Aunt Dahlia—burst into her famous giggle and held her ring high, letting the sun hit it. “We hired a wagon for our luggage. Since Uncle Clarence is stable now, I decided to stay here a while. So we went to my house and picked up a few things I’ll need.”
“The bugs are gone, so you can have any room you want.”
“Aunt Dahlia, I moved into a third-floor apartment in the parlor wing this morning. There’s plenty of room for you.”
“Good. Take us home, Harry.” Aunt Dahlia climbed into the carriage.
“I sure will. You don’t have to give me a tip either, since you just got engaged.”
Well. That was different. From the looks of things, this island could change anyone.
“Thank you, Harry.” Uncle Augo reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and produced a large bill. “But that’s not the way it works. Chivalry says the engaged man gives the gifts.”
“Hey, thanks!”
Minutes later, the carriage stopped at Island House Inn.
Caleb still didn’t know how this would all work out, especially since the two women in his life loved the rickety old place.
But everything else seemed undecided in their lives, so why not their location too?
For now, he went to Granddad’s room to help him to the parlor for a family lunch, where Aunt Annabelle basked in her match.
After the meal, Ariel’s phone rang. She checked the screen. “It’s Enzo Cabrini.”
Aunt Dahlia pressed her hands together and held them against her lips as Ariel took the call. “Do you know who Enzo is, Caleb?” she whispered.
“Never heard of him.”
“He’s my friend who owns Tarisio, a New York auction house for rare stringed instruments. Ariel sent him a picture of your father’s violin and asked what it could bring.”
“Good. I don’t want to keep it in the safe forever.”
Ariel ended the call, her face pale. “I have news.”
Oh. Bad news. “It’s okay if it’s low. If he offers less than ten thousand, I’ll keep the violin.”
“Enzo is ninety-five percent certain it’s a del Gesù.” She hesitated as if choosing her words carefully. “Caleb, it’s valued at considerably more than my net worth.”
He sat stunned for a moment. “What will we do with that much money?”
Uncle Augo snorted. “Pretty much anything you want.”
Caleb sat in silence for a time. “This will take a lot of thought and prayer. But one thing I don’t have to think about is moving my whole family back into the parlor wing. I’ll put an elevator in too, Granddad.”
“Good. I want my apartment back,” Uncle Augo grumbled. “And my little dog. I’m going to go find her. She’s hiding to punish me for being gone so long.”
“I’ll check the lobby.” Granddad stood and pushed his rolling walker in that direction. “I know all her hiding places.”
Uncle Augo leaned in close to his fiancée. “What would you think of living here, Dahlia?”
She hesitated a moment as if in thought. “I love this place. Let’s live here in the summer and in Nashville in the winter. What do you think, Ariel?”
“I’d like us to be together most of the time. We all stay here in the summer, and we all leave for Nashville at about the same time. Granddad and Aunt Annabelle too, if they want.”
“Our house is plenty big enough for everyone.” Aunt Dahlia said it as if the matter were settled.
“Well…” Ariel waited until her aunt held her gaze. “I was wondering if you’d let us have the cottage east of the big house.”
Aunt Dahlia’s eyes flew open wide. “That little ole thing?”
“It needs fixing up, but it could be cozy.”
Her aunt shook her head. “If that’s what you want. When the roof leaks and your bed gets soaked, you’ll have to come and sleep at the big house.”
This was working out better than Caleb could have imagined. “That settles it. We’ll stay here through the end of summer, then work Aunt Dahlia’s Christmas tour, then stay in Nashville and record in the spring.”
“I’m going to see if my luggage arrived.” Aunt Dahlia got up and started for the lobby, then turned around and smiled at them both. “See how easy this was? Every single thing fell right into place, with no effort whatever.”
She left for the foyer, and Caleb smiled at her retreating form.
Easy for her, maybe. But the same winding, rocky road that nearly tore them apart also brought them here, to Island House Inn, the place that stood firm in the storm, endured through generations, and sheltered the Kennedy family, all the way back to Elizabeth Jane, who gave it birth.
And so what if some spots in the road were rutted, flooded, and steep? That was why the Lord gave him a family. And expanded it to include Ariel and Aunt Dahlia.
Especially Ariel—his light, his encouragement, his love.
After all, the Lord had shown him from the beginning that he was in over his head.