Summer's Promise. Irene Brand
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I established in North Carolina, and that they rear our children in that environment.
“Oh, no!” Summer muttered. In her wildest imagination, she’d never expected David to be appointed coguardian of the children. She broke out in a cold sweat, and the room swayed around her. When she rallied, David had his arm around her shoulders, supporting her and wiping her face with a cold, damp cloth. It seemed as if a giant hand had descended upon her chest, and she gasped for breath.
“Did I faint?” she muttered.
“Almost,” David said.
“I’ve never passed out before. Mother taught us that only weaklings fainted—we wouldn’t have dared faint around her.”
“You had a jolt that would make anyone black out,” David sympathized, and recalling the extremity of Spring’s request, Summer straightened up quickly.
“Is that paper binding? We don’t have to do what they asked, do we?”
“No, because I doubt these documents are legal. I’m sure no attorney would have drawn up wills like this.” He took a deep breath and worry lines formed around his eyes. “I haven’t thought about anything else for three days, and I’ve concluded that Bert and Spring discussed what would happen to Timmy and Nicole if something should happen to them. Perhaps they felt compelled to make some provision for their children before they left on that trip.”
“Maybe they’d already discussed asking us to be guardians or godparents.”
“That’s what I think, too, and the accident occurred before they got our consent.”
“Would you have agreed to their requests if you’d been asked?”
“I don’t think so,” he said slowly.
“So you won’t do what they’ve asked you to?”
“I didn’t say that. If they’d asked me in advance, I might have refused, but now that they’re gone, it’s a different matter.”
Summer stood, walked to the window and looked out over a small garden situated in the midst of the apartment complex. Several adults sat on benches watching the splashing fountain, a few children played miniature golf, and one young mother strolled along a path, holding her son’s hand.
If she didn’t keep her promise, who would hold Timmy’s hand?
“What’ll happen to Timmy and Nicole if we refuse to take care of them? There’s no provision for that.”
“Since we weren’t consulted about their requests, it’s my opinion that if we refuse, other guardians can be appointed by the court. I haven’t looked into it. I didn’t want to discuss their wills with anyone until I talked to you.”
Should she tell David that Spring had asked her to take Timmy and Nicole? No one except Spring had heard her agree to do it. Perhaps other family members would be more suited to look after Spring’s kids. As inexperienced as she was, if she assumed the care of two children, they’d be unhappy and she would be miserable. No one need ever know that, in a weak moment, she’d promised Spring.
Suddenly Summer’s thoughts reverted to the night Spring had died, when she’d had the overpowering sensation that the two of them weren’t alone in the room, that God’s Spirit had been there to smooth Spring’s move from earth to Heaven. If God had been present, He’d heard the promise!
Her decision to tell David was delayed for the time being when he stated, “I can understand their concern for the children, but why would Bert and Spring expect us to take over that school?”
Summer had been so preoccupied over custody of the children that the second provision of the will had slipped her mind. She turned toward David and said in a raspy voice, “I absolutely will not be a part of that. I don’t know how to mother two children, to say nothing of operating a school. I couldn’t work with a group of wayward teenagers, and that’s the purpose of their school. I won’t do it.”
“That was my initial reaction, too, but let’s give it some thought before we make a definite decision. Will you be working tomorrow?”
“No.”
“I’m not scheduled to return to Atlanta until Sunday. Let’s sleep on it and talk again tomorrow.”
“Yes, let’s do. I want to get this settled as soon as possible, so I can go on with my life.”
“Will noon be okay? I’ll bring a pizza for lunch, and we can go out for dinner. Perhaps to a seafood restaurant?”
“Twelve o’clock will be fine,” Summer answered, without commenting on his dinner invitation. She didn’t want to get personally involved with David, but when he closed his briefcase and stood, Summer still quivered inwardly with shock and anger. Not willing to face the four walls of her apartment alone the rest of the evening, she said, “Unless you have other plans, you might as well stay for a while. I don’t want to discuss those wills, but we can watch a movie or something else on television.”
Accustomed to Summer’s standoffish manner toward him, her request startled David until he realized that Summer was struggling with an uncharacteristic emotion. She didn’t want to be alone! He remembered how shaken he’d been when he read his brother’s will. He’d had three days to become reconciled to the requests, but Summer hadn’t had time to get over her shock.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks for asking,” he said, settling back on the couch.
She handed him the remote. “Why don’t you run through the menu and find a movie? Make sure it’s a comedy or something light. I’m not in the mood for intrigue and drama. While you do that, I’ll fix some snacks.”
She poured a jar of cranberry-orange juice over ice and emptied a package of Hawaiian trail mix into a bowl. She placed napkins, glasses, and plates on the coffee table while David glanced at her home. If all of Summer’s life was as ordered and organized as this apartment, David understood why she had almost fainted when she’d read her sister’s will. On the point of being protective of Summer, David wasn’t pleased that his sister-in-law had handed her such a dilemma.
They didn’t talk much during the rest of the evening as they enjoyed the antics of a lovable dog that wreaked havoc in the household of his human family. It was after midnight when Summer walked with David to the door.
“Try to sleep,” he said tenderly. “I know this has been a terrible blow to you—losing your sister was bad enough, without having to decide how to act upon her requests.”
“Especially when I feel guilty about not wanting to do what she asked me to.”
As he shrugged into his coat she’d taken from the closet, he said, “Don’t lose any sleep over it. We’ll work something out tomorrow.”
“You’re taking this calmly enough. Aren’t you upset about what they’ve done to us?”
“Sure. But I’ve had longer to get used to the idea than you have, and staying awake all night fretting about it won’t change things.” She drew back quickly in surprise when he brushed a light kiss across her lips as he eased out into the hallway.
“Under the circumstances, don’t you think we’re at least kissing kin?”
David smiled into her surprised blue eyes and strode rapidly down the hallway. In spite of the sorrow over the death of his brother and the disturbing contents of the wills, David was delighted to have a reason to see more of Summer. After she hadn’t answered his letters, he’d decided to forget her, but when he least expected it, Summer’s image had infiltrated his mind, and he wondered if he’d ever see her again. He was attracted to Summer’s beauty, but he was more intrigued by her quiet nature that he believed concealed hidden fires waiting to be ignited. He wanted to be around when that happened.
Chapter Three
After David left, Summer drank a cup of hot herbal