Jolene Navarro - Lone Star Holiday

His laughter soothed her as much as the clear water running over the rocks.

Nose wrinkled, Celeste leaned over and asked, “What’s Romeo and Julie?”

“Juliet,” John corrected.

Lorrie Ann threw her arms wide. “A love story with a tragic ending. Poor Romeo stood under Juliet’s balcony and professed his undying love.”

“Then Daddy should be Romeo and you, the beautiful princess. Is Juliet a princess?”

“Monkey, I think Lorrie Ann wanted quiet time, not a literary discussion.” He picked her up and swung her onto his hip.

“Quiet time? But that’s boring.” One small arm wrapped around her father’s neck, Celeste slanted over the edge with a puzzled look on her face. “Miss Lorrie Ann, were you really wanting quiet time?”

“Well, I was thinking about finding a place to pray and think.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Daddy likes quiet time, too. But he does it at the church. Maybe you can go to the church with Daddy.”

Even from the river, she could see the lines around John’s eyes deepen with his smile. “Come on, monkey. Let’s leave her to her solitude.” He patted her back. “Sorry about the interruption, Lorrie Ann.”

“Oh, please, don’t apologize. I’ll see you in a little bit, rug rat.”

“Bye, Miss Lorrie Ann. Tell God hi for me.” She waved as John turned them toward the door. “Daddy, what does literinary mean?”

Lorrie Ann couldn’t stop the smile as she looked down at her toes beneath the water. Curious little minnows started checking out her feet.

In a few hours, the family would be eating dinner together before heading to Prayer Night at the church. The smile slipped away. Thinking of her cousin, Yolanda, caused old hurts to boil up from the deep places she thought buried.

Back then she had been afraid Aunt Maggie would side with her real daughter. Lorrie Ann remembered living for the day she would leave this small town, proving to everyone she mattered. Truth be told, she was still a little afraid what would happen if Aunt Maggie had to choose between them.

With a deep breath she closed her eyes, focusing on the sounds around her: the water, the wind dancing through the trees and the leaves floating to the ground.

“God, I’ve come back to find You. I know it’s been a long time, and I’m not sure what to do. I’ve messed up so much I need You to show me the way to go.” She stepped farther into the river. “I don’t want Aunt Maggie to be hurt. Please show me what to say to my cousin, Yolanda.”

She waded down the riverbank to a little platform. On the other side a ladder dropped down to a swimming hole with a long flat rock creating a natural edge. Above it hung a thick corded rope.

Climbing to the platform, she sat and dangled her legs in the water. Running her fingers along the pages, she opened her Bible to the prayer in Ephesians and read how much God loved her.

A noise on the steps alerted her to someone’s presence. Turning, she raised her eyebrows at the sight of Celeste hopping down the stairs with one hand on the railing.

When the little girl spotted Lorrie Ann looking at her, she crouched on the step and whispered, “Are you finished with your quiet time?”

Lorrie Ann closed the Bible and grinned. Who knew a child could be so entertaining? “Yes, rug rat. Does your father know you’re down here?” She glanced up to the cabins.

“He sent me over to Aunt Maggie’s house.” She skipped the rest of the way to Lorrie Ann and sat down, crisscrossing her legs. With her elbows on her knees, she rested her chin on her intertwined fingers. “Are we still talking to God or the fish?” She intently stared into the water.

“Um...well, I kind of ran out of things to say to God, and I’ve never talked to fish before. You talk to fish?”

Celeste rolled her legs around and flopped onto her tummy. With one hand under her chin, she dipped the other in the water.

“Yes.” She looked up at Lorrie Ann with a big smile. “It tickles when they nibble on you. They’re my pets.” She moved her gaze back to the water. “Shh...there’s Rainbow—he’s the biggest.” They both sat still staring at the fish underwater as he stared back at them. They waited in silence. Lorrie Ann smiled when she realized she was in a staring contest with a fish.

“Celeste Rebecca Levi!” They both jumped at the sound of John’s voice. “I told you to go to Aunt Maggie’s house. You are not allowed down by the river.” His long strides had him by their side in seconds. “You can’t be interrupting Lorrie Ann’s prayer time.”

He stood over them, hands on his hips. Lorrie Ann arched her neck back to look up at him. It just seemed wrong that a man of God would look so good. Wasn’t there some rule about pastors being old grandfatherly types?

His cotton polo shirt fit just right over his broad shoulders and tucked neatly into his jeans. In silence, he stared down at them. Celeste jumped to her feet, her small body mirroring her father’s stance as she fisted both hands on her hips.

Lorrie Ann squirmed, feeling like a kid caught skipping school. “Oh, it’s all right. I saw her and called her down. I...um...finished—” she waved her hand in circles “—you know...praying.”

He raised one eyebrow and grinned at her, probably amused about her stumbling over words he used all the time.

“Daddy, Rainbow almost came to me. You scared him away.” She looked back into the river, searching the clear deep water for the fish.

He crouched down, balancing on his heels. He rested one hand on Celeste’s shoulder and brought his gaze to rest on Lorrie Ann’s face. “Are you sure she’s not bothering you?”

For a minute she couldn’t breathe, feeling lost in his eyes, but she managed to shake her head.

“Well, then I’m heading out. Are y’all good for the day? Need anything before I leave?”

Lorrie Ann gave a quick nod, still unable to speak.

“Give me a hug, monkey.” He held his arms open.

Celeste leaped at him, kissing his cheek. “Love you, Daddy. Hurry back.”

“We’ll be back for dinner. See you then, Lorrie Ann.” He flashed another heart-stopping smile and then headed up the stairs. Her gaze stayed locked on him as he bounded up the steps, two at a time.

“Do you like Daddy?” Celeste had flopped back on her belly, hanging her chin over the edge of the platform.

Lorrie Ann shot a startled frown at the back of the little girl’s head. “What do you mean?”

Celeste twisted back around and wrinkled her nose. “A lot of ladies at the church look funny at Daddy, the way you just did.” She threw a small rock into the water. “Some of them said I need a mom.” She threw another rock. “Rachel says they’re just busybodies wanting to marry Daddy and we don’t like them.” Jumping to her feet, she started gathering some more small rocks. “You’re fun. If you wanted to be my mommy I wouldn’t be mad. Rachel might be, though.”

The bottom of her stomach fell. The thought of being anyone’s mother horrified her.

Celeste started tossing the rocks sideways. “Rachel knows how to skip rocks. Daddy told me to keep practicing and I’d get it.” She wrapped her fingers around another rock, her tongue sticking out between her teeth.

Lorrie Ann held her breath as she watched the rock fly. With a slight skip, it bounced back up once before dropping under the water. A huge smile filled her face.

Screaming, Celeste turned to Lorrie Ann, jumping up and down. “I did it! I did it! Did you see?”

Lorrie Ann laughed and clapped her hands. “Yeah! That was awesome, Celeste!”

As she twirled in circles, the little girl’s ponytail swung out. “I skipped a rock!”

Out of breath, Maggie appeared at the top of the stairs. “Lorrie Ann? Celeste? Is everyone all right? What happened?”