Now Arriving

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

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THE FRIGID WIND LASHED her long black hair across her cheek as if to snap the woman to attention. She shivered as she sat in the outdoor cafe, looking through the window with longing at the patrons who had been smart enough to ask for indoor seating. The crisp sunny day may have been perfect for those used to this type of weather, but Paige Skipton was not enjoying it. If she could have, she would have gladly wrapped her arms around one of the outdoor heaters that were making feeble attempts to heat the patio area. Reaching up to pull the collar of her jacket tighter around her neck, she looked around her, wondering where her sister was.

They had agreed to meet at the popular coffee shop that was across from their appointment with the family lawyer. Earlier in the week they had both received the summons, along with the plane tickets to meet at their father’s office. The lawyer would fly in from upstate New York. Her father’s office in Raleigh, North Carolina was a midway point for all of them. Paige had wanted to fly up with her sister, Rebecca, but she had not been able to catch the same flight. Something had come up at the last minute at work—again. After making her flight changes and getting hold of her sister just as she was leaving, they had agreed to meet here. They had enjoyed the cafe during previous visits, but Paige had forgotten that the last time they’d been here was during the warm days of summer.

The others who sat at the adjoining tables seemed to enjoy the fall weather. The leaves were just turning to the brilliant colors of fall, and the planter boxes that lined the railings around the patio overflowed with mixtures of pansies and kale. Huge bushel baskets sat at the entry filled with chrysanthemums. The smell of fresh brewed coffee drifted out the open doors, and Paige swore she could smell apples.

“Paige!”

She heard her name and looked across the street to see a young woman waving at her. With a minimal glance to make sure the road was clear, Rebecca Skipton raced across the crosswalk to meet her sister. Without stopping her momentum, she skirted around the hostess who was seating people and stopped at Paige’s table, just as her sister was standing. Rebecca threw her arms around Paige and gave her a warm hug, laughing with joy to be with her. To the casual observer, the two girls could have been twins in their 30’s. It took careful scrutiny to find the differences. But they were there. Paige was the older by 11 months in physical years, but seemed older. They both had the coal black hair that was a family trait, but Rebecca’s was wavy and full of bounce. Blue eyes took in each other’s appearance, one pair more violet than blue. Both girls were average height, and physically fit from hours spent walking or in the gym, depending on the sister.

“You haven’t been waiting long, have you, Sis?” asked Rebecca as she pulled back from the hug and gave her sister an inquiring glance.

“Not really, just long enough for my toes to start curling with cold,” she complained with a laugh.

“Oh, you’re such a wuss. Listen, we still have time before we need to be at the meeting, how about a cup of coffee and we can catch up with each other? It seems like it’s been forever since we had time to spend together.”

Rebecca pulled out a chair while she motioned to the waiter that they would like to place an order. She saw the wistful expression from Paige as she looked at the patrons sitting inside, but ignored it. The inside of the cafe was crowded, and they would never find a table and still make it to their appointment on time.

“Come on, sit down and relax for 10 minutes, it’ll do you good. Once you get something warm in you, you’ll warm up,” she teased her sister as she sat down “It’s not that often I have 10 minutes to myself and I know it’s worse for you with all the crazy hours you work. I don’t know how you do it, Paige. I think you live at that office. Do you have any life of your own anymore?”

Paige gave a heavy sigh as she sat back down. She had to admit that her sister was right, she spent more hours at the office than she did at home. It was rare for her to take the time to pursue any activities for personal enjoyment. Her job consumed her, and she was losing her zest for life amidst the daily list of assignments and demands. She knew something had to change, but she didn’t know how to break the cycle. Paige gave Rebecca a stern look as she shook her finger at her.

“Well, I may spend all my hours working, but let’s face it Becca, you spend all your time waiting hand and foot on that boyfriend of yours. Do you think anything will ever come out of your relationship? Maybe something that would involve you getting a bit of that same pampering? Or are you going to continue to let Keith take advantage of you?”

Paige stopped herself from saying anything else when she saw her sister’s stricken expression. She’d said the same thing the last time she’d seen Rebecca, but the tears she saw welling up in her sister’s eyes shocked her. Rebecca hastily wiped the corners of her eyes to catch the tears before they fell and put on a bright smile. She wasn’t fooling Paige, though who knew something wasn’t right.

“Oh shoot, Becca, did I say something wrong?”

“Not at all. In fact, you’re right. I finally listened to what you’ve been trying to tell me since I met him. I broke it off with Keith. Our relationship wasn’t going anywhere—at least not for me. For him, well let’s face it, he had a handmaiden to take care of anything he didn’t want to do for himself. It’s time to get a life of my own; isn’t that what you’ve been trying to tell me?”

“Aww, Becca, I’m so sorry. The last thing I want is for you to be hurt.”

Paige grabbed her sister’s hand and gave it a sympathetic squeeze, and couldn’t help but add the sisterly wisdom she was sure Rebecca needed to hear.

“Something better will come along. You wait and see. It might not be another man, not right away, but there is something that God has planned for you. He always provides what is best for us, right?”

“You’re absolutely right, and I’ve done all the crying I will do over Keith Butler. I thought I would talk to Nana and see if she has some ideas to keep me busy. I’m not sure I even want to stay in the same town anymore, too many memories. And I just can’t face running into him by chance. At least not yet. You’re so busy at work, I can’t expect you to take care of me. I need to take a stand on my own.”

Paige felt guilty at her sister’s words, but she knew Rebecca was right. Her job took too much of her life for her to offer her sister the help she wanted to in her heart. Discovering Rebecca had broken the bonds that kept her tied to a stifling relationship, made Paige think about her own life. She was just as stifled and unappreciated. Her bosses took advantage of her work ethic and desire to do a good job. Maybe she needed to rethink her career goals.

Watching the steam rising off the hot liquid in the cup she held, Paige made a promise to herself to take the time to help her sister get back on track. And then she would work on her own problems. Before she could say anything else, the sound of teenagers laughing and joking with each other broke into her thoughts. Their happiness made her smile as she watched them walk past the cafe. It didn’t seem all that long ago that Rebecca and herself were part of a clique just like that.