Page 136 of Doyle

She let him go and he nearly—admittedly—made a dash for his truck. Instead, he forced himself around the end of the house—no glance at the swing—and spotted Dave holding a hose to a raised garden bed. Tiny sprouts pushed from the earth.

The man seemed thinner too, wore a baseball hat over his whitened hair and the scar underneath, a pair of shorts, and a T-shirt.

Doyle cleared his throat.

Dave turned, and for a second, his jaw dropped. Then, “Doyle.” He let go of the sprayer, left it in the garden, walked over with an outstretched hand. “Son.”

Son.

Doyle met his handshake. “How are you?”

“Oh, you know Misty—always a list to work through.”

Silence dropped between them.

“My father said?—”

“Yep. I have something I’ve been meaning to give you. Stay put.” He turned to go inside.

Misty stood at the door, holding an envelope. She handed it to her husband, then looked at Doyle, smiled.

Her eyes glistened.

Dave came back to him, holding the envelope. He tapped it on his leg, then looked up at Doyle. Wetness rimmed his eyes. “This belongs to you.”

He held out the envelope.

Doyle frowned, took it and eased it open. “Oh, no... No, sir—” He shoved it back to Dave.

“That ring belongs in your family, Doyle. I know it was your grandmother’s. We shouldn’t have hung on to it for so long, but... I had some trouble letting go.”

Yeah,he got that. Doyle pulled out the ring, his throat thickening. A vintage band with a small diamond in the center. “This should be with Juliet.”

“Juliet is with the Lord. She has everything she needs or wants.”

Yes, she did.He stared at the ring.

“How are you doing, Doyle?”

He looked up. Away. Until this moment, just fine... Well, not really, but?—

“I heard you went on another mission trip. Beacon of Compassion International? I know you’ve been involved in some relief efforts.”

Oh, right.“No. This was with an orphanage in the Caribbean.”

“Medical work?”

“Not... No. Just helping out.”

Dave put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s one thing Juliet loved about you—your heart for helping others. I remember the first time she told me that she was going to marry you. She was fourteen.”

“What?”

“It was right after that missions conference at church. Some guy from some crazy band, with long hair and dreadlocks, showed up and told our youth that they could make a difference.” He smiled when he said it, light shining in his eyes. “I watched Juliet go forward and make a commitment to God. And you, son, were right there. You went to the altar first. I very much believe that Juliet followed you up there.”

His entire body tingled with fire and... truth.Yes.“I remember that.”

“Whatever drove you to the altar is still inside you, son. You care—you cared about your parents’ inn after Juliet died—and don’t tell me that you didn’t stick around to keep an eye on Misty and me too.”

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