Page 138 of Share with Me

Now Brinley didn’t say anything.

“Brinley Brin, look at me.” Dad scooted forward in his recliner. “You’re a believer now. When Jesus died on the cross He paid for all your sins. You cannot pay enough penance to make up for what you thought were errors in judgment or whatnot.”

“What do I do now, Dad?”

“You ask God to forgive you for what you thought was your mistake, and ask Him to make things right in His way and His timing. You can’tfixthings yourself. You’re not God. Fixing things is God’s business, unless of course, He wants you to be part of the solution, such as if you had to make restitution. Then do it, but in God’s way, not yours, and only if you’re sure it’s what God wants you to do. Got it?”

“Clear as mud.”

“In other words, trust God, not yourself. Wait for God to show you the way. Don’t jump the gun.”

“Okay. Simple enough.”

“You remember the verse I gave you?”

“Proverbs 3:5-6?” The same one Brinley had jotted down on the bookmark she had given to Ivan for Christmas. Boy, was he surprised that was all she had given him though he might never know all the other things she had doing for him.

“Yes. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths,’” Dad recited from memory. “You never go wrong trusting God. Until you see the big picture, don’t make a judgment call.”

“You think I made a mistake buying the warehouse?”

“We don’t know yet, do we? Things are still unfolding. Until we see the end of the story we’re still right in the middle of it.” Dad paused. “Having said that, I love the mixed-used idea. All right. I’m in.”

“Thanks, Dad. I won’t let you down.” Brinley’s voice shook. “This retirement thing. Are you going to move to Paris, then?”

“We’ll shuttle between our chateau and the Sea Island cottage, yes.”

“How often will I see you and Mom?”

“As often as you want. We’ll be back on Sea Island every other month or so. If we’re over there in Europe somewhere, call and I’ll send the BBJ to pick you up.”

“You don’t have to, Dad. I’ll fly commercial.” Brinley felt better. “When do you leave for this trip?”

“In a couple of weeks. I might see Helen Hu. Say, why don’t you let me handle the Damaris hunt and you focus on Brooks Reno?”

“Why?”

“I need something to do. Maybe your mom and I can go on an adventure.”

“A treasure hunt?”

“We used to do that, you know. Hop, skip, jump all over Europe looking for antiquities.”

“Uh-huh. That’s how Dill came about.”

Dad cleared his throat. “Has it been thirty-five years ago?”

“All right, Dad. I’ll buy you out of Brooks Reno. You invest in Pelican Road. It’s a win-win.”

“Yep. I’ll take care of the Strad. You take care of your labor of love.”

Love?

---