Page 20 of Sing with Me

All washing away with the therapy of singing hymns of praise to God.

The windows were closed and the air-conditioner was on, so she couldn’t hear the ocean waves. All she could hear were the piano and her own voice.

When the song finished, a tiny tear rolled down her face. She reached up to wipe it, but someone else got there first.

A soft thumb, firm yet gentle, wiped away the single tear from her cheek.

Blue eyes stared at her. Or maybe they were gray. She couldn’t tell in the indoor light.

“You have a beautiful voice,” Diehl said quietly.

“God gave me this voice to sing for Him.”

“You only sing hymns?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s all the time I have for.”

“You’re very busy.”

Skye nodded.

“And yet you look so calm and at peace,” Diehl said.

“Thank you. God’s peace is indescribable.”

“That’s what I’m missing. Peace.”

“Not just any peace. God’s peace.” Skye didn’t want to correct him, but she did.

Chapter Five

Sight-reading had never been Diehl’s forte but he worked hard to impress the ladies, especially Skye. Something about Skye’s voice still lingered in his ears three hours later when Mom called from Hawaii just as he was brushing his teeth, getting ready for bed.

He called Mom back after he flossed, mentally preparing himself to hear more complaints from her. Truly, her concerns were mostly valid, but he was still tired of hearing her shrill voice. If it were anything like Skye’s smooth, crooning voice, Diehl could listen to it all day long.

Diehl propped a pillow behind his head on the bed.

Across from the foot of the bed, the sheer curtains were drawn. He couldn’t hear the ocean now, but at least he wouldn’t have creatures from the great outdoors flying in at night.

“Did you know that Isobel had a boyfriend at every port?” Mom looked horrified on the phone.

“I think that’s an exaggeration. Who said it?” Diehl didn’t admit that he had been in denial all this time. Surely Isobel had taken her marriage vows seriously—twice with him.

“Zeta.”

“Why would she tell you that?” Was Isobel’s mom trying to cast aspersions on his children’s parentage?

“To make you jealous?”

“Mom, she’s dead. Leave her alone.” Diehl hated to say it, but it was true, although he felt like a hypocrite. While he told his mom to move on, he himself was still at the tail end of his grief.

How long was this going to last?

He had accepted that Isobel had passed away, and that perhaps she hadn’t been a faithful wife. What did it matter now?

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