Redemption Lake Read online

  Redemption Lake

  Monique Miller

  www.urbanchristianonline.net

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Other books by Monique Miller

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 - Phillip Tomlinson Sunday: 3:00 P.M.

  Chapter 2 - Phillip Tomlinson Sunday: 8:30 P.M.

  Part I - His Side

  Chapter 3 - Travis Highgate Sunday: 9:30 P.M.

  Chapter 4 - Travis Highgate Monday: 6:21 A.M.

  Chapter 5 - Travis Highgate Monday: 9:13 A.M.

  Chapter 6 - Travis Highgate Monday 11:00 A.M.

  Chapter 7 - Travis Highgate Monday: 1:03 P.M.

  Chapter 8 - Phillip Tomlinson Monday: 1:35 P.M.

  Chapter 9 - Travis Highgate Monday: 3:29 P.M.

  Chapter 10 - Travis Highgate Monday: 6:05 P.M.

  Chapter 11 - Xavier Knight Tuesday: 6:17 A.M.

  Chapter 12 - Xavier Knight Tuesday: 8:06 A.M.

  Chapter 13 - Xavier Knight Tuesday: 9:02 A.M.

  Chapter 14 - Xavier Knight Tuesday: 12:00 P.M.

  Chapter 15 - Xavier Knight Tuesday: 1:14 P.M.

  Chapter 16 - Xavier Knight Tuesday: 3:33 P.M.

  Chapter 17 - Xavier Knight Tuesday: 6:10 P.M.

  Chapter 18 - Phillip Tomlinson Tuesday: 9:07 P.M.

  Chapter 19 - George Jones Wednesday: 5:30 A.M.

  Chapter 20 - George Jones Wednesday: 8:01 A.M.

  Chapter 21 - George Jones Wednesday: 1:13 P.M.

  Part II - Her Side

  Chapter 22 - Nina Jones Wednesday: 6:07 P.M.

  Chapter 23 - Nina Jones Wednesday: 9:25 P.M.

  Chapter 24 - Beryl Highgate Thursday: 7:15 A.M.

  Chapter 25 - Beryl Highgate Thursday: 7:58 A.M.

  Chapter 26 - Beryl Highgate Thursday: 10:52 A.M.

  Chapter 27 - Shelby Tomlinson Thursday: 11:43 A.M.

  Chapter 28 - Beryl Highgate Thursday: 4:36 P.M.

  Chapter 29 - Shelby Tomlinson Thursday: 9:37 P.M.

  Chapter 30 - Charlotte Knight Friday: 4:55 A.M.

  Chapter 31 - Charlotte Knight Friday: 9:26 A.M.

  Chapter 32 - Charlotte Knight Friday: 1:34 P.M.

  Chapter 33 - Charlotte Knight Friday: 7:07 P.M.

  Part III - The Truth

  Chapter 34 - Phillip Tomlinson Saturday: 3:14 P.M.

  Chapter 35 - Phillip Tomlinson Sunday: 6:00 A.M.

  Chapter 36 - Phillip Tomlinson Sunday: 10:20 A.M.

  Epilogue - Phillip Tomlinson 8 months later

  Discussion Questions

  About The Author

  UC HIS GLORY BOOK CLUB!

  WHAT WE BELIEVE:

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  To my Auntie “V”, Mrs. Valeria F. Cooper—Loving wife, mother, sister and aunt ... Miss you much!

  Other books by Monique Miller

  Secret Sisterhood

  Soul Confessions

  Acknowledgments

  First I’d like to thank the Lord above again, for using me as a vessel and giving me this gift of writing to share with the world.

  To my family—Thank you to my parents, Mr. William H. Miller and Ms. Gwendolyn F. Miller, for your continued love and support. Thank you to my daughter, Meliah, for continuing to act as my publicist in training. Thank you also to my sister, Penny, for your continued encouragement, support, and prayers. Much love to my sisters, Denita and Christina, as well as my brothers, B.J. and Christopher.

  There are so many people I’d like to thank for your support and encouragement during the writing of this, my third novel. Thank you to my family and friends for continuing to help me spread the word about my novels. Thanks to all of my author friends, especially Jacquelin Thomas, Toschia, Sherri L. Lewis, Suzetta Perkins, Titus Pollard, and Rhonda McKnight.

  A special thanks to the members of The New Vision Writer’s Group—Durham, NC—Jacquie, Brian, Angela, Suzetta, Sandy, Cassandra, Titus, Lesley, Karen, Pansy, Tonya, Pamela, and Sha-toya.

  A huge thanks to my agent, Sha Shana Crichton, for seeing something special in my writing so many years ago and taking me on as a client.

  To my editors, thank you, Joylynn Jossel and Kendra Norman-Bellamy, for your sharp eyes throughout so many words and pages.

  Readers, thanks so very much for your feedback.

  Please continue to keep it coming. I appreciate your support and encouragement. I hope you enjoy this new novel with the new characters, and yes, Phillip and Shelby are back.

  Urban Books and the Urban Christian family—Thank you, Carl Weber, Kendra Norman-Bellamy, and Joylynn Jossel for working so diligently with me and other authors you’ve taken under your wing. Thank you also to my fellow authors in the Urban Christian family for all the networking.

  Again, there are so many people, and if I’ve left your name off, please know it was not intentional. Thank you so very much, ______________!

  (Your Name Here)

  Thank you all so much for your support! E-mail me at:

  [email protected]

  Visit my Web site at:

  www.authormoniquemiller.com

  Prologue

  Xavier & Charlotte Knight

  Charlotte sat stolid and poker faced in the dining room chair. She had no idea how much time had passed since she’d sat down at the kitchen table. She’d long since stopped hearing the ticking of the kitchen clock. Spread across the table were copies of the papers—evidence she’d been gathering for months. Evidence proving that without a shadow of a doubt, her husband, Xavier, was cheating on her—not only in cyberspace, but as close as the neighbor three houses down.

  The grandfather clock in her living room chimed three times. It was three o’clock. In just a little over an hour, he’d be home. To her surprise, she was unbelievably calm. No, maybe calm wasn’t the right word. She was numb. After three months of collecting information about her husband’s infidelity, nothing could surprise her anymore, not even the letter she’d just received from her doctor’s office confirming she tested positive for gonorrhea. It was the last straw. She was no longer in denial.

  In a little over an hour she’d confront him with some of the things she knew. Just enough to let him know that this time, there would be no forgiving him for the lies he continually told her. Charlotte wouldn’t let him know all that she was privy to until the time was right.

  Travis & Beryl Highgate

  “Don’t worry, baby. I promise I’ll be there waiting in the parking lot before you get off, to pick you up.”

  “Whatever, Travis. Don’t make promises you won’t be able to keep. Bye.” Beryl hung the phone up before her husband could respond.

  Beryl was tired of hearing his sorry lies and pathetic excuses. Her patience meter had hit its breaking point months ago. Why she kept giving him chance after chance to prove himself, she didn’t know. Maybe it was because of her two little boys. Maybe it was because she wanted to believe in her husband so badly. She knew he had potential; he just needed to apply himself more. She spent so much of her time coaxing him and stroking his ego, it felt like she had three sons instead of two.

  She was at her wits end. She didn’t want to give up on their marriage, but he was draining her. Beryl could see it each time she looked in the mirror. And especially when she compared herself to many of the pictures she took before she got married five years ago. Her glow was gone. The sparkle in her eyes had fizzled. No matter how much she tried to bring the glow back with makeup, it didn’t help. The stress was weighing on her like a lead weight.

  Continually Beryl chastised herself for giving Travis chance after chance to lie to her o
r to selectively feed her little bits of information here and there. She was tired of feeling stupid and listening to his ever-growing lame excuses. He always had an excuse or answer for everything. Especially when it came to explaining why he couldn’t seem to find and/or keep a regular job. She wished her woman’s intuition had knocked her upside the head when she first met him.

  Beryl’s instincts had poked at her on several occasions letting her know some things were amiss. Too many things weren’t adding up. And the financial miscalculations were causing checks to bounce, bill collectors to call, and most recently, the lights to be turned off.

  After getting poked one time too many, Beryl finally had to admit, enough was enough.

  Nina & George Jones

  “Pastor Jones, here is the report you asked me to pull. Do you need anything else?” Pastor Jones’s secretary, Jennifer, asked.

  “No, Jennifer; that will be all for now.”

  “Okay, sir.” She turned to leave.

  “Jennifer, if anyone calls, please take a message. I don’t want to be disturbed for the next couple of hours.”

  “Okay, Pastor. What about Mrs. Jones?”

  A sharp pain surged through George Jones’s head. Wearily, he took a deep breath before answering. “If Nina calls, just let her know I’m taking care of some important business and can’t be disturbed. I’ll call her when I’m done.”

  Once his secretary left the office and closed the door, George flipped through the pages of the bank statements she had compiled for him. Seven months of statements had been neatly put together and categorized by date. They were some of the bank statements for the church.

  He then pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked his file desk drawer. There he stored personal bank statements as well as credit card statements and various other pieces of billing information. He shook his head in dismay. The devil was attacking their lives in the three areas that meant the most. Satan was making blows against their marriage financially, spiritually, and sexually.

  Nina had a problem with gambling, a crisis that was ruining their credit and affecting the church he founded and was currently pastoring. An end had to be put to the craziness.

  George opened his Rolodex and pulled out a business card given to him by a friend. It was for an exclusive, secluded Christian couples’ retreat in the mountains. Their marriage needed not only professional aid, but spiritual help also. Being the pastor of over two thousand members in the heart of Greenville, NC, he didn’t want to risk anyone finding out about his marital problems. Especially not those in his circle of bishops and pastors.

  Pastor George Jones picked up the telephone and called the number listed on the card. He and his wife needed to be present on the first available date. He hoped and prayed their marriage would make it until then.

  Chapter 1

  Phillip Tomlinson

  Sunday: 3:00 P.M.

  “Ready or not, Redemption Lake, here we come.” Shelby ran her finger down the lines on the map representing the highway to trace the route they were taking.

  “I’ve even got you calling it Redemption Lake.” Phillip kept his eyes on the road as he joked.

  Shelby nodded in agreement. “You’re right. After a while, I won’t remember it’s really called Lake Turner.”

  Phillip smiled to himself, a grin covering his entire face.

  Noticing, Shelby asked, “What’s the big grin all about?”

  “I’m just remembering when we first came up here five years ago. We didn’t know what to expect. Just as I’m sure all the couples who are coming this week don’t really know what to expect either.”

  “I know what you mean. A week long marriage retreat wasn’t something I’d ever heard of anyone going to. All I knew was I was full of hope that the retreat would at least help us to strengthen our marriage,” Shelby said.

  “Me too. Little did either one of us know how God was planning to completely change our lives for the better; especially mine.” Phillip continued to smile with fond memories. He had found his redemption at Lake Turner by accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. And it had happened just outside of the same cabin they were about to drive to.

  As if reading his thoughts, Shelby said, “Maybe it was because I’d been praying so long for you to get saved.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “Especially all those times I invited you to attend church with me, and you sat on the couch watching sports.” Shelby laughed as she mimicked Phillip’s voice. “‘Say a prayer for me.’”

  “It only took what, seven years of prayers for them to finally come true?”

  “What matters is that the Lord heard my cry, and he answered me,” Shelby said.

  Phillip nodded his head.

  Shelby laid her head on the headrest. “I still remember our time at this retreat like it was yesterday. I had such a wonderful time. Mostly because you got saved here, but also because of the wonderful couples we met that week.”

  “I am glad you suggested we come up a day early. It’ll be nice to get in a little rest and relaxation before all the couples get here.” He stopped speaking and sighed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  It was uncanny sometimes how his wife could read him like a book. “I’ve been praying, and I don’t know what to expect this time.”

  “What do you mean?” Shelby asked.

  “I know God called me to do His work. And our history of marital problems a few years back is part of His plan for our coming back to this lake today.”

  Shelby nodded her head. “That’s pretty deep. I hadn’t thought about it like that. But I guess you’re right. They say when someone goes through a storm, often the trials and tribulations aren’t for them, but for someone else’s life who will one day need to be touched; someone who will be helped by the testimony of that similar storm. A testimony that will tell how God brought them out.”

  “Bingo. I wish it were just that simple. But the true fact is that there are three couples’ whose lives will be affected by this weekend. Three couples who will be looking for sound advice, guidance, and answers from me. That’s a huge responsibility.”

  “It is,” Shelby agreed. “And you’ll do just fine. We’ve both been assisting with the couple’s ministry at church, and I truly feel your education and background in marriage counseling has more than equipped you.”

  “I know, honey, but the couples in church know us. They trust us already.” Phillip shook his head. “These people don’t know us from Adam.”

  “They don’t have to, honey. Trust in the Lord. He is worth more than someone already knowing you and your degrees put together. Don’t forget that,” Shelby encouraged.

  “I haven’t. Why do you think I’ve been praying so hard?”

  “In a day or so, you have to start living on faith. Don’t doubt the power God has put in you. As long as you let God lead you, this week will turn out fine.”

  Phillip shook his head. He agreed with his wife but didn’t feel fully optimistic. From what he read in the couples’ applications, there were some emotionally bruised husbands and wives about to seek his counsel. He didn’t want to let any of them down, and he really didn’t want to let down God.

  “Okay, take this exit,” Shelby said. “The directions say to bear right off the exit then go 1.7 miles. We should start seeing signs for the lake.”

  Phillip drove as Shelby directed.

  “Help me look for the little sign that says, THE LAKESIDE B&B,” Phillip said.

  “I hope they’ve made a bigger sign than when we were here five years ago,” Shelby said. “How many times did we pass the little dirt road leading to the cabin that night?”

  “Three I think.”

  “Well, at least it’s daylight this time,” Shelby said.

  “The daylight is a plus. Man, it was pitch black out that night. I was barely able to see the little path with the headlights, especially with the thickness of the forest.”

  “If we hadn’t
seen the cabin when we had, we would have driven right into the lake.”

  “Don’t remind me. Another ten more feet and you’re right; we would have.”

  “I felt like I was on my way to Camp Crystal Lake, and Jason, from Friday the 13th, was going to jump out at any moment.”

  “I never told you, but I had been thinking along those same lines.” Phillip chuckled.

  “But when we stepped into the cabin and saw how warm and inviting it was, my fears soared right out of the window. Not to mention the warm greeting Reverend and Mrs. Nelson gave us.”

  “They are one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever met,” Phillip said.

  “They are. Too bad we won’t get a chance to see them this time.”

  “Maybe we can come back up one weekend with the kids and spend some time with them.”

  “The reverend said he was going to leave the key under the mat, right?” Shelby asked.

  “Yeah, he e-mailed me a detailed list complete with emergency numbers and their cell phone numbers, just in case.”

  “Hopefully all will go well, and we won’t have to bother them. I’m sure they need a rest. They’ve been doing this retreat for over ten years.”

  Navigating the car with ease, Phillip said, “I was surprised when he asked me to fill in for him this week.”

  “See, even Reverend Nelson feels you are capable in conducting the retreat.”

  Phillip nodded his head, acknowledging what Shelby was saying.

  “There it is.” Shelby widened her eyes as she pointed to the sign for the B&B. “They did update their sign.”

  “I’d say.”

  The new sign was billboard sized.

  Shelby laughed. “Hopefully none of the couples will arrive late at night like we did. But if they do, they’d have to be blind to miss that one.”

  “Blind as a bat,” Phillip added.

  Phillip lifted the welcome mat on the front porch of the log cabin. Just as noted in his e-mail, the key was there.