THE GIRL IN HER

THE GIRL IN HER
Friday, December 27, 2024 by SANDRA KAY VOSBURGH

Categories: Friday's Fiction / GUEST AUTHORS / Reviews and Interviews

PLEASE WELCOME

SANDRA KAY VOSBURGH

FICTION FRIDAY

Excerpt from The Girl in Her, a Christian romantic mystery …

Clark, a Christian, struggles with his love for Olivia, a nonbeliever. He joins his coworkers on a cruise Olivia had declined. But Olivia’s plans change. She joins the cruise, unaware that her grandmother had followed her. This scene is the day after Olivia’s unexpected arrival and the discovery of her grandmother onboard.

Cruise Day 2, At Sea

Clark walked the deck at four in the morning, his sleep cut short by a troubled mind. The compactness of his cabin had intensified his frustration. He needed air. On the back side of the top deck, in near darkness, nestled among greenery, a grouping of cushioned chairs offered him isolation. He took it.

How did this happen? How could he have so misunderstood the leading of God?

Two nights ago, Clark believed the cruise would grant him ten days in which to take himself in hand and face the fact that Olivia could never hold that special place in his life.

He didn’t begrudge Olivia this journey, but how could he avoid her yet not appear rude or make her feel a degree of rejection? Their interaction at school had been limited to faculty meetings and the occasional nod in the hallway and small talk at the lunch counter. With Olivia on the ship, he would have to walk a ten-day-long tightrope. Could he maintain a balance between genuine friendship and the intentional suppression of his hope for more?

A slight shuffle of steps pulled his gaze from the night sky. A woman wrapped in a long sweater hesitated at the rail. The wind tossed her curls, and moonlight revealed her face.

Oh, God. His heart banged against his chest. You’re killing me.

In the predawn hours, Olivia had slipped out of the stateroom. The situation weighed heavily on her mind and had kept her awake.

The previous afternoon, she’d entered the Office of Security and, with an agent’s help, notified Grady of Luellen’s location. Grady had already issued a Silver Alert but would contact the Boston police and cancel the request. He’d also contact Dr. Carr for instructions.

Olivia needed little imagination to picture her father’s reaction when he received word of Luellen’s latest escapade. And Eleanor? She didn’t want to think of her drama.

She sank deeper into the cardigan to dispel the chill tap-dancing along her spine.

Eleanor had been right. Luellen needed supervision. Would Olivia be able—on a ship—to take proper care of her grandmother until arrangements could be made for her return to Crestview? As of yet, Olivia had received no further communication from Grady.

How long would Luellen be onboard? Olivia couldn’t let her grandmother ruin her coworkers’ vacation.

A breeze lifted her hair away from her face, and in her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a man tucked into the shadows. She screeched. Her hand flew to her mouth.

He rose and moved toward her. “Olivia.” He stepped closer to a nightlight.

“Clark.” Her pulse slowed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to squeal.”

“My fault. I frightened you. Sorry.”

“You’re out here early. Couldn’t sleep?”

“I’ve discovered I’m addicted to wide, open spaces.” He grinned. “I start to shake if I’m cooped up too long.”

She’d had no idea the carpentry teacher possessed a sense of humor. But then, how would she? Their exchanges had been mere civility. “I can imagine. Kay said you live in the country.”

He nodded toward the area he had emerged from. “You’re welcome to join me in obscurity.” She followed him to the alcove. Once seated, Clark said, “Why are you out here before sunrise?”

“How’s your hand?” An obvious subject change, but she didn’t want to discuss her rebel grandmother and her father’s certain disapproval of Olivia’s decision to leave Crestview.

Clark waved his mitt and lifted a shoulder. He sat forward and placed his elbows on the knees of his jeans. “Listen. Don’t worry about Luellen. Kay and Lynzi and I will help you watch over her. We’ll make sure she stays out of trouble.” His smile revealed white, even teeth.

Olivia’s eyes misted. She lowered her lids, thankful for the dimness of the ship’s lights. Like Kay, Clark seemed to read her mind. His selfless offer touched her, but she would not allow Luellen to spoil the cruise for anyone. She drew up her spine. “I appreciate your offer, but my grandmother is my responsibility.”

Even in the shadows, Olivia did not miss the twitch of Clark’s facial muscles.

She needed him to understand. “I’m not ungrateful. You’re very kind to offer, but I can’t allow my grandmother to be a burden to you or Kay or Lynzi.” She drew her sweater around her and stood.

Clark rose with her. “I’ll walk with you back to your cabin.”

“No.”

He flinched.

She softened her tone. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

Olivia moved toward the stairs. Her declaration that she’d be fine had lacked conviction. She ached to accept the friendship Clark presented through his offer to help with Luellen. But he didn’t board the ship to undertake grandmother duty. Olivia would not let him take on her burden.

The flinch in his eyes had stuck fast in her soul like an arrow shot from her own lips. Her determination to make Clark understand her position had come across as rude.

She must apologize.

Olivia stopped and turned.

Clark had not moved from where she’d left him, but he was no longer alone.

MORE ABOUT THE GIRL IN HER

A mysterious pull toward Nova Scotia lures a reluctant school teacher to embark on a Canadian cruise and sail into deception, tragedy, and love.

Her mother's death and her father's indifference led Olivia Carr to shelter herself behind walls of isolation.
When the school term ends, she resigns herself to weeks of lonely boredom, until her estranged father asks her to spend the summer on his estate near Boston. Her hope that their relationship could be healed is soon crushed, and Olivia flees her father's house and reluctantly joins fellow teachers on a maritime Canada cruise.
The voyage stirs up latent memories. What mystery draws her to the lighthouse at Pawleys Cove, Nova Scotia?
Fellow teacher Clark Rafferty--because of his Christian faith--struggles against his attraction to Olivia. When she unexpectedly joins the cruise and becomes involved in a shipboard romance with a man Clark doesn't trust, his resolve to avoid her must yield to his need to protect her.
Meanwhile, in the shadow of the Pawleys Cove lighthouse, an old man, still haunted by tragedy, prays for the little girl he remembers.

ABOUT SANDRA KAY VOSBURGH

Sandra Kay Vosburgh, author of the award-winning Sackets Harbor Mysteries, is a women’s ministry director, Bible teacher, former pastor’s wife, and devotions contributor for David C Cook Publishing.

www.sandrakayvosburgh.com

https://www.facebook.com/sandrakay.vosburgh/

Goodreads.com/The Girl in Her

The Girl in Her available on Amazon

MY REVIEW OF THE GIRL IN HER

****

An entertaining read.

All of us have an inner child who speaks to our subconscious. Sometimes that inner child allows us to be carefree and frivolous as happy memories flood in. However, for Olivia, those memories were suppressed until her recent cruise that included a port call in Halifax … the place where trauma lurked in the recesses of her memory. As she seeks to explore the flashes of harsh memory, Olivia sets out to unravel the snarls of memory. Were these the reasons, she resisted her growing attraction to her coworker, Clark?

I was given a copy for my honest review. And honestly, I enjoyed the read. The author’s voice gives authenticity to the complexity of emotions and to the various settings where the story unfolds. She makes me want to go on a cruise! I fell in love with Luellen, Olivia’s grandmother. She’s a feisty elderly!

The story overall gives the feeling of a Hallmark movie. I recommend The Girl in Her.

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