The Courting of Thomasyna Tollefson

An Unexpected Proposal

An Unexpected Proposal

TUESDAY DAWNED WITH A lazy attitude. Thomi spent most of the morning just sitting on her favorite flat rock on Cliff Top’s private beach, watching the waves roll in. They swirled around her, sometimes lapping over the edge, wetting her pant legs. So peaceful . . . the soothing sound of the waves coming in and that of shells and pebbles washing back out. Gulls calling overhead. Sailboats and yachts of every size took advantage of a more perfect day than yesterday had been to be out on the water. Beyond them, a huge tanker chugged toward Newport Harbor. The salty air was something she never tired of, and there was no place else she’d rather be right now.

Nothing like yesterday, when the waves wanted to rip her out to sea with them.

Picking up a stick, she absently wrote in the sand:

S-T-E-P-H-A-N G-R-E-G-G-O-R-Y D-E-V-E-R-I-L-L

After helping her free the Mustang, he’d persuaded her to walk with him. Considerately keeping the talk general, he’d displayed a marvelous sense of the ridiculous, in which she had delighted—yet, not enough to jump back into the fire.

First, he informed her that his name was NOT pronounced Stefan but was Steven. “Don’t forget that or the two g’s in Greggory!” He then harassed her about the spelling of her nickname. “T-h-o-m-i . . . Too-me! Or is it Thoomi?” Pronouncing the th as in thumb.

“It is Tommy—don’t you forget that!” The memory of his amused laughter, his teasing glance brought a reluctant smile to her lips.

“Ah, what am I doing?” Flinging the stick, she kicked the letters out of existence. Frustratingly, his image lingered. His last words to her had been, “I’ve enjoyed this, Thomi. You have to let me see you again . . . I will see you again!”

Well . . . maybe . . . maybe not . . .!

She picked up a shell fragment, wrote:

J-A-I-M-E-E S-H-A-I-N-E K-E-L-M-A-N-N

Jaimee, the young cousin of one of her friends, had a serious heart condition. With three other little girls, all under ten, David and Marsha Kelmann had their hands full, and their wallets woefully empty.

David tended bar at the island’s only hotel, and the insurance benefits were fast reaching their limits. Joleigh-Anna Kelmann hadn’t been fishing for help for her relatives when she’d mentioned their situation to Thomasyna. Merely, she’d expressed her concern for them. However, Thomi, her compassion aroused at once, insisted upon meeting the family. Had immediately been captivated by all four of the girls, and straightway determined to help them from that very first meeting.

Her kindheartedness overwhelmed Jaimee’s parents, and David, at first, was reluctant to accept her offer of assistance. It wasn’t his way to allow anyone to help solve his problems. Even his relatives had difficulty making him accept assistance from them—those inclined to help, that is.

“Look,” he’d said, “I don’t want to sound ungrateful; I really appreciate you coming here with Joleigh. You’ve made the kids’ day. You’re probably their favorite performer—more family friendly that most . . . but I made up my mind we’d never be a burden to anyone because of Jaimee’s illness! Not to my family—and certainly not to strangers!”

“Then, don’t think of me as a stranger!” Thomi returned earnestly. “Please, it’s no burden to me! How many cars do you think I need? Or clothes, or houses, or anything else? You have a beautiful family you’re working hard to take care of! But as hard as you’re working, you’re slipping into a hole you may lose your house over!”

At that, David had shot an accusing glance at Joleigh-Anna. That she’d admitted that her aunt and uncle had debts that exceeded their ability to handle figured as a gross disloyalty to him.

Thomi’d quickly implored, “Oh, no, don’t hate Jo for telling me! Please, now that I am aware of your need, how can I walk away from here and do nothing?”

“But I wasn’t expecting you to do this when I told you,” said Joleigh. “I was just—just talking. Was just a response to your story about the little boy in Illinois you’d helped a couple months back . . . Got him his open heart operation when it’d been refused him. Just—it just made me think of-of Jaimee.” She’d rested her gaze upon her little cousin, her affection and her worry evident in it. “That’s all!”

It hadn’t mattered to Thomi whether Joleigh had hoped for this outcome or not. She answered, “Joleigh—ever think I should have known about this sooner? How can I ignore someone in this kind of need who lives in my home state in my hometown? Especially when it is common knowledge that I have helped other people? Not just in this country, either! You know as well as anyone that I’d want to help them! We’ve known each other since we moved here, how many years ago?” She’d turned back to David. “Please . . . don’t be offended that she told me. If I’ve helped the families of strangers, how can I turn my back on those of my friends?”

He couldn’t withstand her reasoning or her sincerity. “All right,” he finally agreed. “But only if I can pay you back!”

“If that’s what you’d like to do.” She’d refrained from insisting there wasn’t a need to worry about it. Went on to more important concerns. “The thing right now is to be sure she’s never turned down for the care she needs. One of my brothers helps me with this kind of thing. He’ll contact you for all the details we’ll need so we can get started . . .”

And once he had them, Adrien lost no time in coordinating a plan of action. One of the first things he’d done was to get Jaimee’s name before the committee who voted on the recipient of the profits from the benefit productions from the Little Theater in Littleton-by-the-Sea.

It was Adrien who’d gotten Keath Lindell to give some time to the project of the summer’s benefit play. No one had to convince Thomi to take part in it. She would have accepted even the smallest role.

But Keath, after sitting through hours of auditions, finally had decided he could work with no other as the heroine in the production. While she was used to hearing her abilities termed as brilliant, Thomi hadn’t wanted to eclipse any member of the amateur theater group. With but one exception, however, no one felt slighted, and she’d been persuaded to accept the lead role.

If it had been possible for Jaimee to jump for joy when she heard about it, the frail seven-year-old, no doubt, would have. “Now everyone will come and see it! And Mommy and Daddy won’t have to pay a lot for my operation, huh!” Happy bright blue eyes animated Jaimee’s pale little face.

Amused at the child’s enthusiasm, Thomi’d challenged her, “Oh, I’m that good, you think?”

“Yup!” Naively, she’d confided, “We like your dog commercials. Ming really likes VetPro, huh? But we like the car ones best ‘cause you drive so fast! We got ‘em all on DVR, too—and your shows!”

“Did you?” She’d been impressed—and touched. Arrogance she possessed, but it had never occurred to Thomi that anyone, other than family and friends, would record her stuff. “Well, thank you for liking what I do! Now, you just have to worry about getting better after that operation!”

Jaimee hugged Thomi with all the strength her delicate body possessed. “I will—b’cause you’re Lidia Rose in my play! Everyone knows you’re the best!”

Thomi’d flicked her cheek and responded with another display of rare humility, “Ah, I’m not the only one that good! You’d still get better if someone else were to do—”

Jaimee’d thrown an instant and vehement protest; changing color and becoming alarmingly breathless. Dismayed and certain the little girl would suffer harm from her spell, Thomi hastily assured her that nothing and no one would entice her away. When she knelt by her, Jaimee left her mother’s embracing arm to cuddle into Thomi’s.

“You promise? A Big Time Promise?”

“The Biggest! Remember, the seats center front will be reserved for your family! No one else!” In her arms, the child quieted. Thus, offers she’d received of late sat in her study, disregarded. This obligation came first.

Now, there was her father’s unofficial proposal. Before Keath Lindell had opened doors to her present career, she’d been content working on the family run equestrian center—except for those clashes of will between her and her father. Some days he could be just impossible! She wrote his full name in the sand:

N-I-C-H-O-L-A-S N-A-P-A-Y-S-H-N-I B-J-O-R-N-O-L-F T-O-L-L-E-F-S-O-N

An imposing name for an imposing man. He’d called earlier, wanting her help exercising his horses. If only that was all he wanted! Ah, well . . . maybe she ought to go. Ruffina, her Paso mare, also needed a good workout.

Collecting the cooler, Thomi called Ming to her. “At least out at DreamWynd, Mingi,” she informed her trusty canine companion as they started back up the rocky path to the house, “I won’t have to worry about some tall redheaded i***t badgering me for a dinner date!”

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