Daniel Cooper rested on the bed, unable to believe the changes this week had brought. The last thing he had expected was for Stella to reappear in his life. He had thought he would never see her again, his mind whirled, a play, Kevin's accident which had placed him in the role of the lead, Callie discovering the truth... That last one had scared him almost as much as Stella had or, if he was truthful, more than Stella herself had. He winced as he remembered the words Stella had thrown at him before she had stormed out. Somehow, in the midst of the huge mess he had made, he'd forgotten that someone else had been hurt. Not just him and his relationship with his father, not just potential harm to his father's reputation, but Stella herself had been swooped up into the whole terrible mess. It was his fault, of course, everything had been his fault. If only he hadn't gone out of control like that... If only... And yet, Stella had left the pictures she had gotten of them together behind. He wondered how much that tabloid had offered her for them. And wondered again, at the genorisity of her spirit when she left them behind, taking the divorce papers with her. Daniel wondered what she would do with them. He wasn't sure, but he did know that he would find out in time. And he knew that whatever she did it would be right. He knew she wasn't the tramp his father's people had claimed she was. No way was Stella a tramp! She was a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. And he could never thank her enough, repay her enough for her forgiveness of him for the mess he'd brought to her life.

And the play! The last thing he'd ever expected to do was perform in a play! One minute he'd been struggling with directorial duties, the next he'd been the leading man. There had been true potential for disaster there, but Stella had stepped up and taken the reins so well. She'd even had Brian eating out of the palm of her hand. She certainly had talent there and he smiled as he wondered if she would make a new life out of that talent. That would be good. Not enough to repay her kindness, but good. Stella had real talent as a director. Surely there were a lot of communities like Hope that would benefit from her experience and guiding hand in their neighborhood theaters.

And then there was The Kiss! ... That had been a surprise! He'd felt... He'd felt as if... As if lightening had gone through his body! All because of sharing a single, pretend kiss with Alex Stone! He blushed as he remembered it and was grateful for the much more playful peck they'd shared at the opening. The way Alex had flipped one leg up! It had taken everything he had not to laugh at that. He wondered for a second, for just one second, what it would be like to really kiss Alex, not because of the pretence of a script, but because... Well, just because he was a man and she was a woman.

Callie... He sobered as he remembered Callie Pender. She was a reporter. It was her duty to report the facts, especially of all things newsworthy. And whether he liked it or not, the son of Reverend Cliff Cooper was newsworthy, especially since he had (seemingly) dropped off the face of the earth. Callie was passionate about her job, her profession. She loved it, every minute, every thrill, every bit of excitement and even if Hope was a quiet, well, relatively quiet community, she still found plenty to be excited about and worth reporting. She had a real talent for taking something that appeared mundane and making it worthwhile for her readers. She had found a huge story, maybe her biggest story, one that would make a big city reporter's career. And she had thrown it away. All because of him! For the first time since Las Vegas, he had opened up to someone else, really opened up and she had made what was probably one of the hardest decisions of her career - to not report about him. All because she wanted to keep his friendship! Daniel felt humbled by the thought. His friendship! Not because he was the great Cliff Cooper's son, but for himself. It was a marvel, it was... He felt blessed at this moment. Blessed in a way he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

And so, there was still a chance for him to mend the rift between him and his father, because two very different, but wonderful women had made it possible. Daniel knew that wherever Stella was, he could only remember her in his prayers. There was nothing else he could do for her right now. But surely there was something he could do for Callie! After all, it was thanks to her that he could stay on Hope, in a place where he felt like he actually belonged. Oh that was a wonderful feeling - to belong!

But what could he give Callie as a thank you gift? He pondered the thought. Flowers? Well no, maybe not flowers. Somehow trying to explain why the new minister was giving the resident reporter-cum-editor-cum-publisher flowers was almost as embarrassing as having Stella show up unannounced. And anyway, what would Alex think? He hurried beyond that thought, not willing to consider it for the moment. After all, he was married, well sort of, at least he was officially for now and most of the island knew it. So what could he do? Whatever it was, it should be special, but not elaborate or big. That would embarrass both of them. They were friends and he wanted it to stay that way. Friends - the thought warmed him through and through. The lanky man thought about the things his mother liked. She had possessed simple tastes, tastes that she had passed on to her son. Music, gardening, poetry, walks... He laughed suddenly, softly, his chuckle breaking the night's silence. Of course! His mother loved nothing better after a long, hard day than soaking in a hot tub with scented water. Aromatherapy. And she always claimed he found the best scents. He'd even found a few that he liked for himself and heaven help him if his father ever found that out! Daniel smiled to himself. He would go into Seattle on Monday and see if he couldn't find something for Callie, something nice that would help her relax after a long hard day of reporting. Satisfied with his decision, Daniel closed his eyes. After all, he had services tomorrow and he'd had to stay up late to write his sermon on Thursday. There had simply been too much happening this week. Good thing he wrote it Thursday too. He certainly wouldn't have been able to do it after realizing he had somehow become the leading man!

Monday found Daniel waiting patiently for the Tarquin II. A few islanders glanced at him in surprise as he boarded. This was the first time he'd actually left the environs of the island since his arrival. Realizing he wasn't carrying anything, they relaxed again. Their preacher wasn't running away from them. They were perfectly aware that life on Hope Island wasn't meant for everybody, but Daniel Cooper immediately seemed to fit in and they wanted him to stay. They hadn't recognized the need, not until he'd appeared, but it had been there and they now knew they needed him.

The young man walked to the front of the ferry boat. He appreciated this view a lot more now than he had six months ago. Then, he had been much too seasick and scared to enjoy it and the ride. Now, he was content and happy. That was a state he hadn't expected to see again anytime soon, but here on Hope he was. He felt a vague nervousness as he disembarked. What if someone recognized him? Then he laughed silently at himself. Why should they? He certainly looked nothing like his father, not with his jeans, sweater and leather coat. No one ever accused Cliff Cooper of being a casual dresser, he was much too aware of his image. His people were much too aware of that image. He, on the other hand, was more comfortable when he dressed casually. He went on his way with a smile, shunning the larger shops and malls in favor of the tiny shops near the harbour. After searching all morning, he finally found one with reasonable prices. After all, his salary was kind of small, a far cry from what his father earned. Still, he couldn't complain, he was content and it sufficed for his needs. Daniel carefully went through the scents, reading the romance cards attached until he found what he was looking for. On impulse, he added another bottle of salts with a different scent for himself. After all, ministers occasionally had stressful days too.

Daniel grabbed some lunch at a street stand, before finding a card shop. Another careful search found the perfect card. It was blank inside, but he knew what he wanted to say and figured it would mean more if he wrote himself instead of having Hallmark say it. A glance found a gift bag that kind of matched it and some tissue paper to 'stuff' the bag with. The bags were a boon to people like himself. He disliked wrapping things and the bags eliminated that particular chore quite nicely. He reached the pier in plenty of time to catch the ferry back to the island. He'd even had time to add a couple of books to his purchases. Somehow, he never missed the entertainments of the mainland. Hope Island lived at its own pace and went its own way and, amazingly, his seemed to match it perfectly.
 

Callie bustled into the paper office. She had a story to get written and a paper to put out. The sight of the small, colorful gift bag stopped her in her tracks. What? Where had this come from? It wasn't her birthday. Who would give her a present when it wasn't her birthday? She approached the bag slowly. Spotting the cream envelope sticking up out of it, she pulled it out and opened it. Reading it brought a smile to her lips and she blinked back the moisture that built in her eyes.

The Lord has blessed me with many things since my arrival on Hope. This island was well named for her people offer Hope , Grace and Love even unto a stranger. You welcomed me into your midst, gave me a place in the community and in your hearts. I feel for perhaps the first time in my life that I truly belong .

Among the greatest blessings I have received is your friendship. Thank you is not enough, Callie, but I will say it anyway.

Thank you,
Daniel