The Charlotte Inn Love Story
Destiny Doesn't Come To You You Must Go For It
I believe that each of us has a destiny. It's like our DNA. It's there. We're born with it.
But I also believe that God has allowed you to have your hands on the steering wheel most of the way through life you can go too fast too slow or recklessly drive off a cliff and never reach your intended destiny.
In my motivational speaking engagements I frequently hear myself repeating this premise: "You cannot sit on your baggage, beside the road, waiting for your destiny to come to you. You must get up, get going, and leave your baggage behind. Go for what you believe to be YOUR destiny, and look for all the signposts along the way the godwinks that are the messages of reassurance that you're on the right path."
Think about the outcome if the principals in the story that follows, had not "gone for" what they believed to be their destiny.
Paula & Gary: The Innkeeper's Perfect Pursuit
Paula was twenty-nine. She was the oldest daughter of a fine family from the tranquil suburbs of St. Louis; was schooled as a registered nurse; and, subsequently met the man she would marry. In her wedding photos, she was a strikingly beautiful blond bride. Everything seemed perfect.
It was not.
The groom was a good man, but not a good husband for Paula. He was a man's man, the kind of guy who places higher priority on all-male golf outings and hanging out with the guys after work instead of nurturing his relationship with his wife.
Paula's dreams of finding Prince Charming diminished, as the marriage dissolved.
She put her attention on another long-held dream owning a gift shop and concluded that she could combine her career ambitions with summer vacation plans: someone referred her to a gift market wholesaler in Boston who could help her get set-up in business, and she could schedule that meeting on her way home from her annual get-together with an old friend, Mary Jane, who had a home on the island of Nantucket, off the coast of Massachusetts.
Gary Conover was a dreamer the kind who was sent home from school as a kid with a note that said he was a dreamer but made it sound like a bad word. Yet, when Gary put his mind to something, he pursued it. He finished it. And he did right.
At the age of eleven, Gary surprised his parents when they saw what he'd done to his room: he'd redecorated and repainted it to look like a suite in an upscale inn.
He spent several post-schooling years as an insurance salesman in Philadelphia, met and married the girl of his dreams he thought and moved to the island of Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Cape Cod, fifteen miles from Nantucket. He and his wife opened a small art shop in Edgartown, Massachusetts the Vineyard's oldest, most quaint community and began selling the works of local artists.
One of those, Ray Ellis, became one of the most prolific and famous artists in the country, further underscoring Gary's keen eye for things beautiful.
Always a visionary and a doer, Gary spotted a woefully dilapidated inn near the center of town that he envisioned could become both an inn and a more sizable art shop. He bought it, and commenced painstakingly authentic restoration to evolve a wonderfully charming old structure. It opened in 1972 as the newly renovated Charlotte Inn.
Gary and his wife had two handsome young boys. To outside observers perceiving that the Conovers were growing a model nuclear family while growing a business on Martha's Vineyard, everything was perfect.
It was not.
The marriage was never a perfect fit. They were like two pieces of that jigsaw puzzle who had jammed themselves together in a hopeful quest that, one day, they would somehow magically fit together but never did.
The marriage dissolved.
Gary continued to work hard at running and expanding the inn. Over time, he began dating again. And to many fair ladies, he was the catch of catches: handsome, successful, and the owner of a charming inn on Martha's Vineyard, one of America's most desired destinations.
He believed in "perfect." His determination to achieve perfection in the presentation and accommodations of his inn was becoming legendary among leisure industry colleagues and the community.
But without perfect love, life was not perfect.
Paula traveled from St. Louis to Nantucket by plane, connecting through Boston.
It was always good to see her old friend Mary Jane, who met her at the small island airport. They planned to spend three days on Nantucket, and then to do something they had talked about doing for three years running but never got around to: take a day-trip to Martha's Vineyard.
On the morning they were to leave for Martha's Vineyard, Mary Jean was called into work at the last minute, yet insisted that Paula should go on to the Vineyard without her.
"No…I'll just wait 'til next year," said Paula.
"I insist," said Mary Jean. "I'll be good for you. And you must see Edgartown."
Mary Jean drove her to the Nantucket airport only to find that no flights were departing. The airport was fogged in. But, before going back to Mary Jean's house, they decided to have breakfast at the airport coffee shop.
Gary Conover asked his son if he could borrow his car. It would be more fun, he thought, to drive his date to the Martha's Vineyard airport in a sports car. He needed to get her there for a 10 a.m. plane to Boston.
As Paula and Mary Jean finished breakfast, they received word that the fog had lifted. Paula's plane was leaving right away. Rushing to the gate, Mary Jean promised to pick Paula up went she returned to Nantucket later in the day.
"Have fun," she commanded, smiling and waving as Paula boarded the small plane.
When Paula arrived at Martha's Vineyard there were no cabs. She asked a man how to get to Edgartown.
"Well, because of the fog, cabs weren't waitin' around," drawled the man in a New England accent. Then lifting a nearby casement window, he shouted to a fellow standing beside his car outside the little terminal.
"Gary! Can you give this girl a ride to town?"
Turning back to Paula, he explained that on the island, people help each other out: "He's Gary Conover, an innkeeper in Edgartown."
Paula took one look at the handsome man dressed in khakis and a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, standing next to a white Corvette convertible. "I could do worse," she quipped in her mind.
Introductions made, Gary said he would be glad to give Paula a lift he was just seeing a friend off on the same plane that Paula had arrived on. (It was determined some time later, that, by coincidence, the lady friend Gary was seeing off, would take the exact same seat as the one Paula sat in, to arrive.)
As Gary chatted with Paula about Edgartown and Martha's Vineyard, exuding pride for the island, he became more and more captivated by her. He enjoyed her interest in his art shop and inn, and invited her for a ride in his Boston Whaler, a classic looking boat, over to the Chappy Beach Club on adjacent Chappaquidick Island. After an afternoon tour of the shops and narrow streets of Edgartown, Gary invited Paula to see The Charlotte Inn.
Paula was impressed! "I could live in a place like this," she said with awe.
"Why don't you stay over, we have rooms available," said Gary. "I could show you up-island tomorrow. You should see the beautiful red clay cliffs of Gay Head."
"No…no. I have to be back in Nantucket tonight," said Paula. "My friend is meeting me at the airport."
"You could go back tomorrow," pressed Gary.
"No…no…I couldn't"
"You know, we have fog in the evening this time of year," said Gary, "Let me check the airport."
Gary returned.
"Too bad," he said, almost smiling, "The airport is fogged in."
His heart had leaped when he'd called the airport to hear, "Sorry. All planes are grounded. A fog front has just come in."
As Paula examined the décor in her room, marveling at the detail that had gone into the selection and placement of every single item, mostly valuable antiques, she had a growing appreciation for the talents of the man whose path she had been placed into by the godwink of fog. She reflected on the day's non-stop conversation. How easy it was. How interested he was in what she had to say, her opinions. And…he seemed to like her sense of humor, too.
Through the years Gary Conover had developed a keen eye for the finer, beautiful things in life. He had spent years looking at paintings, at fine antiques, and other rare valuables. Long ago he had learned that when you see something of exceptional value, you must go for it. Doggedly. Don't wait. It may not be there when you come back.
Paula was neither a magnificent painting nor priceless jewel but she was a beautiful human being a beautiful woman, in whose company, and by whose easy conversation, he had been captivated for an entire day. From the moment that divinely engineered timing had placed him at the perfect place, at the perfect time waiting outside the airport he was in love.
Paula called her friend Mary Jean on Nantucket. "We're fogged in. I have to stay the night," she said disappointedly, hoping it didn't sound transparent.
"Funny…it's clear as a bell here," exclaimed Mary Jean.
The next day Gary convinced Paula to remain on Martha's Vineyard for the whole day, and by mid-afternoon was again pressing her to stay "just one more day."
"No…no…I have to go," she protested. "I don't want to, but I have to."
She explained that she had to gather her baggage in Nantucket, and then to depart for her meeting with the gift wholesaler in Boston the following morning.
Sadly, Gary drove her to the airport. Seeing Paula's plane lift into the sky gave him a deeper feeling of loss than he had ever before experienced. He stood riveted, trying to keep the small plane in focus for as long as he could, until it disappeared into the clouds.
Paula arrived at her appointment in Boston the next morning, greeting Tony the gift-market-wholesaler, quickly explaining her plan to start a gift shop back in St. Louis. He offered that they could talk in the office or, seeing it was lunchtime, they could continue to talk over lunch. He suggested a restaurant, but on the way out of the building, decided to take her to a different one.
At some point during lunch, the waitress came to the table and asked if her name was Paula.
"Yes," she replied, puzzled.
"There's a phone call for you."
"Did you tell anyone where we were going for lunch?" Paula quizzically asked Tony, as she got up to go to the phone.
Tony shook his head.
"Hi Paula, this is Gary," said the voice on the phone.
"How…how in the world did you track me down??" gasped Paula.
Gary explained that he had been doing some detective work all morning long, checking one wholesaler after another, until he reached the desk of one secretary who confirmed that her boss was having lunch with a pretty blonde lady, and may have taken her to one of several restaurants. He kept calling until he reached the right one.
Gary then began his entreaties to Paula that instead of returning to St. Louis, she should come back to Martha's Vineyard.
"No…no…I can't," said Paula, wearing an astonished smile. "I really must go back home…I have dogs…I have commitments I need to keep…"
Eventually convincing Gary that she had to stay the course, and, that she really had to get back to her meeting, she returned to the table, apologetically explaining what had happened.
Paula rushed to the airport in order to catch her late afternoon flight to St. Louis. Arriving at the gate just a few minutes before departure, she joined the line of people who were boarding. Something caught her attention. It was her name being spoken. She turned. The loudspeaker was saying her name, and telling her to pick up a courtesy phone. Fortunately, there was one right there on the wall next to where she was standing.
"Hi Paula, it's Gary."
Breathless with surprise, and buoyant from his charm, Paula found herself repeating an all-too-familiar phrase: "No…no…I can't. I really do have to go back."
"Come back to Martha's Vineyard, just for the rest of the week," implored Gary. He explained that he had been calling the airport every ten minutes, telling them it was an emergency, and he had to reach her.
The man at the door of the plane was signaling Paula. All the other passengers had boarded the plane. "Are you coming?" he mouthed to her.
"Yes, just a minute," she mouthed back.
"You could catch another plane right back to the Vineyard," continued Gary.
"No…no…."
"Are you coming, ma'am or not?" the flight attendant was now insisting, having walked over to her, placing his face within inches of hers.
Paula paused. Perhaps a second. Maybe a millisecond.
"No. I am not coming!" she stated firmly to the flight attendant.
Joy leaped within Gary's chest. "Here's what you do," he excitedly instructed, "Find your way to Butler Aviation those are private airplanes there will be a plane there for you in forty-five minutes."
In forty-five minutes a chartered plane rolled to the Butler hanger. Paula expected to see a pilot deplane. Instead, she felt a tingle as she saw Gary Conover climb down. He hugged Paula, and helped her climb into the plane, heading back to Martha's Vineyard.
For three days, Gary and Paula talked. They spoke, with certainty, that they were meant for each other. That powerful unseen forces were executing a design for their lives that was truly meant to be.
"How much time do you need to wrap things up in St. Louis?" asked Gary.
"Two weeks," replied Paula.
"How about one," smiled Gary.
During that one week that she was reconstructing her entire life pulling up every thread of connection she had in St. Louis, to move to an island off the coast of Massachusetts Gary telephoned, several times every day.
When Paula over-packed her car for the drive to Massachusetts and had no room for her dog carriers, she broke down crying.
The phone rang. It was Gary.
"I don't have any room for my little dogs," she cried, "I don't know what to do. I have to bring them with me."
"Don't worry about a thing," said Gary, calmly. "Do you have someone who can take the dogs just for tonight?"
"Yes…" she said, softly holding back sniffles.
"Here's what you do. Take your dogs to your friend. Drive your car to the airport. Leave the car with valet parking. Tell them that a man named Kincade will pick it up tomorrow. Go to the ticket counter. There are pre-paid tickets there for you."
Gary explained that he would send one of his workers to St. Louis the next day, have him pick up the car, pick up the dogs, and drive Paula's car back to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and catch the car-ferry to Martha's Vineyard.
A few months later….
Like a romantic Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn movie where the fog lifts, the music swells, and two soul mates embrace, Gary and Paula came together as husband and wife in a small ceremony at one of the most idyllic spots on earth: the private quarters of their very own Charlotte Inn on Martha's Vineyard. As the bride and groom looked through charming small-paned windows, into a magnificent English garden, traces of mist began to emerge a reminder that the divine maker of all things perfect, is the author of perfect love. He is also the creator of perfectly timed fog as godwinks.
Today, Paula looks back upon her decision with clarity: "I knew the moment I spoke those words to the flight attendant 'No, I'm not coming' that I was not just curtailing a trip to St. Louis. I was making a much bigger decision the right one for the rest of my life."
"It's amazing," says Gary, reflecting on twenty-two years of happy marriage, "In twenty-two years we've never had a single argument. We're together, running the inn, almost every moment of every day. Yet, when she goes to the grocery store I miss her."
The Difference Between Determination And Desperation
Gary Conover was never desperate in going after what he believed to be his perfect mate. But, once he saw her, and sensed that "she was the one," he was determined.
What can you learn from that?
When you pursue someone desperately, you give off scary signals to the other person. But, when you are determined, you admirably demonstrate that you know what you want and you're going for it.
It's a fine line, I know.
SQuire Rushnell is the bestselling author of the word-of-mouth phenomena When GOD Winks: How The Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life (Simon & Schuster 2002), When GOD Winks On Love (Simon & Schuster 2004), and When GOD Winks At You, (Thomas Nelson 2006). He is under contract to deliver three additional books to Thomas Nelson commencing in early 2009 with When GOD Winks on New Beginnings targeted to those seeking a fresh start in life. Rushnell's most recent book is Couples Who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman (Thomas Nelson 2008) co-authored with his wife, comedic-impressionist and TV host Louise DuArt.
GODWINK STORIES™ will be shown on the Fox/NBC owned Hulu beginning in March 2009. If you have your own God Wink story you would like to share with SQuire visit his web site at www.whengodwinks.com.
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