Forever After (35 page)

Jenna had been in a fog ever since she’d left Springfield Saturday night.

40

Monday, February 16

O
h, Jen, I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Me, too.” Jenna hugged Bryn tight, but she laughed through her tears. “Somehow I think you’d trade me in a heartbeat for the roommate you’re getting in exchange.” She winked at Garrett, who stood with a moving box on his shoulder awaiting her instructions. “That can go in the trunk.”

“Got it.” He gave a mock salute, hefted another box under his other arm, and headed out the door.

“Thanks, Garrett,” she called after him. “He’s a keeper, B.”

Bryn beamed. “You don’t have to tell me that.”

Jenna looked around the apartment that had been her home for almost three months.

“Is that everything?” Bryn followed her gaze around the room. “Man, it’s starting to look really empty in here.”

“You’re probably happy to have the space back.”

“Only because it’s that much less stuff we have to move out Thursday. Garrett doesn’t have much room at his place—I mean
our
place—and Dad will croak when he sees the mountain of boxes I’m taking out there.”

“How is your dad? I haven’t heard for a while.”

“Better, I think. He seems a little stronger every day, but this winter’s been hard on him. I’ll be glad when it warms up and he can get outside some.”

Jenna would be glad when it warmed up, too, because that would mean it was almost time for Luc to come home.

“Tell your dad I’m thinking of him, B. And thanks again for everything. I can never thank you enough for taking me in and—”

“Forget it, Jen. You’d do the same for me in a heartbeat.”

“Well, I hope you never need the kind of help you gave me, but if you do …” She swallowed back tears and reached to hug Bryn again.

Jenna had been in a fog ever since she’d left Springfield Saturday night. Her brain was on overload between the move, the new developments in her relationship with Lucas, and most of all, the new development in her relationship with God.

She still choked up every time she remembered that simple moment in the car on the way home from Springfield. In some mysterious way she didn’t quite grasp yet, she had met God face-to-face.

There’d been no drama, nothing outward that anyone could see. But inside she felt pure and clean and
right.
The closest thing she could compare the experience to was the way she’d felt the day she’d chosen to forgive Bryn. Except now she understood the source of her peace. Forever after she would look back on the instant she’d believed and know that in that moment she had been changed—profoundly and forever—and she would never go back.

She’d shared a little with Bryn and been rewarded as if she’d done something Pulitzer-worthy. But she felt the need to hold things close to her heart for a while as she tried to understand and sort out everything that had happened inside her.

There was one other person she knew would understand. And she could hardly wait to tell him.

Thursday, March 12

C
ut it out, Lucky!” Jenna put down her calculator and pushed the pesky cat off her lap, but not before she gave his head a good scratching. She might have to get herself a cat if she found a place that allowed pets.

The television droned in the background, but she tuned the babbling out, looking over the bank statements spread across the dining room table. She’d spent the last hour trying to get her checkbook to balance. Still, she never thought she’d see the day when she’d find it so utterly rewarding to watch her balance grow, penny by penny.

She’d been at the Vermontez house for over two weeks now, and already it felt like home. But she’d promised herself she wouldn’t get too settled there. She felt guilty enough about how long she’d sponged off Bryn.

“Oh, God,” she whispered. “I’m not asking to be rich, but please let me be able to pay Bryn back someday.” She smiled to herself, thinking how natural these little conversations with God had become over the last month.

She’d been watching the papers and talking to Maggie at the real estate office. There was a two-bedroom apartment—much like Bryn’s—available, but even with the two thousand dollars she’d made from selling some furniture, she knew she’d be better off with a smaller place and a lower price tag. She’d even thought about calling Garrett to see if that trailer out in the country was still available. But it hadn’t been in the classifieds since last week, and she was content to let it go at that.
Baby steps, Jenna. Baby steps.

She glanced up at the clock. Emily had said she’d stop by sometime today to pick up a few things she wanted for the house in Springfield. Jenna had cleaned the house from top to bottom yesterday and tidied the kitchen again after breakfast. She’d even spent several evenings raking the flower beds in the beautiful garden in back, wanting to prove to Emily—and to Lucas—that she was taking good care of the place, that she didn’t take the gift lightly. She hoped Emily would get there before she had to go to work.

She finished reconciling her checkbook, then pulled up the spreadsheet where she was keeping track of her eBay and craigslist sales. She’d sold several of the larger pieces of furniture and a lot of the fancy decorating pieces. She got a fraction of the price she’d paid, but that wasn’t the point. She was just happy to be paying off some bills and socking a little away in savings.

She added up her earnings again, absently sliding her goldfish charm on its chain. She looked down at the necklace. Maybe she should sell her jewelry. She’d gotten some nice pieces as gifts from Zach and his parents. She had no idea what this necklace was worth, but it was real gold. Clarissa had made sure she knew that.

Her wedding set would probably bring several thousand. She didn’t wear it anymore. It was just sitting in a dresser drawer in the tiny jeweler’s box. Would it be wrong to sell it? Maybe she should offer it to Clarissa first. But what kind of message would that send?

Yes, she was ready to move on. Luc made that an easy decision. But she didn’t need to throw it in Clarissa and Bill’s faces. The Morgans had seemed to be making an effort to be friendlier, to include her in their lives again ever since that day she and Luc had gone to Clairemont Hills to move her things.

Luc.
How she missed him.

She and Luc had spoken—or communicated was more accurate—almost daily. They’d talked on the phone a few times since the wedding,
but several times a day they shot text messages back and forth or wrote longer e-mails when texting just didn’t cut it.

Jenna was starting to believe Lucas was right when he’d declared that his time away in Tulsa was an answer to prayer. In some ways she felt she’d gotten to know him so much better long distance than she had when they were face-to-face. And while Lucas claimed the distance kept them from temptation, she hadn’t admitted to him that she was plenty tempted to dream about those kisses they’d shared and wish that there might be more in the future. He’d been so sweet to her when they were together at Emily’s wedding.

She heard the lid on the mailbox slam and went out to collect the mail. She’d had her mail forwarded here, not knowing what else to do after Bryn’s lease was up. But most days the mailbox yielded only Vermontez mail—usually junk mail, but she saved everything in a box for Emily.

She flipped through today’s offering of catalogs and credit card offers, smiling when she came to an envelope bearing a Tulsa postmark—and addressed to her.

It looked like a greeting card. She slipped her finger under the flap and pulled out a card and a photograph. Lucas and Sparky standing in front of the training center, both looking serious and posed. She laughed out loud, her heart warming.

She turned over the card. It was a formal-looking invitation to graduation ceremonies for Lucas Vermontez and Sparky, on Saturday, March 21, at two o’clock in the afternoon. The first day of spring—a day she’d dreaded and anticipated equally. The former because it meant she’d have to be gone from this house. The latter because it meant Luc would be coming back to the Falls.

An image of Lucas and Sparky in tasseled graduation caps made her giggle. She wouldn’t miss that event for the world.

She made a note to check her schedule at Hanson’s and ask Mr. Iverson for the day off.

For one awful moment it struck him that maybe she was moving away from the Falls.

41

Saturday, March 21

L
ucas Vermontez … and Sparky.”

Lucas clicked his tongue at Sparky, took a deep breath, and walked across the stage. He’d expected to feel a little silly walking in front of an audience to receive a diploma for a dog, but the announcer had added a humorous touch to the ceremony, and the crowd was eating it up.

They’d impressed everyone earlier in the day with an exhibition, showing off the skills the dogs and their handlers had learned during the past six weeks. Sparky had performed flawlessly, and Lucas couldn’t imagine feeling much prouder if the dog had been his own son.

He took the certificate Wyatt offered, shook his hand, then turned to pose for the professional photographer as they’d been instructed. Stepping off the stage, he caught Jenna’s eye and mirrored her ear-to-ear grin. He hadn’t seen the woman for five weeks, and it was all he could do to let a look at her suffice.

Finally the diplomas and awards had all been given out, and the
handlers were dismissed to kennel their dogs while the audience was ushered to the back of the room for refreshments. When Lucas got back to the reception, Jenna was laughing and talking with his sisters and Ma. She fit right in.

They had cake and punch and he introduced them to a few of the guys he’d gotten to know so well over the past six weeks.

A few minutes later he realized Geoff was missing.

He turned to Ma. “Where’d Geoff go?”

“He went to bring the car around. I wish we could stay and take you guys out to dinner, but Geoff is speaking at early chapel tomorrow, so we need to get on the road.”

He leaned to give her a hug. “I understand. I’m glad you guys could come.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it.” She tightened her arm around his waist. “I wish your dad could have been here today. He would have been so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Ma.” The only thing that could have made this day better would have been having Pop there. “Tell Abi and Baba I’ll come visit them on my way back to the Falls. It’ll probably be Wednesday or Thursday before I get everything tied up here.”

Victoria and Gina were following Geoff and Ma home and staying in Springfield for the night, so Lucas gave his sisters the obligatory punches before drawing them into genuine hugs. “You guys be careful on the road. They’re saying it’s supposed to get cold tonight. Maybe below freezing. It could get icy.”

Victoria rolled her eyes. “Great. There goes our spring break.”

“I told you, you could spend it in Tulsa with me,” he teased.

“Thanks anyway, big bro, but I think I’ll pass.”

“Yeah, me too,” Gina said, ducking out of reach before he could ruffle her hair.

Much as he loved his family, and happy as he was that they’d come all this way to see him complete the program, he was eager for them to
get on the road so he could have a little time alone with Jenna. She had to go back tonight, too, but he’d talked her into staying long enough to go out to dinner with him.

I
have some news for you.” Jenna’s eyes sparkled and Lucas was instantly curious.

She wiped her mouth on the cloth napkin and put down her fork. They’d decided on dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and were sharing the famous meatloaf plate, anticipating large slices of cheesecake later.

“I found a place to rent,” she said.

“You did! I wondered about that. Ma said you were planning to be out of the house by Monday, but you’ve been all mysterious about it every time I asked. So have you moved yet? Tell me about it.”

He waited. She took a sip of her water and swallowed hard. She seemed to be having trouble forming her words. For one awful moment it struck him that maybe she was moving away from the Falls.