Forever After (9 page)

She’d made a colossal mistake. She had to go someplace—away from here—where she could think things through.

She changed into clean clothes, finger-combed her hair, and grabbed her purse and car keys.

Halfway down the hall to the front door Clarissa intercepted her. “Oh … do you still have boxes to carry in? I thought we got everything.”

“No. We did. I’m just … going out for a while.”

“Out? Don’t you want to get moved in first? I’ll be glad to help if you like. I just thought you might want to be alone while you got settled into your room.”

Into my prison, you mean.
“I’m fine, Clarissa. I won’t be long.”

“Well, I’m making chicken and dumplings for dinner. It’ll probably be ready around six.”

“Oh … Thanks, but don’t count on me for dinner.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you had plans for this evening. Where are you going?”

Smile. Count to ten
… “I’m really not sure.”

Clarissa gave a nervous laugh. “Not sure? Or not telling?”

Jenna pretended to rummage through her purse for some imaginary missing item.

“You know, darling, it’s not like we’re going to monitor your activities every minute, but if you’re going to live here, we’d appreciate it if you’d let us know where you’ll be. I’d feel awful if we assumed you were one place, and instead you’re lying in a ditch somewhere.”

Was the woman
serious
? It took physical effort to keep her jaw from dropping. “I’m going over to Bryn’s.”

“Bryn? Bryn
Hennesey
?” Clarissa’s hand went to her throat as though Jenna had slapped her. “I … I don’t understand.”

“She’s my friend, Clarissa. You may as well know.”

“Friend? You don’t mean that. You wouldn’t do that to us.” Her voice wavered.

“Clarissa, what happened—the fire—was an accident. It could have happened to me, or even you.” She regretted the tone of those last words, but she’d jumped in with both feet, so she may as well start swimming. “Bryn has asked for forgiveness, she’s still serving community service. She’s done everything except bring back the dead, and she’d do that if she could. But she can’t, Clarissa. Nobody can.”

Clarissa gave a little gasp, and Jenna put up a hand in apology but went on. “I’ve chosen to forgive her. If you don’t like that, I’m sorry.”

The color drained from Clarissa’s face. “I cannot believe what I’m hearing.”

“I’m sorry.” Jenna took a step backward toward the door. “I’ll be
back by nine. Or I’ll give you a call if it’s going to be later.” She brushed past Clarissa, feeling like a wayward teenager. But she kept going out the front door. If she stayed one more minute, she’d say something she could never take back.

She threw her purse across to the passenger seat, got behind the wheel, and slammed the door. Easing down the long drive, she managed to keep the car below twenty until she rounded the curve that trailed behind a curtain of evergreens, then she punched the accelerator to the floor.

Did they think she was back in high school? Would they give her a curfew, too? Good grief! This was not at all how she’d pictured life with Zach’s parents. And she was barely moved in.

She navigated the winding avenues of Clairemont Hills and forced herself to calm down before turning onto Main Street in the Falls. She drove by her house—her
former
house—and burst into tears of self-pity. The new owners’ moving truck wouldn’t arrive in the Falls until Monday, but she’d already turned the house keys over to Maggie.

She swung by Bryn’s apartment, but there were no lights in the windows. No doubt she was out with Garrett. After all, it was Saturday night. Date night for most of the civilized world. The tears came faster.

Jenna drove up and down the streets of Hanover Falls, trying to sort things out, trying to think where she could go to get away from the suffocation of her new living arrangements. One thing was sure: she couldn’t go back there. Not until she could lock herself in her room and play possum. She hadn’t thought to check, but it wouldn’t surprise her if there wasn’t even a lock on the guest room door.

The way things were going, Bill and Clarissa would probably give her a lights-out curfew, since from the master bedroom they could no doubt see the light shining under her door.

She laughed at the absurdity of it and gunned the engine. She thought about finding a corner of the public library to hang out in, but the library was closed until Monday.

It was too cold to go to the park and she wasn’t in the mood to see anybody, which ruled out Java Joint or a restaurant.

She reached to turn the heater up a notch and noticed the gas gauge. She was almost on empty. There was a Rhodes station on Fifth Street. She could fill up there.

She pulled under the canopy and started the gas pumping, then got back in the car to stay warm while the tank filled. A knock on the hood made her jump.

She looked up to see Lucas Vermontez laughing at her through the windshield.

Pain shot up his leg, but he shook it off and concentrated on keeping his balance.

10

L
ucas hobbled around to the passenger side door and leaned in to speak to Jenna through her partially open window. “Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to scare you to death.”

She gave a nervous laugh and rolled the window the rest of the way down. “I didn’t see you coming.”

He’d been surprised to spot her pumping gas next to where he was filling his truck. “So did you get all moved in?”

“Just finished.” She turned to look past him at the gas pump racking up the gallons. Neon lights from the gas station canopy illumined traces of tears that had worn a trail down her cheeks. All was not well with Jenna Morgan’s world. He felt like a jerk scaring her the way he had.

“Everything okay?”

She looked at him as if to gauge whether he really meant it. Apparently he looked sincere because she sighed and put a hand to her forehead. “Actually, I could use a friend right now.”

“You want to move that coffee date up a couple days to … say, right now?”

She rewarded him with a smile. “I’d love that.”

The gas pump clicked off and Jenna started to climb out of the car. He put a hand on her door. “I got it. I’ll just follow you to Java Joint, okay?”

He hung up the hose, gave the gas cap a final twist, and popped the lid shut. The acrid odor of gasoline stung his nostrils. On the other side of the island, a car pulled in behind Lucas’s truck and the driver tooted his horn. Lucas held up a hand, motioning for the guy to be patient. Navigating the maze of concrete back to his pickup, he did his best to hide his limp, praying with every step that he didn’t trip and fall on his face in front of her.

He followed her to the coffee shop, but as they turned into the parking lot, he saw the sign on the door. Closed. Pulling into the parking space beside her, he motioned her over.

She climbed out of her Volvo and he leaned across the bench seat. He unlocked his passenger door and popped the handle.

“Climb in.” He patted the seat. “Want to drive through the Dairy Bar for something?”

“Sure.” She climbed up into the truck and slammed the door behind her.

He backed out and headed west on Main Street, energized at the way things had turned out. Behind the wheel of his pickup he felt blessedly normal. Here he didn’t limp, didn’t hobble, didn’t get the sympathy nods he’d grown accustomed to. And here the hated cane could stay hidden away on the floor beneath his seat.

They ordered hot chocolates, and Lucas drove slowly down the main drag of Hanover Falls, trying not to feel like a high schooler on his first date. “So talk to me. Was it harder than you thought to leave your house?”

She shrugged. “It’s not that so much as—” In the seat beside her, Jenna’s purse started ringing.

She cringed. “Sorry. Hang on a second.” Balancing her drink, she retrieved her phone and slid it open. “Hey, B. What’s up?”

She listened for a minute, frowning. “Oh, I’m so sorry. When did it happen?”

After another minute of listening, she threw Lucas an apology with her eyes. “Um … sure. I don’t mind. I can look in on him. Does it need to be tonight?”

He couldn’t make out the other end of the brief conversation, but judging by her expression, it was bad news.

She closed the phone and slipped it back in her purse.

“Is everything okay?”

“Bryn’s dad is in the ER. They’re having trouble getting his blood pressure regulated and they want to admit him. She’s going to stay with him overnight. She wants me to check on her dog—oh, hey!” Her eyes lit. “It’s Sparky. Remember? The one with the nose? You wouldn’t want to go with me, would you? It’d be a chance to meet him and see if you think they might be able to use him at the station.”

“Sure.” He wasn’t crazy about going to see a dog, but he grabbed at a chance to have some unexpected time with her. And maybe the kick in the pants he needed to go talk to Chief Brennan.

“We don’t have to. I can go later tonight.” She must have misread his hesitance.

“No, I don’t mind. Like you said, it’s a chance to check out the dog.”

“Oh, good.” She sighed over a sheepish grin. “I—I’m not exactly a dog person either. They make me a little nervous, to tell you the truth.”

“Really? You’re scared of dogs? This one, or all dogs?”

“
Most
dogs. Big dogs for sure. Sparky’s not mean or anything. I don’t know why … he just makes me nervous.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be your bodyguard.”

She giggled. “Thanks.”

“Is he at Bryn’s place?”

She nodded and gave him directions. He navigated the streets of the Falls to the apartment, praying Bryn lived on the ground floor. Steps
were still a challenge, and the last thing he wanted tonight was Jenna’s sympathy.

His prayers were answered, and a few minutes later she retrieved the key from Bryn’s hiding place under the eaves and unlocked the door to a barrage of barking.

When Jenna flipped on the lights, a large black Labrador came bounding down the hallway, tail wagging like crazy. Lucas braced for the dog’s enthusiastic greeting, but Jenna screamed and scrambled behind him. He shielded her from the dog, but she clutched the back of his jacket as if it were a life preserver.

He grabbed for the wall to regain his balance. She kept her death grip on his jacket and he started laughing. “It’s okay … I’ve got him.”

He felt his jacket go slack and turned to face Jenna, still laughing. But the genuine fear in her eyes wiped the smile off his face. “Hey. It’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you. He’s just glad to see us. Hey, boy, it’s okay.” He reached to place a hand on the dog’s head. “He is a boy, right?”

Jenna let go of his arm and took a measured breath, keeping one eye on the dog. “Yes. He’s a he.”

“Here, let him smell your hand.” He demonstrated, offering the back of his hand for the dog to sniff. “If you hold your hand like this, it lets the dog know you’re not threatening it.”

He leaned his cane against the wall and crouched in front of the dog, placing his palm on the floor for support. Pain shot up his leg, but he shook it off and concentrated on keeping his balance. Slowly he stroked the sleek black fur, then gently took Jenna’s hand and flattened her palm between his and replaced his hand with hers on Sparky’s head. She kept her palm flat and stroked from forehead to neck. She seemed to breathe easier now.

“Talk to him in a soothing voice. That lets him know you’re a friend. Right, boy?” He patted the dog’s flanks.

“Hey, Sparky,” she crooned, her voice warbly. “You hungry, boy? You wouldn’t eat
me
, would you, buddy?”

Lucas let himself laugh at that. At the sound, Sparky looked up at Jenna and cocked his head, a quizzical expression in his round, golden eyes. Lucas scratched him behind one silky ear and turned to Jenna, smiling. “See? He likes you.”

She looked sheepish. “Sorry about that. I honestly don’t know what I’d have done if you weren’t here. That dog might just be going hungry.”

“In that case, he just
might
eat somebody. And by the way, I was only kidding when I said I’d be your bodyguard. I didn’t think you’d take take it literally.”

She laughed and ducked her head, blushing. “I’m really sorry.”

“Just teasing. You would have been fine. He wasn’t going to hurt you. What’s the deal? You get bit once or something?”

“No.” She shrugged and turned back to Sparky, petting him tentatively. He sensed she wanted to change the subject.

His leg was tightening up on him. If he didn’t get his weight off of it soon, she might be the one rescuing him. He reached for his cane and hoisted himself to his feet, disguising a grimace as a smile. “So you just need to feed him?”

“And let him out, but Jenna said he’s quick. It won’t take but a minute.” She unlocked the back door and the dog made a beeline for it.

“I’ll go get him some fresh water.” She hurried to the kitchen and he followed.

Jenna gestured toward the closet at one end of the small kitchen. “Bryn said his food is in the broom closet. Do you mind looking?”

“Sure.” He found the large bag of kibble and filled the measuring cup inside the bag.

A minute later they heard a bark at the door. Jenna opened it, putting the door between her and the dog.

Sparky went straight for the bowl of dog food. He ate a few bites, then looked up at Lucas and nuzzled his knee.

Jenna grinned. “I think he wants to go home with you.”

Lucas felt an instant affection for the dog—the girl, too, but he
dismissed that thought as quickly as it came. Sparky was a beautiful animal and he’d seemed to take a liking to Lucas, too. The thought of having a companion in the empty house after Ma and Geoff moved to Springfield was comforting—Lucky wasn’t much company. “So, Bryn’s definitely looking for someone to take him?”

“I’m sure she is now, with her dad in the hospital. Are you considering it?”

The eagerness in her eyes made him laugh again. “Wasn’t that the whole point of dragging me over here?”

“Guilty as charged.” She cringed, but her tone turned playful. “Just so you know, I didn’t put Bryn up to that phone call. That really wasn’t part of the plan to manip—”