Best not to think about that. “It’s not like she eats one of these every day.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Do you?”
He shrugged and dipped a few fries into the ketchup. “Only when I go past the drive through on the highway.” Zach winked and popped the fries into his mouth.
The expression on her face turned even more hostile, though he wouldn’t have thought it possible. What was her problem? The girl needed to learn to live a little.
Jo marched around the foot of the bed and leaned over Grandma’s shoulder. “Here, Mrs. Humbert. Let me take that away. If you’re hungry, I’ll bring you some yogurt and berries. Doesn’t that sound yummy?” Jo started folding the wrapper up over the burger one-handed, but Grandma’s hand was in the way.
“I want some more of this, please.” Grandma turned her face up at Jo, confusion clouding her features.
Jo smiled at Grandma, but persisted in trying to move her hand.
Zach snaked out his own and caught Jo’s wrist. “Leave her.”
She glared at him. “I’m just doing my job.”
“No, you’re not. You’re harassing an old lady. I brought her something I know she likes, and I’d thank you for leaving her to enjoy it in peace.”
“It’s bad for her. Don’t you value her health?”
Grandma snuck another piece of bacon to her mouth, and Jo didn’t seem to notice. Zach tried to squelch the humor from his eyes before looking back at Jo. “I value all of her. More than you do. She’s very important to me.”
Jo yanked her arm out of Zach’s grasp as though she just noticed he held it. “Didn’t she teach you to be upright and ethical?”
Zach leaned back in his chair, matching her stare. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He reached for more fries, just to infuriate her.
“Do you know how those cows are treated?” She pointed at the burger.
He swallowed the bite. “What cows?”
“The ones they make the burgers out of. The chickens they make nuggets out of.”
“Jo, they’re animals. They’re grown to become food.” He reached for more.
“They have feelings, too. You’re a vet. You know when an animal is in pain.”
Great. A bleeding heart. “I had beef at your house.” Though he’d suspected all he’d get was tofu.
“That’s different.”
Nice try. “How so?”
“We only buy meat that’s been ethically raised. We’re not going to support the feed lots and slaughter houses that feed animals their own waste and animal byproducts and newspapers and…other things herbivores were never meant to eat.” Jo’s hands clenched tight on her clipboard and her chin stuck a bit in the air. Tears welled on the tips of her eyelashes—her very long eyelashes. She tightened her lips, looking like a pouty little kid.
Why put himself through this? Zach took another bite of his burger before he said something he’d regret. Only…what was to regret? Any fantasies he’d been harboring about this, this woman, this high-and-mighty environmentalist, had been nothing but idiocy on his part. He should have known. Should’ve seen the warning signs. What had she done to really welcome him? Nothing. She’d only tried to change him every chance she got. “So, let me get this straight. You’re taking already prepared food from an old lady? Because of some dream ethic?”
“It’s not a dream. It’s my life. The way I’ve chosen to live it.”
Zach took a long pull on his cola and hardened his emotions. “The way you’re trying to force it on others, you mean. What if it’s not how I envision my future?”
For an instant a vulnerable child shone from Jo’s eyes. Then the flame returned. “Then—”
He surged to his feet. “You know what’s wrong with you? You think you’re the only one that’s right. You think that if people don’t do or believe the way you do, then they’re evil. Maybe God is even reserving a special place in hell for people who are environmental rebels. Well, you know what?” Oh, man, where was his mouth going? His brain wasn’t even keeping up. “Life is more than black and white. So you don’t like my food choices. Does that mean any recycling I do has no value? Nothing I do to help people or animals? What about your garden? I helped with that, didn’t I? Wasn’t that a good deed?”
Jo’s eyes widened, and her lips parted.
He should kiss her.
Zach pulled back. No way. Not going there again. Ever.
He shoved the last of the burger in his mouth, stuffed the remainder of the fries into the brown bag, and rolled down the top.
“Zach, I—”
“Never mind. I know where I stand. I’m not good enough for you. Never have been, never will be.”
Jo shot a wild glance at the feast still spread out in front of Grandma then back at him. He locked gazes with her, daring her to make another attempt to deny Grandma her treat.
“I’ll be back later.” She pivoted and headed for the door.
“Who is that young lady, John? Is she married? She’d make someone a nice wife.”
Time held still and Jo’s shoes seemed glued to the floor for an instant before she launched out of the room.
**
Jo slammed her office door and sank down on her swivel chair. She pressed her forehead against the cold metal desk. The pounding in her head and heart might outdo her arm. She should’ve taken the care home’s offer of a few more days off to recuperate. Then she wouldn’t have witnessed that disgusting junk food. Wouldn’t have had to fight with Zach over it.
Was that really how he saw her? As some sort of self-righteous agenda-driven prig? Her own words replayed in her mind. Sure, she’d only said what she believed, but somehow it didn’t sound so appealing the second, third, or fourth time she rewound it.
Still, what kind of steward of God’s nature would she be if she abandoned it all for the love of a man? As though she could get that back. No, he’d go running off to find solace in Sierra, who at least managed to keep her tongue in her head instead of spouting off in public.
Congratulations, Josephine.
Her heart ached. That one kiss had held so much promise, even if she’d been angry with him at the time. Back then he’d wanted to please her. He’d been gentle and pleasant company every time he’d visited the hospital. Had she judged him wrongly?
The stench of greasy, salty fries and a congealing burger still roiled her stomach. No, there was no potential with Zachary Nemesek. Any guy worth planning a future with needed to see the true Josephine Shaw and like her anyway. Love her. Value her. That probably meant she’d be single forever. So be it. At least she’d be true to her calling. She’d been perfectly content before Zach showed up, and she would be again.
The sooner she moved on, the better. She’d get on with life, doing what she knew God had placed her on this Earth to accomplish.
But empty.
Chapter 15
“Hey, Nemesek!”
Zach looked up to see Gabe filling the door of Landing Vet Clinic a few days later. “Hey man.”
Gabe glanced around the waiting room as he moved toward the desk. “You busy? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Because Zach hadn’t felt like talking to anyone. He’d never have guessed that his innards would still be twisted over that fight with Jo.
The waiting room was empty. After all, the sign said they’d closed ten minutes ago, so it wasn’t like he could pretend he had much more to do. “Tidying up here so everything is ready for morning.”
“I’ll wait for you. Want to go out to The Sizzling Skillet for dinner? Best grub in town.”
No, he did not want to, but Gabe was nothing if not persistent. If he didn’t connect with Zach tonight, his friend wouldn’t let up until he had. Zach sighed. “I might be a while.”
“No problem.” Gabe plopped down in one of the chairs and grabbed a magazine from the end table. “I’ve got nowhere else to be.”
“Bethany must be at work.”
Gabe grinned. “Yep. She doesn�
��t get off until seven, and won’t be home until eight.”
“Yeah, I saw her the other day.”
“So she said.” Gabe held Zach’s gaze for a few seconds, then brandished the magazine. “Take as long as you need. Doc Taubin has the best reading material in town, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
A grin forced its way around Zach’s reluctance. “Oh, yeah. Everything on that table has been published in the last decade, I think.”
Gabe peered into the magazine and flipped a few pages. “Shh. I’m just getting into it here.”
Zach shook his head and a laugh bubbled out. “Never mind. Let’s go. I’ll come back later and finish up.” Not that there was really anything that needed doing.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Come on.”
The Sizzling Skillet’s dining room was less than half full. The waitress led Zach and Gabe to a table near the window and handed over menus.
“Is Claire cooking tonight?” Gabe asked.
The waitress shook her head. “No, she works the weekends. But some of the menu items are ones she’s introduced. Can I get you anything to drink while you decide?”
Both men ordered coffee and she hurried away to greet someone else.
“Too bad.” Gabe opened the menu. “Claire’s really shaken up the restaurant fare in this town. She’s one of the gals that lives next door to you, isn’t she?”
Like Gabe didn’t know the answer to that. “Yes.”
“Right.” Gabe scanned the menu and his eyes lit up. “Oh, that looks like one of hers. What are you having?”
Zach shrugged. Nothing had tasted good since before that stupid burger and fries. “The special, I guess.”
Gabe leaned back in his chair. “So what’s up with you? Didn’t see you in church.”
“I wasn’t there.”
His buddy grinned. “Yeah, I noticed. That’s why I mentioned it.”
The waitress returned with two cups of coffee, and they placed their orders. Zach wrapped his hands around his mug. Sniffed the pleasant caffeinated aroma. Tonight he could blame his lack of sleep on caffeine. Lovely. More time to replay the argument with Jo and wonder what he’d been expected to say to make things better.
Gabe lifted his mug. “So?”
The childish response surged. “So what?”
“Hey man, don’t mess with me. I’m not giving up. You might as well spill. What’s going on? Bethany said you’d been to Wynnton to see Jo when she was in the hospital and you looked pretty happy. Now you look like you swallowed acid.”
Felt like it, too. Zach sipped the coffee, trying to find words. Any words. “Yeah, well, it was a dumb idea.”
“What was?”
Zach shrugged.
“Are you going to make me guess? It’s about Jo, isn’t it? You’ve fallen for her. Hard, by the looks of thi—”
“No.”
Gabe laughed. “Oh, man, that was way too fast. So…two options. One, she can’t stand you, or two, she kind of liked you back, you had a fight, and now she can’t stand you.”
Zach met Gabe’s gaze. “Yeah. I’m a horrid guy. What can I say? I wear some kind of female repellant.”
“Don’t even go talking about Yvette and Jo in the same breath. Two separate women. Two separate issues.”
Right. Yet all roads led to Rome.
“You don’t believe me?” Gabe leaned over the table. “Yvette was using you, Zach. She wanted a party boy on her arm, and when you wouldn’t play her way, she dumped you. Tell me how Josephine Shaw is like that.”
“The same but different.”
“Huh?” Gabe pulled back.
“Not a party girl, no. But just as determined to mold me into the image of what she wants. I’m not having it, Gabe. Not going there. I’m my own man.”
“Tell me what happened.”
Zach took a deep breath. “She’s a strange girl. I can’t figure her out and half the time I don’t want to.”
“And the rest of the time?”
“I mean, it could never work. She’s an environmentalist snob. I’d never be able to do anything right. She wants to live on a farm. I don’t have a future here.”
The waitress set their plates down and went away.
Zach stared at the roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and the limp, pale broccoli. Uninspiring.
“You mean you don’t want a future here.” Gabe ground pepper over his meal, some sort of strange-looking layered thing, like lasagna only not.
“It’s a dead-end town. There’s nothing to do.”
“Cause you’re the life of the party? Come on, man. That’s the teenager in you talking. I remember craving all the glitzy stuff, too.”
Zach parked his elbows on the table and leveled a glare at his best friend. “So you’re calling me immature.”
Gabe looked up and the lines on his face softened. “No, Nemesek, I’m calling you a seeker.”
Whatever he meant by that. But Zach could feel a little something warm trickling into the cold, dry cracks of his life.
“Man, not everyone can live in Galena Landing. If everyone found its charms, it would be the biggest city on earth.” Gabe forked in a mouthful.
“Did you say charms?”
Gabe swallowed and grinned. “Sure did. The peace, the quiet. The lake at sunrise. Wind in the trees. Deer grazing in people’s yards. We’re connected to nature here, Zach. Connected to God.”
Zach set his fork down and stared at Gabe. “You’re saying a person can’t be connected to God in the city? Totally disagree with you, man.”
“Not what I said. I was talking about you, not the city. Remember when we were kids? How many times did we talk God stuff in our bedrooms or family rooms?”
Um, almost never?
Gabe nodded, reading the expression on Zach’s face. “No, our most serious conversations took place in the tree house or while hiking in the mountains. That’s where we connect, both of us. Not in buildings or busy places.”
Zach focused on cutting a piece of roast beef. Gabe had a point there. Other than youth group meetings, it had all been out in nature.
“There’s two things missing in your life, man.” Gabe leaned closer. “The peace of God for one. The lack thereof is written all over your face.”
He’d had that serenity, growing up. Even as a teenager. He’d felt close to God back then. Read his Bible, prayed, sang worship songs, even shared his faith around the high school. Why did it all feel so hollow now? He met Gabe’s gaze. “And number two?”
Gabe flashed him a wicked grin. “The love of a good woman.”
**
It was still dark outside when Jo’s cell phone rang. She’d been awake half the night, unable to get comfortable, unable to free her mind of Zach. But it wouldn’t be him calling this early. Or ever. She groped around the bedside table for the phone and slid the bar to accept the call. “Hello?”
“Hello, Josephine.”
Her mother. Jo sank against the pillow. No. Was today the day? “Hi, Mom.”
“I haven’t heard back from you. Our flight leaves in half an hour and I wanted to make sure you remembered we were coming.”
“I, uh, broke my arm a few days ago. Had to have surgery to put my elbow back together. I’m in a cast for the next month or two. It’s not exactly a good time for a visit.” Not that there ever was.
Mom clucked her tongue. “Sounds like you need your mother more than ever. Listen, I’ll get Brad to bring me to your place this afternoon. He has meetings in Spokane tomorrow and Friday. Our return flight is Sunday afternoon, so he can join us on Saturday and we’ll spend a day all together like a family. Won’t that be nice?”
Nice was so not the word. Panic was more like it. “Mom, you can’t stay here.”
“Nonsense. It sounds like I’m needed.”
“I’m serious. I told you, we live in a dinky little trailer with three tiny bedrooms. Mine is barely big enough for a twin bed. We don’t have room for guests.”
Jo visualized her processing that. Her mom wasn’t used to failing in her objectives. Once she set her teeth in something, she won. That’s how she landed Brad, after all.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I told you this wasn’t a good time.”
“But I’ve already bought my ticket. We’re boarding in just a few minutes.”
And that was Jo’s problem how?
“I’ll just stay in a hotel nearby, then. You can bring me out to your place for the day. You can still drive, can’t you?”
Just like a terrier. Her teeth had sunk in and she wasn’t letting go. “My whole arm is immobilized, Mom. From bicep to fingers. We have a stick shift. No, I can’t drive.”
“I’ll get a rental.”
Please, dear God, give me patience. “Galena Landing doesn’t have a car rental place. It’s a very small town. A village.”
Pause. “It does have a good hotel, doesn’t it? A Marriott or something similar?”
It was to laugh. “No Marriott. Only one hotel, and it’s called The Landing Pad.”
“The Landing Pad?” Mom echoed weakly.
“Yes.”
Jo heard a loudspeaker crackle in the background.
“They’re loading first class. I’ll call you from Spokane when we arrive.”
“Okay. Bye, Mom.” Jo pressed the button to end the call and a rustle from the doorway caught her attention.
Sierra, leaning against the doorjamb, cleared her throat. “So. Your mother is coming.”
Was God punishing Jo for something? First the fall from the tree house, breaking her arm, then the fight with Zach, then the competition with Sierra. Now her mother. She needed a hole to crawl inside. And die. She took a deep breath. “Yep.”
“I wish your folks were as cool as mine.”
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