A tremor ran through her from head to toe, but she quickly reminded herself that she could not show him her weaknesses. She again thought of her sleepless night, and noticed how well-rested he looked. She couldn't let him see she was coming apart at the seams!
No, she was only going to show him a completely strong and together facade. She quickly pasted a smile on her face, striving for as natural an expression as possible, but truthfully not even caring if it came off as slightly artificial – as long as her face didn't betray the roiling emotions just below the surface, it could look as plastic as a mannequin's for all she cared.
She crossed to the back door, opened it, and stood aside, inviting him in.
“Is this a bad time?” he asked as he entered.
“Not at all,” she assured him. “The girls went down to see Karina's grandmother, and I'm just cooking some dinner.”
“How is Renata doing?” Justin inquired.
“Oh, you know Renata. As indefatigable as ever. I think she'll outlive us all, and be working on twelve different community projects as she does it.”
“She's a rock,” Justin agreed, “Karina's lucky to have her.”
“True. All of Hope Falls is lucky to have her, when you think about it. So, what were you up to today?”
“Oh, just cleaning out the bunkhouse and getting it habitable. It brought back a lot of memories of living there.”
“I bet.” Amanda said, and sitting between them, making the air electric, was the unspoken memory of the last time they had been in the bunkhouse together. The last time they had seen each other at all.
She quickly turned back to the stove and focused her attention on the chicken sizzling in the pan.
Justin moved behind Amanda, close. So close that she could feel his ragged breath on her neck and in her hair. The nearness of him paralyzed her. Her vision swam and her body felt on fire, and he wasn't even touching her.
“Amanda...” he said, his voice husky with emotion, with regret. With desire? Was that just wishful thinking on her part?
“Amanda...” he started again, and then trailed off again.
Slowly, so slowly that she almost couldn't tell if she was really doing it or if it were only her imagination, she turned her face up to his. She could barely breathe. Their mouths were less than an inch apart, and their eyes were locked on each other. She felt as if she would melt on the spot, or possibly explode.
“Yes?” she whispered. With the one small scrap of awareness of her surroundings that she had left, she realized that her breathing had grown ragged as well, as if in answer to Justin's.
“I...” he started, then took a deep breath and tried to begin again, “I just...”
And then, displaying a sense of timing so horrendous that it belied the flawless sense of rhythm she possessed which was one of the factors which made her a brilliant musician, Karina called from the front door, “Yoo hoo! We're home!”
Amanda drew in her breath sharply as Justin retreated across the kitchen, but couldn't manage to access her vocal chords to summon a response. She heard Karina's voice calling as she came down the hall, “Did you hear me? Lucy, I'm home!” she hollered in her best Desi Arnaz impersonation.
Amanda looked up as Karina entered the kitchen and shook her head to clear it, but realized that the truth of what had just happened must have been written all over her face when she saw a sly smile spread across Karina's face. “Lucy, you've got some 'splaining to do,” she grinned, drawing out the impression.
“What?” Amanda asked, doing her best to maintain an innocent expression as Lauren and Samantha entered the kitchen behind Karina.
As soon as Lauren laid eyes on Amanda's face, she rushed over and took the wooden spoon out of her hand, taking over the job of t sautéing the chicken and veggies. “Oh my goodness, Amanda! I knew we shouldn't have left you to cook dinner for all of us right now. Seriously, go grab a water, sit down and relax. Your entire face is flushed, you're getting overheated.”
Karina continued to grin her evil little grin, and added an eyebrow waggle for emphasis. “Oh, yes, it is quite hot in here, isn't it? Very, very hot. On a completely unrelated note, by the way, how are you today, Justin?”
Lauren looked up and followed Karina's gaze to the opposite end of the kitchen, where Justin was leaning against the counter. “Oh, hello,” she intoned flatly, “I didn't see you there,” and turned back to moving the food around the pan, but with an added degree of aggression that was clearly visible.
“OK!” said Samantha cheerfully, taking the spoon away from Lauren, “Maybe I should be the one to do this. Although, I think it's done.” She announced, cutting open one of the chicken pieces and examining the interior, “And it smells delicious!”
“Thanks,” Amanda responded, “There's actually three parts, and I didn't know what everyone's dietary restrictions were – vegetarian, low carb, etc – so feel free to mix and match any or all. Whole wheat pasta in the pot, chicken and veggies in the skillet, and vodka sauce in the saucepan,” she finished, pointing at each in turn.
“And vodka in the freezer!” Karina added, pulling the bottle out with a flourish. “Justin, are you joining us for dinner?”
“Oh, yes,” Sam put in, looking at Amanda, “You really should! It will be fun, like old times!”
Karina and Samantha looked at Lauren until she finally shrugged and said, “It's a free country.”
But Justin had eyes for only one person in the room, and no one else's invitation or approval meant anything to him.
“Amanda?” he asked, “Do you want me to stay?”
Now, Amanda felt a certainty and a clarity she hadn't been able to achieve while solitarily searching her soul. There was no confusion, no hesitation anywhere in her as she answered firmly in the affirmative.
--- ~ ---
As the Fabulous Four – plus one – sat around the kitchen table eating the pasta dish that Amanda had prepared, the conversation turned toward catching up. Since the girls had already had the opportunity to visit with one another the night before, their curiosity naturally focused itself on Justin and what he had been doing in the years since they had seen him.
“So, where have you been living?” Samantha asked.
“Well,” Justin began, “All over the place at first, but I eventually ended up settling in Alaska. If you can call it that.”
“Well, I've always heard it called Alaska,” Karina quipped.
“If you can call it settling, smart ass,” Justin shot back good-naturedly, “I originally went up there because I had a lead on a job working on a pipeline crew, but I think what attracted me to the area and why I ended up staying so long was because of the transitory lifestyle. Once you get used to being a gypsy, it's almost comforting, in a way. The constant change starts to be a rhythm that you can depend on.”
“When you accept that there's nothing you can count on, at least you can – ironically – count on that,” supplied Sam helpfully.
“Exactly,” Justin agreed, “But it's a lot easier when you're surrounded by other people who are also travelers, as opposed to being the only lone wolf in a community of stable, settled people.”
“So, you went up for a job on the pipeline, but what did you end up doing?” Sam asked.
“Well,” Justin said, “It turns out that I gained skills here at Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures that served me well. My experience in the hospitality industry, as well as in the outdoor adventure and sporting arena, really helped me. I was able to get lots of different odd jobs working with tourists – taking them on tours, leading them on short expeditions...and I actually did a fairly long stint, for me at least, working at a place that was pretty similar to Outdoor Adventures. Although, of course, it did lack some of the innate benefits that this place has,” and with that he gave Amanda a sexy, suggestive wink.
Karina said, with a knowing smile, “Enough of all this boring talk about your professional life, Justin. Let's all just stop pretending we care, shall
we? Moving on to what we really want to know about. How about your love life? Anybody special?”
Justin shook his head ruefully, “Nope. Nobody special.”
He gave Amanda that same sexy wink again, “In Alaska at any rate,” he laughed.
Amanda flushed, whether with embarrassment or excitement it was difficult for her to tell, stood and began clearing the dishes as a way to escape the conversation.
“How long were you able to get away from your job, Justin?” she asked, partially as a way to turn the conversation back to his professional life and partially as a way to try to find out how long he planned to stay in Hope Falls.
Justin looked up as a slow smile spread across his face, “Gee, Amanda, now that you bring it up,” he said, “I don't actually know that I'll be going back.”
Chapter 9
The pastor of Hope Falls Community Church rushed up to Amanda, who was sitting on the front pew waiting for her father's memorial service to begin, and Amanda had never seen him looking more flustered. He was normally a jovial and easygoing fellow, but right now, leaning toward her, he looked positively harried.
“Pastor Harrison, what's wrong?” Amanda inquired. She really didn't want anything to happen that would ruin the beauty of her father's memorial service. She wanted Parker to have the perfect sendoff.
“Well, Amanda, it's really...well, come with me, I think you'd better see it with your own eyes.” Pastor Harrison took her by the arm and began to guide her down the side aisle of the packed church. Justin jumped up and quickly followed with a concerned expression on his face. Eyeing Justin suspiciously, Geoffrey then got up out of his seat and followed the group, as well.
The pastor led Amanda quickly through the sanctuary doors, through the vestibule, and out onto the steps. Amanda's eyes widened.
Behind her, Justin exclaimed, “Holy cow!”
At the look Pastor Harrison gave him, he amended his statement, “Or...um...I mean, holy...not cow...maybe church...or something. Let's just go with Wow.” He finished lamely.
Before them lay more people than Amanda had ever seen gathered in one place in Hope Falls. The crowd was dense over the lawn of the church, and continued into the street, which itself was packed with people as far as Amanda could see in both directions.
She looked at the Pastor, “How many people do you think are here?”
Pastor Harrison shook his head. “The best I can do is hazard a guess, possibly a thousand. It could be two thousand. It could be more. I can't see to the edges of the crowd. What I do know is that our sanctuary holds 150 people, and there are far more than that here. I don't want to turn away all of these people who came to honor your father, but we certainly can't accommodate them here. I'm at a loss as to how to proceed.”
Amanda instinctively looked to Justin, “Justin, do you have any ideas?”
It was not lost on Justin that, even with all the distrust she must feel toward him, her first instinct had been to look to him when she had a problem that she needed help fixing. He didn't want to fail her in this first test of his capability to help and protect her.
He scanned the crowd, hoping and praying for inspiration to strike him like a lightning bolt. Which, thankfully, it did – although, not in the form of a lightning bolt, but rather in the person of his old high school principal.
“Mr. Jenkins!” he called to the administrator, waving him over. As Mr. Jenkins fought his way through the dense crush of bodies, Justin said, “I have an idea. I think this might work.”
Justin turned toward the principal as he topped the stairs to stand beside them and clapped Justin heartily on the back. “Mr. Jenkins, I think you can see what our problem is here.”
Mr. Jenkins nodded solemnly. “I do. Amanda, your father was so loved in this community, and we are all feeling his loss, although I know it must be nothing compared to what you are going through. But I do hope that all of these people will get some kind of chance to say goodbye to Parker, even if they can't all fit inside the church.”
Justin nodded, “That's where I'm hoping you can help us out, Mr. Jenkins. Would we be able to use the gym to hold the memorial service?”
Geoffrey snorted derisively. “A gymnasium for a memorial service? That's hardly proper. Although typical for what I've seen the past two days, so by all means, please, proceed.”
Mr. Jenkins shook his head with regret. “Well, Justin, I don't think that's going to work. Although not for the reason that this gentleman here objects to it for. I just don't think even the gym would be enough to hold all these folks.”
Justin looked deflated. Then he suddenly brightened. “How about the football field? It's a beautiful day, the weather's not an issue. And the bleachers in the football field were built to be able to hold pretty near the entire town, plus the visitors side.”
Mr. Jenkins had started nodding his head vigorously before Justin had even finished talking. “Yes, perfect,” he said decisively, “I'm going to go open up the gates and get the sound system turned on. I'll round up some students to haul out the portable platform we use for graduation and set it up in the middle of the field. Justin, you and Pastor Harrison take care of getting the crowd moving toward the field. Give us about a ten minute head start. The good thing is that the school is only three blocks away, so people can walk it easily, even in their fancy clothes. There won't be a traffic jam.”
Justin stopped the principal when he saw tears streaming down Amanda's face. “Wait,” he said, concern filling his voice, “Amanda, is this not OK with you? Do you just want your Dad to have a proper church memorial, even if it's small? We'll do whatever you want to do.”
Amanda smiled through her tears, “No! No, that's not it at all!” she said, “It's completely perfect. I actually got choked up because it is so perfect, as a matter of fact. There are two things in this life that my father really and truly loved, and those were these mountains, and the people that live in them. So, to have an outdoor memorial, filled with pretty much everyone in town? You couldn't create a more perfect scenario for my Dad.
“In fact,” she laughed softly, “it wouldn't surprise me to think that he actually did arrange this from the other side.”
--- ~ ---
The transition from the church to the football field was quicker and smoother than Amanda could have ever imagined. By 11 am, just one short hour after the service had been slated to begin, Pastor Harrison climbed the steps to the portable platform that had been set up in the middle of the football field and took the microphone from its stand to begin the service. Amanda looked around and couldn't believe her eyes. The stadium was full. That meant that nearly the entire town of 5,000 souls must have come out to say goodbye to Parker Jacobs. She was astounded.
Of course, she had known that the townspeople loved him. He had been elected Mayor every time he had run, by a huge majority. It was impossible to go out to a meal in any restaurant in Hope Falls without people constantly stopping by the table to thank him for something, or share some bit of news, or show off photos of a new grandbaby. She had known the town loved him. She just hadn't known how much.
As Pastor Harrison opened the memorial service with a prayer, she heard his voice hitching. Yes, she realized, even he must be having a hard time today. He and her father had been quite close. She wondered if there was even one person in town that her father's kindness, generosity, and wisdom had not touched.
After Pastor Harrison had drawn the beautiful prayer to a close, he said, “Parker loved this town and everyone in it. There were some, though, that he was especially close to. One of those individuals was his best friend for over 40 years, and he's here to deliver the eulogy. Henry?”
Amanda smiled encouragingly at her beloved adopted Uncle as he stepped up and took the mic. Underneath Henry's homespun facade, he was a powerfully intelligent man. However, one thing that frightened him was public speaking. Even speaking in his official capacity as Hope Falls' legal counsel at Town Hall meetings was a challenge for him, and
those meetings rarely attracted more than 30 or 40 people. Yet, here he was, about to talk about an emotional subject, in front of a crowd that numbered close to 5,000. He must be terrified, she thought to herself.
Henry took the mic from Pastor Harrison and she could see it shake in his hand. Still, he resolutely took a deep breath and began speaking. Amanda had never been more proud of him in her life.
“Parker Jacobs and I, like most kids growing up in Hope Falls, knew each other our entire lives. But I met Parker Jacobs – really met him – in high school,” he began. “I wasn't what you would call one of the most popular of kids. I was bookish. I loved learning, and I always had my nose buried in a book. I even read while I was walking.” He paused to let the chuckles in the crowd die down.
“Now, I can't blame that completely on a love for books. It partly had to do with a fear of people. I didn't know how to talk to people, or even how to look 'em in the eye. That's what books gave me. An escape from people, something to stand in between me and them.
“Well, one day I was walking down the hall between classes, nose in a book, and I walked straight into a brick wall. At least that's what it felt like. What it actually was was our quarterback. He was called, appropriately, Brick.
“Well, let me tell you something. Old Brick, he was as mean and short-tempered as he was big and strong. Sorry, Brick, if you're in the crowd today. I know you've mellowed considerably since then.”
“That's all right!” Came a shout from far back in the stands. Henry paused again to let the laughter die down.
“Well, I tell you. Brick grabbed me by the front of my shirt and picked me straight up off the ground. I didn't know what was in store for me, but I knew it was nothing good. I started stammering around, trying to get out an apology, but it was like I said, I wasn't good with talking to people. And that was under normal circumstances. I tell you, folks, I was terrified.
“Brick asked me if I was...how did you put it, Brick?”
“Crusin' for a bruisin'!” Came a robust call from the back of the bleachers.
Sweet Reunion Page 6