Signs of Love

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Hopefully, this food would last the week, and next week she should receive some payments for work she’d done. Enough to cover rent and more groceries. As she stood in line, Alana prayed her math had been correct and that her wallet held enough money to pay for what she’d placed in her cart.

  When it was done, her wallet was empty, but she had her bags of groceries, so she said a prayer of gratitude and headed back to Caden. Thankfully, they were going to the Olson’s later that afternoon. Beth always served them delicious and healthy meals. Though Beth and Daniel tried to pay her for the time she took to teach them sign language, Alana hadn’t felt right taking advantage of their situation. Beth’s suggestion that she at least provide them a meal in exchange for the lessons was one Alana could live with.

  She just hoped Justin wouldn’t be there. It was clear he wasn’t interested in learning sign language, so there was really no reason for him to join them again.

  ~*~*~

  Justin stared at the documents on the screen of his laptop. It hadn’t been quite a week since he’d asked his contact in the research department at BlackThorpe to do a background check on Alana Jensen. Unfortunately, the report didn’t contain what he’d hoped it would.

  Justin ~ Attached is the information I found through our normal channels for Alana Jensen. However, it appears she obtained a legal name change just over two years ago in Florida, but the records are sealed. There is no indication of any sort of criminal activity since the name change. I didn’t find any record of employment for her, and her son isn’t registered in any school that I could find.

  The file was thin, even electronically. Justin sat back in his chair and considered the little bit of information that had been unearthed. Usually, a sealed name change meant there was a concern for the safety of the person requesting the name change or for a child. His eyes narrowed as his hands clenched into fists. Now in addition to wondering if she was taking advantage of Beth and Dan, Justin wondered if danger might be following Alana Jensen and her son. If so, would it end up at his sister’s doorstep?

  That definitely couldn’t happen.

  Justin snapped the lid closed on the laptop and shoved it into his bag. Since it was Monday, he was heading into the city once again. He had a standing invitation to Beth’s for dinner, so he planned to stop there on the way to his apartment. He needed to talk to her, to find out just what she knew about the woman she let into her home on a regular basis.

  As he strode down the hallway to leave the building, Justin called Beth to give her a head’s up that he was stopping by. He’d called her a couple of days earlier, but they hadn’t talked long. She seemed to be giving him some space to come to terms with Genevieve’s diagnosis. He’d spent a lot of his free time researching hearing loss in children, but without knowing what tests she’d already had and what had been ruled out, what he read didn’t make much difference in how he felt about it all. He was still convinced there was a diagnosis and a cure out there. He just had to find it.

  “You’re welcome to come for dinner, Justin,” Beth said when he told her of his plans, “but try and dial back the macho man stuff. And leave the weapons off. Alana and Caden will be here.”

  “They’ll be off, no worries.” His guns were already in the locked case he carried along with his duffel and laptop bag. “What’s for dinner?”

  He didn’t want her on the defensive, and he suspected that if he said anything against Alana, that’s what would happen. Justin could bide his time until he gathered more information, but the end result would be the same. He would protect what remained of his family, whether it was from a scammer or something worse. Beth and Dan might be ready to invite a perfect stranger into their home, but Justin wasn’t nearly as trusting. However, their past had also taught him it wasn’t always a stranger who walked in and tore lives apart.

  “Lasagna.” Beth’s response pulled him from his thoughts. She’d cooked one of his favorite dishes. “I had a feeling you’d be showing up.”

  Justin grimaced as he pushed the button to unlock his truck. It should please him that his sister knew him so well, but for some reason it made him feel predictable. And in his line of work, that was not a good thing. Of course, if he were honest with himself, he’d have to admit he had fallen into a somewhat predictable pattern of late. Most particularly with his regular trip into the Twin Cities on Monday nights. He needed to mix that up even though he had to be at the BlackThorpe offices every Tuesday morning. Marcus and his tedious team meetings.

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Justin said gruffly as he cranked the key in the ignition.

  At least knowing what he was going into this time helped him feel more in control than when he’d left the previous week. Genevieve’s diagnosis would not alter the relationship he shared with the little girl. And now armed with a bit more information on Alana, he would see what he could draw out of her. There was no way he could change how he looked, but perhaps interacting a bit more with her and her son would encourage her to lower her guard.

  Heavy gray clouds were hanging over the Twin Cities as he pulled onto the highway and headed east. Even though the calendar said spring had officially arrived, the weather hadn’t gotten the message apparently. The past few days had been chilly thanks to a constant wind, and there had even been a light skiff of snow on the ground two mornings ago. It was May. They should at least be experiencing sunshine, not these gray fall-like days.

  As he drove down the street to the cul-de-sac where Dan and Beth lived, he noticed two figures making their way along the sidewalk. Even though they faced away from him, he recognized the wheat colored hair of both the woman and the boy. The long skirt Alana wore tangled in her legs as she walked, no protection at all against the wind. He hit the button to lower the window on the passenger side of his truck, and after checking to make sure there was no traffic behind him on the quiet residential street, he slowed to a stop a few feet ahead of them.

  In the side mirror, he saw Alana’s arm go to Caden’s shoulders as she moved him to the far side of the sidewalk. Justin realized she likely didn’t recognize his truck and that the big black F450 with a diesel rumble might be a bit intimidating.

  “Alana!” he called through the open window.

  CHAPTER THREE

  At the sound of her name, Alana’s head whipped around. For a second, she and Caden stood frozen there. Suddenly, she looked down at her son, and he signed something to her.

  After another glance in the rear view mirror to check for traffic, Justin got out and jogged around the hood of the truck to the sidewalk. Both mother and son watched him but remained in place. Figuring he had probably alarmed them with his weapons the last time they’d seen him, Justin parted the sides of his leather jacket so Alana could see he wore no guns. Then he reached for the handle of the front door and opened it.

  “I think we’re going to the same place. Hop in, and I’ll give you a ride.”

  “It’s okay,” Alana said. “We can walk. It’s not much farther.”

  Before Justin could say anything, she focused on her son again. Even without knowing any sign language, Justin could read the boy’s fascination with his truck through the gestures he made toward it along with his wide eyes.

  Alana’s gaze moved from Caden to the truck then to Justin. He could see the indecision written all over her face. Just as he was going to shove the door shut—far be it from him to force a woman to do something she didn’t want to—Alana gave a quick nod.

  “Your son will need to sit in the back,” Justin said as they walked toward him. He opened the rear door then stepped back so Alana could help Caden onto the back seat. He would have offered to do it, but something told him she still wasn’t one hundred percent comfortable with him.

  Once she’d buckled Caden in, Alana moved out of the way. Justin shut the back door then waited as she climbed into the front. Normally, he would have helped a woman up onto the seat since the truck was higher than most other vehicles, but again his g
ut told him to not touch her. After she was settled, Justin closed her door as well and rounded the hood to climb back behind the wheel.

  The irony in all this was that if he’d just driven on and let them walk, they’d all be at Beth’s already. He glanced over to see her slide her hands into the pockets of her bulky jacket.

  “You don’t have a car?” he asked as he slowly accelerated.

  “No. It’s an unnecessary expense when the transit system is more than sufficient for us. Plus, Caden enjoys riding the bus.”

  Justin looked into his rearview mirror and saw the little boy’s wide eyes taking in all the bells and whistles of his truck. He was reminded of the way the boy had looked at him when he’d taken off his jacket to reveal the weapons he wore. The kid’s reactions made him curious about his father and what had occurred that led Alana to apply for a name change.

  “Well, I hope you’re not too hungry. Beth told me she’s made lasagna for supper, and it happens to be a favorite of mine.”

  He caught the startled glance Alana shot him before she looked back down at her hands. “Beth is a great cook.”

  “The best,” Justin agreed as he turned into the driveway of his sister’s house.

  He’d barely put the truck in park before Alana undid her seatbelt and pushed open her door. Justin stared at her back as she slid out. With a shake of his head, he got out then opened the rear door to get his laptop bag and the weapons case. He might not be wearing his guns, but he wasn’t going to leave the case where someone could steal it.

  By the time he locked the vehicle, Beth had the front door open for them and stood there with Genevieve in her arms. The little girl waved with both hands and a big smile on her face.

  “Did you give them a ride?” Beth asked, her gaze going from him to Alana.

  Justin shrugged. “I saw them walking on the street so offered them a lift.”

  Beth reached out to give Alana a one-arm hug. “I wish you’d let us pick you up and drop you off.”

  Alana glanced at him before she looked back at Beth. “You know we’re fine to ride the bus. Remember our deal.”

  Beth gave an exasperated sigh as she set Genevieve down. “Well, come on in. Supper’s almost ready.”

  As Justin inhaled the rich, tomato-y scent in the air, he wondered about the deal his sister had made with Alana. He watched as she helped Caden take his jacket off and then removed her own. Once again, it looked like she wore clothes that were two or three sizes too big for her. Caden, on the other hand, appeared to be about ready to grow right out of his.

  He slid his laptop bag and weapon case onto the top shelf of the closet next to the front door. When Beth held out her hand toward him, he took off his jacket and handed it to her. After hanging it up, she stepped close and wrapped her arms around his waist. They weren’t the most demonstrative siblings—or rather, he wasn’t the most demonstrative sibling—but for Beth’s sake, he tried. He put his arms around her and held her for a second before letting go.

  Once they moved from the foyer into the living room, Caden dropped to his knees in front of Genevieve and signed something to her. Justin watched as his niece mimicked the action.

  Caden spun around and quickly signed to his mother, a wide grin on his face. When Alana smiled back at him, it transformed her features from tense to beautiful. Justin glanced at Beth and saw a similar smile on her face.

  “We’ve been working with her on that sign as well as a few others this week,” Beth said, pride evident in her voice.

  Justin felt as if he stood on the outside looking in. He was used to it in other social situations, but being with Beth and Dan had never felt like that…until now. Until Alana and her son had shown up.

  He felt small arms wrap around his right knee and knew it was Genevieve. With a smile, he scooped her up and cuddled her close. She was probably the only person on the planet he felt comfortable showering affection on. And now he was losing the ability to communicate with her.

  Even so, he looked right at her and said, “Hi, baby.”

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then waited for her to take his face in her hands like she had started doing. She didn’t disappoint him, and Justin felt a rush of love as she planted a quick kiss on his lips. Pain edged that love as he thought about what lay ahead for his little niece.

  He tried to squash the thought. Even entertaining it in that way made it seem as if he accepted her diagnosis, and he hadn’t come to that point yet. Or had he?

  Ever since tragedy ripped through their lives and left just him and Beth, Justin had vowed to protect what remained of their family. What Genevieve was going through was something he couldn’t keep her from, and it ate at his heart like acid. He also struggled to understand how God could let them go through yet another heartbreaking experience when the last one nearly shattered them.

  “Why don’t we eat?” Beth suggested as she moved toward the kitchen.

  Keeping Genevieve in his arms, Justin followed the others to the dining room. He slid her into her high chair then pressed a quick kiss to her satiny curls. After they were all seated, Dan said a prayer for the meal.

  “Caden,” Dan said as he picked up the basket of garlic bread and passed it to Beth.

  Justin glanced at his brother-in-law then at the little boy. He saw Alana touch the boy’s arm and point to Dan. Caden looked at the man and smiled.

  Slowly, Dan began to sign as he said, “How was your day?”

  If possible, Caden’s smile grew bigger, and his eyes lit up. Unlike the rapid signing he did with his mother, Caden moved his hands in slow, measured movements as Dan watched him closely.

  “Okay, I think I understood that he had a good day,” Dan said. “But the rest is a little beyond me.”

  Alana nodded. “He said that we did reading and science today which are his favorite subjects.”

  As the meal progressed, Justin found himself watching Caden’s interaction with Alana, Beth, and Dan. This would be how Genevieve would have to communicate if he couldn’t somehow find a doctor to figure out what was wrong with her and fix it.

  The lasagna he normally would have enjoyed sat like a heavy lump in his stomach. He did notice that Alana seemed to be eating heartily. And Caden as well. At least they were enjoying themselves.

  In his mind, Justin knew that Beth and Dan must have already worked through the emotions that had come with Genevieve’s diagnosis, but he hadn’t been included then. He had to deal with them on his own now, and he didn’t know which ones to focus on. And even though he knew it wasn’t right, he couldn’t help feeling that Alana and her son were part of the problem. He resented what they represented in Beth and Dan’s life.

  “Justin?”

  He looked up from his plate to find Beth watching him expectantly. “Sorry. What?”

  “Caden wants to know if you shot your guns today.”

  He turned his attention to the little boy whose chin barely cleared the edge of the table by an inch or two. Caden’s eyes were large with curiosity and, if Justin wasn’t mistaken, a bit of awe.

  Not sure how to communicate with him, Justin just nodded. Caden’s eyes got even larger. Turning to his mom, he quickly signed something. Alana’s brows drew together as she stared at her son then looked up to meet Justin’s gaze. The tension was back on her face, and Justin figured she wasn’t all too keen on Caden’s interest in his weapons.

  “He wants to know what you shot with them. And please, if it was a person, don’t say that.”

  As Justin held Alana’s gaze, he saw that flash of fear once again. “I shot them for target practice. Only thing hurt by the bullets was a piece of paper.”

  Alana relayed this to Caden, and Justin almost smiled as disappointment crossed the young boy’s face. Obviously, he was hoping for something more exciting. Justin tried to remember himself at that age, but all his recollections seemed to get stuck on that fateful day ten years ago when his life had been permanently altered.

  The memories
he wanted to have were just shadowy images in his mind, but the ones he wanted to forget were still as sharp and clear as the day it had all unfolded. It wasn’t every day that a guy was taken aside by his commanding officer and given the news that his family had basically been wiped out. And not only that, he was being discharged from the military in order to take care of the one surviving member, Beth.

  At the tender age of twenty-three, he was thrust into the role of primary caregiver for his thirteen-year-old sister. His severely traumatized thirteen-year-old sister. Suddenly cut adrift from the military career he’d planned on, Justin had been at a loss as to how to provide and care not just for himself but for Beth as well. Desperation had led him to accept the job his cousin, Marcus, offered even though he had hated the man at that point for the role his father had played that left him and Beth with only each other instead of the family of seven they’d been before the tragedy.

  He’d determined early on that no one at BlackThorpe would ever see him as a free-loader because of the family connection. In reality, he wasn’t sure that any of the current staff—aside from the Thorpes—knew of the relationship between him and Marcus. Oh, they were aware that he got away with jabs at the older man that no one else dared make, but they didn’t know why.

  He and Marcus had been in the same boat in the aftermath of the tragedy. Marcus had a sister who, like Beth, had survived the massacre at the family cabin north of the Twin Cities. But instead of commiserating with the man, Justin held onto his anger toward him. Blaming Marcus for not seeing that his father—Justin’s uncle—had been so close to losing his grip on reality. Surely there had been some indication of his instability before he’d gunned down both their families and then turned the weapon on himself. Beth and Marcus’s sister, Meredith, only survived the shooting because they’d been up in the attic, the place they had loved to go to talk. The commotion had brought them downstairs in time to see Edward Black take his own life. That, in and of itself was bad enough, but they’d also come face to face with the carnage he’d left behind.