by Taylor Hart
Darrin made a twirling gesture with his finger. “Rewind to the part about the friend. Who’s this friend?”
“No one.” She tried to get into the car.
He grabbed her arm. “Wait, is this that guy you were engaged to a long time ago?”
One night, when it was late and they’d been working—she’d told him about Kent.
“Shh.”
Darrin wouldn’t let her close the door. “Spill.”
She sighed. “I never told you that guy was Ty’s roommate in college.”
“And the plot thickens.” Darrin laughed. “This is good drama.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m glad my personal life gives you so much joy.”
“Not gonna lie, it does.” He leaned in. “So tell me all of it. You know I’m all settled down with my girlfriend, Erica, so I don’t have drama right now.”
Despite herself, Jewel told him about all of it.
When she finished Darrin laughed. “Dang, that is a lot of drama. So what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
He nodded. “Sounds like this guy knows how it would bug you if he told you basically that you couldn’t tell him what to do.”
Was it to bug her? Hmm. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, he totally knew it would bug you.” He winked at her. “See you tomorrow.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow.” As she backed out of the parking spot, she grew more and more upset with Kent.
Had he really been trying to bug her?
Chapter 10
Later that night, Kent lay on his cot, thinking. The more he lay there, the more unsettled he became. Eventually, he just got up and pulled on his shirt and shoes. He grabbed his phone and walked out of the back. It was nearly one in the morning. The night air was cool and welcoming, and he pulled in a long breath. Without thinking, he pressed Beau’s number.
His brother answered on the second ring. “Oh my, my estranged brother calls twice in the same month. Whatever shall I do?”
Kent wasn’t in the mood for his shenanigans. “I have a serious question for you, and it’s the middle of the night here, so you can assume I’m not sleeping.”
His brother paused, and Kent could hear the old screen door on the front of the house open and shut. “Lay it on me. I’m just heading out to feed the horses, and I’ll put in my headphones.”
Kent walked the main road, unconcerned by the darkness around him. He never felt afraid, no matter where he was. He had grown up knowing how to handle himself. “I have a chance to go to Denver in two weeks,” he began.
Beau let out a laugh. “That’s great. Are you going to be able to make a pit stop at home?”
“I want to. But there’s something else I’m calling about.”
The creak of the barn gate came over the line, followed by Beau talking softly to the horses. “Hit me.”
“It’s Jewel.” Even saying her name threw him off-balance.
“Okay.”
Kent tried to sort through his thoughts. “She messaged me through Facebook the other day and told me to basically stop talking to her father.”
“What? You talked to her dad? That’s good.”
Kent laughed, walking faster. “Yeah. And you know they live in Denver.”
“Right. Man, that’s a coincidence, isn’t it?”
“He wants to come to Africa, so he’s been asking a bunch of questions.”
“Nice.”
At the center of the village, Kent turned down one of the deserted side streets. He smiled, thinking of Frank. “He’s a good guy, and he really does have a passion for coming to Africa. I hope he comes.”
“Back to Jewel.”
“Right. Jewel. I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Of course you can’t.”
This took him by surprise. “What do you mean, of course I can’t?”
“You loved her. She broke your heart.”
That was true, but something was still bothering Kent.
Beau grunted. “And you feel guilty.”
Boom. Nail on the head. “I do?”
“Even though you shouldn’t.”
“I was married. I can’t be thinking about another woman.”
“I know. And you know that I know you loved your wife a lot.” As Beau spoke, Kent envisioned him with the pitchfork, pulling a pile of hay into the stall. “What if this is your second chance with Jewel?”
“I don’t want a second chance.” Kent stopped walking, staring into nothingness. He’d crossed to the other side of the village. Music played from a nearby bar, but only darkness lay before him. No moon tonight.
“Calm down.”
Kent sucked in a breath and started walking back down to the clinic.
“You know that just because you’re thinking about Jewel doesn’t mean you didn’t love your wife. All it means is that you’re healing,” Beau said softly. “And I think that’s a good thing.”
Healing. The word felt foreign in the context of his own well-being. His throat tightened with emotion, and a tear streaked down his cheek. “I never want to forget Adds. I …”
“That couldn’t happen. Just because you think about another woman doesn’t mean that you will ever forget Addy. And it doesn’t mean that you should feel guilty.”
That was exactly how Kent felt. “It’s not right.” He made a command decision. “I’m not ready to move on.”
“Bull.”
“What does that mean? How can I move on? I was married.”
Beau cursed. “But you’re not anymore,” he said firmly. “You’re not married anymore.”
Pain seared into his chest like he was undergoing surgery without the anesthesia. He’d been numb for so long.
“You okay, bro?” Beau asked quietly.
More tears ran down his face. “I don’t know.”
“It’s okay.”
“It should have been me,” Kent said, thinking of the accident. “I’m the one who should have died, not her.”
“You were a good husband, and it wasn’t your fault, Kent. I know we’ve told you this before, but accidents happen and no one could have saved her. It was her time. God took her home, and now you’re left to live.”
Kent hated the saying that if a person died, it was their time. But he knew that Beau was speaking the plain truth. Kent tried to clear his mind. He wiped at the tears on his cheeks.
“But Addy wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone forever, bro. You know that, and I know that. She loved you.”
“I don’t know if she’d like me talking with Jewels. She never cared for her.”
Beau laughed. “Well, it was a lot of drama between you guys back then.”
Kent thought of the drama during the first year he’d known Addy. He’d been so broken over Jewels, and Addy had felt awful for causing it.
“She would want you to be happy,” Beau said softly.
That was true, but Kent was still confused. If he spoke at the conference, he would be going to Denver. Would he see her or not?
There was a noise on Beau’s end. “Gotta go, bro. Contractor is here.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Love you. Come see us when you’re in the States.”
“I’ll let ya know. Love you, too.”
The call ended, and Kent went back inside the silent clinic. He took off his shirt and lay down on the cot, holding the phone.
Everything felt better now that he’d talked it through with Beau. Beau was the kind of brother who might belt you one, but he’d be the first to make sure all the Hardmans were okay. He was a softie. Kent smiled. Beau would absolutely hate hearing that.
He pulled up his phone and opened the Facebook app, staring at Jewel’s profile. Eventually, he decided to do what he’d wanted to do all day: he messaged her again.
Chapter 11
The house was quiet when Jewel walked in. Rosie was sitting on the couch across from her father. Jewel raised an eyebrow. This was a turn of even
ts.
“Jewels.” Her father stood as she came in.
Rosie stood, too.
This was not a good idea. They were knee-deep in this lawsuit, and the last thing Jewel needed was to see her dad consorting with the enemy.
Lucky, Rosie’s dog, moved from Rosie’s side to Jewel.
Jewel softened. She put her things down and petted the dog. Her mother would hate it that her father allowed Lucky inside the house, but her mother wasn’t there. “Hey, boy.”
“Rosie and I have been talking,” her father said.
“I see that.” Since it was almost eleven at night, she would prefer not to hear about it, but clearly she didn’t have a choice.
Rosie smiled, putting a soft hand on her father’s shoulder. “Oh dear, you’re right. She’s in fight mode.”
Jewel bristled.
Her father gave Rosie a look, then nodded at Jewel. “She’s been in fight mode way too long, Rosie.”
“Dad, what’s this about?” Her ability to stay pleasant was fading quickly. She looked at Rosie. “You really shouldn’t be here talking to my father. We have a court date next week. Neither of you should be speaking without an attorney present.”
Her father gave her a look she couldn’t read. “Sweetheart, we’re not going to court. I’m selling to Rosie.”
Jewel frowned. “What?”
“I want to go to Africa, and we worked out a deal. She’ll buy me out.”
Jewel shook her head, not quite comprehending it. For as long as she could remember, her parents had lived here. And Rosie had lived next door. Jewel stumbled back.
“Oh goodness.” Her father rushed to her side, taking her by the shoulder.
“Shoot,” Rosie said, looking her up and down as if Jewel would fall apart if she moved to help.
Maybe she would. Fear pierced her heart. She couldn’t lose him. “Dad, you can’t go to Africa!” She said it like she was fourteen and arguing with him about going out with her friends. “Your heart is weak and you don’t stay on your meds and—”
“Stop, Jewel!” Her father said calmly.
“I’m going to Africa.”
She jerked like he had slapped her.
“How could you do this to Mom?” she shouted.
Her father’s face hardened, like he was frozen in time and still couldn’t believe she was gone. “Baby, you’re mother’s dead.”
Jewel picked up her keys and rushed out. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t face her father selling the only place where they’d all been together with her mother.
When Jewel returned home in the early hours of the morning, she lay in bed, staring out the window at the bright moon. Once she’d calmed down, she’d felt a wave of humiliation at how crazy she’d been, running out on her dad and Rosie like that. Her father had been in bed when she’d finally come home, and she wasn’t about to wake him.
She rolled onto her side and gazed out at the tree next to her room. There was a rope swing hanging from it. Her mother had pushed her in that swing all the time, even when she’d been home from college. Tears misted in her eyes, and she reached for the locket around her neck. “Mom,” she whispered. “I need you. I’m so confused, and I just need you.”
She thought about what her father said about God and His plans. Wiggling out of the sheets, she slipped out of bed and onto her knees. Her parents had always taught her to pray when she was little, and now she felt so alone. She knew it was what her mother would tell her to do.
“Dear God,” she began, “I know I’ve been quiet for a long time. You see, I’ve been mad at you for taking Mama. And I’ve been mad at myself, too, for not coming home sooner. And now I’m worried about Daddy.” Guilt crushed her soul. How many years had she wasted living away from her parents? “Please take care of her. And please help me to know what to do to take care of my father. Amen.”
She climbed into bed and sucked in a breath. Turning back to her side table, she pulled her phone off the charger and pulled up Facebook. There was a message from Kent.
I’m coming to Denver in two weeks. Can we meet for dinner and talk?
After a moment of panic, a calm, warm feeling rushed through her. Maybe it was irrational, but it almost felt like God was reaching out to her, trying to show her something. She messaged Kent back. I would like that.
She stared at his profile picture before sending him a follow-up. I know my father can talk to whoever he wants. But my father is all I have now, Kent. Please be careful with him.
Chapter 12
Jewel sat at her work desk, pulling another late night. When she’d left this morning, her father hadn’t been up, but she’d left a note for him, telling him she loved him and she would support whatever he thought was best. It was a hard concession for her to make, but if going to Africa would make him happy, then he should go.
She shut the file on the case she’d been plowing through all day. Picking up her phone, she texted Darrin to go home.
His head poked into her office. “I’m not going home until you go home.” It had been his mantra since he’d begun working for her.
She smiled at him. “Go home.”
He hesitated, then checked his phone. “Only because it’s ten and Erica keeps calling me.”
“Go.” She shooed him away.
“Thanks, boss.”
Part of her felt bad that he’d stayed for so long, but the other part of her knew this was firm life. This was the life of an attorney trying to climb her way to the top. Darrin would climb with her when the time came. Did she want to keep climbing?
The question hit her hard. Had she ever really asked herself that question?
It had been good grades in high school, then her Political Science degree at Santa Monica, then Harvard, then the firm in Boston. And, even though she’d come home to Denver, Ty had gotten her the job at her current firm and she’d kept working hard.
Pushing.
She was tired.
Could she go to Africa?
She’d finished paying her student loans off last year. She was proud of that, and she’d been able to save quite a bit of money since she’d come home. Up until now, the idea had felt way off her “life plan” scale. The partners had been holding out the carrot of junior partnership for months, and she knew she was up next. But would it be worth it if she missed out on being with her father? The thought unsettled her.
Out of the blue, a message from Ty popped up on her phone. Can we talk? Want to get dinner?
It’d been roughly two weeks since she’d seen him. Part of her wanted to go to dinner with him, because part of her missed him, too. But she couldn’t. I shouldn’t have blamed you for everything, but I can’t do dinner. It wouldn’t do any good to explain or reason with Ty.
Without thinking about it, she opened Facebook and decided to scroll through her feed. She hadn’t allowed herself to check it today. There was a notification from Kent. She’d been hoping to see one all day, much to her annoyance.
I will be careful with your father. I promise. And I hope you know how sorry I am for everything you went through last year with your mother. She was a good lady. I know that this may be a weird thing to say, but when you and I were engaged, having your parents in my life had been something I was looking forward to.
Shame hit her. She hadn’t told her parents about the engagement, and even though Kent knew that, he was still so kind about her mom. Always the gentleman.
Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Jewels. Plan on seeing me in Denver, Monday evening, June thirteenth. Let me know where to pick you up.
Crap. This was real. Kent would be coming here. To Denver. And he wanted to talk. She picked up her phone, all jittery and antsy, and pressed McKay’s number.
McKay answered on the third ring, speaking over the noise blaring in the background. “Woman, why don’t you come join me and Molls? We’re out having fun. We’re at Smitty’s downtown.”
Smitty’s was a spo
rts bar.
“Kent’s coming to Denver,” she blurted.
“Wait, what? Hold on.” McKay paused, and Jewel could hear the music get louder, then quieter. “What did you say?”
Jewel shook her head, speaking quickly. “Kent’s coming to Denver in two weeks.” She paced quickly, fatigue forgotten.
“Wait, slow down. Kent Hardman?”
“Yes,” she said, a bit annoyed her friend wasn’t keeping up. “The one you think I never stopped loving. The one who lost his wife in a car crash.” Again, she pictured him doing CPR in the middle of the road while Addy died. She pushed a hand through her hair. “I can’t believe this.”
“Just hold on, okay? Do you want to see him?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I told him I would, but now I’m kind of freaking out. I behaved so badly when I thought he had cheated on me. I know he didn’t. It took me a long time to know that, but he lost his wife.” She started doing jumping jacks—anything to vent her nervous energy.
McKay sighed. “If he wants to see you, then he’s probably forgiven you.”
“Still. I just … ”
“Stop doing jumping jacks,” she commanded.
A light laugh escaped Jewel’s lips, and she stopped. McKay knew her so well. “I’m really freaking out.”
“Listen, I know that there’s a whole past with you two, but maybe he just wants to catch up. Maybe he needs a friend right now; did you think about that? Why is he coming to Denver? Wait … actually, I think there’s a Doctors Without Borders convention coming. I remember seeing that.” McKay was all tied to everything in Denver, so she would know.
Jewel’s mind spun. She forced herself to calm down. Yes, it was just work. It was just a coincidence, no big deal. He wasn’t flying all the way from Africa just to see her. That would be ridiculous. “Good.”
McKay laughed. “C’mon, Jewels, this is cool. You can get closure.”
She swallowed, her mouth dry. She moved to her desk and shut down her computer, then picked up her water bottle and took a large gulp. “Right. Closure.”
“Hey, come down to the club and hang out with Molly and me. She has Jason here, and I’m just footloose and fancy free.”