Jane's Gift (Lone Pine Lake 1)

Mindy shrugged and slammed her door with a bit of extra force. “He’s staying in San Francisco. Says the conference ran over and he can’t come home until Sunday night.”

Jane said nothing. It didn’t sound right. Ever since she’d come home, things between Mindy and her husband hadn’t been good. Yes, every marriage had its problems—Jane and Stephen hadn’t been immune to it, either; they’d had their issues just like everyone else. But she’d always been able to trust Stephen.

She wasn’t sure about Marty. Heck, she’d barely seen him since she’d moved back to Lone Pine, and she’d been there for months already. And Mindy seemed so brittle lately, like she’d break at any moment. Mindy complained about him and their marriage constantly.

Jane mused on this as they all walked together to the front entrance of the town rec hall. When the children ran ahead of them, Jane was surprised to see a line at the door, though at least it seemed to be moving quickly. It was cold outside and an early winter storm was headed their way, bringing with it plenty of rain for the weekend. Jane’s thin skin ensured she was cold the majority of the time.

When they got to the front door, a woman sat behind a table, taking everyone’s money and handing them entrance tickets. Mindy whipped out her wallet and waved her hand in Jane’s direction. “I’ve got it for all of us.”

“Oh, Min, you don’t have to do that…”

“No, no, I insist. It’s for charity, after all. Marty’s always telling me we need write-offs.”

“But—”

“Jane, seriously, learn how to take a gift.” She started to hand over her cash to the older woman sitting behind the fold-out table. “Two adults, five children, please.”

The woman shook her head, jerking her thumb in Jane’s direction. “She’s already paid for, and her kids, too.”

“What?” Mindy handed over only one twenty and turned to look at Jane. “Did you prepay?”

Jane shook her head as they moved away from the table. “I was trying to tell you. Our tickets were paid for by…someone else.”

“Who?” Mindy’s voice rose and a sparkle shone in her eyes. “Ah, my little sister is holding out on me! Always the secret keeper, just like when you were a kid.”

“I didn’t keep secrets from anyone,” Jane denied, but Mindy just laughed.

“You kept secrets all the time. As if you enjoyed holding that little tidbit of whatever you had close to your chest. Savoring it.” Mindy shook her head. “Let’s get a table and you can tell me all about your mystery benefactor.”

Did she want to tell Mindy about Christian? There was nothing to tell, really. She didn’t want to admit her crush on Christian Nelson, not yet. What if her sister thought she was out of line? Guilt hung over her, heavy and dull. Over time she’d grown used to Stephen’s passing, but in Mindy’s eyes, would she look like she was moving too fast?

Jane refused to let survivor’s guilt hang on her like a cloak of shame. Nearly two years was long enough to mourn a person. Stephen wouldn’t want her to stop living, would he? Just because he was gone?

“I can’t stand it any longer. Tell me who bought your tickets!” Mindy demanded the minute they’d settled themselves at a table. The kids had already run off to do who knows what, though Sophia still sat perched on Jane’s lap.

“You have no patience, do you?” Jane teased with a little smirk.

“It was Mac, wasn’t it? He told me he wasn’t coming to this.”

“He’s not. He has a hot date. And no, he didn’t pay for our tickets.”

“He has a hot date? With whom? Remember, I’m an old married lady. I have to live vicariously through all of you.” Mindy paused, her gaze dropped to the table. “Y-you know what I mean.”

Right. Jane sometimes forgot she wasn’t the old married lady anymore, either. She’d started her life with Stephen at such a young age—only twenty years old when they’d gotten married. She’d known then that he was the one. So why waste time?

Now she was single again. Well, widowed. And didn’t that have a pitiful sound to it?

“I do know what you mean. And trust me, I’m not that exciting. Mac’s the one with girls falling at his feet.”

Mindy’s gaze lifted, a laugh sounding from her lips. “He’s young, cute, and single. A rarity in these parts.”

Jane could think of another man who was young, cute, and single. Why didn’t he have to beat women off with a stick? Maybe he did, and she should’ve done her research first, not just relied on Mac’s word. He was a guy. What did he know?

She should’ve talked to Mindy from the get-go.

“Min, what do you know about Christian Nelson?”

Mindy’s brows drew together and she opened her arms, letting Sophia crawl onto her lap. “The fire captain? I know he and Mac are friends. I hear he’s a nice guy, but he dates around a lot.”