“She was here in Madison, living on the streets, maybe four or five years ago. Then she left and her tracks vanished. I want to know… if she’s dead. What happened to her.”
Ev puts down her half-eaten burger. “Okay. Is it someone you used to know? Does it have to do with Nick?”
“No. Nothing to do with Nick, and I didn’t know her. But she was important to someone.”
Someone I care about. Someone who asked me to trust him.
And no matter how scared that makes me, I think I want to try.
I spend the rest of my day making jewelry and preparing packages for the orders I received. Dizzily I move about the house—telling myself it’s because of the orders that keep rolling in, but knowing deep inside that it’s because of finally deciding to trust Jesse.
As soon as I made up my mind, all the things he told me, the things he did—the things I tried to forget in my anger—return, and I dance around the apartment, glad Kayla isn’t there to see me. She’s gone out to meet with some friends, leaving me alone.
Which is a good thing, because when the doorbell rings and a package is placed in my hands, with a request to sign in order to receive it, I’m in a complete daze.
I sign, close the door and I wander back into the living room where I drop onto the sofa. I zero in on the small card immediately.
“I miss you, Embers.”
The words on the small card blur in my eyes. Oh JJ. I miss you, too.
Turns out I didn’t need to hear his voice or see his face for my resolve to crumble. The memory of him was enough.
I open the box and smile when I see the chocolates. Roses or chocolates, he’d said, or whatever you like.
Heart thumping, I consider calling him right now. I even pick up my cell phone from the table, but no. I need to do this in person, looking into his eyes.
Tonight. It’s his day off, and yeah, funny how I know by heart which are his afternoons and days off, how I’ve stored them in my brain as vital information. I’ll pass by tonight to talk with him and give him the pendant.
Meanwhile, lots of little packages are ready to be mailed, so I leave the chocolates on my bed, grab everything and head out.
My heart is light for the first time since the wedding. Or maybe since ever. Shedding the doubt and anger was a conscious decision. Choosing to love Jesse wasn’t, but it’s all coming together.
I’ve lived the past few years in a bubble, taking no risks, making no moves. Now I’m treading deep water. Taking the plunge was the hardest part. I need to keep swimming and trust in my instinct. In my feelings.
In him.
As I push the door closed with my hip, loaded with two plastic bags full of my packaged jewelry, my cell rings. My thoughts on Jesse, I drop the bags and whip out the cell.
“Yeah?” Breathless, I sit on the top step of the stairs.
“Amber? Is everything okay, were you running?”
I snort. “Ev. No, I wasn
’t. I’m heading to the post office.”
“I’ve got some news for you. About Nick Harris.”
Frowning, I change the cell to my other ear. “What did you find out?”
“Nick has found God.”
I blink. “You’re kidding me.”
“I’m not.”
“He’s a priest?”