Splintered Oak (Winsor Series Book 3) (4 page)

He pulled out his business card and handed it to me. “You know where to reach me if you change your mind.”

I shut the door behind him and ran back to my computer to look up the computer chip company. Sure enough, the contracts were announced on their news feed, and I immediately purchased as much stock as my meager account funds would allow.

An hour later, the stock soared and closed two and half times higher than their opening amount. I sold off right bef
ore the final bell sounded and stared in shock at my now robust bank account.

It took only one ring before Robbie picked up the phone.

“I’m in,” I said.

“Excellent. My sources say Grant just purchased a condo not far from you. Oh, and Jake, you may want to keep this between you and me. Isadora and I didn’t
exactly part on amicable terms.”

I chuckled
remembering her trail of jilted men. “She never does.” 

4
. FACING the PAST

NAOMI

One week at home and I alre
ady missed Portugal. My family was wonderful, but I had forgotten how much noise occurred in a small house occupied by so many people. While Manny and his wife lived down the street, they still came over every night for dinner.

Jesse seemed
in no hurry to move out, despite being twenty six years old and a college graduate. Of all my brothers, he got on my nerves the most, purposely teasing me and making jokes at my expense as if I was still thirteen. None of them would stop giving me a hard time about my new look, no matter how much I protested. Sheesh, you’d think I’d had plastic surgery.

“Mom needs your help in the kitchen,” Luke yelled up the stairs. The quietest of all
my brothers, Luke still managed to get in his two cents. He also seemed to think I was the only one who needed to help out with the chores. Woman’s work, he had declared.

I rolled my
eyes and put down my book. It was official. I was enrolling in summer session tonight. I had hesitated, thinking I would want all summer at home, but who was I kidding? There was no way I could live in this house for three months with my brothers. No way.

I bounced down the stairs, heading towards the wonderf
ul smell of Mom’s cooking, and felt my summer dress float against my legs. The green silky material was much too fancy for a family dinner, but I bought the dress on a whim and needed to wear it in order to justify the expense.

I took a fresh tortilla and started munching.
“What can I help you with?”

My mother shot me a warning glare. “You can start by not eating the dinner before we even sit down.”

“Oh please, I’ll be lucky to get two bites in once they all descend on this place. How can you afford to still feed all these guys, anyway?”

She waved me off with a snort
handed me the lettuce and tomatoes. I knew my mother loved every minute. She was a rare breed, so genuinely hospitable that everyone wanted to be at our house growing up.

Part of me
understood her love for the kitchen. Cooking relaxed me, too, and there was nothing like the smell of a home cooked meal.

“D
oes that dress have anything to do with Jonathan coming back from school today? You planning to go see him?”

I sighed but kept on w
ith my steady chopping. My mom was having a hard time accepting Jonathan and I were no longer talking. Our mothers put us in the same crib together and made jokes all growing up that we would one day be married. Even while going to different high schools, we stayed close. Winsor had been his plan from the beginning, but wanting to be near him, I followed.

I’m not sure when my best friend became the man
I daydreamed about, but when those feelings happened, everything changed. I pictured our life together as husband and wife, and had convinced myself he felt the same way. Finally, one night when I couldn’t stand it any longer, I leaned over and kissed him. My first kiss and unfortunately, my last.

“Naomi? Did you hear me?”

“I’m not going to see him.” I closed my eyes. “It’s too humiliating.”

Jonathan had been kind in his rejection, but the awkwardness slowly consumed our friendship. In a few weeks, I had lost my best friend and my dreams. I signed up for the exchange to Portugal not long after.

“I doubt he sees it that way, sweetheart. You two have been friends forever. I don’t think Mary would have mentioned him to me if she thought a reunion would be weird.”

“Well Mom, if his mother thinks he wants to see me, then she can encourage him to come here. I’m not going over there and giving him the impression I’m throwing myself at him again.”

The sting of the loss brought tears, but I pushed them back, focusing instead on God’s Word: “You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.”

T
he verse calmed my anxious mind. This year had taught me to trust in His path and not to run ahead because I was scared or lonely.

Despite my embarrassment,
the experience was a good thing. Jonathan wasn’t the one for me, and it was better to know now than continue to hold on to some ridiculous hope.

“So…you would be okay if they came here?” my mother asked tentatively.

“Of course. I don’t harbor bad feelings towards him, Mom. I just don’t want to be the one to open that door again.” It was so hard to explain, but I really was okay with him out of my life. In fact, I preferred it.

“W
ell good, because I invited them for dinner.” She left to go set the dining table immediately after dropping that bomb.

“What?” I yelled, following her. “What if I had said no?”

“Oh sweetheart, we both know it’s time to face this thing and make amends. You have never been one to hide. Why start now?”

Oh, if
she only knew. I spent my entire life hiding. That was the problem. But she was right. The new me didn’t stay in the shadows afraid anymore. The new me lived life to the fullest.

“Fine,” I grumbled, returning
to my chopping.

It wasn’t long before the kitchen and dining room filled with people
. My brother’s tried to sneak pieces of food, but got a quick slap from my mother.

“Not yet
. We have guests coming.”

As she spoke, the doorbell rang
.

M
y mom looked at me expectantly. “Naomi? Get the door, please.”

I took a deep breath and urged my hands to stop shaking.
Taking a few extra seconds, I touched the door knob and plastered on a smile.
This should be easy. I am over him
.

Mary was the first to respond
, but Jonathan’s eyes widened when he saw me.

“Naomi,
dear, welcome home!” she said, hugging me. “You look amazing. I wouldn’t have recognized you if your mom hadn’t told me how much you’ve changed.”

She got all teary-eyed, making me uncomfortable, but I kept my focus on her anyway so I wouldn’t have to face Jonathan’s eyes.

I had only gotten a glance, but he looked just as handsome as I remembered. His blond hair was a little longer, but apart from that, seeing him was like stepping back in time.

He dressed in jeans and a polo shirt devoid of any wrinkles. I
had yet to meet another man who cared so much about appearance. But, who could blame him when the results were perfection?

Mary released me and went off to greet my mother.

Having no other choice, I moved aside so Jonathan could come in the house.

He walked through the door, not saying a word. His gaze travelled the length of me and back up again, making me feel
vulnerable and exposed.

Wishing I had chosen a less flashy dress, I turned my attention to shutting the front door.
“Everyone’s in the dining room.”

I tried unsuccessfully to still my racing heart
. My oldest, closest friend now felt like a stranger.

“O
kay, thanks,” he said, coming out of his trance, and turned to join the others.

I stood at the door for a second longer and took deep breaths as I prayed,
Lord, please give me strength to be the person you want me to be. And please take away this hurt that has all of the sudden resurfaced.

Once calm,
I followed the sounds of people moving chairs and settling in. Immediately, I regretted waiting by the door. The only empty chair left was between Jonathan and Jesse, two people I wanted to avoid the most.

Jesse smirked up at me and raised his eyebrows. “You gonna sit down sometime in this century?”

Jerk. He knew I was stalling.

I
took a seat and sent a just-you-wait-until-I-get-you-alone glare to my most annoying brother.

My father said grace and soon the table erupted with noise, everyone talking in small sections as the food was passed.

“So how was Portugal?” Jonathan asked.

I awkwardly took the platter of fajita meat from him. “It was wonderful. I lo
ved every second I was there.” I filled my tortilla before passing the plate on to Jesse. “How’s school going for you?”

Making eye contact was kind of essential at this point, so I resigned myself to looking into his baby blue eyes.

“Really good. Sports medicine is everything I’d hoped. I even got a position on the football team. Trainer’s assistant. No pay, but the experience will be amazing this fall.”

Jonathan had
always been a sports nut and when a knee injury kept him from playing his senior year, he turned his focus to sports medicine. He said it was the best of both worlds. He still got to experience football without all the pain.

Alex jumped in our conversation as soon as he realized we were talking about sp
orts. I shot him a grateful look and he winked in return.

It
was inevitable Jonathan and I would face each other. I just hadn’t figured it would be so hard. For years, he was how I pictured my future.

I picked at my food, the nerves in my stomach
killing my appetite. Mary asked me a lot about Portugal, and Jonathan always seemed to stop talking when I spoke so he could listen. It was a reminder of why we had always gotten along so well. In the midst of the craziness around us, Jonathan always made me feel as if he heard only me.

I survived the dinner and took my plate to the sink before excusing myself to the backyard. I needed a moment of silence and some breathing room.

The air was sticky and warm, and sweat beaded on my neck immediately after walking out to the porch swings.

My mom and dad had built themselves an arbor with grape vines intertwined along the sides and all over the top of the structure. Two wide sw
ings hung underneath facing each other. It overlooked the green space behind our property and was one of my favorite places in the world.

“May I join you?” Jonathan asked
.

I stopped
rocking and looked back. “Sure.”

He came around and sat next to me. I was grateful because it allowed me to continue to stare straight ahead instead of
looking at him. The evening had been harder than I expected.

“I hate the awkwardness between us,” he
said after a few minutes of silence.

“I know. I do too.” I lowered my head and began picking at an invisible string on my dress.
“I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. I changed everything.”

“No, it’s not. I was a fool and didn’t see what was right in front of me.” He took my hand and turned it over in his.

I glanced up, confusion laced across my face.

He continued to rub my hand.
“You look amazing, by the way. I’m not sure I would have recognized you if we crossed paths at school.”

I took my hand from his. I didn’t
want him thinking any of this was for him. “Portugal was good for me. It helped me reconcile who I was with who I wanted to be.”

“I missed you a lot while you were gone,” he admitted after another round of silence. “I know I should have called, but part of me felt like you didn’t want me to.”

“I would have talked to you if you called, Jonathan. We’re friends. I still hope we find our way back to the comfort we used to have.”

“I guess
friends is a good place to start, although, I’m not sure that’s where I want to finish.”

A sudden chill swept over me.
I stood, wanting to run, but also wanting to stay. “Please don’t do this. It’s confusing enough just trying to understand how I feel about you.”  

He
was suddenly next to me, close. Too close. “How do you feel?”

Jonathan must have grown while I was gone because he felt very masculine standing there.
Broad shoulders, square jaw, determined mouth. I had a sudden urge to kiss him again.

My chest tightened and I looked away.
“I don’t know.”

I
was back where I started. Confused, nervous, afraid. Worse, the Lord had pressed upon my heart over and over again it was time to let go of this dream.  But was that just for a season or for forever?

Jonathan must have sensed
my unease because he sat back down on the swing. “Are you staying here all summer?”

I rejoined him
, putting as much space as possible between us. “No. I’m going to take a few classes at Winsor. It’s time to return to life.” I was now more determined than ever to leave home. “You?”

“Yeah, I need a b
reak.” He took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. “Separated again, it seems.”

“
They say time heals all wounds. It seems we need just a little more time,” I said.

His eyes met mine,
his tone soft and slow. “They also say absence makes the heart grow fonder.”