Unpredictable Love (12 page)

She had enough to pay for two months’ rent
before she collected her first paycheck. Perfect, all her plans
were falling into place.

Dinner was at six. Nan had grilled burgers,
and the temperature was warm enough for them to eat outside.

“
I’m moving out, maybe tomorrow.
Monday, for sure.”

“
So soon?”

“
Things have changed. Trent’s gone to
New York for a cornea transplant. He could be back any
day.”

Tears rolled down Amber’s cheeks. “You’re
leaving, and it’s all my fault.”

Jory leaned over to pat her sister. “It’s
not your fault. Besides, I’d have to leave sometime.”

“
If I hadn’t put your name on that
stupid letter, you’d still be living here.”

“
It’s my fault, Cookie. I could’ve
told him, at least a dozen times. I did it to myself.”

“
I don’t want you to go.” The pleading
look in Amber’s eyes melted Jory’s heart.

“
I’m only going to be in Oak Bend. You
can come and see me anytime you want. We can chat on the phone.
I’ll come for dinner.”

“
You’re leaving town because of what I
did.”

“
No, because of what I did. And I’m a
coward. If I was brave, I’d stay here and take my lumps. But I’m
not.”

“
You don’t want him to yell at you.
You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Her little sister had a way
of getting to the heart of things.

Jory could feel the heat in her face.
“Maybe. Maybe I am. And wasn’t I stupid to fall in love with
somebody who thinks I’m you?”

“
You weren’t stupid. Just
soft-hearted,” Nan piped up, adding more catsup to her
burger.

“
Whatever. It’s done. Don’t cry over
spilled milk, Ma used to say. So, let’s forget it and look ahead.
I’m making more money now. Soon, I’ll be able to afford an
apartment. You can come and have a sleep over, Cookie.”

But Amber wasn’t buying Jory’s soft soap.
She turned sad, hostile, teary eyes on her sister, pushed away from
the table, and fled the room. Jory toyed with her salad.

“
I thought we’d come to terms with
this. I don’t know what to do, Nan. She has to grow up some
time.”

“
She’ll get over it. Amber’s for
Amber. She’ll find a way to cope. She always does.”

“
I feel like I’m letting her down. And
you too.”

“
Don’t worry about me. I can get along
okay. Who knows, maybe Dan’ll move in?”

Jory looked up, her eyes wide.

“
Just kidding. Had you going for a
minute, didn’t I?”

“
Damn right. Don’t do that again. I
almost had a heart attack.”

“
Cookie and I will help you pack. You
don’t need to take everything right away. Gives you a reason to
come back for a visit.”

“
Yep. I gave notice
yesterday.”

“
I’d have loved to have been there
when old, big mouth, sour puss hit the ceiling.”

“
He could care less about me now. He’s
all gaga over Marla. Fine with me. They deserve each other. She’s
the reason everyone in town stops me to ask how Trent
is.”

Nan laughed. “Yeah, not a great idea to have
the post mistress be the biggest gossip in town.”

“
Her job gives her access to all kinds
of juicy stuff, I’ll bet.”

“
God, I never thought of that. I’ll
have to have my sex toys shipped to your address in Oak Bend,” Nan
said.

Jory choked on her iced tea.

“
I was only kidding.”

“
You’re gonna kill me.”

“
I wouldn’t do that, kitten. Not to my
sweet niece.” Nan squeezed Jory’s face with her hand.

“
You and Amber’ll have to get along. I
won’t be here to break up any spats.”

“
Don’t worry about me. I love the girl
too, but she’s so selfish sometimes. Makes her hard to deal
with.”

“
I know. You and I spoiled her. It’s
our fault.”

“
Don’t take everything on your
shoulders, Jory. You’re not Atlas, ya know.”

The women chatted as they ate. When the meal
was over, Jory trotted upstairs and began to pack. She loved Nan’s
house and hated to leave. Pine Grove had been her home for a long
time. Leaving it, or running away—which was what she was doing—left
her yearning to stay. Something was unfinished, though she didn’t
know what.

* * * *

The next morning, Nan stayed home from
church to help Jory pack. Amber did a few things then got too upset
to continue. She called Troy, and he picked her up.

Sadness seeped into Jory’s heart as she took
down things she’d tacked up on the walls. Leaving this room, her
home for fifteen years, wouldn’t be a walk in the park. She grabbed
her tissue box and removed Trent’s bird drawings, as well as his
picture. Slipping each in its glassine envelope, she layered them
in a small box.

She folded the contents of her dresser and
stacked the shirts, shorts, and underwear in another box. Next, she
plucked out the hangers with work clothes on them and laid the
outfits across the bed. Focusing on the practical tasks kept
emotion at bay.

The closing of this chapter of her life held
more pain than she’d expected. Nan had suggested dumping Trent’s
art, but Jory couldn’t do it. Whether she and Trent could be
together or not didn’t affect the love in her heart. There’d always
be a place for the artistic, bird-loving soldier, even if he didn’t
feel the same.

She smiled for a moment at the irony of it.
Always dreaming about falling in love, finding the right man—Jory’s
fantasy man would be the answer to her prayers, the catalyst who
would start her life over again. She’d step out of the shadows. Now
that the relationship with her Marine had come to an end, so had
her dream. She’d try to be satisfied with the passion they’d
shared. At least she’d experienced true love once in her life.
Probably more than most people, she figured.

Letting go didn’t sit easy. Greed gripped
her heart. She wanted more, another chance, another SSGT Trent
Stevens. She shuddered to think she’d be destined to end up a crazy
old lady with a house full of cats. Was that more predictable than
her unpredictable love?

The last one to be tucked away was of Rocky,
the hawk. Jory smoothed it with her fingers, staring at the fine
lines. She closed the box, brought it to her lips quickly, and then
added it to a larger one headed for Oak Bend.

By the time she’d moved out most of her
belongings, which didn’t amount to much by Amber’s standards, her
room looked dusty and bare. A stab of pain shot through her heart.
People told you to “move on with your life.” But it wasn’t as easy
as they said. Not all of her melancholy related to Trent. The
unexpected attachment to her small space, the little house, and her
aunt and Amber glued her feet to the wood floor.

A chickadee landed on her windowsill.
Fortunately, the screen kept the tiny bird from entering her room.
He called his distinctive call, looked at her, and cocked his head
to the right then back. She smiled. Surely, there would be
chickadees in Oak Bend. Yes, but not this particular one.

With a sigh, Jory forced herself to
turn, close the door, and descend the stairs.
Time to pack up the ferry to “move on” city
. She
didn’t want to keep her aunt waiting. When the last box was loaded
and the trunk closed, Nan called to her.

“
Come here, kitten.” The older woman
poured two mugs of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. “I
have a confession.”

“
Oh, God. I don’t think I can take any
more stress, Nan. What is it?” Jory plopped down in the seat across
from her.

“
You’ve been contributing to the
mortgage now for the past nine years, right?”

Jory nodded.

“
Well, truth be told, I never needed
your money, or Amber’s either. But don’t tell her.”

“
What?”

“
Yeah. So, I took your money and put
it in a money market account. I’ve been saving it for when I
thought you’d need it. Now seems to be the right time. Here.” She
handed Jory a check for twenty-seven thousand dollars.

Words wouldn’t come. Jory stared at her
aunt, at the check, then back at Nan.

“
Whatever you do, don’t tell Amber.
She’ll demand her money now and blow it all on clothes and
makeup.”

“
I won’t. Oh my God. Thank you so
much! This is awesome. I never expected it.”

“
Yeah, well, now you don’t have to
worry about me not being able to pay the mortgage or buy
food.”

“
That’s such a relief.”

“
So, don’t get some cheap little room.
Get an apartment. Buy some real furniture and live
well.”

“
Oh my God! I’m so happy! I’ll move
into the room for a couple of weeks until I find an apartment. This
is the best news. Thank you so much. You’re such a generous
person.” With damp eyes, Jory hugged her.

“
It’s as close as I can come to doing
what your parents would’ve done.” A tear slipped down Nan’s
cheek.

With her bankroll burning a hole in her
pocket, Jory headed for her car. She threw it in gear and steered
for Route 55. She’d time to find a better place to live then start
her new job. She should be happy—success was within her grasp. But
all she could think about was Trent. She wondered how his operation
had gone and if he could see. Would he ever walk again? Would he be
one hundred percent and return to active duty? Unfinished business
ate at her. She needed to know he was okay, and that he didn’t need
her anymore.

He probably didn’t, she concluded. Then, the
song “Too Late for Goodbyes” came on the radio. And she knew that
though he could get along without her, she wouldn’t do well without
him. For her, it was too late for goodbye. She needed him and
always would.

By six o’clock, she had signed a
week-to-week contract for a cheerful room in Mary Casey’s house on
Third Street. Then, she hit the street, strolling down Main,
looking for a restaurant. But at seven o’clock on a Sunday night,
nothing was open but a Seven Eleven. She returned to her room,
munching on a bag of pretzels, and thought about calling Nan to
invite herself to dinner.

There was a knock on the door. “It’s Mary,
dear.”

Jory opened.

“
Did you want to cook?”

“
I was looking for a restaurant.
Nothing’s open now.”

“
Not on Sunday night. Would you like
to have a bite with me and Joe?”

“
Oh, I couldn’t do that.”

“
We’re having beef stew, and there’s
plenty. Please, come join us. We’d love to get to know the new
Managing Editor at the Reporter.” Mary put her hands on her
hips.

Jory smiled. A home-cooked meal sounded damn
good. She followed along to the round table in the dining room. It
was set for three. A middle-aged man sporting a salt-and-pepper
mustache and an extra twenty pounds stood up. He offered his
hand.

“
Joe Casey. Welcome.”

“
Jory Walker.” Jory sat in the chair
Joe indicated.

“
Mary’s a fine cook.”

“
Thank you so much for the
invite.”

Mary brought in the stew, while Joe
retrieved a basket of homemade biscuits and butter. Glasses were
filled with water or sweet tea. They bowed their heads, and Joe
said a prayer of thanksgiving.

“
My sister lives in Pine Grove. This
town is much bigger,” Mary said.

“
I’m looking forward to having more to
write about here,” Jory said, between bites of the best stew she’d
ever eaten, besides her aunt’s. “You’ve got to give me the recipe
for this.”

“
Please pass the butter,” Joe said.
“What do you plan to write about?”

“
I have to get to know the town and
check out the archives. See what’s already been covered. I plan to
attend town meetings too.”

“
Young woman comes to a town a few
miles from her home. Takes a temporary room. New job. Tell me,
Jory, what’s the real reason you’ve moved to Oak Bend?” Mary
asked.

After his surgery, Trent moved into Dan
MacMurray’s house. By now, he had a walking cast and crutches. Per
doctor’s orders, Trent had to wear eye patches for part of the day
and use eye drops until his eyes had healed. Days of independence
and living alone were over, at least for now.

His need for drops might not be forever—it
all depended on how well he recovered and if he contracted any
infections. The doctor had him on antibiotics as a preventive
measure. Trent hated taking pills, resting, wearing patches, using
crutches. He’d never be comfortable living as an “invalid,” his
word, depending on others for help.

He hadn’t made it to Staff Sergeant by being
a wimpy guy who needed to be taken care of. Strong, independent,
he’d always been the one others leaned on. This role reversal
didn’t suit him. Short-tempered and grouchy, he counted the days
until he could be on his own.

On one trip to the V.A. hospital, he
corralled Nurse Marie in the hall. She greeted him with a big
hug.

“
Look at you! And they thought you’d
never walk and never see.” She crossed her arms over her chest and
grinned.