Remember Fate

by Ginny Sterling

  Remember Fate

  Healing Hearts

  Ginny Sterling

  Contents

  Remember Fate

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by Ginny Sterling

  Lawfully Gifted

  Remember Courage

  Remember Love

  Remember Joy

  Praise for Ginny Sterling

  What can I say except I absolutely loved this story, I laughed out loud and I shed emotional tears.” – Amazon Reviewer (Lawfully Gifted)

  “This series has quickly become one my favorites. Love the storyline, love the characters, love the back stories and love the sweet romance between each couple.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Love)

  “What an amazing start to a new series, Healing Hearts, a clean contemporary and extremely emotional tale. I loved the characters, the angst, and the honest discussions, along with the chemistry and interactions. The people are broken, but with encouragement, friendship, and the added benefit of animals, it is the beginnings for healing.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Hope)

  Remember Fate

  Lucy Reyes didn’t need anyone interfering with her life as an investigative reporter. She’d found out the hard way that having to depend on someone made you weak and left you vulnerable. When she overhears a private conversation that leaves her feeling sorry for her childhood crush, she takes up the mantle and begins writing the lonely soldier who’d been betrayed.

  Jamie Post had always known the direction of his life. He had a fiancée back home and was working diligently to be a strong provider until he discovers that Annabelle’s loyalty lies elsewhere - in someone else’s arms. Jamie takes what comfort he can in purging all his thoughts and emotions to an acquaintance on the other side of the world, when suddenly Lucy materializes on base in Afghanistan in jeopardy.

  Can Lucy tackle a job in the middle of a war zone while fighting the feelings inside of her? Will Jamie discover that letting down his guard means letting someone back into his heart? Can fate intervene, bringing these two hearts together in a world torn apart?

  Chapter One

  April 2001

  Lucy sighed haphazardly, staring out of the small rectangular window on to the courtyard outside. She hated her English class and would most certainly rather be outside playing with the other kids than inside having to endure missing recess. It was her own fault though—there was no one else to blame it on. They had caught her drawing her name on her folder instead of working on the quiz that was being handed out. Thankfully, the teacher must have had some understanding bone within her body, because when Mrs. Thomas pulled it out of her grasp—Lucy wanted to crawl under her desk and die right then.

  She’d been scribbling her name with the new boy’s inside of a puffy heart.

  Horrified, she’d looked up at Mrs. Thomas and met her eyes. There was almost a sad, pitying look to her gaze, making Lucy feel even more wretched. She knew that she wasn’t the prettiest thing. Her mama said she was a swan and would grow into her shape—and that the boys just weren’t ready for a girl as pretty as her.

  Truthfully, being twelve was terrible. The raging hormones, the snapping bra straps in the hallway, the braces, acne, and everything else that came with the changes of puberty were nothing to laugh at. Having your inner most secret crush exposed for everyone to laugh at would utterly decimate Lucy’s fragile self-esteem and thank the Lord above – she had a good teacher.

  “Lucy—can you read where Mark left off?”

  “I… ah… no ma’am,” Lucy said heavily, looking down at her desk. At first she was positive that she was being made an example of and could feel herself sweating. Another gift of puberty was getting used to wearing antiperspirant daily because when she didn’t, it was like a warthog had taken up residence somewhere on her body. Today would be the epic stuff of nightmares and she would never live it down.

  “See me after class.”

  Mrs. Thomas set the folder back down, face down, on Lucy’s desk. Tears of relief sprung to her eyes as she guiltily looked out the window again. That new boy in school, Jameson, was sooo cute in a gangly kind of way. He had the prettiest brown eyes—even if he looked right through her in the hallway.

  Someday, he’d notice her, she thought wretchedly.

  The bell rang, and every jumped to their feet to head out, except Lucy. Her teacher stood there watching her as everyone exited the classroom before walking over to her and taking a seat.

  “Lucy, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “No.”

  “You know, when I was a young girl—there was this boy I liked and thought was nice,” Mrs. Thomas began and Lucy felt like she would die of embarrassment if anyone overheard this conversation.

  “I grew up with him, married him, and found out it was the very idea of who I thought he was that made me happy. Lucy, sweetie… don’t rush things. You need to take time to enjoy all that growing up entails and not focus on things you aren’t ready for.”

  “I know that.”

  “And I am sure you do,” her teacher in a quiet cajoling voice, “but there are certain obligations and commitments that you have to address first.”

  “Like paying attention in class?”

  “Like giving yourself time to learn, like, and understand who you are as a person.” Lucy’s eyes shot up in surprise and met her teacher’s. Mrs. Thomas nodded and gave her a soft, knowing smile.

  “I was twelve once and know what it’s like to feel things you think you are ready for—but instead of hoping, wishing, and praying for something that might not be best for you—how about you focus on you? This beautiful, amazing girl capable of so much more than what she realizes.”

  Lucy sniffled as hot tears filled her eyes at the complete confidence she saw in her teacher’s face. There wasn’t any pity, or remorse in her gaze—no looking down on the girl with brown permed hair and rubber bands on her braces. She didn’t even blink at the bright red pimple on the end of her nose that appeared today and felt like Mt. Vesuvius.

  “You are lovely—inside and out. You need to believe it, focus on being the most amazing Lucy in this world… and when you are ready? When the time is right? You won’t have to wish or wonder if some boy out there likes you. If he is worth having, he will realize you are the center of his world and be honored to have you even smile at him.”

  “I don’t think that is ever going to happen,” Lucy whispered painfully, wiping her eyes.

  “Sweetie… that’s exactly what I mean,” Mrs. Thomas whispered, grabbing her hand and patting it gently. “When you realize your self-worth, the world will fall at your feet. You’ll understand that you don’t need someone to make you feel special - you will be special.”

  “Are you going to tell Jameson that I think he’s cute?”

  “Do you want me to?”

  “No.”

  “Let me give you a hint, Lucy… when you are proud of who you are and confident of what an amazing person you’ve become? You will not care if the universe knows that you like him or not—because it will be his loss, not yours, if the feeling isn’t mutual. Don’t put your happiness in someone that doesn’t recognize your value.”

  “Am I still in trouble?”

  “Yes, because you didn’t follow along in class.”

  “Detention again?”

&nbs
p; “No, I think we need to focus on you. I want you to write two hundred sentences and turn them in to me tomorrow morning.”

  Lucy fought back the groan of dismay at the staggering number. That had to be at least four—maybe five!—sheets of paper, front and back. She would be at this for hours and her mother would be so mad she was in trouble again. Last time she’d been daydreaming during class… and this time, she was ogling a boy! She would never hear the end of this oncoming lecture if her mother found out.

  “I want you to write, sleep, breathe, and believe this sentence: I am incredible and know my value. Keep saying it, keep living it, and eventually you will begin to believe it. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

  “I think so.”

  “You need to put your value and happiness in here,” Mrs. Thomas said, smiling and pointing at Lucy’s forehead, “…not here.” Her finger pointed to the folder with all the scribblings on it.

  “When you believe you are amazing, Jameson and everyone else will follow suit. Work on becoming the best possible Lucy Reyes that this world has ever seen—okay?”

  Lucy nodded and picked up her things. Her mind was racing with thoughts, both positive and negative. How on earth could her teacher believe something like that so fervently? There was a tone, something in the way she spoke, that made her believe Mrs. Thomas was speaking from experience, or that she’d felt the same way before.

  It was so easy to believe the negative; all the bad things that she thought or believed of herself. After all, her nose ached painfully from the zit that was begging to get stabbed with a safety pin. Her friend told her to put toothpaste on it, another girl said that honey on a pimple worked faster to relieve the pain. Physical reminders of how she felt like she was lacking made believing those words incredibly hard… but what if there was an element of truth?

  What if she focused on being the best she could ever be? Then perhaps Jameson would notice her instead of that blond-haired girl on the playground? Maybe Mrs. Thomas was right? Lucy’s mind raced with a new hope and a fresh outlook on the world around her.

  Jameson, or Jamie, as the blond-haired girl on the jungle gym kept calling him, looked up at her utterly charmed. He hated being the new kid in school and was still trying to fit in among the other students. He hated how much of a shrimp he was right now and his dad kept telling him to be patient about it. The other boys were towering over him and he’d already been shoved around in the hallway several times.

  They’d moved to Annapolis for his dad’s work and Jameson hoped that this was the last move. Being in a military family had meant that he’d had to go through changing schools several times over the last few years. His dad swore up and down that this station would be the last transfer until he graduated high school.

  He sincerely hoped that was so.

  “Jamie, why are you following me around?”

  “You know my name isn’t Jamie.”

  “Jameson sounds too stuffy, and it’s an old man’s name. You’re a boy—a short boy—who keeps running around me. What do you want?”

  “What’s your name?”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yep.”

  “What happens if I tell you my name?”

  “Then I know what to put on your Valentine’s Day card in a few weeks,” he said confidently, standing there smiling at her. It didn’t faze him a bit to hear the other girls giggling behind their hands. It was the flattered look on her face that mattered.

  “So, you're planning on getting me a Valentine’s Day card?”

  “Something like that.”

  “It’s Annabelle. Annabelle Lawson.”

  “Jameson Post,” he said with a bright smile, “It’s nice to finally know your name, Annabelle. I don’t think I will ever forget something so pretty since it matches you perfectly.”

  “I’m still calling you Jamie,” she sassed, doing a flip and dropping onto the ground in front of him. “And you are still short.”

  “You can call me whatever you want—so long as you say hello and go to the dance with me. Is it a deal? I will go by Jamie just for you.”

  “If another boy asks me, then I might pass on your invitation,” she hedged, and he saw she was trying to flirt with him. His smiled widened even more.

  “No, you won’t,” he countered, “Because you know I’m the only one worth talking to in this school.”

  “You brag way too much and you’re quite stuck on yourself.”

  “You can go with me to the dance and make up your own mind,” he mumbled and turned around to walk off. His heart was hammering in his chest and he thought he could very possibly throw up right there in the grass.

  His dad told him to speak his feelings and then give the girl time to decide—he also warned him to get ready to get his heart broken and that there were plenty of other girls that would come along in his life.

  “Don’t settle on the first girl you like, Jameson,” his dad had warned him as he’d smiled up at his mother. “I’m sorry, son - but I hit the jackpot and you will have to find your own incredible woman. I won the lottery when I met your mother. The odds of that happening twice are slim—and it happening at this age? Those odds are even slimmer.”

  Jameson didn’t listen—at all.

  Chapter Two

  Lucy spent years perfecting who she was as a person. She joined the debate club, spent hours practicing how to interview people on her family members, and developed her skills on the computer. Journalism fascinated her, and she became head of the yearbook committee. This meant that she could walk around school with a camera, snapping photos, and gaining access to many events.

  As the years passed, she still admired Jameson as he grew and changed—but the one thing that remained the same was Annabelle. They were obviously an item and Lucy never stood a chance.

  She was so glad that she hadn’t put herself out there to become hurt emotionally and had taken Mrs. Thomas’ advice that one day years ago. Those sentences she’d written became her mantra, her pep-talk, just before speaking publicly, or tackling a new endeavor.

  She couldn’t help but admire the way Jamie walked across the stage—nor could she help the sinking feeling as he waved towards Annabelle in the crowd. It was common knowledge, or at least she gathered the information while working on the yearbooks, that Jamie was joining the military after graduation. She felt so happy and proud for him. He’d grown from a cute boy into a handsome young man.

  Annabelle was gorgeous as ever and it was so hard to dislike the girl. Lucy worked with her on the yearbook layout and discovered she could be utterly sweet when she wanted to be. Jamie and Annabelle seemed to be so perfect together. The few times he’d come by the classroom, it was like Lucy was utterly invisible in front of Annabelle.

  Graduation from high school was another diamond in Lucy’s mental tiara. It was no surprise that when she graduated with honors; she was accepted easily into college pursuing a journalism degree.

  Time flew by, another graduation, and she accepted a position as an investigative journalist nearby in Norfolk, Virginia. It stunned her to learn that she was taking the lead position and that Annabelle would work directly with her. Who would have ever imagined that the girl who made her feel inferior for so long would become a friend, ally, and coworker?

  It began to creep into her mind that Annabelle and Jamie never ever got married. Why? They had known each other for so long; it seemed like the natural progression of their relationship. Lucy asked her as much one afternoon as they were driving to their next assignment.

  They were covering a local spelling bee. Lucy loved her job, but hated that most of the grittier assignments were given to other coworkers. She was ‘wholesome’ looking and a good fit for the gentler segments.

  “Aren’t you and Jamie ever going to get married? I would have thought you both would have been a thing by now,” Lucy said bluntly as she expected Annabelle’s reaction. She’d always been a sweet girl until you truly got to know her.
The years had shown that Annabelle could be just as vicious as a pit viper when provoked. She’d withstood it over the years and occasionally had to use her trump card to get the woman to back down. Lucy was the team lead, so technically Annabelle’s boss.

  “Someday,” Annabelle hedged, making Lucy’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. There was no anger, no disappointment, or sadness to the woman’s voice. For someone who had a fiancée who had been stuck overseas in Afghanistan for the last eight years—she didn’t seem that despondent. With Jamie gone for so long, you would think that she would be ready to get married, start a family, and move on.

  “Someday… sooooonish?” Lucy prodded, flipping the turn signal of the Corolla on, and pulling into the parking lot of the school. “I mean, when was the last time he was home? Why don’t you plan on eloping next time he is here?”

  “Jamie is too pushy and arrogant sometimes. I told him we’d get married when I was ready—which I’m not. I want to live my life and have some fun… and I can’t with him hounding me all the time,” Annabelle replied, utterly annoyed.

  Lucy suspected it wasn’t at the line of questioning, but rather at Jamie. Maybe there was trouble in paradise for the two lovebirds? The thought of him being miserable, or even Annabelle, made her feel sick to her stomach instantly. She never wanted ill for them and had come to terms long ago that Jamie was off the market completely. She’d settled into a wistful happiness for the duo she’d grown up with instead.