The convenience of being able to take the “T” from the airport to her condo had been one of the deciding features when she first purchased the place eight years ago. Although lugging her suitcases through public transit wasn’t something she enjoyed doing every day, it was more tolerable than paying the outrageous overnight parking fees at Logan, or any airport for that matter. Being single, living in the city, and having a job that took her out of town more days than not required certain adjustments, she reminded herself as she pulled her overburdened bag up through the doors to the subway car.
The air locks of the sliding doors exhaled, and the transit authority train pulled forward. Living in Maine year-round would present another set of obstacles, she pondered. Dena glanced out at the row of tenement houses that lined the tracks. An image of an early morning sunrise refracting off the water of the Atlantic skimmed through her mind. Maine had its advantages, too.
Dena sighed. Should I spend more time up there, Lord? I know Jason thinks I ought to slow down, and it would be nice to enjoy the grandchildren more… . Wayne’s rugged face and cheerful smile came to mind. And, there’s him.
The train stopped at State Street, where Dena switched from the blue line to the orange line. A few short minutes on the train and she’d be home. Home…my own bed. It sounds so heavenly, Lord. Dena leaned against a post and closed her eyes.
Thankfully, her apartment was less than half a block from the train station. Dena hiked up the slight hill and pressed the button for the lobby elevator in her building.
Loud music filled the hallway as she exited the elevator. “Great,” she mumbled. School was out, and some teens decided it was time to play their music as loud as possible until their parents came home.
Dena fumbled for her keys and walked down the hallway to her apartment. The music grew louder the closer she came to her own place. Slipping her key in the lock, she flung the door open. “What’s going on in here?”
❧
“Wayne.”
“Dena?” Wayne couldn’t believe his ears. “Where are you?”
“Home, in Boston.”
“When did you arrive?” He sat down in his overstuffed chair by the bay window and toed off his shoes.
“Thirty minutes ago and, well, I…” Her voice wavered.
“What’s the matter?”
“I think I blew it with Jess.”
“Jess? What’s going on?”
Dena went on to explain about her arrival and not being too happy to find the music blaring in her apartment. But that wasn’t the worst of it. She’d found Jess and Trev wrapped in each other’s arms on the sofa. She’d made it clear when Jess moved in that no men were allowed in the house if there was no one else around. “Needless to say, I blew my stack. Trevor pulled Jess by the hand and stormed out of the apartment. I’m sorry, Wayne. I’m short on sleep and—”
“It’s not your fault. Jess knew your requirements. I knew this boy wasn’t to be trusted.”
“Wayne, they were only kissing. But I’m glad I came in when I did.”
“Me, too.” Lord, help me get through to Jess before she makes a mistake she’ll regret. “Thanks for calling. I’ll call her cell phone and see if I can reach her. Does she still have a place to stay with you, or do you want her to find a new place?”
“She and I will have to have a heart-to-heart before I can decide that.”
“I understand. And, Dena—I’m sorry.”
“They’re young and in love. Sometimes that combination isn’t very conducive to making the right choices.”
“Jess knows better.”
“I’m sure she does. But what concerns me is, she didn’t know I was coming home early.”
“Yeah.” Wayne closed his eyes and prayed Jess and Trev hadn’t allowed their emotions to rule over their brains. Wayne wanted to trust Jess. She insisted on it. But she had to stop making such foolish decisions if he were to completely trust her. “Let me call her.”
“Okay. I’ll talk with you later.”
“Bye, and thanks for calling.”
“You’re welcome.”
He tapped in his daughter’s cell phone number and prayed she’d pick up.
“Hi, Dad. Did Mrs. Russell call you?”
Caller ID on cell phones was a blessing, sometimes. “Yes. What’s going on, Jess?”
“I’m sorry, Dad. Trev just stopped by for a minute and well…”
“And your word no longer means anything?”
“No, I mean, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Dad. Trev and I weren’t thinking.” He could hear the tears in her voice.
“No, you weren’t. Is he there with you right now?”
“Yes.”
“Put him on, please.”
A male voice cleared his throat. “Hello, sir.”
Wayne pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t think of himself as a “sir” at the moment. He just wanted to shake some sense into this kid. “Trevor, I’m not pleased with your actions or Jess’s this evening.”
“I know, sir. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I pulled Jess out of the place before that woman kicked her out.”
Wayne held back a chuckle. At least the kid was trying to protect his daughter, albeit with a stupid move. “Trev, Jess was wrong to let you into the apartment. She’d given her word. You were wrong for showing up there in the first place. You knew the rules.”
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Well then, I think you’d better march yourself back to Dena’s and apologize to her for abusing her trust. She just returned from twelve hours of travel to come home to—”
Trev coughed. “You’re right. We’ll go over there. But if she—”
“If she has anything to say, you’ll stand there and take it like a man. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Let me speak with Jess.”
A momentary pause lapsed before Wayne heard his daughter’s voice. “Daddy, we didn’t—”
“Jess,” he interrupted, “you’re an adult now. You are responsible for your own actions. I’m trying to trust you, but you’ve been making some foolish decisions lately when it comes to Trev. If you two are going to develop a mature relationship with the Lord in the middle of it, you’re going to need to start making some better decisions.”
“You’re right. It’s just so hard to…”
“I know, sweetheart. You need to make this right with Dena. I don’t know if she’ll let you continue living there, though. That’s something you’ll have to work out with her.”
Jess sniffled. “I understand.”
“I told Trevor to take you back to Dena’s and face her like a man. My suggestion is for you to do the same. Face the consequences of your actions, Jess. I know it’s hard, but in the end it will help you make better choices in the future. Trust me on this one.”
“Okay.” Jess paused. “Daddy, where do I go if she says I can’t stay there?”
Wayne wanted to say, Come home where you belong, but knew he couldn’t do that. Jess was growing up. She needed to face her problems head-on. “You’ll have to deal with that when the time comes.”
“All right.” She quickly said good-bye and hung up the phone.
Wayne got up from the chair and paced back and forth to the kitchen. Why was it so much easier when she was five? At five, he could be her rescuer. Now, he had to sit on the sidelines and pray she’d make the right decisions. “Lord, give her strength. Help her make the right choices and not fall into the same mistakes I made with her mother all those years ago. Please don’t allow that scripture to be played out in her life that the sins of the father are passed down.”
How was it that life moments could bring back life sins? God had forgiven him years ago, and most of the time he forgave himself. But when times like this popped up, he’d reflexively take his past back and worry about his daughter’s future. “Why is that, Lord?”
He glanced up at the ceramic lobster clock t
hat hung on his kitchen wall. Jess had made it for him while in the eighth grade. It was painted in blues, greens, and browns—not the typical red everyone associates with lobsters. Instead, she’d chosen to paint an uncooked lobster.
It was nine o’clock. He should be in bed if he was going to get up at four to lobster in the morning. But who could sleep? Would Jess call him back? Would Dena?
Wayne paced some more and fetched another tall glass of iced tea. He took it outside and sat on the front steps. “Lord,” he prayed, “how is it that the two women I care most about are so many miles away?”
Nine
The last thing Dena had wanted to deal with last night was a two-hour sit-down with Jess and Trev. Jess was a good kid. Wayne had done a marvelous job raising her, but like most young adults, she and Trevor didn’t always think before acting.
Jess wouldn’t be making the same mistake again, of that Dena was certain. The evening had almost been a replay of one ten years prior when she found her own daughter, Amber, locked in an embrace with her boyfriend—now husband.
After a relaxing time in the Jacuzzi, Dena managed to fall into peaceful sleep. The next morning she woke and scanned her room before getting out of bed. It doubled as an office. Her room was hardly what a woman would call a retreat, but it was functional.
Wasn’t functional what she needed? Her mind drifted back to the rustic cottage in Maine. That was most definitely not functional. The small bedroom barely fit the bed, and the white Cape Cod curtains, fluffy comforter, ruffled pillow shams, and bed skirt added a distinctly feminine touch. The hand-forged iron candleholders she’d purchased from a local blacksmith added to the quaint atmosphere.
Dena scanned her Boston bedroom again. On her dresser were piles of receipts that needed to be filed. Rolls of film cluttered the room. The small desk bulged with paper, film, and prints. No wonder I like it so much in Maine. The humor of the situation didn’t escape her.
Stretching, she rose from her bed and dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a simple white blouse. She needed some order in her life, and the only way to get it was to spend a massive amount of time organizing her room and separating her business section from her personal section. A small, folding room divider would do nicely, she decided.
The first order of the day was breakfast. She hadn’t eaten since Paris and she was starved. “Morning,” Dena said as she passed Jess in the hallway.
“Dena, I’m sorry again about last night.”
“Shh, we’ve already gone over it. It’s forgiven and in the past.”
“Thanks.” The young girl’s face brightened with the electric smile she’d seen at the church fair.
“You’re welcome. Now what’s for breakfast?”
Jess’s eyes widened. “Breakfast?”
“You know, the meal you start the day with.”
“Ah, you haven’t looked at a clock, have you?”
“No, why?”
Jess chuckled. “It’s two o’clock in the afternoon.”
“Oh. Well, maybe a brunch would be in order.” No wonder I’m starved. Dena scoured the cabinets looking for something quick and easy. Somehow, premade soups and meals that just required adding water wouldn’t cut it. She reached for her favorite Chinese food menu and called in an order, then went into her room to check her business phone messages.
❧
The doorbell rang for the third time. The first had been her brunch. The second was Trevor looking for Jess. It’s probably Jess, she figured. She forgot her key or something. Dena marched to the door and opened it. “Wayne?”
“Hi. Is Jess here?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ve been in my room working. What’s the matter?”
Wayne handed her a crumpled piece of paper. She opened it and examined it carefully. “A credit card bill?”
“Yup, for a new stereo. Jess didn’t need a new stereo, and she certainly didn’t have my permission to charge one on my account.”
“Oh boy.”
“Oh boy, is right. What do you make of this Trevor character?”
Dena opened the door wider and stepped back. “Come in. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Jess has always been a levelheaded kid. I don’t understand these changes in her behavior. I never would have thought she would disregard your wishes and allow a man in the apartment while you were away. And now this. I don’t know what to make of it.”
“Love.” Dena sat down on the couch beside Wayne.
“What?”
“She’s in love and making foolish choices. They both are. Tell me, did she have permission to use your credit card in the past?”
“Of course. I gave her a card for emergencies. Personally, I don’t see the purchase of a stereo as an emergency, do you?”
“Of course not, but I’m no longer twenty-two.”
Wayne leaned the back of his head against the wall. He let out an exasperated huff. “I thought this parenting stuff got easier once they were grown and out of the house.”
Dena chuckled. “One would hope. Actually, a year or two after college, it does ease up some. I still worry about all three of mine. Once you add the grandchildren to the mix—well, it’s a never-ending cycle.”
“I’m beginning to see that. Somehow, I did expect it to be easier by this point.”
Dena patted his shoulder. “It will be.”
“So, do you really think those two are in love?”
“Oh yeah. All the classic signs are there. They’re so caught up with themselves, they forget what used to be normal for them. I once caught Amber and David in a similar position when I came home from an afternoon at the studio.”
“Obviously, you didn’t strangle them.” Wayne winked.
“Obviously, or I wouldn’t have those adorable grandchildren now. Seriously, I was much harder on Amber than I was on Jess. She’s a guest in my home. I’m hardly her parent and—”
Wayne held up his hand. “I already gave last night over to the Lord and to whatever decisions you made during your conversation with them.”
“We reached an agreement. I think I helped her understand how to not give in to those impulsive responses, but only time will tell.” Dena picked up the credit card bill. “This is another matter, though.”
“Yeah. It’s not that I can’t afford the item; it’s the principle of not asking and just assuming I’d pay for it.”
“Why should you?”
Wayne knitted his eyebrows. His handsome green eyes held her captive for a moment.
Dena cleared her throat and tried to recall her own advice given to Jess last night. Count to ten, pause, and slowly exhale. “Don’t pay the bill. Well, I mean you should pay it so that your credit isn’t messed up, but you should make her pay you back.”
“Trust me, she’s going to pay for this purchase and any others.”
Dena got up and walked across the room to the slider that opened to a very small terrace overlooking the Charles River. She heard his footfalls on the carpet following behind her.
“Dena,” Wayne whispered, placing his hands on her shoulders, “I’ve missed you.”
She turned and faced him. She reached up and glided a lock of his hair back into place. “I’ve missed you, too.”
His fingers caressed the back of her neck. He lowered his head slowly. Dena closed her eyes. She wanted his kiss. She needed his kiss.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard something. She should pay attention to it—
“Daddy! What are you doing here?”
❧
Accepting a dinner invitation from Dena seemed the logical way to calm down after Jess admitted to having spent the money and didn’t see what the big deal was about. Trevor needed a stereo, so she bought it. It was that simple. Well, not in his book. Since when did women start buying expensive gifts for their boyfriends? Weren’t men supposed to do that? Had he been out of the dating game so long that the rules had changed?
“Earth to Wayne.” Dena’s voice broke t
hrough his muddled thoughts.
“I don’t get it. I don’t see what she sees in that boy.”
Dena lifted the fork to her mouth and paused. “He’s not that bad of a kid. He didn’t ask for the stereo. It was just something Jess wanted to give him.”
“I suppose. But still.”
An edge of a smile rose. “You’ve got to face it; Jess made the mistake all on her own. Last night it was the two of them.”
“True. But I don’t like it any better. In fact, I think it bothers me more. At least if I thought she was being manipulated by the kid, it would make some sense.”
“Perhaps, but you’d have another set of worries on your hand.”
“True.” He reached across the table and took her silky hand into his. “I’m sorry she barged in on us.”
“She’s a good kid, Wayne. She’ll get through this period of adjustment.”
He caressed the top of her hand with his thumb. “You avoided my comment.”
“Which one?”
Most of the evening, she had skirted around the subject of their near kiss. “I want to kiss you.”
“Not here,” her voice squealed in a whisper.
“No, not here, but soon. I’m just putting you on notice.” He winked.
She squirmed in her chair. “Excuse me.” She placed the linen napkin down on the table beside her half-eaten dinner. “I need to visit the ladies’ room.”
That was smart, Kearns. What are you going to do for an encore? You know the lady is cautious.
Wayne drummed the table with his fingers. When she returned, he started to stand. She motioned for him to sit down and sat in the chair beside him.
“Wayne, I have to be totally honest with you.” Her voice was so low he could barely make out the words. “I want to kiss you, too, but I’m terrified. Our relationship, as limited as it is, has awakened emotions in me that I thought were long dead. And they’ve come back with a vengeance. I need time to control these desires before we engage in anything more than holding hands. I know this sounds foolish but—”
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