She didn’t know what to make of that last revelation. Though she told herself that Sam may be conservative politically, at least he was a liberal in the bedroom: free thinking, always equal opportunity, and willing to put the needs of his fellow man before himself.
And despite their differences, Sam still fit her much better than Mark did. With Mark she had been a square peg shaved and battered until it fit into a round hole. With Sam, she was the uneven puzzle piece that seemed to find its equally uneven match.
She cared for Sam. She even loved him and suspected he loved her, too—though they hadn’t exchanged the declaration out loud yet. Some women would be eager to use the “L word,” to ask what all this meant and what their future held, but Janelle was more comfortable with ambiguity now. In the past, everything had to be clearly defined and rigidly constructed. But now she took pleasure in her new imprecise existence. Maybe she and Sam would ride off into the sunset; maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe she would get another job in HR or start another career. Maybe she would stay in Mammoth Falls permanently; or maybe, she would strike out on a new course, use the proceeds of her house sale to buy a place in California or spend a year in Europe or sail along the African coastline.
“How the hell did you come out of this more confused than before?” Pops had exclaimed a few days ago when he had stopped by early one morning for an ambush, to pin her down.
He had asked her about what was going on between her and Sam, about her plans for the future.
“I’m not confused, Pops,” she had answered between bites of bacon. “I know what I don’t want. I know what I’m not. I just see more possibilities now. That’s all. Because that’s life, isn’t it?” she asked, feeling philosophical. “Not a quest to find the right door, but the realization that a series of doors are open to you. There isn’t a ‘right’ choice; just the best one for you.”
Pops had rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned to Sam. “Boy, are you listening to this nonsense?”
Sam had nodded and smiled. “Yep, I heard her.”
“Your woman could wander off at any moment! She could pack up her bags and head off to ‘possibilities’ somewhere!”
“I wouldn’t just leave! I’d tell you guys where I was going and . . . I’d ask Sam to go with me—if he wanted to go.”
He might say no, but she suspected he would say yes. They were linked now. In fact, they would be headed on their first trip together later that week. They were going to Virginia to pack the last of her things since the new buyers were set to move into the house later that month. They also would visit the cemetery where Gabriela was buried to lay flowers on her grave. It was a journey that neither wanted to take alone—and they wouldn’t have to.
“You’re all right with all of this, boy?” Pops had asked Sam, raising his brows. “You’re okay with her being so lackadaisical about everything?”
Sam had shrugged. “Hey, she said she’d ask me. What can you do?” he had said before bringing his coffee to his lips and giving her a meaningful look.
It was a similar look to the one he had given her that day on Pops’s porch before she left to head home to Virginia.
But instead of the look saying, “I know something you don’t know,” it asked, “Do you get it now?”
Yep, she had thought, as she stared back at Sam, I get it.
“More toast, Pops?” she had asked, offering a platter to him.
Her grandfather had grumbled in reply before reaching for a piece of buttered multigrain and tossing it onto his plate.
Janelle now closed the oven, dropping the last roll into the bread basket sitting on the counter. She set the basket in the center of the dining room table, stood back, and gazed at her handiwork, checking every detail before their guests would arrive for the last dinner they would have before heading to Virginia tomorrow.
None of the plates on the table matched; it was a hodgepodge of colors, patterns, and sizes. Some of the glasses were chipped and she was short one salad fork. The tablecloth had a brown stain along the hem, even though she had bleached it twice. The taper candles were from Christmas; both were red with little snowmen on them.
A table like this would have made her insane a few months ago, yet there was something comforting about it today. She could see beauty in the disarray.
“Quincy! Quincy!” Sam shouted as the Lab galloped into the room.
Janelle jumped aside, almost getting sideswiped as Quincy plopped his front paws on the table, dove face-first into the bread basket, grabbed two rolls and ran off, knocking over a water glass in his wake. It left a pool of water on the tablecloth.
Sam ran into the room soon after, with his hair still wet from his shower and the fly of his jeans still open. He glanced at the table. “Shit,” he muttered to her, stifling a laugh when he saw the annoyed expression on her face. “Sorry,” he said over his shoulder, before running after the dog. “Dammit, Quincy, get back here!”
Janelle reached for the turned-over glass just as the doorbell rang. It was followed by a knock. Their guests had arrived.
She sat the glass upright then glanced back at the table—the pooling water, the mismatched plates, and the upturned breadbasket—and shrugged.
“Coming!” she shouted, before walking out of the dining room, toward the front door.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND
Shelly Stratton
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included to enhance your group’s reading of Shelly Stratton’s Between Lost and Found.
Discussion Questions
1. Pops develops an elaborate scheme to get his granddaughter, Janelle, to Mammoth Falls, South Dakota, to try to convince her not to get engaged because he thinks she will respond differently to him there. Do you think his motive is just to prevent the engagement/to get her to break up with her boyfriend, or is there a greater motivation at work?
2. When Janelle hears that her grandfather has disappeared, she starts to reflect on her own father’s disappearance more than a decade earlier. What parallels exist for her in both experiences?
3. Is there any metaphorical significance to the name Mammoth Falls? Do the Black Hills also play a thematic role in the book?
4. Sam has an almost visceral reaction to Janelle because she reminds him of his ex-wife. He feels himself simultaneously attracted to her and wanting to distance himself from her. Do you think this is a normal reaction?
5. Connie and Yvette have a challenging mother-daughter relationship. Connie said she can see herself reflected in her daughter. Do you think reflections on her own life are why she’s so hard on Yvette?
6. We find out that Pops is alive but he’s being simultaneously held hostage and healed by the hippies, Snow and Doc, in their trailer. What meaning do Snow and Doc serve in this narrative?
7. Sam also sees parallels between Pops’s disappearance and his ex-wife’s battle with bipolar disorder. What parallels are there?
8. Janelle’s inability to find her grandfather starts to make her unravel both on a mental and spiritual level. When she expects Mark to come to her rescue and reassert stability, he fails her. What ramifications does that have for her and for her “journey”?
9. Connie is plagued with guilt for the affair she had during her and Pops’s engagement. Why is she still unable to let go of the guilt, even though he’s forgiven her?
10. Sam and Janelle quickly develop a friendship that they both suspect may be turning into something more. Do you think the tense situation and heightened emotions are playing with their heads, or are they legitimately falling for each other?
11. Connie loses it when she gets word of the body found in the forest. She also starts to rethink her view of Sam and discourages Janelle from developing any romantic relationship with him. Besides not wanting Janelle to cheat, what are her other motivations?
12. Sam gets news of his ex-wife’s suicide and emotionally shuts down. Connie observes that she
has seen him do this before but in another context. How are the two situations related?
13. The tranquil, friendly town of Mammoth Falls erupts into chaos during the Wild West festival. Do you see any parallels to current events?
14. Janelle’s acceptance that she will never find Pops leads her to the acceptance of another thing she hasn’t realized she has been grappling with for years. What is it?
15. Sam and Janelle argue and realize that they both have been undergoing similar emotional journeys with guilt and responsibility. They conclude that is this why they’ve felt such a strong connection to each other. What issues were they both tackling?
16. Janelle returns to Virginia and finds Mark with Shana. Were you surprised by this discovery? Why or why not?
17. Have all the characters been found by the end of the book? Why or why not?
Between Lost and Found Page 32
