Where She Belongs (Destiny Falls)

by Cindy Procter-King

  She snorted. Feel whole? What a joke. If she felt whole, then why did the old, hollow sensations keep swelling up inside her?

  Shaking her head, she forced herself to concentrate on the flickering computer screen. Hours later, hungry and exhausted, she pushed back her chair and stretched.

  “I need a break,” she muttered to the empty room. Her time in Destiny Falls had spoiled her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to muster the same enthusiasm for buying that she’d possessed before Pete had died. As she lay in bed night after sleepless night, the thought often occurred to her that she hadn’t felt truly enthusiastic in ages. At some point during the last four years, the constant pressure and deadlines inherent in merchandising had buried her love for the business—and she hadn’t even realized it was happening.

  Until Adam.

  No, not even falling in love with Adam had helped her break through the safe but sterile wall she’d erected. Yes, he always pushed, but she, every bit as often, refused to listen. Digging in her heels, acting more than stubborn. She’d wasted nine years of her life looking backward, thinking she was moving forward when all this time she’d been running away.

  She swore. “I don’t have time for this.” Getting up, she kicked off her pumps and shut down the laptop. “Business. I need to focus on business.” She’d have plenty of time to dwell on the rubble of her relationship with Adam while she was in Asia.

  Sighing, she tromped to the dinette table and sorted through her bills. Two envelopes into the pile, a light floral scent drifted to her. She glanced at the address on a pale yellow packet. Molly! Why hadn’t she emailed?

  Jess opened the letter and withdrew a sheet of daisy-dotted stationery. A photograph slipped out and fluttered to the carpet. As she picked it up, goose bumps dotted her arms.

  Adam and me at the Wander-Inn! The picture Molly had tried to give her at Clara’s Café.

  Tears blurred her vision, and her throat pinched. Damn it! She hadn’t heard one word from him since her outburst in her mother’s backyard. Which was what she’d demanded, but which had left her feeling hurt and alone. Adam Wright was the most persistent man she’d ever met. When he wanted something, he went after it. He’d said he wanted her. Obviously, he’d changed his mind. He’d only wanted her if he didn’t have to wait.

  A hot tear rolled down her cheek. Slumping onto a chair, she scanned Molly’s note:

  Thought I’d send you a memory of home. Don’t be mad, please. It’s only been a week, but we all miss you. Adam misses you. Says someone named Percy is having a rough time of it, too. Don’t know who he’s talking about. Do you?

  A laugh bubbled in Jess’s throat. Wiping her face, she reached for her cell and punched the speed dial for Molly’s, then paced the living room as the rings sounded in her ear.

  “Hello?” Molly answered, voice deflated.

  “Molly, it’s Jess. What’s wrong?”

  “Jess! Tim and I were just talking about you! Did you get my letter?”

  “Yes.” Jess smiled. “You rat.”

  “You’re not upset I sent the picture?”

  I treasure it. “No. Hearing from you made my day.”

  “Phew!” Molly paused. “He’s miserable without you, you know.”

  Jess stared at a framed museum print on the wall. “He hasn’t called.”

  “I know. He told me. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  “I guess. Well, I did. I mean, I thought I did.”

  “He’s trying hard to restrain himself. Hey, have you asked your boss about taking that time off in July yet?”

  “Yes, but it depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Oh, you know... if I apply for Gareth’s job, it wouldn’t look right if I booked holidays right away.”

  “Jess, you have to come back! I’m already planning our twenty-eighth birthday party.”

  Jess squeezed shut her eyes. She was letting down everyone. Molly, her mother, Adam. Herself.

  “I’ll try, Moll. Give me some credit.” Not wanting to end the call on a sour note, she asked, “How’s it going with the sale of the store? Have you signed the legal documents?”

  “No.” Molly’s voice sagged. “I didn’t get the chance to sign anything. My so-called business partner bailed.”

  “What? When did you find out?” Jess paced back to the dinette.

  “A few days ago. She kept postponing, so I confronted her. Turns out she and her husband might move again this summer. They miss the conveniences of the city. Jess, I’m so frustrated! To have my dreams snatched out from under me like that!”

  “But—I don’t understand. If Anne didn’t plan on staying in Destiny Falls, why did she agree to partner with you in the first place?”

  “Because it was the only opportunity other than substitute teaching available to her at the time, she said. She wanted to leave her options open, in case she and her husband do stay. But Adam thinks she’s afraid to take the risk. And, I have to admit, even with the boutique’s good reputation, any business in a place the size of Destiny Falls is a definite risk.”

  Jess’s heart thumped. Hadn’t Adam said something similar about her lack of adventure?

  Molly’s voice broke. “My boss is listing with a real estate agent tomorrow. She waited on this deal, and I didn’t come through for her. I think that hurts as much as losing the deal.”

  “Can’t you find another partner?” Me. The thought floated up from a secret place inside her. A place that beckoned her to take a chance, to break free.

  “I dunno,” Molly said. Kaitlin’s cheerful voice piped up in the background. Molly murmured a few words to her daughter, then said to Jess, “I gotta go. Tim has a meeting, and Kaitlin wants her bath. I’ll email you in a few days.”

  “Molly, wait! I’m leaving Thursday.”

  “Oh, right, your buying trip. I’ll phone tomorrow instead. Same time, okay? I’ll be in a better mood, I promise.”

  Frowning, Jess disconnected and plunked the cell on the table. Rarely had her best friend sounded so depressed. The Molly she knew would already have a contingency plan in place for buying The Clothes Horse. In fact, her Molly would badger her best friend to come in as a partner.

  Unless Molly had given up on her. Like Adam had.

  Heart aching, Jess stared at the tabletop. The dinette light glinted off the shiny surface of a postcard amid the remaining mail. Advertising or—?

  Absently noting the waterfall scene, she flipped over the card. A single word graced the back: “Okay.”

  Adrenaline shot through her veins like a drug. The unsigned card was from Adam, of that she had no doubt. But what the heck did “okay” mean? That he was okay? Was she okay? Damn it, did he have to pick now to be cryptic? She couldn’t handle this!

  Then it hit her—what he might be saying. Crashed over her like a tidal wave.

  Knees wobbling, she flopped onto the chair. Was he saying he would wait for her? That he’d finally learned to let go? Or was he simply baiting a line, trying to reel her back in?

  The apartment walls swam. She dropped her head into her hands.

  It doesn’t matter, Jess. Whatever he meant, whatever he might mean—it didn’t matter. Hadn’t she learned from her phone call to Molly that life held no guarantees? How many times did she have to re-take that lesson?

  She raised a shaking hand to her mouth. She had to make some decisions. She had to take a chance. It was the only way she’d ever learn if she had a future with the man she loved.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “ALL RIGHT, ALL right, quiet in back!” Tim’s hearty voice boomed into the microphone. “We’re trying to conduct a respectable charity event!”

  Adam squinted against the glaring stage lights Tim had borrowed from the high school drama department. Did the two guys standing on either side of him feel as ridiculous as he did?

  In response to Tim’s opening monologue, cheers, jeers, and guffaws continued to erupt from the rowdy slo-pitch crowd cramming
the community hall for the bachelor and bachelorette contest the Eddies had organized for this year’s Lumberjack Festival. Thanks to the blinding lights, Adam couldn’t see past the second row of dinner tables. If the proceeds from this stupid contest didn’t benefit Destiny Falls Young Achievers, he would have refused to participate. Jess’s sudden departure three weeks ago had left him reeling. However, yesterday Molly had called with the news that one bachelor had been forced to drop out due to illness. Considering Adam’s connection to DFYA, she’d begged him to take the guy’s place. She’d even promised the festivities would lift his spirits.

  Yeah, right.

  His postcard brainwave had been a bust. Either Jess had received his one-word message and hadn’t given two rips about it, or the postcard had arrived after she’d left for Asia and she hadn’t received his message at all. Whatever, he felt caught between gears. He couldn’t contact her again for fear he might be pushing her. Yet, if he did nothing, he could lose her anyway.

  He probably already had.

  Tim spoke into the mic. “This mob is noisier than a gym full of sweaty teenagers! I appreciate the enthusiasm, folks, but let’s get the show on the road!”

  The audience quieted enough for Tim to continue. “Thanks. Now, on behalf of the Destiny Falls Young Achievers and in memory of the group’s hard-working co-leader, Peter Olson, let me extend a great big thank-you to everyone who plunked down ten bucks per vote for the top three bachelors and bachelorettes brave enough to be standing here beside me. Next weekend a limo will chauffeur the lucky winning couple to an all-expenses-paid evening in Kamloops!”

  Loud clapping sounded from the back of the hall. Again, Tim shushed the crowd. “The money raised tonight will help fund DFYA fieldtrips and workshops throughout the year. Votes were tallied over dinner. Minutes ago, I learned that between the guys’ contest and the girls’ contest, we’ll raise nearly three thousand dollars tonight—thanks to your generosity!”

  The applause and whistles hammered in Adam’s ears. He glued on a smile. Jess was due back from her buying trip soon. Due back to Toronto, that was. Had she thought about him at all while she was overseas? He’d never restrained himself more in his life, but he would keep at it even if it sent him up another tree with a disgruntled black bear nipping at his heels.

  “... with twenty votes, raising two hundred dollars!”

  The guy to his right stepped forward and waved to the cheering crowd.

  “And our second bachelor, Wade Jones, playing third base for the Buzzards, captured forty-three votes tonight, raising four hundred and thirty dollars!”

  As Wade stepped forward, Adam cringed. His arm itched beneath his cast. Two weeks until it came off. He couldn’t wait.

  “And last but not least, according to these numbers,” Tim declared with a chuckle Adam thought unnecessary, “Adam Wright, currently water boy for the Mountaineers but expected to make a comeback next season, grabs a walloping seventy-seven votes, bringing in seven hundred and seventy bucks!”

  Adam stepped forward amid a cacophony of hoots and catcalls. “Aw, shaddup!” he ribbed his hecklers.

  Tim held up a hand until the audience calmed, then announced in a voice resounding with melodrama, “Not to worry, ye Adam-trouncers. I’m sure Wright’s large number of votes has nothing to do with the new jobs he recently provided to several of our local young people.”

  “Ain’t that nepotism?” somebody yelled.

  Tim waggled a finger. “I think you’d better check a dictionary, Bill. Like maybe under G, for Gratitude. And for all the Gracious ladies and Gents who voted for Adam. Because Wright’s votes carry an added bonus!”

  Adam sucked in a groan, glancing at Tim. What are you up to?

  Tim said, “An anonymous donor contacted me yesterday offering to buy back Adam’s votes—should he win—at twenty dollars per vote. For those of you who failed high school math, that raises another fifteen-hundred-and-forty dollars! DFYA isn’t greedy, so we’re splitting all of tonight’s proceeds with the elementary school’s playground equipment fund! Adam and the donor will enjoy a complimentary dinner at the Wander-Inn. Wade Jones and the winning bachelorette will claim the Kamloops prize.”

  Adam rolled his eyes. Who in their right mind would spend over fifteen-hundred dollars for an evening in his dour company?

  A male member of the audience sounded every bit as perplexed. “Who the hell would do that?” his deep voice hollered.

  “Maybe it’s your wife, pal!” a second guy shouted.

  “Maybe it’s yours!” the first guy retorted.

  “Maybe it’s neither!” a female voice sang out.

  Adam blinked. Jess?

  Squinting against the stage lights, he peered into the crowd. It can’t be.

  Then he spotted her. Threading her way through the dinner tables from the kitchen at the rear of the hall. Wearing jeans and a vibrant red T-shirt, her dark curls bouncing around her shoulders, she waved a slip of paper in the air.

  His brain froze. His legs refused to budge. His mouth gaped stupidly.

  Was he seeing things? He blinked again.

  In the next instant, she was standing beside him in the glare of the hot stage lights and passing a check to Tim. “It’s good at the local bank. I opened an account there yesterday.”

  Turning, she winked at Adam. “Surprised you, didn’t I?”

  The crowd roared. Adam stared at her. Her toffee eyes sparkled, and her cheeks held a rosy glow. Her T-shirt sported the white outline of a heart, the words HE’S MINE emblazoned in white script across her breasts.

  “What are you doing here?” He sounded stunned. Not a big stretch. He was.

  “Buying up your votes.” She looked smug.

  “No. What are you doing here, in Destiny Falls?”

  “Giving you the shock of your life, I gather. About time, too. God knows you’ve thrown me for a loop often enough.”

  She took a step closer. Then another. A riotous cheer swept from the crowd.

  Adam squelched the urge to reach out and swallow her into his arms. He couldn’t figure this—her—any of it—out. Jess Morgan didn’t act on impulse. Every move she made originated from a need to protect herself.

  “What about your buying trip? I thought you were in Asia.”

  “Don’t argue with me, Wright.” Grabbing the front of his shirt, she drew down his head. “Fifteen hundred and forty bucks. You’d better be worth every red cent.” She planted a kiss on his lips that spun his brain into the next galaxy.

  Pulling back, she shouted to the hooting and hollering crowd, “We’re leaving! Find yourselves another bachelor, ladies! This one’s mine!” She hauled him toward the exit.

  “You heard her, folks!” Tim swung back into his ringmaster routine. “Wade Jones of the Buzzards is on his way to Kamloops! Now let’s move on to the women’s division!”

  The double doors banged shut behind them, muffling the noise inside the hall. Excitement flooded Jess as she tugged Adam into the privacy of the shadows between the rows of parked cars.

  “I’m here!” She threw herself at him. The night sky wrapped them in a twinkling blanket of stars. “Can you believe it? I’m really here!”

  “No, I can’t believe it, but I don’t give a damn.” His gaze flicked over her face, warming her to the core. “I’ve missed you, Jess. I’m sorry for pressuring you. I’m sorry—aw, hell.”

  His mouth covered hers, tender and insistent. She parted her lips, inviting the thrust of his tongue. Placing her hands over his, she guided his touch from her face to her hips. Urging him closer, nearer, more intimate, until his hands roamed over her body and their mouths fused in a kiss so full of memories and promises that she knew she would rather die than ever leave him again.

  Finally, his head lifted. “How much time do we have?” he murmured.

  “How much time do you want?”

  “All night, then all day, then all the next night, until you have to leave again.”

  She smile
d. “Did you win the Jamison contract?”

  He nodded. “I don’t want to talk about that now. I want to talk about you.” Still embracing her, he leaned back. “Aside from the fact that you spent over fifteen hundred dollars to impress me in front of my friends, why did you open a bank account here?”

  Her pulse jumped. “It made sense, considering I gave up my apartment, broke the lease on my car, and, let’s see... Oh yeah, quit my job one day before the buying trip so I could move home and buy The Clothes Horse with Molly.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  “You heard me. I bought The Clothes Horse with Molly. We’re changing the name to MJ’s. M for Molly and J for me, like we dreamed about when we were teenagers.”

  His hands rested on the small of her back. “So, you’ve been in town since when?”

  “Yesterday. I met Molly at the bank to sign the loan as soon as I got in.”

  “She picked you up in Kamloops?”

  “No. I drove.”

  “From Kamloops?”

  “Toronto.”

  “You drove from Toronto?”

  “Yep. I arranged to sell some of my stuff, packed up my new little SUV, and drove the Trans-Canada. It was great.” And nerve-wracking, thinking of Adam, hoping he’d still want her. “After driving your standard for a month, I couldn’t get used to an automatic again.”

  “Let me get this straight.” His forehead furrowed. “I try everything short of kidnapping to get you to stay, but no go. Then Molly cries the blues over losing a business partner, and you change your life to run to her rescue?”

  Jess’s heart sank. She’d risked everything—her job, the promotion, her industry reputation. Gareth had gone ballistic when she’d quit, but she’d needed to make a clean break, regardless if doing so meant destroying her chances of ever working for Arlington Shoes again.

  She’d needed to prove to herself—and to Adam—that she finally knew where she belonged.