Page 105 of Already Home

* * *

Despite the late hour, Jenna couldn’t sleep. She pulledon jeans and a T-shirt and went downstairs. Although she expected to find thegreat room empty, she saw Tom standing by the window. He looked up when sheentered.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, coming to a stop. “I didn’t mean tointrude.”

“You didn’t.”

He walked toward the large sofa and motioned for her to joinhim.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked.

“Every now and then.” Generally one night a month, when she wasovulating. Her doctor had said it was hormonal. Not anything she wanted to sharewith Tom.

“What about you?”

He shrugged. “I have a lot on my mind.” He smiled at her. “Yourmom really appreciates you visiting. Having you here means the world toher.”

Jenna ignored the “mom” part of the statement. “She’s prettyamazing.”

“That she is. I knew from the first second I saw her that I wasgoing to love her for the rest of my life.” He turned away then and swallowed.“Sorry. Sometimes it feels like I can’t hold all the love inside.”

“It’s nice,” Jenna said, wondering if anyone would ever feelthat way about her.

“It’s inescapable. When we were first together, we were young.Everyone said it wouldn’t last.”

“They were wrong,” Jenna said lightly. “Did you tell them ‘Itold you so’?”

He chuckled. “I wanted to. Serenity wouldn’t let me. She’s sogiving. So caring.”

“She knows how to fill a room.” Jenna hesitated. “I’ve sort offelt you and I haven’t gotten to know each other as well.”

Tom looked at her. “I’ve held back. Your relationship with heris the important one. She’s an extraordinary woman, Jenna. Knowing her is ablessing.”

Which was the oddest response, Jenna thought. Why did everyonekeep pushing Serenity to the front of the line? It was as if she was the onlyone who mattered.

“Dragon told me a little about what it was like to grow uphere,” she said. “She sounds like she was a great mom.”

“Yes, she was. The perfect wife.”

He stared out the window. Jenna started to feel as if she wereintruding. She excused herself and went back to her room. Only a few more days,she reminded herself. Then she would go home and be back where she belonged.

* * *

A dozen or so wine labels lay on the kitchen table. Thedesigns were variations on a theme—a wolf, a dragon and a butterfly in some formor another. Next to the different designs were blank labels in different colors.Gold, green, red, blue.

“I like the gold color,” Jenna said. “The gradation from paleto dark at the bottom.”

“I agree.” Serenity sat next to her, holding a mug of tea. “Butchoosing the design is more complicated.”

Jenna did her best to avoid looking at them. The old labelsshowed a sketch of the original farmhouse, which she really liked. The newdrawings, incorporating the animal manifestations of the names, were just tooweird.

“Maybe just a new color would be enough,” Jenna said. “Ratherthan changing everything. You want your customers to be able to find you on theshelf.”

Serenity tilted her head, her long red hair falling over herleft shoulder. “Maybe. I’ll talk to Tom about it.” She glanced toward the timer.“Would you check the muffins for me? I’m a little tired this morning.”

“Sure.”

Jenna got up and walked to the top oven. Inside, the blueberrymuffins were turning a light, golden brown.

---