Page 37 of Already Home

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If it was Wednesday morning, it must be yoga, Jennathought frantically as she drove through Old Town. She headed for the studio andprayed her mother was keeping to her schedule. If not, she would have to hunther down.

Aware that she was not at her best, she focused on her drivingand kept her breathing steady. Every time Serenity and Tom Johnson popped intoher brain, she pushed the image away. Not now, she told herself. She would haveher breakdown as soon as she was parked.

She found a spot just around the corner from the yoga studioand quickly walked inside. In a small foyer, the girl behind the low desk lookedup.

“Class has already started,” she said. “I’m sorry but we don’tallow late arrivals.”

“I’m here to get my mother,” Jenna told her. “There’s a familyemergency.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. Let me get her for you. What’s her name?”

“Beth Stevens.”

The woman walked to the closed door and quietly pushed it open.Jenna paced the small space until the woman returned with her mother in tow.

“Jenna! What are you doing here? Not that I mind theinterruption. I swear, I was seconds from snapping a bone. There are some thingsmy body simply won’t do.”

Without thinking, Jenna moved toward her. “Mo-om,” she said,her voice cracking.

Her mother took her in her arms and held her tight.

Everything was familiar, she thought gratefully. The feel, thescent, the secure embrace that never let go too soon.

Beth guided them to the wooden bench across from the desk. Theyoung woman who had gone to find Beth excused herself and disappeared into themain room of the studio. Beth touched Jenna’s face.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m fine.” She couldn’t figure out where to start. “We’retalking no warning. One second they were just there,saying...” She touched her chest. “I can’t breathe.”

“You can.” Her mother kept an arm around her and studied her.“Tell me what happened, Jenna. This is starting to scare me.”

“My birth parents are here.”

Beth’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

“Tom and Serenity Johnson. They waltzed into my store thismorning. Right when it opened. They acted as if they knew me. I thought theywere going to rob us or something. Then they announced they were my birthparents.”

Jenna didn’t want to think about any of it. Her stomach flippedover, making her swallow against rising nausea.

“They’re hippies and weird and vegetarians. Serenity said she’dbeen waiting for a sign from the universe to come find me and it arrived.”

“Via FedEx?” Beth asked.

Jenna glared at her. “This isn’t funny.”

“Oh, honey, it kind of is.”

“These are my birth parents! Whatare they doing here? I don’t want to know them. I don’t want this.”

Beth smoothed Jenna’s hair. “They’re family.”

“They’re biology. You’re my family.”

“You came from them. That’s something.”

“Why are you taking their side? You haven’t met them. Oh, wait.You have, back when you adopted me. You never told me about them. Why?”

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