Page 58 of Jael

“Sorry, Mom. You did what you could to survive. And so will I.” And if she had a daughter one day, she could promise that she’d be a better mother, but she would only be fooling herself.

After one last long breath, she exited the bathroom, a dull ache coating her. When she spotted Christopher in the lobby, she didn’t hesitate to approach him.

“I’m fine,” she said before he could ask. “It’s a lot to take in. I wasn’t expecting it to feel so final.”

“I was worried,” he said. “I thought maybe you were disappointed. I think Gregory only added that to the will so he could be a part of what he expected to happen anyway.”

“Probably. And he always did look out of for my best interest,” she lied. “Maybe he was worried I’d get stubborn with his passing.”

“So, you’re okay with everything.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. “I’m so glad to hear it. My dad is waiting outside. He’ll want to know.”

She forced her arm to wrap around his waist. “Then we’d better go tell him the good news.”

Artus was leaning against a pole, smoking a cigarette. When he saw them come out, he flicked it to the ground and stepped on it as he walked over to them.

“A terrible habit,” he said.

“And every time, you swear it’s your last one,” Christopher said with a sly grin.

“I see no need to completely relinquish life’s pleasures. I’m a good boy most of the time.” He winked at Jael.

“That’s probably the biggest lie you’ve ever told,” Christopher said. His easy smile opened up to a laugh until he looked at Jael. “Sorry. We shouldn’t be joking around on a day like today.”

Artus sighed deeply. “Idoknow Gregory wouldn’t want us to mourn him for too long.”

Jael didn’t expect Artus or Christopher to mourn him at all. They got everything they wanted. Including her.

“But he will be missed,” she said dutifully.

“He will.” Artus nodded solemnly. “Very much.” Then he took both Jael’s hands in his own and pull her closer to him. “But I want you to know that we consider you family now. You don’t have your dad anymore, but you have us. You will always have us.” He lifted her hands and pressed them to his mouth.

“Thank you,” she said. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

“We’ve known you and your dad for a long time. And while I in no way intend to take the place of a father, I do hope you’ll look on me and Christopher as very dear friends.”

“She’ll be more than that soon,” Christopher said. “I know you’ve been dying to ask but polite in your resistance. Jael won’t mind me telling you of the stipulation that Gregory added to her inheritance.”

Artus’s eyebrow raised. “Stipulation? He put conditions on it? This is a surprise.”

“I don’t know why he felt it necessary besides ensuring his daughter was in the safest hands. But she’ll get everything she expected upon our marriage.”

Artus looked between the two. “Well now, it sounds like we have something to celebrate. That’s fantastic news. I know you two were already getting close, so I hope, Jael, that you don’t find this all too forward. I, for one, am ecstatic.”

But Jael saw something in his eyes that betrayed him. Perhaps he’d been looking forward to being free of the Hebers for good. At least she wasn’t the only one disappointed by the news. Christopher’s countenance, on the other hand, suggested he was only thrilled with the idea of her becoming his wife.

“There will be a lot to plan,” Jael said, “but right now, I’m afraid I have to get going. I have some work that needs to be done, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Today?” Christopher said and shook his head. “You give too much to that foundation. It is Vita Nova, I’m assuming?” He sounded an awful lot like her dad.

“No, actually. It’s a personal matter.” If she didn’t get away to process what had happened soon, she’d likely make a mess of everything. She grit her teeth for one last platitude and leaned in to kiss Christopher’s cheek. “I’ll call you.”

He took her hand and rubbed his thumb softly on the back of it. “I look forward to it. We’ll make plans for dinner.”

“Sounds good.” She pulled from his grasp and bent her head to the ground. She was exhausted from all the pretending, and all that lay before her was a black hole of despair. She had never felt so completely lost in all of her life.

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