Page 50 of The Promise Of Rain
“It’s a very nice offer, but I haven’t been skiing in over ten years,” she protested, pointedly ignoring me before turning to glare at Ansel.
Grandma lifted her tiny, pink, slipper-covered foot and stomped on my instep.
I grunted in surprise, gaining everyone’s attention.
Jenny narrowed her eyes at me, her message clear.
I smiled into her flashing eyes.Maybe it was from Grandma I inherited my AirForce nickname.“I would love to take you skiing.”
Skiing wasn’t nearly as good as flying, but speeding down that slope, wrestling nature to submit to my will, well, it came close.
“The bakery is closed on Mondays,” Ansel offered.
Jenny blinked and her jaw dropped.
“Excellent!”Grandma clapped her hands.“It’s settled.”Her gaze skittered to the side for a moment, then she adopted her best innocent look.“Maybe you should leave now and stay over at the resort!”
“No,” Jenny snapped, jumping to her feet.“A day trip is fine.”
“Take lots of pictures!”Grandma ordered gleefully while Ansel ducked his head to hide his smile.
The two of them couldn’t be more obvious, except perhaps to the woman panicking at the thought of being trapped with me for an entire day, including the two hours it took to drive to Sage Ridge, and another two hours back.
When we left St.Michael’s shortly after lunch, Jenny didn’t say a single word until we reached her apartment.
Opening her door, she swung her legs out of my truck.
“Jenny,” I called.
She raised wary, defeated eyes to meet mine.
Inside, I winced, but I wouldn’t let her off the hook.
“I’ll pick you up at eight.”
Of all the things I expected on the drive to Sage Ridge the next morning, Jenny snoring softly in the passenger seat beside me for two solid hours didn’t even make the top ten.
Reaching into the back seat, I grabbed the extra blanket I kept in case of emergencies and tossed it over her legs before increasing the heat on her side.Just having her near made me happier than I’d been in a long time.
It was only now, in the quiet, her even breaths and soft snores beside me, space opened up and allowed me to grasp all that I’d lost.
Eleven years ago, when the shit hit the fan, I focussed on her betrayal.No one reminisces about the good times when they’re spitting nails.And I chewed those fuckers for ten years despite the picture I carried in my wallet for most of them.
When I was with Carolyn, I tried to throw it out but ended up packing it away in the back of my closet.And felt the loss every day.That should have told me more than anything that Carolyn wasn’t for me.
Since learning the truth, after that first night when I wanted to burn the whole fucking world down, I’d turned my rage into focussing on getting home and winning Jenny back.
But here in the quiet of the truck with her beside me, I remembered cuddling her in our bed and teasing her for those soft snores, which only showed up when she was overtired.
The dark circles under her eyes this morning didn’t escape my notice.
Nor did I miss the fact I caused them.
I remembered making love to her every night, sometimes more than once.At twenty-two, I could do that.The way her elegant neck arched back, her pretty face flushed, her sweet mouth gasping as she rippled around me with her fingers digging into my ass and leaving tiny crescent marks in my shoulders.
Holding me so desperately tight.
As if I’d ever let her go.
