Page 70 of Forever After All

Linc worked his jaw from side to side as he stared down at the bowl of popcorn they hadn’t touched. Jess talked about the Lord with such passion. She made him want to believe what she was saying and dive in headfirst. She was so certain, and he’d been resisting because it sounded too good to be true.

Was he afraid that the God of forgiveness wouldn’t be able to forgive his major wrongs?

Jess nudged her shoulder against him. “You think you can’t be a good man because you didn’t come from a good family? You think you can’t be a good husband because you didn’t have a good dad? Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds?” she asked.

“Kinda,” Linc whispered.

“You don’t know your parents, but I know mine. I came from bad who came from bad who came from bad. But I don’t want to be bad like them, and I don’t hate people the way they do. You can reverse the curse.”

“You’re better than me,” Linc said.

Jess laughed. “Not at all. We’re all the same. It took me a while to understand that one too. It’s been especially hard while I’m trying to accept Thea and Emerson. I’ve spent so much time pushing family away that it’s my first instinct.”

The opening music ofJeopardystarted, and Jess reached for a handful of popcorn. “Want to make it a competition?” she asked.

She was talking aboutJeopardy, but Linc was ready to accept her challenge for his life. Jess made him want to be a better person and erase the mistakes he’d already made.

He couldn’t make his past disappear, but he could ask for forgiveness and make the decision to change his future.

Chapter20

Jess

Jess sprayed the soap out of the sponge she’d just used to wash Star. She’d been following the vet around while he did checkups on the horses all day, and the lack of actual physical labor had her fingers tingling.

She turned over her wrist and checked the time. Ten minutes before she had to leave.

“Hey, Thea. Can you put Star up? I need to head out.”

Thea stepped out of the tack room and wiped her arm across her brow. “Sure. It’s getting stuffy in there anyway.”

Jess put away the soap, sponges, and brushes before heading for the big sink. She had suds up to her elbows when Thea walked up.

“Where are you going?”

Jess focused on scrubbing her hands and arms harder than necessary. “I have a date.”

Thea gasped. “Really? Who is it?”

The last thing she wanted to do was leave work on time for a date with a guy she’d never laid eyes on. “I don’t know. Mrs. Huntington set me up.”

“Jill Huntington?”

“Yeah. She cornered me at church. I tried to tell her I wasn’t interested in dating, but she’d already heard about the other dates I’d been on lately. It seems everyone is up-to-speed on my social calendar.”

“Why didn’t you just tell her no?” Thea asked.

Wasn’t that the question of the day? “I tried, but she said he’s a nice guy–her nephew or something–and he’s really eager to find a good girl. Of course, Mrs. Huntington thought of me first. Isn’t that just ridiculous?”

“Not really, but I can tell you want me to agree with you,” Thea said.

“Well, I think it’s ridiculous. I have the shortest and worst dating record, and she thinks I’m the woman destined for her nephew.”

Thea didn’t say anything while Jess dried off her hands and arms. When she looked up, Thea had a confused look on her face. “What?”

Thea shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Does Linc know?”

There it was–the cause of all her confusion. Why was she so against dating anymore?

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