Page 5 of There I Find Hope

He recognized several of her brothers who had arrived at her side, two of them down on one knee in front of her, their hands on her shoulder and leg as they spoke with her.

Noah continued to step back, giving room for the people who were closest to her. They would have the best idea of how to comfort and console her.

He’d come, done what he planned to do, and he supposed it was time for him to leave.

Turning, he started toward the back of the church. He walked down the center aisle which, once he got past the first several rows, was practically empty, as everyone had surged forward to see the excitement happening at the front.

His business partner, Franklin, stood at the back with his hands in his pockets, concern on his face.

Noah had left him out in the parking lot, but he obviously made his way in at some point.

“She okay?” Franklin asked as Noah reached his side.

“Probably not. I don’t think I would be okay if I just lost my only child. I think that was her ex.”

“Glenn?” Franklin asked. He’d grown up in Strawberry Sands as well, although Noah hadn’t really become good friends with him until they’d been roommates in college.

They’d ended up spending the next four years almost inseparable, going to grad school together as well. It was only natural once they graduated that they started their own company together.

They might have been successful anyway, but Franklin’s grandmother had died, leaving him a large inheritance.

Noah’s family had sold property near Blueberry Beach, which had skyrocketed in value in the amount of time he was in college, and his parents had divided that up equally among their children.

It had been a nice little bump as they started business together. Although Noah figured that their business would not have been successful if they hadn’t made good decisions, despite the fact that they started out with more money than most people did and did not have to lure investors or cater to their whims.

Noah looked back over his shoulder. He couldn’t see Sunday; she was surrounded by family and friends. Glenn stood talking to the tall, slender woman whose face looked angry and not the slightest bit compassionate.

The little boy beside her jumped up and down, yanking on her arm, and there was something nasty about her face as she hissed at him to stop.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure that was Glenn.”

“He’s aged well. Although, the lady he’s with doesn’t look too pleasant.”

Noah jerked his head, and Franklin stepped back, giving him room to turn as they went shoulder to shoulder out of the church.

Franklin seemed to understand he was in a contemplative mood and didn’t insist on conversation as they found Noah’s car in the parking lot and got in.

They’d actually driven up from Chicago the previous day so they could meet with their team at the hotel site.

Noah had plans to move to Strawberry Sands, but he’d been in Chicago long enough that he hadn’t heard about Sunday’s loss until the day before. Franklin, who was riding with him, had thankfully agreed to take the time out to at least stop at, if not attend, the funeral.

“You and Sunday were pretty close in high school,” Franklin finally commented, after they’d driven for a few minutes.

“I guess,” he said. He didn’t really want to talk about it. Although, Franklin’s perspective was interesting, since they hadn’t been great friends back then and he didn’t know that Noah had had a huge crush on her. It wasn’t something Noah went around telling people at this point in his life.

“I always thought you two would end up being a couple at some point, and then she got infatuated with Glenn.”

Noah took a turn, looking at the horses in the field as they grazed, their tails swishing, their movements slow and languid. Relaxing. He was ready to come home. Ready to be back in Strawberry Sands. He looked out the windshield, where the lake, blue and beautiful, rolled in the distance.

If his child had drowned in that lake, would he want to continue to live beside it? Wouldn’t he hate it?

Wouldn’t it be the height of irony if he were moving back to Strawberry Sands only to have Sunday move away.

“Of course, Glenn was older, a good bit older, and I suppose he was romantic and dashing and all that stuff that women seem to like.”

“Probably,” Noah said, knowing that what Franklin said was true. He didn’t have to like it though.

By the time they made it back to Chicago, their talk turned to business and plans, and Franklin never mentioned Sunday again. Noah’s thoughts hardly left her. He wished there was something he could do. She was so grief stricken, so inconsolably bereaved, and he just wanted to help her. Maybe even if he hadn’t had a crush on her, he would still be looking for something he could do to help.

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