Forever After (5 page)

What happened to Bryn could have happened to anyone. And yet, in some ways Jenna envied Bryn. Bryn had grieved Adam deeply, but now she had a wonderful man in her life. She and Garrett Edmonds planned to marry as soon as Bryn completed her obligation to community service.

Jenna forced herself to brighten and turned the subject back to Bryn. “Speaking of somebody wonderful, how’s that guy of yours?”

Bryn’s smile set her face aglow. “He’s great. Ready for Christmas break, I think, but he has a pretty good group of kids this year.”

Garrett taught at Hanover Falls Middle School. His wife, Molly—a firefighter—had also died in the Grove Street fire. It seemed nothing short of a miracle that Garrett had been able to forgive Bryn. Jenna was glad she’d found happiness again with Garrett, though the sadness in Bryn’s brown eyes would probably always dwell there.

Jenna tried not to feel envious of the relationship Bryn and Garrett had, but sometimes she wondered when it would be her turn. Or had Zach been her one chance at love?

If so, she’d blown it. Big time.

She held back a sigh, not wanting to reveal her thoughts. Bryn was
the only one she didn’t have to pretend with about what her and Zach’s relationship had actually been, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk about that today. She would be in “pretend mode” full-time when she moved in with Zach’s parents, and today would be a good rehearsal.

Bryn unlocked the car and opened the back door a couple of inches. “Sparky, stay!” She reached in and held the collar of the excitable black Labrador while Jenna climbed into the passenger seat of the Honda Accord.

Wrinkling her nose at the smell of doggy breath, she spoke to the dog, trying not to let Bryn see how nervous he made her. “Hey there, Sparky.”

She sat forward in the seat, keeping as much distance as possible between her and the dog and trying to keep her voice steady. “I thought he was staying out at your dad’s.”

Bryn frowned. “He is … most of the time, but I think I’m going to have to bring him back into my apartment. Dad’s had some more spells with his heart.”

“Oh, Bryn … I’m sorry.”

“They don’t think it’s anything serious, but keeping up with Sparky is just too much for him.” She laid her arm across the seat and turned to back down the driveway. “But Garrett says we can’t have both Boss and Sparky, so I’m going to have to figure something out. You don’t know anybody who’d like a nice Lab, do you? He really is a great dog.”

“Can’t think of anybody offhand, but I’ll let you know if I do.” Dogs made her nervous, to put it mildly. As a child she’d been petrified. The Morgans’ little Quincy had helped her get her fears somewhat under control, but she avoided large dogs if at all possible.

When they pulled up in front of the new homeless shelter a few minutes later, Jenna forced herself to be brave and wait in the car with the dog while Bryn ran in to talk to Susan Marlowe, the shelter’s director.

The dog paced the floor of the car’s backseat from window to window, letting out a low growl. Grateful for the high seat backs that created
a barrier between her and the animal, Jenna tensed and grabbed the door handle, poised for a fast escape. “What’s wrong, buddy?” Zach had always told her dogs could sense her fear, but it was impossible to keep her voice from trembling.

She did not like the way this dog was acting. Quincy sometimes yapped, but Sparky was five times the size of the Morgans’ dog and his growl held menace. The Lab stuck his nose out the crack in the window behind her and let out a sharp bark, then pawed at the glass.

“What’s wrong, boy?” she said again. Cautiously she unlatched the door handle. Feeling a little foolish, she slipped out of the car, closing the door behind her. While the dog kept up the racket, she leaned against the fender, trying to think how she would explain her exit from the vehicle.

She was relieved when Bryn pushed through the shelter’s front door carrying a stack of manila envelopes. She must have heard the barking because she took off at a jog toward the car. “Is everything okay?” She eyed Jenna. “What happened?”

Jenna shrugged. “He just … started barking.”

Bryn pushed the dog’s nose back inside the car window and spoke harshly. “Sparky! Hush!” She went around and climbed into the driver’s seat, tossing the envelopes on the console. “Has he been barking the whole time?”

“For a while.”

“He must have seen a squirrel or something.”

“I didn’t see anything.”

Sparky kept it up even when Bryn put the car in gear. “Something’s really bothering him.” She shifted back into Park and got out of the car.

Jenna followed suit.

“I’ve never seen him like this. Except—” A strange look came over Bryn’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“He got all wound up like this the night of the fire. It was before any
of us even smelled smoke, but I’ve always wondered if Sparky tried to warn us.”

Jenna sniffed the afternoon air and smelled only the pungent scent of earth moist from recent rains and leaves decaying on the grass. She looked across the street to where the original shelter had stood. “Do you think he remembers?”

Bryn followed Jenna’s gaze but shook her head. “Surely not after a year. It’s not like there’s anything there now that he’d recognize. But you do hear stories about dogs finding their way home from hundreds of miles away, so maybe he remembers something familiar about this place.”

The burned-out shelter was nothing more than a deep gouge in the lot now. According to Bryn, Susan Marlowe hoped to someday put a park on the property so the children of families staying at the shelter would have someplace to play. Susan was also a widow of the Grove Street fire.

Bryn checked her watch and opened the car door. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to let him run a little bit. He’s been cooped up in the car all morning and he’ll have to be kenneled at the vet. Sorry, I know you’re probably starving.” She gave Jenna an apologetic look.

“No, it’s fine.” Jenna shrugged, not excited about the idea, but feeling at Bryn’s mercy since it was her dog and her car. “Lunch will taste that much better when we finally get there.”

Bryn clicked her tongue and Sparky shot across the shelter’s patchy lawn, then quickly changed direction, darted around the side of the building, and disappeared.

“Sparky!” Bryn shouted and took off after him.

Jenna followed, not thrilled at the turn this day was taking. She picked her way through the tangle of weeds behind the building, trying to stay on the path Bryn had tromped down. Even as she followed, she plotted a route of escape in case Sparky headed her way. Not that she could outrun him.

The dog was digging in a pile of rubble behind the building. Bryn crouched near him and when she rose, she held up what looked like a soggy white handkerchief. “Come on, Sparky. Come!”

He ignored her and she finally dragged him by the collar with her free hand, still holding the rag in her other. When she got closer, Jenna saw that the rag protruded from a plastic water bottle with an inch or two of amber liquid in the bottom.

“What is that?”

Bryn sniffed the bottle gingerly, wrinkling her nose. “It smells like gasoline. Sparky went straight for it.”

Jenna started back for the car, keeping plenty of distance between her and the dog.

Sparky fought against Bryn all the way back to the car. “I don’t know what his problem is,” she growled, manhandling him into the backseat again. But instead of going around to the driver’s side, Bryn held up her find. “I think Susan needs to see this. I’ll be right back. …”

“I’ll come with you.” No way was she going to be left alone with that dog again.

She followed Bryn to the front entrance. The door was locked, but Bryn pounded loudly, then peered through the glass door.

A few seconds later they heard keys rattling and Susan opened the door. She looked past Bryn. “Jenna! I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Not since Bryn’s sentencing, probably.
“Hi, Susan.”

“Bryn said you two were having lunch.” She turned to Bryn, then noticed the bottle she carried and furrowed her forehead. “What’s that?”

Bryn explained how Sparky had dug it up from behind the building. “It smells like gas. I don’t know if somebody was cleaning paintbrushes or what, but it seemed a little dangerous to have it lying around. I could just imagine one of the guys going out for a smoke and …”

Susan winced at the suggestion. “Nobody’s been painting for a couple of weeks.” She took the rag from Bryn and sniffed, then made a face.

“Sparky went straight for it.”

“Show me where you found it.”

Susan led them inside, where Bryn took the lead, walking through a large dayroom furnished with a mismatched collection of sofas and recliners. She pushed open a back door by the kitchen and pointed out the spot where she’d discovered the odd find.

“Maybe the crew that mowed the lawn left it?”

Susan rolled her eyes. “As you can see they never got around to mowing the place last summer.” She took the bottle from Bryn, who sniffed her fingers, then bent to wipe her hands off in the dry grass.

“I think maybe I should show this to Pete,” Susan said. “After everything that’s happened I don’t want to take any chances—” She stopped short and her face turned crimson. “I’m sorry, Bryn. I didn’t mean—”

“No, it’s okay. I think you
should
report it. It seems pretty suspicious.”

Susan seemed relieved that Bryn wasn’t offended by her remark. She quickly changed the subject and led them back to the front door. “Thanks for letting me know about this. You guys have a great lunch.”

“Thanks,” they said in unison.

Back in the car Sparky had calmed down, but Jenna gave an inward sigh of relief when they dropped him off at the vet a few minutes later.

By one o’clock she and Bryn were enjoying fragrant cream of potato soup in bread bowls at the new deli downtown, but Jenna couldn’t seem to put all her worrisome thoughts aside and simply enjoy the afternoon with her friend.

She took a risk with Lucas because at least he understood what the fire had cost …

5

Monday, November 10

J
enna, it’s Maggie. Sorry to bother you on such short notice, but I have a couple here who’d like to look at the house.”

“Hey, don’t apologize for doing your job.” Jenna tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder and started loading breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be out of here.”

Thank goodness she’d cleaned up the kitchen after baking this morning, and the house was perfumed with the scent of homemade blueberry muffins.

“I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I think your house might be just what they’re looking for.”

“Let’s hope so.” She put more conviction behind the words than she felt. Not that she had any other option but to sell her house, but she’d spent the weekend mourning the nicest home she’d ever lived in—and trying to imagine what it would be like living with Bill and Clarissa. The
Morgans’ house was twice the size and ten times as fancy as this one, but she was starting to have second thoughts about losing her freedom.

Maybe she should take Bryn’s lukewarm reaction when she’d heard Jenna was moving in with Zach’s parents to heart. Not that she’d come right out and said she thought it was a bad idea, but Jenna could read the skepticism in her friend’s expression. What choice did she have, though? It would only be for a while. Until she could find a job and a place of her own.

She finished straightening the house—an easy task since she’d cleaned top to bottom before it went on the market last week—then grabbed her purse and car keys. Maggie Preston had shown the house only once before today, but she assured Jenna things would pick up once the listing appeared in the
Courier.

Winding her way down her street, she met Maggie’s car and they waved. Maggie had promised to call her cell with the all clear when she was done. Jenna decided to drive through for coffee and maybe pick up a sandwich to take home for later. Surely it couldn’t take that long to show the house. She’d probably only have to kill an hour.

There were four cars in line at the drive-through at Java Joint. It would be quicker to go in. She could find a cozy chair and wait for Maggie’s call. She parked the car and went inside.

There were half a dozen people seated inside, and two women in line ahead of her. A lone barista was trying to handle both the counter and the drive-through traffic, and from the look of things she wasn’t having much success. Jenna inhaled the wonderful fresh-brewed coffee aroma and lopped her jacket over a comfy armchair in the corner to reserve a place.

She was paying for her latte a few minutes later when she heard a familiar voice.

She turned to see Lucas Vermontez coming through the door. Zach’s buddy walked with a pronounced limp, and with aid of a cane, but Jenna was surprised he was on his feet at all. He’d been in a wheelchair
the last time she’d seen him. And in the throes of depression. At least, that was what the Hanover Falls grapevine rumored.

Almost a year ago.