An hour later he was about to step in the shower—could already feel the hot water loosening his muscles, washing away the heat and stress of the day—when Betsy’s phone vibrated on the dresser. She’d left it there before taking the girls into the hall bathroom to bathe them before bed.
He left the water running and crossed the room to check the screen.
Jenna.
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He wanted to just let voice mail pick up, but at the last second he answered. “Hang on,” he said in place of a greeting. “Let me get Betsy.”
Without waiting for an answer, he took the phone across the hall to the bathroom. He peered in through the half-closed door, just enough to see Betsy with one hand on a wet, wiggling Walsh and the other hand trying to cover a shivering Addie with a towel.
He crossed back into his room and closed the door behind him. “Give her a few minutes to finish up what she’s doing.” With reluctance he turned the shower off in the bathroom and sat on the bed. “How are things going?”
“They’re going really well.”
He raised his eyebrows, surprised to hear the confidence in her voice. “That’s great, Jenna.”
“I can’t imagine what you must think of me, staying gone this long. But I’m making some real progress here, so . . .” She paused. “Thank you. For taking care of the girls, for letting me work on . . . well, on me.”
“Yeah, well, your sister really loves you.” He squeezed his eyes closed and ran his hand over the top of his head. “I do too, of course, but Betsy wanted to do this for you. She’s thinking something big is going to come out of your trip down there.”
Jenna let out a gentle laugh. “But you think otherwise?”
“I don’t know, Jenna. I’m just not sure what’s going on. Remind me what you’re doing at this art thing.”
“I’m trying to build something different for our life. For my life with the girls.”
“How so?”
She paused, then sighed. “My job is to make coffee for people who spend as much on their caffeine habit as I do on groceries. I train employees. I clean up messes and defuse hot tempers and give away free drinks when a barista makes a mistake. Day in, day out.”
“But—”
“I come home to the girls exhausted, but I haven’t done anything all day that I’m proud of or that they can be proud of. I don’t want them to see me as someone who’s given up her dream just for a paycheck.” Her voice rose as she spoke. “Even if nothing comes of this, I want them to know I worked for it. That I tried to follow my calling. Does that make sense?”
Despite his frustration, it did make sense. He followed his heart to the farm instead of accepting the life of relative ease that an accounting job would provide. But he wasn’t ready to admit that to Jenna. “There’s nothing wrong with steady work. I have the same schedule seven days a week, every week of the year. And you want to talk about exhausted? How hard is it to pour coffee?” He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “I’m sorry. It’s just . . . What you do brings in a paycheck. It pays your bills. Not everyone has that.”
“I get that. I do. And I appreciate that steady paycheck. But I want to get to a place where I can try to pay bills with my art. Or at least make it a bigger part of my life. This place is opening my eyes to how I may be able to do that.” Through the phone, he heard a door open, then a chorus of loud nighttime noises.
“I thought you didn’t get cell reception there.”
“I don’t. I called from my cabin. I had to charge it to my credit card, but I didn’t want to worry about the call dropping.” The chains of a porch swing creaked. “Things are changing for me, Ty. My mentor has talked to some magazine editors to see if I can start as a freelancer. And I’ve opened my Etsy shop back up. I posted a new collection of photos I’ve taken here and I’ve already had two orders.” Pride filled her voice.
Part of him was glad for her, but his frustration made him keep pushing. “That’s great, but what comes next? What happens if another too-good-to-miss opportunity comes on the heels of this one and you just have to take it? Do we keep the girls indefinitely while you keep following your true calling?”
He was being harsh, but he couldn’t stop himself. His and Betsy’s life had changed with the arrival of the girls. While Betsy was leaning into the unknown, even welcoming it, Ty was getting nervous. And Betsy’s comments about school had only increased his tension. Sure, she agreed that it was a crazy idea to think about enrolling them in school, but he knew her ache was still there. The unmet desire.
“No, Ty, that’s not it.” Jenna exhaled forcefully. “I don’t think I’m explaining myself very well.”
“Well, while you’re figuring it out, don’t forget we have two little kids living in our house. Your kids.”
“I know that, and I know I’m walking a fine line staying away from them for this long.”
“I think you may be right on that.”
“But they sound happy every time I talk to them. Like they’re having the time of their lives. Like they don’t mind that I’m still gone, because they’re with fun parents now.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re the parent. We don’t know what we’re doing. We’re just stand-ins until you get back.” As he said the words, he thought of all he and Betsy had learned about parenting
