“Great.” Jenna stared at her hot pink fingernails.
Lilly relinquished one hand and picked up the other. “Everyone thought things would get back to normal, but no.”
“What happened?”
“Gunnar returned yesterday. He begged forgiveness and asked to stay at the inn. There was a ton of debate about letting him stay, but everyone voted, and he earned the right to stay by a single vote.”
“He tried to kill me. Who voted to let him stay?”
“We don’t know. I am so curious who voted that way, but we’ll never know because it’s all secret ballot. Stupid, right? But he’s under constant supervision for now. He can’t go anywhere or do anything without someone else watching him. There’s never been a need for a jail, but they’re trying to figure out what to do.”
“How’d you vote?”
“I voted not to let him stay after all he did. I guess I’m not a forgiving person. Though, I will say, between Gunnar and David, Gunnar was always the nicer one.” Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, and she dropped Jenna’s hand. “I’m sorry I got you involved in any of this. You could have died. Can you ever forgive me?” Lilly wept.
“None of this is your fault.” Jenna reached for Lilly and gave her a teary hug. Damn the nail polish, which left traces on the back of Lilly’s shirt.
“I’m sorry,” Lilly said again.
“If I want to blame anyone, I’ll blame Tundra, and she’s no longer an issue. You’re a good friend. Don’t worry about any of it.”
She hugged Jenna again, effectively smearing the rest of the newly painted nails in the process. “I’ll leave you now. I know Caleb has been waiting patiently, and I don’t want to deprive him of his Jenna time. I’ll visit tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Can you bring me something to read? I have a feeling Emma and Caleb aren’t letting me out of bed for a while.”
After Lilly left, Caleb entered, carrying Cat. Both made themselves comfortable on the bed.
Cat deposited himself on her lap, kneading a spot, and then curled into a ball.
“He’s happy you’re alive,” Caleb said. “I’m happy we all made it thanks to you.”
“You saved my life.”
“You’re the hero.” He held her hand, admiring her smeared nails with a lopsided grin. “Don’t ever scare me again.”
“If everyone is so grateful, why’d they’d bring Gunnar back?” Bitterness crept into her words.
“Lilly told you?”
“Everything.”
“It wasn’t my decision. You know how I voted.”
“You could have fought it.”
“I tried. Lilly tried, but the vote was in his favor. He’ll never get close to you. I promise.”
“I can’t talk about this anymore. At least not now. Can I clean up? I’m ready for a shower.”
“Good call. You still have Streaker gunk and soot from the fire all over you. Take all the time you need. No five-minute limit.”
“How nice. Send my thanks to everyone for the big treat.” Her head pounded and muscles ached.
Caleb removed Cat from her lap and set him on the bed. Refusing to let Jenna shamble the few steps to the bathroom, Caleb picked her up in his arms and carried her. He stripped off her pajamas and got the water steaming. A fog sprayed forth. She stepped into the hot, misty shower.
Caleb left her alone in the bathroom, and Jenna reveled in the water. Each drop fluttered like rose petals and the lathered soap tingled when rubbed on her skin. The silky, fresh scent was so intense, she could have been sitting in the middle of a flower garden. She would have stayed in the shower all day soaking in the experience, but a knock on the door shook her from her near trance.
“You okay in there?”
“Enjoying the moment.” Her aches had diminished and the throb in her head had dulled.
Jenna turned the water off. Steam and the fragrance of flowers lingered. She stepped onto the chilled tile floor, dried herself, and put on the fresh pajamas Caleb had left for her, returning to bed a much happier person.
After that day, Jenna’s healing took a surprising turn, and she recovered quicker than expected. Her bumps and bruises stopped aching, and she yearned to return the animals and the greenhouse. While Caleb tried to get her to take more time recuperating, she refused, happy to revert to her normal routine.
Jenna padded to the greenhouse early one morning, thick fog creating a damp gloom, surprised at how the winter’s chill had invaded. Her camouflage jacket failed to shield her from the gusts that sent her hair flying in front of her eyes, wind cascading the leaves through the air.
Quentin was waiting for Jenna in the greenhouse. She’d thought about the moment when she’d have to face him, but she had avoided it. She’d ignore him, Aiko, and Gunnar whenever possible. It had worked up until now.
This dreaded, unwanted conversation was bound to be awkward, and she didn’t have a speech planned. No escape route existed. No quick getaway this time.
Quentin offered her an awkward, partial wave, and then fiddled with a trowel, mutilating some of the most prized, potted plants.
“Hi, stranger,” Quentin said.
“How are you?”
“Beginning to believe I’d never see you again.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“I needed some time to figure everything out.”
“Would it bother you if we weren’t friends anymore?”
“It was heading in that direction anyway before all this happened. I missed you, but that didn’t seem to matter to you or Aiko.” She kicked at the dirt floors with the toe of her boots. “There’s so much that happened, so much to consider.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry about how it went down. You mean the world to me, and my emotions were the problem. You hurt me even if you didn’t mean to. I want all this stupidity done. I’m here for you. All you have to do is yell, and I’ll come running.” He swiped at
