It was only nine-thirty. Jenny wouldn’t arrive for another half hour, but he couldn’t stop looking for her. He’d sent her away the previous night with claims of paperwork to get through. The stacks of papers still waited on his father’s desk, as untouched as they’d been yesterday. He’d spent a couple of minutes on the phone with his partner in Phoenix, making sure the business was surviving without him, but other than that had wasted the night thinking. In truth, he’d been afraid to leave with her. The feelings he’d experienced had terrified him; they still did. He’d needed her so much in the past and, except for that last September day, she’d always been there. But his father’s death had shifted everything. A line had been drawn and he stood on one side, alone. Jenny had become a part of everything he hated about the town. He couldn’t fault her decision; they had each made a choice. What he wanted to know was why she’d sold out. The sound of a car door cut through his musings.
