Love Inspired April 2021--Box Set 1 of 2, page 34
Jess nodded.
Devlyn squeezed her arm lightly before letting go. “Then thank you for stepping in. She’s a cornerstone for this town. And whatever happens, I’ll be forever grateful for her wisdom and dedication. She stood by me when I lost my parents. And when I discovered I was pregnant with no marriage prospects, she was the rock I leaned on. I love her, Jess.”
“Me, too. Stupid cancer. It messes up so much. Even things it shouldn’t,” Jess added.
“Will being a cancer survivor be a factor in finding a job? A highly skilled doctor like you?” Disbelief colored Devlyn’s voice. “That’s unbelievable.”
She’d always been able to count on Devlyn’s honesty, even when it stung, like now. “Not legally, but probably. It’s messed up health, work, and—” She paused before she said too much.
“Shane.”
Before Jess could deny her feelings about Shane, Devlyn held up a hand. “Save your breath, it was obvious from the first time I saw the two of you together and if you both weren’t so amazingly stubborn and a little stupid, it would be movie-worthy.”
“I like movies where the heroine saves herself and the hero is impressed by her strength and fortitude and comes along for the ride.”
“Why deny yourselves a chance to see where this could go?” she asked. “Why not give it a try? Haven’t the two of you been through enough?”
“Exactly why we can’t pursue this,” Jess said softly. “Chrissie’s kids don’t need another cancer patient around. You know that, Dev. Adults don’t put kids in the middle of a tough situation.”
“Except that life hands us rough roads on a regular basis,” reasoned Devlyn. “You know how sacrificial Shane is. His love language is to sacrifice for others.”
Jess frowned. “I don’t think he’d consider taking over with the kids to be a sacrifice. More like an honor, especially considering his troubles in the past.”
Devlyn stopped as they neared the church. The road was quiet, a gentle snowfall adding a layer of white to tree branches and yards. Few stores were open for the next six weeks, a winter lull. She stared at Jess then frowned. “Mary never told you.”
“Told me what?”
“About Shane.”
Jess faced her, puzzled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I see that, and to me it’s so obvious because it’s just who he is, who he always was. But, Jess...” Devlyn hesitated, took a deep breath and went on. “Shane didn’t steal that money. He never stole anything. He would never do that.”
Shane hadn’t taken the money?
Jess looked at her. Really looked. And then—
Then she had a light-bulb moment. A glimpse of clarity she’d never considered because she’d been so busy assessing right versus wrong. “Chrissie.”
“Yes.”
Her heart paused. Literally. And when it started beating again, an ice-cold chill raced down her back. She pulled her jacket closer, but it did nothing to ward off the shiver. “He went to prison for her.”
“And never said a word.” Devlyn continued, “He thought no one knew, but anyone who knew them had it figured out. Despite that, there was nothing to be done. They had your eyewitness report and Shane’s confession. They had everything they needed. But folks talk, and there’re a few of us that know what went down that day. That makes his coming back here to help fix things so much better.”
Oh, Shane.
What he’d done. What he’d endured. What he’d confessed to, to give his sister a chance. Thoughts whirled in Jess’s head like the snowflakes dancing on today’s light breeze. “No one does things like that, Devlyn.”
“A man of faith does.”
His faith.
Shane didn’t hide his belief in God. He wore it with honor, the way he did so many things. To go to prison to protect his sister was an amazing sacrifice. “I put an innocent man in prison.”
“Because he let you,” Devlyn noted. “He wanted Chrissie to have the chance to begin again, and she did. His sacrifice inspired her to be a better person.”
It all seemed so clear now.
Why hadn’t she seen that back then?
Jess knew why. She’d been so bitterly disappointed to see the boy she’d been crushing on for almost a year do something so wrong, as if his choice had ruined a coddled girl’s dream. How utterly selfish was that?
“Get over yourself,” Devlyn advised. “You were sixteen and pretty self-righteous. You’re all grown up now, and so is he, so that brings me back to the question of why not give it a shot?” She stopped walking and faced Jess. “God only hands out so many chances.”
“But the kids—”
“That part’s up to him. There’s only so much we can protect kids from, and no one knows what your prognosis really is, correct?”
“It’s fairly good, actually.”
“So why not run with it, Jess? Because none of us can see the future. Everything we do has risk but it’s also got reward, and this could be the best reward of all.”
In front of them stood the remnants of the town. The burned buildings had been removed, leaving bare patches, but new buildings would rise up over the coming months. To their left stood the humble white church, glowing softly in the shadow of a cloudy January afternoon. Ground-level floodlights bathed an old-fashioned outdoor nativity scene in the fading light. “Pastor said he was leaving the Holy Family statues up a little longer this year,” Devlyn said. “He said seeing it gives people hope, because if ever a family had to deal with anxiety and discord, it was this one.”
Like Shane had dealt with growing up, and still had the faith and strength to stand tall and save his sister.
Jess’s heart swelled, gazing at the amazing mark Shane had already left on this town. He hadn’t just brought expertise and helpful hands. He’d brought hope, not just to her mother’s medical practice, but throughout the town. It wasn’t just construction she was seeing.
She saw the work of one man. His strength. His sacrifice. His ethic. A trio of qualities that fit her.
Was Devlyn right? Should they give this a chance?
There was only one way to find out. Shane’s kids were home tonight, so she’d wait until tomorrow, but one way or another, Jess was determined to have her say.
And like it or not, he was going to listen.
* * *
No one who’s been in jail ever wants to feel locked up, but that’s exactly how Shane’s enforced separation from Jess felt.
Sammy had finished a weekend geography assignment after no small amount of coaxing and threats. Jolie was working on a writing project with a greater sense of satisfaction while Shane adjusted figures for current projects in town and a few on the outskirts that had been waiting.
Jolie came by after grabbing a glass of juice and peered over his shoulder, more relaxed now than she’d been in months, which was something to be grateful for. “You’re good at math, Pops.”
“Well, thank you.” He smiled at her. “I want to make sure we’re going into each project with the right figures and materials. I hate leaving jobs half done, but we need to finish what we can to get you guys back home where you belong.”
“Did the lumber guy really donate a bunch of stuff?” she asked. “That’s what Melly Brown said at church this morning.”
“He sure did.” The owner of Creekside Lumber had come on board in a big way this past week. “He’s happy to see improvements in so many places, and he’s lived here all his life, and his parents, too. So he wanted to give back to the community.”
“You and Mom lived here, too.”
He’d steered clear of conversations about the deep past for obvious reasons, but he nodded. “Yes.”
“And my grandparents. Right? Even if they weren’t really awesome people.”
Shane’s hesitation pushed her to say more.
“Mom told me about them,” Jolie explained. She leaned her elbows on the table and put her chin in her hands. “About how your dad left and your mom wasn’t good to you guys and you tried to take care of Mom when she was a kid.”
He sat back slightly. “I didn’t know she shared that with you. It’s kind of rough stuff, Jolie.”
She made a face. “Lots of people go through rough stuff, right? You told us that it’s not the stuff that makes us, it’s how we make ourselves.”
He nodded. “But even cool people can make mistakes,” he told her. “And then move on from them. That’s part of why we came down here to help the town. A lot of these folks looked out for us when your mom and I were young. Now it’s my turn.”
“And maybe show them you ended up doing all right.”
He couldn’t deny there was a measure of pride in overcoming a tough beginning and a felony conviction. “Sometimes I wish you weren’t so smart, kid.”
“I wish Mom was here.”
Whoa. Jolie rarely referenced her loss. When she did, Shane perked up and listened. “Me, too. I miss her a lot.”
Jolie regarded him with a thoughtful gaze, then totally blindsided him. “If Mom was here, she’d tell people the truth, Pops.”
He met her gaze with a look of complete but contrived puzzlement. “About what?”
She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. “You know what, Pops,” she whispered. “Sammy doesn’t know, she said he was too little to understand, but that we should tell him when he gets bigger. She told me when she got so sick. That she took a lot of money to make it into a gang because she didn’t like herself or her life, and that you pretended you did it and went to jail for her.”
The tightness in his throat kept him silent for a moment. He pulled back and gazed into Jolie’s pretty brown eyes. Her mother’s eyes.
“She told me because she didn’t want us to grow up thinking you were a criminal. That’s all.”
That’s all?
Adrenaline buzzed through his system. For a moment, he couldn’t talk, and could barely breathe.
Chrissie had wanted to tell the kids two years ago, but he’d advised against it. Why mess things up when everything had eventually worked out? Their father had walked away before Chrissie had gotten sick and Shane had been a mainstay in their lives since they’d been born. He’d seen no reason to malign his sister’s name after she’d worked so hard to be not just a good person, but a great person.
Isn’t that exactly why? his conscience asked. Because being a great person means taking responsibility for your actions. For your life. And that’s what Chrissie did.
“I won’t tell Sam,” she promised. “We can tell him when he gets bigger, okay?”
He hugged her.
When his eyes grew moist, he realized they’d finally come full circle. He’d gone the distance to protect the sister he loved, and she’d shared the truth with Jolie to protect him.
“So if you need longer to finish things here, can’t we just stay and finish?” she suggested, looking back at his numbers. “I heard Uncle Pete say he could handle stuff back home.”
“You weren’t supposed to be listening,” he scolded. “I thought you wanted to get back to your horseback riding lessons.”
“Sarah’s family has a horse farm not too far away, and her mom said I could come ride with them anytime. And she’s like the nicest person I ever met, Pops. I’m just saying it would be all right.” Her voice trailed off just enough to leave the thought in his head before she turned and called across the cabin to her little brother. “Sam, wouldn’t you like to stay down here for a while? Just to see?”
Sam’s uncooperative attitude about homework had cost him screen time, but he’d engrossed himself in creating another card tower at the living room table. One with turrets this time. “I could really love it here if we get to go to those cool places we saw when we were driving around,” he called back. “We could at least stay and finish things up, right? Mrs. Smith is really nice and you know that Mrs. P. really doesn’t like little boys all that much.”
Mrs. P. was the third-grade teacher he’d had in Maryland. Sammy hadn’t been a huge fan of hers.
“It might take me several months if I follow through on everything we’ve started,” Shane told them.
“Do you promise it will be pretty when the leaves come back?” Jolie asked in a serious voice, because Jolie was one of those kids who appreciated nature’s beauty.
Pretty? How about downright beautiful? He looped an arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss to her forehead. “It’s the Smokies, so, yeah. I can unequivocally state that it’s one of the prettiest places on the planet, and you’ll get to see that in all its glory real soon.”
“Good.”
She went back to her side of the table and began tapping on her tablet keys as if their conversation wasn’t a big deal.
It was a huge deal.
Shane knew that.
He’d wanted to protect them from the truth, to keep their mother’s image pristine, but once again Chrissie had shown just how far she’d come since that fateful day twenty-seven years before. Shane also realized something else he’d wondered about from time to time. If he’d had the decision to make again, after all this time, would he have taken the rap for what happened that day?
Knowing everything he knew now, the answer would be yes. But he was more proud of the fact that he’d made the decision without knowing the outcome. The truth did set folks free. He believed that.
He also believed in second chances, and he’d been willing to give that gift to Chrissie. As Sam pumped a fist in triumph when he finally got that last turret to stand tall and Jolie congratulated him, Shane came to another realization.
Chrissie had given that gift of a second chance right back to him, and that was the best blessing of all.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Jess had seen Shane’s truck pass by the area twice Monday morning, but with the constant stream of patients, there hadn’t been a free moment to cross the road and hunt him down.
It was the kind of busy morning that only underscored the need for good medical help when emergency care was a solid thirty minutes away. Mary had ignored Jess’s concerns and come back to work with her. Dee, her mother’s office manager, had come in to the temporary clinic office to process insurance claims, and the day had gone smoothly. She was commending Jenny and Dee on a job well done when her phone rang with her normal Monday check-in call from the job recruiter.
Jess lifted her coffee mug and took the call in the back room. “Hey, Courtney.”
“I’ve got news, Jess. Are you sitting down?”
She wasn’t, and wasn’t about to, but she held the phone tighter. “What’s going on?”
“Offers, Jess. Not one, but two. Duke and Cleveland.”
Two top facilities reaching out to her.
“I just sent you the emails. Both are eager to chat with you as soon as possible, so video interviews suit them fine. Your résumé speaks for itself, Jess. And they’re ready to welcome you by the first of February as their chief emergency room physician.”
February first?
That was two weeks away. In two very short weeks, she could be named a physician-in-charge of a major ER. She could reclaim the career she’d planned and worked for. The plan she’d laid out years ago. The fruition of all her dreams.
Before I knew about Mom.
She exhaled a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and gave a response she wouldn’t have predicted short months ago. “This is wonderful news, but I have to turn them down, Courtney. Can we do that with the utmost respect?”
“Turn them down?” Surprise laced Courtney’s voice.
Mary came into the exam room as Jess spoke. She looked at Jess, surprised. And then—
Not so surprised. Concern deepened the furrow between her brows as she caught the gist of the conversation. She crossed the room and laid her hand atop Jess’s arm. “I’m not going to let you do this,” she began while Courtney was still throwing out questions on the other end of the phone.
Jess took care of Courtney first. “Courtney, go ahead with the refusals, I’ll take care of your fee and explain later.” She set down her phone and faced her mother head-on. “I’m doing it. And that’s that.”
Concern shadowed Mary’s face. The woman who always sacrificed for others, wasn’t accustomed to having the tables turned. “Jess, I—”
“Remember that ‘whither thou goest’ thing you talk about?” Jess asked calmly. “How you’ve got it hanging on the office wall, and how your people will be my people?”
“And your God, my God,” Mary finished softly.
“Well, I’m staying here and that’s that,” Jess told her. “I’m not leaving you, Mom. I’m not leaving you in a lurch or this town without a doctor.”
“It’s a two-person office, Jess. We planned it out that way with Shane so we can sell the practice when we need to. And I’m on borrowed time.”
“A reality I understand better than anyone,” Jess replied. “You know how it works, Mom. Someone will come along when you’re unable to practice and we’ll add them on, but for now it’s you and me. For as long as God gives us.”
“As long as God gives us?” Mary raised her left brow in question as they moved into the front room. Dee and Jenny had gone up the road to the A & M Grocery to grab lunch. “Sweet words coming from my stubborn child’s mouth.”
Jess swept the clinic a quick look. “I have my share of questions and doubts,” she admitted. Then she sighed. “I’ve never seen the sense in counting on others but when I look at the circumstances that brought us to this point, all the intersections that had to happen, I see a plan. And maybe that’s God’s plan, or maybe it’s not, but there’s no way it’s just a series of coincidences. A smart guy once told me that faith brought him through the worst of the worst. And if that can happen to him, then maybe it’s time for a know-it-all like me to pay attention.”
