He shrugged, still smiling. “You tell me. Or I tell you. But whatever happens… we’re in it together. We face the futuretogether.” He reached for her hand once more. “Whatever that looks like.” He squeezed her fingers. “Deal?”
Relief flooded Jenna, along with a new, certain joy. Could anyone ask for more than that? Could anyone expect anything more?
“Deal,” she said, and squeezed his hand back.
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
“Let me see that rock again!”
Laughing, Jenna raised her left hand only for Laurie to stumble back, pretending to be blinded. Even she couldn’t quite believe the bling, and she’d been officially engaged for three whole days.
A lot had happened in six months… Not only were Jenna and Jack engaged after a romantic proposal on top of the Rockefeller Center in New York, down on one knee and everything, but Maggie and Zach were also planning a wedding, and Laurie and Joshua were actuallymarried. They’d surprised everyone by running off and eloping just a few weeks ago, coming back from New York as giddy as teenagers and wearing wedding rings.
Other life changes had happened too in little Starr’s Fall; Henrietta Starr had been in touch with her grandson, who had promised to visit, much to Henrietta’s cantankerous delight. Annie had surprised everyone by selling Lyman Orchards, and had joined Mike in the mechanic business, claiming the need for a new start. Jack had also started his own business, focusing on rural regeneration, with its headquarters in his house.
Jenna had been worried at the start that it wouldn’t be enough for all that energy and purpose of his, but the work kept coming and Jack certainly seemed to enjoy it, as well as the slower pace of life “out in the sticks,” as Jenna liked to tease him. The truth was, living in Starr’s Fall suited them both… which was a good thing, considering they were getting married in three months, and planning to spend the rest of their lives there, and maybe even raise a family, if they were so blessed.
“All right, ice cream sundaes all around,” Laurie proclaimed. She, Jenna, Maggie, and Liz were all at The Latest Scoop for celebratory ice cream. It was the middle of June, the sun-drenched days of summer, when Starr’s Fall turned into a tourist destination, and everyone remembered just how great it was to live there.
“Coming right up,” Zoe called from behind the counter, just as a middle-aged man and his sullen-looking teenaged daughter came into the ice cream parlor. Everyone fell silent as the man looked around with an abashed smile while the girl scowled and flicked her hair. Tourists, Jenna wondered as the man walked hesitantly to the counter. She’d certainly never seen them before.
“May I help you?” Zoe asked with a smile, brushing her bright pink hair out of her eyes as the man frowned at her, looking, Jenna thought, disapproving.
“Just two ice cream cones,” the man said as he turned to look hopefully at his daughter.
“I don’t want anything,” she snapped, crossing her thin arms across her body and looking away from her father, with a glare aimed at nobody in particular. She looked defiant, but Jenna thought she also seemed scared. She couldn’t be more than fourteen.
“Sophie…” The man sounded tired as well as sad. He turned back to Zoe, who was watching them both with narrowed eyes. “Just one vanilla ice cream cone, then,” he said quietly, on a sigh. “Thank you.”
Jenna glanced back at her friends, who were watching the sad little scene unfold with the same avidity she had been.
“Are you visiting?” Zoe asked as she scooped the ice cream.
“No, we’ve moved here,” the man replied with an attempt at joviality while the girl’s scowl only deepened. “Just last week.”
“Ah.” Zoe glanced between the two of them, clearly curious about who they were and why they’d moved to Starr’s Fall. Jenna was curious too, but already she suspected the pair wouldn’t be all that forthcoming, but they still deserved a community welcome. “Well,” Zoe said with a big smile as she handed the man his ice cream cone, “welcome to Starr’s Fall!”
* * *
