“Jude met with me a while back and offered to advise me on the laws around debt collection. It's been the best thing ever. A game-changer. I’ve called him with questions several times and he’s always so patient. Plus, he set me up with a debt counselor and I’ve had four meetings with her. Gemma, I feel as if I can breathe again.”
Gemma had been living with her family’s debts for many years now. She knew exactly how heavy they were to carry. There was nothing more meaningful Jude could have given them. “I . . .”
“Gemma?”
“I'm blown away that he'd do that for us.”
“It's incredibly generous, what he's doing.”
“When was it that he volunteered to help in this way?”
“Hmm . . . I wrote my meeting with him on my calendar. Let me just look back and find the day.” Crackling sounded on the line. “April ninth.”
It was now May nineteenth. On April ninth, Gemma and Jude hadn't been a couple. That date had fallen after their operation had been suspended and before they'd resumed their relationship. While completely out of communication with her, when she'd been tempted to think he didn't care, he'd met with her mother? And been busy ever since, behind the scenes, using his knowledge of the law on their behalf?
When was the last time she'd gotten a call or a letter from one of the debt collectors? Weeks. Her life with Jude had been so full and happy recently, the lack of those debt-collection calls and letters hadn't even registered.
“Jude asked me not to tell you that he was helping me,” Mom said. “He didn't want you to feel obligated to be with him.”
Gemma loved him. And not just a little.
In a dive-in-the-deep-end way, sheloved him. She wished she'd told him that before he'd left. She should have told him that.
“He's such a good man, Gemma,” Mom said.
“Yes. He is.”
They wrapped up the call.
Mabel tilted her head and studied Gemma quizzically.
Go to New York, her intuition whispered.
The time on her phone screen read 9:40. It would take her seven hours to drive to New York. If she got on the road shortly, she'd get in around 5:00 a.m.
Crazy! She wasn't going to New York. She was staying in Bayview, exactly as instructed.
* * *
The following day, Jude sat inside a Midtown coffee shop, awaiting contact from Cedric. He'd purchased coffee so that he had the right to sit at a table. However, his stomach wasn’t in the mood for even one sip.
Cedric had said he'd contact Jude forty-five minutes before four o’clock to let him know the name of his hotel. Jude Camden already knew the name of Cedric's hotel, but he was Jude McConnell now, waiting at a coffee shop for Cedric to tell him where they were meeting.
He stared at the time—3:12—on his phone screen. It was unbelievable how slowly a minute could pass.
The numbers finally switched to 3:13. When Cedric texted him, this buy would go into motion. Once it did, Jude was committed.
3:14.
3:15. The awaited text came. It jarred Jude, even though he'd been sitting here expecting this very thing.
Cedric
Can you meet me in the lobby of the Henry House Hotel in 45 minutes?
After reading the text, Jude waited a couple of minutes because that’s how long it would’ve taken him to check his GPS route if he hadn't known his destination until now.
Jude
