Except, well, she wanted this to be a professional working relationship.Right. You kissed him!
And if she reminded him of their professional agreement now, she couldn’t stand to see the disappointment in his eyes. And in her heart. She was kidding herself.
I’m so into Cole.
I’m so in trouble.
Might as well prepare for the eventual heartbreak—a double heartbreak. She still had to process through what he’d shared before about his reason for not returning. He had sounded like he sincerely regretted it, and he wanted another chance.
Hawk assisted Cole, bringing the luggage into the house.
“You didn’t have to wait here, Hawk,” Cole said.
“You know I did. I had to make sure the house is clear and safe for my favorite brother and his friend in need. I didn’t want you to be exhausted and get here to have to clear the place. And besides, my presence scares off all the monsters.”
Jo couldn’t help but smile at that. If only. Still ... “But for how long?” she asked. “Eventually, this Merrick guy could find me here.”
“Let’s hope we can find him and take him down before it comes to that,” Cole said.
“Get some rest,” Hawk said. “You look terrible. Sanders is coming by in the morning.”
Again? Not what she wanted to hear. “What time?”
“Eight thirty.” Hawk moved into the kitchen. “Remi sent food if you’re hungry. Eat. Sleep. Recover. And Jo, she sent some more of your art supplies over. Clay, pencils, canvas, and paint.”
“Wow, that’s sweet of her. She must think we’re going to live here for months.” The thought dragged her spirits down even further. “Where are the supplies?”
“In the study.”
Jo left the brothers and moved down the hall until she found the study. This wasn’t her home, and she didn’t want to make a big artsy mess here, so she wouldn’t paint or sculpt, but she could sketch some more. She already had her sketch pad. The thought energized her, so she grabbed the pad and the pencils and positioned the chair to look outthe window at the glory of God’s creation. This room was positioned so that she got a great view of both the ocean and the forest. Since it was only 4:30, she could still watch the crashing waves and see the lush Olympic National Forest to the southeast.
The view moved her deeply. It was almost spiritual.
She flipped open her sketch pad to find the verse she’d written there.
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Psalm 90:2
There was that word again.
Before.
Interesting. Jo once again watched the waves crashing and then looked out to the horizon—where the gray waters met the leaden skies. Where the ocean ended and the sky began was almost indiscernible.
Emotion thickened in her throat.
Nature inspired her, but she hadn’t known just how much until she’d lived in the Pacific Northwest. One could find beauty anywhere, of course, but this place, near the designated wilderness coast, amped up her appreciation. Now, instead of people or the caricature sketches she’d drawn for the lodge, she wanted to sketch and paint nature.
As she looked at the box of clay ... she wanted to sculpt nature instead of facial reconstructions.
An image of Mom working on a facial reconstruction drifted across her mind. She closed her eyes to capture the memory and hold on to it, thinking back to those last few days before Mom died. She’d smiled and been happy. They’d had a good life. Everything had been normal.
Then her mood had dramatically shifted. Something had happened, but she wouldn’t share anything with Jo.
“Jo, you all right?” Cole stood in the doorway, his voice pulling her out of the memories.
“Sure, I just need a moment,” she said.
