Mrs. Addy clucked her tongue. “I don’t think so. You belong with the young people, not us geriatrics.”
Jessa rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I enjoy spending time with you.”
The doorbell rang.
“Duty calls.” Mrs. Addy swept out of the room, leaving the scent of her rose perfume behind.
She reappeared a minute later. “You have a visitor, Jessa.”
“Phoebe? I told her to come into the kitchen when she got here.” She scooped the last of her baked brie onto a cracker and shoved it in her mouth.
“It’s not Phoebe. Go see for yourself—in the library.”
Strange. Why didn’t Mrs. Addy tell her who came instead of creating a mystery? Was it Trixie? It had to be. She changed her gait to a jog, envisioning throwing her arms around her sister and welcoming her home. What a great start to the new year.
She entered the library, expecting to see her sister.
Instead, she saw Landon. “It’s you.”
His face fell, and shoulders slumped. “Not the reaction I was going for, but I guess I deserved that.”
“No, no. I’m glad to see you. When Mrs. Addy wouldn’t tell me who was here, I thought Trixie had shown up.” She let the difference between expectation and reality set in, and she released the disappointment.
“I’m sorry.”
“No need to be.” She put a smile on her face, genuinely happy to see him. “Why are you here? I thought you had a family party tonight?”
“I skipped out on it for more pressing matters.”
“Which are?” Her heart did the funny speeding up and flipping thing it was prone to do when she was near Landon.
“You.” He strode to stand in front of her, kept his hands to his side. “I’m sorry.”
“For?”
“Devaluing you. Letting my issues with my parents come between us.” He reached for her hands.
How she’d missed his touch. “Apology accepted.”
“Can we sit?”
She nodded. Everything else could wait.
Once they sat down, he watched her with keen eyes. “I’ve been a mess, but I finally realized today that I need to move past what my parents did, or I’ll risk my own future. Even if I am predisposed to leaving, that doesn’t mean I will. I, and I alone, can decide to live above that.”
Exactly what she’d tried to tell him, but something had removed his blinders, allowing him to see the truth. “That’s wonderful.”
“When I get home tomorrow, I plan to sit down with my parents and have a long overdue conversation.” He trailed his finger in circles on the armrest. “If Paul from the Bible could change from his drastic lifestyle, then my parents can too. Even so, it’s not my place to judge them. I’ve been arrogant in my views, but my anger wouldn’t let me see.”
“You’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching.”
“Because I didn’t want to lose you.”
Torn between being flattered and concerned, she knew she had to address an issue. “I can’t be the reason you changed That has to be for your relationship with God alone.”
“It was but wanting a healthy relationship with you is what made me finally face my issues.” He left the chair, pulled her to her feet. “You quickly became my friend, but will you also be my girlfriend? I can’t promise I’ll be perfect, but I promise to work hard and always do my best to do what’s right.”
“That’s all I can ask.” She brushed an eyelash off his cheek, and he caught her hand.
