“Thanks.” She took the towel and pillow. “I wouldn’t mind company, if you’d like to join me.”
“I don’t want to bother you.” A shy smile formed on Jenna’s mouth. “Despite how much I like to tease my brothers, I try not to be the pesky annoying sister that doesn’t give them privacy.”
Monica shifted her weight. “Rex adores you. That’s part of the reason he moved home, so he could see you and the rest of your family more.”
“I wish Lucas would do the same.” Jenna cut herself off. “But that’s a story for another day.”
“I imagine you have lots of stories you could share.” She laid the towel and pillow on the bed, then turned around. “I’d love to hear some.”
Jenna grinned. “Twist my arm, why don’t you.”
“Come on.” Monica laughed her way into the kitchen.
She liked Jenna who had her brother’s sense of humor and easy smile. With her aquiline nose and well-defined, facial features, the family resemblance was strong. If Monica hadn’t been consumed with insecurities when she first saw Jenna earlier in the day, she would have realized Jenna was Rex’s sister he’d often spoke of and not a romantic interest.
“If you don’t like herbal tea, there’s also a box of Earl Grey.” Jenna reached up and pulled a box from the cabinet. Stopped at the sink and poured water into the kettle.
“Herbal’s fine.” She opened a cabinet and found two mugs, then placed them by the stove. “Rex said you’re at Tulane?”
Jenna nodded. “I’ll graduate next year, then on to law school.”
“That’s ambitious. From all that your brother has told me, I’m sure you’ll do amazing.”
“Thanks.” A pleased smile pulled on Jenna’s mouth. “Daddy wanted at least one of his kids to follow in his footsteps, and I was the only one with an interest in practicing law.”
“I considered law.”
“You did?” Jenna perked. “What changed your mind?”
“A career fair on campus. A security firm was there recruiting, and they laid out an exciting presentation that promised to pay me to travel the globe.” She laughed, remembering how young and impressionable she’d been. “They were a bust, but it opened a new world for me. I loved the constant change of pace, the excitement and adrenaline rush.”
“But now?”
Monica sighed. She reached for her mug and stirred the teabag in circles. “Is it that obvious?”
Understanding reflected in her eyes. “You had the same tone Rex had right before he moved home.”
“I loved my job, and I was good at it, but even before the incident with Lacey, I’d started questioning if that’s what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.” She cradled the mug in her hands in lifted it to her mouth. “The brain injury felt like the universe’s way of telling me to move on, but it’s a scary prospect.”
“Have you prayed about it?”
An invisible weight pressed down on her. Her relationship with God had gone to the wayside over the last several years. She’d found excuses not to attend church, then stopped reading her Bible every day. Ignoring her Christian friends came easy under the guise of work and traveling.
She’d attended services with her parents in Pennsylvania, mainly to keep the lectures from coming. Granted, her parents had never forced her or Carrie to go to church, not even as teens, but Monica knew that’s what they expected, and she didn’t want to disappoint them. Still, she’d felt out of place after not attending for years.
Realizing Jenna waited for an answer, Monica shrugged. “I don’t know if He’d listen to me after all this time.”
Jenna frowned. “I won’t give you a sermon, but can I say one thing?”
“Go for it.”
“When my dad died, I was angry at God. Shake my fist in the air and scream at the top of my lungs kind of mad. It was a dark time in my life, and it got to the point where I was even mad at my brothers because they’d had more time with him than I did.” Jenna blinked. “I was only a sophomore in high school, and Dad would never get to see me graduate or any other milestone.”
“That’s hard.” Her heart went out to the kid, and she made a mental note to call her own dad in the morning, tell him she loved him.
“Unimaginably so. It took a year and lots of counseling sessions for me to let go of that anger.” Gripping her cup, Jenna sipped her tea. “However, in its wake was shame and embarrassment and regret for how I’d treated my family and faith.”
“Understandable. We all grapple with the aftermath of our emotions.” She watched Jenna’s face, struck again at the similarities between Rex and her.
