She smiled at Debbie as she passed by.
Debbie returned it, then turned to find Jessie watching her.
“Hi, Debbie. What can I do for you?”
Resisting the urge to pace and wring her hands, Debbie strolled farther into the room. “I never had a chance to congratulate you on the birth of your baby.”
“Thank you?” Jessie looked as confused as she had last summer when Debbie showed up at the ranch to warn her off Robert.
Full of nervous energy, Debbie continued to wander, tapping her nails on the tabletops. Jessie made her way toward her desk at the front of the room. They looked like two felines circling each other.
Just spit it out already.
Before Debbie could form the words,“I’m sorry,”she found herself standing in front of the easel Savannah and Jessie had been studying. The striking image of an aged, wooden fishing boat laying on a white sandy beach and gently-rolling waves took her breath away. The contrast between the azure sky, cobalt water, and alabaster sand reminded Debbie of her time spent in Greece and other tropical locales.
A strong desire to have a similar image painted on the wall between her dining room and kitchen struck her. Debbie wanted to do something amazing there, but she hadn’t been able to decide what.
“Is there a reason you’re here, Debbie?” Jessie’s voice pulled her attention away from the picture and the idea forming in her head.
“Yes, sorry. I got sidetracked by this painting. It really is amazing, isn’t it?”
Jessie crossed the room again to stand beside Debbie. “Yes, Savannah is very gifted. I find it difficult to challenge her.”
“I can see why.” Debbie pulled her gaze away from the painting and turned to Jessie. She folded her arms over her chest to keep her hands from fidgeting. “I’m here because I owe you an apology.”
Jessie’s eyes widened, and she fell back a step.
“I should never have said you didn’t deserve Robert and accuse you of keeping him as a back-up plan.”
“You have nothing to apologize for—”
Debbie held up a hand. Her apology was getting hijacked again. Amy had tried to do that too. “I do. I basically said a relationship with you would hurt his chances of getting re-elected. I was rude to you, and you didn’t deserve that. You were going through a lot.”
Jessie smiled. “The truth is, you helped me realize that I needed to do whatever I could to ensure Robert and I got a second chance.”
Debbie relaxed and let her arms fall to her sides. “Well then, you’re welcome, I guess. Robert looks much happier since you returned to Providence than I’ve ever seen him. Marriage and fatherhood suit him, and motherhood suits you.” She couldn’t hide the tightness those last words caused in her voice.
“Thank you.” Jessie ran her fingers along the back of a chair. “You know, after the choices I made years ago, I didn’t think I deserved a second chance.” She raised her head and looked directly at Debbie. “But I’ve come to realize everyone deserves to be happy.”
Debbie sucked in a sharp breath as the words pierced her heart. She agreed with Jessie, but it wasn’t always that easy. Especially if God had other plans for your life. She’d gone through all of the stages of grief when she found out she couldn’t have children. Then she’d gone through them all over again when her first marriage fell apart thanks to her defective body.
She’d tried to find happiness in other ways, mainly by helping others. That’s how she met her second husband. With his money, she’d been able to help a lot of people, and it had brought a measure of happiness, but it hadn’t given her the one thing she wanted most.
“Are you happy, Debbie?” Jessie asked in a gentle voice.
Tears sprang to Debbie’s eyes, and she looked away from Jessie’s compassionate gaze. She was not typically an emotional woman, but something had shifted in her recently—on her thirty-sixth birthday, to be exact—and she found herself battling the insecurities she thought she’d overcome years ago.
Her biological clock had gone haywire years ago, but her physical body was screaming for some type of fulfillment she couldn’t provide.
Debbie blinked away the tears, squared her shoulders, and raised her chin. She gave Jessie a tight smile. “Of course, I’m happy.”
The look in Jessie’s eyes said she didn’t believe Debbie, but she smiled anyway. “Good, I noticed you’ve made some changes recently.” She motioned to Debbie’s clothing. “I like the new look.”
Warmth filled Debbie’s cheeks. Amy had made a similar comment. Had Debbie really been that bad?
“If you want people to notice you, then you need to stand out.”Debbie could still hear Sofia’s high-pitched voice in her head.“You’re a wealthy woman now. You need to look and act like it.”
Sofia had been the one person to welcome Debbie when all of her second husband’s friends criticized her for being skinny and plain. Debbie had thought she needed the expensive name-brand, skin-tight clothing—that was somewhat revealing—and her flashy jewelry to get attention. But she hadn’t realized it made her look… What? Unhappy? Desperate for attention?
