“It’s just a matter of time. You’ll see. You’ve got a lot to offer. I’ll bet it’s your idiot boyfriend’s fault.”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
“Maybe I should come up there and give him a little talking-to.”
His tone made it clear the convincing wouldn’t be verbal. It reminded her fondly of the time he’d slugged Robbie Brown for slapping her on the butt when they were fourteen. They’d both served detention for their actions. “Appreciate the thought, but I really don’t want to have to bail you out of jail.”
“It would make my day. Have you heard from him?”
“Not a single word. And I don’t care to, honestly.” It was pretty horrible what he’d done. And his departure had relieved her of a pressure she hadn’t realized she’d been feeling while they were together. “I should probably thank him for ending things. He wasn’t right for me.”
“You’re definitely better off without him.”
She didn’t even miss him that much. And what did that say about their relationship? She glanced at the email on the screen. Her primary feeling right now was frustration that he was likely blockading her employment opportunities. “Maybe I should extend my job search to DC.” Alexandria was a suburb of the city, after all.
“You’ve never been one for big cities. And there’s the infamous traffic.”
“Fair point. I guess I could put out some feelers back home.” She’d only ended up in Alexandria because of job opportunities, and those seem to have dried up. Along with most of her friendships, which seemed to have gone with Jason in the split.
“Now there’s an idea I could get behind. I’ll keep my ear to the ground and let you know if I hear of anything.”
“Thanks. How’s your family? I saw the king suite renovation on Instagram. It turned out great.” Once their three boys had left the nest, the Parkers turned their large home into a bed-and-breakfast. Tyson worked there full-time when he wasn’t volunteering for the Chincoteague Fire Company.
“Thanks. I’m glad to have it done in time for summer. Hey, uh, have you talked to your mom since she returned from the cruise?”
“No, but she checked in via Messenger a couple times from the Caribbean. Seemed to be having a great time. Did she come back with a nice tan?”
“Um, yeah... but that’s not all she came back with. I was over there mowing this morning when she got home. I didn’t think she was returning till tomorrow. A man was with her—and he had a suitcase.”
“What?What man? Who was he?”
“Someone she met on the cruise, apparently. Gordon Smith? Does that ring a bell?”
“No...” A thread of anxiety wormed through her. “She’s only known him for a matter of days and he’s staying overnight? Are you sure?” That didn’t sound like her mom.
“She didn’t say so directly, but he was unloading his suitcase and hers, and they seemed kind of chummy.”
“Oh no.” Though Jenna’s wonderful dad had passed when she was twelve, her mom hadn’t started dating until Jenna left for college. And only then had she discovered just how naive her mom was where men and dating were concerned.
“Thought you might want to know.”
“Yeah, thanks.” The thought of some strange man staying there tonight alone with her mother—what could she be thinking? A quickcall would answer some questions, but her mom was independent and—as Jenna had found out the hard way—not too fond of her daughter’s interference. “I should come home for the weekend.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” His tone was heavy with relief. “She’d be glad to see you. I’m more than happy to check in on her, but it might be best if she wasn’t alone tonight.”
“I could just say I was depressed about my job situation”—hardly a lie—“and I am missing her.”
“There you go. He’s probably just spending the night on his way home or something.”
Way too risky for Jenna’s liking. “Thanks again for the heads-up. I’ll give my mom a call, pack a few things, and be there by suppertime.”
Chapter 3
The wild ponies grunted as Tyson and his best friend, Luke, coaxed them toward the horse trailer. Two rangers from US Fish & Wildlife assisted them in the rescue.
Riptide, a chestnut stallion, reared, kicking up dust. He was wild and beautiful with a flaxen mane, a white blaze, and four white boots. He was also among the most spirited of the 150 feral ponies living on Virginia’s barrier island Assateague, a wildlife refuge.
Bridge traffic was blocked and the line of cars extended as far as the eye could see. The bridge to Assateague was well traveled during the warmer months. Tourists crossed the channel to see the wild ponies grazing on marsh grass. But today they’d ended up getting quite the show.
