At dusk, Jack left work and stopped at the cemetery, processing his conversation with Ellie. Seeing her again had resurrected old memories—some pleasant, some painful—so instead of going straight home, he needed a moment to gather his thoughts.
When he finally got home, night had fallen, and Sara was there waiting for him.
“You’re late,” she said as he walked through the front door. She handed him a glass of sweet tea and kissed him on the lips.
Jack eased his tired bones into his favorite chair and attempted to push Ellie out of his mind. “Sorry. I stopped at the cemetery.”
“Everything okay?”
Jack tipped his head in a yes.
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Supper’s almost ready. We’re having your favorite, pot roast with potatoes and carrots.”
Jack’s stomach rumbled.
Sara went to check on supper then returned a moment later. “So,” she said, lingering in the doorway, “a little birdie told me Ellie’s back in town. You haven’t seen her, have you?”
Jack looked up and eyed her suspiciously. “No, but you knew she’d come… for the funeral.”
“Nevertheless, I imagine it’s only a matter of time before she comes looking for you.”
Jack narrowed his brow at her. “What makes you say that?”
“I may be a lot of things, Jack, but naive isn’t one of them. I remember how crazy she was about you.”
Jack upended his tea glass before responding with an edge in his voice. “That was a long time ago, Sara.”
“Regardless, you know what they say about old habits.”
“Are we really going to have this conversation again?” he asked, pressing down his irritation. “Like I’ve told you countless times, Ellie and I are ancient history. Whatever fire may have existed burned out long ago.” But even as he said it, his thought betrayed him.
“Let’s hope you’re right.” She shot him a look of warning. “For her sake, and for yours.”
* * *
The following morning, Jack ate breakfast while Sara slept in. Far from a superstitious man, even he recognized the timing of things—Clara’s death and Ellie’s subsequent return—as an omen. The only question was—was it a good omen, or did the future hold more heartbreak for him?
Leaning in his chair, Jack’s thoughts drifted to the woman with whom he now shared a bed. Over the years, Sara had waited patiently for her turn to be with him. She had been there when he returned from war, calmed him when the night terrors came, and waited for him while he went out West to clear his head. So despite his feelings for Ellie, Jack kept them hidden, unwilling to risk his relationship with the woman who had loved him through it all.
He dipped his biscuit into the gravy as Sara walked in. “I was thinking,” he said as he chewed, “maybe after the funeral we could get out of here and spend a few days in the mountains.”
Her eyebrows went up. “The mountains? What brought this on?”
He gave a half shrug, attempting nonchalance. “We’ve both been busy lately, me at the dock and you with your mother. I just thought we could use some time away, that’s all.”
She cast a look of suspicion in his direction. “And you promise this has nothing to do with Ellie?”
“Promise.” He finished his coffee.
“In that case…” Sara came over and sat on his lap. “Some time away would be nice.” She circled her arms around his neck and pulled him into a long kiss.
* * *
That afternoon, Ellie was on her way to the kitchen when she heard someone knocking at the door.
