Her gaze snapped to him and then back down.“I did.”
“How?Who made sure you had food and clothing?How did you accomplish school?”
Jennifer looked everywhere but at him, and for the time being, he allowed it.
“I used an Internet school program.That way, I could do it wherever we went.All the libraries, thankfully, had computers I could use, and most of the people were very nice and helpful.”
He loosened his grip when he saw her cringe.“And what about food, clothing?”
“Some of the churches were good for clothing, and some had food programs.I always found ways.”
“But you went without food?”he asked in a deceptively mild voice.He knew how that felt because he’d gone hungry a lot as a child.The thought of her going through that made his stomach cramp.
Jennifer’s hands jerked, and then she shrugged.“Not a lot.”
He hated that she hadn’t told him the whole truth and had gone through some of the dark days he had as a child.“So, how did you get here?”
Her shoulders tensed, and tears gathered in her eyes.“Can we talk about something else now?”
Grant studied her carefully.He knew he wouldn’t like the next phase of her story.
“Sure.We’ll talk about this more when we’re alone.”
Jennifer shrugged, looked down at her lap, and hid her face.She then leaned back so the waiter could set their plates down in front of them.
“Will there be anything else, sir?”The young man made sure to keep his gaze on Grant.
Grant just shook his head, unable to take his gaze off Jennifer, and the waiter walked away.Grant took a small bite of spicy food.
“Jennifer, take a bite,” he said after he swallowed.
Jennifer cut a small piece of burrito off and tried to chew.The knot in her throat prevented it from going down easily.She picked up her water, took several sips, and tried to push down the food.
Vicious fury toward himself hit as he watched her struggle.“Are you still hungry, sweetheart?”
Jennifer shook her head without looking at him and set her fork down by her plate.
He reached across the table to catch one of her hands.“I’m sorry.This is my fault.I’ll have this boxed up, and we can take it home and eat it later when we’re hungry again.”He lifted his arm, and the waiter came quickly.
The waiter stood nervously beside Grant.“Is there a problem, sir?”
Grant never took his gaze off Jennifer.
“No.Can you box this up for us?We need to leave.And I’ll take the check.”
The waiter lifted the plates and rushed off.He was back within minutes with the bag of food and the check.
Grant threw a hundred-dollar bill down on the check and stood and pulled Jennifer up against him.He wrapped an arm around her and swept the bag with the other hand.They made their way through the restaurant and out to his car without a word.
Only when he had her belted and started the car did he turn to her.He ran a thumb down her cheek before he gripped her chin and turned it toward him.
“I really am sorry, baby.”
Jennifer tried to smile but stopped when her lip quivered.“It’s okay, Grant.You didn’t know I was so sensitive.It’s something I need to work on.I’m sorry I ruined lunch.”
“You didn’t ruin anything, baby.Where would you like to go?Maybe a walk somewhere?”
She shook her head.“No, I have to get back to Lucky.But I would love to go on a walk sometime.”She relaxed back into the seat when he started to drive toward her house.
