“Nothing.I just had a lot to do, and when I looked up, it was so late, I just crashed here.”She turned away from Kari and carefully folded the blanket.
“And Grant let you?”
A flash of pain sparked in her eyes before she blanked out her emotions.“What I do is not up to him.”
Kari sat on the couch, pulled Jennifer down next to her, and took her hand.“Jen, did something happen between you and Grant?”
Jennifer pulled her hand away, stood, turned, and walked to her desk.“No,” she said.“Can you make some coffee for us?”If she talked about it right now, she’d fall apart.
Kari stood, uncertain.“Sure.And if you want to talk, I’m here.”
Jennifer sat at her desk and faced her blank computer.“Thank you, Kari.I really do appreciate everything you do for me.But right now, I don’t need anything except coffee and to be left alone to get some work done.Okay?”Jennifer watched Kari nod and leave.
Jennifer’s phone rang after Kari walked out.Grant’s name came up, and she sat there staring at the phone.She still wanted to believe there was an explanation for last night but was she afraid to find out the truth.If it had just been last night, she wouldn’t have been upset, but this went beyond that.She had felt something was off, and the feeling of distance seemed to grow.As the days passed, she sometimes sensed he wasn’t there with her emotionally or mentally anymore.He still touched her all the time and was always very affectionate, but it was different.
The phone finally stopped ringing.A few minutes later, Kari brought her a cup of coffee.Jennifer drank most of it, being careful not to burn her mouth, and dragged herself up.There were things to do before they opened the shelter, and she needed to keep busy.
An hour later, Kari found her in the back.“Jen, Grant’s on the phone.What do you want me to tell him?”
Jennifer’s shoulders sagged as she rubbed her temples where a headache was pounding.“Can you tell him I’m busy, and I’ll call him later?”
Kari frowned, concerned.“If you’re sure?”
Jennifer nodded and turned away before Kari saw the tears that moistened her eyes.She needed to finish the inventory so she could input an order later.It was next to impossible to concentrate when thoughts of Grant and fatigue clouded her mind.
Chapter Thirty-One
Half an hour later, Jennifer sat at her computer and tried to concentrate on what she was doing.Fatigue pulled at her, making everything harder, and the headache that started this morning intensified.Her head snapped around when her office door opened and closed abruptly.Her heart dropped when Grant stood leaning against the inside of the door with his arms crossed over his chest.
Grant watched the color leach out of her face, and sadness seeped into her eyes that he never wanted to see again.“Do you want to tell me why you haven’t picked up your phone last night or today?”
Jennifer turned her chair to face him and gripped her hands tightly together on her lap.“I didn’t want to talk to anybody last night.”
“Why?”he snapped.
It hurt to look at him.He was so handsome, so she turned her head away.“I waited for you last night for several hours.I called and texted, and nothing.Only when I called your office did I talk to someone.”
