Page 53 of An Uncertain Road

Flora said goodbye with hugs for both of them while Jensen found all the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat. Then it was time to the office where he’d spent so many hours trying to learn the Harrison family business with little success.

Mr. Harrison greeted them from behind his nearly empty desk with a wide grin. “Welcome back! Fred told me how the tour ended, but I can’t even be disappointed with the results after hearing the wonderful new that I’m going to be a grandfather. Sit, please. Tell me all about the trip.”

For several minutes, Flora entertained him with tales from their journey. But eventually, she got around to Archie’s actions. “Fred told you about the accident that ruined our chance to win, but he may not have told you everything. Mr. Dorman’s driver, Archie Franklin, felt he needed to cheat his way through the race. He even tried to get Jensen to sabotage our car and eliminate us from the tour.”

She looked at Jensen, encouragement in her eyes. His heart thumped when it sank in that she said Archie tried but didn’t succeed.

Mr. Harrison, however, stared at him with a furrowed brow, his fingers pressed together under his chin, bringing Jensen’s attention back to the matter at hand. “And why would he believe you’d ever go along with that, Jensen?”

Not sure he could meet the man’s pointed gaze, Jensen focused on the only decorative piece that remained on Mr. Harrison’s desk, an ornate wooden globe Mrs. Harrison had given him for their wedding anniversary one year. “Sir, he had some information that he knew I didn’t want to become public knowledge, and he threatened to use it to hurt those I care about.”

“And what is that information?”

Jensen swallowed hard. Between the chairs they sat in, Flora reached out to squeeze his hand. Her support spurred him on. “That I had a part in Gregory’s death, which I’ve been keeping from you all these years. It was my urging that made him agree to the race. He was hesitant at first and wouldn’t have agreed to it if I hadn’t let Archie get to me and insisted Gregory could beat him. Then I changed my mind at the last minute and left him to race on his own without a lookout. His death is my fault.”

The silence in the room pressed down on Jensen’s shoulders. He still couldn’t look up, terrified to see judgment in his mentor’s eyes. Until Mr. Harrison’s chair squeaked as he rose and moved to kneel by Jensen. When he finally glanced at Mr. Harrison, the tension drained from Jensen’s body, for only concern and love mixed with the tears filling the older man’s eyes.

“Now listen,” Mr. Harrison said, “Archie and Gregory made their own decision. No matter what your involvement in the situation was, it doesn’t mean you’re to blame. The entire thing could have been avoided if Archie hadn’t goaded you both. I saw how he teased you two for years, and I’ve felt that if I’d put a stop to that rivalry when it started, it wouldn’t have come to such a tragic end. We all try to blame ourselves for these things. But that doesn’t mean our feelings of guilt have any basis in reality.”

Lurching forward, Jensen threw his arms around the man he’d viewed as a father for most of his life. Relief weakened his knees when the embrace was heartily returned. All the shame he’d felt for the last five years disintegrated, leaving him wondering why he’d waited so long to talk about it.

Mr. Harrison ended the hug and wiped at the tears that had gathered in his eyes. He turned to Flora, his tone returning to its usual business-like efficiency. “Flora, I’m most impressed with what I’ve heard of your driving on the tour. I hope you’re not planning to leave Philadelphia any time soon. I’d like the opportunity to talk with you about our plans for the racing team.”

Flora straightened and smoothed a loose hair back from her forehead as she answered. “I’m not sure my future is here, Mr. Harrison. I’ll have to consider that before I can commit to anything. But I appreciate your faith in allowing me to represent your racing team.”

Ending the conversation with a promise to go see Mrs. Harrison right away, Jensen watched Flora return to the showroom. She made a beeline toward Owen while Jensen turned to go to his office, giving her time to reunite with her brother. His heart felt lighter than it had in years, knowing Mr. Harrison didn’t despise him for his mistakes. Forgiveness had a beautiful way of healing long-painful hurts.

Now the one issue that remained hanging over his head was how to convince Flora of his love for her before she left Philadelphia for good.

CHAPTER 24

A week later, Flora fanned herself as she walked the busy sidewalk in the blazing afternoon sun. After spending most of the week exploring Philadelphia with Aggie, she was getting better at finding where she needed to go.

Just in time to leave for whatever her next adventure might be.

It was starting to feel like time for her to move on. The first day or two, it had been wonderful to relax and enjoy spending time with Owen, Aggie, and Isabelle. After so many days on the road, sitting in their still, quiet home felt like heaven.

The only thing missing was Jensen, who had been conspicuously absent the entire week.

To pass the time, Flora and Aggie—with Isabelle sometimes tagging along—had visited all the museums, historic churches, and lovely shaded parks Philadelphia had to offer. That had filled the rest of the week pleasantly enough. But it was becoming clear to Flora that the newlyweds yearned to adjust to life together without long-term guests in their home. And Isabelle kept talking about finding a place of their own and starting the life they’d come to Philadelphia for.

As much as that sounded nice, Flora couldn’t bring herself to solidify any plans. She knew what she was waiting on, but was there any hope it would happen?

Since some time apart would do them all good, Flora had relieved Aggie of hostess duties by declaring a desire to amuse herself for the day. She’d thought a solitary walk would help clear her mind to focus on what she would do next, how she and Isabelle were going to survive when their small inheritance ran out.

If only it was that easy to bring her wayward heart back into reality.

Mr. Harrison hadn’t contacted her about driving for his team again, but she knew he was waiting for her to broach the subject when she was ready. The problem was, every time she even looked at the Decauville now, she saw Jensen in the passenger seat, memories of the dashing smile that too rarely graced his face making her heart ache. She longed to see him there again, ready to help her drive to victory.

The idea of running a race without him felt empty and pointless. But what else could she do? What was her purpose if not racing?

Crossing a busy street, Flora scurried to avoid a quick-moving milk wagon, then she paused to admire a beautiful display in a jeweler’s window while she caught her breath. At least for today, a distraction had arisen to keep her busy. Mr. Franklin had been discharged from the hospital in Pittsfield, and he and Sam were back in Philadelphia. They’d sent a note asking her to visit them.

Whatever the reason Mr. Franklin had sought her out, the opportunity to learn the truth of what happened during the tour was too important to pass up. She was sure now that Jensen was telling her the truth—and had been telling the truth the entire time. But hearing the details from Mr. Franklin would put to rest any lingering doubt that might haunt her in the future.

Arriving at her destination, Flora examined the rather dull-looking boarding house, a disappointing view after the charming neighborhoods she was used to traveling through in Philadelphia. She rang the bell and was escorted to the parlor by the cheerful proprietress. There she found Mr. Franklin in a wooden chair that was mounted on large wheels with a blanket thrown over his lap. It was far too warm a day to need the wrap, with no hint of a breeze stirring the curtains at the open windows, so Flora assumed it was meant to cover the result of his injuries. Sam rose from an upholstered chair next to Mr. Franklin and greeted her with a smile, seeming much more at peace than the last time they’d spoken.

As she took a seat on a worn but comfortable damask sofa facing the men, Flora focused on Mr. Franklin. “It’s so good to see that you made it home. How are you feeling?”