His heart pounding, Jack bounded down the front steps two at a time before quickly crossing the driveway in long, determined strides.
Although the bitter night air burned the back of his throat, he filled his lungs, his chest rising and falling faster with each agitated breath.
Sitting through the remainder of his family’s Christmas tradition had been agony. Ever since his father whipped out his checkbook, Jack hadn’t been able to think straight. Even replaying the incident in his mind caused his muscles to tense.
He tried to muster a smile as he held the passenger door open for Kat, but his lips remained firmly pressed in a thin crease.
For several miles, they drove in deafening silence.
Jack kept his gaze on the dark, misty road ahead.
After a while, icy raindrops pinged against the windshield until they increased in intensity, compelling Jack to flip on the wipers.
The swish, swish of the rubber against glass seemed to be telling him something. If he didn’t push his anger aside, he wouldn’t be able to see clearly.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
His father’s financial interference resurfaced old wounds.
And the fact that Kat had accepted the money…
Jack’s fingers clenched around the steering wheel.
He couldn’t blame her. She wanted to save the shelter. How could he begrudge her that? She didn’t know he already had a plan in motion. She also couldn’t know his father’s check came with strings attached.
And yet, the reality of these facts didn’t alleviate the sharp pain in his chest. Or stifle the tiny voice that whispered, She chose the money over you, just like Ashley.
He stole a sideways glance in her direction.
Kat stared out the window, although there wasn’t much to see. Beyond the water droplets clinging to the glass, darkness stretched into the distance. Her hands rested in her lap, twisting the ends of her scarf into a tight knot.
Jack instantly softened. She wasn’t Ashley. And she didn’t know the whole story.
“I didn’t realize until my senior year of high school that my dad had my entire life planned out for me.”
At his hushed confession, she stirred, turning to gaze at him in the dimly lit cab.
“His real estate business had been thriving for a few years by then. And the day before graduation, he brought me into his office and offered me a job with the company.” Jack tried to block out visions of that afternoon, but he could still see every detail—the proud expression on his father’s face that instantly turned to anger had been seared into his brain.
“The thing is, he already knew I wanted to work at the diner, and possibly own my own place one day. I started as a busboy at Marty’s Diner when I was sixteen and worked my way up to a prep cook, then an apprentice.”
Jack had spent a few hours every day after school learning everything he could from the retired navy cook. Eventually when he graduated, and his family moved to Primrose Valley, Jack worked full-time as Marty’s right-hand man. Marty and his wife, Bernadette, even let Jack stay in the spare room in their home, eventually arranging for Jack to buy the diner—and pay them back in installments—when they moved to Tennessee.
“When I reminded my dad that I wanted to work for Marty, he laughed in my face.” Jack cringed at the memory. “He said Ashley would never marry a lowly cook at a diner. And I needed to think seriously about my future.”
“That’s awful,” Kat murmured, her tone pained.
He swallowed, his throat raw, as repressed emotions rose to the surface. “Of course, I told my dad he didn’t know what he was talking about. And Ashley and I would be very happy together. That’s when he said I’d regret my decision.” Jack shook his head. “I thought that was just something people said. I didn’t realize it was actually a threat.”
“What happened?” she asked tentatively, almost as if she feared the answer.
“The day of graduation—also the day I planned to propose—Ashley told me that my dad offered her a job. Incidentally, the same job he’d offered me. It included a generous salary and a stipend for college. According to Ashley, she’d be foolish to refuse. The catch? The job was in New York, at an East Coast office he’d opened and wanted to expand.”
“Oh, Jack,” Kat whispered.
“The thing is, my dad told Ashley he’d only given her the job to get under my skin. He was hoping the prospect of losing her would change my mind. But that didn’t matter. She said regardless of how the opportunity fell in her lap, it was too good to pass up.”
To his surprise, he didn’t feel the typical stab of betrayal when he thought about Ashley’s decision. That particular wound seemed to have waned over time. But his anger toward his father? That was alive and well.
“I’m telling you this because my dad sees money as a tool to get what he wants. He’s not altruistic. There’s always an ulterior motive.”
She didn’t respond as they turned down a tree-lined road, approaching the Morning Glory Inn.
“It’s your money,” Jack added. “I won’t tell you what to do with it. But I thought you should know.” He eased into a parking spot and let the engine idle.
They sat in silence a moment, listening to the swish, swish of the windshield wipers and raindrops pitter-patter against the roof of the truck.
While he felt a sense of relief in sharing his past with Kat, it also stirred unpleasant emotions he wasn’t sure how to process. And while his anger and frustration wasn’t directed at her, he struggled to untangle tonight’s situation from everything else with his father. He needed time to sort it out.
Lifting the collar of his coat, he reached for the handle, bracing himself for the downpour. “Come on. I’ll walk you to the door.”
Not until Jack’s taillights disappeared in the darkness did Kat allow the first tear to fall.
For several minutes, she didn’t bother going inside. Shivering on the front porch, she watched the rain pummel the wet earth as tears stained her cheeks.
There was so much she wanted to say to Jack. So, why couldn’t she find the words? They lodged in the back of her throat, leaving her to flail helplessly.
Meanwhile, the check scorched a hole in her pocket.
She didn’t want Rich Gardener’s money, especially after everything Jack told her. But how could she turn it down, knowing what it would mean to Fern and the shelter?
Retrieving the offending slip of paper, she held it in her hands. The trail of zeros glared up at her accusingly.
She didn’t doubt Jack’s claims that his father’s money would come with strings attached. She’d seen it before. In the past, potential donors had offered Fern generous sums, but wanted to tell her how to run the shelter and control her decisions. They’d also suggested she support specific political candidates, even going so far as encouraging her to influence the voting habits of Hope Hideaway residents.
Without hesitation, Fern had shown them the door. And even on the verge of losing everything, Kat knew she would make the same choice.
Closing her eyes, she pinched both ends of the check and swiftly ripped it in half, praying for some of Fern’s hopeful optimism.
Because in that moment, the world had never looked so bleak.