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“Does that mean you’re staying for the year?” she asked.

He couldn’t tell if she dreaded the thought or was relieved by it. He had a feeling if she wasn’t in so far over her head, drowning in repairs and bills and the effort required to run a motel on her own—except for one cleaning lady—she might resent him a lot more. As it was, there were moments, like now, when she seemed almost glad to have him around. “I’m going to give it a month or two before I decide,” he told her.

“Your old job will take you back if…if you return to North Dakota?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But if you’re good enough at what you do, you can always find work.”

“Got it. And what did you do, exactly?” she asked before he could go.

“Managed an oil rig.”

“Right. I thought it had something to do with the oil field.”

Her response underscored the fact that they didn’t really know each other. But he figured, if they continued to work together, that would soon change. Whether they could get along and make something of what they’d both been given, however, remained to be seen.

Pulling the keys to his truck from his pocket, he started to walk out but turned back at the door. “What’d the preacher and his daughter want?”

She lifted a gift basket wrapped in cellophane. “They brought us this.”

“Us?” he echoed.

“Reverend Lee means well. He—he’s glad you’re back in town.”

“No, he’s not,” he said with a roll of his eyes and walked out without even looking at the contents of the basket. Whatever was inside it, it wasn’t for him.

Chapter Three

Jack’s truck sat in the drive. He must’ve come home from work a little early. Damn. If Ari only knew how hard it was for her to approach this place, maybe she’d be better about meeting her at the curb, or at least be ready when she arrived. Instead, she almost always made Patience wait ten or fifteen minutes.

Plastering a smile on her face in case someone was watching her through the new Ring doorbell, she knocked. With any luck, Ari would surprise her today and simply come out with her things so they could be on their way. That could happen—if her daughter was in a hurry to get somewhere or do something. But Jack opened the door instead, and Ari was nowhere in sight. Neither was Glenda.

Crap, Patience swore to herself and wondered if, after five years, he’d grown accustomed to seeing her on this side of the door.

Determined to remain positive and friendly, she opened her mouth to voice the kind of pleasantries they exchanged these days. “Hello. Sorry I’m a little later than I planned to be. I texted Glenda to let her know that my father had an errand he wanted me to run with him.”

“She told me.” His flat tone indicated he wasn’t in a good mood. “And we all know, when your father wants something, he gets it.”

Patience stiffened. Carl had been a big part of the reason their marriage hadn’t worked. She acknowledged that. He’d been too vocal, too critical, too involved, and she hadn’t known how to draw the proper boundaries. But Jack hadn’t said anything bitter in ages. “He can be…demanding,” she allowed, and tried to peer behind him, hoping that Glenda would come to the door and help keep this conversation polite.

“How well I remember,” he said. “If not for him… Oh, never mind.” Stepping back, he called Ari’s name and added, “Your mom’s here.”

“Tell her I’ll be a few minutes!” came Ari’s disembodied voice from somewhere on the second level. “I just started something.”

He opened his mouth as if he’d repeat it, but Patience lifted a hand. “That’s fine. I’ll be waiting in the car.”

“There’s no need to sit out there alone.” He opened the door wider. “Come on in.”

She hated seeing everything Glenda had done to her house. She and Jack had it built just before Jack gave up on their marriage, had put in so much time painting and plastering and doing whatever else they could to save money on the price of the contractor. She’d even drawn the layout. “I don’t want to interrupt whatever you and Glenda are doing,” she said.

“We aren’t doing anything. Glenda’s not even here.”

Patience almost refused in spite of his response, but something stopped her—the desire to let bygones be bygones, she supposed. The more capable they were of doing that, the better it would be for everyone, especially Ari. “Okay.”

He held the door as she walked into the living room, where she saw big soft leather couches, a giant flat-screen TV, built-in bookshelves and a well-stocked minibar. The furniture—and the minibar—were new. Glenda had obviously been able to spend more freely than she ever had. “Your home is beautiful.”

She wanted to let him know she was glad he’d found happiness, even if it had to be with her former best friend. She’d never wished him ill. They’d struggled to make ends meet, to be parents at such a young age and to start a business that would bring in enough to support their family, but she had a lot of good memories of Jack, too.

He scowled. “Sometimes… Sometimes I don’t know what to think or feel,” he said.