Page 73 of In Her Bed
His gaze lingered on her profile before he turned back to the window.
Jenna navigated through the familiar streets of Trentville, passing the turn that would take her to the Sheriff’s office.They were taking today day off.Jake’s house appeared around the bend, a modest one-story with a neatly kept yard.Jenna pulled into the driveway and put the cruiser in park, the engine idling softly.
“Thanks for the ride,” Jake said, making no immediate move to leave.
“Anytime,” Jenna replied, her hands still on the wheel.
The moment stretched between them, taut with unspoken words.Jake shifted in his seat, clearing his throat.
“Listen, Jenna...”he began, then paused, searching for the right words.“With a day off—I was thinking maybe we could—”
“Jake,” she interrupted gently, turning to face him fully.The sun illuminated the angles of his face, highlighting the fatigue that still lingered beneath his steady gaze.“Let’s just take a real day off.Sleep.Recover.We both need it.”
Disappointment flickered across his features before understanding replaced it.“You’re right.Rain check?”
“Rain check,” she confirmed, offering a smile that felt both genuine and guarded.
He reached for the door handle, then hesitated.In one swift motion, he leaned across the center console and pressed a warm kiss on her cheek.Before she could react, he was out of the car, the door closing behind him with a solid thud.
Jenna sat frozen, the ghost of his kiss warm on her skin.Through the windshield, she watched him walk to his front door, confidence in his stride.He turned at the threshold, raising a hand in a casual wave before disappearing inside.
Her heart thrumming an unfamiliar rhythm, Jenna backed out of the driveway, her mind replaying the brief moment of contact.Frank’s words from their conversation days ago echoed in her thoughts: “It’s obvious Jake has feelings for you.And if I’m not mistaken, you feel the same way about him.”
She shook her head.There would be time to consider what had just happened—what it meant, what she wanted it to mean.But not now.
Jenna directed the cruiser toward her mother’s house, the familiar route requiring little conscious thought.She hadn’t planned this visit, but after everything that had happened, checking on her mother felt necessary.
The front yard of her childhood home looked better than it had in years.The flower beds had been weeded, and fresh mulch surrounded the perennials that had somehow survived years of neglect.Jenna parked at the curb, noting a familiar truck—Zeke Canfield’s—in the driveway.
A burst of laughter greeted her as she approached the front door, the sound so unexpected and rare that she paused with her hand on the knob.Inside, she found her mother seated at the kitchen table, a genuine smile lighting her face as Zeke gestured animatedly, finishing what appeared to be a humorous story.
“Jenna!”her mother exclaimed, the surprise in her voice mixed with pleasure rather than apprehension.“We were just having coffee.Join us?”
“I’d love to, but I can’t stay long,” she said, accepting a quick hug from her mother, noting the absence of alcohol on her breath.“I just wanted to check in.”
“I’m doing really good,” her mother said, exchanging a look with Zeke that spoke of shared understanding.“The meeting yesterday was...it was what I needed.”
He commented with quiet pride as he looked at Margaret.“Your mom’s got grit.Spoke up at her first meeting—most folks take weeks to work up to that.”
Jenna studied her mother’s face, seeing the subtle changes that sobriety, even this new and fragile, brought to her features.The puffiness around her eyes had diminished, and there was a clarity in her gaze that Jenna hadn’t seen in years.
“I’m proud of you, Mom,” she said simply.
Margaret squeezed her hand, her grip surprisingly strong.“Zeke says there’s another meeting tomorrow evening.I’m going to that one too.”
“One day at a time,” Zeke added, the familiar AA mantra delivered without pretension.
Jenna recognized the moment for what it was—a beginning, not a miracle.Her mother had tried sobriety before, but something felt different this time.Perhaps it was Zeke’s steady presence, or perhaps Margaret had finally reached her own turning point.
“I should go,” Jenna said.“I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“You look tired, honey,” her mother observed.“That case you were working on—is it finished?”
“It is,” Jenna confirmed, not volunteering details her mother didn’t need to hear.“I’ll tell you all about it some other time.I’m headed home to get more rest.”
She left them with promises to call later, feeling a curious lightness as she walked back to her car.The weight of worry about her mother, which had been her constant companion for so many years, seemed momentarily lifted.
The drive to her own home took less than ten minutes.Her small bungalow stood quiet and waiting, offering the solitude she suddenly craved.Inside, the rooms were cool and still, exactly as she’d left them days ago.
