Doug cocked his head and smiled appreciatively. “Nice to have a fan club, but let’s just say, I’m paying it forward. My first play, The Broken Circle, was produced here when I was a lowly undergrad, and now it’s doing well in New York.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I can hardly believe it myself.”
But his success had come with a price. A vision of Jen filled his mind—Jen in all her moods – thoughtful, with a crinkle in her brow, happy, with a wide, beautiful smile, loving, with a warmth in her eyes and gentle hands caressing his cheek.
He’d turned his world upside down because of her, always knew he would after he’d tied up his loose ends in New York. Their story was not yet finished.
##
So much for giving him my cell number. At ten that evening, after a full day of client meetings followed by the training seminar, Jen yawned and prepared for bed. She hadn’t heard from Doug all day, and the flash of disappointment she felt annoyed her.
But just then she heard the whoosh of a text signal. She glanced at her phone and
felt herself smile.
R U up?
Big day. Just about to go to bed.
Not yet.
The phone rang. “So how did your busy day go?”
“Hang on. I want to get comfortable.” She leaned back against her pillows before replying. “Actually, my day went very well both personally and professionally. Lisa’s home, and if all goes well, baby Brianna should be home in a few days.”
“That’s really great. A load off your mind—off everyone’s mind—knowing how close your family is.”
His last sentence echoed the past. “Nothing’s changed about that, Doug.” Her voice hardened. “The Delaney-Brennan clan is tight. Always will be. So, if that’s still a problem for you…?”
“Holy Toledo, Jen! Take a breath. Cool it.”
She waited.
He spoke again, his tone calm. “Of course, I know your family’s tight. And I know you all had to be in order to survive. Okay? And now, you’re all grown up, living a grown-up life.”
“Still in Boston.”
She heard his laugh. “So you are. And here I am, back here, too.”
Her muscles relaxed one by one, like a balloon slowly deflating. “I guess so. At least, you seem to be—for now.”
“Count on it, Jenny. I’m not going anywhere. Now, tell me about your great day in the office.”
Okay, he was trying. “Lots of training with more to come. All part of growing
my career.”
“So what do you actually do?”
She paused, wondered if he’d get it. “Simply put, I help clients plan for their financial future. You know—the usual. Investment guidance, retirement planning, income strategies, wealth management and even college planning. I’ve got my Series 7 and 63 as well as my insurance licenses. I love doing this.”
A low whistle came through the line. “All that from the girl who computed the family budget and told her big sister how much to spend?”
“Lisa couldn’t even balance a checkbook back then. I figured it out at sixteen.
And why do you remember that little factoid?”
“Henny-Penny, there isn’t anything about you that I don’t remember.”
Her breath caught. “Sounds scary.”
“Nope. Sounds like I’m getting your attention.”
Time to change the subject. “And how was your day?”
“Want the good news first, or the bad news?”
“Bad news? Already? You just started. I swear, a career like yours would give me hives.”
“And the stock market doesn’t go up and down?”
“We plan for that. We plan for all the contingencies.”
His quiet laughter came through the phone. “What a big word! Contingencies.
Sounds to me that it’s more about control. Sweetheart, no matter how hard you work, you can’t control the world.”
“But I sure as shootin’ can control my world.”
##
