Her heart almost broke as she thought of the pain he had to be going through. She didn’t know why he wasn’t standing over here with the family, instead he’d positioned himself on his own, across from them. It was just family here at the burial, although the turnout at the church had been huge. Soon they would be making their way back to her house. Hopefully, she could sneak away to her bedroom. She could use homework as an excuse. Everyone knew Jenna wanted to be a doctor someday and was working hard to achieve that goal.
And if it meant she could get away from the fake condolences, all the better. She hadn’t been close to Amelia, despite their moms being sisters. And while she felt sad she was gone, most of that sadness was for Curt and what he had to be going through.
“He could have at least shaved,” her mother whispered to her father over her head. Jenna was ridiculously short which had put a wrench in the works for her mother, who’d seemed to think Jenna would grow up to become some sort of super model. That had been her mother’s dream, not Jenna’s. Besides, even if she wasn’t five feet two, the extra weight she carried kind of ruined that plan.
Jenna didn’t really care what she looked like. She knew what she was going to do with her life.
“And he’s barely spoken to Mary and Justin. My sister is beside herself, and he can’t even show her respect by shaving.”
“People grieve in different ways, Lorraine,” Daddy said in a low, warning rumble. When he spoke that way, he meant business, and her mother wisely quietened.
She glanced over at Curt, and caught him staring at her. She gulped and sent him a small smile. He just looked away. A stab of hurt filled her, but she guessed she couldn’t blame him. After all, they were burying his wife and unborn child today.
Daddy was right. People grieved differently.
***
“Hey, little bit.”
She let out a startled cry then turned, her hand going to her chest. “You scared me.”
“Sorry, saw you sneak out here and thought I’d join you. What are you doing?”
He sat next to her on the bench. The same bench where he’d sat with her on his lap so many years ago when she’d snuck out to see him on the night of the announcement of his engagement to Amelia.
“That looks like a thick textbook.”
“Biology,” she said, showing him the cover.
“Got a test coming up?”
“No. I just like looking through it.” She blushed slightly. “Probably shouldn’t have told you that.”
“Why is that?” He raised one dark eyebrow. Up close, he looked even harder. Almost mean. But her Curt wasn’t mean.
Except she hadn’t seen him for a while, and Daddy said he did a lot of top secret missions for the armed forces. Who knew what he’d seen and done.
“Because men don’t like women who are smart.”
“They don’t?” He raised his eyebrows.
She shrugged, embarrassed.
“Let me give you some advice, little bit. Your Mom doesn’t know everything about men, all right? Guys who don’t like you because you’re smart aren’t worth knowing anyway.”
“I know.” But it felt better to hear it from him.
He drew her close, and she breathed in his scent. “You smell good.” She immediately went red. Lord, Jenna, why’d you have to say that?
“I remember you telling me you liked when I smelled like mud and trees, not spicy. Amelia was the one who gave me that cologne.”
She stiffened and looked up at him. “I’m really sorry, Curt.”
He looked across the garden, his jaw tightening.
“I didn’t know if you were going to come today,” she said quietly.
“Your aunt cornered me in the parking lot. I was too scared to say no.”