ahead.
At what cost? She couldn’t shake that thought.
Some things were more valuable than money, and she knew if she asked her parents for this loan, she’d end up paying them back with more than just money. Always before when she’d screwed up, flunked, or just plain failed, her parents had been there, bailing her out. And each time they rescued her, she could see the ever-sinking disappointment in their eyes. She was twenty-six years old. Too old to be running to her mom and daddy every time she got into trouble. It was time for her to stand on her own two feet. For no reason she could explain, a vision of Custer and his last stand flashed before her eyes. But that’s what saving Blue Sky Air felt like to Jenny. Her last stand—the last chance she’d have to prove to her family that they were wrong about her. This time she wasn’t only fighting for her self-respect, she was fighting for her and Steven’s dream.
A car drove past, shaking her loose from her thoughts. She reached down and began to pick up the spilled contents of her purse when the file folder caught her attention. As she continued to stare at it, something her brother said came back to her. Quickly, she grabbed for the contract and scanned through the lengthy document. There, toward the bottom of the second page, she found what she was looking for. With an ever-increasing smile, she put her keys in the ignition and brought the Corvette to life.
Jared Worth might have thought he had all the answers, but he was wrong. Jenny was in the driver’s seat now, a place she intended to stay.
A short while later, Jenny pulled onto a well-concealed dirt road at the head of the lake. Sunshine glinted off the car’s candy apple red hood, causing her to squint. She slowed the car to a crawl. Potholes punctuated the dirt. Overgrown brush stretched out from both sides of the road. With infinite care, she crept forward, maneuvering as best she could to avoid the worst of the ruts and brush.
Not once had that insufferable man mentioned she had four months left to pay off his loan. The jerk had put the fear of God into her, making her think she had to come up with the money immediately.
Instead of doing your nails tonight, read the contract.
She’d read the contract all right! Maybe he should have read it a little closer. She let out an unladylike snort, and her foot slipped on the gas. The car jerked forward. Hitting the brakes, she regained control and began the slow crawl down the road once more. Who did he think he was? She wasn’t the one who needed to read the contract, he was.
The dirt road was long and curvy but finally the lane opened up, spilling out into a small parking area. Ahead of her was the lake. In the early afternoon sun, the water glistened and sparkled, but it wasn’t the beauty of the vibrant blue surface that drew her attention, it was the motorcycle parked off to the left.
For the first time in over a day, she smiled. Score one for the home team, aka the local gossip mill. Her neighbors had yet to let her down.
After reading the contract, she’d had only one thought: locate Jared Worth. But finding him had proven more difficult than she’d thought. She’d driven around for a half hour, checking all the spots she thought he might be, until she’d remembered that if you wanted to find out something in Hidden Lake, you needed to head to the diner. She’d been there for less than ten minutes when Mr. Wilcox had come in telling anyone and everyone who’d listen about that there fancy mot-e-cycle out at the head of the lake.
God bless Mr. Wilcox and his daily fishing excursion. Feeling better than she had all day, she’d paid for her Coke and headed out.
Parking was usually tight, but since the motorcycle was the only other vehicle here, Jenny had plenty of room. Briefly she wondered how Jared had found this spot. It was a locals’ hangout, a place the tourists never found. With the sun out in earnest now, she left her windows
At what cost? She couldn’t shake that thought.
Some things were more valuable than money, and she knew if she asked her parents for this loan, she’d end up paying them back with more than just money. Always before when she’d screwed up, flunked, or just plain failed, her parents had been there, bailing her out. And each time they rescued her, she could see the ever-sinking disappointment in their eyes. She was twenty-six years old. Too old to be running to her mom and daddy every time she got into trouble. It was time for her to stand on her own two feet. For no reason she could explain, a vision of Custer and his last stand flashed before her eyes. But that’s what saving Blue Sky Air felt like to Jenny. Her last stand—the last chance she’d have to prove to her family that they were wrong about her. This time she wasn’t only fighting for her self-respect, she was fighting for her and Steven’s dream.
A car drove past, shaking her loose from her thoughts. She reached down and began to pick up the spilled contents of her purse when the file folder caught her attention. As she continued to stare at it, something her brother said came back to her. Quickly, she grabbed for the contract and scanned through the lengthy document. There, toward the bottom of the second page, she found what she was looking for. With an ever-increasing smile, she put her keys in the ignition and brought the Corvette to life.
Jared Worth might have thought he had all the answers, but he was wrong. Jenny was in the driver’s seat now, a place she intended to stay.
A short while later, Jenny pulled onto a well-concealed dirt road at the head of the lake. Sunshine glinted off the car’s candy apple red hood, causing her to squint. She slowed the car to a crawl. Potholes punctuated the dirt. Overgrown brush stretched out from both sides of the road. With infinite care, she crept forward, maneuvering as best she could to avoid the worst of the ruts and brush.
Not once had that insufferable man mentioned she had four months left to pay off his loan. The jerk had put the fear of God into her, making her think she had to come up with the money immediately.
Instead of doing your nails tonight, read the contract.
She’d read the contract all right! Maybe he should have read it a little closer. She let out an unladylike snort, and her foot slipped on the gas. The car jerked forward. Hitting the brakes, she regained control and began the slow crawl down the road once more. Who did he think he was? She wasn’t the one who needed to read the contract, he was.
The dirt road was long and curvy but finally the lane opened up, spilling out into a small parking area. Ahead of her was the lake. In the early afternoon sun, the water glistened and sparkled, but it wasn’t the beauty of the vibrant blue surface that drew her attention, it was the motorcycle parked off to the left.
For the first time in over a day, she smiled. Score one for the home team, aka the local gossip mill. Her neighbors had yet to let her down.
After reading the contract, she’d had only one thought: locate Jared Worth. But finding him had proven more difficult than she’d thought. She’d driven around for a half hour, checking all the spots she thought he might be, until she’d remembered that if you wanted to find out something in Hidden Lake, you needed to head to the diner. She’d been there for less than ten minutes when Mr. Wilcox had come in telling anyone and everyone who’d listen about that there fancy mot-e-cycle out at the head of the lake.
God bless Mr. Wilcox and his daily fishing excursion. Feeling better than she had all day, she’d paid for her Coke and headed out.
Parking was usually tight, but since the motorcycle was the only other vehicle here, Jenny had plenty of room. Briefly she wondered how Jared had found this spot. It was a locals’ hangout, a place the tourists never found. With the sun out in earnest now, she left her windows
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