Read Online Never Say Goodbye by Irene Hannon - Free Book Online

thought harshly. Her lips compressed into a thin, unreceptive line and she stared at him mutely. Since he’d approached her, she waited for him to speak first.
    Scott jammed his hands into his pockets, realizing that the ball was in his court. But he had no idea what to say. He was still trying to recover from the shock of seeing Jess so unexpectedly. Though his feet had automatically carried him in her direction, his brain hadn’t yet kicked into gear. So for a moment he just drank in the sight of her. Her honey-gold, shoulder-length hair was pulled back at her nape with a barrette, and she wore tailored black slacks and a forest-green jacket with a black velvet collar. His gaze lingered at her neck, where a gold choker glinted in the sunlight and a rapid pulse beat in the hollow of her throat. Was she nervous, he wondered? Angry? About to let him have it—or about to give him a chance to plead his case?
    Hoping her eyes might hold a clue, his gaze moved on, past her lips, past the dark shadows that indicated she, too, had been finding sleep elusive. But when his gaze reached her eyes, their green depths were cool and shuttered—and very unreadable. He’d just have to wing it, he realized. With an effort he swallowed past the lump in his throat and struggled to find his voice.
    â€œHello, Jess.”
    Her eyes were aloof as her gaze swept over his dirt-stained clothes. “What are you doing here?”
    â€œWorking.” When she frowned, he nodded toward a landscaping truck off to the side. “I work for that company.”
    Jess’s frown deepened. With Scott’s experience, she’d just assumed that he was back in the marketing game. It had never occurred to her he would be working as a manual laborer. That sort of job would have been completely unacceptable to the Scott she remembered, who had come to value designer suits and power lunches, who had liked starched shirts and clean fingernails. It didn’t make any sense.
    Of course, it was no concern of hers. She really didn’t care what he was doing. Yet she couldn’t stop the question that sprang to her lips. “What happened to marketing?”
    He shrugged. “Ex-cons can’t be picky. Besides, I don’t have the stomach for it anymore. Or the heart. And I wanted an outdoor job.”
    She almost asked why, then thought better of it. The answer was obvious. If you’d spent three years of your life confined in the eight-by-eight cell Karen had described, she doubted a desk job in an eight-by-eight office would be very appealing.
    â€œWhy are you here?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
    â€œVisiting a friend who just had surgery,” she replied distractedly, still mulling over his response to her question. “I ran over on my lunch hour.”
    â€œAnd what are you doing these days, Jess?”
    Jess snapped back to attention. The question was asked gently, with genuine interest. But she saw no point in prolonging the conversation. She glanced at her watch. “I’m running late. Goodbye, Scott.” And with that she brushed past him, leaving a faint, appealing fragrance in her wake.
    Scott watched her walk away and slowly let out his breath. After Karen’s visit, he’d prayed for guidance about how best to approach Jess. He’d also talked with Reverend Young, who had wisely reminded him that patience was his friend in this endeavor and that the Lord would show him the way in His time—not in Scott’s time. So Scott had put his faith in God. And now that faith had been rewarded. Best of all, Jess hadn’t appeared upset. Or angry. And she’d actually said more than three words to him. Yes, the conversation had been strained and awkward. And no, she hadn’t exactly been friendly. But it was a start, he thought with renewed hope.
    For her part, Jess was more shaken by the encounter than she’d let on. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and