The Girl From the Papers by Jennifer L. Wright

Author:Jennifer L. Wright [Jennifer L. Wright]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Christian, Historical, General, Crime, FICTION / Christian / Historical, FICTION / Historical / General
ISBN: 9781496477590
Google: cOOVEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 2023-08-07T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Alli hugged me first. “Isn’t it wonderful?” she breathed in my ear. She smelled like lilac, and I noticed as she pulled away that she was wearing her church dress, even though it wasn’t Sunday. I smiled but my tongue remained frozen to the roof of my mouth.

Emmett was next. His embrace was strong and swift, more like a brotherly squeeze than an actual hug, the damp fabric under his arms warm and moist against my upper arms. “It’s good to see you,” he said with a laugh. “Were you surprised? We wanted it to be a surprise.”

I nodded, feeling dumb. Why couldn’t I speak?

And then he and Alli stepped back as if parting the sea, leaving Jack and me alone in the middle. The late-afternoon sun slanted through the window, casting an orange pall and adding to the dreamlike atmosphere. Was it really him? Was he really here? His hair was longer, and it wasn’t slicked back in its usual style. Instead, a stray lock fell across his forehead, brushing the tops of his eyebrows. His cheeks were hollow and covered in a fine layer of stubble. Dark circles ringed the skin around his eyes. That million-dollar smile was still on his face, but it was unfamiliar. Older. He twisted his fingers in front of his abdomen as his gaze flitted between me and the floor.

He was Jack . . . but he wasn’t. And somehow these few feet between us seemed a bigger distance than the two hundred miles to Eastham ever had.

The floorboard creaked. Alli. Alli was still here. Her presence snapped the tight coil around my nerves, and I took a step forward, freeing Jack to do the same.

Within seconds, his arms were around me. My rigid muscles struggled to respond. He felt different, sinewy rather than muscular, and his hands lacked the confidence they’d once had. It was as if they were soiled, and he was unsure where to put them without polluting me. Even the texture of his clothes—a rough white T-shirt and jeans rather than the smooth fabric of a suit—felt awkward. I forced my hands to his shoulders, narrower now, and gave them a quick pat before taking a step out of his embrace.

He met my eyes for only a moment before looking at the floor, but it was long enough for me to see the damage I’d done. The ways I had disappointed him. This was not how either of us had pictured our reunion. He was supposed to be different; I was supposed to be different. And not in the ways we actually were.

Tension filled the space between us, pressing against the very walls, until at last, Emmett cleared his throat. His voice echoed with forced cheer. “Let’s have a drink!”

Alli disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two bottles of beer and two glasses of ginger ale. I pretended not to notice Jack noticing me. I’d never turned down a beer with him. When we clinked our drinks together, he looked only at Emmett.

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