ponytail. She refused to look at her reflection in the mirror. Why bother? She knew what she’d see. A face ravaged by tears. Eyes hollow with grief. She headed downstairs.
The kitchen was as cold and dark and empty as she was. She looked at the remnants of the breakfast she’d made, and fresh tears slid down her cheeks and darkened the front of her sweatshirt like little droplets of rain. Grabbing a paper towel, she dried her face and got to work.
She flipped on the overhead light, put the kettle on to boil, and began to clean up the mess she’d made earlier. It felt better to move, to keep busy. To keep her mind off Jared.
Once the kitchen was spotless, she went to her office and turned on the computer. She was just about to log on to the Internet and check her e-mail for bookings when the door-bell rang. Her hand smacked against the wrong key.
Jared.
She hurried to the door.
A fresh wave of heartache rolled over her when she saw who it was. “Paul.”
“Hey, Jelly Belly.” Her brother’s voice held a note of sympathy that confused her. “May I come in?”
She opened the door wider and stepped to the side. “Of course.”
He walked into the foyer, bringing the late morning sun with him. Jenny blinked against the brightness.
“I’ve called Anna,” he said.
“Anna. Why?”
“I thought . . .” He brushed the edges of his suit jacket aside and shoved his hands down the front pockets of his slacks. “Hell, I don’t know. I thought maybe having her here would help.”
“Help what?”
“Jared stopped by my office before he left.”
Left.
As in gone. As in forever.
“So you know.” She felt raw and exposed under her brother’s gaze.
“Yes.” He paused. “He asked me to sign over full ownership of Blue Sky Air to you.”
Her head shot up. “What?”
“After I draft the papers and Jared signs, you’ll be full owner. Blue Sky Air will be all yours. He doesn’t want any part of the company. Not repayment of his loan. Nothing.”
You’ll be the full owner.
Blue Sky Air will be all yours.
It was exactly what she’d wanted from the beginning. She should feel elated. But she only felt worse. He didn’t want her. Any part of her. Signing over the company was his way of permanently severing all ties between the two of them.
A car came barreling down the driveway. Even from inside the house, they could hear gravel flying. Brakes screeched, and within moments Anna ran through the door. She looked at Jenny, then at Paul. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I would have been here sooner, but a cop pulled me over and gave me a speeding ticket. What’s going on?”
Even as devastated as Jenny was, her sister’s words registered. “You got a speeding ticket?”
“Paul said you needed me. He said it was an emergency.”
“But weren’t you at work?” Jenny asked.
Anna took off her left shoe and held it out the door. Turning the pump upside down, she dumped out several small pieces of gravel. “What does work have to do with this? Paul said you needed me.”
“And you came.”
“As fast as I could. That’s what sisters do.”
Jenny felt a surge of love for her sister. “Thank you.”
Anna’s gaze softened. “You’re welcome,” she said, putting her shoe back on. “We really should talk about paving that driveway. You’ve turned your business into a thriving success. You can afford it.”
Paul nodded.
“Now,” Anna said, straightening, “tell me what’s going on.”
Jenny drew in a shaky breath. “Jared left.” She said it quickly, like pulling off a Band-Aid, hoping that the swifter she told Anna the news, the less it would hurt.
“So when is he coming back?” Anna asked.
Paul put his arm around Jenny, gave her a comforting squeeze. “He’s not.”
“Why the hell not?”
Jenny leaned against her brother. “Because he doesn’t love me.”
“Of course he loves you,” Anna said, her voice full of conviction.
Jenny shook her head. “No. He doesn’t.”
“Oh, Jenny.” Anna barged forward and engulfed her in a hug. The embrace was awkward—with Paul’s arm still around her shoulder and Anna’s arms enveloping as much of Jenny as she could hold—but even as elbows dug and heads bumped, it was a wonderful embrace.
“He loves you,” Anna said, drawing back. “That’s not the question. The real question is: do you love him enough?”
Of course she loved him. She loved everything about him. The way he looked, the way he smelled. The way he dominated a room just by walking into it. Those blue, blue eyes