for pulling this off.”
He nodded. “I am. I’m proud of you too,” he added, lowering his voice and giving her a serious look. He could see the wear of the last few weeks on her face, but she also looked clearheaded and happy.
“You know what? I’m kind of proud of myself too.” She unscrewed the top from her water bottle and took a sip. “Maybe I’ll take up running too and train to keep up with you for next year’s 5K.”
“It’ll probably be me keeping up with you.” He winked. Then he looked down at her hand. “You going to eat that apple?”
“Eventually. They’re handing them out at one of the tables.”
“You’ve already been around?” he asked.
“Not all of them. I’m just taking a small break.” She took another sip of water and then screwed the lid back on.
“Well, after you’ve visited all the tables, let me know. I’ll drive you home.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And by home, you mean your place?”
“My home is your home. I really mean that.” Jack supposed now was as good a time as any to discuss what Sam had asked him last night. “Amanda, I want you and Sam to stay in Sweetwater Springs. My house is more than big enough, and you don’t need to do everything on your own. Being a single parent is tough. I got a taste of that this summer watching Sam.”
“Sorry,” she said.
He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t be. I love spending time with Sam. I just realized that raising a teenager isn’t easy. Especially when you’re going through stuff. You should be here with family and friends to support you. Move back to Sweetwater Springs. Stay with me as long as you need. I’m sure Mom would love to have you and Sam closer too.”
Amanda turned her gaze to the crowd in the distance. “I don’t know, Jack. That’s a lot for me to ask of you. You just started dating Emma. I don’t want to intrude—”
“You won’t. Emma has her own place. I can go there if I want to be alone with her.” He tugged her hand until she looked at him again. “I know you wanted a fresh slate when you moved away from Sweetwater Springs and that you never intended to move back home.”
Amanda choked out a laugh. “I took the things I was running from with me, it seems.”
“That’s what happens. Sam wants to stay too. He likes it here. And he has a job. Two actually,” Jack said with a growing smile. “He’s a big help around the park. I need him. I think we all need each other.”
Amanda narrowed her eyes. “Are you just saying all this because you need a running buddy to train for next year’s event?”
Jack chuckled. “That would be an added perk. So what do you say?”
Amanda hesitated. “I work from home so I can do my job anywhere, I guess.” She shook her head. “I can’t live with you forever though. We’d probably drive each other insane.”
“It’d be just like the old days,” Jack said with a small chuckle, waiting and hoping she’d agree.
“But a little while might be okay,” Amanda finally said.
Jack grinned at her. “I’m taking that as a yes.”
* * *
It’d taken a short hike to get to Blue Sky Point. Emma remembered coming here with her mom once upon a time. It was like looking down on Sweetwater Springs from heaven, her mom used to say.
This is what the angels must see.
Emma could hear her mom’s voice so clearly in her head. Being here was better than sitting at her mom’s grave, which had never made her feel close to her. Emma had been holding back tears, but now they streamed freely down her cheeks. She futilely wiped them away, but they kept falling.
Ashley hadn’t said she was sick, but the genetic mutation meant she could get sick, right? Just like her mom and grandmother. The mutation was a dark cloud hanging overhead, threatening her future.
Emma choked on a sob, suddenly flooded with images of her sick mother. She tried to remember her mom as healthy and vibrant, but now all she could think of was the other version. She didn’t want to become like that version. And the last thing she wanted was to leave her family and friends all broken by her absence. She couldn’t spare her father pain if she got sick.
But Jack. She could spare him. There was no way she could