And Then Forever by Shirley Jump Page B

busy to let her mind wander. It wasn’t until after she left The Love Shack that the doubts and worries would crowd in, sitting like an extra passenger in her car on the ride home. Maybe that was why she worked so late, and babysat so often for Darcy—because if she stayed busy enough, she wouldn’t have to think.
    Think about how she pretended everything was fine between her and Zach. That this ongoing engagement wasn’t really a procrastination of the inevitable.
    That she’d been unhappy for a long, long time, and the only solution was to end it before she ended up in a wedding gown and the web between them became a hundred times more complicated.
    Zach had strolled in a little before eight, almost late as usual, for his set at The Love Shack. He and his band The Outsiders played The Love Shack on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and some Sunday nights, from eight to close. That was where she had met him—when he’d gotten off the ferry one day, strolled into The Love Shack with his guitar and that lopsided smile, and gotten hired to play on the spot, mostly because the regular musician hadn’t shown up.
    She’d been bussing tables, still a waitress in training, and Zach had come over to her, said hey, what’s up, beautiful, with those blue eyes of his, and that had been it. She’d have followed him to the ends of the earth, like a puppy.
    She’d fallen fast and hard, so much so that she didn’t notice the red flags until it was too late. Zach’s inability to make a decision. His procrastination on even the smallest of things. The way he seemed to forget to call her or text her. She’d written it all off to dating someone creative, but as the years wore on, the excuses began to wane.
    Then he’d proposed and she’d thought, yes, this is the moment it all changes . But it hadn’t. If anything, since the engagement, Zach had been more distant, less thoughtful. Less present and in much less of a rush to make her his forever. He loped over to her now, draped an arm over her shoulder and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, babe. Gonna play your favorite tonight.”
    She worked a smile to her face. “Great.”
    “Do me a solid and get me and the guys something to eat and drink, will ya? I have to finish setting up, and we’re on in five. Not a lot of time to do a lot of crap.” Zach chuckled, gave her another quick kiss, then headed back to the stage.
    Jillian sighed. She glanced down at the ring on her finger and wondered if it meant anything. If it ever had.
    She headed into the kitchen and wrote up an order for the band’s usual grub—sandwiches and fries that were quick and easy to eat, then tacked it to the metal board in front of her mother. “Zach and the guys want something to eat.”
    “You okay, honey?” Grace said.
    Jillian leaned against the counter and let out a breath. “Yeah. No. Just…frustrated.”
    Her mother stopped what she was doing, and went over to draw Jillian into a hug. “Men are frustrating, dear. It’s part of their DNA.”
    That made Jillian laugh. “I suppose it is. But…”
    Grace drew back and looked at her daughter. “But what?”
    Jillian drew in a long breath, held it as she hesitated to say the words. Because saying it would mean she had to face what had been bothering her for months. Finally deal with the thing that scared her. “But aren’t they supposed to do whatever it takes to be with the woman they love? Make her a priority? Make their wedding a priority?”
    Grace’s face softened, and sympathy flooded her light blue eyes. “Yes, honey, they are.”
    “And if he’s not then that means…”
    “Sometimes it means he’s scared. Sometimes it means you’re not meant to be together.” Grace placed a soft palm against her daughter’s cheek. “And I don’t know which it is, sweetheart. Only you do.”
    The answer sat heavy in Jillian’s stomach. She gave her mother a hug, then grabbed the cooked food and a tray of ice waters and sodas. She brought