right.
Jobe and Penny were sitting, chatting over breakfast as though they had been doing so for years. Both looked up as she watched them, their smiles real and unforced.
“Goo mo-nin,” Penny greeted as Mackenna walked over to kiss her mom.
Jobe rose from his seat and headed to the stove. He was filling up her plate as she moved next to him. “You don’t have to get this,” she said, softly. “I can do it.”
“I know you can, but I’d like to,” he replied, smiling at her.
“You’ve done so much already,” she protested, taking the filled plate from his hands. As their fingers touched, her breath quickened.
“I’ve done very little for what all I need to make up for,” he said.
“Is that what this is?” she asked. “Guilt?”
He snorted as he poured her coffee. “I’m filled with guilt, doll. But no, this is doing what I want to do just because I want to help take care of you and your mom.”
Not knowing if he was referring to last night’s events or something else, she remained quiet. Taking the coffee in one hand she walked over to the table, sat next to her mom and dug in greedily to her breakfast.
Jobe reminded her that she was going to be going with him to Alvarez Security to meet with Tony and the detectives.
He caught her concerned glance at her mother and quickly said, “I’ve made arrangements for Penny for today. She’ll be well looked after.”
Penny seemed to be happy with whatever plans had been made, so Mackenna did not dispute Jobe taking charge. At least for the moment.
Chapter 8
J obe pulled his pickup truck into the driveway of his parent’s home. Mackenna glanced sharply at him, but his face gave away nothing. By the time he rounded the front of the vehicle and assisted Penny to the ground his mother was already bounding down the porch steps with his father close behind.
Rachel and Penny hugged and greeted each other like long-lost friends while Joseph stood to the side beaming. As Mackenna slid over to the passenger side, Jobe plucked her easily off of the seat and set her down on the ground, letting his hands stay around her waist a moment longer than necessary.
Before she could process what was happening, Rachel bustled over and pulled her into a hug as well.
“Oh, my dear Mackenna. We missed you so much. And when my Jobe called to tell me what happened last night, I was beside myself! We insist that Penny stay with us until your home is safe to go back to.”
Joseph gave her a hug as well, his head nodding in agreement with his wife’s proclamation.
“I…um…I…she has to have…um,” Mackenna blathered, not able to form a coherent sentence.
“My Miriam is a nurse and she can be here in the evenings for whatever Penny needs,” Rachel enthused.
Mackenna looked toward her mother for assistance, but Penny’s face just glowed. “Mom? Um, what do you want to do?”
“I wou love ta stay if tha don mind,” she said.
At that moment, Mackenna realized how much her mom had missed out since the stroke. When they moved to Richland, her mother lost contact with many of her friends and other than her and the nurses, Penny’s world had shrunk. With tears in her eyes, she hugged her mom, whispering, “I’m sorry mom. You haven’t had many friends lately have you? Of course we can stay.”
“Oh no, bab gir. Only room fa me. Ya stay wi Jobe,” her mother whispered back.
Mackenna pulled back and saw the twinkle in her mother’s eyes. Glancing to the trio standing a few feet away, she saw the same twinkle in Jobe’s parents’ eyes as well.
Softly, her mother spoke wisely, “It is time fa ya to de-ci. Are ya goin ta forgive or not.”
“It’s not that easy, mom,” Mackenna whispered back, noticing the others stepping back to give them some privacy.
“Eva-thin worth havin, is worth fightin fa,” her mother said.
Mackenna took a deep breath and nodded. “We’ll see, mom.”
With a last goodbye, Mackenna turned to get back into the truck.
Jobe and Penny were sitting, chatting over breakfast as though they had been doing so for years. Both looked up as she watched them, their smiles real and unforced.
“Goo mo-nin,” Penny greeted as Mackenna walked over to kiss her mom.
Jobe rose from his seat and headed to the stove. He was filling up her plate as she moved next to him. “You don’t have to get this,” she said, softly. “I can do it.”
“I know you can, but I’d like to,” he replied, smiling at her.
“You’ve done so much already,” she protested, taking the filled plate from his hands. As their fingers touched, her breath quickened.
“I’ve done very little for what all I need to make up for,” he said.
“Is that what this is?” she asked. “Guilt?”
He snorted as he poured her coffee. “I’m filled with guilt, doll. But no, this is doing what I want to do just because I want to help take care of you and your mom.”
Not knowing if he was referring to last night’s events or something else, she remained quiet. Taking the coffee in one hand she walked over to the table, sat next to her mom and dug in greedily to her breakfast.
Jobe reminded her that she was going to be going with him to Alvarez Security to meet with Tony and the detectives.
He caught her concerned glance at her mother and quickly said, “I’ve made arrangements for Penny for today. She’ll be well looked after.”
Penny seemed to be happy with whatever plans had been made, so Mackenna did not dispute Jobe taking charge. At least for the moment.
Chapter 8
J obe pulled his pickup truck into the driveway of his parent’s home. Mackenna glanced sharply at him, but his face gave away nothing. By the time he rounded the front of the vehicle and assisted Penny to the ground his mother was already bounding down the porch steps with his father close behind.
Rachel and Penny hugged and greeted each other like long-lost friends while Joseph stood to the side beaming. As Mackenna slid over to the passenger side, Jobe plucked her easily off of the seat and set her down on the ground, letting his hands stay around her waist a moment longer than necessary.
Before she could process what was happening, Rachel bustled over and pulled her into a hug as well.
“Oh, my dear Mackenna. We missed you so much. And when my Jobe called to tell me what happened last night, I was beside myself! We insist that Penny stay with us until your home is safe to go back to.”
Joseph gave her a hug as well, his head nodding in agreement with his wife’s proclamation.
“I…um…I…she has to have…um,” Mackenna blathered, not able to form a coherent sentence.
“My Miriam is a nurse and she can be here in the evenings for whatever Penny needs,” Rachel enthused.
Mackenna looked toward her mother for assistance, but Penny’s face just glowed. “Mom? Um, what do you want to do?”
“I wou love ta stay if tha don mind,” she said.
At that moment, Mackenna realized how much her mom had missed out since the stroke. When they moved to Richland, her mother lost contact with many of her friends and other than her and the nurses, Penny’s world had shrunk. With tears in her eyes, she hugged her mom, whispering, “I’m sorry mom. You haven’t had many friends lately have you? Of course we can stay.”
“Oh no, bab gir. Only room fa me. Ya stay wi Jobe,” her mother whispered back.
Mackenna pulled back and saw the twinkle in her mother’s eyes. Glancing to the trio standing a few feet away, she saw the same twinkle in Jobe’s parents’ eyes as well.
Softly, her mother spoke wisely, “It is time fa ya to de-ci. Are ya goin ta forgive or not.”
“It’s not that easy, mom,” Mackenna whispered back, noticing the others stepping back to give them some privacy.
“Eva-thin worth havin, is worth fightin fa,” her mother said.
Mackenna took a deep breath and nodded. “We’ll see, mom.”
With a last goodbye, Mackenna turned to get back into the truck.
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