He nodded. “Emma had it. She gave it to me this morning. She knew we were serious, but she didn’t know about you going to Houston with me until you told them. She said Marjorie loved you like a daughter. It was time to pass it on.”
Ava leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
“I keep reminding myself this is no longer a dream. This is my reality. I never thought I’d see you again, and now I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you. I am blessed.”
“I’m the one who’s blessed,” Hunt said. “You took the loneliness out of my life with your love and laughter. I can’t wait to get you to Houston and show you my world.”
Hunt stood, then pulled her to her feet and began undressing her, then himself. When he stretched out beside her in bed, all she was still wearing were the ring and a smile.
* * *
At Ruby’s request, Peanut brought a hamburger and fries to Donna’s house while Ruby was still there, and as soon as he brought it to the door, Ruby began gathering up the notes she and Donna had made.
“You go sit down and eat something. Even if it’s only a few bites, you’ll feel better,” Ruby said. “In the meantime, I’m going to get busy on all of this, and I’ll keep you in the loop. When you get a firm date for leaving Blessings, let me know, okay?”
“Yes, I will, and thank you for all the help, and thank Peanut for the food. You don’t know how much I appreciate it,” Donna said.
Moments later, they were gone, leaving Donna with a sack of food and the silence of her house.
She went to the kitchen, put her food on a plate, and sat down to eat. A short while later, her phone rang. She took it out of her pocket, saw who was calling, and pushed her food away.
“Hello? Joy?” Donna said.
Her sister’s voice was high-pitched and frantic. “Honey, I was fretting all day because I forgot my phone when I went to work. Then I get home and hear this message, and I’m just sick that I wasn’t here when you need me! What’s wrong?”
“Oh, Sister, the worst. Today, there was a fire at the feed store where Arnold works. Somehow he got trapped. He’s dead, Joy.”
Joy wailed. “No, no, I’m so sorry. This is horrible, terrible. What can we do to help? Are the boys okay?”
And that’s when Donna lost it.
“No, they’re not okay. They got arrested last week, attempting to rob a man and steal his car. It nearly killed me and Arnold, and they’re gone. Transported off somewhere today.”
Joy gasped. “What? You aren’t serious?”
“Yes, I am, and we never saw this coming. I’ve never been so disappointed in them in my life. And then today this happened. I want to come home. I can’t be here alone. I just want to come home.”
Joy burst into tears, crying now along with her sister. “We’ll all get together and clean up Mama’s empty house and make sure everything is in order…nothing leaking…and we’ll chip in and get the utilities turned on for you.”
“I can pay you back for that,” Donna said. “The people here in Blessings are raising some money to help me get home. There are good people here, but without Arnold, I won’t stay.”
“What about the boys? Where will they take them?” Joy asked.
“I don’t know and I don’t care. They were already running away from home when they got arrested, so as far as I’m concerned, they were the ones who left us. I’ll call you again when I know more, but I just wanted you to know about Arnold.”
“I’m so sorry. I wish I was there to help you,” Joy said.
“I’m not going through this alone here, but I want to be with my family when this is done. I’ll call you soon,” Donna said.
“We love you, Donna. We’ll be happy to have you home. Take care of yourself.”
“I will,” Donna said, and disconnected.
Hearing her sister’s voice had given Donna a measure of peace, and for today, it was enough.
She threw away the food that was left, then locked up the house. And for the first time in the twenty-two years of her married life, she went to bed alone.
* * *
It was the weight of Hunt’s arm across Ava’s waist that woke her to the fact it was morning and her alarm hadn’t gone off. She hadn’t remembered to set it.
Panicked, she opened her eyes, glanced at the time, and then relaxed. It was exactly 5:00 a.m., and the beautiful man behind her, holding her close, was still sleeping. She glanced at the ring on her finger and sighed.
Then Hunt’s hands moved from her waist to her breasts, and she knew he was awake. Lust stirred, and she rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes as he moved between her legs.
What an absolutely perfect way to wake up.
They made love with a slow, perfect passion, and then later parted company in haste, with Ava speeding to the hospital and Hunt going back to the house. Things were moving at a steady pace, but still not fast enough for Hunt. He wanted this over. He was ready to take Ava home.
* * *
Hunt and Ava weren’t the only people in Blessings who were having a good morning.
Junior Knox woke up happy. Last night’s revelation at the lake had changed his world. The moment the alarm went off, he jumped up and hurried off to shower and shave, then made himself some breakfast. He had places to go today and wanted to look his best.
Because of the fire, he didn’t know if Birdie would be working, but he gave her a call anyway, knowing she would always take time to talk to him.
She answered on the second ring.
“Hello? Junior? Is everything okay?”
“Hi, Birdie. Yes, everything is fine. I wasn’t sure if you would be home or back at work.”
“No, we’re closed down for a few days until Dub can get everything cleaned up and get in some new inventory. We’re moving things around inside the main building to make room until the warehouse can be rebuilt.”
“I’m sure sorry about all that,” Junior said.
“I am, too,” Birdie said. “So what’s going on?”
“I have a couple of questions and thought you might know how to get me started. Do you know if there’s any place here in Blessings where a guy could go to classes to get a GED?” Junior asked.
It was the last thing Birdie expected to come out of his mouth, but the best news ever.
“Junior! I’m so proud of you! Yes. Go to the library. Talk to the librarian. I know they have classes there, but I’m not sure how it all works. I don’t know whether you have to wait and start with a new class or if you can just start at any time.”