Page 87 of The Hermit on the Hill

Emotions I'd been holding back all day overflowed. I dropped into the nearest chair and I cried. For the loss of my grandmother and the loss of the revenge plan that I'd been so sure would cure this soul deep ache. For the scared little boy I'd been. For the forgiveness Nana was offering me in those flowers. There could be no other meaning. She was telling me she loved me and she forgave me and she wanted her family together.

I cried until I had no tears left and, when I was done, I felt lighter. That ache I carried was smaller, less tender, and for the first time since I'd watched my grandmother die, I believed I just might be worthy of love. I just might be okay.

After I filled all the vases I owned with the hydrangeas, I found Nana's recipe for apple pie and set it on the island. Then, I got to work gathering ingredients.

It didn't click until I got to the line of the recipe that instructed me to use marbles as weights for the pie crust. The sugar sat on the island next to a half-empty bag of shredded cheddar. It all seemed really familiar.

I ran to the office and sure enough, the ingredients for the pie matched what we'd found in the last pouch. The moldy stuff actually was shredded cheese. Which meant the missing ingredient was apples.

And there was only one place my grandmother got her apples, the same place I'd set the trap for that pesky bobcat: the apple orchard.

I had to tell Jenna. She should be here to see the end of the treasure hunt she'd worked so hard to help me with.

I stepped into my boots by the front door, grabbed my keys, and swung out the front door.

I almost knocked Marcus down the stairs.

"Whoa, there, big guy," Marcus said. "Where's the fire?"

I stared at him blankly for a moment until I remembered I'd invited him and Damian over. Had that only been an hour ago? So much had changed so quickly.

"There's no fire. I figured out the next clue. I need to find Jenna."

Marcus glanced back at Damian, a look passing between them that only they could understand.

A car pulled up behind Marcus' truck and a teenager got out with a warming bag. I hopped down the steps, paid the kid, and took the pizza.

I handed the pizzas to Damian. "You two go ahead inside and eat. I'm going to go get Jenna."

Damian squeezed Marcus' shoulder as he passed him on his way inside.

I really didn't like how solemn they were acting. This was a good thing. I'd figured out another clue. Jenna would be thrilled.

"What's your grand gesture plan?" Marcus asked.

I stopped halfway to my truck and turned to face him. "My what?"

"The big, romantic gesture you're going to make to convince Jenna you're sorry and want her to… What, Sam? Do you even know what you want from her?"

"Everything." My lungs constricted, the word coming out hard. Had I even realized that's what I wanted until that moment? "I love her, Marcus. I'll do whatever she wants me to do to get her back."

Marcus smiled, finally. "That's good news"

"Good. I'll see you later. Hang out at the house as long as you want."

"Hold on. I need to understand this. You're going to go over to Jenna's, tell her you want her back, and then what? Ask her to give you a list of impossible tasks to prove your love?"

"If that's what she wants. Why not?"

Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Just take a moment here, Sam, and try to see this from her point of view. You insisted she live with you, you had a physical relationship with her, and then you dumped her. You told her you'd never actually cared about her, and that you'd been faking it because you wanted so badly for the two of you to parent your son together. Is that about right?"

Shit. That sounded a lot worse when he said it aloud. "I had to do that. I was protecting her from the town."

"You were protecting her from the anger of townspeople she's never met by dumping her and making plans to leave town and never see her again? I know you, Sam, so I believe your version of events, but if I was the one you'd dumped, I wouldn't take you back."

"Really?" My chest tightened. I was going to lose her because of my own selfishness and fear, just like I'd lost Nana.

"Whoa, buddy." Marcus was suddenly at my side, gripping my elbow and holding me up. "Don't panic, yet. You can get her back, but you need to have a plan and it needs to be a damn good one."

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