Page 23 of A Heart to Find
Jared removed her hand from the dough and turned her to face him. He held her upper arm with one hand and tilted her chin up with the other.
“Someday they will be back in your life. And they will remember the impression you left on them. The love you gave them. No one forgets your impact on them. I promise.”
She wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe he had felt her impact. That he had longed to be with her the way she had longed for him over the years. That he had sought her out in every woman he dated, just like she searched for him in the eyes of every man she met.
She had questions. What had he been up to over the last ten years? Had he been in any serious relationships? Had he ever thought of coming to find her?
Of calling her, since he still had her number?
But she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
Those questions were too intimate.
She appreciated that he had allowed her to spill this emotional train wreck of her life onto his lap, but she didn’t want to focus on it.
“What about your grandmother? What does she think of this mess?”
Lucia made her way to their area before Keira could respond. Saved once again.
“I was willing to forgive the fact that you two were so far behind the rest of the class when you were still working on that mess of a ball of dough, but now you’re making a mockery of the process. Everyone else is already placing their strands of spaghetti on the drying racks. You haven’t even rolled yours out yet.”
Keira turned back toward the dough and discreetly wiped her eyes while Jared charmed Lucia. Thankful for the distraction, Keira returned to her duties with newfound determination.
“I think we’re in the clear,” Jared whispered to her. “You just have a little…”
He took the edge of a paper towel and rubbed it around her eyes. “I think I got most of the flour.”
“Thank you.” For everything. “Here, I think this slab is ready to go through the roller.”
For the next thirty minutes, they laughed as they struggled to crank the dough into thinner and thinner sheets. After finally earning Lucia’s begrudging approval, they were able to send each sheet through the spaghetti cutter.
When the last of the pasta was hanging to dry on the wooden rack, they released simultaneous sighs of relief.
“That was tougher than I thought it’d be!” Keira started toward the sink to wash her hands. “I have a new level of appreciation for Italian chefs.”
Jared nodded in agreement as he washed his hands in the sink beside hers.
“And by the way,” she casually mentioned, “I may not be able to cook much at all, but I will have you know that I have perfected the art of pancake making. I now make award winning pancakes.”
“Award winning, huh? Is this a new Healing Springs festival?”
She shrugged and allowed her smile to spread across her whole face. “Breakfast with Santa at the elementary school. But the kids voted on it, so it’s legit. Especially with all the fun toppings they were allowed to add.”
She glanced into his eyes and noticed a shadow pass there. He shuttered the emotion and leaned over to grab a towel to dry his hands.
Forgetting to think things through, Keira blurted, “Hey, you want to grab some dinner tonight? Together?”
With a slow smile and a sparkle in his eyes, Jared responded in the affirmative.
And though she had regrets about extending their time together by the time they arrived back at the hotel, she knew she couldn’t get out of it. It had been her idea, after all.
So she did the next best thing. She invited Megan and her match to join them. A buffer was just what she needed. Luckily, Megan agreed immediately. And her match was so smitten, he’d go along with anything if it made Megan smile.
If anyone deserved to get something great out of this experience, it was Megan. Keira couldn’t have been happier for her.
And though it stung watching her new friend fall so deeply in love so fast, it also served as inspiration.
Not for a life with Jared—no way. But with someone. Someone who would want the same romantic life that she did. And who would love her as fiercely as she would love him. Exactly like the love her grandparents shared.
