Page 45 of To the Moon and Back
But he had freedom for times like this.
Her dad parked and walked up the path. He carried a flat of bright red strawberries. “Hi there!”
“Hi!” Ashley met him at the top of the porch steps. “What a surprise!”
He hugged her and held out the berries. “Farmers’ market got an early crop.”
“All this warm weather.” Ashley took the fruit. “Wanna come in?”
“Let’s sit out here.” Her dad tilted his face to the sun, already making its way toward the horizon. “No place like this old porch.”
Ashley smiled. “I’ve thought that since I was a little girl.” She ran the strawberries inside and returned with two glasses of lemon water. “Here.” She handed him one and they took the rocking chairs, side by side a few feet from her easel.
He glanced at her painting as he sat down. “Beautiful.” He paused, really studying the piece. “You’re so talented.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
His eyes were still on her work. “That tree. It looks familiar.” He narrowed his brow. “An American elm, right?”
“It is.” Ashley looked from the painting back to her dad. “It’s called the Survivor Tree.”
Slowly, he nodded. “Ahh, yes.” He paused. “The Oklahoma City bombing.”
“Right.” Ashley took a sip of water and stared at the yard. The open fields and red oaks that dotted their property. She wasn’t sure, but it seemed her dad was more interested than what might be normal. A quick glance his way. “We went there for spring break.”
“Yes.” Her father’s tone said there was definitely something on his mind. “I talked to Kari yesterday. She told me about the young man. The firefighter you saw at the memorial.”
Ashley braced herself. She resisted the urge to say anything biting. Really? Kari had talked to their dad about this? What was with everyone? Her days as the black sheep were a lifetime ago. That didn’t mean she’d make a mess of things now.
Ashley took a slow breath. “Did she tell you about the letter?”
“Yes.” Her dad searched her eyes. “I’m not worried, Ash. If that’s what you’re thinking.”
She was quiet.
“That’s not why I stopped by.” He smiled and patted her hand. “Your faith in God . . . your love for Landon. Clearly you only want to help.”
Relief spilled from her head to her heart. “Thank you.”
“I do think you need to be careful.” His expression was still warm. “You don’t know this young man.”
Ashley nodded. “I get that. I’ve told Landon all about it.” She paused, searching his eyes. “Dad. It’s fine.”
“Okay.” He leaned back in the rocker. “So you’re trying to find the girl this young man is looking for?”
“Yes. Jenna. I don’t have a last name.” Ashley felt the weight of discouragement. “It really seemed God put me next to the guy for a reason. Like I was supposed to help.” She shook her head. “But I haven’t found her.”
Her dad drank half the water in his glass. Then he set it down on the porch railing and stood. “Have you tried looking up her parents?” He turned and leaned against the railing.
Ashley was struck by his kindness. He really was only trying to help. Finding a reason to bring by some berries and talk a bit. “Her parents?” She settled into the chair. His question was interesting.
“They were both killed in the bombing. That’s what Kari said.” Her dad looked at her. “There were only so many couples in the building. I keep thinking maybe if you search that, maybe you’ll find that one of them had a daughter named Jenna.”
“Hmm.” Ashley hadn’t thought about that. She’d read the list of victims, of course. When she’d first Googled Jenna’s name in relation to the Oklahoma City bombing. But she’d never thought to check the husband and wife pairs killed in the bombing, and then look up their children. “You’re thinking someone might have written about them?”
“Maybe.” Her dad angled his head. His face was tan from his daily walks with Elaine. He continued. “The twenty-year anniversary was a few years ago. Everyone was doing stories on what happened. It’s possible someone did a follow-up on the deaths of people with the same last name. The children orphaned.”
“You’re right.” Ashley felt a surge of hope. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
