Page 48 of To the Moon and Back
How surprised would he be when she reached out to tell him that she had actually found the girl? And yes, she still looked like Emma Stone. Ashley tapped the keyboard, and then absently she pulled up Brady’s profile. In case he’d included something else about Jenna.
Instead, it took her a few seconds to grasp what she was seeing.
Someone had posted a link to a Go Fund Me page: “Help with Expenses for Brady Bradshaw.” “What?” Ashley leaned forward. Her heart was pounding again. What had happened?
She clicked the link and struggled to catch her breath. Brady Bradshaw was in intensive care in an Oklahoma City hospital after falling through the roof of a warehouse during a huge fire two days ago.
Two days ago? Ashley checked the time and date on the private message he’d sent her. Then she Googled his name and details about the fire. He must’ve gotten hurt just after sending her note.
And now . . .
She found the most updated article on the Web. It had been posted a few hours ago. DOCTORS LOSING HOPE FOR OK CITY FIREFIGHTER IN ICU.
“No!” The word came out as a cry. How could this be happening? Dear God, please let him live.
Suddenly Ashley knew what she had to do. Columbus was less than four hours away. She needed to pray for Brady Bradshaw and she needed to find her way to Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School. The only way to have this conversation with Jenna was in person. When she helped someone, she gave it everything she had. No Facebook message. Not this time. Driving to see Jenna was the right thing to do. Ashley was convinced. She would tell Landon when he got home.
Then first thing in the morning she would set out for Columbus.
14
M inutes into lunch, one of the other teachers gave Jenna a message. Someone was waiting for her in the main office. A woman. The teacher shrugged one shoulder. “Might be a parent, but I’ve never seen her before.”
“Thanks.” Jenna hadn’t been very hungry. She wrapped up the rest of her sandwich and slipped it back into the staff refrigerator. Then she made her way through the hall to the office.
Before she opened the door she saw that her co-worker was right. The woman waiting wasn’t someone she’d ever seen before. Jenna stepped inside and approached her. “I’m Jenna Davis.” She smiled. “Are you looking for me?”
The strange woman’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes.” She held out her hand. “I’m Ashley Blake.” She looked around. Like she didn’t want to say too much here, with the staff in earshot. “Can we . . . go outside?”
Jenna felt her stomach drop. Who was this Ashley woman and how come she was here? Had something happened to Dan in London? If so, this was no time to tell her. He’d been out of her life too long for anything about him to be urgent.
Or maybe she was a lawyer. Maybe someone was suing her. For reading Noah’s Ark, perhaps. But then why would the woman have tears in her eyes? None of it made sense.
Jenna stuffed the possibilities into the corner of her mind and led the woman outside. There was a bench in front of the school. The clouds overhead meant they could talk without wearing sunglasses.
Jenna sat first and Ashley took the spot next to her. Jenna shook her head. “I’m sorry . . .” She tried to sound confident. “What’s this about?”
With kind, concerned eyes, the woman looked straight at her. “Are you Elizabeth Jenna Phillips? Was that your maiden name?”
Jenna felt the blood leave her face. “Yes. That’s me.”
“That’s what I thought.” Ashley seemed relieved. “I had to come talk to you in person. It’s about Brady Bradshaw. From Oklahoma City.”
Brady Bradshaw? Jenna’s heart skipped a beat. Could this be . . . was Bradshaw his last name, after all these years? Jenna’s breathing was suddenly jagged and her heart pounded in her throat. What in the world? “How . . . how do you know Brady?”
“I don’t know him.” The woman seemed flustered. “It’s a long story. I’ll try to make it quick.” Ashley glanced at the building. “I know you have to get back to class.”
“Yes.” Jenna felt like she might pass out. What did the woman know? And what was so important that she needed to come here in person? “Please tell me.”
The story was as unbelievable as meeting this strange woman. So unbelievable it had a ring of truth to it. Ashley had been at the Oklahoma City memorial on the anniversary of the bombing. She’d stood at the fence next to a random stranger, a guy with dark hair and a world of hurt on his face.
“He left a note in the fence. For you.” Ashley pulled her phone from her purse. “I took pictures.”
“You did?”
“Yes.” Ashley hesitated. “I don’t know if you believe in God, Jenna. But I do. My family does. And in that moment . . . in that moment when I saw the letter in the fence . . . I felt like God put me there to help. However I could.”
Jenna’s heart was still pounding. “Yes. I believe in God. Very much so.” She leaned closer. “Can I see the picture? The letter?”
