A Sister's Wish by Shelley Shepard Gray Page B

turkey subs. Then, one rainy night, she asked me to come home to her house.”
    â€œAnd you did?”
    She nodded. “I was afraid, but it was pouring rain. I was sitting in front of a library attempting to stay dry and failing miserably. Jill promised me something better.”
    â€œYou trusted her?”
    â€œNo. But I started thinking that whatever happened with her couldn’t be any worse than what already had happened.”
    Her words hit him in his middle. Amazing how he’d spent the majority of his life never speaking about just how bad things had been at home. Even Lukas knew better than to ever mention his parents. But here, Tess was speaking about the past so plainly. It was difficult to hear. But also strangely freeing. It was as if her willingness to talk lifted some of the burdens he hadn’t even realized he was carrying.
    Because she was being so brave, he forced himself to ask the question that he wasn’t sure he wanted answered. “Was it as bad?”
    She set her fork down. “ Nee, Simon,” she said quietly. “She took me into a clean little condominium, gave me an old pairof her sweats, and showed me where my room and bathroom were.” Looking as if she still couldn’t believe it, she continued. “Then she showed me the lock on the door. She told me to take a hot shower and that when I got out she would have some soup and a grilled cheese sandwich waiting for me.”
    He swallowed hard. “And did she?”
    â€œ Jah, ” she said, her voice filled with wonder. “I had given up on anyone doing what they said they were going to do. But she did.”
    When she smiled, Simon did, too. Just in time for their chicken dishes to arrive.
    As if she could feel the tension between them, Josephine looked at each of them hesitantly. “I hope you both will like the special.”
    Picking up her fork again, Tess beamed. “We will. Neither of us . . . well, neither of us ever take meals for granted. Especially not good ones.”
    After two bites, Simon smiled at Tess. “This is good. I wasn’t even sure what chicken parmesan was.”
    She laughed. “You made a good choice. This is the best I’ve ever had.”
    He grinned down at his plate. Because he knew she wasn’t talking about the dish, she was talking about the moment.
    And she was right. It was one of the best he’d ever had.
    But it was too bad that such goodness came on the heels of his necessary breakup with Amelia.

Chapter 6
    W alking home just as the sun was setting, Simon stretched his arms out in front of him. This had to have been one of the longest days of his life. First, he’d found Amelia injured on the floor of her barn, then there’d been the ambulance ride and worry over her health. Then, just after he was reeling from his discussion with Lukas, he’d run into Tess.
    Now that he was walking back home at last, Simon was feeling more confused about his life than ever.
    It had been startling to see how Tess had transformed herself. Instead of the teenager he remembered who’d been both bitter and practically afraid of her own shadow, she’d become strong and compassionate. She seemed successful, too—a woman that she was proud to be.
    Had he reached that point yet? Was it even possible?
    He had thought so until he’d been completely open with his best friend about his arrest, drug use, and prison sentence. Now Lukas was acting as if he was tainted for life.
    Maybe he was.
    What would it have been like if someone, anyone, had stepped up for him? It would have been nice to have a Jill in his life.
    Then he remembered Mr. Kinsinger. That man had sat across from him in his office and listened to Simon’s story without interrupting. Then, before Simon even had to beg, he’d offered him a job and pulled out five one-hundred-dollar bills from a locked drawer in his office.
    Mr. Kinsinger had believed in his worth and