he’d had. But it was one he couldn’t take. He didn’t look angry about it, just sad and disappointed, which made her heart ache for him.
He put the letters away then, and they had a quiet dinner that night. It had been an important day for him, and a hard one at the lunch. And now Jenny felt as though the offer of the pastorship in Wyoming was hanging over their heads. And she knew it was important to him, or he wouldn’t have shown her the letters. She was quiet that night, as she thought about it, and lay in bed next to him wide awake, in the dark.
“I can hear you worrying,” he said gently as he put an arm around her. “Don’t. I’m not going to drag you to Wyoming. I wouldn’t ask that of you.” She wanted to say “Thank God,” but she only nodded as tears slid down her cheeks.
“I’m scared you won’t find anything else,” she admitted. She felt as though her whole work life was on the line, and it meant so much to her. Not as much as he did, but she had been building her career for the past fourteen years, since she started Parsons at eighteen. It would be a lot to give up, if it ever came to that. She couldn’t even imagine it.
“We just have to be patient.” Like the baby, which hadn’t happened either, and she was worried about that too. She wondered if he’d be willing to adopt. Until then, they had assumed they’d have their own. But she was beginning to doubt it, since it hadn’t happened in two years. She hoped it wouldn’t take him as long to find a church, but it might.
“I’m sorry, Bill,” she said sadly, thinking as much about the baby as the job.
“I knew when I married you how important your career is to you. You didn’t hide it from me. It’s not a surprise. I love what you do. I’m proud of you, Jenny. I don’t want something that works for me, atyour expense. That wouldn’t be right.” She nodded and snuggled up closer to him. And then very gently, he began making love to her, and their sadness and fears turned to passion. They forgot everything in each other’s arms, and afterward they lay breathless, having been swept away by a tidal wave of love and emotion. She had seen stars while they made love.
He lay holding her, smiling at her, and he didn’t want to say it, but if all it took was love to make a baby, he was sure they had made one that night. And she was thinking exactly the same thing as she kissed him and fell asleep.
Chapter 4
Bill started doing his chaplaincy work at the hospitals and the jail two weeks later. It was challenging and interesting, and he even visited patients in a locked psychiatric ward. All his training in psychology served him well. He spent time talking to all the patients on his list, and although he was only filling in, people began asking for him, and the chaplaincy service increased his days from three to five. And he even enjoyed the work he did at the jail. The women inmates were there for a variety of crimes, including murder, and they found him easy to talk to. He came home exhilarated and with a lot to tell Jenny every night. Neither of them mentioned the church in Wyoming again.
Bill was busy all through June and July, and so was Jenny. On the first of August, the fall Fashion Week was still seven weeks away, but things were heating up, and some of her younger designer clients needed a lot of help. Bill noticed that she was coming home exhausted every night, from running around in the heat. They had been invited away for several weekends, but she had to work. Andhe used the time to send out more letters with his résumé. So far nothing had turned up. They were both relieved when they were invited to the Hamptons by one of her more important clients. It would be good to get out of the city.
They talked on the way out, crawling through the weekend traffic leaving New York on Friday, and then Jenny fell asleep in the front seat. She had had a long week. They wanted to go to Maine in August, or Martha’s Vineyard,
He put the letters away then, and they had a quiet dinner that night. It had been an important day for him, and a hard one at the lunch. And now Jenny felt as though the offer of the pastorship in Wyoming was hanging over their heads. And she knew it was important to him, or he wouldn’t have shown her the letters. She was quiet that night, as she thought about it, and lay in bed next to him wide awake, in the dark.
“I can hear you worrying,” he said gently as he put an arm around her. “Don’t. I’m not going to drag you to Wyoming. I wouldn’t ask that of you.” She wanted to say “Thank God,” but she only nodded as tears slid down her cheeks.
“I’m scared you won’t find anything else,” she admitted. She felt as though her whole work life was on the line, and it meant so much to her. Not as much as he did, but she had been building her career for the past fourteen years, since she started Parsons at eighteen. It would be a lot to give up, if it ever came to that. She couldn’t even imagine it.
“We just have to be patient.” Like the baby, which hadn’t happened either, and she was worried about that too. She wondered if he’d be willing to adopt. Until then, they had assumed they’d have their own. But she was beginning to doubt it, since it hadn’t happened in two years. She hoped it wouldn’t take him as long to find a church, but it might.
“I’m sorry, Bill,” she said sadly, thinking as much about the baby as the job.
“I knew when I married you how important your career is to you. You didn’t hide it from me. It’s not a surprise. I love what you do. I’m proud of you, Jenny. I don’t want something that works for me, atyour expense. That wouldn’t be right.” She nodded and snuggled up closer to him. And then very gently, he began making love to her, and their sadness and fears turned to passion. They forgot everything in each other’s arms, and afterward they lay breathless, having been swept away by a tidal wave of love and emotion. She had seen stars while they made love.
He lay holding her, smiling at her, and he didn’t want to say it, but if all it took was love to make a baby, he was sure they had made one that night. And she was thinking exactly the same thing as she kissed him and fell asleep.
Chapter 4
Bill started doing his chaplaincy work at the hospitals and the jail two weeks later. It was challenging and interesting, and he even visited patients in a locked psychiatric ward. All his training in psychology served him well. He spent time talking to all the patients on his list, and although he was only filling in, people began asking for him, and the chaplaincy service increased his days from three to five. And he even enjoyed the work he did at the jail. The women inmates were there for a variety of crimes, including murder, and they found him easy to talk to. He came home exhilarated and with a lot to tell Jenny every night. Neither of them mentioned the church in Wyoming again.
Bill was busy all through June and July, and so was Jenny. On the first of August, the fall Fashion Week was still seven weeks away, but things were heating up, and some of her younger designer clients needed a lot of help. Bill noticed that she was coming home exhausted every night, from running around in the heat. They had been invited away for several weekends, but she had to work. Andhe used the time to send out more letters with his résumé. So far nothing had turned up. They were both relieved when they were invited to the Hamptons by one of her more important clients. It would be good to get out of the city.
They talked on the way out, crawling through the weekend traffic leaving New York on Friday, and then Jenny fell asleep in the front seat. She had had a long week. They wanted to go to Maine in August, or Martha’s Vineyard,
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