Free Forever After by Deborah Raney Page A

while.”
    “Out? Don’t you want to get moved in first? I’ll be glad to help if you like. I just thought you might want to be alone while you got settled into your room.”
    Into my prison, you mean. “I’m fine, Clarissa. I won’t be long.”
    “Well, I’m making chicken and dumplings for dinner. It’ll probably be ready around six.”
    “Oh … Thanks, but don’t count on me for dinner.”
    “Oh? I didn’t realize you had plans for this evening. Where are you going?”
    Smile. Count to ten … “I’m really not sure.”
    Clarissa gave a nervous laugh. “Not sure? Or not telling?”
    Jenna pretended to rummage through her purse for some imaginary missing item.
    “You know, darling, it’s not like we’re going to monitor your activities every minute, but if you’re going to live here, we’d appreciate it if you’d let us know where you’ll be. I’d feel awful if we assumed you were one place, and instead you’re lying in a ditch somewhere.”
    Was the woman serious ? It took physical effort to keep her jaw from dropping. “I’m going over to Bryn’s.”
    “Bryn? Bryn Hennesey ?” Clarissa’s hand went to her throat as though Jenna had slapped her. “I … I don’t understand.”
    “She’s my friend, Clarissa. You may as well know.”
    “Friend? You don’t mean that. You wouldn’t do that to us.” Her voice wavered.
    “Clarissa, what happened—the fire—was an accident. It could have happened to me, or even you.” She regretted the tone of those last words, but she’d jumped in with both feet, so she may as well start swimming. “Bryn has asked for forgiveness, she’s still serving community service. She’s done everything except bring back the dead, and she’d do that if she could. But she can’t, Clarissa. Nobody can.”
    Clarissa gave a little gasp, and Jenna put up a hand in apology but went on. “I’ve chosen to forgive her. If you don’t like that, I’m sorry.”
    The color drained from Clarissa’s face. “I cannot believe what I’m hearing.”
    “I’m sorry.” Jenna took a step backward toward the door. “I’ll beback by nine. Or I’ll give you a call if it’s going to be later.” She brushed past Clarissa, feeling like a wayward teenager. But she kept going out the front door. If she stayed one more minute, she’d say something she could never take back.
    She threw her purse across to the passenger seat, got behind the wheel, and slammed the door. Easing down the long drive, she managed to keep the car below twenty until she rounded the curve that trailed behind a curtain of evergreens, then she punched the accelerator to the floor.
    Did they think she was back in high school? Would they give her a curfew, too? Good grief! This was not at all how she’d pictured life with Zach’s parents. And she was barely moved in.
    She navigated the winding avenues of Clairemont Hills and forced herself to calm down before turning onto Main Street in the Falls. She drove by her house—her former house—and burst into tears of self-pity. The new owners’ moving truck wouldn’t arrive in the Falls until Monday, but she’d already turned the house keys over to Maggie.
    She swung by Bryn’s apartment, but there were no lights in the windows. No doubt she was out with Garrett. After all, it was Saturday night. Date night for most of the civilized world. The tears came faster.
    Jenna drove up and down the streets of Hanover Falls, trying to sort things out, trying to think where she could go to get away from the suffocation of her new living arrangements. One thing was sure: she couldn’t go back there. Not until she could lock herself in her room and play possum. She hadn’t thought to check, but it wouldn’t surprise her if there wasn’t even a lock on the guest room door.
    The way things were going, Bill and Clarissa would probably give her a lights-out curfew, since from the master bedroom they could no doubt see the light shining under her door.
    She