Free Forgiving Patience by Jennifer Simpkins Page A

things, but
Em didn’t need to know about the nightmares, “…not to date Jake Lawrence.
Besides, I’m sure he has some girlfriend on the side he’s not telling me
about.”
    “Nope, no girlfriend since he’s been
home. He doesn’t date. I’ve never even heard him talk about a woman in years.
Not that he’s celibate. He is a hot-blooded male, but he hasn’t had a serious
relationship since, well…probably you.”
    Good God, me? That was eleven years
ago.
    She knew deep down he probably didn’t
have a significant other right now. She was just trying to get information from
Em without coming right out and asking for it. Even if she wasn’t interested in
him, it didn’t mean she couldn’t be curious. And now her interest was piqued
even more, because to go that long and not have a serious relationship was just
unheard of. Of course, she hadn’t had but a couple dates in all this time, but
he was a professional baseball player. He could get any woman he wanted…and
he’d had nobody.
    She didn’t understand what she was feeling,
but for some reason a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
    “Well, I’m still not dating him.”
    “Have you ever thought that it might
actually be fun? It might make your time here even more interesting—not to
mention giving you a break from helping me plan my wedding—which, by the way,
is not fun. It’s stressful and a lot of hard work dealing with me on a daily
basis. Having a hot affair with a man would make your time here memorable.
    “I will not be having an affair with
any man. I’m not interested. Looks like I’m yours until the minute you say ‘I
do’.”
    Em’s expression turned serious for the
first time since Anna was dragged into the house. “Anna, you do whatever you
want, and I’m always here for you. Jake did you wrong after so many others had
before him. You look good now: strong, healthy, and a little happier. You have
to hear me when I say this—you are not your mother. You will never be her. Stop
comparing your life with hers. You need to start living a life that is not
shadowed by her mistakes.”

 
 
 
    Chapter Five

 
 
    The sun had not yet set. It was that
time in between day and night. The night was her favorite time, which didn’t
make sense to her, but the darkness was somewhat comforting. Sleep would not
come for several more hours, so, after leaving Em’s house, Anna decided to go to a place that had always allowed her to think and
pass time—the walking track.
    It was isolated from the rest of the
town, and besides the one couple walking, it remained lonely. To her mind, it
was perfect. She’d run and walked many miles around this track as a teenager,
and being back here brought back the memories of her youth. She didn’t realize
that she’d missed the feeling of normalcy the track brought to her. She and Em
had gone there several times a week to gossip about the latest boy her picky
best friend was dating and make plans for the upcoming weekend. Anna mostly
listened to Em’s comparisons between J.J. Thompson
and Cal Michael’s kissing abilities. She didn’t have much to offer to the
conversation, but Em was content with doing most of the talking.
    She didn’t have a place like this in
Linden. While she did take late night walks around her apartment
complex—between the barking dogs and comings and goings of other tenants, it
was impossible to savor the quiet. But Linden was safe and didn’t hold the past
that still haunted and held power over her life. Control that she was still
fighting to get back after all these years.
    The abuse she’d endured as a child
remained with her every day…reminding her that having a voice and control was
everything.
    Even though it was almost eight at
night, the humidity in the air made it feel like it was still way above ninety
degrees outside. Summer brought predictable afternoon storms and she could see
and hear the enormous thunderclouds that threatened in the distance. As a