Three months later
Janie stood in her kitchen, gazing out the back window. Her new deck beckoned her to sit and enjoy the sunshine. She had to finish packing, but she wouldn’t have many more opportunities to relax and take in the view of her backyard.
The wooded area that accounted for a third of their property had sold her and Mike on this house. Their first day after they’d moved in, they’d had a picnic by the stream that weaved through the trees.
She poured herself a glass of cold sweet tea and took it to the deck. Her outdoor furniture had been destroyed in the tornado, and she’d bought a plain lawn chair to replace it. By the time the deck had been replaced, she’d known she wouldn’t be in Jacksonville much longer and didn’t see the point of buying another nice set just to move it.
Her gaze scanned the neighborhood. Destroyed houses neared complete reconstruction. An empty lot stood in place of the Grafton’s house, a family who’d decided to move instead of rebuilding. Few physical reminders remained of the tornado and its aftermath. Even Mr. Ford had made a full recovery and was cast-free.
She’d seen and experienced too much in the few short years she’d lived in this house. It was her home, the house she’d bought with Mike—the home they’d made together—but the time had come to move on and close the door on that chapter of her life.
No one had the ability to stop time, nor turn it back. The only choice was to move forward, and one could drag their feet or embrace the future.
A car drove down the road, and she recognized Evan’s new sedan. An automatic smile formed. Moving forward and embracing change came easily with a man like Evan at her side. Strong, courageous, and an overcomer.
A ray of sun caught the diamond on her finger. She’d been blessed to find love a second time and join her life with Evan’s. Two weeks ago, she’d become Mrs. Jergens in a small ceremony with her closest friends and family. Since Kate’s baby, Mason, had been less than a month old, Janie and Evan had decided to have the wedding in Louisiana so Kate could attend. Wyatt and Meg had flown in from Pennsylvania, and her family had come from Iowa.
Jared had driven from Jacksonville and had left for an extended stay in his Wyoming home afterward. That he wouldn’t be there to see them made her sad, but just as when Wyatt had moved, their friendship could survive the miles between them.
When Evan’s car passed the house and turned into the cul-de-sac, she swallowed the last of her tea and went through the house to meet him at the front door.
The For Sale sign in her front yard failed to evoke any melancholy, which she considered a good sign. She and Evan had prayed for a quick sale, and an offer had come in last night. The selling point—the brand new, red stained deck. They’d had a good laugh at the irony.
Evan exited the car with a wide smile. “Everything’s set. The school sent my transcripts from my first semester, and I’ll start in Louisiana next week.”
“That’s great.” She met him on the walkway and gave him a hug.
“I also talked to Dani, and everything is set for the restaurant to open by Christmas. Her assistant agreed to come to the Lafayette location for six months to work with me and train me.”
“Everything’s falling into place.” She broke the embrace but kept a hand on his. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I couldn’t have done any of it without your support and encouragement.” His gaze rested on hers. “Do you regret turning down the job offer?”
“Not a bit. Between the wedding and packing, I wouldn’t have had time, anyway. I can always apply at the local store once we’re settled in our new home.”
“Speaking of, our Louisiana realtor called. The sellers want to know if we’d be willing to move the closing date up ten days.” He grinned. “Closing on their new home is contingent on the sale of the one we want to buy, so I guess they want it done ASAP.”
She gulped. “That’s next week.”
“Yep, which means we wouldn’t have to stay at my parents or a hotel for that week after leaving here.”
“Call her back and tell her yes!” Not that she didn’t adore her in-laws or mind a short hotel stay, but she couldn’t wait to get her new life underway.
Evan winked. “I thought that’s what you’d say, so I already told her yes.”
“I can’t believe how perfect the timing of everything has been.” Joy she’d once thought impossible to reclaim filled her.
“God has blessed us.” He slid an arm around her waist, and they walked to the house. “Experience has shown us life won’t always be easy, but together we’ll conquer the good and the bad.”
“I agree.” She stood on her tiptoes in front of the door and kissed him. “I love you.”
This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25-34