CHAPTER 2
Jessa watched Sara grab a handful of clothes from the drawer and toss the whole jumbled mess into the suitcase open on the bed. “I don’t understand why you’re taking so much stuff.”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. It’ll just be easier to take everything. It’s not that much.”
Looking at the already overflowing bag, Jessa couldn’t agree. “Do you want me to fold it for you?”
“No, it’s fine.” Sara shook her head and turned back to the dresser to open the next drawer.
Jessa pressed her lips together and literally sat on her hands to stop herself from getting up and folding the clothes anyway.
She decided instead to move on to the other issue she had with Sara’s plan. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave in the morning when it’s daylight?”
“No. There will be traffic then.”
Jessa frowned. There couldn’t be that much traffic between Norfolk, Virginia and Bryant, Alabama.
Even if it were a valid excuse, driving almost ten hours straight through the night, alone, didn’t sound like a good idea.
Jessa glanced at the clock on the nightstand. The glowing red digits told her it was time to be thinking about settling in for the night. Maybe watching television and getting ready for bed.
It was not the time to start a multi-state road trip.
They’d both been awake early this morning. Jessa was exhausted at the end of the long day. She could only imagine Sara was too, not that it showed in her frantic packing.
“If you’re really worried about traffic, why not stay here tonight, sleep late tomorrow and then leave tomorrow evening when you’re rested.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll pick up some energy drinks at the gas station when I fill up the car.”
Jessa pressed her lips together again in disapproval. Those things weren’t good for a person. But falling asleep at the wheel would be far worse. Why didn’t Sara just wait?
She came up with another tactic. “What did Will say when you told him you were driving that far tonight?”
Sara shrugged. “Nothing.”
Jessa frowned at that answer. She couldn’t imagine Sara’s Navy SEAL boyfriend would approve of a woman driving so many hours alone at night.
But her sister was a grown woman and no one could tell her what to do. Not Will. And obviously not Jessa.
She couldn’t even get a straight answer from Sara about why she felt the need to go visit the man who would hopefully soon be her ex-husband—if he’d ever sign the papers—and the home where she hadn’t lived in more than four years. Almost five.
If there were things still there she wanted surely she had a friend in town who could ship them to her if Jerry wouldn’t.
If the trip had to do with the divorce papers, that was something her lawyer should be handling. Unless—maybe this was for a hearing with the judge to finally end this mess.
Maybe Sara didn’t want to say anything until the divorce was finalized because it had dragged on so ridiculously long already.
Maybe the appointment was tomorrow afternoon and that’s why Sara was in such a hurry to leave tonight.
Satisfied with her new best case scenario theory, Jessa stopped trying to dissuade Sara and instead decided to help her. “Can I make you some coffee to take with you? Or a sandwich for the road? I’ve got some turkey breast.”
Sara drew in a breath that sounded as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. “Thanks but I’m not really hungry. I’ll just grab a bottle of water before I leave.”
“Okay.” Jessa nodded but still didn’t understand her sister’s malaise when—if Jessa’s theory was correct—this trip was a good thing. The start of a new life completely freed from the ties to her old one.
Still, she supposed it was going to be stressful facing her husband again, possibly in court before a judge. Jerry wasn’t going to be happy and in light of that, Jessa didn’t blame Sara’s reluctance for the events to come.
But her sister still needed to eat, whether she was hungry or not.
Jessa stood. “I’ll just throw a couple of water bottles and a snack in a bag and put them in the passenger seat of your car.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Sara zipped up the oversized bag, which barely closed, and slid it off the bed and to the floor with a thud.
“Let me take that out to the car.” Jessa reached for the suitcase, which thankfully was on wheels, given its weight.
“I can—”
“Nope.” Jessa cut off Sara’s protest. “You finish your packing. I got it.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Jess.” There was no reason for the tears that made Sara’s eyes glisten except that apparently her sister’s emotions were running high.
“Anything. You know that.”
“I know.” Sara nodded.
Finding herself choked up at this sudden show of emotion, Jessa drew in a breath. “I’ll put it in the trunk of the car for you.”
“Thanks.”
After grabbing Sara’s keys off the counter, Jessa tugged the suitcase behind her, all the way out the front door and into the parking lot, fighting the emotion the whole way.
She’d miss her sister while she was gone. Hopefully everything would be resolved fast and she’d be back shortly.
Jessa was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she didn’t see the man standing off the side of the parking lot by the bushes until she was right on top of him.
She almost ran into him with the giant suitcase but diverted her path just in time. “Oh, jeez. Sorry. Almost ran you over there.”
She forced a laugh but the man dressed in all black didn’t look as if he was amused. He grunted in response and then turned and strode away.
Frowning, Jessa decided some people were just rude. But she didn’t give it much more thought than that as she struggled to heave what had to be close to sixty pounds of luggage into the back of Sara’s car.
She slammed the trunk and, happy to be helping in some way, rushed back to the apartment. She was making Sara a sandwich for the drive whether she wanted one or not.
~ * ~
Jessa had a hell of a time getting to sleep after saying goodbye to Sara. Sending her baby sister off into the night alone still didn’t feel right, no matter the reason.
When she finally did fall asleep it had to have been really late, which explained why her ass was dragging after she woke up the next morning. Not to mention how horrid she looked with the dark shadows under her eyes.
Tired or not, she had to get to work so Jessa pulled herself away from the dismal reflection staring back at her in the bathroom mirror and stumbled to the kitchen.
That’s where the two things she needed most were—her cell phone and the coffee maker.
She grabbed the cell from the counter where it was charging and glanced at the display. She’d been hoping for a text from Sara but there wasn’t one.
Jessa counted the hours on her finger. It was early but possibly late enough that Sara could have arrived where she was going and not still be on the road.
It would be nice if where she was going was a hotel and not the house where Jerry still lived.
Even if they were still married, Jessa hated the idea of Sara being there with him. It might give him ideas that Sara was having doubts about the divorce. She’d moved out on him years ago and yet the man still wouldn’t take the hint the marriage was over and sign the damn divorce papers.
Marital drama aside, Jessa needed to know her sister was doing all right before she’d be able to get on with her day or concentrate on anything at work.
Once the coffee was starting to brew, Jessa picked up her cell and dialed Sara’s number. When there was no answer, she left a voicemail and disconnected.
Hopefully the call going to voicemail meant that Sara had decided to stop at a hotel en route, put the phone on silent and was getting some much needed sleep.
Jessa had just poured herself a cup of coffee when the cell rang and she saw Sara’s name on the display.
Shit. The call must have woken her.
“Hey. I’m sorry to call. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“It’s fine,” Sara said, sounding exhausted.
“Did you stop for the night?”
“No. I’m still in the car. I was just on the phone talking to Jerry. Telling him what time I should be at the house.”
“So you’re going to stay there at the house then?”
“Yes.”
“Sara, do you think that’s wise? I mean it might make him think you’re reconsidering the divorce.”
The length of silence on the line before Sara answered had Jessa wondering what was going on.
Finally, Sara said, “I am.”
“Am what?” Jessa asked.
“I am reconsidering the divorce.”
Jessa’s eyes widened as the questions ricocheted through her head. What had happened to change Sara’s mind after well over four years of being apart?
Had she broken up with Will? Had Will broken up with her and that had sent her back to Jerry?
And why hadn’t Sara said anything to her last night?
Jessa had just opened her mouth to start asking some of those questions when Sara said, “I have to go. I’ll call you later after I get there.”
In shock, Jessa stood with the cell in one hand long after her sister had disconnected.
What the hell was going on?