Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Interestingly, now he’d let that story out once, it was easier to let it out again.
Once more, Betsy didn’t seem shocked, or even particularly surprised. She looked really, really sad, though. And when he’d finished, she said, “I’d already guessed some of this. I’ve had students who’ve had difficult upbringings—not as bad as that, but there’s a kind of wariness that people exhibit when they didn’t have stable childhoods. When Archer first brought you here, you were on alert all the time, never quite relaxing. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I also noticed that you were unsure about table manners, but you watched the rest of us and you picked it up fast.”
Jay felt as though he’d been thrown back in time to that raw young man who was barely house trained. He remembered watching Betsy, and now he realized she must have been making an effort to put her napkin on her lap and use her knife and fork correctly. To pass the food rather than helping herself right away. And so he’d copied her.
He let out a long sigh as the tension left his body. He felt better, as though an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders, not only because he’d told her about his awful past and she accepted him anyway, but also because she now knew about his feelings for Erin and didn’t seem to disapprove. In fact, she had actually said he was a better man than he gave himself credit for.
Jay was silent for a while as he let this all sink in. As they sipped their tea, he felt how comfortable it was in this house, and how much he adored Betsy.
Finally, he asked, “Are you giving me the green light with Erin? I have your blessing?” He had to be sure.
Betsy shrugged kindly. “Yes, but it’s not up to me. It all depends on my daughter and what she wants.”
He got that. “I think I might have messed things up on the weekend and she’s freaking out. How do I let her know I’m completely serious about her and that I love her?”
“I can’t tell you that. But I think you’ve been in love with her for years. You just didn’t know it. You’ll figure it out. You need to trust yourself, Jay. Listen to your heart.”
And then Jay had a terrible realization. He might have Betsy’s blessing, but that didn’t mean the Davenport men were going to be on board as well. “What about Archer and the others?” He hadn’t forgotten Arch’s terrible warning about going anywhere near his sister, and he couldn’t bear the idea of upsetting his friend and oldest client.
Betsy shook her head. “That’s between you and Archer and the rest of the boys.”
“Including your husband?” Betsy might be open to the idea of him and Erin, but he was terrified that Howie, who’d been a father figure to him all these years, might hate him after he learned about it.
Betsy smiled at him. “You’re worrying too much about what everyone else will think. The only people who matter here are Erin and you.”
Jay’s eyes widened. She was right. “I guess none of the rest of it matters if I can’t get her to fall for me as hard as I’ve fallen for her. I made such a mess of things.”
Betsy didn’t look a bit surprised. “Then you’ll clean up your mess. My daughter’s pretty smart and she respects the truth. If you’re honest and open about your feelings, she’ll let you know if she returns them.”
“So you think there’s hope?”
She chuckled. “I definitely think there’s hope. Good luck. I’m glad you came to me, Jay. I know it couldn’t have been easy. It shows integrity and grit—two other qualities I know my daughter admires.”
Jay pulled Betsy in for a huge bear hug and promised he’d attend the next family breakfast. He refused her offer to walk him out, insisting she finish grading the papers, and let himself out of their front door feeling a whole lot better than when he’d arrived.
* * *
As the door closed behind Jay, Betsy Davenport leaned back in her chair and sipped her chamomile tea, a delighted smile playing across her face. When she was certain Jay was too far away to hear through the open windows, she called, “Howie? You owe me ten bucks.”
Her husband wandered in from the office, where he’d been working on his business accounts. “What did you say?”
“You owe me ten bucks.”
“For what?”
“Erin and Jay.”
Howie’s eyebrows shot up. “What are you saying?”
“Jay was just here, and he’s just told me he’s in love with our daughter. Remember? The bet was ten dollars.”
He rooted around in his wallet. “Do you have change for a twenty?”
She grabbed the bill and tucked it in her pocket. “For this, I’m taking the whole thing.” Then Howie swept her up in his arms and kissed her. Laughing, she said, “Don’t you have accounts to finish?”