Connexion

Part 83

"And she never stopped. All day. She showed me what to do, watched a bit, then went off to help Sally. Mary was doing deliveries to a place forty miles away. Then Jena came back to check on me, then she had some meetings with some new clients. When she came back, she again checked on me. Then helped Sally. Then she covered for me while I had lunch.  Sally headed off to see Andrew. Then she and Matt, the icer, dropped off a cake for a new company on the other side of town. Then she was back. She helped Matt on another cake. When Mary got back, they went over their schedules, discussed the remaining jobs and exchanged jobs, to finish off cakes, who was doing tomorrow, who could cover Andrew's jobs. In reality, Jena absorbed Andrew's jobs, said she would do the account at home. Then she had a chat with me. She checked if I was happy, any concerns, could I manage tomorrow with less supervision? Then she took over from me after I'd done my hours. Honestly, I don't know where she gets her energy from, but she just did not stop."

"Sounds like she impressed you." Drew said quietly. Caleb took the backseat as he processed the information.

"She did, dad. She really did." Sophie sighed and her eyes narrowed. "Her grandmother was a baker. Mary said Jena was brought up by her grandmother from the time she was six. They sold the bakery when her grandmother's dementia got so bad. So Jena and her grandmother baked from home, just cakes.  Sally said she dropped out of school at sixteen to look after her grandmother, when her grandmother showed signs of dementia. They sold their cakes to local cafes. Generated income. And she had a waitress job, too. Things must have been really tight, don't you think?" Sophie asked quietly. Amanda looked over at her husband. Caleb tried not to look too interested. "Don't you think that's a huge burden to carry at that age?"

"Yes, hon, it is." Her mother said.

"Then I look at me."

"What do you mean?"

"Me. Today, I worked. My first job."

"I am proud of you, Sophie" His hand reached over the table and caressed her palm. "And it sound like you loved your first day."

Sophie nodded her head. "I did. My first working day. I just hope I can handle it tomorrow on my own, Jena, given what I heard at the schedule meeting, she will be chasing her tail, more than today!"

The conversation at home was reviewed over and over, in his dreams and while he was away on business. So two days later, he picked up his car at the airport and stopped at Jena's home on his way back to home. He was tired, but he was pretty sure that if he didn't sort out this, it would hover in the periphery of his mind.

Jena blinked. "Oh, er. Are you ok?" What was he doing here at 8pm.

"Yes." He took stock of her, jeans and t-shirt, no shoes on her feet, her hair down, and no make-up and she looked great, he thought. "Could I have a word with you?" He smiled at her.

"A word?" She ignored his smile, and folded her arms and kept him at the front door. She had not heard from him, since that infamous kiss. 

"Actually, a discussion."

"Right now?" She glanced at her watch. And what was he doing here? She remembered his statement, at their previous meeting. He said, pretending this was over, was a poor strategy. So why did he ignore her for three days! Three days that felt like infinity. For the first day, every time the phone rang, she rehearsed her response before answering the call. "Why?" She was not sure why she was so cross. Probably the fact that for someone who said this was not over, had not bothered to call her! She was expecting a call from him. But no sign of the call. With no call on the first day, she thought he would turn up at her place. While she changed her clothes, she made sure she had chose something that flattered her. But he didn't arrive. And that made her cross!