Love Finds You

Love Finds You - Part 12

Chapter 12

A couple weeks later Jen was on her way to the supermarket for some groceries. She had seen very little of Zack and of course, it was on purpose; she needed some time to think about everything. She had made some calls to find out the truth about the financial state of the firm. It was true that they were in trouble, but it wasn't quite as bad as Roger had made it seem. As least, Jen didn't think so. With some help from some of her office staff, she had pulled all receipts, bills, and files to assess just how far in debt they were and what they could do to get out. Jen hadn't realized how badly Roger had done in the stock market. The smartest thing to do would be to file for bankruptcy and start over but Roger wouldn't hear of it. He refused to give up the firm; but more than that, he was too proud. He couldn't be looked at as a failure. Jen knew he was a proud man, but she was finding out that she didn't know her father quite as well as she thought she did. She felt certain if they worked through some things, downsized, and were careful about spending, the firm could be saved without Aunt Gabby's money. However, that plan would require a significant amount of sacrifice, something that Roger wasn't at all thrilled about. He'd gotten used to a certain lifestyle and having money at his fingertips. Jen had to remind him, in case he had forgotten, Aunt Gabby had to pass away before they would even see a penny, if indeed they were included in the will. And baring some tragedy, heaven forbid, it looked like she was going to be around for a while.

Jen was on the phone with the bank, for what seemed like the hundredth time in two weeks. She walked slowly up and down the frozen foods section, reveling in the coolness. "No, I don't want to hold," she tried to remain calm, keeping her voice even and controlled. She looked down at her watch; she had been on the phone for almost half an hour already. It only takes so long to get groceries and she knew she'd have to head back to Aunt Gabby's soon. "I realize that our credit isn't what it should be but..." she listened for a moment and glanced up the aisle to make sure she was still alone. "Yes but..." she listened again. "I see." She exhaled slowly. "Yes, thank you for your time." She hung up the phone and stood there looking at it. Denied, again. She knew getting a loan would be difficult, but she never imagined it would be impossible. Stupid banks and financial institutions! What good are they if they can't help me when I need it! She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and leaned against the refrigerator, allowing the cool glass to ease the stress she felt in her back.

"Hey, look who it is."

Jen didn't need to open her eyes to know who the voice belonged to. Her heart began to beat a little faster and she quickly stood up straight, trying to act like hanging out in the frozen foods section was totally normal.

"Hey," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm good, doin' real good," Zack said with a smile, his dimple showing nicely through his five o'clock shadow. "How are you? I haven't seen ya for a while."

"Yeah, I ..." Jen tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear, fumbling for a good excuse. "I've been busy."

Zack nodded and a few seconds of awkward silence passed before he spoke again. "Listen, I'm glad I bumped into you. I wanted to apologize for what happened at the Fourth of July thing. Melanie is... she is just an old friend who...." he rubbed his neck; clearly searching for something to explain her actions.

Jen rolled her eyes; this didn't need to happen. Frankly, she didn't care about nor need his apology, so she finished the sentence for him. "Who is in love with you. I get it, its fine. No worries." She turned back to her practically empty cart and began to walk away.

"She thinks she is in love with me, but she isn't," Zack offered, as he hurried to walk beside her.

"Oh, is that it? She just thinks she's in love with you. Usually when someone thinks they're in love, they actually are."