Page 32 of What Remains of Grace

“What happened?” Hannah asked quietly.

Jenna looked toward the bakery through the kitchen window.

A month ago, she would’ve given the polished answer. Something vague and professional.

Instead, she shrugged.

“I think I got really good at staying busy.”

Neither of them spoke.

“The company was good. It gave me something to build. Something to focus on.”

“But?” Mark prompted.

Jenna glanced down the hallway toward Emmie’s room.

“But eventually the workday ends.”

The silence that followed was gentle. Just people who’d known her a long time.

Hannah folded her arms. “Do you think you should be making this decision so soon after losing someone?”

Jenna laughed softly. “I’ve heard you shouldn’t do that.”

“Maybe don’t dissolve a company, move states, and become a parent all at once,” Hannah suggested.

Mark nodded immediately. “That does sound like a lot.”

“It is,” Jenna confessed.

“So why do it?” Mark asked.

“I think that advice is for people trying to outrun grief.”

Neither of them interrupted.

She looked toward the hallway again. “This isn’t me running away.”

“Then what is it?” Hannah asked.

Jenna smiled. “It’s me staying.”

Nobody tried to talk her out of it.

When the call finally wound down, Mark pointed at the screen.

“You better visit.”

“I will,” Jenna laughed.

“Good.”

The screen went dark a few minutes later.

Jenna sat alone at the kitchen table for a moment.

She’d spent years building a business. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that she’d built relationships, too.