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This last statement, she wondered, was intended for herself more than her grandfather. For suddenly when she imagined herself on her wedding day, it was not Ryan standing at the altar, but Jay.
Pushing the thought aside, she got to her feet and looked at her grandfather one last time. “It pains me greatly that you feel so displeased with me, but I must take my life into my own hands and make my own decisions. Whether they meet with your approval or not. I do hope you change your mind and attend the ceremony, however, it will not sway my decision in going.”
She left then, deciding she did not want to sit and argue with him any longer. The fact was the man who sat across from her at breakfast was a complete stranger. She did not recognize this cold and heartless man.
For the first time in her life, she was getting a glimpse of the real man her grandfather had become. Jay had been right. Gerald Snowden cared not a single morsel for the townsfolk of Placid. His passion lay in how much power he could possess.
With sadness, she realized that his need for power also included herself. He had controlled her every aspect of life. All these years she had thought he had done it out of love. Truth was he did it out of duty. For his daughter, whom he truly loved. He saw Erika as an extension of her father whom he had been unable to control. Any more than he could Jay Colby.
She slipped her shawl over her day dress and made her way outside into the warm sunshine. Stopping outside the doorstep, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply the early morning dew. A fresh day. A new start.
Erika vowed, from this day forward her life would change. No longer would she be under the control of Gerald Snowden.
* * *
The lot that town council provided for the building of the school was littered with people. Erika was surprised and pleased at the number of turnout. It was obvious the building of this new school excited many. Her eyes shifted to Jay as he stood next to the council representative.
He looked the same as usual. No fancy new suit or even a new shirt. But she knew behind that passive face, he was joyous inside. When his eyes shifted and caught her looking at him, she offered him a smile.
Erika wasn’t sure what had come over her the last time they were together, but she was thankful Jay had the good sense to stop it before it got out of hand. Ryan was the man she loved. Ryan was the man she would marry.
Whatever silly emotions she thought she had felt had been purely foolish on her part. Jay was right. He was not the man for her.
“Today marks a page in the history of Placid.” The town official stood before the gathering and drew Erika’s attention away from Jay. “Through the perseverance and dedication of one man, the children of Placid will have the opportunity to attend school. All children.”
The gathering broke into applause.
“Mr. Colby.” The official turned to Jay. “Because of your foresight and belief in the future of our next generation, and all generations after that, we offer you the official first dig into the site of the Placid Public School.”
Jay smiled and took the shovel from the man. “No matter how much I might want to take credit, this bill did not come about from the single doing of one person. First, I would like to say that if it weren’t for the dedication of Egerton Ryerson and his bringing such an awareness of the fate of Canadian children to government, this bill would never have been possible. Second, it is because of all those here that signed the petition in favor of free schooling that we were able to pass this bill in town council.”
The man next to him bowed his head as if Jay had just offered his gratitude to him personally. Erika had to smirk. It really should have been the other way around.
“Finally, there was one other person who believed in this bill as much as I, who had to fight her own personal demons and a far greater challenge, but in the end came to believe in this cause with much conviction and foresight than I could have ever imagined.”
Erika knew he was referring to herself. Glancing around self-consciously she noticed a few people looking at her with approval, and realized everyone else also knew.
“She fought an external battle that no one ever should,” he said this slightly softer, drawing Erika’s eyes back to his face.
Jay stood looking at her with so much admiration that she felt herself feel all of a sudden shy.
“Miss Snowden?”
Her brows shot up, slightly confused at his unexpected inquisitive look. Then he held out the shovel and said, “I believe we should do this together.”
Erika gave a start, taken aback by Jay’s gesture. A feeling of awe swept over her. More so because she felt Jay’s pride. Saw it in his eyes. She blushed unexpectedly. If nothing else, Jay would always have a place in her heart for being the first person to believe in her.
Smiling softly, she shook her head. “That’s very sweet, but I believe the shovel is in the rightful hands.” Singular hands. She thought. Jay had single-handedly pursued the cause of free schooling. True, he might have gotten some help along the way, but he was the one who brought this all about.
His eyes locked with hers and softened momentarily before turning abruptly away and driving the shovel into the ground to the applause of the crowd.
People started moving then and that was when she was pleasantly surprised to see her friends Trista and Rosalee. “What are you two doing here?”
“You didn’t think we would come, did you?”
“Truthfully, I wasn’t too sure who would. But I’m so glad you did.” She took their hands in gratitude and squeezed.
