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“It’s okay. I’ve tried to put distance between me and what happened. It was...it was hard at first to move on. I was so devastated. And when I got the job at theTimes, I moved to New York City for a fresh start. I thought a change would do me some good, and it did, at first. But I missed them. And it’s part of what made me come back.”
“I think that’s understandable.”
“So... I mean... you don’t have to go with me. We can do something...happier.”
He stared at me for a long moment. “No,” he finally said. “I want to go and see them. If you’ll let me.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “I want to. I really do.”
“Okay,” I said, even though I was shocked. I wasn’t one to judge a book by its cover, but Landon Sparks was truly surprising me on all fronts. The man I was getting to know was kind, thoughtful, genuine, and much more alluring than I expected. And right now, that had nothing to do with his good looks. It had to do with his heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LANDON
Spring Grove Cemeterywas about ten minutes from the Ohio River Club.
The on-call driver I hired for the weekend whisked us there about forty-five minutes after we decided to go, the morning sunlight peeking through the fall leaves that still hung on to the massive trees dotting the large property. On the way, Rebecca told me a few tidbits about the place, like how it opened during the Victorian era and how a massive daily operation worked to keep the headstones in order and the landscaping impressive. I had to admit they did a wonderful job; the well-maintained acreage looked more like a botanical garden than a final resting place.
Slowly, my driver navigated a path lined with pruned bushes, shady trees, and intimate family mausoleums until we reached a small plot overlooking a large pond Rebecca said was the location of her parents. The driver parked on the side of the road, and after we got out, Rebecca led me to two granite slabs that appeared freshly scrubbed in the fall sunlight.
“Here they are,” she said simply, and stopped about a half foot away from the edge of the stones. I followed her lead and stood beside her. “Mom and Dad.”
“This is a beautiful place,” I remarked, mostly because I didn’t know what to say. A quick glance at the stones told me her parents had only been forty-eight and fifty-three when they died, ages far too young to have that kind of tragedy happen. And somehow, seeing their headstones in person made it all the worse. “I think it’s wonderful you come here, and you’re able to do it so often.”
“One of the main reasons I moved back to town.” Then she laughed without humor. “Well, that and the fact I didn’t love my job at theTimes.I was going to top out pretty much where I was, and I knew it. So, quitting seemed to make sense.”
“The Great Resignation,” I mused.
She studied me. “I don’t know if I’d call it that.”
“Aren’t people doing that? Quitting their jobs in droves just because they don’t like the way things are going?”
“Maybe, but...I wouldn’t put myself in that category.” She arched her eyebrow. “I had a plan. A lot of other people don’t.”
