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“That is what he is embarrassed about?” Neha shook her head in disbelief. And that one small snarky comment from her mother was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Neha was done with being manipulated. “You’re on speaker, aren’t you? So please listen carefully. I am not comfortable talking to either of you and kindly ask you not to contact me. I will get in touch once I have found a way to have a healthy and safe conversation with you.”

She hung up. That felt great! Giddily, she looked at Jay. Her husband looked at her loving and proud. Neha walked up to him and snuggled into his embrace.

“This way, we won’t actually get to have breakfast,” he warned.

“Just a minute,” Neha mumbled against his chest.

A while later, they sat at the table and dug in. “Any plans for the day?” Jay asked.

“Lots of them. For today, for the week, for the rest of our lives,” Neha quipped.

“Like?”

Cutting up her egg, Neha frowned. “I want to call Trish.”

“The trucker.” Jay didn’t ask, he remembered.

Neha nodded. “I was thinking about setting up a safe house for women in tricky situations. Now that I am safe, I’d like to pay it forward and help others. Trish would be the one to know how to go about it.”

“Drake and I had talked about renting an apartment near the hospital for the families of patients. We might consider joining forces.”

“I’ve got no idea how this might work, but it sounds cool.” Neha finished her plate. “And I will meet Juliette Brendan about working for her. We talked yesterday on the phone. She is happy to have me, although she is not on crutches anymore. The office still is a mess and needs more than one person to clear it.”

Jay pushed his plate away, too. “I’ll meet with HR and find out whether they find my mug tolerable. Afterward, I’ll get some supplies for the garden. Most importantly, I want to replace the syringa that I killed.” He looked at her lovingly. “What about if I planted forget-me-nots at the far side of the yard, by the runnel that separates ours from Mrs. Brennerman’s property?”

Neha beamed at him. “I’d love that.” Creating a life together was fun. Neha couldn’t wait for their future to come true.

EPILOGUE

Neha helped Shanae set the dining room up for Thanksgiving dinner. Shanae and Bo’s house had been a B&B before and provided lots of space. Simple, modern furniture and the big, paneled windows made the room look airy and friendly.

“I love what you’ve made out of the house,” Neha complimented her friend.

“Thank you. Let me see.” Shanae started counting on her fingers. “There’s Bo and me, two. His parents and Nat and Grandma Frances, six. My momma and Larry, eight. You two, ten. And Alex and Ryan, twelve.” She scrunched her nose and looked at the ceiling, humming. Satisfied, she added, “No, I don’t think I forgot anyone.”

They arranged eleven chairs around the long dining table.

“Who are Alex and Ryan?” Neha asked.

“They are friends of ours that have no family in Windfall.” Shanae got a white linen tablecloth from a cabinet and started unfolding it. “Alex and I bonded over our dogs. Remember, I told you about that handsome poodle? He’s Alex’s. And Ryan actually is an employee of Bo’s. He’s providing security for Data Sentinel.”

“Why would a software company out in the sticks need security?”

“It definitely feels good to have someone looking out for any trouble.” Shanae smoothed the cloth and picked some imaginary specks from it. “Are you okay with Thanksgiving without your parents?”

Neha laughed. “I so am!” She took the delicate wine glasses Shanae handed her and put them on the table. “I’ve been in low contact with them for months now. Conversations still often end in accusations of being ungrateful and disobedient. No way I’d spend a holiday with them!”

“I still don’t understand what has got into your father.” Shanae shook her head. “How come he wants to get you married when you already are? And Jay is even of Indian heritage. And a doctor at that. What more does your father want?”

Neha shrugged. “I gave up wondering about that. He has had to leave the company. His bosses deemed his behavior unacceptable and threatened to instigate disbarment if he did not retire. I suppose there was an incident at work, but I wouldn’t know.” She arranged the plates as Shanae sorted the silverware. “Jay thinks it might be a form of dementia that does not come with memory loss but a change of personality. My mother will not hear of it, so that leaves me where I am.”

“And Jay? How is he holding up?”

“He’s okay. But he’s not ready yet to spend a holiday in Hallow Falls. Too soon.” Neha wrapped her arms around her friend. “Thank you for having us,” she said.

“You’re welcome anytime. I’m glad we can be here for you after all that happened in the last few weeks.”

“Mayday! Mayday!” Bo called from the lobby.