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Jo and Dare seemed so close, and once again she thought that perhaps they had been together for so long they took each other for granted and had no idea how deep their feelings were.Time will tell,she mused.
But will time tell for Caleb and me? Is that possible? Will I ever be as happy as they appear to be?
By then it was time for their table to get in line. Jenni craned her neck again to see if she could locate Caleb, but it was clear he wasn’t there. She loaded up her plate and thankfully this time she did not trip or fall on her way back to her seat.
The food looked amazing, but suddenly she wasn’t so hungry, and she felt her mood begin to slip.
When dinner ended, the names of the winning teams were announced. As Barb had predicted, the winners really had to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Very few fish were caught, and the point spread for all the teams was really tight. It truly was luck in this case that determined the winners.
After the last door prize was announced, Chuck Muller asked the group to remain seated for one more thing. “These past few days might not have been the greatest for fishing,” he began. “But this morning something happened that far surpasses anything about fishing. It was about life. I know you all heard about Frank Ritelli collapsing on the beach.”
The room was absolutely silent as Chuck continued, “How lucky he was that just a few stations down Jenni Kirk saw what was happening and knew what to do. We got word late thisafternoon that he’s stable, he’s conscious, and that ultimately, he’s going to be OK. Jenni Kirk saved his life, and I’d like for her to come up to this podium now so that we can all show her our appreciation for what she did.”
Jenni was a bit taken aback by the applause in the room. They were applauding her, for something she had done. This wasn’t about her flaws; it was about a tremendous accomplishment. In a flashback she saw how Caleb had encouraged her, even when she’d made mistakes. He always seemed to want to help. She wished he was there to see her step up and speak. To encourage others. The new Jenni. Not perfect but working hard to be the best Jenni she could be.
Chapter Thirty-Six
As she approached the front of the room, people were still standing and applauding.
When they finally sat down, she spotted him. He was leaning against the back wall, a sheepish grin on his face, and a bouquet of loose flowers in his hand.
Her heart leaped, and this time she knew Caleb wouldn’t see her fail.
“Thank you for all the applause, the handshakes, and the congratulations,” she began. “But I want to tell you that any of you could have done what I did. I suspect there are a number of you in this room who would have, had you been nearby. It was just the luck of the draw that I happened to be so close.”
Jenni paused and then continued in a passionate voice. “When my dad was a young teen, he saw his friend’s father collapse while they were all fishing at a lake. Neither boy knew what to do, and by the time the ambulance got there it was too late. My dad vowed that he would learn CPR and his family would learn. I not only take refresher classes, but I teach classes too. It’s very important to me.”
She looked out over her audience and knew they were all listening closely. She said firmly, “CPR training is available everywhere in communities all over the country. It’s not expensive and it takes just a few hours of your time. Please do me a favor, do the people you love a favor, and get trained. I never thought I would be given the opportunity to share this message and I’m thankful that Chuck said it was OK for me to speak. I don’t have anything more to add since I’m between you and the end of this evening. But when you think of this tournament, think about how it might have ended differently. Thank goodness it didn’t. Go, take a CPR class. Thanks.”
The entire room stood up again, applauded, and then people began to exit. There were plenty of handshakes and pats on the back as folks came up to Jenni.
She tried to be polite to everyone but there was only one person she wanted to see. He was there and she wouldn’t let him escape.
She had this chance, she wouldn’t fail.
Finally, Caleb came up to her and thrust the flowers into her hands.
“You are amazing, Jenni Kirk,” he began. “Those times you said you couldn’t meet for a drink because of classes, I thought you were just coming up with an excuse. I never bothered to ask what kind of classes because I thought it was just a ruse. Shame on me.”
“Caleb,” Jenni said, forgetting everything she’d rehearsed and now just spoke from her heart, “I did have classes. But I also was very uncertain about how I felt about you and maybe equally as important, how I felt about me. I was very rude to you over a long period of time. I’m just thankful you came to this dinner so that I could apologize.”
Then she stopped and looked at him, sounding a bit puzzled. “I really didn’t see you here. How did I miss you?”
Caleb shook his head and admitted, “I couldn’t locate my car keys. You know I always drive, so we didn’t have another vehicle to use. I finally found them in my tackle box. Why they were there, I’ll never know. You can believe the guys have really given me a hard time.”
Jenni smiled, thinking about Jonah, Lyle, and Bertie, and the first time she’d encountered them, and said, “I can only imagine.”
“When I finally found the keys and then told them I wanted to stop at the Sunshine Mart to find flowers, they nearly went ballistic.” He grinned. “Well, not really, but they called me a few names.”
Jenni looked down at the bouquet and spotted a little tag. “Happy Sweetest Day?” she asked.
“Lord, I don’t know. Is it?” Caleb laughed. “I just wanted you to have them. I heard what happened, you know how quickly word gets around on this island, and well, I thought I’d buy these flowers. I wanted to give you, I mean us, one more chance. Speaking of that, do you think we could get out of this hall andtake a walk somewhere? I don’t think any ice cream stands are open, but the ocean is still there, I’m pretty sure.”
Jenni glanced over at Caitlin who had quietly moved away from the table with Andrew, apparently waiting for the outcome of the conversation to determine their next move. Jenni handed her the flowers and whispered, “Please take these back to the ‘Mansion.’ I’ll be along later.”
Caitlin nodded and whispered back, “Take your time.” Then she and Andrew headed for the hall door.
A thought struck Jenni as they followed. “How will the rest of your buddies get back to your cottage if you have the only vehicle?” She had visions of them walking on the beach while Jonah, Bertie, and Lyle waited for them.
