Chapter 21

21

S ix months later.

"Good morning, Jerrold." Libby poured coffee for the kind older gentleman who had become her closest confidant, even closer than DarLynn.

"Morning, Jill." Jerrold knew her true identity, unlike the rest of the town. He kept his knowledge private under client-lawyer privilege, calling her by the name printed on the plastic name badge pinned to her waitress uniform.

Shortly after she started at the Fork in the Road, Jerrold became one of her regulars. Five mornings a week he came in for coffee, eggs basted, wheat toast, and a half grapefruit. They immediately hit it off. Jerrold retired two years before. His wife still worked the morning shift at the local hospital. Used to getting up early to work for the past forty-five years, he came in for breakfast each day. He always sat in Libby's section .

"Catch any fish yesterday?" Libby knew Jerrold struggled with retirement. He tried hard to keep his days full, fishing and puttering around his workshop, but his heart remained with his law practice. He spent his career working as a lawyer for Family Services.

When she first learned of his legal background, Libby feared he could see through her fa?ade and would send her back to Wisconsin. Instead, he became her angel of mercy, guiding her through the mess of surviving as a teenage runaway.

"Yeah, I caught a couple, but threw them back." He drummed his fingers on the counter as if impatient. "I spent all evening reading." His head tilted to the side and a smirk lit his face.

Libby placed the coffeepot on the heating element behind her, then returned to Jerrold. "Anything good? All I ever get to read are textbooks."

"Oh, it's very good. It's a little something that arrived in the mail from the State of Georgia yesterday." He patted his pocket, where a white envelope stuck out. He grinned.

"Is that my letter?" He had her full attention. "Don't you dare tease me. Did my appeal pass?" She reached to snatch the envelope, but Jerrold blocked her move. "I'm not afraid to jump over this counter and take it from you."

She twisted the towel that hung from her apron in impatience. Jerrold took a slow sip of coffee. His eyes darted to everything in the diner except Libby. She slapped her hands on the counter in front of him.

"Listen here, old man. Give it up. Am I free? You can't withhold information from me. I'm your client." Jitters fluttered through her stomach. Her future depended on that envelope.

In what seemed like slow motion, he removed the envelope from his pocket, methodically pulled out the papers, then patted his pockets. "Where did I put my reading glasses?" His stalling tormented her.

"They're on your head," Libby pointed out in short, impatient words.

"Ah yes, so they are." He pulled the cheaters off his head, slid them on, and began to scan the document line by line. "Hmm. Mmhmm. Yup, looks good."

"Oh for Pete's sake, get to the point." Libby wanted to strangle the man. "Give me the darn papers." She snatched them out of his hands and read. Her hands shook as she scanned the pages, looking for the magic words that would give her her freedom.

Then she saw it.

The petitioner, Elizabeth Ann Sawyer, has been granted a final decree of emancipation by the State of Georgia.

It was over. She was no longer a runaway or a ward of the state. Jerrold had navigated the process of filing papers for emancipation of a minor. Now she could make her own decisions, and no longer need a parent or guardian to decide her future. No more Aunt Marge, no more fear of group homes or anything else. Better than that, she could start college in the fall. For the last six months, Libby had worked her tail off getting her GED, taking the SAT, and applying to colleges. She'd been accepted to a school in Boston. For the first time in a long time, she felt her world glide into place.

She looked up at Jerrold. "It's done?"

"Yes." He nodded. "It's done."

"Woo-hoo!" She tossed the pages in the air.

Penny, owner of the Fork in the Road, peered around the corner. "Jill, what's all that racket about?"

Libby rushed to her side and hugged the plump woman and plastered a kiss on her cheek. "Penny, I just got the best news of my life."

"You win the lottery, hon?" Penny asked.

"Better than that. I'm free."

Penny's eyes moved to Jerrold, she nodded some unspoken words, and the two older people smiled. Apparently, Jerrold hadn't kept her situation entirely confidential after all.

After her shift ended, Libby returned to the motel with a box of cupcakes tucked under her arm. She all but floated down the street thinking of her newfound independence .

Now she was free to start college in the fall. She couldn't wait to get there. It was her lifelong dream. Between all the money she'd saved since landing in Pebble Creek, and the financial aid package Jerrold helped her apply for, no more obstacles stood in her way. She could do anything she wanted. Heck, she might even get her driver's license.

After all this time, she would finally be able to get her own email address instead of funneling everything through her lawyer. Jerrod had been steadfast at keeping her unreachable from the authorities.

She entered the Twilight office and hollered out to the boys. Their sweet little heads popped around the counter. "Look what I've got." She opened the box to reveal five yummy cupcakes.

"Are those for us?"

Their lovable little faces warmed her heart. "Sure are.

One for everybody." She smiled at her little buddies.

"Mom, too?" Jimmy Jr. asked.

"Absolutely. You want to pick one for her?" She held the box out while he carefully selected a pink cupcake with a flower on top. "Good choice." Libby ruffled his hair.

"Hey, Mom, look what Jill brought us." Damien ran around the front counter to the living quarters where DarLynn folded laundry. After one look at Libby, DarLynn bit her lip. She wore an odd expression.

"Is something wrong?"

DarLynn examined Libby as if she'd never seen her before. "Jill, where did you live before you came here?"

"Why do you ask?" She evaded the question, even though she no longer needed to hide her past, thanks to Jerrold. Libby couldn't imagine why, after all these months, DarLynn would ask about her background. DarLynn had accepted Libby at face value, and they'd been great friends.

"You know how I like to watch all the entertainment shows." DarLynn pulled out a tiny hoodie from the laundry basket and attempted to straighten it. "Well, today there was a special interview with that big rock group, Jamieson."

Libby stopped in her tracks. She had tried not to think about Peter too much. It was difficult, because she'd often come across Jamieson in magazines DarLynn subscribed to. Peter was her secret love; she'd never forget him. Whenever she became scared or lonely, she allowed herself to linger over each moment they shared and savor their magical time. Sometimes she got carried away and daydreamed they were still together, planning their futures. But those thoughts wouldn't help her move on with life. Peter was best left in the recesses of her mind.

"Oh." She set the cupcakes on the table. She wanted to hear what DarLynn had to say, but also wanted to keep her memories of Peter private. Libby faced her friend, whose eyes scrutinized her.

"Yeah, it was really interesting. They have a new album out. They're doing a concert tour, but it's different than anything they've ever done before." DarLynn's voice sounded strained.

"That's nice, what are they doing?" Libby tried not to care. Learning too much about Peter's life would only make her heartsick for him all over again. She worked hard to push away all the loss in her life and move forward.

"They're looking for a girl." DarLynn twisted the tiny shirt.

A stab of pain hit Libby in the heart. "Oh, what for? Their next video?" She gazed out the window and hated the idea of some strange girl in a video with Peter.

"No, actually, it's a girl one of the brothers used to date."

Libby's head snapped up. DarLynn's eyes blazed. Libby's mouth went dry. She didn't know what to say, so she returned her attention to staring out the window.

"In fact, they showed a couple pictures of her." DarLynn stepped closer.

Libby's gaze swung to the darkened television. Her heart felt heavy as she fought back emotions. Part of her worried about discovery, but then again, why would Peter want to find her? She was insignificant in the world of a rock band. This must be a promo to sell more records. It hurt to even hope.

"I recorded it and just got a chance to watch it." DarLynn picked up the remote and clicked on the television.

A couple more clicks, and DarLynn brought up the program. Peter appeared frozen on the screen, where DarLynn had paused the show. She hit play, and Peter's voice filled the room. The sight of him tugged at Libby's heart. He still wore the pendant she gave him. She'd forgotten how handsome he looked. He explained that he and his brothers dedicated this tour to finding a girl he fell in love with and lost.

She moved toward the television, unaware of everything around her. She knelt before the screen and watched Peter explain his futile efforts to find this girl. A photo of Libby and Peter sitting on the giant rock at Parfrey's Glen flashed on the screen. She caught her breath. She remembered the moment clearly. It took place when Peter almost kissed her, but Adam interrupted. She smiled at the memory, reached up, and touched the screen with her fingertips.

DarLynn paused the image of Libby and Peter, their dreamy expressions focused on each other. Libby remembered every essence of Peter: the way his hair lay heavy across his brow, the deep color of his blue eyes, and the tilt of his mouth. Lost in thought, a few moments passed before DarLynn's words brought her back to reality.

"He says the girl's name is Libby." Kindness shone in DarLynn's eyes. "That girl in the picture is you."

The veil of secrecy lifted. Libby nodded to DarLynn as tears welled in her eyes.