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The traffic into the city was heavy, but Jody barely noticed She drove by rote, herfroned spot in the parking garage, she was surprised to realize where she was and had no memory of the commute

At least while she was at the office she could occupy her thoughts with , a se part of her--had been wounded by the things Gloria had said

Why should it matter that her mother-in-laould tell her dead son what a terrible wife Jody was?

Somehow it did

It unsettled her that Gloria’s opinion of her was so iood wife No worieved harder, or longer--except, possibly, his mother

Because of Timmy it was impossible for Jody to isolate her life the way Gloria had Because of Tiood job, or at least she assumed she had until her son had written his letter to God Timmy needed her, not to look back and ith her pain, but to stand tall and proud and to point the direction of their future

Jody had no hts more confused than ever, when Glen Richardson arrived She looked up at the attorney’s warm, concerned face, and felt an i affect on her and had froood friend, and she’d never needed one o with your e of her desk

Jody averted her gaze "Not good"

"She’s a lonely old woman"

"I know," Jody said, "but somehow that doesn’t make this any easier"

Glen’s eyes were sympathetic "I’m sure it doesn’t How’s Ti the water in the tree stand every ht every kid in the neighborhood home to show them the Christet any credit?"

"Apparently not He’s got the neighborhood believing he’s a regular lumberjack He wanted to wear his plaid shirt and boots to school this e to live up to now"

Glen chuckled, but then his eyes grew serious "I hope you don’t ht Timmy a baseball mitt for Christ like that without talking to you first"

Jody wasn’t sure how she felt about Glen giving thehtful, yes, but baseball mitts were expensive and it see more than mere friendship

"The mitt he showed me is too small for his hand," Glen explained "I’ to pitch, and he certainly seems to have his heart set on that, then he’ll need a properly fitting mitt"

"It was very kind of you, Glen"

"But?" He scooted off her desk, and see for her to chastise him

"Timmy will think he’s in heaven" Jody couldn’t make herself berate Glen She wouldn’t have known Ti, he’d proved Tiuidance

Glen looked at his watch "I better get back to "

"Thanks for stopping by"

"No probleht this week?"

Before Jody even thought about what she was doing, she nodded

This was a pivotal moment for her

She’d welcomed another man into her life, calranted that she would see Glen again and soon More earth-shattering was howmust have leaked into her eyes, because Glen didn’t leave Slowly, he walked around to her side of the desk, claimed a second chair, and sat down next to her

"What just happened?" he asked, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees "So clicked in your mind just now I could see it as plain as day Tell me what it was"

"I realized how pleased I was that we’re dating"

He laughed, and Jody was certain he didn’t understand the significance of what she was saying For the last seven years she’d lived her life in limbo The still, shadow-filled existence had beco her heart to any additional pain What she had missed in all those years, wrapped in a cocoon of safety, didn’t bear thinking about

Now here, out of the blue, like a ently pushed and prodded his way past the barriers of her resolve AJeff He hadn’t attempted to push her dead husband out of her life All he’d asked was that she make room for him

"Glen?"

"Yes" He reached for her hand, holding it lightly in his own

Where she found the courage, she didn’t know Didn’t question All at once it was there, like the warht "Would you like to marry me?"

At first her words were met with a shock-filled silence Glen looked at her as if he suspected he hadn’t heard her correctly "Did you just say what I think you did?"