Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
HANNAH
I barely knew Jack, yet I felt so comfortable in his presence. I could hardly believe we were on a private plane together, going to India! We’d watched a movie and then played a round of Scrabble when the stewardess, Molly, brought out our meal.
The delicious scent filled the entire cabin. The tray held a small side salad, a larger plate of steak with garlic mashed potatoes, and a sliver of chocolate cake.
I grinned. “Okay, worth it for the food.”
Jack held up his fork. “Bon appétit.”
He plopped a hunk of cucumber into his mouth, and I gave him a small smile. Closing my eyes, I bowed my head and silently thanked the Lord for my meal. I asked Him to bless it and to keep Jack and me safe on this trip. When I opened my eyes, Jack was watching me with a curious expression.
“Can I ask you a hard question?” he asked.
I braced myself. “Sure.”
He swallowed hard. “If you believe in God and your mom got cancer, why not just ask Him to heal it?”
I sighed. That was a hard question, and one typically asked from non-believers to believers alike. “God does still heal people, all the time. The Bible is riddled with stories of Jesus healing. Sometimes He will heal us through man, like going to the doctor, and sometimes He will supernaturally heal us, like in a miracle. And sometimes, for reasons we don’t know…we don’t heal.” I hated saying the last part because I didn’t even want to think that my mom wouldn’t heal from her cancer. I was having complete faith that she would.
Jack nodded, as if that made sense. “Do you have that kind of faith? To believe in a miracle healing?”
That was easy; I’d never lacked faith.
“I do,” I said without hesitation. I really did believe that my God was still alive today and working miracles, even long after He’d hung on the cross. I believed that, if I asked for it in His son’s name, it would be given. That’s what the Bible said, and that’s what I believed. If I were to get some shock diagnosis, I would go into my room in private, fast, and pray to be healed. God willing.
Jack shook his head, giving me a sad smile. “I envy that kind of faith.”
That caught my interest. “Do you believe in God?”
He shook his head vigorously. “I mean, as a kid, I thought there must be some great author to this world, but…I’m not sure anymore.”
Not anymore…So he used to?
“What made you stop?” I asked him.
Fear flashed across Jack’s face.
“How are we doing over here?” Molly suddenly came up to check on us.
Jack appeared relieved. “Great, Molly. Thank you,” he told her.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
He ordered a club soda, and I asked for some salt and pepper. Then when she left, he shifted the conversation to my favorite movies and books. I took the hint. I didn’t want to talk about anything that made him uncomfortable anyway. The rest of the flight passed rather quickly. Even the layover in Chicago was just a quick stop to refuel. We watched movies, ate tons of yummy food, slept a full six hours, and I even got a hot shower!
“You’ve ruined me. I’m never going to be able to fly economy again,” I told him as our plane hit the runway in Kerala and we completed our journey.
Jack nodded. “I can arrange that.”
I smacked his arm, and he smiled, winking at me.
I had to admit. Jack Marrow was easily one of the nicest guys I’d ever met. He was respectful to the staff and me. He listened when I talked, and we had a real connection. I suddenly found myself wanting more than just a friendship with him, but I wasn’t sure if he felt the same way and I wasn’t sure if that’s what God wanted for me. I never thought I’d date a non-Christian, but something in my heart said not to give up on Jack and I was going to listen to that still small voice. At least for now.
India was amazing. Bright colors, fragrant foods, and tons of culture. When we arrived at our resort, I couldn’t keep my shock inside. It was perched on a cliff in the seaside village of Kerala with beautiful white-sand beaches. The resort had two restaurants, three pools, and a luxury spa. It was incredible. When we’d arrived, they gave us fresh coconut water right out of the coconut and a necklace made of flowers!
Now, I was meeting Jack for dinner, and in the morning, we would go to the orphanage to cut the ribbon and meet the children. It was a perfect trip so far.
When I stepped into the nice, white-tablecloth restaurant, I scanned the space until my gaze landed on Jack. Watching me, he waved me over with a smile. I’d worn my black cocktail dress with lace trim and his eyes ran over it.
“You look incredible,” he told me, standing to pull out my chair.
I blushed. “You always look incredible. Do you only own suits?” I gestured to his outfit.
He smiled. “Force of habit. I go to a lot of meetings with big shots in Seattle. You have to dress the part to be taken seriously.”
Hey, I wasn’t complaining.
I sat down, and a waitress came over to get our order.
When she turned to Jack, his face fell. He stared at her name tag with a look of horror on his face. I peered at her name —Sonia —and couldn’t see anything wrong, but for Jack, it was like he was looking at a ghost.
Did he know her? How could he? We were in the middle of India.
She was asking him what he wanted to order, and he just stared at that name tag as if in a trance.
I placed my hand over his, drawing his attention away. “Jack, are you okay?” He looked down at my hand on top of his and took in a deep breath. “Sorry,” he muttered and then gave her his order. When she left, he turned to me. “Would you excuse me for a minute?”
I nodded, and he got up and walked to the men’s restroom. The look on his face, like sheer terror and agony, pulled at my heart. What had just happened? I wanted to ask, but I also didn’t want to ruin this perfect day. The jet lag was hitting, and even though it was only five p.m., I was ready to sleep for twenty hours. When he got back to the table, I decided not to comment on whatever that was with the waitress. Something had happened to Jack and he would tell me when he was ready.
“The waitress brought fresh naan while you were gone and I said namaste thinking it meant thank you, but apparently, it’s more like hello,” I told him.
He smiled lightly at my blunder. “I’m feeling the jet lag hit,” he said as he sat down.
I nodded. “Me too. I’m totally crashing after this.”
There was an awkward silence, and then Jack cleared his throat. “Sorry about that a minute ago. I…wasn’t prepared for the waitress to have my late mother’s name.”
Oh no.
And just like that, my heart broke in two. Late mother. His mother was dead?
“I’m so sorry,” I said. I couldn’t imagine losing my mother this young, a fear that crept up often with her cancer treatment. “How did she pass?” I was praying he didn’t say cancer.
The color leeched from his face. “She was murdered.”
I gasped. “Jack.” I reached for his hand just as his phone rang.
“It’s my assistant, Chloe. I should probably take this,” he told me, looking relieved.
I nodded, and he stepped away from the table to pick it up. My throat tightened with emotion, so I cleared it.
Murdered? That was awful. A true tragedy, yet it made so much sense. The darkness I’d sensed in him, the heavy weight of something. It was that.
The food came about the same time Jack was back at the table, and the jet lag really tried to pull me under. My eyelids were drooping as I chewed my delicious food, and it felt like my body weighed a thousand pounds.
“I’m going to sleep for twelve hours,” I said between bites. There was a melancholy over our dinner after what Jack had shared, and I was trying to work through it.
He smiled, and I was struck by his handsomeness, which increased tenfold with that smile. “You will wake up in the middle of the night if you sleep too early,” he warned.
I yawned. “I don’t care.”
After we finished eating, we were driven in a golf cart to our bungalows, which were right next door to each other on the beach. Jack helped me out of the cart and walked me to my door.
“I hope you sleep well,” he said, but there was a sadness in his tone. Whatever lighthearted fun we’d had on the plane had been washed away by the remembrance of his late mother. But I totally understood.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” I told him. “I’m excited to meet the children at this orphanage you’ve built.” He peered up at me and his eyes looked even sleepier than mine. “I’m excited to see your excitement. Good night, Hannah.”
That was a sweet thing to say.
“Good night, Jack.”
I woke up at two a.m. after seven hours of sleep, just as Jack said I would. To kill time, I decided to finish the latest book by Eliza Boyd. I was a sucker for her small-town romances. After completing the book, it was only five a.m. and my stomach was eating itself. I showered, got dressed, and then took a walk on the beach. When it finally hit six, I grabbed breakfast from the buffet at the restaurant. I was digging into my second plate of food when Jack sat next to me.
“What time did you wake up?” he asked.
I peered over at him with a mouthful of spicy potatoes. “Two a.m.,” I muffled.
He grinned. “Not to brag, but I made it to three a.m.”
I smiled. He was funny. I liked that about him. And it seemed whatever sadness he’d had last night was now gone.
He asked me questions about my childhood and growing up in Willow Harbor, and before we knew it, our escort from Angel House had arrived.
“Namaste, Jack. I’m Asha, and it’s so great to finally meet you!” She had an Indian accent but spoke perfect English. She greeted him with prayer-clasped hands and bowed.
He wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin and stood, greeting her the same way. “This is my friend Hannah. She’ll be coming along.” He gestured to me.
After we’d been introduced, we finished our breakfast and piled into a nice van with a hired driver.
“We’re going to take you to the home in Kadyal today, but as you know, the other fifty houses you’ve built with us are scattered around South India.”
I nearly choked on my spit. “Fifty?”
Asha turned around to face me from where she sat in the passenger seat. “Jack is a very generous man.”
Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and I couldn’t help but look over at him. I was sure a lot of rich people donated to good causes, but Jack seemed to go above and beyond. He didn’t hoard his money at all and shared it freely with others. I couldn’t help but find that so attractive.
With each mile we drove towards the orphanage, my heart grew deeper for Jack. But he wasn’t a believer, so pursuing a relationship with him felt like a big waste of time.
I peered up at the clouds outside the window. Lord, what is your plan here?