Love Finds You: A Helena's Grove Novella Read Online Free Page A

creep in, the last thing she remembered was Zack’s smile and the dimple in his cheek.

Chapter 4
     
    Jen slowly came out of a deep sleep and realized someone was gently shaking her. “Jenny, Jenny, wake up darling.”
    “Wha… what’s wrong?” she asked, still half asleep. “Do you need something?”
    “Sure do, I need you to get up and come with me.” Aunt Gabby turned and started to walk away. Jen raised herself up onto her elbow and looked at the clock on the white nightstand next to her twin bed; 4:45. She cringed. “Lord have mercy Aunt Gabby! It’s not even 5 A.M.!” she whispered harshly.
    “Child, I don’t know why you are whispering; it’s just me and you in this house. You don’t need to worry about waking anyone. Now get up, get dressed and meet me downstairs in ten minutes.”
    Jen sat up, her blond hair a tangled mess. “What are we going to do?” she asked through a yawn.
    Aunt Gabby turned when she reached the door, mischief in her eyes, “You will see, you will see, you will see.” She made a little song out of the phrase that Jen could hear her singing all the way down the stairs. This couldn’t be happening. Jen could not remember the last time she was up before five o’clock in the morning. It wasn’t natural, wasn’t right. She dragged herself out of bed and began to get dressed.
    As soon as she was ready, she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. She wore a white sun dress with a yellow short sleeved jacket, and yellow high heeled shoes. Her golden hair hung loosely around her face and touched her shoulders.
    “My, don’t you look like a ray of sunshine!” Aunt Gabby complimented.
    Jen smiled, she knew she looked good. “Thank you,” she said graciously, “I just bought the shoes before I came.”
    Aunt Gabby nodded, “They are very fashionable. However, I’m not sure they’ll be appropriate for what we’re doing today.”
    Jen looked down at her shoes. “What are we doing today?”
    Aunt Gabby smiled and winked. “It’s a surprise!”
    “I’ll need to know what we are doing so that I can dress appropriately,” Jen said, feeling a twinge of annoyance.
    Disregarding what she said, Aunt Gabby hurriedly told her to get some breakfast. “Zack will be here in five minutes. Grab yourself a muffin and banana and we’ll be off.”
    “Aunt Gabby, I do not eat carbs. You keep trying to make me eat them when I don’t,” Jen said for what felt like the thousandth time.
    The look she got from Aunt Gabby was the closest thing to a motherly look Jen had ever had. It said: If you don’t want a muffin that’s fine. But don’t whine to me when you are starving in an hour!
    A knock and hello from Zack at the front door broke their moment. “Everyone ready?” His cheerful voice rang through the house. “We’re burnin’ daylight people, let’s go!”
    Aunt Gabby grabbed an apple. “I’m comin ’ Zacky, I’m comin’,” she sang as she hurried out the door.
    Zack turned to Jen, “Wow, you look like a ray of sunshine.” Jen rolled her eyes. She was starting to think that wasn’t a compliment. “You might want to change your shoes,” Zack offered. He tilted his head sideways and looked at them. “I haven’t seen shoes that high in a while,” he said, suppressing a smile.
    Jen gave him a dirty look. “I know fancy shoes are a rare thing out here in the middle of nowhere, but where I come from, girls kill to have shoes like these.”
    “Really? ” Zack said in mock fascination. “Who’d you kill?”
    Jen let out a frustrated breath. “Do you always enjoy being such a smart ass?”
    Zack chuckled a nd held his hands up in defense. “Hey I was just curious.”
    “Let’s just go,” Jen grumbled as she grabbed her purse.
    “Are you going to grab something to eat?” Zack asked, pointing to the muffins.
    “I don’t eat in the mornings,” Jen said in a snobby tone she didn’t intend.
    “Alrighty, but don’t whine to me if you’re starving