Wayward Hearts Read Free

guessed she would be suffering from a wide range of emotions—the main one being guilt.
    As the procession moved past, Maxi’s ravaged gaze flicked over to Jason. Their eyes met and held for a brief moment before she jerked her head back and stumbled forward. Her brother, Aidan, caught her arm to steady her, and they moved past.
    Jason hardly heard a word of the service. His attention remained riveted on Maxi several rows ahead. Her shoulders shook as she wept in Aidan’s arms, and Jason wished he could be the one to comfort her. Like he had all through high school.
    His heart ached for her pain. Despite Maxi’s difficult relationship with Charlie, Jason knew his death would devastate her. He shifted on the hard pew, the scent of candles and funeral flowers drifting by him. He must be a real jerk, because in spite of everything, he envied Maxi. At least she knew her dad, even if they never got along. And now she’d have closure—something he would likely never get with his own father.
    When the service finished and the family filed out of the church in solemn procession, Jason hurried after them, hoping to catch a moment alone with Maxi. But as he sifted through the crowds in front of the church, he couldn’t see her anywhere. At the curb, Aidan North helped his mother into the car. Jason tried to peer into the backseat, sure Maxi must be inside.
    “Hello, Jason.” Even after the trauma of losing her husband, Bernice North still had a smile of welcome for him. She looked much older than a woman in her mid-fifties. He imagined her illness had something to do with that.
    She held out her hand to him. “Thank you so much for coming. I hope you have time to come back to the house for refreshments. Everyone’s welcome.”
    There would be no trip to the cemetery since Charlie was being cremated. Jason didn’t hesitate for a minute. No matter how mad Maxi might be at him, he couldn’t pass up the chance to see her again.
    “Thanks, Mrs. North. I’ll be there.”
     
    ****
     
    Maxi moved like a robot through the living room of her parents’ sprawling farmhouse, offering drinks and trays of sandwiches to the people who’d come by to pay their respects. Keeping busy allowed her to avoid thinking, or feeling, anything. On automatic pilot, she smiled at neighbors, gave the appropriate responses to their words of condolence, and scurried on to the next guest as soon as it was polite to do so.
    She still couldn’t believe Charlie was dead. Crushed by his own tractor. Her family had worried his drinking would end in something like this one day. Now their worst fears had come true.
    A waving hand from the other side of the room caught her attention. Her mother motioned her over and a pang of guilt swamped Maxi. She should be paying more attention to Mama, instead of running from her emotions. Mama was the one who’d be most affected by Charlie’s death. After all, she depended on him for everything.
    Too bad Charlie wasn’t dependable.
    She set the tray of sandwiches on a side table and weaved her way over to the wheelchair in the corner, crouching down so her face was level with her mother’s. “What is it, Mama? Do you need something?” A breeze at the open window lifted the curtain and ruffled Maxi’s bangs.
    “I’m fine, dear.” Despite her assertion, the strain of the past few days showed in the lines on her face. Her light brown hair, streaked with a good deal of gray, needed trimming. Her mother reminded Maxi of a wilted rose—once beautiful but now withered by time and disease. Much like the faded furniture in this living room.
    Her mother smiled. “Look who’s here. It’s Jason.”
    Maxi’s hand froze on the arm of the wheelchair. How had she missed Jason standing off to the side? She grappled to keep her expression neutral as she slowly straightened. Faced with the reality of seeing him again, she found herself unprepared for the onslaught of conflicting emotions. After two years without contact,