Jena has been working her way through college, determined not to graduate with a pile of bills waiting for her. Consequently, it has taken a her a long time – a semester here and there, taking time off to earn money for the next round, then back to school. Now in her late twenties and with only a few semesters left to go, it’s time again to find a summer job. A sweet elderly lady in her church recommends that she apply to work as a summer girl for a wealthy lawyer, taking care of his daughters. She goes to the interview, and surprises the lawyer. His name is Travis and he was expecting a fifteen-year-old. Reorganizing his expectations, he offers Jena an apartment over the garage and asks her to start right away.
Jena is majoring in home ec, so the job is right up her alley. She enjoys having a gourmet kitchen at her disposal and begins by whipping up a wonderful dinner for the family. When Travis arrives home from work, not only does he find a heavenly lasagna, but the laundry is done, the girls are bathed and happy, and he feels as though he’s walked into a piece of heaven. Since his wife died, things have gone down the drain, but with Jena there, he feels real hope that they might be able to find joy again.
Jena is a Christian, and Travis doesn’t have much to do with religion. His deceased wife became a Christian shortly before her death and begged him to seek it out for himself, but in his grief, he never took the time to keep his promise. With Jena’s positive example, he feels encouraged to try again, and Jena teaches him how easy it is to learn about Christ.
As Jena’s time in his house draws to an end, Travis realizes he can’t just let her go, and asks her to stay on during the fall. He arranges her hours around her school, and then he makes another realization – he doesn’t want her as a summer girl—he wants her as his wife.
(This book was published in 2003 by Barbour Publishing.)
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