“You have reached Cape Williams marina and boat dock, we are closed for the winter and will reopen again on April first. We look forward to serving your yachting and mooring needs again soon. BEEP.”

Hanging up, I curse under my breath, glad that my new roommate isn't here to see me so upset. In the last month, I haven't been able to reach Jess even once. I've tried calling her house over and over, but her mom always seems to pick up the phone. She's as nasty as they come and she's clearly under the impression that I'm the worst thing that could ever happen to her daughter. Jess doesn't have a cell phone of her own, which is insane in this day and age. I mean I knew she was poor, but this is a whole new level of poverty that I could never imagine.

I shake my head and try her number again, hoping Jessica will answer this time. It rings four times, then, just when I’m about to hang up, I hear her sweet voice come on the line.

“Hello?”

“Thank God. Jessica. I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks.”

“Really?” she asks, sounding like she might cry.

“Yes, of course. Your mom hates me with a vengeance though. Wow.”

"I'm so sorry. I need to get out of here. She's been a tyrant lately." She sounds so desperate that I wish I could get in my car and drive right to her.

“Are you okay?” I ask, feeling suddenly panicked.

"Yeah. No. I mean, I just really miss you, and when I didn't hear from you for so long, I thought maybe you changed your mind about us." Her voice cracks.

"Never." I close my eyes and sigh, hating like hell that I have to give her such bad news the first chance we've had to talk since I left. "I've missed you so much. You have no idea."

“I think I do,” she says in a shaky voice. “You’re all I think about.”

“You, too, Jess. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten in my car and thought about just driving all the way there until I get to you.” I sigh, feeling the weight of my misery settling in on my chest again.

"How's college life?" she asks, and I know she's really asking if I have figured out a way to send for her yet.

"I'm not at Penn State anymore. I got picked up by the Cardinals last week. One of their running backs tore his knee, so he's out for the season."

“What? Are you serious?” She sounds so excited that it hurts.

“Yep. They’ve put me up in an apartment with another rookie.”

“But, what about school?”

"I don't know. This came up fast, and I jumped at it. There won't be another opportunity like this for me, but I can always go back to college when I'm an old man."

"So, what does this mean for you and me?" she asks.

I can picture her face, her eyes shut tight as she waits for an answer. I might as well just rip off the Band-Aid. “It means that we have to wait a bit longer than I hoped. The coach made it very clear that rookies can’t have girlfriends distracting them. If I try to bring you out and they catch me, I’ll be cut immediately.”

I pause and wait for her to say something, but there's only silence on the line. My heart jumps into my throat. "Listen, Jess, as far as I'm concerned nothing has changed, except that you and I will have enough cash to do whatever we want. I still want us to be together. I want to make a life with you. I just need you to be patient until I get through my first season. Once I've got a permanent contract, nothing will ever get between us again. Okay?"

I hear a sniffling sound, but still, she says nothing.

"Jess? I'm so sorry. I've been trying to reach you. I wanted to talk to you about it before I moved, but…"

"No, that's okay," she says, and I know she's trying to be brave. "It's incredible, Ethan. I'm so happy for you."

“Be happy for us, baby, okay? This opportunity belongs to us both.”

“Yes. I’m happy for us. Absolutely. I just need some time to get used to the whole thing. It’s…a lot to take in.”

"I know. I've known for over a week, and I still can't quite wrap my head around it."

“Yeah, no…I’m sure.” She’s got on a completely fake smile, I can just imagine it.

I sigh and lean my head on the kitchen table. “I wish I could hold you right now and make you feel better.”

“Me, too.” Her voice breaks, then I hear her take a deep breath. “But, we’ll be together again soon, I’m sure.”

“Yes, we will. You’ve got my number now on your phone, so you can call me anytime, okay? We can talk every day until we can see each other.”

“We don’t have a long-distance plan, so you’ll have to call me.”

"Okay. That's the first thing I need to do when I get paid. Send you a cell phone, so you can call me whenever you want."

“That would be really nice. Thank you.”

“It will be really nice because I’m going to do it.” My heart squeezes in my chest as I wish I could offer her more than just words. “Are you okay? I mean, have you been okay since I left?”

"Oh, yeah. I'm great. I started those correspondence massage therapy courses, so I've been busy with that. And I'm back at the diner now that the marina's closed."

I think of her waiting tables in that little skirt they make the servers wear. My fists clench with anger. I don’t want her there. I don’t want her going home to her awful mother. I want to get her out of her crappy life as soon as possible. “You won’t have to be there long. I’m going to make us rich, baby. You and I are going to live happily ever after, I promise.”

“Ethan…” she says, then she stops herself.

“What? Tell me.” My heart stills, wondering if she doesn’t feel the same way about me that I do her.

“Good luck out there. Be safe, okay?”

"Don't worry about me. I'm fast as hell, and I know how to keep my head up."

“I know.”

“You believe me, don’t you? That I’m going to get you out of there? That we’re going to get married?”

“I believe that you want to do both of those things.”

My heart sinks in my chest. “But…”

“But, if for some reason things don’t work out the way you want, it’s okay. I don’t want to hold you to some late night promises if your life is heading in another direction that takes you away from me.”

“Jessica, don’t say that. I told you, I’m doing this for us.”

“I know. Just, live your dream, okay? I’ll be here waiting,” she says, clearly trying not to cry. “I have to go. My shift starts in a few minutes.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

When I hang up the phone, I stare at it for a minute, replaying the conversation in my mind. I know what she's thinking. She thinks I'm through with her and the fact that I can't rush all the way up to Maine to prove her wrong is almost going to kill me. I rub my hand through my hair, praying I'm not trading my dream of being with Jessica for my dream of playing football.