Chapter Thirty-Three
Summer
One Week Later
I drove all the way to the café. My shift didn’t start for another hour, but I was hoping Sharon could get me on early. I had to tell her that I was quitting. And then tell Brady when I got home. We didn’t have any other guests booked, so I was sure it wouldn’t be a big deal.
I’d made up my mind to leave the night before. Why? Because opportunities like this didn’t come along every day. I had a chance to work with an Olympian—to realize my ultimate dream. There was no way I could turn that down. And that meant I would be boarding a plane with Deena the following day and heading to California. I hadn’t yet told her about my relationship with Jake but I decided not to, figuring it didn’t matter. Because I wouldn’t have a relationship left with Jake once I stepped on that plane. Not that I had one now…
Sharon was sweet to me but she kept eyeing me like she knew something was up but she didn’t pry. At the end of our shift, she put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “You doin’ okay, Bug?”
I nodded and folded my apron. “Just a lot on my mind.”
“Want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. At this point, I had made my decision and I didn’t want anyone weighing in on it and trying to change my mind. “I, um, I got a job offer and I think I’m going to take it. It’s in California.” I smoothed the wrinkles out of my apron and didn’t dare look at her. She squeezed my shoulder and pulled me close into a smothering hug.
“I knew we wouldn’t be able to keep you long, but damn, I’m going to miss having you around, girl.”
My hands flew around her waist and I clung to her. “I’m going to miss you, too.”
“It’s for the best, though. You weren’t meant to wait tables. You were meant to fly.”
Tears immediately threatened me as I realized that I’d met nothing but kindness and understanding since I’d been here. These people were the best I’d ever met. And it was no small feat to face the fact that I was going to leave them all behind. I swallowed the tears down and Sharon released me.
“You’re going to have an amazing life, you know that, Bug?”
I nodded and lifted my watery gaze to hers. “Thanks for everything. For believing in me, for helping me... for being my friend.” I shook my head. “I’ll never be able to repay you for what you did for me. This job saved my life.”
She smoothed my hair and tucked it behind my ears. “No, Bug. You did that. You showed up every day, you gave me everything you had, and you worked your ass off. That’s how I know you’re gonna make it out there in the big world.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure, Bug. Now, go on, get out of here and go home to your cowboy.”
I looked away, but it wasn’t fast enough.
“Uh oh. He not keen on you going?”
“No,” I answered, nearly choking on the word. Actually, I hadn’t even told Jake yet that I was leaving the next day. It was a conversation I wasn’t looking forward to in the least. “But like you said, it’s for the best.”
She gave me a sad smile and grabbed our purses. “You just gotta reason with him, you know? Make him understand this is the right choice for you.”
I just nodded as she walked me out to my car. The night air was cold and wrapped itself around me in an icy embrace as I shivered and prayed I was making the right decision. But deep in my heart, I knew I was.
I gave Sharon one last hug and promised to stop in if I was ever in town, though we both knew that was never going to happen. “Bye, Bug.”
“Bye, Sharon.”
She teared up and it took us a long time to finally separate and get in our cars. I was going to miss her. A lot.
Jake’s truck wasn’t at the house when I pulled up. Brady and Rue were silhouetted in the kitchen window. Seeing them, I felt a lump form in my throat. I didn’t go in to see them, though. Instead, I headed to my cabin and decided to start sorting through my belongings.
My cabin was empty and lonely, but I ignored all that and started packing. I didn’t have a whole lot of stuff and it only took me an hour. Bob scratched at the door and I let her in. She beelined for the bed and curled up. I didn’t want her to stay because Jake would come looking for her, but...
Jake would come looking for her.
I curled up next to her on the bed and flipped through the seven channels on my TV. There was nothing on, but the noise and flashing pictures numbed my mind so I didn’t have to think about my future. Funny how just a few hours earlier, the brilliance of my future had outshone everything.
Well, that was until I thought about what I was leaving behind or, more pointedly, who I was leaving behind.
Life was so damn unfair, it hurt.
Bob thumped her big tail against the bed and I rested my hand on her head. “I’m glad you’re here.”
***
I’d been way off course when I wasn’t sure if I was in love with Jake. It was super clear now what love was, and that we had it, and that I loved him. Because now that it was on its way out, the pit of desperation inside me was doubling, seemingly with each passing hour.
When I walked up to the main house, I found Brady in his office and I knocked gently on the door.
He looked up, startled. “Hey. Come in.”
I tried my best not to fidget, but I really didn’t want to tell him I was going. I hadn’t thought it would be as hard as it was. “The season’s almost over.”
He set his pen down and leaned back in his chair. “Yeah. Been a good one. I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’d stay on through the winter. Well, if you want to.”
My heart dropped all the way down to my toes and I sighed. “I can’t, Brady.”
“I know Deena offered you a hell of a deal,” he said and stared out the window. “If anyone can get you to the top, she can. Knows her stuff...” He turned back to me. “And I’m happy for you, kid.”
“Thanks, Brady.”
His lips drew in a tight line and he gave me a curt nod like he didn’t agree with my decision but he understood it all the same. “Well, if you change your mind, I’d be happy for you to stay on. We’d all be.”
I shook my head and blinked the tears back, reminding myself that I’d made up my mind and I had a future in California waiting for me.