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He was pretty sure Jo had sensed a change in his mood, too. Maybe not as much as the rest of the people who knew him because he’d tried hard to mask it.
“I know I’m the younger brother, but I’m not that bad with advice, you know?”
Jack looked at his brother, exhaling heavily. “Jo doesn’t live here and has zero desire to move here. I’m not leaving Wishing Well. That’s the crux. Aside from the fact that she’s got an entire city full of men who could offer her a life I never could.”
Ethan tilted his head. “Well, the distance, I can see as an issue. A big issue, but not insurmountable. As for the other, there is no one who could give Jo a better life than you because you are a good, honorable, hard-working man. You would love her with your whole heart, and she’d be lucky to be loved by you. Period. Full stop.”
“The miles, though. Ethan, how are they not insurmountable? At some point, if things progress to marriage, someone will have to move.”
“Then someone has to move. It’s not the end of the world. If you love each other you can figure it out.”
“Okay, well, even if that’s true, her job is an issue. Her boss has her traveling all over the place for who knows for how long. A relationship can’t withstand that.”
“Is she even happy with her job? I mean, when we were in school together, her camera was practically glued to her hand. Her class picture had “most likely to be a photographer.”
Jack sat back. “Really?”
“No, and she was vocal about being one. Has that changed?”
He shook his head. “No, she still wants that. Her boss keeps telling her that she’ll let her move to photographing, but then keeps breaking her promise.”
Ethan waved his hand. “Well, then, there you go. You just need to remind her of what she loves. Of what it’s like living here.”
“She hates it here.” Another rather large obstacle.
Ethan’s eyebrows knitted together. “Okay, I know I didn’t hang out with her a lot, but I don’t ever remember her saying she hated it here. In fact, in one of our English classes, we had an assignment. I remember her paper because the teacher gushed over it about it being so romantic about Wishing Well. Opening a bed and breakfast with her grandma. Our teacher loved it. She loved it here.”
Now, Jack was thoroughly confused. “That doesn’t make any sense then. I was already in college. Did something happen between her junior year and when she graduated?”
“Craig. He took the title of golden boy after you graduated. Not the quarterback or hometown hero, but he was well-liked by everyone and had the attention of a lot of the girls. He was funny and charismatic and outgoing. He decided he liked her, and shortly after that, they were together.”
“Do you think Craig convinced her that she didn’t want to live here?”
“Maybe, but there’s no way to know.”
If Jack was right about Craig, and he did talk her into hating Wishing Well, it wouldn’t have been a hard sell given the memories of her mom. If she was talked into leaving, maybe Jack could change her mind.
That changed things. The information didn’t mean there was a guarantee that he could have something with her, but it did mean the door was open, even if just a hair.
There was still the chance his heart could get broken, though. Could he handle that? He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and pointless hope. “All of that is good information, but that still doesn’t mean?—”
“You have to put your heart out there, Jack. Will it get broken? Maybe. There’s a good chance it will, but the only way you’ll ever know is if you go for it. Do you really want to live the rest of your life wondering what if? You told me that I didn’t want to live with regrets. That Serenity was worth the risk. I guess you need to ask yourself that same question about Jo. Is she worth the risk? Is she worth your heart?”
Jack exhaled and sank further into the couch, leaning his head back. “I need to think about it.”
“Don’t think too long. You need all the time you got if you’re going to make a move.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, his mind engulfed in chaos.
He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing everything to be still.
At the heart of all of it, the bottom line was Jo. Was she worth the risk?
As frightening as the thought was, he thought she just might be. Even if she didn't choose him, even if they weren't meant to be together, maybe he could help her find her joy again. Remind her of her dream and refuel the passion to chase it.
Now, he just needed to put a plan together. If she didn’t hate Wishing Well, maybe he could remind her why she loved it. Remind her of her dream and refuel the passion to chase it.
Even if she didn’t choose him, maybe he could at least help her find her joy again.
