“Oh.” Emily worked to keep her expression blank, but the thought of Jake moving to Nashville felt like a stab to her chest. Not only would he be more than seven hours away from Charlotte, but a move to Nashville with Claire would lead to a commitment—arealcommitment—marriage, a family, a future. And then for sure Emily would lose him forever.
She couldn’t stomach the idea of not having Jake in her life. What would she do without him?
But she needed to focus on Jake’s needs, not her own.
“What doyouwant?” she asked, working to keep her voice calm.
“What do youthinkI want?” He threw his hands up. “The orchard is my life. It’s been in my family for a hundred years. How can I leave, especially with my dad’s health being so fragile? My family is depending on me to bring the orchard out of its slump. It’s our livelihood, our history, our legacy.”
Whew!“Doesn’t she understand that?”
“She thinks I should hire someone to run the orchard.” He set his jaw. “She keeps telling me that I don’t support her, but it’s not that. Of course I want her to do well and fulfill her dream of becoming a CFO. But I’d like her to do that here.” He pointed to the floor. “Like I said, she had one good offer when a competitor tried to poach her. It had great benefits and a salary bump, along with the room to grow her career. Maybe not the direct line she might have in the Nashville company, but still. I’d never ask her to give up her dreams for me. But what about what I want?” He pointed to his chest. “Doesn’t it matter that I want to stay here?”
He leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. “I feel so torn.” He sighed. “That’s why I told her we needed a break for a while.”
Emily’s stomach dropped. Had she heard him right? They broke up? And he didn’t tell her?
Whoa.
“You b-broke up?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, and he looked stricken. “It was my idea. And it totally crushed her.” He rubbed his forehead. “I feel like the biggest jerk on the planet.”
“You told her it was over?” Emily’s leg began to bounce under the table.
“Yup. I said we needed space and that maybe we should see other people. Maybe she’ll find someone who will give her what she wants, because apparently I can’t.”
Emily worked to wrap her brain around this bombshell.
Jake and Claire broke up. They were over.
And he asked Emily to come home to Splendid Lake.
Her heart gave a bump.
But Jake had kept that news—big news—from her.
“When did this happen?” she asked.
He studied his hands as if the answer were written on his palms. “Two weeks ago.”
Hold on!
Two weeksago.And he’d kept this from her!
“So why didn’t you tell me?” Her question vibrated.
He grimaced. “I guess I’ve been trying to come to terms with the fact that it’s finally over between Claire and me after more than a decade.”
Emily nodded. “If it’s over, then why is she texting you?”
“She still wants to talk about it.”
“If you want me to leave so you can call her...”
“No, no, no.” He pointed to her notebook. “Let’s put a plan together and then talk to my dad about it. Even though he’s stepped back, he wants me to keep him informed of all my ideas.”
“Okay.” Emily tried to focus on their harvest market idea, but her mind was spinning while she tried to comprehend that Jake was single.
