Page 60 of Center Ice

“It’s the offer.”

I waited, staying quiet, hoping he would continue.

He finally broke the silence. “It’s incredible.”

He never asked me how much I made or what I planned on charging when I did start my business, so I didn’t feel like I should either. But it was hard to help when I didn’t know the details.

“What team?”

“Indianapolis.” His voice was barely a whisper.

The boulder crumbled into powder and washed over me. It was like all the air in my body vanished, and I sunk into the seat.

“I haven’t made any decisions, Dani. I wanted to talk to you first.”

But he didn’t immediately dismiss the opportunity either. He was considering it, at least a portion of him was.

I just moved here, not just to be with him, but a pretty big reason was to be near him. Granted, nothing was official yet. I could just as easily start a business there as I could here. It would just mean leaving behind the friends I’d just met, right when I was beginning to feel like I belonged.

He’d been willing to stay in Cancun with me until I figured things out. He offered me space and time to make the right decision for me. I owed him at least as much.

“You have to do what is best for you and your career. I’ll support you in whatever you decide.” I rolled my lips between my teeth and waited.

He turned to me with wide eyes. “Would you come with me?”

I nodded. “I would.”

He smiled, but it vanished in the next breath. “I need time to think it through.”

“I understand.” I’d been in his exact spot just days before. “Everything you used to sell me on Salt Lake, the connections, proximity to the airport, cost of living. That’s all available there too. We might not be with the Fury and Pride, but I think we’d still have their support.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I think so too.”

“So don’t make any decisions based on me or the team. Think about what you need to do.”

He reached over and took my hand before planting a kiss on my palm. He held my hand up to his cheek and watched me. I smiled and leaned forward, kissing him gently before pulling back.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“I planned on paying you back for all you did for me. I just didn’t think it would be the next day.”

He chuckled. “Neither did I.”

He drove me back to the house and kissed me once before I got out. He had a lot to work through, but I wouldn't push him. Life was unpredictable, but we’d already proven that we could handle that.

The hardest part would be calling my parents to let them know that I wasn’t staying in Salt Lake. At least Indianapolis was closer to Maryland where my parents still lived. Maybe I could use that to sell them rather than making it seem like Jake and I were unstable.

I let myself into the pool house that was definitely more of an apartment than a storage area like I normally associated with those words. I changed into sweats and fell onto the couch. If we left, would the women that asked me tonight still want to hire me? What about all the connections they mentioned in Cancun? I could fly back and forth easily, but being out of sight and out of mind was a very real concern.

I knew next to nothing about Indianapolis or the area. Would there be enough of a client base locally to keep me busy between the bigger weddings?

I could be thinking about this all wrong. Maybe moving to a new team would double up the pool of potential brides. They might not have seen my work personally, but the Pride could vouch for me.

This wasn’t the end of the world. If I survived losing my job and came out on top, then this would be a walk in the park. The most important thing was supporting Jake and giving what we had a fighting chance. I wasn’t the one with a lot to lose. This had been his home for five years, and he a fantastic group that loved and supported him. Did he want to start over? It didn’t seem like it, but he mentioned the offer was incredible. Was it too much to pass up?

Ugh. Was this how he felt while he was waiting for me to make my decision? That poor man. He even left and flew home without knowing what I was thinking. How did he not lose his mind?

Be patient. I promised him space and time, and that was exactly what I would give him. If he wanted to talk, he would come to me. In the meantime, I was going to be supportive. I would not crack and pressure him for updates.