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I glance back toward Jenna. She’s watching Mack and Owen skate, but I can tell she can hear me.
Doug keeps talking. “Light travel. Mostly major events. Great schedule. You can live wherever you want. We’d fly you in when you’re needed.”
Live wherever. Not tied to anywhere. Interesting. I could be wherever she is.
“What do you think?” Doug asks.
I smile. “I think I’d like to hear the details.”
It’s a hell of an opportunity. I couldn’t have dreamed this up if I tried.
“We’ll email everything tonight,” he says.
We swap information and hang up. Then, I stand there for a second.
I turn around. Jenna isn’t looking at the Christmas lights anymore. She’s looking at me. And something’s different. The air feels like it’s shifted.
She shrugs without looking at me. “Sounds like you got your next adventure. I’m excited for you.”
I frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Snowflakes catch in her hair as she turns. “I know we just met. And we live in two completely different places with different jobs, Ty. It was silly of me to think...”
“Come back to me,” I say, searching her eyes. “You know that’s not where we are.”
She keeps walking. “I knew Vegas couldn’t last forever.”
“What?”
She’s scared and pushing me away. I recognize it because I’ve done it, too. But this time with her, here in Bridger Falls, it’s different.
“But fairytales aren’t real,” she finishes.
I sigh. “Jenna...”
“You don’t have to explain.”
I pull her to me and feel the walls go up even higher.
She hugs herself tighter. “It’s okay. People always leave. Nothing is really like this.” She waves her gloved hand toward the festival.
She honestly believes I’m already gone. I close the distance between us. She doesn’t move.
“If you’re done pushing me away because you’re scared, can I tell you what that was about?”
She looks up in surprise and has a curious look on her face.
“It was a sports anchor job offer, and they said I could live anywhere.”
Confusion flickers across her face. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t have to leave you.”
Silence. Another blink.
“They’ll fly me to the events.”
She still doesn’t say anything. But one by one, I feel the walls coming back down and her coming back to me.
