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She stared at her phone, unable to type the words. Maybe she was struggling now because it was new. Maybe in time she could get used to being second on Mitch’s priority list. Being with him in any capacity was better than not being with him at all, right?
What the hell should she do?
The front door bell chimed, and she put the phone away. He was busy. He wouldn’t be waiting with baited breath for a reply anyway.
Pushing through the swinging door, she saw Mr. Dorsey standing at the counter. Great. This was what she needed that day. More pressure from him. “Hi, Mr. Dorsey,” she said tightly.
“Jessica! I trust you had a nice holiday?” he asked, leaning against the counter.
“It was nice. What brings you by?” she asked, despite knowing the obvious reason.
“Time is running out on the offer, and I wanted to personally let you know that the million dollars won’t be on the table for long.” He gave her a look that suggested she would be the dumbest person on the planet if she didn’t accept it.
And maybe she would be…
But opening the drawer, she took out the volunteer application form for Doctors Without Borders and the offer from Not Just Desserts, and staring straight at Mr. Dorsey, she didn’t even hesitate before ripping both of them in half right down the middle.
His hardened expression was cold as he straightened. “So that’s your answer?”
“That’s my answer.” To both choices she’d been struggling to make. “You can see yourself out,” she said, disappearing through the swinging door to the kitchen before he could see the impact that finally closing the door on a different path for her future had actually cost her.
…
Mitch was running.
Sweat pooled on his flesh and his heart was beating out of his chest. Every single decision he’d ever made seemed to be chasing after him as he dodged tree branches and stumbled over thick overgrowth, making his way through the forest. Away from the camp, away from the danger…
Hot, humid weather enveloped him, and it was difficult to breathe. The blood in his veins threatened to burst through, and his legs were like jelly beneath him as he forced them to keep moving. The weight of his full backpack grew too heavy, so he quickly grabbed only what he needed and ditched the rest.
His small Jeep had broken down on the trail and there was zero cell service where he was. Where that was, he couldn’t even be certain in this unfamiliar area. He was alone with no way to reach anyone. His old-fashioned compass as his only guide. One mission. One goal driving him forward.
He kept running and running…until finally, salvation came into view.
Chapter Twenty-Six
December 31st…New Year’s Eve…
Was there anything more depressing than spending New Year’s Eve surrounded by couples in love?
If there was, Jessica never wanted to experience it.
Dressed in a black sequined mini-dress and red heels, a glass of champagne with cranberries floating on top in her hands, Jessica scanned the New Year’s Eve party happening inside Dove’s Nest. Sarah was hosting the event for the community, and it seemed like it wasthehotspot to be the last day of the year.
The Christmas decorations had been replaced with black and silver garland and confetti. New Year’s Eve logo’d banners and top hats sat on the dining room tables for guests to wear if they chose to. Noisemakers and streamers were everywhere she looked. Even battling morning sickness, Sarah had pulled off one hell of a party.
She spotted her friend now, in the foyer, dancing with Wes and Marissa. She was laughing so hard and looked so completely in love with her new growing family that Jessica’s heart burst with happiness for her. Sarah had told Wes and Marissa about the pregnancy on Christmas Day as Jessica had suggested, and they were predictably over the moon about it. Marissa was already picking out names she liked.
In the dining room, she could see Whitney and Trent sitting at a table enjoying some of the desserts Jessica had brought. Whitney’s casted leg was propped up on a chair, but she’d painted it a silver color to match the beautiful silky silver gown she wore. Trent, dressed in a suit with a matching silver tie, looked barely able to keep his hands off her. He hadn’t left her side since the accident. She hoped it would help her friend realize what was important in life and maybe not work so much in the new year.
She walked slowly through the inn, taking in all the festive sights and sounds all around her. Laughter, happiness as one year came to an end and everyone looked forward to the next. All of her friends and family were inside. Mitch may not be there, but everyone else she cared about was, and this was where she needed to be that evening. Better than being alone again at home, missing him, thinking about him.
In Cambodia, it was already New Year’s Day. Mitch was already moving forward with the new year ahead…leaving her, leaving them behind. She wasn’t sure how to do that, but she hoped to gain clarity once the clock struck midnight in… She checked the big countdown clock Sarah had hung on the foyer wall… Eight minutes and four seconds.
She turned slowly in a circle and everything around her seemed to blur, fade slightly in the background of her own harsh reality. Surrounded by so many people and yet still so alone.
She had to get out of there. In eight minutes, the sound of Auld Lang Syne playing while couples kissed all around her would break her into a crumbling mess. She wouldn’t tell anyone she was leaving; they’d just try to encourage her to stay. She set her champagne glass down on the nearest table and removed her top hat. Then she stealthily made a beeline for the front door.
Where she stopped and her mouth fell open.
