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“It is if it means not repeating mistakes.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Brit. You’re confusing me.”
His expression had been stoic, almost stern. But now he smiled, that same grin with the power to make her do just about anything. How could it be both comforting and arousing in equal measure?
“Come with me to Italy, Laney. Please. I went online last night and bought you an open-ended ticket.”
“Are you insane?” She blurted it out without finesse, terrified by how much she wanted to say yes without a thought for the consequences.
Brit winced. “You’re hell on a man’s ego. I want to spend time with you. I can’t stay in Blossom Branch right now, but I don’t want us to be separated for another year or two or four. Time is precious.”
“I can’t argue with that,” she said. “But I have a job.”
“Turn in your notice,” he said quietly. “It’s a fine job, but you always wanted to travel, Laney. This is your chance. No,” he said abruptly. “This isourchance. I’m not proposing marriage. We both realize that would be premature. But I know this is right. You and I were meant to be together.”
She felt faint. “Marriage?”
For the first time, she realized he was not as confident as he seemed.
He grimaced. “It’s a scary word, I know. Believe me. But there’s another one even more terrifying.”
She held her breath. “Oh?”
He looked at her with such intensity her heart wobbled in her chest. “Love, Laney. This might be love.”
Because she couldn’t sit still another second, she jumped to her feet and paced. “What would I do in Italy?”
“Anything you want. Learn Italian. Explore photography. Help me run my lines. Make friends with the cast and crew.”
What he was describing sounded like the most delightful movie plot ever. But this was reality. This was life, her life. “That makes me sound like a kept woman. What do you get out of this deal—and don’t say sex,” she muttered quickly. “Because I know you can get that anywhere.”
“It’s not sex, Laney. It’s the whole package.” His focused stare penetrated her defenses.
“I’ve never known you to be so impulsive,” she said. “And you know I analyze everything to death. Why don’t we think about this for a month or so?”
In which case, it will never happen.
His smile was wry now. “It isn’t as impulsive as it seems. I’ve been having a form of this conversation in my head for the past four years.”
“Ever since you came home for your grandmother’s funeral?”
“Exactly. That night we spent talking until dawn was one of the best moments of my life. It was as if everything that had been fuzzy and uncertain snapped into sharp focus.”
“I’m supposed to believe you’ve thought about me all this time?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “Why do you think I’ve been texting you like a lovesick teenager?” He sighed. “But I know you may need a little time to catch up.”
“Ya think?” she said, the sarcasm a mask for her emotions. She was in way over her head. “Be honest, Brit. You’ll fly out to LA and then to Italy, and in no time, Blossom Branch will be nothing but a pleasant memory.”
His jaw clenched. He paled beneath his tan. “You have such a wonderful opinion of me, Laney.”
She sensed she had hurt his feelings. “I’m not being critical. But your life is a heck of a long way from this sleepy town.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he said.
The four flatly voiced words confused her. “How can I be wrong? Your parents’ house is on the market. You haven’t lived here in ten years.”
“When I made love to you yesterday on a quilt in the woods, I was staking a claim. Laying the first brick. Making a new start. Six weeks ago, I bought the peach orchard, Laney, the whole farm. I was hoping that one day you and I could design and build our dream house on top of that very same hill.”
