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“How do you always know what I’m not telling you?”
She laughed, but it was watery. “You’re not as mysterious as you think you are.” She squeezed my hand again. “Tell me about her.”
“She’s…” I thought about the best way to describe her, but I didn’t even know where to start.
“How about her name?”
“Jane,” I answered.
“How did you meet?”
“I picked her up after she bailed on her sister’s wedding and was walking alone at night on a deserted road.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Why did she bail on her sister’s wedding?”
“Because her sister was marrying her ex-boyfriend, who she had an affair with while he was dating Jane.”
“Oh.” Her jaw dropped. “That’s not okay.”
I chuckled. “That’s what I told her.” I raised my eyebrows when something else occurred to me. “You know, she reminds me of you in a lot of ways.” When Erica’s face softened, I continued. “Maybe men do marry women who remind them of their moms.”
Her eyes filled again, and she tugged her hand free only to smack mine with it. “Stop making me cry, Shawn.”
Laughing, I sat back and waited for her to wipe her eyes. While she did, she continued speaking, “Let me ask you one thing.”
“Shoot.”
“Can you imagine your life without her?”
I didn’t even have to think about it before I answered. “No.”
“There’s your answer, kiddo.”
I nodded because she was right. I couldn’t imagine my life without Jane. I waited patiently for her to see me, but I never once considered that I would never see her again. That notion sent a pain through my chest that had the power to take my breath away, and I knew I wasn’t letting her push me away without a fight.
I had to prove to her what she meant to me and that I wasn’t afraid to move forward.
Not anymore.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What about you? Did you get married after you moved?”
“No.” She waved her hand in a dismissive way. “I decided I wanted to make a quiet life for myself, so that’s what I did.”
“I know you’re a hotel manager. Do you like it?”
“I like it a lot. Although the hotel I manage was just sold to a national company, so I’m not excited about the coming changes. Rumor is they’re planning to scale down the staff. I’m not sure what that means for my job just yet.” She placed her palms on the table. “But I have a nice savings and a ton of experience, so I’m sure I can find something if I need to.”
“Would you consider moving?”
She shrugged. “Besides some friends, I don’t have any ties to South Carolina. I could move to be closer to my brother and his family, I guess, but unfortunately, he’s overseas, and I’m not sure I want that much change.”
“What about North Carolina?”
She swallowed hard, almost as if she was afraid she misunderstood where I was headed in the conversation. “To be near you?”
“Yeah.” I jerked up my chin. “We just started construction on a racetrack, and our friends who own a construction company are building a hotel. I know there will be plenty of positions there, and they could benefit from all of your years of experience.”
“I would really love that if you’re sure it’s what you want.”
