“It’s unfortunate. For him, I mean.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I slowly made eye contact.
“BecauseI get to be the lucky one who tells you how amazing and beautiful you are. And I’ll try to say it as often as I can until you believe it for yourself.”
I had so many questions for him, and so few possible answers. The biggest was where this was going. Or where could he see it going, as I was starting to believe I wasn’t just seeing what I’d hoped to see. Would a long-distance relationship be something doable?
I didn’t know, having never been in one.Charlie had been my one and only serious boyfriend, so I really had much to learn about being in a relationship. Things had changed since I’d last dated. What if I screwed up?
The oven beeped, and Jesse headed over to remove breakfast and set it on the hot mats between our plates.
My gaze fell to the folded newspaper, still surprised the Island Gazette still published. “How often do you get the paper?”
“Sundays.”
“That’s it?”
“Not much goes on here.”
Which I supposed was true.I opened the paper and flipped through, wondering if I’d stumble upon wedding news. Nothing. However, the job section caught my eye. Bauer Mechanical was looking for a cost accountant to oversee their west coast operations on Stewart Sound, which covered Cheshire Bay.
At this point in my life, I had nothing to lose. My rental was a month-by-month situation, and my job? I wasn’t loyal to it and had no close friends or buddies there. It was definite food for thought.
For now, I sat on the stool across from the man who made my butterflies swarm and my heart beat double time, and served him a healthy,man-sized serving of baked French toast. As he poured the sticky syrup over his slices, his phone buzzed, and he tugged it out of his pocket.
“I need to take this, sorry.” Without explanation, he hopped off his stool and skedaddled down the hall. “Hey, honey,” he said in a soft tone as he bounded up the stairs.
Chapter Fifteen
Who was Jesse talking to? And more importantly, why did he scamper off and disappear when the call came in?
While I waited for him to return, I finished a thick slice of French toast and peeled an orange. I’d even managed to top up my coffee and add a drizzle of milk to it.
Finally, Jesse made his way back into the kitchen, a satisfied smile on his face. He cut into his breakfast and popped a piece into his mouth, chewing slowly and letting a deep moan escape. “This is very tasty.”
“I’ll leave the recipe for you.” My voice was curt, surprising me as the tone rolled out.
Yes, I was having feelings for Jesse, and judging by the way he kissed me, he was too, so thehey honeyphone call really rubbed me the wrong way.
“You okay?”
I took a sip of coffee.“I’m going to level with you. I really enjoy your company.”
He reached beyond the fruit basket and held my hand. “And I enjoy yours. These last couple of days have been amazing.”
“They have been, yes.” It was hard to disagree. “Which makes things difficult.”
“How so?”
“I’m going home in two days.”
“So?” He stabbedanother piece and popped it into his mouth.
I ripped the orange peel into tiny fragments, unsure of where I was taking this conversation. Or even what the end result would be. “I’ve shared morewith you than I have anyone else in a long time.”
“Is thisabout trust?”
Was it? Maybe.