“All right. What doyouwant out of this? Am I just a guy you hooked up with while on your great Midwest adventure with your cool girlfriends from the big city? Or do you actually care about me?” Then, in a softer voice, he said, “I thought we had something special here.”
“We do. I know. But I don’t know. I mean, you live here. Your entire life is here. Mine is in New York.”
“So, you’d not consider being here with me—even if I asked? And don’t worry, I’m not asking... yet.”
“Well, when you put it that way, I have to say that I don’t see myself beinghere. But I see myself being withyou.”
“I can’t leave here though, Mary. My family is here. I’m a cop in Cedar Falls. Coming back from the service that was my plan.”
“And mine was to be a lawyer in New York,” she said, pounding the table a little too hard and making the dishes jump.
She caught herself before her frustration got the best of her. She sat back in her chair and sighed loudly. She brought both hands to her face and wiped the moment away.
“I didn’t even have a chance to celebrate,” she said.
“Celebrate what?”
She looked away. “I got a letter from the firm. They’re making me a senior associate when I get back and putting me on the partner track. It’s a big promotion. About two years ahead of my plan. It tells me they think I have promise.”
“Mary, that’s amazing,” Jake said, grabbing her hands. “Youdohave promise. This is very well deserved. Congratulations!”
“You really think so?” She felt a small surge of pride and hope.
“Yes! You’re a kick-ass lawyer. You amaze me. You know exactly what you want and go out and get it. It’s so great. And really hot.”
She rolled her eyes at that.
“You know that the job is in New York, right?” She bit her lip and said, “I’m going to have to go back home.”
Jake pulled her onto his lap. “Yeah, I know.” They were silent for a few moments. He drew one of her hands up and kissed it then said, “I guess I’ve known all along that my dream of you being here with me was just that. It’s not reality.”
“I hate reality right now.” She laughed, feeling exasperated with the difficulty of deciding what to do with Jake. Then, getting more serious, she looked at him directly and said, “I don’t want this to be over.”
They kissed deeply and the other B&B guests at breakfast pretended to ignore them. She put both arms around his neck and nuzzled her face against his.
“It doesn’t have to be over,” he said into her hair.
“But what are we going to do?” she asked.
Jake let the question hang there for a couple of seconds. “I don’t know. But I also know what my dad’s always said. Sometimes decidingnotto decide is the best decision at the time. So, let’s just not think about it right now.”
He felt her ribs move up and down as her breathing matched his.
“Your dad’s a wise man.”
“Well, we are related.”
“What would your dad suggest we do now?” she asked.
“I think he’d say take that woman outside and show her how beautiful Door County is and maybe then she’ll never want to leave.”
She kissed his lips and then put her forehead to his. Jake smiled and looked around. Their PDA had cleared the breakfast nook.
“Let’s get our coats, New York.”
Her smile was bittersweet at the nickname she’d come to love.
Chapter 67