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Weird sensations rise up in my chest, sweet and achy and unfamiliar. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.
“Damn it, you’re too freakin’ nice,” I mutter.
“I’m not that nice,” he smiles. “To be honest, a big part of me kind of hopes you’ll blow it.”
“Thanks,” I huff, but I can’t help a little chuckle
“But I want to be a better boyfriend and I think supporting you in your career choices is part of that.”
Boyfriend? I stare at him, trying to make sense of the word. Even after the elevator drama, I wasn’t sure if we were at the label stage. “Um… that’s nice of you.”
He just called himself my boyfriend, and I responded with That’s nice of you. I thought I was sophisticated and worldly, but I’m realizing that when it comes to relationships, I’m actually a total rube.
Jeremy graciously overlooks my deer-in-headlights response and simply continues. “Besides, job offers don’t mean you have to leave necessarily. Maybe if you get a good one, you could use that as leverage with your brother and the council to get better terms for the library.”
Arching an eyebrow, I attempt to get the conversation back on a more comfortable track. “Like… blackmail?”
He grins. “I think in this case, it’s called a negotiating tactic.”
I smile back, then grow more serious. “If I do that, I’d have to be ready to actually leave,” I point out. “If I pulled out a new job offer and didn’t take it, Walden would never take me seriously again.”
“Yeah. But it’s something to keep in mind.”
“Yeah.”
We sit there, my hand still in Jeremy’s, and I mull over the possibilities.
If I get the Addison, I won’t leave Welkins Ridge… But if the fire station didn’t get it, would that change things between me and Jeremy?
If the fire station got the Addison, I could stay here and keep fighting town hall. I’d get to stay with Jeremy, but my work life would be a source of endless frustration and maybe eventually the resentment would end up poisoning our relationship anyway.
Or I could take a new job, far away, and start fresh, before Jeremy and I get too attached. Better for my career and kinder toward Jeremy.
That last one is so tempting. It’s logical. It’s sensible. It’s safe. On paper, it’s the right thing to do.
But a little voice whispers that it’s also the safe route. If I’m honest, it’s the cowardly route.
“Let’s not worry about it for now,” Jeremy suggests with his trademark common sense. “How about I make us some burgers?”
27
BLAZE
Bailey is about to faint—with nerves or happiness, I’m not sure. Maybe both.
We’re huddled by one of the doors at the Grand Lodge Hotel that leads out to the garden. Outside, their backs to us, are about a hundred seated guests. Nikko, wearing a tuxedo, is standing at the front next to the officiant.
“You gonna be okay, Bay?” Joyce asks softly.
Bailey blows out a breath, her eyes shining. “I’m fine. Just nervous, that’s all. Do I look okay?”
Joyce, Lucky, and I exchange glances. Bailey has always been oblivious to her natural beauty. Today she’s breathtaking.
A stylist has tamed her wild brown hair into a simple, graceful updo set off with artfully placed loose curls and a single wide white ribbon. She’s wearing just enough makeup to set off her huge brown eyes, and her cream-white dress flows over her body as if it was custom-made couture, not hastily tailored and off-the-rack.
“I can’t believe you’re even asking. Have you seen yourself in a mirror?” Lucky sounds exasperated, but then she sniffs and blinks back a glaze of tears.
“Nikko’s the luckiest guy in the world,” I tell her with every drop of sincerity I have in me. Because Bailey isn’t just gorgeous; she’s probably the kindest and most decent person I know. Nikko is the luckiest guy in the world.
