Page 65 of Just for Tonight

But that’s crazy. He’s in Toronto. I’m in Empire. He’s never coming back and I’m not going to go there just to see him. Plus, there’s no future in anything between us. We’ve been over all of that.

I grab my laptop and start searching for airfares to BC, one step closer to making my choice.

“I’ll call her tomorrow,” Jake says. “If she’ll talk to me.”

“She’ll talk to you. Candace knows you’re the only one who can fix things for her right now. She’s smarter than you realize, Jake.”

“Maybe.” His words slow. “I’ll have to take a day off this week and come down to Empire to go to the bank with her. She won’t know what to ask or what to accept, after all.”

“That would be kind.”

There’s a small hesitation, which tells me he’s uncertain of me. “Can I call you?”

“You can but I might not be here.”

“I thought you were married to your job.”

“Well, everyone gets a vacation once in a while. My mom suggested I come for a visit before we start the harvest. It’s a good idea. If I go, I’ll be gone for a week or so.”

“That’s great that you can visit your mom.” He doesn’t sound enthused.

“Maybe, maybe not. She’s matchmaking. Seems she’s impatient for grandbabies.”

The silence is long and loaded.

“I thought you weren’t looking for a relationship.” Jake’s speaking with care, but it has to be a game. He doesn’t get to be possessive when we’ve decided neither of us are interested in a thing.

Do I want him to be possessive? Yes. Yes, I do.

I frown. I don’t like knowing that whatever I want is unattainable. “I haven’t been, but lately I’ve started to wonder whether that’s been a mistake. I’ve always been afraid that my expectations would mean asking too much of someone. Instead, I wonder if it means I’ve been asking too little.” I can put the credit for that at Jake’s feet.

“Sometimes you need to mix things up and confirm that you’re on the right path,” he says lightly, as if none of this really matters.

“Or maybe change to a new one.”

“I suppose he’s rich and handsome.”

He’s fishing but I’m enjoying that too much to shut him down. “Ticks all the boxes from what I understand. Rich, handsome, single, fit, in line to inherit the family vineyard. He’s their winemaker.”

“Lots of common ground then,” Jake says. Does he sound a little strained or am I making that up?

“Match made in heaven from what I understand.”

“Well, good luck, Mackenzie,” he says heartily. “Remember your own resolution and don’t expect too little from him. You deserve the very best.”

And before I can thank him for the compliment, Jake is gone. I stare at the phone for a minute, willing him to call again, then chuck it aside.

He won’t call.

I won’t call.

Time to embrace my new perspective. Still, I hate the idea of being fixed up by my mom. If I go to BC then it will be perceived as interest, if not more.

Right now, I’m not very interested in any man whose name isn’t Jake Cavendish.

17

Jake