“Wow yourself.” She tapped his chin with one finger, letting her gaze drop over his not nearly as nice shirt and khakis, but her eyes widened in appreciation anyway.
He closed his hand over that finger and kissed the tip of it. “You look sexy.”
“I feel—”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and cut her off with a solid, hard kiss. He held her there, long enough to melt together in what was now a familiar feeling.
“Sad,” she finished.
“Not what I was going for, but I understand when you say goodbye to a dog.” He skimmed his fingers over her bare shoulder, marveling at the creaminess of her skin, slipping under the tank top strap because he needed more of that skin. And less of these clothes. “I’ll let you wear the doggone hat, if you want.” He kissed her shoulder. “And nothing else.”
She gave a rueful laugh. “I’ll never forget Lola, Garrett.”
“Forget that she’s not in your life, don’t forget her. Don’t forget the way she made you feel or the fact that you saved her.”
She let her forehead lean against his chin. “That does make me happy. But, Garrett, that’s not what I’m most unhappy about.” When she looked up, he saw the shadow in her eyes. A different kind of sadness, but as real as he’d seen when she said goodbye to Lola.
And he knew what she was going to say before she said it.
“I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
Knowing it didn’t make the kick in the gut any less painful.
“I’ve been summoned by my boss. No delay.”
“Tomorrow is Saturday, Jess. Can’t you stay the weekend?”
“They actually wanted me tonight, but I begged for twelve more hours.”
Hours. Not days. “Shit,” he murmured, then let his arms drop in resignation. “Okay. That’s…okay.”
As he turned back to the kitchen, Jessie caught his arm to stop him. “No, it’s not okay. At least, not based on that reaction.”
He tried for a casual shrug, but nothing felt casual. Not with her. “I hate to see you go,” he said softly. “I was just starting to…”
“Get used to me?” she offered when he couldn’t finish.
“Fall really hard for you,” he said. “Which is dumb, unless long-distance relationships are better than I imagine. But something tells me they’re not.”
She answered with a sigh that told him everything.
“Look, Jessie.” He took her hands in his. “I don’t want to get all drippy and emotional, especially now that it’s our last night, but I want you to know that…”#p#分页标题#e#
Once again, he couldn’t get the words out and stood there like a fool. She stepped closer, sliding her arms around him. “I know,” she whispered.
“You do?”
Tipping back, she looked up at him. “I think I do, and I’m just as conflicted.”
Conflicted? He wasn’t conflicted at all. He was certain. “What are you conflicted about?”
After a moment, she said, “I have a question I never asked you.”
“I thought we were done with all those questions.”
“One more. Was there ever a time in that storied career of yours when you thought that maybe the thing you wanted all along wasn’t what you really wanted?”
He didn’t answer, but not because he didn’t know what to say. Was this her way of telling him she wasn’t sure about leaving? He tamped down the hope that rose up, nodding. “After I started working at FriendGroup.”
“But that situation was…clouded.”
He couldn’t argue with that. “But I wasn’t happy working for a corporation. All the money meant nothing because I missed the spirit we had at PetPic.” He brushed back a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “Why are you asking?”
“Because I felt a little like that today. Like…maybe this job isn’t what I thought it’s going to be. I didn’t really enjoy that process today, not as much as I should have. What if I hate broadcast?”
Then life would be good. Perfect. Awesome, in fact. “Call me and I’ll come get you, move you, and bring you back to a place that gives you a sense of belonging and security.”
“Waterford?”
“And here.” He put his hand over his chest. “I’ll keep you right here.”
Her jaw loosened. “Do you mean that?”
“How can you even ask that, Jessie? I don’t have any walls left. I don’t have any self-preservation techniques with you. You took them all away and made me…”