“You’re a pretty thing.”
“Gramps.” Brady shook his head in warning.
“Oh, right.” Emory cleared his throat. “What I meant to say is that you’re an intelligent, capable woman who I respect mightily.” He grinned. “Do you like pancakes?”
Elli laughed. She saw where Brady had inherited his charm. “I appreciate both compliments, Emory, thank you.”
“You can call me Gramps. That’s what this knucklehead calls me.” He shot a thumb at his grandson.
Lila let out a bark to protest being left out of the conversation. Gramps promptly bent down to stroke the dog’s blond fur.
“I didn’t forget you, Pancake,” he said in a soothing voice. He turned to Brady. “Well, whether you’re eating them or not, she obviously has to have a pancake.” He pointed to the dog.
“Obviously,” Brady said drolly as Gramps and Lila walked into the kitchen.
“I can’t control him.” Brady lifted a hand and dropped it to his side. Seeing him here, in a cozy familial setting made her heart squeeze.
“You’re a good dog dad.”
He didn’t blush, but there was something shy about the way he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. There was nothing shy, however, about the way he leaned forward and muttered, “You forgot to kiss me last night, Bean. And today.”
“I didn’t forget.” Creating distance was hard. Especially while in the same room with him. “I was deciding if I should.”
He gripped her neck and lowered his lips just over hers. “You should. You definitely should.”
So, she did. Despite the arguments about why she shouldn’t. She lifted to her toes and pressed her mouth to his. He moved his lips on hers in a long, open-mouthed, carefully quiet kiss.
Or at least, she thought it was careful.
“Mercy’s sakes,” came Emory’s reply from the threshold of the kitchen. “I was going to ask you two if you needed pancakes, but apparently, you need a fire hose.” He threw a hand and then disappeared into the kitchen again.
“He doesn’t know the half of it.” Brady took her hand and sat with her on the sofa. “Any news on the job search?”
She swiped her palms down her shorts, suddenly nervous. “Not yet. I’ve narrowed down my number-one companies. But the apartments, oy. There are a lot of options in every price range. And without knowing my salary or where I’ll be working, it’s hard to commit.”
“A theme with you.” He smiled and quickly added, “I’m kidding.”
But he was wrong. She’d committed to Neil. As a result, she hadn’t done anything she wanted to do for the last half-decade.
“I’ve spent the last six years with my life on pause,” she said. “I’m not waiting for life to happen to me anymore. I have to be proactive.”
“I understand that.” His eyebrows closed in over his nose.
She assumed there was more he wanted to say. “But?”
“No but. As long as you’ve thought about what you want.”
“Of course I have.” She knew what she wanted. Chicago, a job, an apartment.
“When life changes, Bean, we have to change with it. Chicago sounds like an old dream you’re resurrecting. Not a new one. Better make sure it’s not decomposed before you dig it up.”
The noise that came from her throat was between a laugh and a grunt.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “What do you want, Elli? What do you really want?”
It’d been a long time since anyone had asked her that and listened for an answer. Most people who asked that question already had an answer in mind. Neil had told her on countless occasions what she should want, and why she should want it. Even her well-meaning parents had planted the seeds in her mind about her returning to Chicago and working with her father. They had their own reasons for feeling that way. They lived outside of Chicago and wanted her close by. Neil had had his reasons for pushing her, too.
What did she want?
It was frightening to think about. The world was vast, the possibilities endless. And who among them did what they wanted anyway? Who was able to live exactly the way they wanted on their own terms? Didn’t being a responsible adult mean doing what she had to, not what she wanted?
“Chicago’s a good fit for me,” she said rather than voice any of the confusion swirling in her head.
Brady remained silent, which frustrated her further. She’d already put herself on the path back to Illinois. Forward momentum was crucial. If she stopped now, she’d have to start over. Completely over.
“Staying here longer than necessary is a waste