say anything. Mostly he watched her with gray-green eyes that seemed as impenetrable as Fort Knox. What was he thinking? He’d said he wanted all of her, but she had to get her shit together. She was fairly certain her shit was not together. Not even close. Instead she was worse than before.
“Why did you come?” she asked, setting down her buttered toast.
His shoulders may have twitched into a shrug. “I wish I knew.”
For a few seconds neither one of them said anything.
“Josh and I broke up. Turns out I don’t have the right equipment for him.”
“And how does that make you feel?” Gage asked.
What kind of question was that? How did he think she felt? “Hurt.”
“Because he couldn’t want you? Because he deceived you? Or because you’re no longer living your plan?”
“My plan?”
“You said you had a plan, and he—I’m assuming Josh—messed up your plan. Last night when you were crying, it didn’t seem to be over him, but over the fact nothing has worked out the way you planned it.”
Ellery looked down at her plate. “Well, yeah. I guess that’s some of it. I thought I loved Josh. He’s a great guy, and he always treated me like I was . . . I mean, now I can look back and see that he was doing what he thought a man does when he loves a woman. Maybe I was doing the same thing. I thought we made so much sense. Everyone said so. The things we wanted in life lined up, you know? But to answer your question, I wanted the life he and I had planned.”
Gage’s expression seemed to say, How’s that working for you?
“Nothing’s been going my way since last spring, Gage.” Other than meeting you.
That thought popped up out of nowhere, and before she could talk herself out of it, she knew it to be true. Ever since she’d fizzled in her career, she’d been making bad decisions, one right after the other. Or maybe some of it wasn’t because she’d made bad decisions. Maybe this was how life was—that in spite of one’s best efforts, things didn’t always work. Some of what had happened to her over the last few months was what life had given her. Another thing she knew for certain was that Gage . . . oh crap, she didn’t know his last name . . . was meant to be here in this time and place.
“I get it,” he said, tucking into his breakfast while still giving her cryptic looks.
“What’s your last name?” she blurted.
He chuckled. “Nacari.”
“Gage Nacari . . . you sound like a European race car driver or a soap opera star.”
“Nope. Just a guy who slings wine. Well, for another week anyway. I’m leaving for Seattle right before Thanksgiving.”
“What?” Ellery jerked her gaze from the pooling syrup on her half-eaten waffle to Gage. “You’re leaving?”
“There’s this job in Seattle. One I’ve had my eye on for a long time.”
“You’re leaving?” She knew she shouldn’t be upset. Gage was a guy she’d met exactly five times, if last night counted as a meeting. They’d shared a few kisses. That was it. But for some reason, his casual mention of leaving next week was like someone kicking her in the stomach. He couldn’t leave now. They had chemistry, the beginning of something that she wasn’t ready to put her finger on but that existed all the same.
“I started the interview process last month. The Seattle office called last week, and I have an interview. It’s the opportunity I’ve been lusting after for a while now.”
He was excited. She could see that in his eyes. “But you don’t have the job yet?”
“Not yet.”
“What if you don’t get it?” She knew how it felt to not get the job you thought you would. Sometimes it didn’t work out, so why move to Seattle when he didn’t have a sure thing?
“Then I’ll find something else. It’s time for me to go after what I want in life. I have a degree from UT in computer engineering, and I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity. This is it.”
“Well, that’s brave. Seattle’s a cool place. I went once when I was in college. Nordstrom is headquartered there.”
Gage’s gaze searched her face. “You should come with me.”
Ellery dropped her fork. The clatter was loud, and a few people in the next booth turned toward them. “Sorry.” She picked up the fork and set it next to her plate. “Are you crazy? I can’t go