I glance over my shoulder, wondering what he means. “What possibility?”
“Love. Second chances. New directions.”
Slowly, I smile and return my attention to the structure. “So, you’ve bought the place?” I glance up and over our heads at the vast room.
“I did,” he says, and I sense the smile in his tone. Gazing at him, he looks upward. “This will be my workshop. I plan to renovate the apartments upstairs and rent them out. One is mine. Maybe eventually I’ll do something else with this space.” He shrugs, implicating the lower level, and then he lowers his head, meeting my eyes. “For now, I want to keep it just as it is.”
Blushing, I turn away from him and peer at the fire pole still intact. A surge of memory and desire ripples up my middle.
“It’s a work in progress here. Just like me.”
My attention draws back to him. “Aren’t we all?”
He matches my smile. “I have one more spot I want to show you.” For a second, I’m thinking he’s planning to take me upstairs. Show me his apartment. Take me to his bed. Instead, he leads me into the lobby area of the old firehouse. There, an old metal office desk sits, freshly scrubbed and painted a deep metallic gray. The wooden desktop is refinished, perhaps new, and a vase of fall flowers sits on the corner. Beside it is a skein of purple yarn and two knitting needles.
My brows pinch. “Do you knit now?”
“I was thinking the new director of Building Buddies might need an office, and as she loves to knit to help her think, well . . .”
His voice drifts as I stare at him. Then the desk. Then him again.
“What?” The word is more of a choking sound.
“I suppose you might keep your office in Montpelier, but I thought, as you were making a change, maybe you’d prefer someplace new. New-ish. And we could—”
He’s cut off from the rest of his thought as I’ve thrown myself at him, landing my lips awkwardly against his. He’s still and stiff underneath mine, and I realize I’ve made a terrible mistake. I read into this gesture more than I should have. Quickly, I release him, but just as quickly, his arms fasten around me, and my body is flush with his once more. His mouth latches onto mine, and it’s the kiss I’ve been longing for since he left my bedroom.
His mouth moves against me, soft yet demanding. His hands slide up my back, and one cups the back of my neck. Jake breaks the kiss but rests his forehead against mine.
“I’m sorry I walked away.”
I want to tell him I understand. I want to assure him I accept his reasons, but I also don’t want to keep looking backward.
“As long as we’re walking forward together, that’s all that matters.” Pulling back from him, I need to see his eyes. I need to know I’m not alone in my thoughts. “Are we going forward together?”
“Does lightning strike twice?” Jake suddenly asks me, swiping my hair over my ear.
“Yes. Yes, it does. It strikes and strikes hard.”
“Hard, huh?” Jake teases, meeting my eyes again before his lips close over mine once more. His hand at my lower back presses me against him, letting me know how hard he is for me. “I’m in love with you, sweet. I love you.”
My breath hitches as I pull back from the words said against my mouth. “I love you, too, Jake.”
Our mouths come together once more, and then he leads me upstairs to show me his new apartment, the waiting bed, and how hard he is.
29
Rita
Two weeks later
Jake and I are sitting on our comfy plush peach couch. We don’t technically own the thing, but it’s our spot, and I snuggle under his arm as we sip the dark roast heaven on a lazy Sunday morning. The Busy Bean Café is . . . well, busy. Our resident writer sits at her table, typing away. A new barista has arrived. The place is abuzz with subtle activity, but Jake and I remain quiet, in our own little world on this old furniture.
He tips his head and absentmindedly presses a kiss to my temple. We treasure the weekends as Jake travels up to the Gaskin area for his latest Building Buddies project. His parole doesn’t end until November. As I’m the new director for Building Buddies and staying on as a consultant at Kaplan and Shipley, my future employment and passion goals