“Don’t think badly of her,” Alice said. “Antique jewelry brings out the worst in Southern belles, but I set her straight about who owns it.”
“How much do you think it’s worth?”
Alice straightened. “I have no idea, but you’re not thinking of selling it, are you?”
“Not until I learn the story behind it. Once we can figure out who it belonged to, it will probably make it even more valuable.”
She rocked back in her seat. “How can you even think about selling something this priceless?”
“Whoa . . . Hang on to your horses, Professor. You can do whatever research you want with it, but once we know where it came from and how it got into that fireplace, of course I’m going to sell it. I’m up to my eyeballs in debt and can’t afford to overlook a windfall like this.”
Not everyone valued the historic heritage of Virginia, but to sell an extraordinary relic was unthinkable. “Don’t be hasty, Jack. Maybe I can find a buyer who will donate it to a museum. It shouldn’t disappear into some rich person’s private collection.”
Jack shrugged. “So long as that rich person can pay the highest bid, I’ll be happy to turn it over. Just get your research done before I go to Japan because I could use the cash.”
“Don’t you know how short-sighted and venal that sounds?”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t even know what ‘venal’ means, but I’m guessing it’s not good.”
“It means a seedy and self-interested desire to make money. Jack! Be patient. This ring is priceless and belongs right here in the Tidewater.” She clasped the arms of her chair to stop her hands from shaking. Jack had that angry bulldog look that made her want to shrink.
“Well, princess . . . you and I grew up in different neighborhoods. I didn’t have sailing lessons or summers in France. I grew up with foster care and food stamps and medical bills I couldn’t pay, and hanging on to a useless gold ring doesn’t fit into my portfolio. Got it?”
She shot to her feet, turning her back on him to head into the kitchen. A quick squirt of dishwashing liquid and a jet of hot water pouring from the spigot gave her an excuse not to look at him. If she did, she might cry, and she needed to gather her thoughts.
Why did she keep falling in love with inappropriate men? Jack didn’t believe in setting down roots; he believed in building a bank account. Despite everything they’d shared over this magical summer and autumn, he was going to do exactly as he always said and pull up his stakes to leave.
She cut off the hot water but still couldn’t face him. She braced her hands on the cool porcelain sink, staring at the kitchen window that normally overlooked her herb garden, but because it was night and the lights were on, it was like a mirror and all she could see was Jack’s reflection standing behind her. He stood motionless with his arms folded; his face grim.
“Are you going to live the rest of your life like this?” she asked. “Never putting down roots, never making real friends or forming a family?”
Nothing but silence came from behind. She grabbed a sponge and began aimlessly sloshing soapy water over a salad bowl. “Falling in love and setting down roots is scary. I’m scared to death at this very moment because I know you’re probably going to reject me, and that’s going to hurt, but I’m willing to risk it.”
She met his gaze in the window’s reflection. He still hadn’t moved a muscle, but his expression was pained.
“Alice, I need to get away from you.”
She turned around to face him. “Do I make your life that miserable?”
“No, you’ve made it wonderful, and you know that. You also know that I live my life on the road and have no intention of ever settling down. I’ve always been honest about that.”
“You don’t have to live like a nomad forever,” she choked out. “Stay here and run the golf course.”
“And see you every day?” She flinched, and he softened his tone. “Alice, we’re not going to get across the finish line together. You deserve someone better than me who will be happy to settle down and build a big, happy family with you. I don’t want to stand on the sidelines and watch. Next week I’m leaving for Japan, and I won’t come back.”
The anguish in his voice was a dead giveaway that he was struggling. Maybe all he needed was the confidence that he could stay. “Do you really want to go through the rest of your life with no family? No roots?”
He nodded. “Just because I’m not like you doesn’t make it wrong.”
She sighed, debating whether she should bring up the heart of the problem. For all his self-confidence and bravado, Jackfeared the emotional risk of forming ties, so he took pride in his itinerant lifestyle and never looked back.
She scrambled for the words to help him view the world through a different lens. “You went through a lot of rejection while growing up,” she said, venturing cautiously into dangerous territory. “I can understand that the thought of forming lasting ties is a risk, but living like a nomad is a bigger one. Don’t you want to be part of a family? Part of a community? The human race isn’t meant to—”
“You know what, Alice? Shut up. Shut the heck up and quit nagging. Settling down isn’t for everyone, and I don’t see the world through rose-colored glasses.”
“Maybe you should try it.”
Her cell phone buzzed from its position on the kitchen counter, and Sebastian’s name flashed on the screen.
