“There’s no point in swapping one set of prying eyes for another. I thought you could come to my lodge.”
I pull in a breath. My answer should be no. I don’t know if I’ll be able to say no to Jack if we’re alone together—in fact, I know I won’t.
“Sounds good,” I answer. Maybe this is what we need. Both of us. Maybe the pining for each other will fade if we’re together—if we get to know each other better.
“Good,” he says.
He leads me inside. The lodge is huge—open plan, but I’ll bet it’s bigger than our family home. I kick off my shoes and follow him.
“Are you staying here on your own?” I ask. “Or are you sharing with your friends?”
He shakes his head as he switches on the lights. I glance up. It doesn’t bring the overhead lights on. But all the table lamps and floor lamps in the room come on all at once.
The place looks like something you’d see on Instagram. Except bigger and more expensive-looking. It looks like a place that would be much more in keeping with New York than Star Falls. The rug bounces beneath my feet it’s so thick. I turn, taking the room in. Nothing in here was bought locally. I’ve never seen any furniture like this in any store I’ve ever been to.The couches are so huge it looks like you could get lost in them. The walls seem to be papered in fabric or something.
“Oh, you have one of Juniper’s paintings in here. I heard she had some stuff up here.” At least the paintings are local.
“You know that Juniper and my friend Fisher are together now?”
I nod but glance anywhere but at his face. I don’t want to see what he’s thinking. Because he can’t be suggesting that because it worked out for Juniper and Fisher, it could work out for us.
We barely know each other.
We’re not Juniper and Fisher.
From what I’ve heard, Fisher’s family isn’t involved in their relationship. There is no family legacy to worry about.
“Can I get you a drink?” Jack asks.
“Sure. Water would be great.”
I slide onto one of the barstools by the kitchen counter and watch Jack grab a pitcher from the cupboard and fill it with water and ice. He grabs something from the freezer and I realize it’s sliced lemon rounds. He slips a handful into the pitcher and puts the pitcher in front of me, alongside a glass.
All I wanted was a glass of water.
I got a pitcher with lemon too.
I wonder how often Jack prepares his own drinks. “Do you have servants?” I ask him.
He takes another glass from the cupboard and turns. His eyes are narrowed. “No one I call a servant, no.”
“Staff, then. Is that what you call them?” If I lived in New York, I’d probably work for a man like Jack.
“I have a housekeeper who also cooks,” he says.
“And when you say housekeeper…?”
He pulls in a breath. “Are you looking for differences between us? Because you won’t have to look very hard.”
“I’m just trying to imagine what your life is like in New York.”
He glances down at the floor. “I like you. I think you like me.” He pauses, his stare so intense I feel like I might burst into shards of light under his inspection. “I’ve never felt this connection. I think you feel it too.” He rounds the counter and my heart rate ramps up with every step closer he gets.
I nod. There’s no point in denying it. “Yeah, I feel it. But that doesn’t mean… it doesn’t mean…”
“What?” Jack asks. “You can tell me anything. You know that.”
Ididknow that. I’m not afraid of Jack. “I suppose that there doesn’t seem much point in pursuing something that’s doomed to fail.”
