I grabbed the bag with Sebastian’s clothes, ignoring the memory of the day I’d been handed my dad’s belongings, after his death. This wasn’t the same situation. Sebastian was alive and well. And he’d asked me to marry him.
I glanced at Janine from the corner of my eye as we walked along the corridor. Nope, I was not going to tell her. I needed to wrap my head around it first. Sebastian should be the oneto break the news. Even after today, I was nervous about her reaction.
Once we were in my truck, I asked Janine for her address and tapped it into the GPS. It was in Midwood, a nice, quiet part of Brooklyn.
“I thought you lived closer to us— I mean, to Sebastian,” I said.
Janine leaned back in the passenger seat. Her tone was introspective.
“It’s our parents’ house; the home where Sebastian and I grew up. I haven’t had the heart to sell it. In my mind, I associate our childhood home with our parents. If I let go of the house, I’m afraid I’ll lose my memories of them. This house was their dream. Silly, I know. With a part-time job and their life insurance, I got myself and Sebastian through school, then college. Sebastian had a scholarship—he was always brilliant.”
I drove in silence. My reflexes were slow, so I was grateful that traffic was light.
“I’m sorry I judged you the way I did when we first met,” I said. “I guess it’s human nature. My dad used to say there’s no shortcut to wisdom. To achieve wisdom we need to live, experience pain, loss, gain, happiness, success... He told me, ‘Jessica, as many things as I can tell you in words, you’ll never understand until you learn your own life lessons.’” I smiled at the memory. “Boy, was he right. Life can crush you, crumple you, humble you like nothing else can. I wish I hadn’t gone through all of this before learning to have more respect and understanding for people—you in particular. You’re the reason Sebastian is the incredible man that he is today.”
She sighed softly. “Thanks for saying that, Jesse. Your father was a wise man. Sebastian told me about him. He liked him very much.”
I swallowed. “I know. I wish… I wish my dad had had more time with us. I wish he’d known that Sebastian and I would…”
“Fall in love?”
“Yeah. And I wish he could’ve met you, too.”
As I stopped at a red light, I glanced at her.
She looked down at her hands. “That would have been nice. My parents would have liked you, too. You’re good for Sebastian. You challenge him, keep him on his toes, and take care of him… You two are a perfect match.”
I chuckled. “One of those matches that sets things on fire?”
She laughed. “That, too, but it’s not a bad thing. You need fire in a relationship to make it last. I’ve never found that with a man, at least not yet. Maybe I’m too much to handle.”
“Don’t ever think that. If you haven’t yet met the right man, that’s not your fault. You’re a rare person, and it’ll take a rare man to make you happy. He’s out there, somewhere. Maybe where you least expect him.”
She scoffed. “Like right next door?”
I shrugged. “It’s always a possibility.”
“Well, there’s this guy who moved into the neighborhood a few weeks back.” Her tone was a mix of casual and playful. “I can’t say I hate the way he looks shirtless when he works on restoring the house he bought.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Do tell me more.”
“I don’t know much. We’ve never spoken. I’m usually rushing out the door and straight into my car. It’s been years since I’ve had an opportunity to talk to a neighbor. I just notice the new guy when I drive back from the office.”
“Then you have to create the opportunity to talk to him. Take a walk one of these days, say hi, introduce yourself… Maybe offer him a glass of cold lemonade?”
She gave me a dry look. “Does that sound like something I’d do? Would it be something you would do?”
I giggled. “No. And no.”
“You picked up my brother by fixing his door.”
“First of all, I didn’t pick him up. And secondly, do you know how to fix stuff? Because if you do, the problem is as good as solved. Just offer to help him with whatever he’s doing. And if you don’t know how, I can teach you.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll think about it. I’m not looking for a relationship right now. But you and I have something more important to discuss. Tell me exactly what happened with your employer today—in detail.”
I blinked forcefully to clear my vision. I was exhausted, and it was hard to focus. I did my best to recount the day’s events, starting with the moment Ben cleared his throat, until after I drove off in my truck.
Janine listened carefully.
