Jackie cleared her throat. “I didn’t know you were looking for another job.”
“I wasn’t,” Aidan told her. “I met the managing director of the company earlier in the year. He told me what they’re doing and some of the challenges they’ve had to overcome. He must have remembered the conversation we had. A few days ago, he called me and told me about a new position they were creating. He asked if I was interested in looking at it, and I said yes.”
Jackie’s eyes widened. “You’d move to Florida? What about the family and friends you’d miss in New York City?”
He looked uncomfortably at her. “I know that was one of the reasons I said I wouldn’t move to Montana, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
He hesitated. “I don’t know. What do you think I should do?”
Jackie pulled another tiny outfit from the box. She wasn’t looking at him, wasn’t revealing anything about how she was feeling. “You should do what’s best for you.”
Aidan knew how much she valued the security she’d found in Sapphire Bay, and he didn’t want to be the one to disrupt it. “If I take the job, would you still want to be part of my life?”
She didn’t say anything.
“Jackie, please be honest with me,” he said softly. “I need to know how you feel about us and our future together.”
Her gaze locked on the box in front of her. “I really care about you, Aidan. But you can’t base your decision on me. You need to do what’s best for you.”
Her words hung in the air between them, as fragile as the snowflakes that were falling outside. Aidan’s heart ached, torn between the woman he’d found in Sapphire Bay and the opportunity waiting for him in Miami.
* * *
Two days later,Jackie tapped on the back door to The Starlight Café and poked her head around the door frame. Andrea was in the kitchen, wiping down the stainless-steel counter. “Is it okay if I come in?”
“Of course, it is. It’s nice to have someone here while I’m putting everything away.”
Jackie moved across to the commercial dishwasher. “Would you like me to empty this?”
“That’d be fabulous. How was work?”
“Busy, but not as busy as you were. I saw the people leaving the café half an hour ago. Were they all from the book club?”
“Most of them were. I don’t know how Mabel attracts such large numbers to the group, but I’m pleased she does.”
Jackie smiled. “I’m sure they enjoy the food at your café as much as the book discussion. Did they like your new menu?”
Andrea grinned, hands on her hips. “They loved it. They’re already planning the next get-together. Oh, and Mabel told me the Christmas Carol Competition is going to be bigger this year.”
“That’ll make it even better than it usually is.” Jackie took a stack of cups across to the open shelves. “I love that event. I can’t wait to see what everyone sings.”
“Me neither.” Andrea leaned against the counter, studying Jackie with concern. “How are you holding up? You look exhausted.”
Jackie rubbed her temples, feeling the weight of everything that was happening in her life. “I’m managing. Splitting my time between The Flower Cottage and organizing my store is difficult. Paris has been incredibly supportive, but it’s getting harder. I’ve been staying up late to work on things.”
“It shows,” Andrea said gently, her gaze lingering on the dark shadows beneath Jackie’s eyes. “You need to take care of yourself.”
Jackie sighed, knowing her friend was right. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” she admitted. “Aidan got a job offer in Miami. I’m worried he’ll take it and I’ll never see him again.”
“Wow, that’s unexpected,” Andrea murmured, her brow furrowed with sympathy.
“Tell me about it. I thought working from Manhattan would be bad enough, but at least he could’ve worked from Sapphire Bay for some of the time. But that’s not possible with the job he’s been offered.”
“Do you think he’ll accept it?”
Jackie lifted another dozen plates out of the dishwasher. “I don’t know. He’s seriously considering it, but he wanted to know what I thought.”
