Alone finally, Mabel let the book slip from her lap and noticed that Dave had left his flip-flops on the sand next to her. Here’s hoping they were headed to a “no shoes, no problem” kind of place. Laughter erupted from the cluster of bikini-clad Brick Babes down the beach, and Mabel had to admit she was glad they were here. They took the heat off her to entertain the fans, and they all really did seem to be having a great time. Somebody ought to be anyway.
She settled back against her chair and closed her eyes behind her sunglasses. She hadn’t slept well last night or the night before that—or the one before that, come to think of it. Now that she was alone, she was able to turn a newish thought over in her mind. Chicago had radio stations, after all. It wouldn’t hurt to just look. That didn’t mean she’d be leaving Dave or making any major life changes. But looking at job postings? She could do that.
The thought brought a measure of peace to the storm in her heart, and she’d almost slipped into a light doze when a shadow fell across her face as someone stepped between her and the sun.
Not opening her eyes, she gestured toward Dave’s sandals. “Forget something?”
“Yeah, I did.”
The familiar voice had her bolting upright in her chair. She whipped off her sunglasses. “Jake?”
“I forgot to tell you something.”
She blinked up at him, wondering if she was suffering from sunstroke. But there he was, barefoot in a rumpled business suit, carrying his shoes in one hand and his suit jacket in the other.
“Are you really here? On the beach? In a suit?”
His shirt was partially unbuttoned, tie loose around his neck, and he squinted down at her as the ocean breeze ruffled his hair. “I’m really here, and I’m in a suit because finding a last-minute flight to Jamaica is harder than you’d think.” He ran a hand down his face. “I left the office yesterday, went straight to O’Hare, and booked the first flight I could find. I had a few layovers, I’ve been traveling for twenty hours, and I haven’t had anything but airport food for an entire day. But quit changing the subject. I forgot to tell you something on Wednesday.”
He dropped his shoes and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her up to face him. Stubble darkened his jaw, and shadows darkened his eyes. He’d never looked better to her.
“What?” she asked, barely daring to hope.
“I forgot to tell you how much I don’t want to leave Beaucoeur.”
“You don’t?” Her heart squeezed.
He dropped his jacket and grabbed her other hand, running his thumbs over her knuckles. “My Chicago apartment that I wanted to get back to so badly five months ago? It’s empty without your socks and dirty coffee mugs everywhere. When they showed me to my new office at BPS, all I could think was how I prefer the view of downtown Beaucoeur from my closet in the bank building. And the only thing I felt when my boss made the official partnership announcement was how wrong it was that you weren’t there with me. So, no. I don’t want to leave Beaucoeur. You’re in Beaucoeur, and I don’t want to leave you. It’s that simple.”
She gave a short sob and squeezed his hands back, so full of love for this man. “I didn’t want you to leave. I wanted you to stay with me. You’reitfor me,” she choked out, finally saying the words to the one person who needed to hear them.
He smiled at her then for the first time since he’d found her on the beach. “You’re it for me too,” he said. “So I quit my job yesterday.”
“No!” Mabel gasped.
“I told BPS I’d be working in Beaucoeur from now on. If they want to keep me on, that’s great. If they don’t, I’ll open my own firm.”
What he was saying made no sense. Not for the Jake she knew. “But all that work, all those years you put in—”
“—don’t matter if my heart’s in Beaucoeur. I’m good at what I do. They’ll either accept that and make me a partner remotely in charge of the Lowell account, or I’ll be my own boss. I’m good either way. As long as I have you?”
The last bit ended on a question, and Mabel realized what he was asking.
“You have me. You’ve got all of me. No more pulling away when it gets rough. I love you. I love you so much. I love you.” She would’ve kept saying it, but he scooped her up to kiss her, stopping her words.
“You’ve got ten seconds to gather whatever stuff you brought with you,” he warned her, “because after that, I’m taking you to our room, and we’re not coming out until we’re forced to seek sustenance. Or until you have some radio thing to do, becauseoneof us needs to keep their job.”
Mabel abandoned her paperback and Dave’s sandals on the beach. She had more important things to think about.
She and Jake held hands as they stumbled across the sand and burst into the tiled lobby of the hotel, making a beeline for the elevator, which moved upward at a glacial pace. They used the whole trip to communicate with kisses instead of words.
When it finally disgorged them onto her floor, she led him to her room. “Do you want to shower, or—”
“Later.” He cut her off, kissing her as he simultaneously backed her toward the bed. “I was afraid I’d never get to touch you again.”
“But wouldn’t you—”
“Seriously, sweetheart, you’re in a bikini, and it’s making me crazy. Showers and talking can wait. I promise we can talk all you want in the shower later.”
